Employee Motivation Essay

Abstract. Employee motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an employee to behave in a certain manner for accomplishing certain organizational goals. Individuals differ in motivation along three parameters viz. self-esteem, need for achievement, and intrinsic motivation. There has been a growing emphasis on employee’s needs rather than just organizational needs, and recognition of the strategic value of employees being developed to their best potential. Organizations have become increasingly aware that the effective development of their employees’ skills and knowledge has benefits for the whole organization. Performance appraisal can be a crucial factor in the setting of career goals and the perception of job satisfaction leading to increased motivation and productivity. The paper examines employee motivation at the workplace. What is Motivation? Motivation is based on emotions. It is the search for positive emotional experiences and the avoidance of negative emotional experiences. Motivation is involved in the performance of all learned responses. It is a behavior that will not occur unless it is triggered. In general, psychologists question whether motivation is a primary or secondary influence on behavior. For example, is the behavior stemmed from personality, emotion perception, and memory or if motivation stems from concepts that are unique. Each year, billions of dollars are spent on motivation courses by large companies. The course involves training in motivation, meetings to boost motivation, incentives to strengthen motivation, meetings to analyze problems in the workplace motivation, tools to measure motivation mission statements, etc. These training sessions also include how to cope with problems in recruitment, productivity and retention, problems of commitment to teams and corporate agendas. Motivation is extremely important to success and to reach personal and business goals that one has set. Ethics Employees must learn to work together towards common goals. Employees must have an understanding of the organization as a whole and how they fit into the organization. They will most likely need training to acquire the knowledge needed for organizational understanding. Once an understanding of the organization and their role in it has been established, the employee with act on the goals set forth. Management must show the employee the need for their being there and for their output and input. The top to bottom role should be fair and there must be a clear code of corporate ethics. There must be communication between all levels, top to bottom, bottom to top. No employee should be left out. Management should ensure that their employees feel secure and they can be trusted and are equals among their peers. Performance should be viewed as a learning experience, not a horrific experience. Appraisals The annual performance review is one of the most feared and fearful processes that leaves employees angry and depressed as opposed to motivated to perform better. Companies have started to look at the appraisal as a more developmental approach to performance evaluation, instead of making the employee feel more insecure about their job performance. By using this technique, it would emphasize on giving employees the skills they need to perform effectively. The goal of a plan such as this would be to achieve goals that have been set by the company and be appraised on how many of those goals they have reached. Goals should be clear and sufficient to motivate employees into action. Business performance will improve by using an effective appraisal system. By defining clear objectives, the employees will be able to focus on the specified task and company goals. Appraisals help the employees feel that their good work is recognized and that they are valued. It also provides an opportunity to discuss concerns and weaknesses that the employee may have and suggestions may be made to find a solution to the problem. Motivation Techniques In order to motivate employees, they must know what is expected of them. Employees must have a clear understanding of challenges and realistic goals that they must meet. Employees that are encouraged to healthy competition ensure that the criteria for successes are clear and do not encourage resentment or low morale. Tough approaches, like firing staff that are not working to their full potential, can motivate other employees to do work better and strive for those goals that have been set. There is no perfect way to motivate staff. Some psychologists hold that financial bonuses or perks will be enough to motivate employees to give their best effort. Competition between employees is also commonly used as a motivation strategy at times. However, the keys to effective employees are motivation strategies that provide a range of incentives that appeal to the different personalities of the employees. While one individual may be driven by money, another may find job satisfaction or creative opportunities more powerful factors. Some company employee motivation techniques suggest that most employees respond to the same incentives. Money is most commonly used to improve motivation, staff retention and ambition. Everyone is different and has their own view about what is important to their life. For this reason, there are steps that can be used to motivate employees by doing things that they value and mean doing the right thing. They are as follows: Find the right job for the right person Empower Employees Co-operation vs. Competition Involve employees in company development When staff feel secure and nurtured in their work environment they perform  better. These steps help employees feel secure in their environment: Praise and recognition of the employee’s successes as much as you constructively criticize them. Let employees be aware of their job security. Be a Leader to staff. Create a comfortable working environment. Treat employees fairly. Mangers are responsible for overseeing employees who are engaged in work or learning tasks. Managers must be aware that some employees participate more out of interest in the task than others are. Others gain their satisfaction principally out the way in which their performance on the task leads to rewards like pay or status. But typically there is a mixture of motives for which a range of different incentives is relevant. Most employees will find at least some satisfaction in simply doing the work. The balance of these intrinsic and extrinsic sources of satisfaction varies from one person to another and between different situations. Some people indeed are highly motivated by both intrinsic interest and extrinsic rewards. Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation Most employees understand intrinsic satisfaction or intrinsic motivation, when an activity is satisfying or pleasurable in and of itself. These activities are things employees like and want to do. For most people, intrinsically enjoyable activities are things like eating, resting, laughing, playing games, winning, creating, seeing and hearing beautiful things and people, and so on. To do these things people do not need to be paid, applauded, cheered, thanked, respected, or anything. They do them for the good feelings that are automatically and naturally received from the activity. Intrinsic rewards also involve pleasurable internal feelings or  thoughts, like feeling proud or having a sense of mastery following studying hard and succeeding in a class. Many, maybe most, activities are not intrinsically satisfying enough to get most of people to do them consistently, so extrinsic motivation needs to be applied in the form of rewards, incentives, or as a way to avoid some unpleasant condition. There are many activities that are intrinsically satisfying to some people but not to other people. This diversity suggests that past experiences can have a powerful influence on determining what is intrinsically satisfying to an individual. In many activities, intrinsically satisfying aspects combine with extrinsic pay offs. For example, employees and people in general, intrinsically enjoy conversing and, at the same time, they get attention, praise, support and useful information. In this case where intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are mixed, one might suppose that over a period of time the accompanying extrinsic reinforcements gradually increase our intrinsic enjoyment of the activity and perhaps vice versa. Extrinsic Motivation Extrinsic Motivation comes from without, such as money, titles, honors, trophies or a date. Extrinsic motivation has been found to destroy intrinsic motivation. Presently there is a movement to eliminate extrinsic motivation from schools, hospitals, and government. Extrinsic Motivation can be based on the phrase, â€Å"Do this, and get this.† Methods of Extrinsic Motivation are sometimes controversial. Some argue that employees view their work as a form of punishment and the paycheck is their reward. Extrinsic rewards tend to focus attention more narrowly and to shorten time perspectives, which may result in more efficient production of predefined or standardized products. Job satisfaction and long term commitment to a task may also be affected. Management first thinks about rewarding employees with money as an effective reward. Unfortunately, money will not always motivate employees to perform better or stay with the company longer. Not everyone thinks money makes the  world go round. Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic motivation is the satisfaction in which the rewards come from carrying out an activity rather from a result of the activity. Employees that are intrinsically motivated tend to be more aware of a wide range of phenomena, while giving careful attention to complexities, inconsistencies, novel events and unexpected possibilities. They need time and freedom to make choices, to gather and process information, and have an appreciation of well finished and integrated products, all of which may lead to a greater depth of learning and more creative output. Intrinsic Motivation is the outcome of a work situation that employees enjoy. It comes from inside of the employee. Employees feel that they are in charge and that they have the opportunity to acquire new skills and abilities to match a different challenge. Employees also feel that they are a part of a successful team. When rewards, such as praise, are based on performance standards that imply one is doing well and performing competently, then the intrinsic interest increases. People like to be told they are doing well. Intrinsic Motivation is an emotional preference that gives pleasure and enjoyment. It stems from a strong emotional interest in an activity. It can be classified as a sense of freedom. Theories. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Abraham Maslow is considered as the father of Humanistic Psychology. Humanistic Psychology incorporates both Behavioral and Psychoanalytical Psychology. Maslow, although he studied both types of Psychology, he rejected the idea that human behavior is controlled by only internal and external factor. Maslow, instead, based his Motivation Theory on the basis that â€Å"man’s behavior is controlled by both internal and external factors.† (pp. ) He also emphasized that humans have the ability to make choices and  exercise free will. Maslow collected data for his theories by studying individuals with an outstanding presence. His studies led him to believe that certain people have needs which are unchanging and genetic. Some needs are more basic than others are and others are more powerful than others are. As these needs are satisfied, new needs are created and other needs emerge. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is as follows: Basic Needs: Physiological; The need for sleep and rest, food, drink, shelter, sex, and oxygen. Safety; The need to be safe from harm. The need for a predictable world with consistency. The need for fairness, routine, and a sense of stability and security. Growth Needs Love and Belonging: The need for love and affectionate relationships, belonging to a group, and caring. Esteem (two components): Self-respect: The desire for confidence, competence, adequacy, achievement, and mastery. Respect of others: The desire for acceptance, recognition, reputation, appreciation, status, and prestige. Understanding and Knowledge: The needs to satisfy curiosity, explore, discover, find solutions, look for relationships and meaning, and seek intellectual challenges. Aesthetics: The need for beauty in surroundings. Self-actualization: The need for growth, development and utilization of potential, becoming all that one can be; self-fulfillment. McGregor’s X and Y Theories Two theories of human behavior at work were developed by Douglas McGregor. Theory X and Theory Y. McGregor did not indicate that workers would be type X or type Y. He saw the two types as extremes, with various possible behaviors in between. Theory X workers would be described an individuals who dislike work and avoid work when possible. They also lack ambition and do not like responsibility and prefer to be followers instead of leaders. These individuals also have a desire for feeling secure. Theory Y workers are individuals that could be characterized as individuals who did not dislike work and are considered responsible. These workers consider work as play or a rest time. For Theory Y workers, management would need to challenge the individual and create a working environment where they can show and develop their creativity. With Theory X, receiving rewards motivates the individuals. Keller’s ARCS Theory of Motivation John M. Keller designed four conditions for an employee to be motivated. Attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) are these conditions that when an employee uses them, they will become more motivated to do their tasks and reach goals set by themselves or others. Keller suggests that ARCS must happen in sequence. By following the ARCS order, it will keep the employee interested in the topic. If it were to lose its sequential order, then interest will be lost and motivation would not take  place. This motivation theory argues that events that fulfill personal needs or goals will enhance performance and effort put forth by the employee. Each of Keller’s conditions build upon the next condition. The management should keep these conditions in mind when designing goals and assigning tasks. The Conditions set by Keller are as follows: Attention: The first and single most important aspect of the ARCS model. It is gaining and keeping the employees attention. Keller’s strategies for attention include sensory stimuli, question provocation, and variability. Relevance: Attention and motivation will not be maintained unless the employee believes the training is relevant. The training program should answer the critical question, â€Å"What’s in it for me?† Benefits should be clearly stated. For a sales training program, the benefit might be to help representatives increase their sales and personal commissions. For a safety-training program, the benefit might be to reduce the number of workers getting hurt. For a software-training program, the benefit to users could be to make them more productive or reduce their frustration with an application. Confidence: The confidence aspect is required so that the employee feels that they should put a good faith effort into the organization. If they think they are incapable of achieving the objectives or that it will take too much time or effort, their motivation will decrease. In technology-based training programs, employees should be given estimates of the time required to complete the task or a measure of their progress through the program. Satisfaction: The last is Satisfaction. The employee must obtain some type of satisfaction or reward for achieving the goal or finishing a task. This can be in the form of praise from a supervisor, a raise, or a promotion. If managers are to use this Theory of Motivation, they must address adequate  examples and/or choices for their employees to be available to complete the task or reach a goal. Some employees may be active learners and enjoy experimentation. Some employees may be reflective learners and are more in tune with observing and lectures. These styles must be taken into consideration in order for the employee to feel motivated and be able to help the organization. There are currently thousands of articles on employee motivation research that has evolved from the early work of Maslow, Keller and McGregor. The application of these theories into new communication situations, like the Internet, will be an important contribution for generations to come. Benefits of Motivation Employees It is important that employees are motivated to work hard and increase productivity. Yet some workers are not reaching their full potential. Managers need to be proactive and start or improve existing motivation programs. Employees are aware of what their employers are or aren’t doing to recognize their efforts. The time it takes to set up a program is minimal, program administration is easy and efficient with automated program tracking and reporting. The end result is a program tailored specifically to the needs of the company. To develop a successful motivation program that benefits a company the following suggestions may be helpful: Specific goals that provide a strong sense of motivation and are expected to be obtained. Equity for all participants. Employees perceiving inequity may lower productivity. High perceived value so the participant becomes emotionally involved in obtaining the goal. Employee involvement during the development of the program and timely feedback to employees continuing throughout the program. Employee motivation is the responsibility of the company and its managers. The company must create a workplace that is full of culture and high achievers in order for the business to improve. Recognition, appreciation and rewards are crucial to employee motivation. A pat on the back or a mention of thanks can literally move mountains. Productivity rises for employees that are rewarded for the work they do. A company’s reputation and productivity increases with employees that feel appreciated. Recognition keeps communication open. It is important to keep communication alive with staff. By opening the lines of communication and staying in touch with the employees it will keep you in touch with their needs and desires. Create an atmosphere of cooperation, and give credit where credit is due. In return, the company will have employees that will go the extra hundred miles, and the returns will be tenfold. When an employee is passionate about their involvement and contributions, there will be no limit to the success that can be achieved. Bibliography Pandy, Wayne. (2001) Safety Incentives & Recognition. Creating an Achievement Based Safety Culture. Retrieved September 18, 2004 from http://siri.uvm.edu/ppt/csseincentive/sld030.htm Captain Webb, Bob. (2001) Developing productive skills through self-discovery. Retrieved September 18, 2004 from http://www.motivation-tools.com/ Accel Team. (2004) Motivation. Retrieved from http://www.accel- team.com/motivation/index.html Accel Team. (2004) Theorists and their Theories. Retrieved from http://www.accel- team.com/motivation/theory_01.html Carnegie, Dale. (1981). How to Win Friends & Influence People; Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment (pp. 205-243). New York, NY: Pocket Books. Faculty of Information Studies. (1995) Motivation Theories. University of Toronto Retrieved from http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/FIS/Courses/LIS1230/LIS1230sharma/motive1.htm

