Knight in Medieval Times

A knight in medieval times is normally recognized as an equipped combatant at the service of the lord or king. Knight was considered a symbol of chivalry and an epitome of bravery in the medieval times. He was regarded as the most skilled person in the art of fighting who worked under the lord and was subjected to his orders and instructions in every affair of life. His leisure time activities were also chivalrous in nature and he remained involved in chivalrous games like duels. He used to possess best Arabian breed of horses that had no match in Europe.â€Å"The close association of the knight and his horse is clearly shown by the titles by which we was known throughout Europe; in France he was a Chevalier, in Italy a Cavalier, in Spain a Caballero, and in Germany a Ritter, from the word meaning to ride. Even the name for the code by which the knight was later bound, Chivalry, derives from the French Cheval. † (The Origins of The Knight) Knight was the production of a practi cal necessity of keeping men of valor and strength to keep the territories and states safe against internal and external threats.That armed knights later became a part of nobility due to the growth and extension of military power and their importance in the affairs of the states. Over a period of five hundreds years, in addition to knights’ military duties and obligations, their socio-political importance led to three other important changes regarding their status in the socio-cultural set-up. This was the steady advancement of knights as a fortunate and advantaged, inherited group.Secondly, a code of chivalry developed naturally that customized and legitimized their code of conducts and elaborated and elevated them to an exclusive social position as a martial privileged class that developed itself into an nobility. The Knights was bound by socio-cultural convention to follow a code of chivalry. This chivalrous was a counter-effective to manifestation of his violent nature du ring battles and wars. Code of chivalry used to be no document system of conduct but it was customary set of rules based on morality and cultural compulsions.Chivalric qualities of an ideal knight during the middle ages under this code are best described in Song of Roland. It reflects that a Knight should be God fearing who could serve his lord in every thick and thin. He must defend the feeble and frail and must abstain himself from giving unnecessary offense to others. He must not fight for his own financial or social gains but for the wellbeing of all.Song of Roland says in this regard: â€Å"A knight should have such valour,/ Who bears arms and sits astride a good horse./ In battle he should be strong and fierce,/ Or else he is not worth four pence. / He ought rather to be a monk in one of those monasteries/ And pray all day long for our sins! † (Song of Roland, laisse 141)Duke of Burgundy recognizes some important characteristics and personality traits of a chivalrous kn ight. â€Å"The words he chose to use to describe the virtues that should be exhibited in the Knights Code of Chivalry were as follows: Faith, Charity, Justice, Sagacity, Prudence, Temperance, Resolution, Truth, Liberality, Diligence, Hope, Valour†.(The Middle Ages Website) So these characteristics of knight were manifestations societal expectations about the code of conduct of knight. Beside all these chivalrous qualities, he was expected to be brave and skillful enough to shows his valor and strength at the battlefield. Another manifestation of chivalrous characteristics was brotherhood at arms. â€Å"Among the gentler features of chivalry may be reckoned the beautiful institution of brotherhood in arms, by which two knights vowed faith to each other.The brothers in arms wore the same arms and clothes, mingled their blood in one vessel, and received the Sacrament together. They engaged to support each other in battle and in all quarrels, and to have the same friends and en emies. † (Knights in Middle Ages) This not only unified the knights of one state but their vows to each other used to augment their strength and confidence. Courtly love was another important development that was directly associated with knight and knighthood. It was one of the most celebrated activities of Knights that is romanticized to a great extent by the medieval literature.Courtly love was eulogized and was considered a noble passion. This form of romantic passion is depicted differently by Chaucer. In his era, the medieval era, relationship between lady and a knight took the form of ‘courtly love’ and was labeled as a noble passion coupled with chivalry and gallantry. In renaissance, love was also considered an ennobling phenomenon but we see concept of romantic and exalted love that has nothing to do with knightly and chivalrous qualities. Chaucer writes about one of the most important activities for a Knight was;To love my lady, whom I love and serve/ d evere shal, til that myn herte sterve. (The Knight’s Tale) Courtly love is not depicted an immodest and lustful phenomenon by Chaucer but it is praised occasionally. Chaucer further shows certain other fine qualities of the contemporary culture pertaining to courtly love. For example, in Knight’s Tale male lover were never usurpers. Following the tradition of courtly love, both knights, Palamon and Arcite disclosed their love for the lady and requested her hand.Both are â€Å"broken al day for love in ech degree. † (The Knight’s Tale)This clearly manifests that culture and value of time pertaining to courtly love strongly prohibited forced love. Furthermore, it shows the individual integrity and honesty within the community. It was knights’ integrity and honesty that did not let them to deceive their lady-love and adopt a proper way to court the lady. This indirectly depicts the rationality level of the people in general and nobility in particular. Loyalty and equality were other ingredients of the courtly love that portrays the values and traditions of the society as a whole. Although Middle Ages’ literature highly romanticize the characteristics of a knight and elevated their characters but many knights were unable to live upto these standards. Chaucer depicts in Canterbury Tales (Wife of Bath’s) the story of knight who raped a lady. This was highly against chivalrous code. As Chaucer’s tales are considered as the mirror image of his contemporary era, so this story was a reflection of the prevailing socio-cultural situations.In another medieval story, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, we also find some knights who are coward and are not as good as knight Gawain. So it is obvious that not all knights were chivalrous. Above-mentioned arguments and supported evidence clearly manifest that medieval knight were well-mannered, gracious and towering personalities. Their indulgence in courtly love was not a lustf ul affair but it was a based on mutual attraction and admiration was purely a refined and passionate activity that was accepted and sanctioned by social norms.Works CitedChaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. New York: Penguin Classics. 1996.Goldin, Frederick. The Song of Roland. New York: Norton, 1978.Gravett, Christopher. The World of the Medieval Knight. Peter Bedrick Books. New York. 1996.Medieval Spell. Knights in Middle Ages. 12 November 2008 .The Middle Ages Website. Knights Code of Chivalry. 12 November 2008 .The Origins of The Knight. 12 November 2008 .

