Training paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Training paper - Essay Example There are several techniques that can be used to collect information for a needs assessment and these include observation, questionnaire and interview (Needs Assessment 11). The first technique is through observation. The advantage of this technique is that it generates data relevant to work environment; however, this technique requires a skilled observer to be effective. The second technique to collect information is through the use of questionnaires. An advantage of this technique is that one can collect data from a large sample, yet it is not costly. The disadvantage of using questionnaires is the possibility of getting low return rates and inappropriate responses. Conducting interviews is another technique used to collect information for needs assessment. The benefit of this technique is that questions can be modified depending on the response of the interviewee; however, a skilled interviewer is needed to do this. It is also time consuming and difficult to analyze. An organization has to conduct an organizational analysis before designing a training course because it must make sure that the training program is congruent with the strategies of the corporation. It must also take into account that the training program can be supported by the available resources of the company. Support of management and the employees who will take part in the training program is essential for the success of the program. The information acquired from an organizational analysis are the training resources available for the company and the qualities of the people who will be part of the training program. Aside from these information, the analysis will also acquire information on the objectives and goals of the company and the areas in the organization where training is needed (Landy and Conte 295). Organizations should conduct a person

Argue why Willy commits suicide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Argue why Willy commits suicide - Essay Example Willy badly orients in the world, looking at it through pink glasses of his interpretation of the American Dream. His perception is childish and mythopoetic, and as all of us he is awfully afraid that his world can be broken, while as all of us he is not able to find his place beyond the mental frameworks he has built his life on. Loman’s interpretation of the American Dream makes him measure happiness in terms of success and material wellness that can be reached, as in a fairy tale, due to luck and favorable appearance. Abandoned by his father and elder brother, Loman strives for being â€Å"well-liked†. Unable to realize his dreams himself, Willy puts great hopes onto his sons, who fail to justify them. Frightened and directed by false visions, he is constantly lying to himself and people surrounding him. This way he tries to blind himself. â€Å"We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house!† - exclaims Biff. Loman has no friends. At last Willy is aban doned even by his sons. His suicide is first of all his childish attempt to be loved at last. Planting the garden at night, Willy imagines his funerals: â€Å"Ben, that funeral will be massive! Theyll come from Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire! All the old-timers with the strange license plates—that boy will be thunderstruck, Ben, because he never realized—I am known! Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey—I am known, Ben, and hell see it with his eyes once and for all. Hell see what I am, Ben! Hes in for a shock, that boy!† Death is an opportunity to make his sons regret of him and see that his life had meaning. Naively Willy associates his funerals with those of Singleman, to which "hundreds of salesmen and buyers came." Funerals are to become Willy’s triumph. In fact, all his life is waiting for those funerals, demonstrating that he is â€Å"well-liked† and respected, that he has achieved much in life. Willy commits his suicide in hope that his family will get insurance money.

Study On Use Of Pile Foundation Engineering Essay

Study On Use Of Pile Foundation Engineering Essay Piles and pile foundations have been in use since prehistoric times. Pile is commonly described as a columnar element of a building foundation. Its function is to transfer the load from a superstructure to the hard layer in the soil, or on to the rocks. The objective of this project is to identify piles and its uses in the construction industry, based on its types and suitability. This report is based on the three main types of piles, which are large displacement piles, small displacement piles and replacement piles. Figure 1. Pile Construction This report also contains research materials done by several authors have published various journals on the aforementioned topic, and numerous engineering books on pile, pile engineering, soil types, etc have been referred to assist this report. Many journals were consulted during the inception of this research. Topics like Efficiency of Pile groups installed in cohensionless soil using artificial neural networks, Experimental study on pile-end post-grouting piles for super large bridge pile foundations, etc were consulted. From these journals, it has been concluded an Artificial Intelligence application can be made to predict the efficiency of the pile. Based on the results, a pile cap can be created, or even grouting works can be performed to improve the load bearing of the structure. The commonest function of piles is to transfer a load that cannot be adequately supported at shallow depths to a depth where adequate support becomes available, also against uplift forces which cause cracks and other damages on superstructure. A bearing pile is described as a pile which can pass through weak material, whilst its tip get across a narrow distance, which in turn leads to a layer of improved bearing capacity. When piles are installed onto a layer with minimal ability to support, and the bearing capacity is being carried by friction which is acting on the sides of the pile, they are called friction piles. Many times, the load-carrying capacity of piles results from a combination of point resistance and skin friction. The load taken by a single pile can be determined by a static load test. The allowable load is obtained by applying a factor of safety to the failure load. Types of Piles Piles are of various types. These piles are classified based