Drama †Blood Brothers Response Essay

Blood brothers is a story which was written in 1981 as a school play and included a range of themes which help the audience understand and feel for the story rather than just watching it. The themes in this play include poverty, innocence, love, games, belief and superstition. I feel that the key themes that control the play are chance and society of the time and I feel that most of the story circles around these themes and most events are caused by these themes. To emphasize the themes in the play, we created a three minute version of the play which consisted of still images, narration and stylised movement. We decided to split the play into four sections which were: baby years, childhood, 14 – 17 years and 20+ years. We decided that we would show the giving away of the baby as this allows the rest of the story to flow. If it wasn’t for this specific scene, the story wouldn’t have happened as the giving away of one twin is a significant event in the play. This also allowed us to add emotion to our piece as this is one of the several events which separate people into two opinions. For the second section (which was childhood) we included images of them first meeting, playing games, both of the mothers separating Mickey and Eddie and Mrs Johnstone giving the locket to Eddie. My group and I felt that these were also important events in the play; in fact one of the main themes in the play is games which relates to the robbery and overall shooting of both twins later on. For 14 -17 years, we decided to show both children being suspended from school, the meet up between friends with the devil narration on top which we thought allowed our piece to flow making it easier to understand. At the last stage, 20+, we performed four still images which included an unemployment scene, Linda’s pregnancy, Eddie and Linda being together and finally the shooting with the second half of the images having the mad man narration over the top: ‘There’s a mad man running round and round You know the devil’s got your number You know he’s right beside you He’s screamin’ deep inside you And someone said he’s callin’ your number up today Today Today TODAY!’ This piece of narration was used in our three minute version of the play as we thought that it summed up a lot of the happenings in this age group and is a constant theme throughout the play. I found that the best way to tell this story within the three minutes was to use different techniques which allowed expressing and stressing of several moments in a play making it more effective. In our three minute version, this included levels, space and marking the moment. One example of these entire three put together was when both boys got expelled. We had the class sitting down at the back while the teacher was standing up straight looking down on one pupil who was higher than the class but lower than the teacher. This made use of levels, space and also marked the moment by focusing on the locket. We decided to make the giving away of the baby the most significant point in the play. This is because the whole of the story centres on this point, and if it wasn’t for this event, none of the other events would have happened. To mark this moment, we used narration which was originally placed over the point where Mrs Johnstone was only considering giving the baby to Mrs Lyons. ‘How quickly and idea, planted, can Take root and grow into a plan. The thought conceived in this very room Grew as surely as a seed, in a mother’s womb’ This piece of narration allowed us to realise how the event they are seeing came into being. We found that forum theatre was a very useful technique to bring Mickey’s monologue to life. Forum theatre was used to change the way we said lines and how to put expression, feeling and life to the lines which in turn make the monologue a lot more vibrant and interesting. The way we performed forum theatre was to have someone acting out a verse of the poem. We then got the audience to comment and suggest improvements. We then acted the verse out again and repeated the process until we were happy with it. Below is the verse we performed. ‘Y’ know our Sammy, He draws nudey women, Without arms, or legs or even heads In the baths, when he goes swimmin’. But I’m not allowed to go to the baths, Me Mam says I have to wait, ‘Cos I might get drowned, ‘cos I’m only seven, But I’m not, I’m nearly eight.’ We started off with the beginning of the verse being said in a very secretive way although it was put in the category of secret in a child which meant that it had to be told; something I had felt many a time when I was a young child which also meant my body was slightly crouched and slightly tense. I used the same experience to ‘goggle’ at what Sammy was able to do when he went swimming. Then disappointment kicks in when I hit ‘But I’m not allowed†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ as my voice goes slower and my body slumps and when the mother comes on I re-enact a rather rude hand motion usually used when someone is too talkative while the mother reads her quote. The last line is said in a way of self-pity making the character feel sorry for himself which I have felt many times when I was a young child and feeling as if my parents were deriving me of all of the world’s pleasures. In this monologue I learnt that Mickey was a character who always wanted more and wanted something someone else had that he hadn’t which is an apparent characteristic of Mickey throughout the play. It also helped me realise that it was more than just a greedy feeling as the feeling was a lot deeper and it was if the world had forgotten about him but not the others who lived in the world around him. As I said before, forum theatre had helped me find these characteristics as it helped shape what had been written. It was as if there were a lot of muddled thoughts and both me and the audience were helping to piece it together properly so we could both get an idea on how the character was really like and how the character really felt. For individual spontaneous improvisation, I acted as Mrs Johnstone where I was looking at both babies and playing with them as if it were my last time with both of them. Of course, at the time my character would have not known which baby would have been taken and because of this, I acted in a way as if it were the last time for Mrs Johnstone to see both of them. My thought track for this piece was: ‘I can’t believe this is happening’ and it would have been hard to come to terms with something which could potentially change somebody’s life, especially when it is your own son. This decision was both challenged and supported by a technique called a conscience corridor which we used to find the pros and cons of giving the baby away which was then fired to somebody stepping into the shoes of Mrs Johnstone. Feeling the confused and mixed feelings, it gave us a chance to make our own decision as if we were that character. Some pros included having money, less stress, a better life for your son, less work. Some cons included the guilt of your child being bought, splitting up a natural bond given to both children, more stress as you worry and having to cover it up from the outside world. The conscience corridor was put into action by splitting the class in half and putting them up as two sides to create a human ‘corridor’. We then got a member of our class to walk up while each person in the ‘wall’ said the pros and cons. When the person in the middle finishes walking up through the corridor, he/she tells us his/her decision. In this situation, I wrote a diary entry as Mrs Johnstone. I typed my diary entry up below ‘I can’t believe it is happening. So close to the time where one of my beloved babies would be given away to my employer. I am sure that I am doing the right thing – I can’t afford to give them both a good life and Mrs Lyons does want a baby so badly. Even so, I feel I am breaking a natural bond given to them both which makes me unsure on whether I should do it. I am in a situation which I would never wish on any mother.’ Overall, I found that explorative strategies helped us understand Blood Brothers as it allowed us to see what usually are hidden thoughts and feelings of characters. It also allows us to get into character and realise how events and other actions are performed by the character.