Dress Not for Success: Fifty Years of American Dress Codes Burdening Students

Karnik Soghomonian Professor Brauer Writing 39C February 16th, 2012 Dress Not For Success: Fifty Years of American Dress Codes Burdening Students Over the past fifty years, dress code policies have been a major topic, a topic repeatedly protested against by American high school students. However, at the same time, dress codes have gained popularity in school districts across America. Since the 1960s, drastic measures have been taken to prevent students from wearing certain clothing of their choosing, in fear that the message presented on their clothing being too controversial.Consequently, students have been burdened with dress codes that infringe upon their First Amendment rights. This ongoing trend of imposing dress codes in schools has plagued America for years, resulting in numerous law suits and student punishments. The dress code debate in American Public schools can be traced through various inconsistent rulings in the court cases dating back to 1969, and continued to gain spe ed as a result of falsified information gathered to encourage dress codes in 1994. This debate has continued despite evidence suggesting its uselessness founded by Dr.David L Brunsma in 1998 and despite the negative psychological effects that dress codes could potentially cause, as implied by Psychoanalysis Erik Erikson in the 1960s. Controversy over American public school dress code policies gained the nation’s attention in 1968, when a group of high school and middle school students attending schools at Des Moines Independent Community School District (DMICSD) in Iowa claimed that their personal rights were being violated in the American schooling system.According to the students, they had been suspended from their school for half a month for wearing black armbands at school protesting the Vietnam War. Their school had suspended them on the grounds of violating the school district’s dress code policy, which stated that no students were allowed to convey any type of m essage through their speech or their clothing. Due to what they felt was an overbreach of school codes into their rights, the students sued the school district on November 12th, 1968. In the months that followed, the case, now known as Tinker, et al v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, et al, 393 U.S. 503, reached the level of the Supreme Court. On February 24th, 1969, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the students saying, â€Å"it can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate† (Tinker). A result of the court case was a set of rules now known as the Tinker Standard, which state that a school district cannot ban any students’ rights unless they can point to specialized evidence that the specific right caused a substantial disruption of education and school activities.The Tinker Standards also state that if a student’s clothing portrays a clear and easy to understand message, the school has no right to hide that message (Hudson 150). This is still the standard in which our court system is supposed to abide. However, as will be mentioned further, the Tinker Standard has been ignored almost completely for forty years by the American School System and the court system (i. d. 154). One such case that ignored the Tinker Standard was Broussard v.School Board of Norfolk in 1992. A student wore a t-shirt bearing the message â€Å"Drugs Suck† to her middle school in Norfolk, Virginia. The student had worn the t-shirt several times to school previously; however on one occasion the student was stopped in the school hallway and sent to the principal’s office where the student was held for the remainder of the day, losing a full day of education. The student, with the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union, sued the school district for overbreach.Even though the t-shirt had a plain and easy to understand message th at ‘drugs suck,’ which should have been protected under the Tinker Standards, the court ruled in favor of the school, ignoring the positive message of the shirt insisting that the word ‘sucks’ was too sexual. The court ruled this, even though the school district had failed to provide any evidence of disruption of student education (Broussard). In 1997, David Chalifoux and Jerry Robertson of New Caney High School in Texas wore rosary beads to school to express their Catholic faith.A school police officer told them to remove them due to their association with Hispanic gang culture. The two students, who had never associated with gangs before, looked through a student handbook which did not list rosaries as out of dress code. The students filed a lawsuit against the school, challenging the ban of rosaries in school with the application of the Tinker Standard. The court ruled in their favor, acknowledging that the school failed to provide evidence of the disrup tion f beads (Chalifoux). However, in recent times, it is seen that the Chalifoux case has also been ignored; in 2010, school officials in New York suspended a thirteen year old student for also wearing rosary beads while mourning the loss of his brother (Hudson 144). As can be seen, the legality of dress codes is entirely unclear as courts have contradicted themselves several times. The fact that the Tinker Standard is not widely accepted in all courts causes great confusion in laws of the First Amendment.Some courts, such as the one involved in the Chalifoux case, apply the Tinker Standard while other courts, such as the one in the Broussard case, do not. Some court cases make up their own standards such as seen in one example from Albemere County, Virginia where the court allowed students to wear t-shirt with guns to school, since the mascot of the particular school was a soldier carrying a musket (Hudson 155). Proponents of school dress codes claim that data and evidence support their argument that dress codes and uniforms improve discipline and reduce the crime rates in school.Those in favor of dress code policies point to Long Beach Unified School District, the first district to have a widespread uniform dress code policy in its public schools in 1994. The initial reports show a drop in crime by seventy percent. While this report seems to show positive credence to dress codes, upon closer examination, problems begin to appear. In 1996, Dr. Kerry A. Rockquemore, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, took a closer look at the information gathered in Long Beach and noticed that several other reforms were put into place at the same time as the uniform dress code policy.Rockquemore’s examination conclude to a third variable problem, that while the change in dress code policy was the most obvious change, improvements to campus security through the increase of campus police officers and increase funding to improve teaching methods are most likely the cause of the drop in crime rates seen in long beach Unified School District (Williams). Despite the noted third variables found seen in the Long Beach statistics on dress codes, many school districts have adopted similar dress code policies and have consequently felt no positive results.For example, Miami-Dade County School District in Florida created a dress code policy similar to that in Long Beach in 2006 and in the following few years, saw in increase in student misconduct (i. d. ). In response to the popularity of dress code policies since Long Beach initiated theirs in 1994, Dr. David L Brunsma, currently a professor of sociology at Virginia Tech University, has devoted much of the last fifteen years to studying uniforms and dress codes in public schools and their effects on students. In 1998, Brunsma, along with Dr.Rockquemore of Notre Dame, published his first academic paper showing the results of uniforms and dress codes on student. The study was conducted by following hundreds of students across America that had been chosen for a previous experiment in 1988. Many of these students went to schools with dress code policies while many did not. Brunsma and Rockquemore compared the students and concluded that dress codes and uniforms had no effect on student behavior, academics, drug use, or attendance in school (Brunsma, David and Kerry Ann Rockquemore).The graph below taken from Brunsma’s book The School Uniform Movement and What it Tells Us about American Education published in 2004 as a follow up on his 1998 paper shows nearly identical results that were published in his 1998 paper. The graph shows the correlation coefficient of dress codes and uniforms to various variables thought to be affected by dress code policies. A correlation coefficient of + or – 1 would indicate a perfect correlation while 0 would indicate perfect no correlation, which rarely happens in the real world.As you can see in the graph from Brunmsa’s book, the correlation coeeficients are much closer to 0 than they are to + or – 1. This indicates that there is no significant correlation between dress codes or uniforms to any variables shown in the graph. Figure 1: Brunsma, David L.. The School Uniform Movement and What it Tells Us about American Education. Lanham, Maryland, United States of America: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, 2004. Print. 13 Feb. 2012. Figure 1: Brunsma, David L..The School Uniform Movement and What it Tells Us about American Education. Lanham, Maryland, United States of America: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, 2004. Print. 13 Feb. 2012. With little evidence to support their claims, many schools still implement dress codes, which some psychologists insist is hurting the development of adolescents (Swafford). In 1968, Psychoanalysis Erik Erikson published his book Identify: Youth & Crisis detailing key psychological crises in adolescents’ life that lead to healthy development of personality and dentity. In his book, Erikson describes one crisis in which an adolescent undergoes a series of physical transformations by changing their clothes, hair, body, etc. in order to explore various options in self-identity (Erikson 128). Erikson states in his book, â€Å"should a young person feel that the environment tries to deprive his too radically of all the forms of expression†¦ he may resist with the wild strength encountered in animals†¦without a sense of identity. †(i. d. 130).Here, Erikson is saying that if an adolescent has this remodeling of physical appearance restricted, such as through dress code policies, an adolescent going into adulthood may develop psychological problems in his personality causing him to be no more like an animal than a human. Erikson goes on further to identify these animal-like disorders as idiosyncrasy, depression, identity confusion, negative identity, and in rare cases, dissociative identity disorder (formerly kno wn as multiple personality disorder), and borderline personality disorder.Erikson’s theory of identity development in adolescents is still considered the leading theory in the development of human identity and personality, being taught in college still today (Henry). Despite the evidence drawn from Rockquemore’s and Brunsma’s studies, many schools are still ignorant of this information and still strongly believe that the results gathered from Long Beach are genuine. Assuming mainstream psychology is true, schools are potentially hurting students by preventing them to wear the clothing they want.Who knows how many adolescents have developed a poor self-identity because of their school’s dress code policy. There are many news stories and studies out there that claim that depression and identity disorders are on the rise in teenagers and young adults (Neighmond, Dissociative, and Cloud). Can this rise in identity disorders and depression be due to the rise o f dress code policies? Something must be done to loosen dress code and uniform polices in schools. Surely, some form of code should be in place, but one that does not deprive students of their freedom of expression and identity.Perhaps America needs to go back to 1969, when the original Tinker Standards came out. It would seem that the Tinker Standard was meant to be followed by American public schools and the court system, rather than ignored and shelved only for occasional use. Bibliography Broussard v. School Board of Norfolk. Vol. 801 F. Supp. 1526 (E. D. Va. 1992). 1992. CHALIFOUX v. NEW CANEY INDEPENDANT SCHOOL DISTRICT. Vol. 976 F. Supp. 695 (S. D. Texas 1997). 1997. 18 Feb. 2012. â€Å"Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly Multiple Personality Disorder). † Recurrent Depression. 12 Oct. 006. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. Brunsma, David and Kerry Ann Rockquemore. â€Å"Effects of Student Uniforms on Attendance, Behavior Problems, Substance Abuse, and Academic Achievement. â₠¬  The Journal of Education Research 92. 1 (1998): 53-62. Web. . Google Scholar. Dr. David Brunsma, a professor of sociology at Virginia Tech, and Dr. Kerry Ann Rockquemore, the Executive Director of the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity, argues throughout their research that dress codes and uniforms in public school systems have no effect on students' behavior in school.Brunsma and Rockquemore construct a ten year long experiment proving that there is no connection between the way a student dresses and the way they turn out academically for a scholarly journal on education research. In order to further back up their research, Brusma and Rockquemore cite many other scholarly researchers who have studies dress codes in school who have come up with similar results. Brusma's and Rockquemore's audience can be narrowed to those in the field of educational research, or perhaps parents interested to find out if a school with a dress code policy is right for their child.T heir central purpose is to dismiss the claim that dress code and uniform policies improve student behavior. Brunsma, David L.. The School Uniform Movement and What it Tells Us about American Education. Lanham, Maryland, United States of America: The Rowman ; Littlefield Publishing Group, 2004. Print. 13 Feb. 2012. Dr. David Brunsma, a professor of sociology at Virginia Tech, argues that the use of dress code and uniform policies in public schools have had no effect on students' behavior, grades, drug use, or violence. Brunsma tells his thesis in a book that summarizes  over fifteen years of research of dress codes and uniforms.In order to prove that dress codes and uniforms have no effect on students, Brunsma cites numerous examples of school districts with failed uniform policies and tells of his own journey on testing students across the country to prove that there is no correlation between dress code and student behavior. Brunsma's audience can be narrowed to those working in t he education field and those who are interested to know more about dress codes and uniforms in the public school system. His central purpose is to explain away the common misconception that uniforms benefit students. Brunsma, David L..Uniforms In Public Schools: A Decade of Research and Debate. Lunham, Maryland, United States of America: Rowman ; Littlefield Education, 2006. Print. 13 Feb. 2012. Cloud, John. â€Å"The Mystery of Borderline Personality Disorder. † Time Magazine. 8 Jan. 2009. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. Erikson, Erik H.. Identity Youth and Crisis. New York, New York, United States of America: W. W. Norton ; Company, 1968. Print.. 13 Feb. 2012. Henry, Gleitman, Gross James and Reisberg Daniel. â€Å"Psychology. † . 8th ed. Ed. Sheri L. Snavely. New York, New York: W. W. Norton ; Company, 2010. : 576-582.Print. 1 Feb. 2012. Hudson Jr. , David L.. Let The Students Speak! A History of the Fight for Free Expression in American Schools. Boston, Massachusetts, United St ates of America: Beacon Press, 2011. Print. 13 Feb. 2012. David L Hudson Jr, a professor in law at Vanderbilt University Law School, Nashville School of Law, and Middle Tennessee State University, argues that students’ rights of freedom of expression are being violated in the American school system. Hudson constructs a historical analysis on students’ rights in school and their fight for freedom of expression.Hudson examines court cases, student protests, and other key events in the history of students’ fight for the freedom of expression in schools to tell the tug-of-war story between school officials and students. Hudson’s audience can be narrowed down to those interested in the First Amendment laws, and also the casual reader who with an interest in law and schools. Hudson’s central purpose is to explain the major events in the history of students’ fight for freedom of expression and to educate his audience on why the debate is so importa nt. Murphey, Paul D.. RESTRICTING GANG CLOTHING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS: DOES A DRESS CODE VIOLATE A STUDENT'S RIGHT OF FREE EXPRESSION?. † Southern California Law Review. 64 (1991): 1321. Web.. 15 Feb. 2012. Neighmond, Patti. â€Å"Depression On The Rise In College Students. † National Public Radio. 17 Jan. 2011. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. Swafford, Melinda, Ann Lee and Leigh Southward. â€Å"The Student Dress Code Debate (Part II). † Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers 86. 2 (2011): 10-11. Web. 21 Jan. 2012. Academic Search Complete. TINKER ET AL. v. DES MOINES INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT ET AL. 393 U. S. 503. 24 Feb. 1969. Web. 1 Feb. 2012.Willaims, Darlene. â€Å"School Uniforms: The Raging Debate. † . 2000. Web.. Asserting Parental Rights – it’s Our Duty. Writer’s Memo I really like the information that I was able to present in this paper. I feel like it is really convincing and strong evidence. If I had more time, I would just make it better. I would go back and see if I can make any sentences shorter and easier to read. For this essay, I really did not have too many opportunities to go back and review my work. I guess I would thank my class mated for reading my paper and Prof. Brauer for guiding us through the paper. I believe I will get a B+ in this paper.

