Religion Essays - 1161 Words

Introduction Religion has many classifications, such as tribal, classical, transcendental and cosmological, usually based on ones belief and understandings. Religion also has many definitions, usually based on ones experience. A particular definition that I found was Religion originates in an attempt to represent and order beliefs, feelings, imaginings and actions that arise in response to direct experience of the sacred and the spiritual (Connelly, 1986). Religion also has many characteristics such as rituals, symbols and myths which play in an important part in how religion is viewed. We will take a look on how the definition, classification and characteristics of religion and how it ties into our understanding of the universe and†¦show more content†¦When fire was introduced, they had to have an explanation for it. The fire became sacred, a mysterious manifestation of power and presence that is experienced as both primordial and transformative, inspiring awe and rapt attention (Conne lly, 1986). How did this fire become to be? How can they control it? How could they ask for it? They became to believe that fire was provided by a God, the living giving source, as a way to survive. They started to worship fire, offering sacrifices for guidance and protection. The fire then became a God, possibly the individuals or tribes protector. As monotheism took over the world, what became sacred changed. Now tangible things like people and relics unlike nature became more sacred, stars and planets werent Gods, but part of a universe created by One God. The spiritual is a perception of the commonality of mindfulness in the world that shifts the boundaries between self and other, producing a sense of the union of purposes of self and other in confronting the existential questions of life (Connelly, 1986). With the sacred (such as fire), people started to believe in Gods, creators of fire, lightning, and other unexplainable events. But what was left? Where did their people go a fter death? Who else is there to help them when God isnt around? A cat acts strange, a dog starts barking at its owner, and then they wonder. What ifShow MoreRelatedReligion, Religion And Religion1189 Words   |  5 PagesReligion is a concept that is passed down from generation to generation. Thankfully, because someone decided to write the religious values down, same of religions core concepts haven’t changed much. But people typically don’t learn their religion by growing up and finding a bible or Quran and reading it. People form religious identities from their culture and how a person is shaped by the world. Religion will forever refuse to die because it gives people a purpose in this world. The people thatRead MoreReligion : Religion And Religion Essay1496 Words   |  6 PagesReligion. Whenever I hear people talking about that word, I draw a blank. I start to question what really is religion, why is it so talked about, and why is it such a big deal to our society. Recently I learned that religion was a concept that was created by mankind a long time ago. Yet religion isn’t something that has one specific definition, because people have different religious constructs within their cultures around the world. Before taking this class, I never had a definition that I likedRead MoreReligion And Religion : Religion866 Words   |  4 PagesTITLE What is religion? Religion can be many things depending on which religion one practices, but one thing remains the same across every religion and that is that it is all based on faith. The core of every religion is an abstract thing. Religion is ultimately reliant on belief in invisible beings, inaudible voices, ethereal entities, and events and judgments that occur after we die. It is a fabrication of our minds. Religion requires its followers to simply accept it, without solid evidenceRead MoreReligion, Religion And Religion1418 Words   |  6 Pages When discussing religion, many people have different perspectives about religion beliefs and how to approach it. Religion is grouped in different sections such as, religion and spirituality, religion and philosophy, and religion and politics. Religion has many different views from different cultures because everyone approaches it differently with different beliefs also. To make something religion, is to have some type of belief in God, but everyone’s belief is different depending on the cultureRead MoreReligion : Religion And Religion1747 Words   |  7 PagesProfessor Jensen Religion Studies 102 Meaning of Life: Religion Throughout human history, religion is now and always has been the main topic of discussion. In my paper, I will discuss reasons why it is important to study religion and how it was constituted. Religion is what makes us who we are today. Therefore, there are many reasons to study religion. Religion has shown itself as being able to unite people and to divide them since everyone has his or her own beliefs. The study of religion is not onlyRead MoreReligion : Religion And Religion935 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscussing the overall religion of what is typically traditional to be called religion. Religion which is commonly known as the belief in the supernatural naturally produces a influence of the making of society throughout what is known as history. Commonly as we know it from day to day many people of different cultures, races are largely structured by religion. Religion affects more than culture it effects law and politics as well as education and behavioral norms. Religion started during the secularRead MoreReligion, Religion And Religion879 Words   |  4 Pageshundred different religions in the world, all proclaiming different things, it can getting a little frustrating to decide on one to call home. However, every Religion claims to be the one true religion. Is it the fact that one has a large following, or even a large building erected in the