on the scope of construction and soil type. Figure 3. Common Driven Pile Types Concrete Piles Precast concrete piles can be either reinforced concrete piles or prestressed concrete piles. Concrete is adaptable for a wide range of pile types. It can be used in precast form in driven piles, or as insertion units in bore piles. Dense well-compacted good- quality concrete can withstand fairly hard driving and it is resistant to attack by aggressive substances in the soil, or in seawater or ground water. However, concrete is precast piles is liable to damage (possibly unseen) in hard driving conditions. Weak, honeycombed concrete in cast-in-situ piles is liable to disintegration when aggressive substances are precast in soils or in ground water. Cast In Place Concrete Piles Closed-ended hollow tubular sections of reinforced concrete or steel which are first driven into the ground and then filled with in-situ concrete. Cast-in-place concrete piles with their shell driven with mandrel are typically 50 to 80 ft (15 to 24 m) long and can specifically be designed for a wide range of loads. Typical loads that these piles can carry are 50 to 120 kips (222 to 534 kN) provided the maximum stress in concrete, is not more than 33% of 28-day strength. Figure 4. Cast-in-Situ Concrete Piles The main disadvantages are that these piles are difficult to splice after concreting, their thin shells can be damaged during driving, and redriving is not recommended. Not the most economical solution, limited span length and requires formwork support. Generally, stress in steel should not exceed 0.35 x yield strength of steel. Figure 5. Cast-in-Situ Concrete Piles The advantages are tht they have low initial cost, and tapered sections can provide higher-bearing resistance in granular stratum. These piles are best suited as medium-load friction piles in granular soils. Absolute minimum depth, no deck joints and aesthetic for small stream crossings. Precast Concrete Piles Manufacturing of pre-cast concrete piles are done within the range of 250mm 450mm. Mostly, the maximum section length can go up to 20m. There are various shapes of pile sections (eg. H-shaped, triangular-shaped, hexagonal-shaped, etc). Figure 6. Precast Reinforced Concrete Pile The construction of pre-cast concrete piles are done either in-situ or factory. Production and construction process widely affects the quality of the pile. A pile shoe should be fixed to the pile, in case the soil deposits contain a lot of boulders. This protects the pile while performing hard driving. For prestressed sections the maximum stresses should not exceed (0.33Æ’c 0.27 pe); where pe = effective prestress stress on the section. The main disadvantages of these piles are that they are difficult to handle without damage unless prestressed. They have a high initial cost, and prestressed piles are difficult to splice. It is also difficult to manufacture, subject to longitudinal and transverse cracking, not appropriate for curved or flared structures, complicated for skews. The advantages of these pile types include high load capacities, corrosion resistance, and resistance to hard driving. Absolute minimum depth of precast bridge for short and intermediate spans. Expedites stage construction. Drilled Shafts Drilled shafts are also known as caissons or piers or bored piles. This is often known to be a cost effective solution which is practiced worldwide. This is a widely used type of deep-foundation. Drilled Shafts are widely used in the construction of bridges and large buildings. This technique is used in construction areas where large loads along with lateral resistance are key factors. Figure 7.1. Drilled Shaft The main advantages are that it is economical, it could minimize pile need for pile cap, slightly less noise and reduced vibrations, adapts easily to varying site conditions and has high axial and lateral loading capacity. The main disadvantages are that it is extremely sensitive to construction procedures, not ideal for contaminated sites, and lack of qualified inspectors. Figure 7.2. Drilled Shaft A Drilled Pile is made of concrete or grout and cast or poured, in a plastic state, into a drilled hole in the earth. Augercast, Drilled Shafts, Drilled Cast-in-situ and, their variations are all forms of drilled piles. Completed drilled piles cannot be easily inspected after installation and can be difficult to install in very soft or loose soils, wet, and marine conditions. A Drilled Pile removes soil from the ground and the resulting round hole is filled with concrete or grout. Steel Piles These are more expensive then timber or concrete but this disadvantage may be outweighed by the ease of handling of steel piles, by their ability to withstand hard driving, by their resilience and strength in bending, and their capability to carry heavy loads. Steel piles can be driven in very long lengths and cause little ground displacement. They are liable to corrosion above the soil line and in disturbed ground, and they require cathodic protection of a tong life is desired in marine structures. Long steel piles of slender section may suffer damage by buckling if they deviate from their true alignment during driving. Figure 8. Steel Piles Steel piles are strong, lightweight to handle, and capable ofcarrying heavy loads to deeper bearing stratum. They can be extended to any length since splicing is relatively easy, and these can also be readily cut to any required length. This makes steel piles suitable for areas where the depth of bearing strata are variable. Various types of steel piles in common use include pipe piles, H-section piles, box section piles, and tapered and fluted tubes. Pipe piles and H-section piles are the most commonly used steel piles in engineering practice. Steel pipe piles can either be driven open ended or closed ended. Open-ended piles will experience less driving resistance and can be drilled through obstructions such as boulders and bedrock. The piles are generally economical in the range of 40 to 80 ft (12 to 24 m) and can carry loads as high as about 250 kips (1115 kN). Pipe piles are most suited where overburden is soft clays, silts, and loose-to-medium dense sand and is underlain by dense-bearing granular material. H-Piles A form of Steel pile is known as H-Pile. These are wide-flanged sections made of steel. The biggest advantage of this pile is that the displacement of soil becomes very less, when compared against other soil displacement