Impacts and Implications of Stress

There are many impacts and implications of academic stress on the health of an individual in the academic environment as a student. Some of these impacts and implications are time management skills, social life, and being employed. This paper will be examining the role and significance of the perception in the academic environment and how there is an increase of stress and anxiety in college.Also, I will construct my personal Medicine Wheel to show how can manage my own stress and anxiety being in the Coco optional Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist program (TOT/PTA). The first impact and implication that will be being discussed is time management skills and how it increases stress and anxiety in college. Firstly, transiting from high-school into college brings on a huge amount of stress because it's completely two different worlds and adjusting is very hard for some.This may cause the Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and this is the cost common type of anxiety, it is a  "ongoing state of mental and/or physical tension and nervousness, either without a specific cause† (Put Reference). Some of the symptoms are constant restlessness, irritation, trouble concentrating, and fatigue. Another impact and implication is assignments, and this is because coming straight from high-school I had no idea how to prioritize my assignments and all the workload at once.So this would lead me o mini panic attacks because would feel overwhelmed with assignments and test all coming at once and not wanting to fail. Lastly, studying was an enormous stress factor because had no study habits nor a study group. This made things difficult because also didn't know how to pick out important information from the slides. All of these implications increased stress and anxiety in the academic environment causing my health to decrease because of the lack of sleep, over eating and mentally drained.

Interest rates and exchange rates (the details will be shown in Assignment

Interest rates and exchange rates (the details will be shown in instruction) - Assignment Example This is mainly because of the indifference of the investors. When the interest rate parity is covered, the interest rates and the forward exchange rate between two countries will be in equilibrium. This means that in such equilibrium, each unit return of home currency will be equal to the foreign currency. Thus, the covered interest rate parity states that the forward premium and the interest rate between two countries are equal and there will be no opportunity for arbitrage (Wang, 2009, pp.49-56). (Source: Dollery, University of Hull) The application of covered interest parity is that when it holds true, an investor will be indifferent of investment choice between two countries. For instance, if a French investor has the choice of either to invest or deposit in â‚ ¬ or $ then under CIRP, the investor will get same return irrespective of choice of currency. This is because in equilibrium the future value of investment or deposit will be same for both the currencies (Johann, 2008, p.10). Additionally, there will not be any scope for making profit due to the condition of no-arbitrage in CIRP (Gandolfo, 2002, pp.43-45). The covered interest rate parity is represented by the following equation: (1 + r$) = Ft/St x (1 + râ‚ ¬) Where, Ft = forward exchange rate during time‘t’; & the left hand side of the equation shows that dollar deposits return is equal to euro deposits the returns (Ullrich, 2009, pp.19-22). 2. Uncovered Interest Rate Parity (UIRP) – Investment in First Country The interest rate parity assumes that investors are willing to exchange foreign assets with domestic assets and vice-versa when there is opportunity of making profit from transactions. The theory also assumes that the assets are identical and hence perfect substitutes (Clark, 2002, pp.72-75). On the basis of this assumption it can be said that the investors will be willing to hold assets that yields superior returns irrespective of the origin country. This means that any random investor’s choice of investment decision will not be influenced by forward rates since the investor will earn equal returns on either option. This is because of the interest rate parity theory discussed earlier which assumes that there is no opportunity for arbitrage and the returns of domestic assets will be equal to that of foreign asset (Baillie and McMahon, 1990, pp.150-159). When the investor do not use the forward contract to hedge exchange rate fluctuations and the interest rate parity holds true (no opportunity for arbitrage), then the IRP is said to be uncovered (Harvey, 2008, p.90). The significance of uncovered interest rate parity is that it helps to determine the spot exchange rate by using the concept that expected changes in spot rate of two countries is equal to their interest rate differential (Melvin and Norrbin, 2012, p.115-119). a) Expected Exchange Rate Three Months from Birthday For the purpose of the study, the interest rates based on three month treasury bonds and changes in the interest rates were collected on daily basis. The exchange rates were extracted are the daily close price of exchange rates taken on the

FDI Mode of Internationalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

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LOGISTIC MANAGEMENT 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

LOGISTIC MANAGEMENT 3 - Essay Example Firstly, companies examine the flow of value throughout the production down to the customer. Then they classify the processes that need improvement by using nonperforming functional metrics. Additionally, they use other elements of the model like the fishbone structure to explain the cause and influence of the people, resources, systems, equipments and the environment on the improvement of their products and services (Cole, 2011). With this knowledge, companies hence focus on costs reduction by optimizing their processes while controlling the production inputs to eliminate defects. Additionally, they focus on error reduction by strengthening and automating procedures for completing the production. Lastly, management of the model entails frequent inspections and auditing to ensure that the scheme maintains high performances (Cole, 2011). JIT concept facilitates the LSS management scheme by helping the company minimize their in-process inventories. JIT provides a cycle of signals, which informs the production line hence the system is able to identify the appropriate time of initiating each specific stage of production (Cole, 2011). The model uses ordinary indicators mainly the visual signals like the deficiency or presence of a piece that is essential for the production

Decision Making Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decision Making - Research Paper Example Ron felt the cost of buying that additional equipment is higher. As the machine has been bought a year back inclusion of these items should be of some use. It should not incur an extra cost. The equipments have to be effective in improving the machine's performance. Ron hesitated to accept the deal in the beginning. If the item is bought, there should be some savings in the cost. The cost of the parts was higher. Although the sales person was explaining Ron about its uses, he was not sure of going in for that product. The sales person then explained Ron about its total cost. The cost seemed to be higher but the sales person then said the initial amount is high. But this investment will be of great use. The initial cost is more but the average amount of that equipment will amount to $1 per day. The executive said this cost will be less than the normal money spent for a soda can. Then Ron started thinking about its benefits. As it was impressive he thought investing some more on that machine will definitely help in the future. Hence he decided to buy the additional equipments. Ron's decision will help in the longer run of the machine, which is an advantage to the company. The decision taken by Ron will be beneficial as it ensures some advantages to the machine and the company. Any decision cannot be taken without analyzing its pros and cons. (Lynch 2009).Equipment cannot be bought since it will be of some use which may lead to some problem in the future. The way Ron handled the situation was correct as getting an item without knowing its purpose and use will not be of any help. As a production manager of a company Ron has some responsibilities of selecting and getting goods that should bring profit to the organization. It is difficult to come to a conclusion without thinking how far it will help the existing machine. In the beginning of the meeting Ron listened to the sales executive's ideas and her opinion about the equipment's use. Then he thought about the various criteria like cost and life of the machine. The presentation had the entire details of the item, the advantages and the features of it. It also showed the options and it clearly explained its usage. Then Ron felt the cost of the additional parts is higher than expected. The sales person started explaining that investing in this equipment will help in increasing the production and the average amount will be $1 a day. Ron then gave it a thought whether it will be worth investing a huge amount on a machine that has been bought a year back. Considering all these options, Ron finalized the purchase of that equipment. The major reason for buying this item is that it can increase the production and will help the company in getting more profit. Although Ron was hesitant to purchase the additional item, after listening to the executive's explanation he changed his decision. Decision has to be taken keeping in mind all its consequences and effects. Any decision may have either a good or bad effect. Proper analysis has to be carried out before making a decision. Decision is made depending on the situation and the issue. The decision made cannot be favorable for everyone in all circumstances. It may lead to improvement or adverse effects on the situation. In this scenario, Ron had to consider several aspects as any wrong step will land them in problem. Any decision cannot be taken as per an individual's wish. Especially in companies a decision has to be made only after

