Samsung Mobile

A PROJECT REPORT On Consumer Awareness And Satisfaction Towards Samsung Submitted to: Ujjal sandhu (Lect. Dept of Management) Submitted by: Prem Kumar Masters of Business Administration (2nd semester) DR. I. T. GROUP OF INSTITUTES Chandigarh-Patiala Highway, Jalalpur (Banur), Near Chandigarh Affiliated to Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar. 2010-20 CERTIFICATE Certified that this project report â€Å"Consumer Awareness And Satisfaction Towards Samsung. † is the original work, Prem Kumar. , who carried out the project work under my supervision as a part of Assignment of Research Methodology. ______________________ Ms. Ujjal sandhu (Lect. Dept of Management) DECLARATION We hereby declare that the project entitled â€Å"Consumer Awareness And Satisfaction Towards Samsung† submitted for the Assignment of Research Methodology is our original work and the project has not formed the basis for the award of any degree, associateship, fellowship or any other similar titles. S ignature of the Student: _____________________ Prem Kumar Place: Date: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Heartfelt thanks to the following people†¦. A Few typewritten words of thanks can-not really express the sincerity of my gratitude.But I am still trying to put into words my gratefulness towards all who have helped & encouraged me in carrying out this project. I would like to thank Prof. P P ARYA (Director, DR. IT. ) to give me guidelines and my worthy thanks to my teacher Ms. Ujjal sandhu (Lect. Dept of Management) for their valuable contribution during the academic session and guidance in preparation of this project report. Finally, yet importantly, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my beloved parents for their blessings, my friends/classmates for their help and wishes for the successful completion of this project. Name of Students, Prem KumarTable of Content Chapter | Topic| Page Num. | 1| CERTIFICATE| 2| 2| DECLARATION| 3| 3| ACKNOWLEDGEMENT| 4| 4| TABLE OF CONTANT| 5| 5| LIST OF TABLE| 6| 6| Chapter – 1 Introduction| 7| 7| Chapter – 2 Literature Review | 12| 8| Chapter – 3 Research Methodology| 13| 9| Chapter – 4 Result and discussions| 16| 10| Chapter – 5 Finding and Conclusion| 25| 11| Reference| 25| 12| QUESTIONNAIRE| 26| 13| Appendix| 27-28| | | | | | | List of Table Chapter | Topic| Page Num. | 4. 1| Profession| 15| 4. | Do you have a mobile phone| 16| 4. 3| Have you ever heard about samsung| 17| 4. 4| which companies cell phone are you using| 18| 4. 5| In which industry the brand name Samsung is involve. | 19| 4. 6| what is tagline of Samsung| 20| 4. 7| what makes you to buy Samsung| 21| 4. 8| You prefer Samsung because of | 22| 4. 9| will you recommend Samsung to other | 23| 4. 10| acording to you which is close competitor of Samsung| 24| CHAPTER – 1 INTRODUCTION * Consumer A consumer is an individual who purchase or has the capacity to purchasegoods and services offered for sale by marketing institu tions in order to satisfy  personal or ousehold needs,wants or desires. According to a statement made by Mahatma Gandhi, ‘consumer refers to the following, â€Å"A consumer is  the most important visitor on our premises. He isnot dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an outsider to our  Ã‚  business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so† So  consumer  is  like  the  blood  of  our  business  and  also  a satisfied customer is a word of mouth advertisement of a product / services * Customer satisfaction: Satisfaction is the person’s feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting rom comparing a product’s perceived in relation to his or her expectations. In general, if performance of the products matches the expectations, the customer is said to be satisfied. Customer satisfaction, a business term, is a measure of how products a nd services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectations. In a competitive marketplace where business complete for customers, customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy. If performance exceeds expectations, the customer is said to be highly satisfied or delighted.If the performance falls short of expectations, the customer is said to be dissatisfied. * INDUSTRY PROFILE In 1977  Samsung Electronics  launched the Telecommunication Network , and in 1983 it initiated its  mobile  telecommunications business with the hope that this would become the company's future growth engine. In 1986, Samsung was able to release its first built-in car phone, the SC-100, but it was a failure due to the poor quality. In spite of unsuccessful result Ki Tae Lee, the then-head of the Wireless Development Team, decided to stay in the mobile business. He asked the company to buy ten  Motorola  mobile phones for  benchmarking.After 2 years of R;amp;D Samsung developed its first mobile phone (or â€Å"hand phone† in Korea), the SH-100 in 1988. It was the first mobile phone to be designed and manufactured in Korea. But the perception of mobile devices was very low and although Samsung introduced new models every year, each model sold only one or two thousand units. Samsung Telecommunications  is one of five business units within  Samsung Electronics belonging to the  Samsung Group, and consists of the Mobile Communications Division, Telecommunication Systems Division, Computer Division, MP3 Business Team, Mobile Solution Centre and Telecommunication R;amp;D Centre.Telecommunication Business produces a full spectrum of products from  mobiles  and other mobile devices such as  MP3  players and  laptop computers to telecommunication network infrastructure. Headquarters is located in  Suwon  South Korea In 2007 Samsung Telecommunication Business reported over 40% growth and became the second largest mobile device manufacturer in the world. Its market share was 14% in Q4 2007, growing up form 11. 3% in Q4 2006. At the end of November 2011, Samsung sold more than 300 million mobile devices and set still in secondSAMSUNG In India Samsung Electronics commenced its operations in India in December 1995 and is today a leading provider of Consumer Electronics , IT and Telecom products in the Indian market. Samsung India is the Regional Headquarters for Samsung’s South West Asia operations, which provides employment to over 8,000 employees with around 6,000 employees being involved in R;amp;D. In 2010, Samsung India achieved a sales turnover of US$3. 5 billion.Samsung began operations in India through its manufacturing complex located at Noida (UP), which today houses facilities for Colour Televisions (including 3D, LED and LCD Televisions), Mobile Phones, Refrigerators, Washing Machines and Split Air Conditioners categories. Samsung Electroni cs commenced its operations in India in December 1995 and is today a leading provider of Consumer Electronics , IT and Telecom products in the Indian market. Samsung India is the Regional Headquarters for Samsung’s South West Asia operations, which provides employment to over 8,000 employees with around 6,000 employees being involved in R;amp;D.In 2010, Samsung India achieved a sales turnover of US$3. 5 billion. Samsung began operations in India through its manufacturing complex located at Noida (UP), which today houses facilities for Colour Televisions (including 3D, LED and LCD Televisions), Mobile Phones, Refrigerators, Washing Machines and Split Air Conditioners categories. Samsung commenced operations of its second state–of-the-art manufacturing complex at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu in November 2007. Today, the Sriperumbudur facility manufactures Colour televisions, Fully Automatic Front Loading Washing Machines, Refrigerators and Split Air Conditioners.Samsung Ind ia has two R;amp;D Centres in India – at Delhi and Bangalore . While the Delhi R;amp;D Centre develops software solutions for hi-end televisions such as Plasma TVs, LCD TVs and Digital Media Products, the Bangalore R;amp;D Centre works on major projects for Samsung Electronics in the area of telecom, wireless terminals and infrastructure, Networking, SoC (System on Chip) Digital Printing and other multimedia/digital media as well as application software. Samsung India is a market leader in product categories like LED TVs, LCD TVs, Slim TVs and Side by Side Refrigerators.While it is the second largest mobile handset brand in India, it leads in the smart phone segment in India. Samsung India has won several awards and recognitions for both its corporate initiatives as well as its product innovations in audio visual, home appliance, IT and telecom product categories. Apart from development of innovative technology, Samsung places great importance on acting as a responsible corpo rate citizen in the communities where it operates. Its CSR programs respond to the social and environmental needs and seek to give back to communities that support the company.In 2009, Samsung launched the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative – ‘Samsung Hope Project’ with projects in the areas of education, culture, sports, social welfare and community development. Each program under the Hope Project uniquely addresses the needs of individual communities while emphasizing on innovations for development of the community including education, technology, engineering and IT technical training. Consumer research is the systematic collection and analysis of consumer information for the purpose of important decision making for marketing.Consumer research plays an important role in marketing process, helps in consumer measurement, market potential, sales forecast, each element like product mix, distribution mix, price, effectiveness of an advertise ment campaign, consumer acceptance of a product. Infiercely competitive situation, it is extremely critical for and organization to monitor the customer relationship on a regular basis. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEWS This chapter contain the review of literature releted to SAMSUNG handsets and customers satisfaction and awareness towards it. There are various tudies which have already been conducted on the customers satisfaction towards Raymond SAMSUNG handsets . the review studies focused on the SAMSUNG brands quality, brands perception and thinking of people towards it. 1 Marks (2006) found that inspite of increasing competition in the mobile phone sectors the SAMSUNG is still a brands that leads the market intems of customers satisfaction level. In this study is also found that the customers using SAMSUNG handsets were more satisfied with its features from the customers using handsets of other companies. Martensen (2008) found that the Indian customers are having a hight level of a wareness when it comes to SAMSUNG. The customers are awar about the taglines of the company and most the customers also identify the logo of the company while the customers of other companies were not aware about their company and the customers were also satisfied with SAMSUNG handsets. CHAPTER – 3 RESEARCH METHOLOGY The research methodology section contains the objectives of the study, ources of data, research design, tool for data collection and sampling techniques. Objectives of the study 1 . To identify the customers awareness level towards SAMSUNG handsets. 2 . To indetify the customers satisfaction level towards SAMSUNG handsets. 3 . To identify the different criteria considered by the customers while buying SAMSUNG handsets. 4 . To identify customers perception towards SAMSUNG as a brand. Sample size Our sample was 50 respondents. Sources of data The study used primary and secondary data. Primary data:- The primary data was collection from the respondents from dr. t gr oups of institutes using questionnaire. Secondary data:- The secondary data was collected from internet, books and magazines. Research design:- A descriptive research has been conducted to study consumer awareness and satisfication towards SAMSUNG because it has gathered the data that described events and then organized, tabulated, depicted and described the data obtained from consumers of SAMSUNG and other brands. We used descriptive statistics to describe the basic features of data of our study. They provided us simple summaries about the sample and the measures of our study.Descriptive statistics helped us to simplify large amounts of data in a sensible way. Sampling techniques:- The sampling techniques used to collect data is convenience sampling. For this study, 50 respondents have been taken as a sample ana data is collected from them. One of the most common examples of convenience sampling is using student volunteers as subjects for the research. We use it when we are unble t o access a wider population, for example due to time or cost constraints. Tool of data collection:- The data has been collected through questionnaires using graphical techniques ofSPSS CHAPTER – 4 Results ;amp; Discussion Table4. 1: Profession? Option| Response| Percentage| Student| 20| 50%| Business| 10| 25%| Working| 8| 20%| Other| 2| 5%| Interpretation:- From the above table we conclude that 50% of respondents are students ,25% of respondents are business , 20% of respondents are working and remaining 5% are working. TABLE 4. 2: Do you have a mobile phone? Option| Response| Percentage| Yes| 39| 97. 5%| No| 1| 2. 5%| Interpretation:- From the above table we conclude that 97. 5%% of respondents have mobile and remaining 2. % have not mobile. TABLE 4. 3: Have you ever heard about samsung? Option| Response| Percentage| Yes | 40| 100%| No | 0| 0%| Interpretation:- From the above table we conclude that 100%% of respondents are heard about Samsung mobile and remaining 0% are not heare of it. TABLE 4. 4:which companies cell phone are you using? Option| Response| Percentage| Nokia| 15| 37. 5%| LG| 6| 15%| Samsung| 13| 32. 5%| Motorola| 4| 10%| Other| 2| 5%| Interpretation:- From the above table we conclude that 37. 5%% of respondents are using nokia phone , 15% are using lg mobile, 32. % are using Samsung mobile, 10% are using Motorola mobile and 5% are using others mobile TABLE 4. 5: In which industry the brand name Samsung is involve.? Option| Response| Percentage| Automobile| 2| 5%| Sports| 0| 0%| Peteroleum| 0| 0%| Telecommunication| 38| 95%| Interpretation:- From the above table we conclude that 5% of respondents were that Samsung in automobile and 95% of respodents were that Samsung mobile in telecommunication. TABLE 4. 6: what is tagline of samsung? Option| Response| Percentage| I am the next| 30| 75%| What the next| 6| 15%| Stay connect| 4| 10%| Other| O| 0%| Interpretation:-From the above table we conclude that 75% of respondents aware about the tagl ine of Samsung mobile TABLE 4. 7: what makes you to buy samsung? Option| Response| Percentage| Advertisement| 30| 60%| On choice| 6| 12%| Friedns opinion| 5| 10%| Other| 3| 6%| Interpretation:- From the above table we conclude that 60% of respondents buy nokia by seeing advertisement , 12% influenced by on choice , 10% through their friends opinion and 6% because of other factors TABLE 4. 8:You prefer Samsung because of ? Option| Response| Percentage| Feature| 6| 15%| Price| 3| 7. 5%| Brand name| 20| 50%| Service| 10| 25%|Other| 1| 2. 5%| Interpretation:- From the above table we conclude that 15% of respondents prefer Samsung because of its feature, 7. 5% because of its price, 50% because of its brand name, 25% because of its service and 2. 5% because of other factor TABLE 4. 9 will you recommend Samsung to ohter ? Option| Response| Percentage| Yes| 35| 87%| No| 5| 13%| Interpretation:- in the graph 87% respondes recommend Samsung is favor and 13% is not favor in Samsung. TABLE 4. 1 0 acording to you which is close competitor of samsung ? Option| Response| Percentage| Nokia| 30| 75%| Motorola| 7| 18%| LG| 3| 7%|Spice| 0| 0%| Interpretation:- IN graph 75% compitotrs are nokia than the Samsung. FINIDINGS:- 1. Among the total of 40 respondents qwsin them 39 having mobile phon. 2. From the study undertaken majority of the respondents 100% were aware about Samsung. 3. Among the respondents 32. 5% were using Samsung mobile phones. 4. Among the respondents 60% people buy Samsung because of their advertisement. 5. Among the respondents 50%people prefer Samsung because of its brands name CONCLUSION We came to the conclusion that most of the customer of Samsung mobile were aware and satisfied with Samsung mobile car.Most of the respondent trust Samsung mobile as a brand and in future will recommend Samsung mobile to others also. In spite of having competition in the automobile industry Samsung mobile still stand above all and it has been able to maintain satisfaction lev el in its customers which in turns attracts others new customers also REFERENCES 1. http://www. samsung . com 2. https://www. scribd. com QUESTIONNAIRE TOWARDS SAMSUNG NAME:- ADRESS:- Q. 1. Do you use mobial phone ? 1. yes 2. No Q. 2 Have you ever heard about Samsung ? 1. yes 2. No Q. Which companies cell phone are you using ? 1. Samsung 2. Nokia 3. LG 4. Motorola Q. 4. In which industry the brand name Samsung is involved ? 1. Automobile 2. Peteroleum 3. Sports 4. Telecommunication Q. 5 what is the tagline of Samsung ? 1. I am the next 2. What the next 3. stay connect 4. Other Q. 6 What makes you to buy Samsung ? 1. Advertisment 2. Friend opinion 3. Own choice 4. Other Q. 7 you prefer Samsung because of 1. Feature 2. Brand name 3. Price 4. Services 5. Other APENDIX Data view VARIABLE VIEW