Elements of Marketing Mix Essay

Elements of Marketing Mix â€Å"A typical marketing mix includes a product, offered at a price, with some promotion to tell potential customers about the product, and a way to reach the customer’s place† (Perreault & McCarthy, 2004, pg. 36). A company will use the marketing mix in order to control variables in marketing to satisfy a target group. This paper will describe the four elements of the marketing mix; product, place, price, and promotion. In addition, the four elements of the marketing mix will be discussed on the impacts in the development of Starbuck’s marketing strategy and tactics. Product†The product area is concerned with developing the right â€Å"product† for the target market† (Perreault, 2004, pg. 38). This requires a company to determine what item or service is desired by the customer in order to fulfill needs. The product needs to provide a service, cover the expected needs for the customer, or deliver the expectations created by other elements of the marketing mix. Service, benefits, branding, and packaging are some things that are taken into consideration with an organization’s product (Perreault et al, 2004). The overall objective is to offer a product that will satisfy the wants and needs of people. Place†Place is concerned with all the decisions involved in getting the â€Å"right† product to the target market’s place† (Perreault et al, 2004, pg. 39). Place refers to the delivery of a product or service to a location that customers may obtain from. This step is needed to get the finished product from the company or origin to the consumer. Marketers need to consider the most efficient method to distribute an organizations product. Channel type, market exposure, locations of stores, service levels, means of transportation and distributing are factors that are taken into considers when marketers need to develop a strategy for place (Perreault et al, 2004). The overall objective is creating a place in order for customer’s to buy the product. Price†Price setting must consider the kind of competition in the target market and the cost of the whole marketing mix† (Perreault et al, 2004, pg. 40). The price is the amount that will be charged for the product. â€Å"Managers  must know current practices as to markups, discounts, and other terms of sale† (Perreault et al, 2004, pg. 40). The prices set by competitors will affect the price of the product. Organizations use pricing techniques in order to reach a competitive price of the product. Prices are set by a company in order to become profitable or to even reach the break even point. Flexibility, product life, cycles, geographic terms, discounts, and allowances are factors that must be considered before setting the price of a product (Perreault et al, 2004). In addition, pricing strategies also will vary according to region. For example, a product that sells for a price of 10 dollars in California may only sell for 7 dollars in the state of Georgia. The o verall objective is the set the right price for the product. Promotion†Promotion is concerned with telling the target market or others in the channel of distribution about the â€Å"right† product† (Perreault et al, 2004, pg. 40). Promotion is how the marketer will communicate, inform and persuade customers to purchase a product or service. There are many ways in which to market the product. The marketer must take in account multiple ways of promotion; personal selling, mass selling, and sales promotion. All can be mixed to create the right blend that will target the marketplace. Personal selling involves direct communication between a company and their customer, usually face-to-face. However, direct communication can also be through phone interviews or sales calls, conferences through video and the internet (Perreault et al, 2004). Promotion can also be used to target a large group of consumers at the same time such as radio or television advertising. This is known as mass selling. Finally, sales promotion refers to promoti on activities that do not involve advertising and personal selling. Contest, coupons, and special offers are some examples of sales promotions (Perreault et al, 2004). Starbucks’ Marketing MixStarbucks Coffee mission statement is to â€Å"establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow† (Starbucks, n.d.). Starbuck’s has utilized the four marketing elements to help create an excellent impact in the development of their marketing tactics and strategies. Starbucks originated in Seattle, Washington, over 30 years ago,  and owns more than 12,000 stores worldwide. Starbucks achieved this by creating a successful marketing strategy. Starbucks was recognized 7 times as one of the â€Å"100 Best Corporate Citizens† by Business Ethics Magazine (Shareholder, 2007). Starbucks customers include people of diverse ethnicity, income, and age groups with varying tastes and interest. With this diverse clientele, Starbucks has made marketing a challenge to target all these diverse groups of people. Product†Starbucks is dedicated to purchasing the highest quality coffee and paying premium prices to reflect ongoing commitment to coffee-farming communities† (Shareholder, 2007). The reason Starbucks offer so many different varieties of products is to satisfy the diverse clientele. This company has continuously been able to influence their clientele by offering products that appeal to all cultures. Starbucks has been able to meet a specific market demand. â€Å"Starbucks gives a wide range of food and beverage options, from indulgent treats to lower-fat and reduced-calorie choices for all consumers’ tastes† (Shareholder, 2007). Starbucks continues to innovate and extend the Starbucks Experience with imaginative new ready-to-drink beverages and expanding coffee offerings. PlaceStarbucks’ stores are strategically placed in locations that are visible and have a great deal of traffic. Starbucks is successful at placing their products strategically in order to impact sales volume. According to the Starbuck’s 2006 annual report, â€Å"we opened 2,199 new stores globally (ahead of 1,800), at an average pace of six new stores per day, bringing our total to 12,440 stores in 37 countries† (Shareholder, 2007). They have locations on busy street corners, in malls, theaters, office buildings, grocery stores and airports which have allowed them to be clearly visible. Almost anywhere a person turns there is a Starbucks around the corner. PriceStarbucks does not consider their price to strategy to be of significance compared to the other elements in the industry. â€Å"The company’s 12-ounce tall latte ranges from $2.25 in Minnesota to $3 in New York City† (Wong, 2004). Like any company, prices are based on the level of economy in each area. Starbucks prices largely are also based on manufacturing.  Starbucks’ prices reflect cost of coffee beans, sugar, geographical areas, and the overall experience. Distribution also plays a role in how the product is priced at each company. PromotionStarbucks employs a mix between personal selling and sales promotion. â€Å"Personal selling lets the salesperson adapt the firm’s marketing mix to each potential customer† (Perreault et al, 2004). Starbucks does not just have salespeople, but baristas. Starbucks’ baristas inform and sell the product face-to-face to the customers. Starbucks’s promotions do not include traditional advertising, but global sales promotions. Sales promotions spark purchases by customers through different channels. In August of 2006, Starbucks supported Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign. They sold 53,000 copies of The Little Engine That Could and hosted 330 reading events setting an official Guinness world record. Furthermore, incentive sales promotions included donating 5 cents for every bottle sold for the Ethos Water Fund. The Ethos Water Fund focuses on improving local water sources and providing sanitation and hygiene education to the communities in Ethiopia and Indonesia (Shareholder, 2007). People want to be apart of Starbucks’ global efforts and these are examples of effective sales promotions. ConclusionWhen developing a marketing, all decisions impacted the four Ps should be made at the same time. The four elements of the marketing mix are equally important. This is because the products, places, prices, and promotions of an organization surround the most important element; the customer (Perreault et al, 2004). According to Starbucks 2006 annual report, â€Å"There are numerous competitors in almost every market in which Starbucks operates and in which it expects to expand in both the specialty coffee beverage business and the specialty whole bean coffee business† (Shareholder, 2007). Starbucks has proven to stay on top of their market. However, Starbucks and any organization need to continuously examine their marketing mix in order to stay competitive and profitable. By successfully completing the circle of the four Ps, Starbucks has established a multi-million dollar organization that is a Fortune 100 Company. References Perreault, W. D. & McCarthy, E. J. (2004). Basic Marketing: A Global-Managerial Approach. The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved Nov. 11, 2007, from https://mycampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.aspStarbucks, (n.d.). Retrieved Nov. 11, 2007, from http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/environment.aspShareholder, (2007). In Starbucks Coffee 2006 Annual Report. Retrieved Nov. 11, 2007, from http://www.shareholder.com/visitors/dynamicdoc/document.cfm?CompanyID=SBUX&DocumentID=1382&PIN=&Page=13&Zoom=1xWong, B. (2004, Sept. 28). In Cup of Starbucks going up average of 11 cents Oct. 6. Retrieved Nov. 11, 2007, from http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/192721_coffeeprice28.html

Dealing with Bullying and Domestic Violence in Schools Essay

Dealing with Bullying and Domestic Violence in Schools - Essay Example Bullying among kids is usually defined as intended, recurring hurtful deeds, words or other performance, like threatening, name-calling, also rejecting. This is being carried out by one or more kids against another. These harmful acts are not purposely motivated by the victim, also for such deeds to be identified as bullying; unevenness in real or apparent power should exist involving the bully along with the victim. Domestic violence inside the school organizations has lived for a stretched period of time. School violence is illustrated as vandalism, fights, and shootings, along with any deed that physically or psychologically damages another child. Any of these performances should be taken seriously, even among kindergarten children. Several people would declare that the reason for domestic violence is amplified technology. Previously MTVs, video games, and even great action movies violence amongst children was at a low pace. Since the beginning of these doings children have turned out to become more aware of imposing pain on other kids. The media has been a great influence on teaching children to pull out their fury in an unconstructive manner. These children are incapable to understand the distinction between realism and fiction. 3. Emotional bullying and violence includes terrorizing, rejecting, extorting, humiliating, defaming, blackmailing, rating/ranking of individual characteristics like ethnicity, race, disability, or alleged sexual orientation, influencing friendships, isolating, excluding and peer stress. 4. Sexual bullying and violence includes several of the performances listed above along with voyeurism, exhibitionism, sexual harassment, sexual propositioning, and abuse concerning real physical contact and sexual mugging. Bullying together with domestic violence among schoolchildren is quite familiar in the United States. Various appearances of hazing -

Johnny Cash's American Recordings by Tony Tost Essay

Johnny Cash's American Recordings by Tony Tost - Essay Example Having noted that, the main objective of this paper therefore is to analyze the existence of mythical Cash and how Tony engages the readers to understand the mythical nature of Cash. In addition, this paper tries to unravel some literary shortcomings that might have made the book more interesting if rectified. Johnny Cash legacy and musical contributions has never been forgotten because he has remained a point to refer to when talking about punk and post-punk bands in both the US and the UK. American Recordings by Tony Tost was one of the four Rubin-produced American albums released before Cash passed away in 2003. American Recordings is a Broadway excavations of how Cash the Myth and Cash Man — the recording artist, husband, father, sinner, human —disheveled in what Tony acknowledges as Cash greatest works The chapters of the book are streamlined whereby Tony advances his arguments about Cash’s mythology is a clever and concise manner. He demonstrates this point through a more advanced poetic voices that ensured a more clear and pure images as opposed to simply repetitiveness of the epic. For instance Tost writes; â€Å"It’s like visiting the spot that songs come from.† By the end of the book, such quick-witted summaries are being tossed (Tost?) around with consummate skill; I particularly liked the description of Tom Waits as â€Å"the hobo Heraclitus of the postmodern world† (Tost, 56) Taking the example above, it is clear that Tost is good at mythopoeic that accumulates around Cash’s work. As he explains, it does matter weather Cash shot another man in Folsom Prison and heard a train bound for Tevas; what matters is that Cash’s songs exist. He further argues that because Cash’s songs exist-and in mythical way-disparate elements is bonded together creating the patchwork quilt of American myth. According to Tost, in addition to his contribution to the myths, Cash also owned the