methods practiced in the world. The H-pile falls under small displacement category. Figure 9. H-Piles Timber piles cannot be driven through hard ground. Steel H-piles are essentially end-bearing piles. Due to limited perimeter area, H-piles cannot generate much frictional resistance. Corrosion is a major problem for steel H-piles. The corrosion is controlled by adding copper into steel. H-piles are easily spliced. They are ideal for highly variable soil conditions. H-piles can bend under very hard ground conditions. This is known as dog legging, and the pile installation supervisor needs to make sure that the piles are not out of plumb. H-piles can get plugged during the driving process. If the H-pile is plugged, end bearing may increase due to larger area. On the other hand, skin frictionmay become smaller due to smaller wall area. When H-piles are driven, both analyses should be done (unplugged and plugged) and the lower value should be used for design. Unplugged: Low end bearing, high skin friction. Plugged: Low skin friction, high end bearing. Advantages are that H-pile is available in various lengths and sizes easy to splice high capacity low soil displacement many penetrate larger obstructions with driving shoes. The disadvantages are that it is vulnerable to corrosion, hence not recommended as friction piles in granular soils may force the h-pile to bend on the weaker axis, during the pile-driving process. Due to this, there is a high chance of curvature, which may result when the piles are driven into a larger depth. Cylindrical Cylindrical piles have a high axial compressive strength for high bearing capacities; they have high moments of inertia and therefore can serve well as both a column and a foundation pile under high vertical and lateral loads. Figure 10. Cylinder Piles Cylinder piles are often used in nearshore applications where smaller foundation piles would require cofferdam construction and other costly measures. Drilled shafts have similar load bearing properties and capabilities, however, they are generally more costly than piles installed by impact driving. Timber Piles Untreated timber piles may be used for temporary construction, revetments, fenders and similar work; and in permanent construction where the cutoff elevation of the pile is below the permanent ground water table and where the piles are not exposed to marine borers. They are also sometimes used for trestle construction, although treated piles are preferred. Timber piles are difficult to extend, hard to anchor into the footing to resist uplift, and subject to damage if not driven carefully. Timber piles also have a maximum allowable bearing capacity of 45 Tons, whereas most structure piles are designed for at least 70 Tons. These piles are mostly installed by driving and are best suited as friction piles in granular material. Figure 11. Timber Piles The main advantages of timber piles are that they have low initial cost, are easy to handle, and resist decay when they are permanently submerged. The main disadvantages are that it is tough to splice, are vulnerable to damage in hard driving, and are susceptible to decay unless treated. Treatment becomes necessary when these piles are intermittently submerged. Composite Piles Materials may be used in combination in piles and the most common example is the use of steel and concrete. This may be by using driven steel casings of various types filled with a structural core of concrete, or a steel pile protected externally by concrete casing; the latter is normally only possible for exposed lengths of piles such as would be encountered in a jetty structure. There are, however, forms of steel pile, which have grout pipes throughout their length, which are used for forming a protective outer casing after driving. Figure 12. Composite Piles The maximum stresses in timber, steel and concrete should not exceed the values specified above for various materials. The main disadvantage of these piles is that it is difficult to attain good joint between two materials. The main advantage is that considerable length can be provided at comparatively low cost. High capacity may be possible depending on materials. use of piles in construction There are two types of piles used for construction: Displacement Piles Non-Displacement Piles DisplacemeNt Pile The type of pile, which is rammed into the ground, which does not remove the soil, but displaces the soil downwards and sidewise. This type of pile foundation is called displacement pile. Figure 13. Displacement Piles This method piles displace soil during their installation, such as driving, jacking, or vibration, into the ground. Examples of these types of piles are timber, precast concrete, prestressed concrete, close-ended steel pipe, and fluted and tapered steel tube piles. The advantages of displacement piles are: Material forming pile can be inspected for quality. Soundness before driving. Not liable to squeezing or necking. Construction operation not affected by ground water. Projection above ground level advantageous to marine structures. Can be driven in the very long lengths. The disadvantages of displacement piles are: May break during driving, necessitation replacement pile. Unseen damages may occurring thus decreasing the carrying capacity. Noise pollution may be caused during hammering. Vibration caused during the hammering process may pose a threat to nearby structures. Non-DisplacemeNt Pile These Piles do not displace soil during their installation. These piles are formed by first removing the soil by boring and then placing prefabricated or cast-in-place pile into the hole from which an equal volume of soil was removed. Their placement causes little or no change in lateral ground stress, and, consequently, such piles develop less shaft friction than displacement piles of the same size and shape. Piling operation is done by such methods, as augering (drilling, rotary boring) or by grabbing (percussion boring). Most common types of no displacement piles are bored and cast-in-place concrete piles. The advantages of non displacement piles are: Material forming pile is not governed by handling or driving stresses. Can be installed in very long lengths. No ground heaves. Can be installed in conditions of low headroom. Figure 14. Non Displacement Piles The disadvantages of non displacement piles are: Concreting in water-bearing soils require special techniques. Inspection of concrete cannot be done after installation. Cannot