Psychology †Sleeping Disorder Essay

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Pi Day

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TQM (total quality management) - Essay Example These concerns, alongside various others, gave rise to the breed of management called Total Quality Management.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management system that aims to achieve the ultimate customer experience, whether meeting the expectation of the customers or going beyond what they anticipated (Dale, 1999). Dale (1999) expresses that in order achieve the goal of TQM, strong cooperation and involvement from the entirety of the company is needed. Thus, TQM requires active participation and synergy of all employees and focusing that synergy towards meeting the customers expectations and improving overall business processes. To attain improvement in the company, various researchers said that the key to improvement is constant upgrading and development (Goetsch & Davis, 1994). Management should not stop upgrading because all processes can still be improve and be better. Once they stop improving, they could be left behind by their competitors. Based on this discussion, TQM seems to be a management concept only. However, TQM also has a quantitative and more defin ed facet (Priporas and Psychogios, 2007). Priporas and Psychogios (2007) identified some of the quantitative aspect or measure of TQM, which includes Statistical Process Control, ISO 9000 standards, Pareto Analysis, Histograms, among others. On the other hand, the qualitative ideas that constitute TQM are overall workers’ participation; uninterrupted upgrading; incessant coaching; cooperative relation among employees; self-motivated employees; full dedication and support from high-tiered officers; independent and autonomous administration approach; consumer happiness; and business surrounding alterations (Priporas and Psychogios, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main purpose of TQM is already well-known to everyone—customer satisfaction. However, to achieve this employee satisfaction should be fulfilled. Once the employee is satisfied and happy, it will be his innate response and goal to

Electronic Fundamentals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Electronic Fundamentals - Essay Example The inverting input of the first comparator is attached to the voltage divider at the level of two thirds VCC, and the non-inverting input carries the THRESHOLD signal. The non-inverting input of the second comparator is connected to one third of VCC, and the inverting input carries the TRIGGER signal. The functions of THRESHOLD and TRIGGER will be explained in the operations section. The use of the voltage divider means that the device can operate across a range of supply voltages. The outputs of the comparators are connected to the reset and set terminals, respectively, of a flip-flop gate. This is the heart of the device and is responsible for the switching behaviour utilized in most of the device’s applications. It is important to note that the rest of the circuit is connected to the complement of the flip-flop logic. The base of bi-polar junction transistor (BJT) is connected to the output of the flip-flop, and is made available to discharge (hence the signal name DISCH) external capacitors. Finally, there is an output stage that increases the available output current, and inverts the logic of the flip-flop output. 1.2 Operation The 555 has three modes of operation: astable, monostable, and bistable. Each of these modes of operation requires the connection of a slightly different set of external components. In each application, however, the basic functioning of the device remains the same: THRESHOLD Signal THRESHOLD Comparator Output TRIGGER Signal TRIGGER Comparator Output Flip-Flop Output (Complement) 555 Output > ? VCC HIGH > ? VCC LOW HIGH LOW > ? VCC HIGH ? VCC LOW Keep state Keep state < ?VCC LOW < ? VCC HIGH LOW HIGH 1.2.1 Astable In astable mode the 555 puts out a continuous stream of rectangular pulses at a frequency determined by the external circuit. The circuit is said to be ‘astable’ because it does not stay in a given output state, but continuously switches back and forth between high and low states. Figure 2 - Astable ci rcuit diagram [3] The external resistor R1 is connected between VCC and the DISCHARGE pin (7), and R2 is connected between DISCHARGE and the input signals. The input signals, TRIGGER (2) and THRESHOLD (6), are connected together as well as to the external capacitor C1. This capacitor is charged through R1 and R2 when the discharge pin is isolated from ground (flip-flop output is LOW), and discharged through R2 when the discharge pin has a low impedance path to ground (flip-flop output is HIGH). The continuous oscillation of the device can be seen as follows: -C1 is initially discharged, TRIGGER is below 1/3 VCC, THRESHOLD is below 2/3 VCC, the F-F output is HIGH, and the discharge transistor is off. -C1 charges to ? VCC and the flip-flop output switches to low. The discharge transistor opens and the capacitor discharges to ground through R2 and pin 7. -Once the capacitor discharges to ? VCC, the logic in the flip-flop reverses, and the circuit is back to its initial state. The versa tility of the 555 is demonstrated by the fact that the time