The Impact of Failed States Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Impact of Failed States - Assignment Example Somalia is a relatively small country with a population of about ten million only but its location in Africa is very strategic as it straddles the Horn of Africa through which most of the worlds shipping passes through. As such, it has become a virtual pirates lair because of a failed state situation. Its proximity to the Gulf of Aden which is a maritime choke point for global trade gives the country strategic importance and requires attention from U.S. foreign policymakers. Internal problems facing Somalia today is the on-going famine because of warfare such that people have no time to devote to agriculture and food-production activities. Everything they do is related to short-term immediate survival only and there are no medium- or long-term plans. Lack of a government infrastructure can be overcome by utilizing religion (Islam) and clan ties to persuade people to band together to make their country work again as a whole Somali nation. Somalis see Islamic law as the answer but it does not mean support for terrorism and the United States must be perceptive enough to distinguish this crucial difference in crafting its policies.1 Regional problems involved the possible export of mayhem and violence to neighboring countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea or even a second war against Ethiopia in the future if the Islamists are not brought under control by the provisional government and United States. A dystopian Somalia can destabilize other peaceful Arab countries nearby such as Saudi Arabia. An international problem is that Somalia has become a magnet for recruits of international terrorism much like what Afghanistan was before, during the Soviet invasion of that country. Internal problems facing Afghanistan today are the lack of an effective central authority as most of the countryside are controlled by the Taliban and the lack of womens rights under its Islamic laws or sharia. Absence of government in many areas allowed the

A Case Study on the Annual Report of Public Limited Company Essay

A Case Study on the Annual Report of Public Limited Company - Essay Example The business solutions of the company are designed to meet a diverse range of business including the construction industry, aviation, chemicals, and shipping. Shell product lines include fuels for home and commercial fuels, gas and fuel cards, motor and bike oils, industrial lubricants, marine fuels, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (or LPG), and other chemical products. The company also engages in major projects and innovative technology solutions (including coal gasification technology) while overseeing safety and environment performance. Shell’s strategic policy implementation emphasizes mainly on improving its performance and growth, both social and environmental (for instance, its emphasis on biodiversity (Schaltegger, Bennett, and Burritt, 2006, p. 595)). The main focus on its strategy development includes three fields: nearer-term performance focus, medium-term growth delivery, and maturing new generation project options. The company reports have announced its strategy for 2010 and beyond. Some of the key aspects of the new strategy are listed below (source: Shell Website). It is significant to note that the company’s strategy is centered on strong operating performance and sustained investment on organic growth. Looking at the energy scenarios to 2050, Shell’s forecasts are mainly focused on the energy challenge faced by the world today. The primary motto of the company is to provide more energy and less carbon. Shell strongly believes that the development and implementation of CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) technology is important for greenhouse gas emission control and employee safety issues, which by 2050 can contribute significantly to CO2 management. Due to the weak global economy, the financial performance of Shell has been significantly affected in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Bachelor's degree obtaining Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bachelor's degree obtaining - Research Paper Example † written by Marty Nemko and Charles Murray, they express their ideas and they believe that the aspiration to achieve a bachelor's degree is not worthwhile for all students. Their views are very contrary to my point of view. A bachelor's degree is very important and needed by everyone. It is indeed worthwhile for all students to get their bachelor’s degree because of the many advantages the degree offers to each and every individual, especially in today’s world. In the essay â€Å"America’s Most Overrated Product: The Bachelor’s Degree† written by Nemko, a career counselor, columnist, and radio host based in Oakland, he expresses the idea that the goal of obtaining bachelor’s degree is not worthwhile for all students. He claims that most of the students today are not good students, but they just want to prove to the others that they can get the bachelor’s degree. Many students take it really long time to finish their education. S ome of them are even dropouts from school. These days many students do pass the examinations but eventually they do not really understand what it is all about. Nemko has noted that nowadays 40% of freshmen do not graduate from their school even in 6 years. Eventually, the college graduates of today’s time are compelled to take up some unprofessional jobs that they really do not want to join. The job that they get is not the job that they dream of. College and universities nowadays are like businesses and the students who are study there are the cost item (Nemko). Many institutions educate their students in the cheapest way. They do not teach their students in the way they should teach them. Normally, these educational institutions have many large lecture classes, but only a handful of good teachers are available. The teachers who are appointed by these institutions are hired because of their research potential and not because they have the ability or the inclination to teach the students. It would be better for colleges to hold much higher standards for their education. This might cause them to cost much more and it will require more time for the students to get their degree. But when someone is conferred the degree, it would prove to be something of great value to their lives. Nowadays, most people who are new graduates and have been selected for jobs lack the essential skill sets required for what the job description demands from the selected candidate. This goes on to show the insignificance or the lack of true value of the degree they have been conferred on. The author has also been of the opinion that college selection should ideally be a wise choice for students and that very few students are actually currently encouraged to make such crucial considerations. He opines that it is better for someone to pursue their education and not get their degree if they are forced to take it. On the other hand, the essay â€Å"Should the Obama Greneration Drop Out?† written by Murray, a scholar at American Enterprise Institute, also expresses the same idea that the goal of obtaining bachelor’s degree is not worthwhile for all students. In his essay, he discusses Obama’s ideas. Obama’s idea is about expanding the use of community colleges and tuition tax credits (Murray). The bachelor’s degree has nowadays become one of the foremost criteria for most jobs. Again, it is imperative that making the bachelor’

Travel to Peru for Yoga Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Travel to Peru for Yoga - Essay Example Other elements such as product price and ease of acquisition come into play. For instance, you have a car and you want somebody to clean it every day (ideal situation) because you feel bad about cleaning it every-day (actual situation) so you decide to outsource the services of an individual or a specialized firm to do this task at whatever cost. You don’t judge how to reach this ideal situation. So you won’t have a purchase in this situation. This is the second most important element in the buying process of a consumer. Once the consumer had identified the need for a product, the consumer will explore possible solutions to the needed problem. They will look for more information or less information depending on the choices they need to make as pertains to the identified need. There are two main sources for gathering information. They are external and internal sources. The internal source is already present in the consumers’ memory while the external source is obtained from either friends, family or from the press. The consumer will pay much attention to the internal information as opposed to the external information to make purchase decisions. Once the consumer collects all the information, they will explore more alternatives that seem suitable to satisfy their needs and pick the one that befits them. To make this possible, they will evaluate the attributes of a product. Each consumer has a unique way of evaluating these attributes. All brands are not equal to all consumers; consumers prefer different brands to others depending on how they perceive these brands.Consumers will also use the information that they had collected previously to make the evaluation easier for them. At this stage the consumer has evaluated all the options available with regards to the products. The remaining part is to make a purchase for the product that ultimately fulfills their need. This stage may also be