manifestation of the words they proclaim? Or is it a minute group of disciples focused on solving the ever frightening problems that the world faces every day? Mirriam Webster Dictionary defines a Religion as â€Å"the beliefRead MoreReligion : Religion And Religion Essay1333 Words   |  6 Pages Today our world is brimming with diverse cultures, religions, and languages. Being diverse make each individual unique from others. According to the Isaak Sevensson article â€Å"religion has come to play an increasingly important role in shaping today’s world†. In general religion, con flicts are more about human nature than religion itself. People usually create problems and blame the God, saying my religion said it or it s written in the holy book. God is not the one who created different amongRead MoreReligion, Religion And Religion1444 Words   |  6 Pages Religion is a very difficult topic for me to navigate, and a rather personal one. While on the surface I might seem very atheistic and anti-religion, this is very far from the truth. I have had quite a complicated relationship with religion over the years, and it is still something I am struggling to figure out. When I was in primary school we were taught quite a lot about religion. It was something that was constantly there in the school’s agenda, with assemblies every Monday morning in whichRead MoreReligion And Religion902 Words   |  4 PagesThe incorporation of religion into a person’s life displays how a belief in gods can impact every facet of someone’s life. The entirety of religion is based solely on faith and the willpower of someone’s belief in what has been taught to them. In these teachings, through sacred texts, manuscripts, or orally transmitted; the basis of many religions is the idea of an object, person, or building being sacred. The reason something becomes sacred and is then believed to be sacred is because the sacred

Developing Managerial Strategy in Recruitment and Selection Process Free Essays

Chapter 1INTRODUCTION The following study will be based upon the recruitment and selection strategy adopted by McDonald’s. McDonald’s is the largest chain of fast food restaurants. Currently the company operates in 119 countries, having approximately 30 thousand restaurants across the globe. We will write a custom essay sample on Developing Managerial Strategy in Recruitment and Selection Process or any similar topic only for you Order Now Its headquarters is located in the United States. In 2011 McDonald’s increased its global sales by 5.6% while its revenues reached a record of $27 billion. Following its Plan To Win, in 2012 McDonald’s aims to: â€Å"optimize and evolve their menu, modernize the customer experience and broad accessibility to their Brand† (McDonald’s Corporation, 2012). In particular, the following study will focus on McDonald’s in the United Kingdom. Currently McDonald’s has more than 1250 restaurants across the country. McDonald’s Company owns approximately 63% of them while the rest is franchised. McDonald’s hires over 67.000 people in the UK, including hours-paid employees, management team and office staff. Steve Easterbrook, Chief Executive and President of McDonald’s, postulates that Human Resources is a key priority at McDonald’s. He believes that â€Å"If you get the people part right, the rest will follow† (Fuller, 2006). McDonald’s, similarly as other global giants, aims to recruit employees that will be willing to develop and to become managers in the future. Hence, recruitment and selection process seems to be an interesting topic to examine. 1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT The hospitality sector has a bad reputation amongst the jobseekers. A number of businesses within a sector do not have an employment agreement or employment policy. The jobs within a sector are mostly part-time or temporary. Additionally they are low-paid. The managers often lack people skills, as they have no solid experience in management. Hence, the hospitality sector has been characterized by a high turnover of staff (Lye, 2007). McDonald’s reputation as an employer has changed over the past decades. In 1991, Canadian novelist Douglas Coupland postulated that McDonald’s jobs were â€Å"low-prestige, low-dignity, low-benefit, no-job in the service sector† (Fuller, 2006). In 2011, McDonald’s has been awarded HR Excellence Award for its Employment Engagement Strategy. Currently, McDonald’s is a significant employer in the United Kingdom, having 67.000 staff. In 2012 McDonald’s announced its plan of creating additional 2.500 jobs in the United Kingdom. As a reasonable actor, McDonald’s aims to recruit further right people that will support management team and contribute to the company’s growth in the future. Therefore, the dissertation aims to answer the following research question: â€Å"What steps have been taken by McDonald’s to select the best types of employees?† The research question indicates that the dissertation will consider recruitment process as a determinant of a successful selection of employees. Further, the dissertation will also analyze an employment policy at McDonald’s as a guarantor of low turnover of staff. Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Human Resource Management is one of key functions within a company. It includes attraction and recruitment of new employees as well as training, assessment and rewarding system within a company. The employees are perceived as a backbone of the organization, as they jointly contribute to the company’s success (Beach, 1980). As the business environment becomes highly competitive, the companies need to attract potential employees and to make sure that the employees will be willing to develop within a company and to contribute to its growth. While small businesses delegate HR issues to their senior officials or management team, large companies have a staff specializing in Human Resource Management or hand over a part of this job to the external bodies, recruitment agencies. In both cases, recruiters have to be very selective in order to prevent long-term negative consequences of hiring wrong staff such as poor performance, high turnover and failure to achieve company’s goal s (Evans, 2007). Not only do recruitment processes and employment policies become of keen interest to people working in HR departments, but they are also a subject of an ongoing debate in an existing literature. Considering first Human Resources Management in general, there is a number of scholars who analyzed the relationship between working incentives and worker’s productivity. Three scholars who gave solid theoretical basics to HR discipline should be mentioned. These are Maslow, Herzberg and McGregor. Maslow is a founder of a hierarchy of needs. Employment is regarded as a safety need, a next level after bottom basic needs. However, self-actualizations (i.e. climbing the career ladder) is at the top of the hierarchy of needs. It indicates that people need to be encouraged to climb the career ladder at the expense of other needs such as family or leisure (Wahba and Bridwell, 1976). Herzberg, in turn, specifies two sets of factors that increase people’s productivity at work in his Tw o Factor Theory. The first group are motivator factors such as achievement, responsibility, growth, promotion, while the second group – hygiene factors such as pay and benefits, supervision, company policy and administration (Feder, 2000). Lack of hygiene factors leads to the dissatisfaction of employees. Good organizational hygiene, in turn, constitutes a good foundation for the development of the motivator factors. The following theory has two important implications. First, the employers should focus on the worker’s attitudes to the performed job rather than on their interest in the job. Second, salary has been often wrongly perceived as a motivator while it has been a hygiene factor (Feder, 2000). McGregor developed Theory X and Theory Y. These theories divide employees into two groups, based on their job attitude and then, shape two different management styles. Theory X assumes that people are lazy and avoid responsibilities. Hence, managers should tightly control their workers. As the employees are not ambitious, a strong incentive program needs to be implemented in order to increase their productivity. Contrary, Theory Y postulates that the employees are self-motivated and self-controlled. Managers should create the right conditions for self-development of their employees. According to McGregor, Theory Y managers are more successful than Theory X managers in building mutual trust with their employees and hence, in HR development. As HR is a key function of the organizations, Theory Y managers are also more effective in achieving company’s goals (Steward, 2009). Considering the recruitment process, there is a little discussion in the literature on the selection criteria, as the companies have been recruiting on various positions and hence, selection criteria are entirely dependent on the vacancies. Instead, the scholars (i.e. Richardson) focus on the recruitment strategies that can generally be divided on internal and external recruitment strategies. Internal recruitment refers to the recruitment within a company (a promotion of existing personnel or hiring through a recommendation of friend or family member by existing staff). The main advantage of internal recruitment is that the insiders know company’s strengths and limitations, its employees and culture. The internal promotion also strengthens the employees’ commitment to the company. On the other hand, sometimes it might be hard to find a right candidate on a particular vacancy and hence, the position might be offered to the person that does not have possibly best qualific ations. Similarly, the company might not have a sufficient number of qualified staff to take newly created positions. Hence, it might lead to the promotion of people that did not get a full training and do not have a solid knowledge. External recruitment, in turn, includes informal and formal methods. Formal methods concern wide searches at the labour market for the candidates with no previous connection to the company. Informal methods regard searching company’s database for the retained resumes (i.e. rehiring former employees, hiring students who took internship programme within a company). The later method is faster and inexpensive compared to external methods (Richardson, 2000). Chapter 3METHODOLOGY The following section will discuss the methodology used in the following research work. First, it will focus on the research design (research objectives, philosophy, strategy and approach) and then, it will consider methodology and its limitations. 3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN Research objectives The dissertation displays two main objectives. First, it aims to analyze the recruitment strategy developed by McDonald’s in order to demonstrate how McDonald’s attracts people to apply for a job as well as to reveal what employees McDonald’s is looking for. Second, it intends to examine an employment policy of McDonald’s in order to discuss the working incentives used by McDonald’s to ensure low turnover of staff. Research philosophy The research philosophy is based on research question, objectives and methodology. The following research considers recruitment strategy and employment policy as key elements of successful HR management. Hence, interpretivism is considered to be the most accurate research philosophy, as it focuses on social actions and their influence on people. Research approach The following research work will use both inductive and deductive research approaches. The deductive approach will be reflected in the review of existing literature on human resources management as well as in the discussion on the relevance of various recruitment strategies to McDonald’s recruitment concept. The inductive approach, in turn, will be reflected in the interview with McDonald’s Vice President. The interview will demonstrate the main values and principles of HR policy at McDonald’s in order to deliver a detailed understanding of the research context. Research strategy (methodology) As the recruitment strategies and recruitment processes are deeply researched elements of HR sector, the most accurate methodology seems to be the case study. It will focus on an in-depth analysis of the research topic on an example of a single company, McDonald’s. The following case study will have an explanatory character as it examines relationships between organization and its employees (In general, an explanatory research concerns relationships between variables i.e. the causes and the results). 