Instructional Strategies for ELL Classrooms Essay

Instructional Strategies for ELL Classrooms - Essay Example With input, the focus should be on the student and the extent to which he understands (Gass et al 1994). Researchers admit that nonuse takes place when the information contained in the input is included into a learner's grammar. However, the fact that the information is already included into a grammar does not necessarily exclude it from being utilized--although it may be used in a different way from what one normally thinks of. When the information contained in the input is already a part of one's knowledge base, the additional input might be used for rule strengthening or hypothesis reconfirmation. Part of becoming a fluent speaker of a second language involves the automatic retrieval of information from one's knowledge base. The knowledge base is developed through practice or repeated exposure to exemplars. Thus, information that may appear redundant may be serving an important purpose in terms of the access the learner has to that information (Jonassen and Hannum 1998). 2. Feedback is important technique in learning because it helps a student to understand his mistakes and correct them at once. Feedback should be supported by events such as motivating students, communicating the learning objectives, directing students' attention, activating related knowledge, providing guidance, promoting transfer (generalization), eliciting performance, and providing feedback. The teachers' statements, which are spontaneous and oral, are more difficult to categorize than the written statements of the authors. The content and grammar of the teachers' statements were less structured and precise than those of the authors. On-going, specific and immediate feedback helps teachers to save time and direct learning process. Feedback encourages students to uimprove. Several analogies constructed for the same concept can help the students view the target concept from different perspectives. The analogies function like conceptual lenses, with each one bringing different feat ures of the concept into sharper focus (Kitajima and Polson 1997). Teachers also are encouraged to use the model to construct additional analogies to complement an author's analogy. Several analogies constructed for the same concept can help the students view the target concept from different perspectives. The analogies function like conceptual lenses, with each one bringing different features of the concept into sharper focus. During normal or stable times, scientific activities turn to the refinement of established knowledge claims. But the review of historical documents and actual practice of scientists revealed that there are also times when members of a scientific community are in disagreement about what are the appropriate background knowledge and critical problems that should guide the design of investigations and the evaluation of evidence and knowledge claims (Gass et al 1994). 3. Taken together, instructional steps are a direct outcome of teacher assessment decisions that begin to alter the dynamics of the classroom learning environment. The public expression of what matters and what is valued begins to change. As students learn the criteria, they not only learn the rules of the game in the classroom, they also learn what is valued in the scientific discipline (Manouchehri 2001). Other models include having students work in pairs or small groups to come to a consensus view through

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Business Ethics - Essay Example Businesses are created for the main purpose of generating profits. It is an accepted fact that business owner’s or stakeholders have every right to expect profits from organisations they support. In the desire to realise the goals of organisations and satisfy stakeholders, sometimes businesses choose to indulge in or turn a blind eye to corrupt or unethical business practices taking place within their workforce or conducted by their business partners. Business ethics  theories  are often adopted by organisations seeking to curb practices that are deemed as corrupt. They usually have moral principles that organisations can implement to make sure that all the workers operating in the company conform to accepted codes of behaviour (Bartlett 2003).  Business managers can make use of the ethics  theories  that they deem as being most appropriate for the implementation of different ethical strategies. There are several business ethics theories that are used in todayâ€℠¢s business scene. The rights theory in business ethics endeavors to address ethical dilemmas by taking into account the fundamental human rights that all living people are entitled to (Bredeson and Goree 2011). Essentially, every person has the right not to harm another person. For the most part, businesses around the world observe this law. However, there are circumstances where organisations ‘appear to refuse’ to obey this law when they choose to cooperate with corrupt governments. For instance, in the recent past, the global multinational beverage company, Coca-Cola, has faced negative attention due to its continued association with Swaziland’s absolute monarch, King Mswati III. According to the Swaziland Solidarity Network, Coca-Cola contributes to almost 40% of the small southern African’s nation’s GDP. Critics have stated that if the beverage company’s executives pressed King Mswati III to cater to the needs of his citizens instead of accumulating more wives, luxury vehicles, and real estate at the cost of the national economy, Swaziland would begin to recover. In this case, Coca-Cola could be accused of indirectly abusing the rights of Swaziland’s citizens (Clegg, Kornberger and Rhodes 2006). The modern rights business ethics theory is deontological in character. This theory seeks to affirm that there is a particular answer for every ethical problem. The most common structure of deontological theory is that which draws on God’s word for moral obligations (Garriga and Mele 2004). Where the subject of organisational ethics is concerned, this could involve revealing corrupt practices of an organisation due to personal beliefs of the importance of exposing wrong doers. Whistle blowers, however, often endanger their working lives when they reveal information that proves the corruptness of their employers (Weiss 2008). Even though in developed nations like the United States, there are laws such as the Sa rbanes-Oxley Act allows workers to file claims in accusation of corrupt employees, it is still hard for workers to turn against their organisations due to many reasons, the least of which is not the fear that they will be dismissed or ignored (Husted and Salazar 2006). The justice theory of business ethics seeks to affirm that every worker has a basic right to human liberties (Torres 2005). In a way, this is somewhat similar to what is stipulated by the rights theory with the exception that the justice theory mainly deals with the rights of the lowest classes of workers. For instance, in an organisational setting, this means that the workers who do the difficult physical work should be treated with the same respect as the business executives who work out of their big offices (Smith 2007). Many labour unions around the world argue for the implementation of the justice theory in functions such as corporate decision making in modern businesses (Felsher 2005). Utilitarianism, as a busin ess ethics theory, is the polar opposite of the justice theory. This is because it argues for the entire society’