American River Otter in Zoo Setting Essay Example for Free

American River Otter in Zoo Setting Essay Otters are endemic to America and stay in American river systems. They can be found in all Watersheds of America. Moreover, their decrease is attributed to unregulated harvest, water pollution and habitat destruction. As a result, river otters have now become an endangered species. Nevertheless, Otters are still maintained by most people as pets, making them an interesting species. As a matter of fact, otters are the favorite animals in many zoo collections. However, they are also difficult to keep in a healthy condition and surprisingly there is very little knowledge about them. Otters are held in captivity for the purpose of breeding for likely reintroduction into the wild and for public education. This paper focuses on American river otters. Geographical, Classification and Range                  American river otters can be found in Alaska, inland waterways and coastal areas of Canada, the Pacific Northwest, the Atlantic State and the Gulf of Mexico. Otters belong to the family Mustelidae, which comprises mink, badgers, skunks, martens, wolverines and weasels. They are categorized under the subfamily Lutrinae, which has a total of thirteen species in six genera. The American otter exhibit permits visitors to observe the feeding habits and swimming capabilities of the otters. Moreover, visitors can see various species of otters in different colors frolicking in the water (Becker, 2002). Habitat                  River otters are found in a variety of aquatic habitats, both in the coastal marine such as rivers, lakes, coastal shorelines, estuaries and marshes and in fresh water. The otter can tolerate a wide range of elevations and temperature. The primary needs of a river otter are a regular supply of food source and tranquil access to a body of water. They select their habitats grounded on the amount of shelter and food. It is for this reason that their habitat can change depending on the season. For example, they can move from temporarily flooded marshes to cypress swamps with permanent foods. Otters, are very sensitive to pollution, meaning that if the water is populated, the river otter will not be capable of surviving. It is for this reason that in captive setting, fresh and quality water is maintained. Growth of pollution, man-made poisons and cities destroy the otter habitat and decline their numbers (Niemuth, et al ) In most cases, river otters stay in a den or a holt, built in the burrows of other animals or in a natural hollows setting like in river banks, dens comprises of burrow dug by marmot monax, red foxes, nutria or beaver and muskrat lodges. They may also utilize logs or trees, rock creations, flood debris, undercut banks and backwater sloughs. The utilization of resting and den sites is primary opportunistic, though locations that gives seclusion and protection are highly preferred for otters. They also walk for great distances over land and through water to look for food. River otter; the weasel family hunt during the night and feed on whatever might be present. Fish are the favorite food for otters, though they also eat amphibians, crayfish and turtles. Otters love to playfully slide down snow-covered, muddy hills, or icy, which always end with a splash in the water. Pups enjoy such funs, which also demonstrates survival skills (Niemuth, et, al 2008). River otters stay in a small family group when they have a litter of pups. Nevertheless, they have strict territories, which they preserve from others otters of the same sex. Male territories can overlap with female territories, but male territories do not overlap with other male territories. When families are comprised of an adult female and her offsprings, the male also introduces their own social groups. Nevertheless, females and males usually build separate hierarchies, putting up each other, but not escorting one another. Young pups love to play through wrestling and chasing one another. However, river otters do not have territories, and distinct groups tend to avoid one another. Biological Tythms And/Or Migration, Navigation Orientation                  The river otters do go through a winter slow-down. They build ground beds or nests in hardwood swamps or dense thickets. Otters males and non-pregnant females do not appear to enter into a true hibernation. Rather, they enter a physiological state referred to as walking hibernation or denning. These otters will bed down for a few days, months or weeks, but they can be awakened on warm winter days for forage. Pregnant females go into hibernation state, especially in mid December to early January and do not awaken till late April or early May. Nevertheless, whether in a true hibernation or denning, the otters body temperature and metabolic and heart rates decline. The otters may lose up to 25percent of their body weight while hibernating (Williams et al, 2006). Reproduction                  River otters sexually mature between 2 to 3 years. In most cases, river otters mate in the fall or spring, with birth taking place the next year of mating. Nevertheless, river otters have deferred implantation cycle, which distinct them them from any other associated otter species. Though the gestation period takes around 60-63 days, the entire period of pregnancy can differ from 245-380 days.. The life cycle continues whereby the Otter pups weigh approximately 4.5ounces when born. The pup nurse for around 3 to 4 months and start to swim 2months after birth. It is natural for the young pups to swim, though the mother must lure them into the water for their first swim. The mother carries the pups on its back during the first days of swimming, thus coaxing them to swim. Usually, the pups move away from their mother when they are about 1 year old and ready to look for their own territory. Behavioral Development                  American river otters have adapted to an aquatic lifestyle just like fish. They are well fitted to dive and swim in water, just like how a dolphin fish does. However, otters have a slippery hydrodynamic nature, which exemplifies the perfect adaptation to an amphibious culture. As mentioned earlier, their webbed feet help them to swim with small dexterous front feed and large powerful hind feet. The muscular tail is somehow thick and flat at the base, tapering to a point. River otters utilize their hind limbs and undulating movement of their tail as the primary source of propulsion through the water. As a matter of fact, they also utilize their forelimbs for paddling. The common features for all otters is that they contain sleek waterproof fur, short hair, which is soft and dense. They also have perfect vision, particularly underwater, which aid them to capture their prey such as fish. Another adaptation is that they have stiff whiskers that are very sensi tive to water turbulence. (Niemuth et al, 2008) This helps them to find prey in muddy water or dark waters. Likewise, the thumbs on the front paws help them to move freely and can only be opposed when the otter is picking up, or holding small things such as when the otter is eating. Social Systems and Communication of River Otters                  River otters mostly forage in the water, where they hunt their prey, they are similarly on land because they can also run quickly. But, when they are moving on land, they bound in a sprinting fashion, with their backs bowed. Fortunately, they combine running with sliding in the mud, snow, or ice, whenever it is possible for them to do that. This makes them move fast and reach their destination, also, it has made them to be the most playful of the Mustelidae family. Nevertheless, river otters are also extremely vocal, and communicate with one another using diversity of calls such as staccato chuckles, twitters, chirps and buzzes (Niemuth et, al, 2008). When river otters develops and become solitary, they utilize scent marking to differentiate territorial boundaries. This is because, they have a pair of scent glands at the base of their tail that provides them with a heavy musky smell. Scent is very important for the otters because it gives the convey, the identity, sexual receptivity and sex of the otters. During the breeding season a male otter can utilize the sex makings of a female in estrus for beyond eight kilometers. However, though otters can be tolerant of other otters, the male otters do not contest for breeding preferences. There also slight commonality of territorial boundaries between the otters adults of similar sex. However, males exercise slight commonality of territories of various females (Esbensen, 1993). In conclusion, the river otters are one of the social carnivores in the world. It is clear because, the river otters in the zoo setting have been seen to tend to respond to human in distinct manner than do wild otters. The biggest threat to otter species is trapping excessive fur. Also, other species progresses to decline due to overfishing, destruction of the otters habitat and water pollution. Thus, the only hope for the future of the river otters is by breeding the otters in a zoo setting. Nevertheless, it is only the most perfect breeding program where the pups are brought up by their mothers on natural prey in a zoo setting, can hope to raise and breed otters than can successfully accommodate to wild status. Therefore, careful considerations should be taken when breeding the otters. Chasing of other otter species progresses worldwide, making the species become an endangered species. Today, all the otter species are now an endangered species, though the North American river otter is not considered and endangered species, but it is clear that its population has extremely decline. References Becker, J. (2002). North American river otters. San Diego, CA: Kidhaven Press. Esbensen, B., Brown, M. (1993). Playful slider: The North American river otter. Boston: Little, Brown, and. Greene, C., French, M. (1993). Reading about the river otter. Hillside, N.J., U.S.A.: Enslow. Niemuth, J., Sanders, C., Mooney, C., Olfenbuttel, C., Deperno, C., Stoskopf, M. (2008). Nephrolithiasis In Free-Ranging North American River Otter () In North Carolina, USA. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 110-117. Williams, T., Ben-David, M., Noren, S., Rutishauser, M., Mcdonald, K., Heyward, W. (2006). Running energetics of the North American river otter: Do short legs necessarily reduce efficiency on land? Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular amp; Integrative Physiology, 203-212. Source document