3.2 DATA COLLECTION METHODS Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used in the following dissertation in order to collect data. First, the research will include the semi-structural interview (qualitative method) with David Fairhust, McDonald’s vice-president responsible for HR department. This interview will be based on the list of 15 questions on recruitment strategy and employment policy at McDonalds and will provide a reliable data from the company’s side. Further, the interview will create an opportunity to gain the additional information due to the open-ended questions and the new questions brought up while interviewing. Second, the questionnaire will be conducted amongst the McDonald’s employees (quantitative methodology). The questionnaire aims to demonstrate how employees perceive the recruitment process within McDonald’s (How easy was a recruitment processHow did they like the questions they have been askedDid any questions concern their growth within the company and potential career in management?) as well as to present how willing they are to work for McDonald’s within next five years. In order to present reliable and objective information, the research target is to survey a group of 100 employees from five McDonald’s restaurants in London. The designed questionnaire will include twenty multiple choice, closed-ended questions, as it intends to provide comparable data. Nonetheless, it will also leave some space for comments so that the employee will have an opportunity to present any additional issues (concerns). 3.5 LIMITATION OF THE DATA COLLECTION’S METHODOLOGY The validity and reliability of gained information are crucial for the research purposes. Hence, the researcher is aware of the limitations of the methodology and aims to minimize them. Considering the interview first, the researcher is aware that too sensitive topic, inexplicit questions as well as behaviour of the interviewer can affect interviewee’s response. Prior to the interview, the researcher will guarantee that all information will be used exclusively for the research purpose. Further, the interviewee will be given a copy of his answers in order to confirm that the interview does not offend the company and that the interviewee agrees to use the information in the following research work. Considering the questionnaire, the questions might be imprecise or inaccurate and hence, the respondents might understand the questions differently than the researcher did. Hence, the pilot study will be conducted first. They will include a group of 5 employees and they will check the level of difficulty and feedback by the respondents. The pilot study also helps researcher to obtain some assessment about the reliability of the questionnaire which will be very helpful in detecting the weaknesses and grey areas. This will also provide help about some ambiguous and vague queries so that they will be amended prior to final presentation. Further, the uncomfortable environment can also have an impact on the questionnaire’s results. Hence, the researcher intends to ensure that the questionnaire will be anonymous and it will not have an impact on the working conditions of the employees who agreed to participate. The management teams in the McDonald’s restaurants are expected to help in achieving this goal. TIMETABLE Prepare Proposal MM:DD:2012 Literature ReviewMM:DD:2012 Final Literature ReviewMM:DD:2012 Pilot Questionnaire MM:DD:2012 Final Questionnaire MM:DD:2012 Results And AnalysisMM:DD:2012 First DraftMM:DD:2012 Final Draft MM:DD:2012 PresentationMM:DD:2012 Final ReportMM:DD:2012 REFERENCES Andrews, Y., (1988). The personnel function. Pretoria: Educational Publishers. Armstrong, M., (1996). A hand book of personnel management practice. 5th ed. London: Kogan Page. Ary, D. Jacobs, C.L. Razavich, A., (1996). Introduction to research in education. California: Thompson Learning. Beach, D.S., (1980). The management of people at work. 5th ed. New York: Macmillan. Beatty, R.H., (1994). Interviewing and selecting high performers. New York: Wiley. Berman, D.R., (1997). State of local politics, 8th ed. New York: Armonk. Booi, S. , (2005). An assessment of the recruitment and selection strategies used in the sales department of Old Mutual Group Schemes in the Eastern Cape. Port Elizabeth: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Brounstein, M. and Visconti, R., (1992). Effective recruitment strategies. Menlo Park: Crisp. Cascio, W.F., (1998). Managing human resources. 5th ed., New York: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Collins, J. and Hussey, R., (2003). Business research. 2nd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Cooper, D.R. and Emory, C.W., (2001). Business research method. 4th ed. Massachusetts: Irwin. Decenzo, A. and Robbins, S.P., (2002). Human resource management. 7th ed. New York : John Wiley Sons. Freder, B.J., (2000). F.I.Herzberg, 76, Professor and Management Consultant. New York Times. 