Reliability Issues †Centrifugal Slurry Pumps Essay Example for Free

Reliability Issues – Centrifugal Slurry Pumps Essay Introduction Pumps were probably the first machine ever developed, and are now the second most common machine in use around the world, out-numbered only by the electric motor. The very earliest type of pump is now known as a water wheel, Persian wheel or â€Å"noria†, consisting of a wheel of buckets that rotates to pick up water from a stream and dump it into a trough. Another early pump was the â€Å"Archimedean screw†, similar to the modern screw conveyor except that the flights were often fixed to the tube so that the whole arrangement would turn together. Both of these devices are still used, most commonly in basic agricultural applications. Pumps are now produced in an enormous range of types and sizes, for a very wide scope of applications, and this makes it difficult for any individual reference document or organisation to cover â€Å"pumps and pumping† as a general topic. So the broad field of pumping is classified into sub-divisions and then dealt with at that level. In the mining industry, the upper end of the pump scale includes impellers with diameters over 2.5m, slurry lines 10km long, particle size up to 100mm, flow rates handling more than 7000tph, and motors over 10MW. Finer slurries of around 1mm particle size are pumped for hundreds of kilometres in some operations. There are many ways to classify pumps. This just one of them. This document only addresses centrifugal pumps, with a focus on single-stage radial-flow slurry pumps. Centrifugal pumps are capable of meeting duties of up to 1.4 m /s at 30MPa, and higher volumes at lower 3 pressures. The maximum flow rate at low discharge pressure is about 180 m /s. Industrial applications requiring high delivery pressures generally use reciprocating fixed-displacement pumps, but they are limited in the amount of flow they can put out per unit. In general purpose applications, where different types of pumps could all deliver the performance sought, centrifugal pumps are usually the preferred choice due to lower lifecycle costs. Basic Requirements for Reliability Assuming correct pump manufacture and installation, the basic requirements for reliable long-term operation of centrifugal pumps are: 1. Continuous operation at best-efficiency point (BEP) 2. Adequate net positive suction head (NPSH) 3. Low velocity fluid flow within the pump and throughout the system 4. Processing of fluids that are benign ie: a) Chemically and physically stable b) At near-ambient temperatures c) Free of particles likely to cause wear or blockage Pumps of a basic design satisfying all these requirements have run for 50 years and more without major component replacement. The first three requirements are satisfied by matching pump performance to expected duty. Where item 4 cannot be addressed through pre-treatment of the fluid, the pump configuration, geometry and materials must be optimised to give best results. Obviously, item 4.c) is a dominating issue for slurry pumps as it cannot be eliminated and must be managed. Centrifugal Pump Construction Centrifugal pumps have two main sub-assemblies – the rotating parts (impeller, shaft, bearings), and the fixed parts (casing, piping connections, stand, foundations. Pumps of all types may be single stage or multi-stage. Multiple stages are used where it is not practical to generate the necessary discharge pressure using a single impeller. The simplest way to imagine a multi-stage pump is as one pump with its discharge feeding straight into the suction of a second pump so that the overall discharge pressure is increased while the flow rate stays the same. However, this arrangement is properly described as â€Å"single stage pumps in series†. A true multi-stage pump consists of multiple impellers mounted on a single shaft, positioned in a single casing made up of multiple chambers. Multi-stage pumps of this type are not used with slurries, but sometimes slurry pumps are mounted in series. Casing There are two types of casing designs â€Å"volute† and â€Å"diffuser†. A volute casing has a snail’s shell shape, while a diffuser casing has internal vanes. Diffuser casings are rarely used on single-stage radial pumps, and are not commonly used for handling slurries due to the flow restriction and high wear rates that would result. Slurry pumps have volute casings which house the impeller and have a spiral-shaped outer volume that extends 360 degrees and increases in cross-sectional area as it approaches the discharge flange. At full circle the volute overlaps itself, creating the cut-point, also known as â€Å"cut-water point† or â€Å"tongue†. The ideal shape is to have a steady linear increase in cross-sectional area for 360 degrees around the circumference starting from the cut-water point, but this can be difficult to manufacture. Compared to a clear water pump, a slurry pump has a much larger radial gap between cut-water point and impelle r, to reduce risk of blockage. Where a pump is identified as oversize for its duty, and is suffering high recirculation wear, it may be possible to fit liners with an extended cut-water point that throttles the flow. In theory, when a pump operates at its best efficiency point (BEP), the pressure acting on the impeller and casing are uniform. However, in practice the pressure is rarely completely uniform, and if a pump is operating away from its BEP the imbalanced in the radial forces acting on the impeller become significant. These forces are larger for bigger pumps operating at higher pressures. Running a large pump below rated capacity can create unbalanced radial forces that may (over time) damage the bearings or snap the shaft. If it is known that a pump may need to occasionally operate well away from its BEP, the manufacturer should include an oversize shaft arrangement in the design, but with commercial competition driving purchase decisions this may have to be specifically requested. Another option for reducing imbalanced radial forces is to use a twin-volute design, which consists of a wall splitting the volute in half for about half its circumference, ending after the cut-point but before the discharge flange. This is not practical for most slurry applications. Casings must be designed to allow the impeller to be installed inside, and so are manufactured in at least two parts. Solid casings have a removable cover, either on the suction side or shaft side or both, but the volute shape is a one-piece casting. Casings may also be split, either axially or radially. Axially split housings make inspection easier because the upper piece can usually be removed without disturbing the shaft or piping too much. Split casings may tend to â€Å"breathe† at high pressures, resulting in leakage, air entrainment, vibration, misalignment etc. Casings are normally provided with ribbing at the location of highest stresses, to minimise this. Open or semi-open impellers require close clearances against the casing to ensure pumping efficiency. The casings generally include a side-plate that can be adjusted for minimal clearance using jacking screws or shims, especially in wearing applications eg slurries. Impeller Impellers are classified according to their design features ie: ï‚ · Suction flow orientation o Single suction ie inlet on one side only o Double suction ie inlet on both sides ï‚ · The direction of exit flow relative to the shaft axis ie: o Radial flow o Axial flow o Mixed flow ï‚ · Vane shape ie: o Single curvature vanes, also called straight vanes – the impeller surfaces that accelerate the fluid are straight and parallel to the axis of rotation o Francis or screw vane – the surfaces that accelerate the fluid are curved in relation to the axis of rotation ï‚ · Mechanical construction o Enclosed ie with side walls or â€Å"shrouds† o Open ie no shrouds o Semi-open ie shroud on one side only o Partially shrouded ie shroud not extending to impeller tips The open area through which the fluid flows into the impeller is called the suction eye. For a closed-shroud impeller, this is simply the hole in the shroud. The suction eye area is an important featur e of the pump design. The area taken up by the shaft, if it protrudes through the eye, is deducted when calculating eye area. Impellers can be single suction or double suction. A single suction impeller has an inlet eye on one side only, with the shaft extending out the opposite side so the impeller overhangs. A double suction impeller can be thought of as two mirror-image single suction impellers mounted back-to-back. They accept fluid from both sides and usually have a shaft that extends straight through the impeller with bearings providing support on both sides. Double suction impellers are usually fed fluid from a single inlet flange, with the fluid flow being split into two streams by channelling inside the casing. Double suction units provide advantages in reduced fluid velocity at the impeller eye, and better balancing of axial hydraulic forces, while single suction units are simpler in design, manufacture and maintenance. Most if not all slurry pumps are single suction type. Some pumps may have an inducer, which is an axial flow impeller with a few blades installed between the suction inlet and the main impeller, intended to improve the suction head seen by the main impeller. Impeller shrouds often incorporate thin â€Å"pump-out vanes† cast into the outside of the shrouds. Their purpose is to help clear any solids from the back hub of the impeller (opposite the inlet eye), reduce pressure at the seal area, reduce axial thrust, and discourage recirculation. Some impellers have similar vanes on the eye side as well as the shaft side – in this case, those on the shaft side are usually called â€Å"expeller vanes†. In clear water pumps, a cylindrical ring is usually cast or machined into the outside surface of the shrouds, coinciding with a matching feature in the casing, to help seal off the discharge fluid from the suction fluid and prevent internal circulation. Clearances here are tight in order to ensure pumping efficiency – typically around 0.25mm on radius for most common sizes of industrial pumps. In larger pumps the casing (and sometimes also the impeller) is usually protected at this point by replaceable â€Å"wear rings†, which may be high-wear items, and need to be replaced before efficiencies fall too low. It is good practice to replace wear rings once the clearance reaches twice the original specification. Wear rings are provided in a wide range of designs and materials according to the pressures, speeds and fluids involved. The wear rings on impeller and casing are often made from differing materials that are not subject to galling, to reduce problems should contact occur. Wear ring features may include labyrinths, water injection, inspection ports, adjustment mechanisms etc. Pumps handling light slurries may make use of wear rings, sometimes with water injection to reduce wear from the slurry. Pumps handling heavier slurries usually just use pump-out vanes. Slurry pump impellers must be designed to resist wear and tear, and this requires some pumping efficiency features to be sacrificed. For example, vane edges will be blunter, vanes and shrouds will be generally thicker, and the number of vanes will be decreased in order to open up the channels between them. Passages through slurry pumps, including impeller vane spacing, are larger than for clear water pumps. Open impellers are sometimes used for very stringy materials, but tend to be weak and wear quickly, and so are not very common. Vane shape is obviously a major element of impeller design. Two critical factors are the blade entry angle (ß1) and blade exit angle (ß2), as measured between the centre-line of the vane and a tangent to the inner or outer diameter (respectively) drawn from their tips, in the oppo site direction to rotation. Most modern pumps have impellers with ß2 smaller than ninety degrees – ie backward-curved blades. Theoretically, a forward-curved blade would give higher head, but at less efficiency. Some pumps have ß2 at ninety degrees, and these are sometimes referred to as â€Å"expellers†. Many clear-water impeller designs rely on close running clearances between vane tips and casing to minimise recirculation from one â€Å"vane chamber† to the next, and maximise efficiency. Even small amounts of vane tip wear can have an effect on head and overall efficiency. The outer and inner vane tips should be sharp, not rounded or chamfered. Replacing a pump which is too large for its duty can be a major exercise. It usually requires changes to the foundations, drive arrangement and piping, spares holdings, and so on. A model of the ideal size may be just not available. As an alternative, in some cases it may viable to install a reduced-diameter impeller without changing other components. If done correctly, trimming the impeller will move the pump’s BEP to match the actual system operating point. The efficiency at the new BEP will be lower than the BEP with the original impeller, but higher than was being achieved in practice when operating well away from the original BEP. The performance variation can be estimated using the â€Å"affinity laws† which often apply to a specific impeller before and after machining: Flow rate: Pump head: Motor power: Q1 / Q2 = n1 D1 / n2 D2 H1 / H2 = (n1 D1 / n2 D2) P1 / P2 = (n1 D1 / n2 D2) 2 So if running at the same speed, trimming an impeller by a certain proportion will result in a corresponding drop in flow rate, a greater decrease in head produced, and an even greater decrease in the motor power consumed. However, these equations are based on several assumptions and some caution is called for. Impellers are complex three-dimensional objects and their effects on the liquid are due to other factors that are also affected by machining, beyond just the outside diameter – eg open area, discharge blade angle and so on. The following considerations should apply. ï‚ · Diameter reductions should not exceed 10%. Reductions beyond 20% are generally considered extreme. Some references state 30% as the maximum reduction advisable. ï‚ · Some overlap in the vanes should be retained. ï‚ · The angle between the vane centreline and the tangent to the outer diameter drawn at its tip should be restored to original by filing, with most filing occurring on the trailing si de of the vane.   The vanes will probably be thicker after cutting, and should be filed back to original shape, by filing on the traling side of the vane. ï‚ · Vane tips should be kept sharp, not rounded or chamfered. Outer tips should be sharpened by filing on the trailing side, and inner tips by filing mostly on the leading side.   