be extended above ground level without special adoption. LITERATURE REVIEW Description of Journals This section contains the description paragraph for the 5 technical journals which has been chosen to support the main topic of research. Adel M. Hanna, George Morcous, and Mary Helmy (2004) Efficiency of Pile Groups Installed in Cohensionless Soil Using Artificial Neural Networks. Adel M.Hanna, George Morcous and Mary Helmy evaluated the efficiency of pile groups installed in cohension-less soil subjected to axial loading. The authors feel that a resistance to the column load may result in a major difference between the total capacity of the individual piles and the group piles. This could lead to destruction of the building. The authors have developed an ANN (Artificial Neural Network) model to assist the research. They have found that the ANN model is nearly 80% accurate to the predicted value. The predictions are very accurate, even with low tolerance values. They have also made an ANN model which can be easily updated when new data are obtained from laboratory and field tests. Kevin J.Bentley and M.Hesham El Naggar (2000). Numerical Analysis of Kinematic Response of Single Piles Kevin and Hesham have done a research on single piles, after anticipating the catastrophic losses in terms of human life and economic assets due to the earthquakes. They wanted to develop a model which evaluates the effects of ground motion on piles. Their aim was to develop a finite element model that can accurately model the kinematic soil-structure interaction of piles, accounting for non linear behavior of soil, discontinuity at the pile soil interface, energy dissipation and wave propagation. They found that the effect of the response of piles in elastic soil was slightly amplified in terms of accelerations and Fourier amplitudes. The authors have taken a good amount of information from previous researches made. They have found that the previous studies had its own drawbacks, which were concluded that interaction effects on kinematic loading are not significant at low frequencies but are significant for pile head loading. The authors used finite element program, ANSYS to analyze the full 3D transient method. They have found that the deflections obtained in the study were slightly greater than those from other tests. The authors concluded that the effect of soil layer overlaying the bedrock was to amplify the bedrock motion, which results in a higher free-field motion for the soil parameters used in the analysis. Increased Fourier amplitudes at the predominant frequency was an effect of soil plasticity. It slightly decreased the maximum acceleration amplitudes. Jinoh Won and Fred H. Kulhawy (2009) Reduction of Pile Head Displacement for Restrained Head Single Pile. The authors conducted a study on the effect of pile head fixity on the displacement of laterally loaded pile groups using analytical methods. It was found that the soil parameters have a major influence on the reduction factor, while the pile property influence is relatively minor. The rationale behind the problem is described as most pile foundations have pile cap that reduces the lateral displacement because of restraining effect on the pile heads. The authors learned that the previous researches which were done were for small-scale tests only. The authors have performed numerous tests, from which they found that there is a variation of reduction factor with soil properties for the drained cohensionless model. The authors have done a quantitative analysis to investigate the effect of pile head restraint on the displacement using an analytical method. Their design chart is matched reasonably well with the experimental and numerical data. Ling-gang Kong and Li-min Zhang (2007). Effect of Pile-cap Connection on Behaviour of Torsionally Loaded Pile Groups Evaluation of the responses, under torsion, of fixed as well as pinned pile cap was done by the authors. They have researched that, the torsional capacity of the pile group is significantly influenced by the pile-cap. The same applies with the pile-groups torque assignment. The authors claim that grouped piles are usually used as foundations for offshore platform, bridge bents and tall buildings. Due to natural disturbances like wind and wave actions, ship impacts or high-speed vehicles, the grouped piles may be exposed to significant torsional loads, leading to destruction and catastrophic effects on them. The authors have found that the lateral ad torsional resistance of the individual piles is mobilized by a pile group which is subjected to torsion. This could thrust up to 50% of the applied force, whilst the pile-cap foundation is fixed. From the research it has been noted that under loose sand the pile bend a minimal degree. Whereas under dense sand, and the same load, the pile bend less than the loose sand. They have modeled nonlinear soil response and major pile-soil-pile interactions and coupling effect in a pile group. Weiming Gong, Guoliang Dai and Haowen Zhang (2009) Experimental Study on pile-end post-grouting piles for super-large bridge pile foundations. The authors made an experimental study on pile-end and post-grouting piles for very large bridge-pile foundations. Before the after-grouting works were evaluated, the authors wanted to analyze the bearing capacity, bearing characteristics and displacement. The authors introduced 21 test piles to perform the experiment. The technique was implemented to increase the capacity as well as decrease settlement. The author has done a lot of background researches, across various bridges. From the research it has been found that the capacities are greatly enhanced after pile-base grouting. The Q-s curve before grouting decrease sharply under small loads and have great deviations from existed geological values, which attributes to long term interval between drilling and grouting. So the authors have proved that, by grouting, they have steadily increase the bearing capacity of a bridge. Order of Paragraphs Kevin and Hesham have done a research on single piles, after anticipating the catastrophic losses in terms of human life and economic assets due to the earthquakes. They wanted to develop a model which evaluates the effects of ground motion on piles. Their aim was to develop a finite element model that can accurately model the kinematic soil-structure interaction of piles, accounting for non linear behavior of soil, discontinuity