1, p.26. Fuller, G., (2006). The burger meister: McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook’s view from the top [online] Available from: http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2006/10/10/37557/the-burger-meister-mcdonalds-ceo-steve-easterbrooks-view-from-the-top.html (Accessed on 19.04.2012). Lye, P., (2007). Human Resources issues in the hospitality industry [online] Available from: http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=2205 (Accessed on 19.04.2012). McDonald’s Corporation, (2012). McDonald’s momentum delivers another year of strong results for 2011 [online] Available from: http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/Aboutus/Newsroom/news_pages/mcdonalds-results.html (Accessed on 19.04.2012). O’Neill, B., (1990). The manager as an assessor. London: The Industrial Society. Personnel Today. Richardson, M., (2000). Recruitment strategies. Managing/ effecting the recruitment process. Trinidad: Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Saunders, M.N.K. Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A., (1997). Research methods for business students. London: Pitman. Saunders, M.N.K. Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A., (2000). Research methods for business students. 2nd ed. Harlow: Financial Times. Schultz, H.B., (2001). Recruitment and selection, [In:] Nel, J., (ed). Human resources management. 5th ed., Cape Town: Oxford. Steward, M., (2010). Theories X and Y revised. Oxford Leadership Journal, 1(3), p.1-5. Wahba, M.A. and Bridwell, L.G., (1976). Maslow reconsidered: A review of research on the Need Hierarchy Theory. Organizational Behaviour and Human Performance. 15, 212-240. How to cite Developing Managerial Strategy in Recruitment and Selection Process, Essay examples

Battery Monitoring System free essay sample

The modular measuring system consists of two different types of monitoring units, a battery block-voltage monitoring unit and a battery current- and temperature monitoring unit. Following the discussion of the measuring hardware, a LabView realization of a universal BMS software is described in detail. Due to the flexible design of the LabView BMS, the system is able to perform control and surveillance activities for any kind of battery application and battery technology (e. g. Pb, VRLA, NiCd, NiMH etc. ). The BMS was originally designed for VRLR batteries in uninterruptible power supply systems (UPS), but was also tested in electric vehicles (VW CityStromer, BMW). In a second step, a universal battery management system (BMS) was realized as a LabView application. The use of a personal computer instead of a microcontroller leads to much higher flexibility of the BMS and allows easy adaptation to various kinds of battery applications and battery technologies. The LabView-based BMS controls data acquisition, performs data processing, visualization and storage and provides a graphic user interface. Apart from monitoring features, the BMS evaluates the measured data and interacts with external components, such as the charger, the temperature regulation system and the inverter controller. A modem battery management system, in contrast to simple battery monitors, is capable of actively affecting battery operation. Before the presentation of the new measuring hardware and the LabView-based battery management system, the main principles and general structure of a BMS are discussed. I INTRODUCTION I1 Strong requirements concerning battery life-time, reliability and energy-efficiency are imposed on modem battery applications, e. g. , on batteries in unintermptible power supply systems (UPS) or batteries in electric vehicles (EV). These high demands can only be met by employing sophisticated battery monitoring and management systems. At present, battery users (e. g. in telecommunication energy supply or in power stations) know too little about the state of their batteries to draw economically optimized decisions concerning maintenance and replacement. The employment of a battery monitoring and management system helps finding the right time for battery maintenance and replacement and, in addition, will lengthen the service intervals due to taking active influence on battery operation. GENERAL STRUCTURE OF A BMS Fig. 1 shows the general structure of a battery management system and divides the tasks to be performed into logical blocks [2, 8, 91. Battery management systems require battery data (battery block-voltages, current and temperature) and environmental data (temperature). Furthermore, application depending system data is needed. To obtain these values, a specialized data acquisition system is used. An example of a suitable data acquisition system for BMS is pre1. sented in chapter 1 1 The following logical block of a BMS (see Fig. 1) performs the data processing. Apart from decoding the transmitted measured values, this block calculates battery quantities (e. g. entire battery voltage, average battery temperature, etc. ), integrates quantities like the battery current and performs statistical analysis (e. g. distribution of block voltages, deviation of block voltages from the average block voltage, etc. . Furthermore, the data procession unit needs information about the present maximum and minimum limit of block voltages, the maximum battery current etc. This information is either deduced from the system’s battery model or can be provided directly by the user (â€Å"parameter correction†). The parameters of the battery model have to be continuously adapted to the measured and computed quantitie s (e. g. , temperature, average load current) to ensure that the model accurately represents the battery’s present state. 630 To control battery operation, battery management systems require the accurate measurement of battery block voltages, battery current and battery temperatures. Therefore, in a first step, a modular data acquisition system, specifically designed for battery applications, was built. The measuring hardware consists of two different types of monitoring units, a battery block-voltage monitoring unit (VMU) and a battery current- and temperature monitoring unit (CMU), which have been developed in cooperation with SIEMENS AG, Erlangen. VMUs have already been employed in the SIEMENS Masterguard UPS in order to provide the system’s microcontrollerbased BMS with the required measured data. 0-7803-5069-3 /98/$10. 