Litteracy narritve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Litteracy narritve - Essay Example Hence, this paper explores how my impression on reading and writing have been influenced and affected by reading the Sherlock Holmes stories. First, through Sherlock Holmes stories I learned how to read and write in English. English is not my first language, and thus, I had to learn English as I was growing up. My greatest breakthrough in English was in high school when I discovered Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. For instance, my interest in understanding fully the detective stories prompted me to improve my vocabulary. Initially, I was only able to read the shorter stories such as â€Å"A Scandal in Bohemia† and â€Å"The Red Headed League.† However, these did not have Sherlock Holmes, as the very first story Doyle wrote where he introduced Sherlock is A Study in Scarlet, which is a novella-length work. I first read the opening chapters of A Study in Scarlet just to see how Sherlock and Dr. Watson meet. However, the story really intrigued me, and I could not wait to finish the whole narrative. To ensure full understanding, I would often read the story with a dictionary, looking up difficult words that I wo uld encounter. For example, one particular part of A Study in Scarlet describes Sherlock playing the fiddle, and that the music he played was â€Å"sonorous and melancholy† (Doyle 16). I distinctly remember ignoring these words during my first reading attempt of A Study in Scarlet, but I eventually looked at the definitions in the dictionary when I made a serious attempt to finish the novella. Thus, I was able to expand my vocabulary, which made me realize how reading literary work in a particular language is helpful in improving reading and writing in that language. Second, from the Sherlock Holmes stories I learnt the importance of logical organization and unity in a written work. A large part of what makes the detective genre so interesting is not only the mysteries, but also, how these mysteries are solved. While some of

Open Versus Closed Innovation Essay Example for Free

Open Versus Closed Innovation Essay Open Versus Closed Innovation BY celestel 979 A Critical Look at the Effects of In the Innovative Firms of the Twenty-first Century June 17, 2010 Abstract In todays fast paced business world, which innovation method should companies adopt, open or closed innovation? In this paper we will explore the methods of closed and open innovation. Then we will explore the pros and cons of both innovation methods and discuss which method works better in the business world of the twenty-first century. After reviewing the results this paper explores the particle implications that innovative firms should be aware of regarding Open and Closed nnovation and recommendations will be made for future research in this area. Introduction Background Looking back even a few decades companies viewed innovation strategies very differently then they do today. It was believed that successful innovation needed internal control and secrecy from others in the market. Large corporations used to dominate the field of innovation because they were the only ones who could afford to invest it large scale RD. Any company that tried to enter the market would have to find large amounts of resources to be able to even attempt to compete with the RD f the large corporations (Chesbrough, 2003; Herzog , 2008; Aylen, 2010; Kodama, 2005; Trott Hartmann, 2009). In the current economy start-up companies have found ways to bypass the large RD investments of the past. Instead of doing their own research these new entrance are getting their knowledge and technology from outside their company by either investing in relevant startup companies, or partnering with other companies up, down or horizontally on the value chain (Chesbrough, 2003). With the expanding options on how to obtain innovative ideas, processes, and products the big question remains should companies used a closed or open pproach to innovation? And does the open and closed methods work for all companies? (Almirall Casadesus-Masanell, 2010) In this paper we take a critical look at what closed and open innovation is, what the pros and cons are to both options, and try to determine if one method is better then Closed Innovation The main theory behind Closed Innovation is the belief that successful innovation requires control (Chesbrough, 2003). Companies that follow the Closed Innovation (C) model (see Figure 1) believe in self-reliance and that they should follow these rules to succeed: A firm should hire the best and smartest people ? Profiting from innovative efforts requires a firm to discover, develop, and market everything itself Being first to market requires that research discoveries originate within the firm Being first to market also ensures that the firm will win the Leading the industry in RD investments results in coming up with competition the best and most ideas and eventually in winning the competition Restrictive IP management must prevent other firms from profiting from the firms ideas and technologies (Herzog, 2008) Cl companies attempt to do everything on their own from innovative ideas, evelopment, manufacturing, advertising, promotion, distribution, service and even financing. If the innovative ideas or projects are not pursued or are discarded part way they are stored internally and will not be profit able to the company or useful to the rest of the world unless they are used internally at a later date. This creates a great loss of many potentially great innovative ideas, products, services, and processes. If a company chooses Cl it can be expect that many innovations will be lost as companies do not have the ability or resources to turn every idea or technology nto a successful innovation the market can use. The main reason a company would choose Cl would be because they are scared of having their intellectual investments stolen by their competitors (Herzog , 2008; Chesbrough, 2003). [pic] Open Innovation Companies have reached the understanding that not all innovations have to originate internally and that if they do have an internal innovation and do not have the ability to act upon it they can still profit from it by partnering, Joint ventures, licensing or selling the innovation to another company. In Open Innovation (01) companies must ind a balance between keeping important internal secrets and still working with other companies to gain and produce valuable ideas, processes, resources, finances and support (Herzog , 2008). Companies that follow the 01 model (see Figure 2) believe in the following principals: Not all of the smart people work for us, so we must find and tap into the knowledge and expertise of bright individuals outside our company External RD value We dont have to originate the research in order to profit from it Building a better business model is better than getting to market first If we make he best use of internal and external ideas, we will win We should profit from others use of our intellectual property, and we should buy others intellectual property whenever it advances our own business model (Chesbrough, 2003) 01 encourages the Joining of resources from firms across all aspects of the value chain. Companies now realize that innovations they cant use or can be used further by other companies can lead to additional profits that they could have never obtained on their own (Almirall, Casadesus-Masanell, 2010). Kodama, (2005) expands 01 even further to talk about creating strategic communities See Appendix 1), a convenient process of speeding up a firms innovation. To be able to quickly acquire a variety of knowledge of great use, managers from different areas, from inside and outside the firm, can make a strategic community with internal and external members, which could involve customers. A huge benefit is that strategic communities are not bound by the same limitations as the official organization. Now that we have explored what Cl and 01 is we will now go on to look at why one of the methods might be better then the other for companies competing in the twenty- irst century and why companies decide to choose one either Cl or 01. Open versus Closed Innovation 01 involves risk such as knowledge and sensitive information leakage and the risks must be weighed against the benefits that would be gained from participating in 01. One more trouble with 01 is that well some areas open up to help the flow of knowledge it has been found that to keep sensitive information secure there has actually been a reduction in the amount of information being share between internal departments which could effect the companies internal innovation (Trott Hartmann, 2009). It has been found that 01 is especially needed in fields such as knowledge-intensive industries where competition is strong and companies need to work together to be able to gain a competitive advantage in the field (Trott Hartmann, 2009). Almirall Casadesus-Masanell, (2010) study showed that 01 works better then Cl for partnerships that are fixed and have low to medium complexity levels but they also found that when there is high complexity involved that Cl is the best method to follow. Another discovery was that the benefits can be greater in flexible partnerships over fixed partnerships. The model of flexible partnerships effectively says, If you cant fgure out how to put the pieces together internally (confgure two subsystems optimally), it is critical to have lots of different pieces (complementary subsystems) to choose from and know how to put them together externally. (Almirall Casadesus- Masanell, 2010) Chesbrough and Crowther (2006; as sited in Aylen, 2010) said that 01 traditional and mature industries. A big contrast between 01 and Cl is how they go through their idea lists. Cl managers go through and proceed with the ideas they see as beneficial to their company and iscard what they see as bad ideas or ideas they know their firm does not have the resources to accomplish. Whereas a 01 manager would go through their idea list and sort them into three categories, innovations their company can pursue internally, ideas they can approach other companies about, and ideas that will not work at all. Therefore the 01 model gets to profit from the ideas that the Cl model would have otherwise discarded or stored for a later date (Chesbrough, 2003). Even though 01 has been adapted by many organizations as the best way to be successfully innovative the theory is not perfect. Trott ; Hartmann, (2009) point out that 01 is very linear and does not suggest any feedback or feed-forward mechanisms unlike the newer innovation models such as the Cyclic Innovation Model (Berkhout, A], Patrick van der Duin, Dap Hartmann ; Roland Ortt,(2007), cited in Trott ; Hartmann, 2009). This newer model suggest feedback and feed-forward techniques and also that the innovation process is cyclic, meaning new innovations grow from older innovations. Cl has been very successful for some companies such as Apple they swept the market with the iPod and this strategy and product put them back into the playing ield after have been struggling for years to catch up with the innovations of other major players. Another example of Cl is the Wii by Nintendo which was extremely innovative with their new product features (Almirall ; Casadesus-Masanell, 2010). Some very large companies have tried Cl techniques and had some devastating effects as a result, such as IBM and Xerox but both these examples were able to overcome these problems with the help of 01 techniques. Procter and Gamble and Philips have successfully adapted 01 and have gone so far as to hold conferences on he topic and even published their own reports on the subject. Trott ; Hartmann, (2009) provide a list of companies and the reasons they choose to become part of a strategic alliance (See Appendix 2). It has been noted by Chesbrough, (2003) that near the end of the 20th century a number of things happened that caused Cl to be taken into question by many firms.