at the pile soil interface, energy dissipation and wave propagation. They found that the effect of the response of piles in elastic soil was slightly amplified in terms of accelerations and Fourier amplitudes. The authors have taken a good amount of information from previous researches made. They have found that the previous studies had its own drawbacks, which were concluded that interaction effects on kinematic loading are not significant at low frequencies but are significant for pile head loading. The authors used finite element program, ANSYS to analyze the full 3D transient method. They have found that the deflections obtained in the study were slightly greater than those from other tests. The authors concluded that the effect of soil layer overlaying the bedrock was to amplify the bedrock motion, which results in a higher free-field motion for the soil parameters used in the analysis. Increased Fourier amplitudes at the predominant frequency was an effect of soil plasticity. It slightly decreased the maximum acceleration amplitudes. The authors conducted a study on the effect of pile head fixity on the displacement of laterally loaded pile groups using analytical methods. It was found that the soil parameters have a major influence on the reduction factor, while the pile property influence is relatively minor. The rationale behind the problem is described as most pile foundations have pile cap that reduces the lateral displacement because of restraining effect on the pile heads. The authors learned that the previous researches which were done were for small-scale tests only. The authors have performed numerous tests, from which they found that there is a variation of reduction factor with soil properties for the drained cohensionless model. The authors have done a quantitative analysis to investigate the effect of pile head restraint on the displacement using an analytical method. Their design chart is matched reasonably well with the experimental and numerical data. The authors carefully studied the reaction of two types of pile cap (fixed pinned) under torsion. They have researched that, the torsional capacity of the pile group is significantly influenced by the pile-cap. The same applies with the pile-groups torque assignment. The authors claim that grouped piles are usually used as foundations for offshore platform, bridge bents and tall buildings. Due to natural disturbances like wind and wave actions, ship impacts or high-speed vehicles, the grouped piles may be exposed to significant torsional loads, leading to destruction and catastrophic effects on them. The authors have found that the lateral ad torsional resistance of the individual piles is mobilized by a pile group which is subjected to torsion. This could thrust up to 50% of the applied force, whilst the pile-cap foundation is fixed. From the research it has been noted that under loose sand the pile bend a minimal degree. Where as under dense sand, and the same load, the pile bend less than the loose sand. They have modeled nonlinear soil response and major pile-soil-pile interactions and coupling effect in a pile group. Adel M.Hanna, George Morcous and Mary Helmy evaluated the efficiency of pile groups installed in cohension-less soil subjected to axial loading. The authors feel that a resistance to the column load may result in a major difference between the total capacity of the individual piles and the group piles. This could lead to destruction of the building. The authors have developed an ANN (Artificial Neural Network) model to assist the research. They have found that the ANN model is nearly 80% accurate to the predicted value. The predictions are very accurate, even with low tolerance values. They have also made an ANN model which can be easily updated when new data are obtained from laboratory and field tests. The authors made an experimental study on pile-end and post-grouting piles for very large bridge-pile foundations. Before the after-grouting works were evaluated, the authors wanted to analyze the bearing capacity, bearing characteristics and displacement. The authors introduced 21 test piles to perform the experiment. The technique was implemented to increase the capacity as well as decrease settlement. The author has done a lot of background researches, across various bridges. From the research it has been found that the capacities are greatly enhanced after pile-base grouting. The Q-s curve before grouting decrease sharply under small loads and have great deviations from existed geological values, which attributes to long term interval between drilling and grouting. So the authors have proved that, by grouting, they have steadily increase the bearing capacity of a bridge. Addition of Introductory and Concluding Sentences Pile is commonly described as a columnar element of a building foundation. Its function is to transfer the load from a superstructure to the hard layer in the soil, or on to the rocks. Kevin and Hesham have done a research on single piles, after anticipating the catastrophic losses in terms of human life and economic assets due to the earthquakes. They wanted to develop a model which evaluates the effects of ground motion on piles. Their aim was to develop a finite element model that can accurately model the kinematic soil-structure interaction of piles, accounting for non linear behavior of soil, discontinuity at the pile soil interface, energy dissipation and wave propagation. They found that the effect of the response of piles in elastic soil was slightly amplified in terms of accelerations and Fourier amplitudes. The authors have taken a good amount of information from previous researches made. They have found that the previous studies had its own drawbacks, which were concluded that interaction effects on kinematic loading are not significant at low frequencies but are significant for pile head loading. The authors used finite element program, ANSYS to analyze the full 3D transient method. They have found that the deflections obtained in the study were slightly greater than those from other tests. The authors concluded that the effect of soil layer overlaying the bedrock was to amplify the bedrock motion, which results in a higher free-field motion for the soil parameters used in the analysis. Increased Fourier amplitudes at the predominant frequency was an effect of soil plasticity. It slightly decreased the maximum acceleration amplitudes. The type of soil is an important