Inefficiencies will take the form of increased disc friction, increased flow path length within the casing, and more recirculation across vane tips. Impellers apply forces to the fluid and are subject to the equal and opposite forces themselves. The typical single-suction impeller engages with fluid entering the pump and at first accelerates it axially into the pump, before diverting it into the radial direction. The impeller pushes the fluid into the pump, and at the same time pushes itself axially back toward the inlet point. Another way of looking at this effect is to consider that the impeller is mostly exposed to pressurised fluid all over the shroud surfaces, but not at the eye on the suction side. The thrust on the impeller must be resisted by the shaft arrangement, which must always include bearings capable of serious thrust loading. Double-suction pumps typically have less axial loading, but can still experience axial thrust, especially if flow is restricted more on one side due to internal differences in the pump, or restrictions in fluid supply on one side. Clean water pump designs may incorporate features to reduce this imbalance, such as having wear rings on both sides of the impeller, with the pressure within t he volume they enclose largely equalised by â€Å"balancing holes† passing right through the impeller. Another method is the use of a balancing disc. This is a disc mounted on the shaft in a separate chamber, with a geometry and clearances designed to counterbalance thrust effects. However, these are not practical for slurry pumps, which may use pump-out vanes instead, to lower the pressure toward the inner area of the non-suction shroud. Axial thrust loads usually consist of a steady state component plus dynamic fluctuations. Heavy axial loading is often associated with recirculation. Where failure occurs it is usually a result of overloading and over-heating of bearing components. Measures to correct excessive axial loading include:   Restoring BEP operating conditions (which may include selecting a more appropriate pump size or trimming the impeller)   Ensuring internal clearances / wear are not excessive ï‚ · Verifying correct bearing type and installation including clearances / pre-load To further complicate this issue of axial thrust, single-suction pumps handling fluids with a high suction head may experience thrust on the impeller in the opposite direction, away from the inlet. And then there are pumps with highly variable duties and suction conditions that may experience impeller thrust in different directions at different times. Shaft The shaft transmits mechanical power to the impeller from the driving motor or engine. It must also support the impeller and restrict its axial and radial movement. The loads on the shaft include self-weight of the rotating components, torque, and forces transmitted to / from the fluid. Design of a shaft requires consideration of maximum allowable deflection, the span or overhang, the location and direction of all loads, any temperature variations, and the critical speed. Loads are normally at their maximum on start-up. All objects have a natural frequency at which they will vibrate after being struck. Machines made of several components with complex shapes normally have several natural frequencies, some of which dominate. In the case of pumps, if the rotational speed of the impeller matches a dominant natural frequency, small imbalances may be amplified to a level where they interfere with operation and/or reliability. These are known as â€Å"critical speeds†. Steady operating speeds between 75% and 120% of the first critical speed should be avoided. Pumps with longer overhang on the shafts have lower critical speeds. Shafts are referred to as rigid or flexible, according to whether the running speed is lower or higher than the first critical speed. Pumps with a flexible shaft must pass through a critical speed on each start-up. This is not usually a problem because frictional forces with the fluid and the bearings act as dampers for a period sufficient for transition through the critical speed. Pumps with speeds below 1750rpm, which includes most slurry pumps, are usually of the rigid-shaft design. The shaft must be designed so that any deflection will not bring moving parts into contact, for example at wearing rings, or cause non-concentricity in critical areas such as the shaft seal. As a general rule, shaft deflection should not exceed 0.15mm even under the most extreme conditions. Deflection and critical speed are related stiffening a shaft to reduce deflection will also raise its critical speed. For pumps with overhung impellers, as is the case for most slurry pumps, this often results in the shaft diameter between bearings being quite large. The fluid passing through a pump creates a hydrodynamic bearing effect, known as the â€Å"Lomakin Effect†. That is, to some extent, the impeller rotating in the casing with fluid present is like a shaft rotating in a journal bearing with oil present. The result is that the shaft is better supported when running than when idle, so that the shaft deflection will be less, and the critical speed of the shaft assembly will be higher. However, the Lomakin Effect varies with pump head and internal clearances, both of which diminish with wear. Therefore the effective critical speed may be expected to decrease with time in service. To allow assembly, shafts step up in diameter from coupling to bearing to impeller, so tha t any torque problems are very likely to appear first at the coupling rather than the impeller, at least in single stage pumps. Shaft Seal and Sleeve The shaft connects the drive to the impeller, and so must pass through the pressurised casing. Achieving a reliable seal between shaft and casing is one of the most problematic areas in pumping. Centrifugal pumps have two types of seals – mechanical seals and packing seals. Many designs of mechanical seals have been attempted for slurry pumps, without comprehensive success, and the remainder of this discussion concentrates mainly on packing seals and stuffing boxes. Note, however, that packing is only suitable within pressure and temperature limitations. Depending on pump design and duty, the seal may need to prevent either air ingress into the casing, or fluid egress out of the casing or both of these at different times, if operation is variable. Many casings are designed with the seal area built into a compartment configured to improve sealing performance. For mechanical seals, this compartment is usually referred to as the â€Å"seal chamber†, while for packing seal s, it is known as the â€Å"stuffing box†. Slurry pump seals usually consist of several rings of packing fitted in a stuffing box around the shaft, often with provision for grease lubrication or water injection to reduce friction and provide additional sealing (particularly for when the pump is stopped). There are many stuffing box design variations and many types and configurations of packing. Stuffing boxes will accept a number of rings of packing, with a packing ring or throat bush preventing extrusion into the casing, and a gland (sometimes called a â€Å"follower†) used to adjust packing compression. A lantern ring may be substituted for one of the packing rings, to cater for injection of grease or sealing water, water being particularly required if air would otherwise be sucked into the fluid stream at this point. Sealing water (or an alternative clean liquid) is usually required for: Slurries   Liquids for which leakage is not acceptable   Liquids that are not suitable for sealing purposes   Suction lifts greater than 4.5m (air ingress may interfere with priming)   Discharge pressures above 70kPa The packing must be placed under some compression and this tends to result in wear on the shaft, which is often sleeved to avoid having to replace the entire shaft once wear is advanced. There are numerous designs of shaft sleeves. The shaft sleeve must be resistant to friction and heat, and several different materials and surface treatments are available – eg hardened high-chrome stainless steel, ceramic, plasma spray or tungsten carbide coating etc. To prevent chipping, coatings should not extend to the edges of the sleeve. The sleeve does not contribute to strength, so the shaft itself must be large enough to carry all the loads, and this means that including a sleeve in the design enlarges the seal diameter. For small pumps, this may decrease pumping efficiency and raise the purchase cost to the point that sleeves may be abandoned and a stainless steel shaft used instead. Glands may be solid, or split to allow replacement without disassembly of pump or bearing assembly. They are usually made of bronze, cast iron or steel. Special designs are used to improve safety if the fluid is hazardous. The leakage of fluid past the packing is controlled by tightening the gland, compressing the packing axially and expands it radially so that leakage paths along the shaft sleeve are constrained. However, some fluid flow between packing and sleeve is usually needed to avoid overheating the packing and damaging the sleeve surface. Once the sleeve surface is damaged, the sealing efficiency decreases and more tightening is required, further damaging the sleeve, and so on. The secret is to provide a configuration of packing and seal water injection that suits the application, and then avoid over-adjustment. To further reduce the pressure at the shaft seal area, where the rear pump-out vanes are not sufficient, some slurry pumps are fitted with a second smaller open-faced impeller, usually called an â€Å"expeller†. Many different designs have been tried. If sealing water is used, there will be a design intention regarding the ratio of water to pass in to the volute compared to out past the gland follower. This can be controlled using the number of packing rings on each side of the lantern ring, but the lantern ring must be installed at the injection point. For clean water pumps, this seal water is sometimes provided from the pump discharge. Clean water must be used to avoid contaminating the packing with grit – filtration or cycloning may be necessary if the water contains some grit. When managing sealing arrangements, thought must be given to what happens when the pump is stopped. The pressure in the stuffing box changes to static conditions, which may result in slurry leaking into the packing and contaminating it, causing rapid sleeve wear on re-starting. But if sealing water continues to be applied, the slurry may be diluted, and eventually a sump can be filled with sealing water if left idle for a long time. For prolonged stoppages, sumps may be best dropped, for various reasons. On restarting, sealing water supply should start before the pump starts. Stuffing boxes in extreme applications may be provided with galleries through which cooling water can pass to prevent excessive temperatures around the packing. In applications where leakage must be more precisely controlled, or where elevated temperatures in the seal area must be avoided (for example where the fluid is volatile), mechanical seals may be suitable, provided that the fluid is not damaging to the seal components. A comparison between mechanical seals and packing seals is given below. ï‚ · Packing seals: o Low initial cost o Tend to deteriorate gradually o Easily replaced when necessary o Can handle large axial shaft movements o Always some leakage required o Require regular adjustment o Not suitable for hazardous / volatile fluids o Often cause progressive shaft sleeve wear o Can result in significant shaft power losses o Limited to low pressures and speeds ï‚ · Mechanical seals: o Minimal or zero leakage o No adjustments required o Suitable for hazardous / volat ile fluids o No shaft wear o Do not consume significant shaft power o Can handle high pressures and speeds o Tend to fail suddenly o Replacement requires pump disassembly o High initial cost Packing seals work as a result of axial compression, so that the packing rings extrude outward and apply radial pressure to the adjacent components, these being the static surface of the stuffing box, and the rotating shaft sleeve. A dynamic seal is formed between the packing rings and the sleeve surface, with some fluid flow between the two being necessary for lubrication and cooling. For clean water pumps, this fluid may be supplied from the inner end of the stuffing box, or from the discharge pipe via small diameter piping. In the case of slurries, grit in the fluid would add to friction and wear, so the lubricating and cooling fluid is usually injected from a separate clean water supply. The injection pressure should be 10 to 25psi greater than that at the inside end of the stuffing box, and this figure should be available from the pump designer. A rule of thumb is to set the gland feed water pressure to between 35 and 70kPa above pump discharge pressure. Pressure regulation is often helpful. In theory, some slurry pumps should operate with a pressure at the inside of the stuffing box which is below atmospheric pressure, so that the packing is required only to prevent air ingress into the pump. However, when the pump is turned off, or in abnormal operating conditions, slurry can pass back into the seal and contaminate the packing with grit, so these situations still call for water injection. Grease or oil may be used instead of water in some applications. Packing material must be able to withstand the operating environment and remain resilient to perform satisfactorily despite minor shaft misalignment, run-out, wear and thermal expansion / contraction. Packing is available in a huge range of materials (lubricant, binder and fibre / matrix) and in many sizes, shapes, and constructions, to suit different applications – particularly size, shaft speed, temperature, pressure, and chemical resistance. The number of packing rings varies between applications, the most common arrangement being throat bush or ring, three inner packing rings, lantern ring, two more packing rings, and gland follower. The lantern ring may be placed further in, to reduce slurry ingress. Packing size is usually proportional to shaft / sleeve outer diameter, as follows: Shaft / Sleeve OD (mm) 15 to 30 30 to 50 50 to 75 75 to 120 120 to 305 Packing Size (mm) 6 8 10 12.5 16 Shaft sleeve finish needs to be at least 0.4micron CLA to avoid excessive rotational friction, and the finish in the stuffing box bore needs to be at least 1.65 micron CLA to allow even compression during adjustment. The sleeve must be harder than the packing, and chemically resistant to the fluid pumped and the injection fluid. Any coating on the sleeve must have a good thermal shock resistance. The lantern ring allows for entry and distribution of the lubricant or flushing fluid. Lantern rings are usually split to allow installation and removal without pump disassembly. They were traditionally made from metal such as stainless steel, but lubricant-impregnated plastics are now common. Gland followers are also usually split to allow easy replacement. They are usually bronze but may be steel or cast iron. Special purpose gland followers are used with volatile or hazardous materials, including capacity for diluting and safely flushing away leakage. The axial compression on the packing must be occasionally adjusted to control leakage. The correct leakage rate is one drip per second. Over-tightening should be avoided as it will result in over-heating and shaft wear. Most packing is supplied with impregnated lubricant, and over-tightening will press the lubricant out. Pumps need extra sealing provisions if pressure at the inner end of the stuffing box is greater than 75psi. The use of harder packing material on the inner rings may help. The procedure for replacing packing is: 1. Read the instructions provided by the pump manufacturer and packing supplier. 