Understanding The Purpose Of Interval Training Physical Education Essay

Understanding The Purpose Of Interval Training Physical Education Essay Interval training involves a repeated series of exercise work bouts interspersed with rest of relief periods. This is a popular method among athletes because it allows the athlete to exercise at higher relative intensities during the work interval than are possible with longer-duration, continuous training (Heyward 2002). The intensity can vary from between all out to greater than competition intensity. Recovery periods can be from considerably less than the preceding work bout to complete recovery (recovery can be active or inactive). The duration can last from a few seconds to many minutes. The number of work bouts can obviously be from 2 to possibly 100 or more. Interval training is geared towards and dictated by the physiological variable-maximum oxygen consumption. With this in mind it might be more appropriate to refer to this type of training as vo2 max or aerobic capacity training since one trains at or very near the intensity which demands vo2 max of the system (Daniels and Scardina, 1984). Interval training can be referred to in a number of different ways. Fox (1977) refers to two types of interval training, low power output interval training (LPO-IT) and high power output interval training (HPO-IT). HPO-IT involves exercise and pause periods of less than one minute. Gibala and mcgee (2008) refer to High intensity training (HIT). This generally refers to repeated sessions of relatively brief intermittent exercise often performed with an all out effort or at an intensity close to that which elicits VO2 peak (i.e >90% of vo2 peak). Depending on the training intensity, a single effort may last from a few seconds to up to several minutes with multiple efforts separated by up to a few minutes of rest or low intensity exercise (Gibala and McGee, 2008). Minimum volume of HIT may be necessary to increase VO2 peak and stimulate other adaptations such as an increase capacity for fat oxidation. On the other hand Astrand and Rodahl (1977) say that exercise bouts lasting 3-5 minutes each are the longest recommended and are considered optimum for training aerobic processes. The purpose of high intensity training is to repeatedly stress the physiological systems that will be used during specific endurance type exercise (Daniels and Scardina 1984) to a greater extent than which is actually required during a specific activity. At any level of exercise, duration frequency, programme length or initial fitness, intensity was the most important factor in producing improvements in aerobic power (Wenger and bell, 1986). Interval training in the highly trained athlete Landree (1997), lake and cavanagh (1996) and costill et al (1988) all report that an additional increase in submaximal exercise doesnt appear to further improve endurance performance and associated factors such as VO2 max, anaerobic threshold, econonmy of motion and oxidative muscle enzymes. In highly trained individuals further improvements in performance can only occur via high intensity interval training (Landree 1997). Interval training in the sedentary and recreationally active It is generally believed that in sedentary (VO2 max 60 ml/kg/min) (Rowell 1993, ekblom 1969). In contrast to this a study by Hickson et al (1977) found that the vo2 max of eight sedentary and recreationally active people could be significantly increased after to 10 weeks of high intensity exercise training using cycling intervals. Lauresen and Jenkins (2002) also report improved endurance performance. They reported that high intensity interval training in sedentary and recreationally active individuals improves endurance performance more than continuous sub maximal training alone. This improvement appears due to an up regulated contribution of both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism to the energy demand (Rodas et al 2000, MacDougall 1998). This could also be due to an improved capacity for aerobic metabolism through the increase in type 1 muscle fibres (Linossier et al 1993), cappiliristaion and oxidative enzyme activity.(Macdougall et al 1998, Essen et al 1977, chilibeck et al 1998). These adaptations are the most common due to High intensity interval training in untrainined or modertaley active. Holoszy and booth (1976) and Holoszy and Coyle (1984) report that submaximal endurance training has little or no effect on gylcolytic enzyme activity whereas supramaximal high intensity training can elicit up regulation of both glycolytic and oxidative enzyme capacity, maximal short term power but most importantly can increase VO2 max in an untrainined individual. Studies supporting increases in V02 max with interval training Studies have shown that 6-12 weeks of moderate intensity exercise can increase aerobic capacity and mitochondrial enzyme activity (gollnick et al 1973, hickson et al 1977) but sprint interval training at very high outputs (150-300% VO2 peak) for 6-7 weeks also produces similar results (Macdougall et al 1998, Rodas et al 2000, Tabata et al 1996) Tabata et al (1996) carried out a study involving 7-8 sets of 20 second high intensity exercise (170% of VO2 max) with 10 seconds rest between intervals. Post tests revealed a significant increase in VO2 max of 7ml.kg.min. This study concluded that adequate high intensity intermittent training may improve both anaerobic and aerobic energy systems significantly through imposing intensive stimuli on both systems. Fox (1973) and (1977) compared low power output training compared to high power output training. It observed no differences in Vo2 max gain with low power output training versus high power output training. This suggested that in long exercise repeats oxygen transport demands would be greater with vo2 max achieved in each exercise phase while in sprint repeats the high intensity may result in greater muscle hypoxia stimulating adaptations in muscle oxidative capacity. HIIT over a longer period of time (4-6wk) has been reported to increase high-intensity exercise performance, muscle buffering capacity, whole body exercise fat oxidation rates, and aerobic capacity (Edge et al 2005, Laursen and Jenkins 2002, Weston et al 1997) Talanian et al (2007) found that after 2 weeks of high intensity aerobic intervak training vo2 peak increased by 13%. Rodas et al (2000) conducted a study to evaluate the changes in aerobic and anaerobic metabolism produced by a newly devised short training programme. The training involved fourteen training sessions everyday for two weeks. Training consisted of a number of 15 second all out sprints with 45 second rest and also a number of 30 second all out sprints with 12 minute rest periods. The participants involved were moderately active individuals. Results found an increase in vo2 peak pre and post training from 57.3 +2.6 to 63.8 + 3.0 ml.min.kg following a progressive exercise test. Macdougall et all 1998 conducted a study involving 30 second maximum sprint effort interspearsed by 2-4 minutes of recovery performed 3 times per week for 7 weeks. The program began with four intervals with four minutes recovery per session to 10 intervals with 2.5 minutes. The effect of the training program on VO2max was that it increased from 3.73 + 0.13 to 4.01 + 0.08l/min (P # 0.05). Because there were no significant changes in body mass over the training program, V O2max relative to body mass also increased significantly from 51.0 + 1.8 to 54.5 ml ·kg-1  ·min-1. Gorostiaga et al (1991) compared high intensity training, using repeated 30 second sprints with 30 second rest, to continous training at 50% of VO2 max. All participants cycled 30 minutes per day, 3 days a week for 8 weeks. Both groups were exercising at the same mean intensity. Post training incremental tests revealed an increase in VO2 max, exercising work rate and peak power more so in the high intensity training group (9-16% improvement) compared to the continous training group ( 5-7% improvement). Studies by Edge et al (2005), Laursen and Jenkins (2002) and Weston et al (1997) have found that High intensity interval training for 4-6 weeks improved high intensity exercise performance, increased muscle buffering capacity, increased whole body fat oxidation rates and also improved aerobic capacity. Gibala and Mcgee (2008) reviewed the high intensity training intervention the wingate test which involves 30 seconds of all out maximal cycling. This is also the method being used in this study. Protocols involved 4-6 wingates with 4 minutes of recovery between each one. A total of 2-3 minutes of intense exercise per session with 3 sessions per week for 2-6 weeks( Burgomaster et al 2008,2007,2006 and Gibala et al 2006 ). There was no measurable change in VO2 peak after 2 weeks of interval training wingates as the intervention. This suggests that peripheral adaptations improved exercise capacity. On the other hand studies by ( Rodas 2000 and talanian et al 2007) found increases in vo2 max after just 2 weeks of high intensity training. Bailey et al (2009) also used the wingate based model for their training intervention. Particpants performed all out 30 seconds wingate with 4 in week one progressing to 6 and 7 in week 5 and 6. Each wingate was separated by 4 minutes of rest. Post intervention testing showed a significant increase in VO2 max. Pre testing participants had a vo2 max of 3.06+ 0.60 l/min which increased post testing to 3.29+0.65 l/min. Also VO2 max increased in relative terms from 42+6 to 45+6 ml.kg.min. The other two other groups of participants one performing endurance training and the other a control group showed no increase in V02 max. Studies not showing improvement in VO2 max performance Franch et al (1998) compared the effects of a continous training programme and a high intensity training programme in recreational runners. All participants were split into three groups. The first training group was a short high intensity training group which involved 30-40 15 second runs at 20.4km/h with 15 seconds rest between intervals. The second training group involved a long high intensity training programme which was 4-6 4 minute runs at 16.6km/h with 2 minutes of inactive rest. The final group did a continous traning programme with 15km/h for 26 minutes. All groups trained three times per week for six weeks . The results of this study found that continous and long high intensity interval training improved VO2 max than short high intensity training. Burgomaster et al (2006) and (2005) used a wingate based training intervention for their study. 4-7 all out 30 second wingates were carried out over a 2 week period. Post testing revealed no significant difference in VO2 peak (p Hypothesis From reviewing previous studies and studies using similar methodology I hypothesise that VO2 max will increase in post testing. I also hypothesise that peak wattage in the incremental test will increase and also time to exhaustion. The reason for under taking this study is that I feel that other studies have looked at other factors rather than specifically focusing on VO2 max. Method Subjects 16 healthy males from the University of Exeter Rugby Union Club volunteered to participate in this study (mean age weight and height and SD). The participants were contacted via email and also verbally The subjects regularly took part in exercise, usually involving 4 training sessions a week, two being skills based and the other two being resistance sessions. Participants were asked to carry one with normal training before any testing had began and were asked to maintain their normal diet throughout the duration of the study although participants were asked to refrain from alcohol 24 hours before any testing. Ethical procedure Before any testing could be done the study had to be ethical approved by the University of Exeter School of sport and health sciences ethics board. Prior to the study all participants were informed fully about the study including all risks and all procedures involved verbally and in writing. All participants volunteered to be in the study and filled out informed consent forms in accordance with the ethics committee of the University of Exeter. Particpants were informed they had the right to withdraw from the study at any point. All results gained from the study were kept confidential and stored privately. Experimental design Subjects in the testing group were required to attend the laboratory on ten occasions over a 4 week period and control group on two occasions. All tests were separated with at least twenty four hours of recovery. All subjects undertook pre and post training incremental tests to ascertain Vo2 peak. Testing group then participated in a series of all out 30 second wingate tests over a four week training period. Screening Participants were asked to fill out a PAR-Q (a physical activity readiness questionnaire) to make sure there were no underlying medical problems. A risk factor count was also undertaken which involved blood pressure measurement using a sphygmomanometer. Particpants were weighed (in kg) and height measured (in cm) and recorded. Weight being most important as this data was need to eastablish weight applied during the wingate tests. Incremental tests Both before and after the training intervention all subjects performed ramp incremental tests to determine VO2 max. The ramp incremental tests were performed on an electronically braked cycle ergometer (Lode Excalibur Sport, Gronigen, The Netherlands). Subjects performed 3 minutes at 50 watts after which the wattage increased 1 watt every 2 seconds until volatile exhaustion. Subjects were asked to cycle at a constant rate of 80rpm. When the rpm dropped below 80rpm participants were encouraged to increase the rpm back up and the test was ended when participants reached below 70rpm. Saddle and handlebar height was adjusted to suit each subject and then recorded for future reference in post testing. Verbal encouragement was used throughout to encourage participants to last as long as physically possible to obtain accurate data. Gas exchange data was collected continuously using cortex gas analyser. VO2 max was taken from the highest value before the subjects volatile exhaustion. Heart r ate was measured minute by minute using polar heart rate monitor. After volatile exhaustion the end wattage and time at exhaustion was recorded. Training intervention After completing pre testing, the testing group performed a series of all out 30 second sprints (Wingate tests) twice a week over a four week period. The Wingate tests were performed against a resistance equivalent to 0.075kg/kg body mass on a mechanically braked cycle ergometer (model 814E bicycle ergometer, Monark, Stockholm, Sweden). All wingates were interspersed with 4 minutes rest. In week one of testing participants were asked to perform 3 Wingates interspersed with four minutes of rest twice a week. This then increased by one Wingate per week (i.e week one three wingates, week two four wingates, week three five Wingates and week four six wingates).All participants were provided with a warm up on the cycle ergometer against no resistance. Having weighed the participants the relevant weight was added to the basket. Five seconds before each Wingate participants were asked to generate high pedalling speed in order to create a rolling start for when the weight was dropped. Partici pants were told when there was 10 and 5 seconds left of the test, so they could work at their maximal capacity for