Experiment on Pencil Resister Effect on Circuit Output

Experiment on Pencil Resister Effect on Circuit Output Contents (Jump to) Research Background Figure 1: Metallic Bonding Figure 2: Molecular structure of diamond and graphite Figure 3: Graphite grading scale Figure 4: Resistance proportional to length Figure 5: Resistance proportional to cross sectional area Aim Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Experiment 3 Hypothesis Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Experiment 3 Justification of hypothesis Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Experiment 3 Materials Method Experiment 1 (length) Experiment 2 (cross sectional area) Experiment 3 (type of pencil) Diagram of the experiment Ohm’s Law Variables Independent Variables Dependent Variables Controlled Variables Results Table 1: Experiment 1 (length) Table 2: Experiment 2 (cross sectional area) Table 2: Experiment 3 (pencil type) Discussion Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Experiment 3 Research Background The electrical conductivity of a substance is a measure of the ease with which the valence electrons move throughout its structure, and thus is dictated by its bonding. Metallic bonding produces the greatest conductivity, as it involves a lattice of positively charged nuclei, with electrons free to move throughout the lattice (Science Daily, 2010). Figure 1: Metallic Bonding Hence, when an electrical charge is applied to the metal, the electrons are able to easily move through it and therefore it can be said to be a good conductor. Substances bound by covalent bonding, on the other hand, are usually poor conductors (called insulators) as the electrons are tightly held within the covalent bonds. They are materials that do not permit the free flow of electrons. While a conductor lets the flow electrons pass through and an insulator impede the flow of electrons. A resistor’s resistance limits the flow of electrons throughout the circuit. The resistors ability to reduce the current is called resistance and is measured in units of ohms (symbol: ÃŽ ©). Resistance is caused by the collisions of the electrons with positive ions in the lattice. Ohm’s Law The resistors current(I)in amps (A) is equal to the resistors voltageVin volts (V) divided by the resistanceRin ohms (ÃŽ ©) Electrical current (Amps) is the rate at which charged particles move from one part of the conductor to another current has the symbol I. Voltage is a measure of the difference inelectrical energybetween two parts of a circuit. The bigger the difference in energy, the bigger the voltage. An ohmic resistor obeys the ohm’s law. Ohm’s law states that the proportional energy drop across a resistor is proportional to its resistance and the current the flows through is. This can be represented in the form of a formula: V=IR So, if a current of 1 A is passing through a conductor of resistance of 1à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ the potential difference between the ends of the conductor will be 1V. Additionally, resistance is equal to voltage divided by current, and voltage is equal to current multiply by resistance. Therefore, in a circuit, if a resistors resistance is equal to voltage divided by current, the resistor is ohmic. Resistivity is the measure of resistance inherent to a particular material. Provided that the dimensions (length and cross sectional area) of any conductor do not change, its resistance will remain the same. If two conductors of exactly the same dimensions have a different resistance, they must be made of different materials. Resistivity is given the symbol (Ï ) called rho. The resistivity of a material is defined as the resistance of a piece of material having a length of one metre and a cross sectional area of one square metre. Graphite is a pure carbon substance, where three of its valence electrons are covalently bonded to three other carbon atoms, forming a layered structure. However, the fourth valence electron is left unbonded, and thus is able to move freely. These valence electrons allow the flow of electricity through the substance in certain directions when an electrical current is applied to graphite. Figure 2: Molecular structure of diamond and graphite Each carbon atom in graphite is covalently bonded to three neighboring carbon atoms and these form layers of hexagonal network which are separated by a large distance. Although the fourth valence electrons are remained free which enables the electrons to flow through graphite this makes graphite a good conductor of electricity. Although this does not happen in diamond, each of the carbon atoms in diamond makes bonds with four other carbon atoms. So there is no free electron with carbon atoms to conduct electricity blocking the flow of electrons. Figure 3: Graphite grading scale The â€Å"lead† in pencil is made up of a combination of graphite and clay, with wax and other additives in small quantities. Clay, unlike graphite, is an insulator as it does not conduct electricity well, due to the covalent bonds holding valence electrons tightly in place. This is because clay is mainly made out of silicate minerals; these minerals have very low conductivity which makes them good insulator. The shade of pencil is dependent on percentage of each component. Pencils range from 9H, with 41% graphite and 53% clay, to 9B, with 93% graphite and 2% clay. Given that graphite is more conductive than clay, as the concentration of graphite increases, the conductivity should increase. The resistance of an object, a measure of the conductivity of a circuit component, this can be calculated using Ohm’s law explained before above, which considers electrical resistance as the ratio of the voltage applied to the current which flows through it, or the degree to which the voltage is resisted. Factors that would be affect the resistance of the graphite are length, cross sectional area and temperature. As the length of the conductor is shorter it would allow more electrons to pass through at a higher rate rather than a longer one. While as the radius of the cross sectional area of a conductor (or thickness) is wider the more electrons can pass through compared to a narrower conductor restricting high rate of flow of electrons. Finally, although temperature would not be tested as it would have less effect on the resistance of the conductor. As the temperature of the conductor increase stronger the resistance as the protons inside the conductor would be vibrating slowing the flow of electrons. Resistance isproportional to length. If the pencil’s resistor has a different length and give each a particular potential difference across its ends, the longer the pencil’s resistor the less volts each centimetre of it will get. A smaller potential gradient in the graph would have fewer volts per metre means current decreases with increased length and resistance increases. Figure 4: Resistance proportional to length Figure 5: Resistance proportional to cross sectional area Resistance isinversely proportional to cross sectional area. The bigger the cross sectional area of the pencil’s resistor the greater the number of flow of electrons can pass through the conductor. If the length of the pencil’s resistor does not change the conductor still gets the same number of volts across the potential gradient does not change and so the average drift velocity of individual electrons does not change. Aim Experiment 1 The aim of this experiment is to test if the length of a pencil resistor affects the output of the circuit. Experiment 2 The aim of this experiment is to test if the cross sectional area of a pencil resistor affects the output of the circuit. Experiment 3 The aim of this experiment is to test if the type of a pencil resistor (HB, 2H, 2B and 6B) affects the output of the circuit. Hypothesis Experiment 1 It is predicted that the longer the length of a pencil’s resistor the lower the current as the electrons would have to travel further which gives a higher resistance. Experiment 2 It is predicted that the thicker the cross sectional area of the pencil’s resistor the more electrons would flow through which gives a low resistance. Experiment 3 It is predicted that as the concentration of clay in the pencil’s resistor increases, the