2. Loosen and remove gland follower. Inspect gland follower for wear, corrosion, warping etc. 3. Remove old packing rings using a packing puller, and the lantern ring. 4. Inspect shaft sleeve surface for deterioration, and clean up where possible. Replace if necessary. 5. Inspect bore of stuffing box for corrosion, wear, scaling etc, and clean up where possible. 6. Verify correct packing size to be used. 7. Tightly wrap the correct number of packing coils around a mandrel of equal diameter to the shaft sleeve. 8. Cut each ring at an oblique angle. 9. Install each ring, staggering the joins 90 degrees on subsequent rings. Suction / Intake Design Centrifugal pumps operate most efficiently when the liquid to be pumped flows into the inlet nozzle in a smooth, uniform manner with minimal turbulence. Suction systems need to be designed to ensure that this happens. The most common problems are: ï‚ · Uneven / turbulent flow ï‚ · Vapour collection ï‚ · Vortex formation Suction piping should be as short and straight as possible to minimise friction, and if unavoidably long, should be of large diameter. The suction line will normally be at least one pipe size larger than the pump inlet flange, requiring fitment of a reducer. A reducer should not change the pipe bore by more than 100mm. Fluid flow should be as uniform as possible right up to the pump inlet flange. There should not be any fittings likely to cause turbulence, sudden changes in flow direction or spin within ten pipe diameters of the pump inlet flange. There should be no short radius elbows at all, and no long radius elbows within three pipe diameters. All suction line connections need thorough sealing to prevent air being drawn in. For suction manifolds serving multiple pumps, all the above points apply, and branches should be angled at 30 or 45 degrees, rather than ninety degrees, and sized so that fluid flow is constant throughout. Flow should not exceed 0.9m/s. Improper suction conditions or designs can result in the fluid swirling as it approaches the pump through the suction pipe. This is called â€Å"pre-rotation†. It causes a drop in pumping efficiency because the pump is designed to process fluid that is entering without rotation, and can cause additional suction pipe wear. Sometimes a radial fin is fitted to the suction pipe or casing to reduce pre-rotation. The suction pipe design should cater for elimination of air from the suction line, and prevention of vapour pockets, in the simplest manner, meaning that: ï‚ · For pumps with the feed being drawn from a level below (eg a dam pump), o Suction pipe should have a slightly upward slope toward the pump o The eccentric reducer should have the flat side on top ï‚ · For pumps with the feed being drawn from a level above (eg a thickener underflow pump), o Suction pipe should have a slightly downward slope toward the pump Vortexing in feed tanks needs to be avoided to prevent air being drawn down into the pump. Baffles may need to be fitted to tank walls. The tank fluid level needs to be kept well above the suction inlet. Bearings Bearings provide axial and lateral restraint to the pump shaft and attached components, while allowing free rotation. Axial loading on pump shafts may be significant as discussed separately, and the bearing arrangement always includes some thrust capability. The bearings most commonly used are deep-groove single row ball bearings, and single or double row angular contact ball bearings. Pumps may be in overhung configuration, where the shaft is supported by bearings on one side only, or have a shaft that passes right throught the casing with bearings on both sides. Most slurry pumps are of the overhung design. The bearings are usually rolling-element, but plain journal bearings are sometimes used on larger pump sizes. The bearings must be lubricated by grease injection or oil bath and may need provisions for cooling as well. This may be by having a cooling water jacket integral with the bearing housing, or by pumping the lubricating oil through a heat exchanger and filter. Oil lubrication is usually recommended rather than grease, if speed exceeds 5000rpm (which is very rare in a slurry pump). Grease-packed bearings should have one third of the chamber filled with grease. Oil baths should be filled to the centre point of the lowest rolling element. Inadequate loading of bearings can result in the rolling elements skating over the race instead of rolling, and this can cause heating and failure. To avoid this, bearing assemblies are usually designed with an assembly configuration, including preload, that ensures all bearings carry some load. Frame and Foundations For large pumps that are directly connected (ie no vee-belt drive), the motor and pump are usually mounted on the same bed-plate, which is fixed to the foundations in a way sufficient for eliminating looseness and distortion. This eliminates some misalignment issues at the source. Foundations including bed-plates should be checked occasionally for deterioration (corrosion, ground subsidence, concrete cracking, loose fasteners, missing grout etc), and the alignment between pump and motor should also be checked if there is any cause for concern. The framework should have provisions for drainage of any spillage and seal leakage etc, so that this does not become trapped and contribute to corrosion etc. Where pumps operate at high temperature (ie above around 100C) the pump casing should be supported at its axial centre-line, to help reduce thermal stresses. It is generally preferred that all suction and discharge piping have its own supports, so that the pump casing and foundations do not carry any significant static or dynamic piping loads, and so that pump components can be independently removed and replaced. Where this is not the case, extra pump and foundation attention may be needed at the design stage. Drive Arrangement Many drive arrangements are possible to suit the circumstances. Electric motor drive is the most popular, followed by internal combustion engines. Variable speed drives are sometimes necessary and often convenient, but always more expensive and less reliable. In minerals handling plants, slurry pumps are most often electric motor driven, with belt drives. Belt drives allow speeds to be changed through minor modifications – ie pulley changes. Short, low head slurry system designs usually provide motors that are 10 to 20% oversized, to cater for any under-estimates in slurry or system characteristics such as viscosity and friction, and to allow for minor system modifications during the service life. Instrumentation Pumps may be controlled to allow: ï‚ · Variation of flow rate, pressure, liquid level ï‚ · Protection against damaging operating conditions ï‚ · Flexibility in matching pumping performance to duty For centrifugal pumps, control is usually accomplished by speed setting (including turning off/on), or valve setting. This may be manual or automatic. For slurries, control by throttling valve is rare due to the wear rates that usually result. Typical instrumentation includes: ï‚ · Tank / sump level switches ï‚ · Pressure sensors ï‚ · Flow sensors ï‚ · Density sensors In each case, protection from damage by the slurry is critical. This is commonly achieved by using sensors that do not need to contact the slurry eg nucleonic density sensors mounted outside the pipe, with source on one side and detector on the other. Ideally, it is good to have instrumentation available, either permanently mounted or portable, to: Verify operation at BEP, by measuring the difference between suction and discharge pressure Determine flow Ensure that NPSH is sufficient to prevent cavitation Compare flow to motor amperage, to identify when impeller adjustment is needed Need to search more on valves for slurry applications. Notes on Material Selection Where there is some chance of parts coming into contact during pump operation, thought should be given towards minimising the damage that may result. An example of this is at the wear-ring / impeller interface. Studies have shown that damage can be minimised by manufacturing adjacent components from materials that:   Are dissimilar, except where known to be resistant to adhesive wear and galling   Have a difference in hardness of at least 10Rc, if either has hardness less than 45Rc Because it may be difficult to always prevent cavitation from occurring, impellers are usually made of cavitationresistant materials such as chrome-manganese austenitic stainless steel, carburised 12% chrome stainless steel, cast nickel-aluminium bronze, etc. Obviously corrosion resistance is another key selection factor that these materials satisfy. Slurry pumps are subject to heavy wear in the form of abrasion and erosion. The aggressiveness of the slurry is determined by the hardness of the particle s in the slurry, their shape (rounded or sharp), the pulp density, and the size distribution. Slurries can become less aggressive as they travel through a minerals processing plant as the sharp edges become rounded off. Velocity and angle of impingment are also very important factors affecting the resultant wear rates, with wear rate being proportional to velocity squared according to some references. The impingement angle associated with maximum wear rate seems to be dependent on the hardness and brittleness of the material being struck. For very hard / brittle materials it is between 65 and 90 degrees, while for more ductile materials it may be around 25 degrees. Pumps handling slurries with greater than 6mm particle size are usually lined with rubber. However, if impeller tip speed exceeds 28m/s, rubber becomes subject to thermal degradation, and this usually restricts the use of rubber to a maximum head of 30m per stage. Metal lined pumps may be used up to 55m head per stage. For wet end components, materials that may be used to resist wear include Ni-resist, carburised and hardened 12% chromium steel, etc. White iron slurry pump components, which includes Ni-Hard, are restricted to impeller tip speeds of about 36m/s to avoid maximum disc stresses. Steel components are softer but can run at higher speeds, up to a tip speed of 45m/s. Centrifugal pumps are subject to cyclic loads due to such things as imbalance, unbalanced radial forces, fluctuating axial thrust, the vibration induced as each vane passes the cut-point, and variations in upstream and downstream fluid pressure and flow. This sets the scene for fatigue loading, which becomes more of an issue if the slurry is corrosive. Fretting may occur between assembled components where looseness is allowed to develop. This is best avoided through the use of correct manufacturing dimensions and surface finishes, good fitting practice etc. The materials commonly used for pump components include:   Impellers (require castability, weldability, and resistance to corrosion, abrasion, and cavitation) o Bronze, for non-corrosive liquids below 120C o Nickel-aluminium bronze, for higher speed and mildly corrosive applications o Cast iron, for small low-cost applications o Martensitic stainless steel, where added resistance to cavitation, wear, corrosion (other than salt water) or high temperatures may be required o Austenitic stainless steel (mostly cast 316 grade), where a higher level of corrosion resistance is needed. Austenitic stainless steel with 6% molybdenum is often used for salt water pumping.   Casings (require strength, castability and machinability, weldability, and resistance to corrosion and wear) o Cast iron o Cast steel, where extra strength is required ie for pressures above 6000kPa (1000psi) and temperatures above 175C. o Austenitic cast irons with 15 to 20% nickel (Ni-Resist) may be used where abrasion and corrosion are issues. o Bronze, for water applications o Stainless steel, where corrosion is a major issue – martensitic for higher pressures in mildly corrosive fluids, austenitic for more aggressively corrosive fluids. ï‚ · Shafts (require resistance to fatigue and corrosion) o Mild steel, where corrosion and fatigue are minor issues Low alloy steel such as 4140 for added strength Martensitic stainless steel, where added strength and corrosion resistance are needed Shafts are usually chrome-plated, and care is needed to avoid this adding to the fatigue susceptibility through micro–cracking and hydrogen embrittlement. Shafts can be shot-peened prior to plating, and heat-treated afterward to reduce these effects. Wear rings (require castability and machinability, and resistance to corrosion, abrasion and galling) o Bronze for clean liquids and temperatures up to 120C o Stainless steel for applications with abrasion, corrosion and high temperatures – but steps must be taken to avoid galling should the rings come into contact eg increased clearances, hardness differences etc. o o o Impellers other than those made from martensitic stainless steel can usually be repaired by welding, although in some cases this needs to be followed by specific heat treatment processes. In all cases, more exotic (and expensive) materials may be used for specific applications. Material selection is often a balancing act between optimising purchase cost and maintenance / operations performance. Where high temperatures are involved, material selection must take into account differences in expansion rates. Unlined slurry pump impellers and casings are often made from abrasion-resistant cast irons as per ASTM A532, which includes Ni-Hard. These materials consist of a martensitic matrix with secondary hard phases of chrome and iron carbides that increase wear resistance. They cannot be machined or welded, and tend to be prone to corrosion, and breakage through mechanical impact and thermal shock. Brittleness may be reduced by annealing, but this reduces wear resistance. Slurry pump impellers and casings may be lined with softer materials like rubber, where high temperatures can be avoided. These can reduce wear rates by absorbing the impact energy of the particles, while resisting corrosion. Problems may arise in bonding of the rubber at the cut water point, and on the impeller. The lining reduces the thickness of the metal section of the component, so stronger materials are usually used eg steel rather than cast iron. Manufacturers develop their own specifications for ideal liner thicknesses based on experience, but one reference suggests a volute liner thickness of 4% to 6% of impeller diameter. Natural rubbers seem well suited for wear liners for use with slurries with less than 6mm particle size for the impeller, and 15mm particle size for the volute. Provided the base materials are suitable, patches of high wear on wet end parts can sometimes be repaired by welding / hard-facing. However, this increases the likelihood of cracking. Also if the welding results in uneven surfaces in critical points, the added turbulence can accelerate further wear. Many types and styles of surface coating have been tried, with some success. These include thermal spray coatings, diffusion surface treatments, spraying and trowelling of epoxies, etc.