the duration of the test. During the rest periods participants were asked to cycle at a low cadence against no resistance. The computer program wingate 30 provided data on peak power, mean power and fatigue rate. Verbal encouragement was given throughout the winagates to encourage maximal effort and water was provided during each rest interval. Statistical analysis All pre and post incremental gas analysis was exported to Microsoft Excel. Standard statistical equations were carried out to calculate standard deviations and averages. The data was then input into SPSS (PC program, version 16 for windows) to calculate if the training intervention has a significant effect upon VO2 max. For the analysis a 2(testing v control) x 2 (pre v post) MANOVA ( three dependant variables, vo2 ml/kg/min, VO2 l/min and peak wattage) will be used. All data is represented in mean and standard deviation. The statistical significance level is set at P Validity and reliability Validity is described as whether the researcher truly measures that which it was intended to measure or how truthful the research results are. In a scientific experiment the aim is to manipulate a independant variable to produce an outcome on a dependant variable or variables. Once the researcher can confidently say that the changes in the dependant variable have been cause by the independant variable and no other factor the experiement is said to be internally valid (Levine et al 1994). This study is a valid and reliable study and several measures have been used to make sure of this Firstly a control, group was used. The reason being that it shows that it was the intervention that caused an increase in Vo2 max and peak wattage and no other outside factor and can provide a comparison. Another measure is that all participants were told not to alter any current training regimes so this would not affect pre or post test results. Proper calibration of gas analyzer was carried out to make sure Vo2 max values were precise. Throughout the wingate tests verbal encouragement was used to ensure that participants were giving their maximum effort into the training to obtain the best results. This intervention has been carried out before and shows that it is a protocol which is reliable and valid. Results All participants completed the 4 week training intervention. Each participant reported that they did not change their current training regimes outside of the intervention which may alter the results. The data was collected and then analysed. Results show that mean VO2 max in l/min, ml/kg/min and also peak wattage increased in the testing group after the intervention. Whereas the control groups data stayed similar due to no training intervention. Table 1.0: Mean VO2 MAX ML/KG/MIN, VO2 MAX L/MIN AND PEAK WATTAGE for Testing and control group. GROUP VO2 max ml/min/kg Vo2 max l/min Peak wattage Testing PRE 45.875 3.91 383.5 POST 50.125 4.315 396.125 Control 8.5% 9.4% 3.2% PRE 49 4.040 395.5 POST 48.875 4.050 397.125 Graph 1.0: Mean VO2 ml/kg/min pre and post training of testing and control groups. After the four week wingate training intervention, Vo2 max (ml/kg/min) in relative terms increased during the incremental vo2 max test. The mean difference in the testing group from pre to post tesing was 4.25 ml/kg/min, compared to the control groups mean difference of -0.125 ml/kg/min so the control groups mean relative Vo2 max decreased. Taking into account body weight this measure can be affected over time. One participant in the testing group started off with a weight of 118kg, at the end of the programme his weight dropped to 116kg, this caused the participant to have one of the biggest increases in relative VO2 max from 32 ml/kg/min to 41 ml/kg/min. Graph 1.1: Mean VO2 max l/min pre and post training for testing and control groups. Absolute Vo2 max (l/min) also increased in the testing group during the incremental Vo2 max test following the four week intervention. The mean difference pre and post testing in the training group was 0.405 l/min increase. Whereas the control group stayed the same with a 0.01 l/min increase. Graph 1.2: Peak wattage (w) pre and post training for testing and control groups. Mean peak wattage in the incremental Vo2 max test also increased following four weeks of wingate training in the testing group. This shows that participants who took part in the training programme could last longer during the post training Vo2 max test compared to the pre testing. This meant the time to exhaustion increased in the testing group. Mean peak wattage (w) increased from 383.5w to 396.125w showing a mean increase of 12.625w in the testing group. The control groups mean post peak wattage stayed similar with a mean increase of only 1.625w which was to be expected The data gathered from pre and post incremental test was input into the statistics programme SPSS to see if the increased found were statistically significant. The statistical test used was a 22 MANOVA. This test allowed me to compare groups (control and testing) and time (pre and post) to my three dependant variables (VO2 max ml/kg/min, l/min and peak wattage). Due to the three dependant variables a multi analysis of variance (MANOVA) had to be used. Mutlivariate analysis using pillails trace showed no significant difference in group (testing and control) on the Vo2 max in ml/kg/min, l/min and peak wattage, V=0.145, F(3,26)=0.145, P>0.05. Seperate Univariate ANOVAs were carried out on each variable and revealed no significant difference in group on VO2 max ml/kg/min F(1,28)=0.134, P>0.05. No significant difference was found in group on VO2 max l/min F(1,28)=0.094, P>0.05. Also no significant difference was found in group on peak wattage F(1,28)=0.364, P>0.05. This shows there was no significant difference in testing and control groups in terms of the three variables. Multivariate analysis using pillails trace showed no significant difference in time (pre and post) on the Vo2 max in ml/kg/min,l/min and peak wattage V=0.034, F(3,26)=0.306, P>0.821. Seperate univariate ANOVAS revealed no significant difference in time on Vo2 ml/kg/min F(1,28)=0.646, P>0.05, on Vo2 l/min F(1,28)=0.437, P>0.05 and on peak wattage F(1,28)=0.903, P>0.05. This shows there was no significant difference in pre and post results of the three variables. Multivariate analysis using pillais trace showed no significant difference in group (testing and control) x time(pre and post) on Vo2 max ml/kg/min, l/min and peak wattage V=0.037, F(3,26)=0.334, P>0.05. Univariate ANOVAS revealed no significant difference of group x time on Vo2 max ml/kg/min, F(1,28)=0.727, P>0.05. No significant difference was found for group x time on Vo2 max l/min, F(1,28)=0.822, P>0.05. Also no significant difference was found for group x time on peak wattage F(1,28)=0.261, P>0.05. This shows that testing group pre and post and control pre and post results were not statistically significant. Although these results did not show statistical significance, it cannot be ignored that they did show an increase. Despite that fact that the results were not significant all three variables increased following post testing. Results still show that the 4 week training programme was successful and the desired increases in Vo2 max (ml/kg/min, l/min) and peak wattage were achieved. Vo2 max in l/min saw the highest increase after the 4 week training intervention. Vo2 max l/min increased 9.4% in the testing group which is quite a considerable considering only 4 weeks of training was undertaken. Discussion Over the 4 week training programme all sprints were carried out at a maximal intensity with participants verbally encouraged to do so. This led the testing to be very uncomfortable and severely demanding, despite this the when adding up total cycle time at maximal intensity , participants only cycled for 18 minutes over the four weeks. Despite the fact that the intervention did not prouduce statistically significant results it did show that the intervention worked and increase the three variables. . This shows that with only 18 minutes of intense cycling through wingate tests can increase Vo2 max in relative an absolute terms and peak wattage by 3-10% in an incremental vo2 max test. Analysis of the evidence and relation to previous literature These results are similar to Bailey et al (2009) who used a similar intervention to the one use in this study. Bailey et al(2009) used one more wingate per session that this study (4 in week one increasing by one each week up to 7) and 4 minutes recovery time between each wingate. Results from this study showed a similar increase in Vo2 max, Bailey et al (2009) reported an increase in Vo2 peak of 8% which compared to the increase of 8.4% (ml/kg/min) and 9.5% (l/min) is very similar. This studys training programme may have had a slightly larger increases due to the 4 week programme compared to the 2 week training programme in Bailey et als (2009) study. Studies by Macdougall et al (1998)and Burgomaster et al (2008) also have reported increases of 7-8% in Vo2 max. Madougall et al (1998) also used the wingate based intervention but over a longer duration with a 7 week training programme and with 1 more session a week than the present study. Their results found a 7% increase in absolute Vo2 max and a 6.4% increase in relative Vo2 max. This is quite interesting considering the length and amount of sessions compared to the present study. The present study produced higher values in absolute and relative Vo2 max over four weeks. Macdougall et al (1998) also went up to 10 training intervals by the end of the study. This could potentially show that optimal time to obtain training adaptations could be around 4 weeks. Burgomaster et al (2006) also used a winagte protocol as its training intervention. Thier results are similar to what is found in this study. Vo2 max did increase after the 2 week training programme but after statistical analysis is was shown that this increase was not significant which is the same in the present study. Rodas et al (2000) also showed increases in Vo2 max after a short term interval training programme constsing of a mixture of 15 seconds and 30 second all out sprints which increase in number of the two week training programme. After the traini ng programme maximal progressive test were carried out to obtain post test value of Vo2 max (ml.min.kg) and peak wattage, two of the variables being testing in this study. Results showed an increase of around 10% in Vo2 max (ml.kg.min) and a 9% increase in peak wattage in the maximal progressive test. This increase of the 2 weeks is similar to the data reported in this study. This increases the validity of the present study that two out of the three variables measured in this study are also reported in Rodas et al (2000) study. Gibala and Mcgee (2008) reviewed the wingate based training intervention with studies of 4-6 wingates per session with 4 minute rest intervals which is similar to the present study. This review also concluded no changes in Vo2 max after the training intervention in studies by burgomaster 2005, 2006. One reason being why no reported increase in Vo2 max was seen is due to the length of the training programme. Gibala and Mcgee actually report this in their review. They compare the work load of Burgomaster (2005) which they review and state that studies by rodas et al (2000) and talanian et al (2007) had a greater work load than Burgomaster (2005) which could be one reason for no change in Vo2 max. Iaia et al (2008) also showed no increase Vo2 max following a 4 week training intervention. As you can see there is mixed evidence towards the wingate based protocol as a training intervention to elicit improvements in VO2 max performance. Although some of these studies did not show increases in VO2 max, other performance based improvements occurred. For example burgomaster et al (2005,2006) showed increases in time trial performance following four weeks of wingate based interval training. Despite some evidence to the contrary and statistical analysis showing the data in this study to not be significant, the fact that percentage increases in VO2 max are very similar to what has been reported in other studies. There can be many reasons to why high intensity interval training can increase VO2 max. The wingate test can be a very demanding test and is primarily used as a measurement of anaerobic capacity, showing peak power, average power and fatigue rates. Macdougall (1998) states that oxidative metabolism has a minor contribution to the energy delivered during each wingate test, although slievert at al (1995) says that the contribution of oxidative metabolism probably increased with every interval. The fact that using a wingate test with repeated intervals, participants can reach 140-210% Vo2 max during each interval, this shows that training at intensities above Vo2 max can be more important than the volume of training and can stimulate increases in muscle oxidative pot ential (Macdougall et al 1998). Common responses to HIT in moderately active individuals is the expression of type 1 fibres, capillirisation and oxidative enzyme activity (linossier et al 2003, Mcdougall et al 1998). The recovery phase of the wingate based training programme can have an important part to play in obtaining improvements in Vo2 max and other performance parameters. Passive recovery during the rest periods between each interval has been reviewed by billat (2001), because high levels of lactate develop during interval training performed at an intensity above the lactate threshold, active recovery facilitates this removal (hermansen and stensvold 1972). This removal allows althletes to tolerate heavy work rates for longer period of time ( Billat et al 2000). The rest days between each wingate session are also important. Rodas et al (2000) found significant increases in oxidative and glycolytic enzyme activity after two weeks of sprint training but this was no change in wingate performance after only one days rest. This improves the validity my results as partipants had more than one days rest between each wingate training session. Critical evaluation of the method One factor that could affect the amount of increase in Vo2 max could be baseline levels of Vo2 max. Participants with low baseline Vo2 are going to see larger increases than participants who already have higher fitness levels. Although as I have mentioned before Landree (1997) states in highly trained individuals further improvements in performance can only occur via high intensity interval training. One major reason why the results of this study did not prove significant is the standard deviation. Participants with low baseline levels before the intervention may have showed an improvement in VO2 max and peak wattage but this improvement may still not have got them to the level of another participants baseline level. For example one participant increased their Vo2 max (ml.kg.min) from a baseline level of 39 ml.kg.min to a post intervention score of 50 ml.kg.min but this increase still did not get their Vo2 max level to the same as 4 other participants baseline. This variety in differ ent peoples Vo2 max could be a reason why significant results were not obtained. A good comparison can be made between this study and Bailey et al (2009) due to similar participants being used. Their study used young adults with a mean age of 21 SD 4 which is a similar age to the participants in this study. One factor that could have been improved in this study is a larger sample s