entity while fixing piles. The authors conducted a study on the effect of pile head fixity on the displacement of laterally loaded pile groups using analytical methods. It was found that the soil parameters have a major influence on the reduction factor, while the pile property influence is relatively minor. The rationale behind the problem is described as most pile foundations have pile cap that reduces the lateral displacement because of restraining effect on the pile heads. The authors learned that the previous researches which were done were for small-scale tests only.The authors have performed numerous tests, from which they found that there is a variation of reduction factor with soil properties for the drained cohensionless model. The authors have done a quantitative analysis to investigate the effect of pile head restraint on the displacement using an analytical method. Their design chart is matched reasonably well with the experimental and nu merical data. The frictional resistance of the pile is directly proportional to the soil cohesiveness, which means if the soil is cohesive, it will have a better contact with the area of the side pile. The pile cap distributes the load from the pillars, or piers, to the piles. The authors studied the reaction of the two pile caps (fixed and pinned) cap under torsion. They have researched that, the torsional capacity of the pile group is significantly influenced by the pile-cap. The same applies with the pile-groups torque assignment. The authors claim that grouped piles are usually used as foundations for offshore platform, bridge bents and tall buildings. Due to natural disturbances like wind and wave actions, ship impacts or high-speed vehicles, the grouped piles may be exposed to significant torsional loads, leading to destruction and catastrophic effects on them. The authors have found that a pile group subjected to torsion simultaneously mobilizes lateral and torsional resistance of the individual piles and the torsional resistance could thrust up to 50% of the applied force, whilst the pile-cap foundation is fixed. From the research it has been noted that under loose sand the pile bend a minimal degree. Where as under dense sand, and the same load, the pile bend less than the loose sand. They have modeled nonlinear soil response and major pile-soil-pile interactions and coupling effect in a pile group. An Artificial Intelligence based application need to be created which would perform tests based on experimental values. Adel M.Hanna, George Morcous and Mary Helmy evaluated the efficiency of pile groups installed in cohension-less soil subjected to axial loading. The authors feel that a resistance to the column load may result in a major difference between the total capacity of the individual

Mental Training-sports Essay -- essays research papers fc

Motivate Yourself! Metal preparedness is almost as important as physical training. To be mentally trained most closely means to be psychologically ready for the physical act of. Mental training includes several steps which include aquainting ones self with the event, setting a goal, finding out secret techniques or discovering the â€Å"trade secrets†, harnessing your inner psyche (Id) by having time set aside to discover it, monitor performance, visualize ones self in competition correcting all errors, and then combining all steps to make one the best athlete possible. Why is it that those of us who are out of a sport, and on our own to train can sometimes motivate ourselves to find the time to train and maintain a training schedule, and other times not? Sometimes we can get into the exercise habit and other times not? How can we make training part of our schedule? To be motivated to do something means to be persuaded that there is something to gain in it for one. Presumably, one should convince ones self that there is something to gain for one in pole-vaulting. Motivating one self is, however, somewhat paradoxical — a â€Å"catch 22†. What if you have to motivate ones self to motivate ones self? So, it is worth talking it over with another person. A person who does not find physical pleasure in pole-vaulting will not continue pole-vaulting for long. What motivates a pole-vaulter? Money? No. Love of their sport, maybe? Feeling good about being good at what they are doing? Pure enjoyment, exhilaration? Being on a team? Gaining position and power and influence? Being admired and appreciated by others? Yes! Is this enough to get you out on the mats regularly? Think over what you have to sacrifice to have the time to train. A movie, dinner with friends, late night TV, time with your family? One author suggested â€Å"mainly give up work. It’s impossible to keep up†. Visualize ones-self accomplishing the goal and feel that satisfaction that comes from success. Now how will a person remember that state of motivation that the person will want to have the next time they are deciding whether or not to row?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once the person gets on the runway, it is important to make the experience pleasurable so one will want to come back. For most people, this means a few drills as they push off the dock to remind their nervous system of what is expected. Vaulti... ...ple Press. Chomsky, N. (1957). Syntactic structures. The Hague: Mouton. 2. Erickson, M. H., & Rossi, E. L. (1979). Hypnotherapy: An exploratory casebook. New York: Irvington. 3. Gallwey, Timothy. (1974). The inner game of tennis. New York: Random House. Grinder, J. & Bandler, R. (1976). The structure of magic. II. Palo Alto: Science and Behavior. 4. Ingalls, J. S. (1988). Cognition and athletic behavior: An investigation of the NLP theory of congruence. (Doctoral dissertation, Teachers College Columbia University, 1987). Dissertation Abstracts International, 48, (7). p. 2090-8. DA 8721125. 5. Maturana, H. R., & Varela, F. J. (Eds.). (1980). Autopoiesis and cognition: The realization of the living. Boston: Reidel. 6. Miller, G., Galanter, E., & Pribram, K. H. (1960). Plans and the structure of behavior. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. 7. Varela, F. J., Thompson, E. & Rosch, E. (1993). The embodied mind. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. von Bertalanffy, L. (1968). General systems theory: Foundations, development, applications. New York: George Braziller. 8. Watzlawick, P., Bavelas, J., & Jackson, D. (1967). Pragmatics of human communication. New York: Norton.