MARKETING IMPLICATIONS ON 3D LED TV:

MARKETING IMPLICATIONS ON 3D LED TV: Samsung Electronics was the first company to come out with the idea of 3D LED TV where in the LED is used as backlight and they are mounted just behind the screen. This produces clarity in picture. Samsung is the first company to come up with the worlds first touch screen remote control for the TV with a three inch color display. These incomparable features give Samsung an advantage over the others in the television industry. Samsung also boasts of the first-mover advantage. In the sense they were the first to come out with such a TV. They are also the current market leader as they have sold more than 2.5 million such TVs in the first year and they are targeting more than 30 million customers in the year 2011. This proves that they are highly driven towards achieving a greater market share and would continue to dominate the market with their ardent marketing. They believe in capturing the wonder and excitement to the customer. They set up their launches on a tree or a floor or a street so that an ordinary mundane life of the customer gets enriched by the wat their products capture the 3D view of the objects. This excitement and hype created by their products makes for a great marketing technique. Some of the marketing techniques they have adopted include: Premium Pricing Strategy: When they first introduced the 3D LED TV, Samsung had premium pricing. This means that their price was above the industry average and this was well justified by the fact that none of the other companies offered such an innovative product along with so many sophisticated features. But recently, Samsung has been forced to slash their premium pricing to a more affordable pricing. Even with their initial premium pricing there were many takers. But now as the bargaining power of the customers has increased with the entry of Sony and LG into the market with the same model of televisions, it is imperative that they reduce the price to attract more customers. First-Mover Advantage: At present there are 3 companies that produce 3D LED TVs including Samsung. Samsung 3D LED TV was introduced in February 2010 and LG soon followed with its TV in March 2010. Though Sony and LG have been fast followers, Samsung still has the edge over the others because of its innovative design, sophisticated features and having the first mover advantage. It may not be for so long as Sony is planning to exploit the reputation it has earned for itself as a strong quality and technology provider. This poses a threat to the position that Samsung currently enjoys. Sony has built its reputation on providing premium pricing products and when they offer normal pricing to a product which at present has premium pricing this is a definite threat to Samsung that cannot be ignored. SEGMENTATION TARGETING AND POSITONING: Samsung targets those customers who are willing to pay the premium pricing and those are highly interested in buying innovative technology. Those who would like to possess the best in technology and those who are early adopters of new technology and innovation are their main target. The current positioning of Samsung 3D LED TV series is that they are market leaders with close competition from Sony and LG. SEGMENT: Early adopters of new innovation and technology TARGET: Those willing to pay the premium pricing for new technology products and are highly involved for a rich entertainment experience. POSITION: Currently market leaders with a major market share and recently have been forced to cut prices following tough competition from other contenders like Sony and LG. This targeting and positioning might change both ways even if any of one of the following happens: If there are further innovative features offered by Samsung, they can retain the customer base and maybe even attract a few more. But if not and those features are provided by other companies, it can pose a threat to the current position. On the other hand, any reduction in the pricing might also favour Samsung. That being said, it is also important they offer the product at an industry average. Too much of a price cut might also backfire in that the quality might come under question. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Financial implications of a product are far and wide. It includes the cost involved in the making of the product until the time it reaches the customer and also the pricing strategy followed by the company. 3D LED TV is a result of state of the art innovation and research by various technologists and scientists. So obviously there is a huge scientific and technological cost involved in the making of this product. There is also the cost of supply chain where the chain starts with the suppliers, manufacturers, buyers, wholesalers, retailers and customers. The price of such a television is finalized keeping all these financial costs involved. It becomes almost necessary that a company offer such a product at premium pricing. Effect on the Company: Company incurs various costs such as the technological costs and research and development cost. Also any change in the market might have an effect on the company. If there is a new feature that is provided by other competitors, others should also try to compete on an improved level. This might further increase the manufacturing cost. A normal LED TV has around 1000-1500 light emitting diodes and even if one of them is dismounted or repaired the cost of replacing them is high. If this problem is encountered too soon, it might affect the reliability of the product both financially and sales wise. Effect on the Customers: Customers are those who are making use of this television and any change in their preferences or wants or needs might have a change in the financial aspects of the company. If the bargaining powers of customers increase due to the availability of more such 3D LED televisions, it might to lead to price reduction by all the competitors to capture a huge part of the market share. If there are many such products then the customers have more options to choose from. Another interesting aspect of the financial implication is that when the target customers need further technological innovation then it increases the technological cost incurred. There are some customers who might be willing to pay the premium pricing even though there might be other options at different pricing. This should also be taken into account when fixing the price. Production Cost: Production cost includes the cost of technological innovation and the manufacturing cost until the finished goods reach the end users; in this case the customers. The production cost might increase depending up on the various features as requested by the customers. At present 3D LEDs are available around 5000-6000 USD. Gagnon, Director of North America TV Market Research. However, the increased level of competition among manufacturers in 2010, with LED models comprising more than 50 per cent of some lineups, will drive that average premium down to less than 70 per cent over 40-inch and as low as 17 per cent at 22-24-inch. Overall, this should push the LED-backlit LCD TV market to more than 35 million units or 20 per cent of total LCD TV shipments worldwide. Factors Affecting the Cost: There are many factors that affect the cost. They include any technological innovation, change in customer needs, special features in competitors television model, any change in the patents filed by other scientists, economic growth etc.