Automation of Condenser and Radiator Tube Stacking

Automation of Condenser and Radiator Tube Stacking Introduction: CE 3.1: This career episode will focus on my final project carried out to satisfy the credentials required to complete my undergraduate degree. I was able to understand the process of automation cleaning process rather than the standard manual process. I understood the use of CATIA software in designing and developing the models for the project. I was able to enhance my communication and written skills. Background:Â   CE 3.2: Visteon Automotive India Private Ltd mainly concentrates on the quality of their product. The problem criteria related with the post tube milling process that is the condenser and radiator tube cleaning. The present cleaning method is done manually. Limitations of the present method are that the tubes are produces at high speeds (for example 240 tubes/ min). It is not possible to control the rate of production of the tubes, so it requires more manpower for the cleaning process. It leads to many disadvantages such as erosion in tubes, stacking of tubes is difficult, more manpower is required, remains of burrs and coolant, more time is required for the entire process. CE 3.3: This project is aimed to design an automation process for this ongoing issue. A few concepts were modelled in CATIA. Only one concept was accepted by Visteon for which complete modelling, drafting and costing was done. Since the concept meets the requirements it would benefit Visteon in terms of automation, less manpower, customer satisfaction, work accuracy and cost effective process. CE 3.4: The following activities were essential to successful competition of the project: Completion of the project within the timeframe given by the professor. Have brain storming sessions with project supervisor on how to carry out the work. I read books and conducted a literature review on material properties and selection. Discuss with lab technicians on the parts required for designing the automation process. Carry out the necessary designs using CATIA software Calculate the material cost along with its dimensions. The project documentation was completed which presented my finding and the results to the project supervisor and the faculty. CE 3.5: The hierarchy of the project is shown below: Personal Engineering Activity: CE 3.6: As part of the final project we were formed in groups of three. I along with my team members were assigned to a project supervisor. After a few brainstorming sessions, our supervisor suggested to visit Visteon Automotive and find out a problem criteria. After careful observation and planning myself and my team members decided to develop an automatic tube stacking and cleaning process for the condenser and radiator. This project helped in reducing the overall costs, labour required and better cleaning quality. CE 3.7: This was a challenging project; the first step was to understand the procedure carried out my manual cleaning. I conducted a literature review on the manual process and its advantages and disadvantages along with the material properties and selection. The project supervisor helped in understanding the major requirements: Automated stacking of tubes Automated loading of tubes in trays/bins Automated cleaning process either through blowing process or suction I suggested the project guide that we use CATIA software as it has better 3D visualization for which the project guide agreed and asked to carry out the design of the automation process. CE 3.8: Myself and my team members carried out different designs which would help in the automation process. I have encountered a few limitations in our designs and approached the supervisor with the findings. The supervisor was impressed with the findings and suggested to talk to one of the employee of Visteon Automotive to help us with the problem. The main limitations encountered while designing are as follows: Tubes with different dimensions cannot be arranged. Since the tubes are produced at 240 pieces/min (average) it is very difficult to arrange in a single plane. Slip of tubes may occur frequently. Cleaning is not done completely. Frequent monitoring is required. Thereby increasing the labour cost. CE 3.9: After careful planning and taking into consideration the key points myself and my team members were able to produce a design for the automation process and has fulfilled the major requirements. The process begins as the tubes from hopper are collected Tubes get collected in stacker 1 which are balanced by and remains there until a certain amount is filled (approx. 100 tubes). As the amount is achieved, plate A opens and the tubes get into stacker 2. As soon as the certain amount reaches stacker 2, the plate A again closes to hold the remaining tubes. The movable walls lock the tubes in stacker 2 and with the help of a linear rotary clamp cylinder (900 cylinders), the stacker bends down to the bin position. The movable walls retract, then arm A comes in contact, takes the bin to the cleaning area, cleaning process takes place and the same arm drops the bin in the unloading area. Finally, the product is unloaded manually. CE 3.10: Once the design was approved the next step was to fabricate the parts required for the model. I took the initiative to list all the parts required for the model. After which our supervisor suggested the materials required for the parts. I also carried out the material cost for parts requiring fabrication. The costs for other parts were calculated and the entire estimate was made. The Bill of Materials includes the details about the material used; density of the respective material used, dimensions such as length, breadth, thickness, diameter, mass, and volume are indicated. CE 3.11: The following are the key aspects from my analysis: The problems in manual cleaning of condenser and radiator tubes are erosion in tubes; stacking of tubes is difficult; more manpower is required; remains of burrs and coolant; more time is required for the entire process. Suction unit was provided with an adjustable linear guide so that the unit can be adjusted according to the tube dimensions. Cylinder mechanism was provided to transfer tubes from stacker 1 and 2 in order to reduce tube damage. L clamp structures were provided for cylinders as holding devices to reduce space. The final concept meets all the requirements such as automated stacking; automated loading of tubes in bins and automated cleaning. It would benefit them in terms of automation, less manpower, customer satisfaction and work accuracy. Summary: CE 3.12: The project was completed within the timeframe given due to proper planning and has met the requirements. I had discussions with lab assistants to understand different tools of the CATIA software. I strengthened my communication and written skills along with analytical ability by working on the design of the automatic tube stacking and cleaning process. The results of the projects were documented and submitted to the project guide.