00 01998 IEEE Fig. 1 Structure of a battery monitoring and management system (BMS). In Fig. 1, the logical block â€Å"parameter adaptation† is responsible for battery parameter determination and update. The â€Å"monitoring† block in Fig. 1 performs fault detection and user information activities. Fault detection checks if a battery quantity has exceeded or is likely to exceed its allowed limits. Measured data, alarm messages and information related to service or maintenance needs are given to the user interface by the monitoring block. In contrast to the monitoring block, the â€Å"management† block is responsible for fault avoidance, which aims to keep the battery within certain limits of operation. If a quantity is going to exceed a limit, the management system reacts, for example, by activating the cooling system. In extreme situations, e. g. , in the case of exhaustive discharge, the fault avoidance may limit or even interrupt the current to protect the cells against reversion. Furthermore, the management block is able to control intelmethod, preligent charging algorithms like the IU,,, sented in [3], which limits the maximum of each battery block-voltage instead of just limiting the entire battery voltage during the time of constant-voltage charge. In Fig. 1, the external components, which are influenced by the management block (charger, coolingheating system, inverter controller) are summed up in the â€Å"control† block. The hnctional block â€Å"in-/output† represents the user interface which gives selected data and messages to the user and which allows user intervention, e. . the correction of battery or system parameters. Data selection as well as data storage are represented through the logical block â€Å"data management†. 111 DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM Fig. 2 shows the structure of the measuring and data acquisition system, consisting of battery block-voltage monitoring units (VMU) and current- and temperature monitoring units (CM U) [ 1,2]. Data transfer between the measuring units (any number and sequence is possible) and the data acquisition unit (DAU), which represents the interface to the data processing block of Fig. , is performed via a fiber-optic transmission system (FOTS). Optic data transmission provides electric insulation of the modular measuring system and leads to high immunity against electromagnetic noise. Power supply for the VMU and CMU is drawn directly from the measured batteries which minimizes the number of electrical connections and therefore leads to an easy and fast installation. The VMU measures up to eight voltages each ranging from 0. 3 V to 16 V with an accuracy of 0. 15 YO, which enables the measurement of single-cell and block voltages for any type of battery. Depending on the shunt resistor, the CMU is able to measure battery current, e. g. , over a range fiom OA up to f 300 A. The CMU also measures battery temperature (-5OC to 6OOC). When the battery management system does not need measured data, the monitoring units rest in a stand-by mode during which the modules’ power consumption is negligible compared to the self-discharge of the batteries. As soon as measured values are needed, the units are switched on by the central data acquisition unit using the fiber-optic transmission ring. After some setup-routines are completed, the VMUs and CMUs start the measuring process. As soon as data is available, the modules store the measured values in their transmission buffers. Receiving a so called â€Å"data-locomotive†, the first module 631 214 . . I t Data Acquisition Unit I 1 I -I Fibre Optic Transmission System (FOTS) T T t 8 block voltages Fig. 2 8 block voltages 8 block voltages 5 temperatures and 3 currents t 5 temperatures and 3 currents t Structure of the measuring and data acquisition system [ 11. The electric data input and data output signals of the serial port (TxD, RxD) are transformed into optic signals and are transmitted via the fiber optic transmission system. The electric handshake signals RTS and CTS as well as DSR, DTR and DCD are not transmitted so that, on the one hand, only one transmission ring is needed, but, on the other hand, hardware handshake signals cannot be used. Therefore, during the development of the LabView BMS much effort had to be taken to ensure the synchronization of data communication between the measuring units (CMU and VMU) and the personal computer. Having started the Labview application for the first time, the user is asked to provide obligatory system information, e. g. , the number and sequence of the measuring units, the value of the shunt resistor for current measurement, the time between new measurement requests and the paths for data storage. At the moment, the presented system is pre-configured to deal with up to eight measuring modules. The default time interval between measurement requests is set to four seconds, but can be augmented as well as shortened (down to one second) by the user. After the receipt of a valid data chain, LabView decodes the transmitted data. If the decoded data is recognized as measured values (and not as error message) these values are compared with the corresponding maximum and minimum limits. If a measured value exceeds the tolerated interval an alarm message is generated and shown on the graphic user interface. The minimum and maximum limits may be set by the user, or be deduced from an appropriate battery model. User interface: A screen shot of the user interface called â€Å"front panel†, can be seen in Fig. 3. On the front panel, the user can provide input information. Besides, the