resistance increases. Justification of hypothesis Experiment 1 As the length of a conductor increases, the resistance increases. Increasing the length of the graphite in the pencil will increase the resistance of the whole circuit. As the resistance through the pencil increases, more voltage is used there and the potential energy across the circuit decreases. Experiment 2 As the cross sectional area of the conductor increases, the resistance decreases. As the radius of the cross sectional area of a conductor (or thickness) is wider, the more electrons can pass through compared to a narrower conductor restricting high rate of flow of electrons. Experiment 3 Graphite is more conductive than clay, as the concentration of clay in the pencil’s resistor increases, the resistance increases. Clay compared to graphite is an insulator and does not conduct with electricity well blocking the flow of electrons. This shows that a 2B would be more conductive than a HB as it contains more graphite than clay. Materials Pencils (HB,2H,2B,6B) x3(HB),x3(2H),x3(2B),x3(6B) Insulated alligator clip set X6 Power supply X1 Multimeter (Amp meter and Volt meter) X2 Ruler (30cm) X1 Method Experiment 1 (length) The circuit was setup using two alligator clips, in a power battery. Then one wire was attached to one end of the terminal of the battery and the other end of the wire was attached on to one end of the pencil’s graphite. Next, the seconds wire was attached to the other end of the terminal of the battery and the other end of the wire was attached into one end of the pencil’s graphite. Finally, the two multimeter was placed next to the pencil and the two wires from the multimeters were attached on to the ends of the pencil. The circuit was tested with different lengths of pencils. Then the experiment was recorded in a table and graph. Experiment 2 (cross sectional area) The circuit was setup using two alligator clips, in a power battery. Then one wire was attached to one end of the terminal of the battery and the other end of the wire was attached on to one end of the pencil’s graphite. Next, the seconds wire was attached to the other end of the terminal of the battery and the other end of the wire was attached into one end of the pencil’s graphite. Finally, the two multimeter was placed next to the pencil and the two wires from the multimeters were attached on to the ends of the pencil. The circuit was tested with different cross sectional area of pencils. Then the experiment was recorded in a table and graph. Experiment 3 (type of pencil) The circuit was setup using two alligator clips, in a power battery. Then one wire was attached to one end of the terminal of the battery and the other end of the wire was attached on to one end of the pencil’s graphite. Next, the seconds wire was attached to the other end of the terminal of the battery and the other end of the wire was attached into one end of the pencil’s graphite. Finally, the two multimeter was placed next to the pencil and the two wires from the multimeters were attached on to the ends of the pencil. The circuit was tested comparing HB, 2H, 2B and 6B. Then the experiment was recorded in a table and graph. Diagram of the experiment Ohm’s Law The resistance was then measured by dividing the total voltage (V) and the current (I). Example: Pencil 1 (HB 8.5 cm) Variables Independent Variables The resistor (pencil) Dependent Variables The volt and the amp meter Controlled Variables The voltage Results Table 1: Experiment 1 (length) Length Voltage of battery total voltage (V) Current (A) Resistance (ÃŽ ©) Pencil 1 (HB 8.5cm) 2 V 1.5 V 0.21 A 7.14 ÃŽ © 4 V 2.9 V 0.41 A 7.07 ÃŽ © 6 V 4.4 V 0.66 A 6.67 ÃŽ © 8 V 6 V 0.77 A 7.79 ÃŽ © Pencil 2 (HB 17.5cm) 2 V 1.6 V 0.1 A 16 ÃŽ © 4 V 3.2 V 0.2 A 16 ÃŽ © 6 V 4.9 V 0.28 A 17.5 ÃŽ © 8 V 6.8 V 0.4 A 17 ÃŽ © Pencil 3 (HB 11.5cm) 2 V 2 V 0.18 A 11.11 ÃŽ © 4 V 4 V 0.32 A 12.5 ÃŽ © 6 V 6 V 0.5 A 12 ÃŽ © 8 V 8 V 0.73 A 10.96 ÃŽ © Pencil 4 (HB 7cm) 2 V 1.9 V 0.27 A 7.03 ÃŽ © 4 V 3.9 V 0.56 A 6.96 ÃŽ © 6 V 5 V 0.79 A 6.33 ÃŽ © 8 V 6.7 V 1.2 A 5.58 ÃŽ © Total Resistance Pencil 1 7.14 ÃŽ © + 7.07 ÃŽ © + 6.67 ÃŽ ©+ 7.79 ÃŽ ©/ 4= 7.1675 ÃŽ © Pencil 2 16 ÃŽ ©+ 16 ÃŽ ©+ 17.5 ÃŽ ©+ 17 ÃŽ ©/4= 16.625 ÃŽ © Pencil 3 11.11 ÃŽ ©+ 12.5 ÃŽ ©+ 12 ÃŽ ©+ 10.96 ÃŽ ©/ 4= 11.6425 ÃŽ © Pencil 4 7.03 ÃŽ ©+ 6.96 ÃŽ ©+ 6.33 ÃŽ ©+ 5.58 ÃŽ ©/4= 6.475 ÃŽ © Pencil 1 Pencil 2 Pencil 3 Pencil 4 Table 2: Experiment 2 (cross sectional area) Cross sectional area Voltage of battery total voltage (V) Current (A) Resistance (ÃŽ ©) Pencil 1 (HB 17.5cm) 4 V 1.07 V 0.15 A 16.40 ÃŽ © 6 V 1.53 V 0.21 A 16.90 ÃŽ © 8 V 1.99 V 0.27 A 17.19 ÃŽ © Pencil 2 (HB 17.5cm) 4 V 1.55 V 0.19 A 8.16 ÃŽ © 6 V 2.17 V 0.26 A 8.35 ÃŽ © 8 V 2.78 V 0.33 A 8.42 ÃŽ © Pencil 3 (HB 17.5cm) 4 V 2.46 V 0.18 A 5.94 ÃŽ © 6 V 3.55 V 0.27 A 5.67 ÃŽ © 8 V 4.64 V 0.36 A 5.53 ÃŽ © Cross Sectional Area A=2Ï€r2 Pencil 1 3.14 x 1 =3.14 Pencil 2 3.14 x 2= 6.28 Pencil 3 3.14 x 3= 9.42 Total resistance Pencil 1 16.40 ÃŽ ©+ 16.90 ÃŽ ©+ 17.19 ÃŽ ©/ 3= 16.83 ÃŽ © Pencil 2 8.16 ÃŽ ©+ 8.35 ÃŽ ©+ 8.42 ÃŽ ©/ 3= 8.31 ÃŽ © Pencil 3 5.94 ÃŽ ©+ 5.67 ÃŽ ©+ 5.53 ÃŽ ©/3= 5.71 ÃŽ © Pencil 1 Pencil 2 Pencil 3 Table 2: Experiment 3 (pencil type) Pencil types Voltage of battery total voltage (V) Current (A) Resistance (ÃŽ ©) Pencil 1 (2H 10.5cm) 6V 7.35 V 0.16 A 45.94 ÃŽ © 8V 9.70 V 0.20 A 48.50 ÃŽ © Pencil 2 (2B 10.5cm) 6V 2.63 V 0.35 A 7.51 ÃŽ © 8V 3.18 V 0.42 A 7.57 ÃŽ © Pencil 3 (HB 10.5cm) 6 V 3.18 V 0.34 A 9.35 ÃŽ © 8V 3.88 V 0.40 A 9.7 ÃŽ © Pencil 4 (6B 10.5cm) 6V 0.59 V 0.41 A 1.44 ÃŽ © 8V 0.71 V 0.48 A 1.48 ÃŽ © Total Resistance Pencil 1 48.50 ÃŽ ©+ 45.94 ÃŽ ©/ 2= 47.22 ÃŽ © Pencil 2 7.57 ÃŽ ©+ 7.51 ÃŽ ©/ 2= 7.54 ÃŽ © Pencil 3 9.35 ÃŽ ©+ 9.7 ÃŽ ©/ 2= 9.525 ÃŽ © Pencil 4 1.44 ÃŽ ©+ 1.48 ÃŽ ©/ 2= 1.46 ÃŽ © Pencil 1 (2H) Pencil 2 (2B) Pencil 3 (HB) Pencil 4 (6B) Discussion Experiment 1 According to the data and the graph shown previously it supports the hypothesis for all the experiments. For experiment 1, it supports the hypothesis that as the length increase the resistance increase. Using the ohm’s law formula: For Pencil 2 (HB 17.5cm) with an applied volts of 2V, it shows that the total voltage was decrease to 1.6V with a current of 0.1 A and resistance of 16à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. Compared to Pencil 4 (HB 7cm) with an applied volt of 2V, it shows that the total voltage was decreasing to 1.9V a 0.1 difference in voltage. With a current of 0.27A and a resistance of 7.03à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ it shows that as the length of the pencil resistor increases the resistance increase. Increasing the length of the graphite in the pencil will increase the resistance of the whole circuit as the flow of electrons would have to travel longer than a short pencil resistor. Experiment 2 For experiment 2, referring to the graphs and tables it supports the hypothesis that as the cross section area of the conductor increases, the resistance decrease. For Pencil 1 with an applied of 4V, it shows that the total voltage was decrease to 2.46V with a current of 0.15A and resistance of 16.40 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. Compared to Pencil 3 with an applied volt of 4V, it shows that the total voltage was decreasing to 1.55V a 2.58 difference in voltage. With a current of 0.19A and a resistance of 7.03 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ it shows that as the cross section area of the pencil resistor increases, the resistance decreases. As the radius of the cross sectional area of a conductor (or thickness) is wider, the more electrons can pass through compared to a narrower conductor restricting high rate of flow of electrons. Experiment 3 For the experiment 3, it supports the hypothesis that as the concentration of clay in the pencil’s resistor increases, the resistance increases. For Pencil 1 (2H 10.5cm) with an applied volt of 6V, it shows that the total voltage was decrease to Graphite is more conductive than clay, as the concentration of clay in the pencil’s resistor increases, the resistance increases. Clay compared to graphite is an insulator and does not conduct with electricity well blocking the flow of electrons. This shows that a 2B would be more conductive than a HB as it contains more graphite than clay.