Affirmative Action :: essays research papers fc

Imagine a person has hopes of landing their dream job and is applying for a position at a very successful company. They have more than enough qualifications but for some reason do not get the job simply because the company had to hire a woman or minority to satisfy its policy. What policy you may ask, born to the civil rights movement three decades ago, affirmative action calls for minorities and women to be given special consideration in employment and education. Affirmative action is one of the many problems with today’s society and should not be allowed to be used in any situation. This policy is intended to give both parties an equal opportunity to be a successful individual and make it in today’s society. It is morally wrong because the battle for equal rights has been won and favoring members in one group over another is totally unfair. Others see it as the only opportunity for minorities and women to rise up and obtain the same education and career opportunity a s everyone else.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before writing this paper I had not known a lot about what affirmative action meant, but now I can say I strongly disagree with its meaning. I myself had a run in with affirmative action just recently in this past month. One of my close friends received an acceptance letter from the University of Michigan and I couldn’t believe she got in because her score on the ACT test was very low. She also didn’t have very exceptional grades in high school, which meant she could have only gotten in because she was of Hispanic origin. Giving someone more rights and opportunities than others just because of a personal trait is not only unfair but totally defies everything that was fought for in the civil rights movement. Would giving someone an advantage in a situation such as education influence them not to try as hard if they were to have the same opportunity as everyone else? Robin Kelly stated: â€Å"Sadly, I run into many young people who do not have a sense of what is possible, a visi on of what this country could become. Rather, they accept the current arrangements as an immutable given and figure how best to survive within them†(80). Kelly suggests that today’s youth have no intentions of changing the world and only intend to live in it how it is.

Atonement Essay -- essays research papers fc

Atonement Atonement in the larger sense deals with a common factor which is sin. The definition is a making at on which points to a process of bringing those who are enstranged into a unity(Douglas, 107). It is a theological term which derives from the Anglo-Saxon. The word atonement appears eighty seven times in the Old Testament in the RSV Bible(Nelson, 55). According to Strongs Exhaustive Concordance, which is using the King James Version, appears seventy seven times in the Old Testament and only once in the New Testament. In Leviticus, atonement appears fifty one times, more than any other book of the bible. In Numbers it appears seventeen times and in Exodus eleven times. The reason why it is used so much in Leviticus is that during that time period priest were intercessor's between the people and God. In the New Revised Standard Concordance, atonement appears eighty seven times. Out of those eighty seven times, eighty one appear with the word make or made. This would constitute that an atonement in these uses would cause the person who prepares the atonement to work at making an atonement. We find that in the New Testament we don't have to work to receive a pardon from our sins. The whole bible leads up to the cross and everything after the cross points back to the cross. Christ was the ultimate and final atonement for us. In the Old Testament their atonement to God was to always be unblemished for the sake of perfection (Morris, 147). They believed that the perfect atonement would set them free from all their sins and thus make them clean in God's eyes. The Hebrew word for atone is. It is used frequently for the process of sacrifice. It was thought that a man must make and atonement to God that was adequate to give to Him to pay for his sin. In Ezekiel 16:63 atonement is translated to mean "forgive". Words in the Old Testament are translated from the kpr word group in Hebrew. The Hebrew word for atonement is Kaphar. This is the main usage of the word but there are other words that are associated with atonement. or Kaphar means to cover. The figurative word which is used quite often is to expiate or condone. Other words associated with Kaphar are to be merciful, pardon, to pitch, purge(away), and to make reconcile. Or Kaphar is used for a village that... ... their lives. Bibliography George V. Wigram. The Englishmans Hebrew Concordance. Grand Rapids MI, Baker Book House, 1980 John R. Kohlenberger III. NRSV Concordance Unabridged. Grand Rapids MI, Zondervan Publishing House. 1991 Gerhard Kittel. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Vol. I and Vol X. Grand Rapids, MI/London WM. Eerdmanus Publishing Co. 1964 J.D. Douglas. New Bible Dictionary. Intervarsity Fellowship. 1982 James Strong. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. Nashville, TN. Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1984 R. Laird Harris, Gleason L Archer Jr., Bruce K. Walter. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago, IL. 1980 Samuel Pri Deaux Tregelles. Hebrew and English Lexicon. Grand Rapids, MI WM B. Eerdman's Pub. 1949 Colin Brown. The New International Dictionary of the New Testament Theology. Grand Rapids MI. Zondervan Publishing House. 1978 J.B. Smith. Greek-English Concordance. Scottsdale, Penn. Herald Press. 1955 Al Novak. Hebrew Honey. New York. Vantage Press. 1965 C.C. Morris. The Illustrated Bible Dictionary Pt. 1. Intervarsity Press. 1980 John W. Ellison. Nelson's Complete Concordance of the RSV Bible. Nashville, TN. . Thomas Nelson Publishing. 1984