average battery interrupts the measuring process and starts sending the data-locomotive ollowed by its own measured data to the next module in the ring. This module recognizes the locomotive and the transmitted data and attaches to the data chain its own measured values. The central acquisition unit is able to decode the received data chain as it knows the order of the monitoring units [l]. IV LABVIEW-BASED UNIVERSAL AND BATTERY MONITORING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (BMS) LabView (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench) from National Instruments Corporation is a software development application which uses a graphical programming language, G, to create programs in block diagram form. Since LabView includes libraries of functions for data acquisition, serial instrument control, data analysis, data presentation and data storage it commends itself for the BMS application. LabView programs are called â€Å"virtual instruments (VI)†. These VIS consist of an interactive user interface (â€Å"front panel†, see Fig. 3), a dataflow diagram that serves as the source code, and icon connections that allow the VI to be called from higher level VIS [ 5 ] . As the BMS is executed on a personal computer, it offers higher flexibility and much more graphic tools for data visualization than microcontroller-based systems. Therefore, the central unit of the diagram in Fig. 1 as well as the in-/output interfaces have been realized as a LabView application. Data acquisition: For communication between the measuring system and LabView (request for and receipt of measured values) one of the serial ports of the personal computer is used. 632 27-4 Fig. 3 Front panel of the LabView-based BMS eight measuring channels and can localize the battery block, which is exceeding its operation limits. Fig. 4 shows the display for module 1. The measured voltage of block 1 has exceeded ts maximum limit and, therefore, has caused the alarm message on the front panel. If the is in doubt, whether the battery,s usable ca- temperature, up to six currents of parallel battery strings and the entire battery voltage are constantly monitored. Fault detection: In case of an alarm message, the corresponding monitoring unit is marked. Clicking on the â€Å"module #,’button, the user gets detailed information about the moduleâ €™s block 1 1 block2 1 block3 1 block4 block5 block6 block7 block8 i Fig. 4 Detailed information about measuring module 1 633 acity might have decreased, it is possible to run a battery-check discharge, which helps recognizing and localizing defective cells. This battery-check, which could be defined as a part of the fault detection functions (monitoring) of the BMS, but also as a part of active intervention (management) is described below (see â€Å"fault avoidance and intervention†). Data processing: ment, the battery charger, which performs a blockvoltage limiting and therefore battery protecting charging algorithm (1Uma), is connected to the BMS via a second RS 232 serial port. It is anticipated that future BMS applications, e. . , BMS in electric vehicles, will use modem fieldbus configurations, such as CAN bus, which will lead to more flexible, open systems. Data management: Apart from calculating the entire battery voltage and the average temperature, LabView calcu lates the battery’s state of charge using a modified Peukert equation [2,6,7]. Switching the button â€Å"SOC† the state of charge of the battery strings is shown on the display. Furthermore, the distribution of block voltages is displayed. The histogram of the measured voltages can be seen by clicking on the â€Å"voltage distribution† button. Fault avoidance and intervention: Depending on the width of the voltage distribution, e. g. during floating operation, or depending on a decreasing usable battery capacity, the BMS is able to recognize if a so-called â€Å"battery conditioning† (in case of lead acid batteries) should be performed and gives a corresponding message to the user . A â€Å"battery conditioning† algorithm performs a special sequence of discharging and recharging periods which reverses to a certain extent aging of the batteries. A typical example of reversible damages of lead acid batteries is the so-called â€Å"premature capacity loss† [4]. To allow analysis of the data at a later moment, the measured values as well as the messages given to the user are continuously stored. This default storage mode is useful for battery examination in research and development. Using the BMS for common battery applications an event-controlled storage mode can be chosen, which stores a measured value, if it is significantly different form the value before. For future commercial battery applications, for example, battery leasing, another simple storage mode, which only records the alarm messages on the user display, could easily be employed. V SUMMARY To determine the decreasing battery capacity in case of batteries during floating operation (UPS-batteries), it is possible to run a battery-check discharge (e. g. 10% of nominal battery capacity). During the battery check the battery block-voltages are recorded and compared with the corresponding values from previous tests. In case of significant deviations, the battery’s usable capacity Qo has probably decreased as well. Therefore, a â€Å"battery conditioning† has to be recommended. If a measured temperature exceeds its limits or the differences between the measured temperatures exceed a predefined limit, a water circulation system is switched on. This system may either cool or heat the batteries or may just establish a uniform temperature distribution. Parameter adaptation: In this paper, a new developed, flexible LabView-based battery management system is presented. Through the LabView realization of the BMS (in contrast to older microprocessor based concepts [3]) it was possible to create an easily adaptable monitoring and management system