Max Weber’s Bureaucracy

In his article entitled â€Å"Bureaucracy†, Max Weber considers the structure of offices and management of organizations both public and private. He tries to construct a stereotype of these organizations through the use of a set of characteristics that he deems should be possessed by such groups. Furthermore, he also ventures his discussion into the characteristics of a bureaucratic official. The official to be thought of as bureaucratic thus should qualify these set of characteristics.A person possessing such characteristics is then judged as qualified and appropriate in office. However, if dispossessed of these characteristics, he is not fit for such positions in office. In expressing these ideas and concepts of bureaucracy, Max Weber attempts to impart the significance of office management in organizations. Therefore organizations, if not adopt Weber’s principles, should create their own set of attributes for each office in their circle to make the organization funct ion well. Weber introduces six important characteristics of a functional bureaucracy.First, he requires that organizations have a fixed set of rules for each governing area or portion of the organization (cited in Shafritz, 2005). Each organization should have different sections with a permanent and defined scope of governance and duties. Second, there exists in the organization a certain hierarchy of officials wherein subordinated officials are supervised by higher officials although supervising persons have no absolute power on subordinate officials. Third, the organization should have documentation of its progress and activities through written files.Fourth, officials should have a valid and qualified training to be appropriate for each office. Fifth, although the official has a limited tenure, he is expected to give his best and complete effort for the organization. Last, the set of rules and regulations could be learned by all officials (cited in Shafritz, 2005). Besides these characteristics, Weber also proposes that upon abiding all these characteristics, the position of an official becomes a vocation and that it possesses certain duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges including social security (cited in Shafritz, 2005).The concepts imparted by Weber are of great importance especially to organizational management. Through these characteristics introduced by Weber, the individual seeking to construct an organization could model a practical structure of governance and management. Furthermore, it is also helpful to people who wants to restructure the framework of their organization. It is interesting to note that the author explains his thoughts in a very effective and comprehensive technique through the use of comparison.He compares his image of a bureaucratic organization with those organizations of ancient history including patrimonialism (cited in Shafritz, 2005). Through this effort, the author convincingly illustrates the advantages of burea ucracy without even explicitly stating them. As a whole, the concept of bureaucracy was very impressive since it offers an efficient structure of organizational management. Furthermore, Weber’s explanation of principles both in public office and private economic organizations makes it more even appealing.Nevertheless, readers would also sense an ideal concept of bureaucracy that eventually will make them wonder if such ideal principles are actually realistic in nature. Yet again, in real world organizations, these principles are useful and applicable; applicable in a sense that, bureaucratic organizations should really have a set of rules and duties as well as rights and privileges for officials. Weber’s bureaucracy is a typical yet practical structural model of bureaucratic organizations.Its significance lies in its extensive application for budding organizations and reformation of existing organizations. In the real world, useful tips such as these should be taken in to account in creating positions in office. By doing so, the organization becomes more systematized and effective. Thus, generating a clear set of goals and a straightforward means of achieving these goals which is what an organization is all about. Reference Shafritz, J. Ott, J. S. & Jang, Y. S. (2005). Organization Theory. 6th Ed. USA: Cengage Learning.

Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2006 Essay

Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola have a long history of intense competition since 1950. Besides the CSD (carbonated soft drink) consumption rise, it brought both Coke and Pepsi enjoyed significant revenue growth. In 2004, CSD has 52.3% of total US Liquid Consumption. Coke and Pepsi had 22.1% and 14.4% in Net profit/sales respectively. There are four major participants involved in the production and distribution of CSDs: 1. Concentrate Producers (Coke, Pepsi, and others)). They blended raw material ingredients, packaged the mixture, and shipped to the bottlers. They have large number of employees located in bottler site to support sales efforts, set standards, and suggest operational improvements. They negotiated with the bottlers’ suppliers to achieve reliable supply, fast delivery, and low prices. 2. Bottlers (CCE, PBG, and others). They purchased concentrate, added carbonated water and sweetener, bottled or canned the product, and delivered it to customers. The number of bottlers had fallen from more than 2000 in 1970 to fewer than 300 in 2004, especially after Coke and Pepsi did bottler consolidation and spin-off as part of plan to refranchise bottling operation. Coke built Coca-Cola Enterprise (CCE) and Pepsi formed Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) as their main bottlers. 3. Retail Channels. They consist of supermarket (32.9%), fountain machines (23.4%), vending machines (14.5%), mass merchandisers (11.8%), convenience stores and gas stations (7.9%), and others (9.5%). Pepsi focused on sales through retail outlets, and Coke dominated fountain sales. Both Coke and Pepsi entered fast-food restaurant business in order to have exclusive sales territory on the restaurant chains. 4. Suppliers. Concentrate producers needs caramel coloring, phosphoric/citric acid, natural flavors, and caffeine from suppliers. Bottlers also need to purchase packaging (cans, plastic bottles and glass bottles), and sweeteners. Coke and Pepsi establish stable long-term relationships with their suppliers and their bottlers’ suppliers. Chronology of the Cola Wars: * 1950s: Pepsi introduced â€Å"Beat Coke† motto. Pepsi introduced 26-ounce bottle, targeting family consumption. Coke stayed with its 6.5-ounce bottle. * 1960s: Pepsi launched new slogan, â€Å"Pepsi Generation†. By focusing on the younger population Pepsi narrowed Coke’s lead to a 2-to-1 margin. Pepsi had larger and more modern bottling facilities. Both groups started adding new soft drink brands. * 1970s: Pepsi Challenge: Starting in Texas, Pepsi’s bottlers had public blind taste tests to prove that Pepsi tasted better. This marking stunt increased sales significantly. Pepsi gained a 1.4 points lead in food store leads. Coke countered with rebates and renegotiations with franchise bottlers. Coke response by cutting costs (used corn syrup instead of sugar), doubling advertising spending, and selling off most non-CSD business. Diet Coke was introduced to become a phenomenal success. Coke tried to be innovative by changing its formula, but that failed miserably. Coke introduced 11 new products. Pepsi introduced 13 new products. Pepsi emulated most of Coke’s strategic moves. * 1980s: Coke did refranchising bottling operation and created independent bottling subsidiary, Coca-Cola Enterprise (CCE). Pepsi implemented similar anchor bottler model by forming its bottler, Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG). * 1990s: Soft drink industry faced new challenge on stagnant demand. * 2000s: Although Coke and Pepsi encountered obstacle in international operations, including antitrust regulation, price controls, advertising restrictions, foreign exchange control, lack of infrastructure, cultural differences, political instability and local competition, Coke enjoyed a world market share of 51.4% and Pepsi 21.8%. Coke and Pepsi have been very successful and profitable due to their dominance in the soft drink market. In 2004, the Herfindahl Index (HHI) for market concentration ratio is 0.3130. H = (Coke)2 + (Pepsi)2 + (Cadbury)2 + (Cott)2 + (Others)2 = (.431)2 + (.317)2 + (.145)2 + (.55)2 + (.52)2 = 0.3130 This index indicates high concentration with one or two strong players only. Soft drink industry has been so profitable because Americans drink more soda than other beverage. Head-to-head competition between both Coke and Pepsi reinforce brand recognition of each other. Coke and Pepsi devoted spending on marketing, advertisement, innovation, and market expansion. It is a unique industry where Concentrate Producers and Bottlers are two different entities. Concentrate manufacturing process involved little capital investment in machinery, overhead, and labor. Other significant costs were for advertising, promotion, market research, and bottler relations. One plant could serve entire United States. In the other side, the bottling process was capital-intensive and involved high-speed production line. Bottlers also invested in trucks and distribution networks. Bottlers handled merchandising. Bottler’s could also work with other non-cola brands. From the financial data of Coke, Pepsi, CCE, and PBG, concentrate producers are far more profitable than their bottlers. The colossal war between Coke and Pepsi really affected the soft drink industry. It shaped the industry into what it is now. The fact that those two major players has involved in the competition since the very beginning (1950s) is the advantage for them to keep dominating the market and gain brand popularity in US market and international market. Since 1990s, Coke and Pepsi faced new challenge on flattening demand, banned the sales in some US schools, and obstacles in their international operations (regulatory challenges, cultural and any existing competition). Popularity of non-carbonated beverages has also increased. But Coke can Pepsi can sustain their profits in the industry because they are still dominant (no new threats from new competition, no new significant competitors), they have been in the industry long enough to place their brand recognized globally (easy to diversify new product by leveraging their brand), globalization has opened opportunity for them to expand their international market (especially in emerging economies), potential to growth is still high in the emerging market (consumption is still low), and they have diversified into non-carbonated drinks as well as â€Å"diet† drinks (less sugar or zero sugar beverages). In my opinion, Coke and Pepsi need to focus on emerging international market and focus on the innovation to create new products as alternative (non-carbonated, diet, and healthier).