Last Sacrifice Chapter Fourteen

THE KEEPERS HAD MIXED REACTIONS to us leaving. They were usually glad to see outsiders go, especially since we had Sydney with us. But after the fight, they held me up as some kind of superhero and were enchanted by the idea of me marrying into their â€Å"family.' Seeing me in action meant some of the women were beginning to eye Dimitri now too. I wasn't in the mood to watch them flirt with him–especially since, according to their courtship rules, I would apparently have to be the one to battle it out with any prospective fiancee. Naturally, we didn't tell the Keepers our exact plans, but we did mention we'd likely be encountering Strigoi–which caused quite a reaction. Most of that reaction was excitement and awe, which continued to boost our reputations as fierce warriors. Angeline's response, however, was totally unexpected. â€Å"Take me with you,' she said, grabbing a hold of my arm, just as I started down the forest path toward the car. â€Å"Sorry,' I said, still a little weirded out after her earlier hostility. â€Å"We have to do this alone.' â€Å"I can help! You beat me †¦ but you saw what I can do. I'm good. I could take a Strigoi.' For all her fierceness, I knew Angeline didn't have a clue about what she'd be facing if she ever met an actual Strigoi. The few Keepers who bore molnijamarks spoke little about the encounters, faces grave. They understood. Angeline didn't. She also didn't realize that any novice at St. Vladimir's in the secondary school could probably take her out. She had raw potential, true, but it needed a lot of work. â€Å"You might be able to,' I said, not wanting to hurt her feelings. â€Å"But it's just not possible for you to come with us.' I would have lied and given her a vague â€Å"Maybe sometime,' but since that had led Joshua to thinking we were semi-engaged, I decided I'd better not. I expected more boasts about her battle prowess. We'd learned she was regarded as one of the best young fighters in the compound, and with her pretty looks, she had plenty of admirers too. A lot of it had gone to her head, and she liked to talk about how she could beat anyone or anything up. Again, I was reminded of Jill. Jill also had a lot to learn about the true meaning of battle but was still eager to jump in. She was quieter and more cautious than Angeline, though, so Angeline's next direction caught me off guard. â€Å"Please. It's not just the Strigoi! I want to see the world. I need to see something else outside of this place!' Her voice was pitched low, out of the range of the others. â€Å"I've only been to Rubysville twice, and they say that's nothing compared to other cities.' â€Å"It's not,' I agreed. I didn't even consider it a city. â€Å"Please,' she begged again, this time her voice trembling. â€Å"Take me with you.' Suddenly, I felt sad for her. Her brother had also shown a little longing for the outside world, but nothing like this. He'd joked that electricity would be nice, but I knew he was happy enough without the perks of the modern world. But for Angeline, the situation was much more desperate. I too knew what it was like to feel trapped in one's life and was legitimately sorry for what I had to say. â€Å"I can't, Angeline. We have to go on our own. I'm sorry. I really am.' Her blue eyes shimmered, and she raced off into the woods before I could see her cry. I felt horrible after that and couldn't stop thinking about her as we made our farewells. I was so distracted, I even let Joshua hug me goodbye. Getting back on the road was a relief. I was glad to be away from the Keepers and was ready to spring into action and start helping Lissa. Lexington was our first step. We had a six-hour drive ahead of us, and Sydney, per usual, seemed adamant that no one else was going to drive her car. Dimitri and I made futile protests, finally giving up when we realized that if we were going to be facing Strigoi soon, it was probably best we rest and conserve our strength. The address for Donovan–the Strigoi who allegedly knew Sonya–was only where he could be found at night. That meant we had to make it to Lexington before sunrise, so we wouldn't lose him when he went to his daytime lair. It also meant we'd be meeting Strigoi in the dark. Certain that little would happen on the drive–especially once we were out of West Virginia–Dimitri and I agreed we could doze a little, seeing as neither of us had had a full night's sleep. Even though the lulling of the car was soothing, I drifted in and out of restless sleep. After a few hours of this, I simply settled into the trancelike state that brought me to Lissa. It was a good thing too: I'd stumbled into one of the biggest events facing the Moroi. The nomination process to elect the new king or queen was about to begin. It was the first of many steps, and everyone was excited, given how rare monarch elections truly were. This was an event none of my friends had expected to see anytime soon in our lives, and considering recent events †¦ well, we all had especial interest. The future of the Moroi was at stake here. Lissa was sitting on the edge of a chair in one of the royal ballrooms, a huge sweeping space with vaulted ceilings and gold detailing everywhere. I'd been in this dazzling room before, with its murals and elaborate molding. Chandeliers glittered above. It had held the graduate luncheon, where newly made guardians put on their best faces and hoped to attract a good assignment. Now, the room was arranged like the Council chamber, with a long table on one side of the room that was set with twelve chairs. Opposite that table were rows and rows of other chairs–where the audience sat when the Council was in session. Except, now there were about four times as many chairs as usual, which probably explained the need for this room. Every single chair was filled. In fact, people were even standing, crowding in as best they could. Agitated- looking guardians moved among the herd, keeping them out of doorways and making sure the bystanders were arranged in a way that allowed for optimal s ecurity. Christian sat on one side of Lissa, and Adrian sat beside Christian. To my pleasant surprise, Eddie and Mia sat nearby too. Mia was a Moroi friend of ours who had gone to St. Vladimir's and was nearly as hardcore as Tasha about Moroi needing to defend themselves. My beloved father was nowhere in sight. None of them spoke. Conversation would have been difficult among the buzzing and humming of so many people, and besides, my friends were too awestruck by what was about to happen. There was so much to see and experience, and none of them had realized just how big the crowd would be. Abe had said things would move fast once Tatiana was buried, and they certainly had. â€Å"Do you know who I am?' A loud voice caught Lissa's attention, just barely carrying above the din. Lissa glanced down the row, a few seats away from Adrian. Two Moroi, a man and a woman, sat side by side and were looking up at a very angry woman. Her hands were on her hips, and the pink velvet dress she wore seemed outlandish next to the couple's jeans and T-shirts. It also wasn't going to hold up so well once she stepped outside of air conditioning. A glare twisted her face. â€Å"I am Marcella Badica.' When that didn't get a reaction from the couple, she added, â€Å"Prince Badica is my brother, and our late queen was my third cousin twice removed. There are no seats left, and someone like me cannot stand against the wall with the rest of that mob.' The couple exchanged glances. â€Å"I guess you should have gotten here earlier, Lady Badica,' said the man. Marcella gaped in outrage. â€Å"Didn't you just hear who I am? Don't you know who your betters are? I insist you give up your seats.' The couple still seemed unfazed. â€Å"This session is open to everyone, and there weren't assigned seats, last time I checked,' said the woman. â€Å"We're entitled to ours as much as you are.' Marcella turned to the guardian beside her in outrage. He shrugged. His job was to protect her from threats. He wasn't going to oust others from their chairs, particularly when they weren't breaking any rules. Marcella gave a haughty â€Å"humph!' before turning sharply and stalking away, no doubt to harass some other poor soul. â€Å"This,' said Adrian, â€Å"is going to be delightful.' Lissa smiled and turned back to studying the rest of the room. As she did, I became aware of something startling. I couldn't tell exactly who was who, but the crowd wasn't composed entirely of royals–as most Council sessions were. There were tons of â€Å"commoners,' just like the couple sitting near my friends. Most Moroi didn't bother with Court. They were out in the world, living their lives and trying to survive while the royals pranced around at Court and made laws. But not today. A new leader was going to be chosen, and that was of interest to all Moroi. The milling and chaos continued for a while until one of the guardians finally declared the room to be at capacity. Those outside were outraged, but their cries were quickly silenced when the guardians closed the doors, sealing off the ballroom. Shortly thereafter, the eleven Council members took their seats, and–to my shock–Adrian's father, Nathan Ivashkov, took the twelfth chair. The Court's herald yelled and called everyone to attention. He was someone who'd been chosen because of his remarkable voice, though I always wondered why they didn't just use a microphone in these situations. More old-world traditions, I supposed. That, and excellent acoustics. Nathan spoke once the room settled down. â€Å"In the absence of our beloved queen †¦' He paused looking down mournfully to offer a moment of respect before continuing. In anyone else, I might have suspected his feelings were faked, particularly after seeing him grovel so much in front of Tatiana. But, no. Nathan had loved his prickly aunt as much as Adrian had. â€Å"And in the wake of this terrible tragedy, I will be moderating the upcoming trials and elections.' â€Å"What'd I tell you?' muttered Adrian. He had no fuzzy affection for his father. â€Å"De- lightful.' Nathan droned on a bit about the importance of what was to come and some other points about Moroi tradition. It was obvious, though, that like me, everyone in the room really wanted to get down to the main event: the nominations. He seemed to realize that too and sped up the formalities. Finally, he got to the good stuff. â€Å"Each family, if they choose, may have one nominee for the crown who will take the tests all monarchs have endured since the beginning of time.' I thought that â€Å"beginning of time' part was a bold and probably unverified exaggeration, but whatever. â€Å"The only exclusion is the Ivashkovs, since back-to-back monarchs from the same family aren't allowed. For candidacy, three nominations are required from Moroi of royal blood and proper age.' He then added some stuff about what happened in the event more than one person was nominated from the same family, but even I knew the chances of that happening were non-existent. Each royal house wanted to get the best advantage here, and that would involve a unified standing behind one candidate. Satisfied everyone understood, Nathan nodded and gestured grandly to the audience. â€Å"Let the nominations begin.' For a moment, nothing happened. It kind of reminded me of when I'd been back in school, when a teacher would say something like, â€Å"Who'd like to present their paper first?' Everyone kind of waited for someone else to get things going, and at last, it happened. A man I didn't recognize stood up. â€Å"I nominate Princess Ariana Szelsky.' Ariana, as princess, sat on the Council and was an expected choice. She gave a gracious nod to the man. A second man, presumably from their family, also stood and gave the second nomination. The third and final nomination came from another Szelsky–a very unexpected one. He was Ariana's brother, a world traveler who was almost never at Court, and also the man my mother guarded. Janine Hathaway was most likely in this room, I realized. I wished Lissa would look around and find her, but Lissa was too focused on the proceedings. After everything I'd been through, I suddenly had a desperate longing to see my mother. With three nominations, Nathan declared, â€Å"Princess Ariana Szelsky is entered as a candidate.' He scrawled something on a piece of paper in front of him, his motions full of flourish. â€Å"Continue.' After that, the nominations came in rapid succession. Many were princes and princesses, but others were respected–and still high-ranking–members of the families. The Ozera candidate, Ronald, was not the family's Council member, nor was he anyone I knew. â€Å"He's not one of Aunt Tasha's â€Å"ideal' candidates,' Christian murmured to Lissa. â€Å"But she admits he's not a moron.' I didn't know much about most of the other candidates either. A couple, like Ariana Szelsky, I had a good impression of. There were also a couple I'd always found appalling. The tenth candidate was Rufus Tarus, Daniella's cousin. She'd married into the Ivashkovs from the Tarus family and seemed delighted to see her cousin declared a nominee. â€Å"I don't like him,' said Adrian, making a face. â€Å"He's always telling me to do something useful with my life.' Nathan wrote down Rufus's name and then rolled up the paper like a scroll. Despite the appearance of antique customs, I suspected a secretary in the audience was typing up everything being said here on a laptop. â€Å"Well,' declared Nathan, â€Å"that concludes–‘ â€Å"I nominate Princess Vasilisa Dragomir.' Lissa's head jerked to the left, and through her eyes, I recognized a familiar figure. Tasha Ozera. She'd stood and spoken the words loudly and confidently, glancing around with those ice-blue eyes as if daring anyone to disagree. The room froze. No whispers, no shifting in chairs. Just utter and complete silence. Judging from the faces, the Ozera family's nominee was the second-most astonished person in the room to hear Tasha speak. The first, of course, was Lissa herself. It took a moment for Nathan to get his mouth working. â€Å"That's not–‘ Beside Lissa, Christian suddenly stood up. â€Å"I second the nomination.' And before Christian had even sat down, Adrian was on his feet. â€Å"I confirm the nomination.' All eyes in the room were on Lissa and her friends, and then, as one, the crowd turned toward Nathan Ivashkov. Again, he seemed to have trouble finding his voice. â€Å"That,' he managed at last, â€Å"is not a legal nomination. Due to its current Council standing, the Dragomir line is regrettably not eligible to present a candidate.' Tasha, never afraid of talking in a crowd or taking on impossible odds, leapt back up. I could tell she was eager to. She was good at making speeches and challenging the system. â€Å"Monarch nominees don't need a Council position or quorum to run for the throne.' â€Å"That makes no sense,' said Nathan. There were mutters of agreement. â€Å"Check the law books, Nate–I mean, Lord Ivashkov.' Yes, there he was at last. My tactful father had joined the conversation. Abe had been leaning against a wall near the doorway, dressed splendidly in a black suit with a shirt and tie that were exactly the same shade of emerald green. My mother stood beside him, the slightest hint of a smile on her face. For a moment, I was captivated as I studied them side by side. My mother: the perfect picture of guardian excellence and decorum. My father: always capable of achieving his goals, no matter how twisted the means. Uneasily, I began to understand how I'd inherited my bizarre personality. â€Å"Nominees have no requirements concerning how many people are in their family,' continued Abe jovially. â€Å"They only need three royal nominations to be confirmed.' Nathan gestured angrily toward where his own wayward son and Christian sat. â€Å"They aren't from her family!' â€Å"They don't need to be,' countered Abe. â€Å"They just need to be from a royal family. They are. Her candidacy is within the law–so long as the princess accepts.' All heads swiveled toward Lissa now, as though they were suddenly just noticing her. Lissa hadn't twitched since the startling events began. She was in too much shock. Her thoughts seemed to move both fast and slow. Part of her couldn't even start to process what was happening around her. The rest of her mind was spinning with questions. What was going on? Was this a joke? Or maybe a spirit-induced hallucination? Had she finally gone crazy? Was she dreaming? Was it a trick? If so, why would her own friends have been the ones to do it? Why would they do this to her? And for the love of God, would everyone stop staring at her? She could handle attention. She'd been born and raised for it, and like Tasha, Lissa could address a crowd and make bold statements–when she supported them and was prepared. Neither of those things applied to this situation. This was pretty much the last thing in the world she had expected or wanted. And so, she couldn't bring herself to react or even consider a response. She stayed where she was, silent and shell- shocked. Then, something snapped her from her trance. Christian's hand. He'd taken Lissa's, wrapping his fingers with hers. He gave her a gentle squeeze, and the warmth and energy he sent brought her back to life. Slowly, she looked around the room, meeting the eyes of those all watching her. She saw Tasha's determined gaze, my father's cunning look, and even my mother's expectation. That last one proved most startling of all. How could Janine Hathaway–who always did what was right and could barely crack a joke–be going along with this? How could any of Lissa's friends be going along with this? Didn't they love and care about her? Rose, she thought. I wish you were here to tell me what to do. Me too. Damned one-way bond. She trusted me more than anyone else in the world, but she realized then that she trusted all of these friends too–well, except maybe Abe, but that was understandable. And if they were doing this, then surely–surely–there was a reason, right? Right? It made no sense to her, yet Lissa felt her legs move as she rose to her feet. And despite the fear and confusion still running through her, she found her voice inexplicably clear and confident as it rang out through the room. â€Å"I accept the nomination.'