for any kind of battery application. Additional monitoring or management features for BMS can easily be added to the LabView software. Even unforeseen demands on BMS, that may turn up with the usage of new battery technologies, can be met without problems. VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank SIEMENS AG, Erlangen for supporting the development of the presented battery measuring system and, furthermore, acknowledge D. Linzen for his contributions to this project. VI1 REFERENCES A. Lohner, S. Buller, E. Karden, R. W. De Doncker, â€Å"Development of a Highly Accurate, Universal and Inexpensive Measuring System for Battery Management Systems†, 15† Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS), 1998, Brussels (Belgium) E. Karden, P. Mauracher, A. Lohner, â€Å"Battery Management Systems for Energy-Efficient Battery Operation: Strategy and Practical Experience†, 1 3 ~ Electric Vehicle Symposium, 1996, Osaka (Japan), Vol. 2 pp. 91-98 The amount of charge Qo which can be stored in and discharged from a battery at nominal values of current and temperature, is in general not equal to the nominal capacity QN, which is an effect of aging. Therefore, which is a model parameter of the modified Peukert equation, has to be updated regularly, e. g. , during the conditioning cycles. Due to the modular structure of the LabView application, more sophisticated battery models may be implemented according to individual user’s requirements. Control interfaces: eo, Apart from communication between LabView and the measuring system for data acquisition, the BMS has to have other interfaces to control external components such as the cooling system or the battery charger. At the mo634 A. Lohner, E. Karden, R. W. De Doncker, â€Å"Charge Equalizing and Lifetime Increasing with a New Charging Method for VRLA Batteries†, 19† International Telecommunication Energy Conference, 1997, Melbourne (Australia), pp. 407-41 1 27-4 [4] A. Lohner, â€Å"Batteriemanagement fQr verschlossene Bleibatterien am Beispiel von USV-Anlagen†, Dissertation am Institut fiir Stromrichtertechnik und Elektrische Antriebe, RWTH-Aachen, 1998 [5] National Instruments Corporation, â€Å"LabView User Manual†, Part Number 320999A-01, 1996 Edition [6] R. Giglioli, A. Buonarota, P. Menga, M. Ceraol â€Å"Charge and Discharge Fourth Order Dynamic Model of the Lead-Acid Battery†, 10* Electric Vehicle Symposium, Hongkong, 1990, pp. 371-382 [7] W. Peukert, â€Å"Uber die Abhangigkeit der Kapazitat von der Entladestromstiirke bei Bleiakkumulatoren†, ETZ, Band 18, 1897 [SI E. Dowgiallo jr. â€Å"Innovative On-Board Instrumentation for EV Battery Characterization†, DOEEPRI Beta Battery Workshop 8,1991, pp. 215-218 [9] H. Kahlen, B. Hauck â€Å"Batteriemanagementsysteme fiir Traktionsbatterien†, Fachtagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft fiir elektrische StraBenfahrzeuge (dges), 1995, Berlin 635

Top Tips to Keep an Essay Relevant To the Topic

One of the major mistakes that many students make in writing an assignment, whether it is essay writing, research paper, dissertation or thesis, is the habit of drafting from their topic. Writing a great essay is not a big task if you pay less attention on the topic. A good essay is one that not only starts with a strong argument on the topic, but also ends with the same question. Some writers make a strong introduction, but in the body part they start to wander from the topic, due to which they end the assignment in the completely wrong direction. If you are one of them who make this mistake frequently then this essay is just for you. Here in this article we share top tips to make your essay relevant to the topic as given by your professor. Remember, all your hard work might be rejected if you do not follow the simple steps given below for writing an essay. Planning your essay: It is always recommend to always start your assignment with a comprehensive, clear plan and then make sure to stick to it. Your plan also acts as an outline of the paper where you will include all the three main parts of an essay, i.e. the introduction, body paragraphs and the conclusion. Write main points that you think are necessary to add in these three parts of an essay. Under each main point also write one or two sentences. Make sure the main point you mention here must be according to your essay topic. Go through the points again and make sure that they are relevant to the topic and if not it is better to get rid of those points at this stage only. Referring back to the topic: This is a simple method but make a huge difference.   It is always a good idea to use signpost sentence each time when you start a new idea or paragraph. This will help you connect strongly to the essay topic. Developing the essay argument: Often students start with a strong and clear introduction that forces the reader to read further, but when they reach to the body paragraph they start losing the main concept of the essay. One best way to keep your focus on the topic is to make strong relationship between different paragraphs of an essay using separators that grab reader’s attention such as furthermore, conversely, firstly and secondly. This might sound easy, but it plays a major role in grabbing a reader’s attention into the overall argument instead of disregarding your essay paragraphs as unrelated to the question. Conclusions: Always remember that a successful essay must have two most important parts, the introduction and the conclusion. An introduction helps you grab the reader’s attention while a conclusion provides a clear and concise summary of an essay argument. The essay conclusion can be used to prove why the body paragraphs of the essay were relevant to the essay topic or question. If you don’t want to lose your precious marks, then it is necessary to avoid this most common mistake. Above are some points that help you avoid this mistake and force your professor to give you high grades.