Monday, September 30, 2019

Rechnical Report on Delta Steel Company, Ovwian Aladja.

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. STUDENTS INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME (SIWES) The objective of the SIWES Unit is to ensure that students in Science and Technology-based disciplines are made to acquire sufficient practical knowledge so that when they get employed on graduation they become immediately productive with little of no further training in their fields of specialization. The SIWES Unit is responsible for the coordination of the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) in the University. The Unit accomplishes this through the placement of students who are in their penultimate year in the relevant industrial environments for on-the-job training for a minimum of six months. In collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund, the Unit monitors and controls the industrial training programme through the use of industry and institution-based Supervisors. Students, at the end of the training programme, do present reports on their practical experiences at a departmental interactive forum where faculty members jointly access individual student’s performance on the programme as is required by the SIWES curriculum. Currently, six hundred students drawn from seven colleges are participated in the 2009 SIWES programme in various industries and establishments in the country. Students in B. engr degree courses carried out their industrial trainings in various industries along with students from other SIWES – approved institutions. This is done in order not to compromise our national mandate of turning out practically sound mechanical engineering graduates that will eventually assist the country in meeting the demand for sound man power in our various energy sectors. 1. 1 DELTA STEEL COMPANY, OVWIAN ALADJA. BRIEF INTRODUCTION The steel plant at Ovwian/Aladja (Delta Steel Company Ltd), was commissioned in 1982 and produced steel from imported iron ore and local steel scrap. It has a capacity of 1. 08 metric tones annually. DSC comprises of four major plants: * pellet plant * Direct reduction plant * Steel melting section and * Rolling mill The company also comprises of other auxiliary departments such as: – Heavy duty/internal transports department -Instrumentation and control department -Fire and safety department -Environmental control department -Central electrical maintenance department Central mechanical department and so on. I particularly worked in the heavy duty workshop/ internal transport department. The heavy duty workshop(HDW) dates as far back as Delta Steel Company itself. The heavy duty department is responsible for the up keep of both heavy duty and light vehicles, as well as maintenance of the various power plants the company depends on for its immense power suppl y. All vehicle damage is reported to this section for repair, also regular maintenance is carried out on the vehicles to make sure they are in good working condition. . 1. 2ORGANIZATIONAL SETUP The organizational set-up is shown below: [pic] [pic] HEAVY DUTY/ INTERNAL TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT. The heavy duty workshop focuses on repair and maintenance of vehicles (both light and heavy vehicles); they particularly specialize in repair of the companies vehicles. The workshop is divided into sections; the over-hauling section, the auto-electrical section, the vulcanizing section, the welding/fabrication section, the preventive maintenance section. When a vehicle is brought into the workshop, the supervisors take down all complaints before sending the vehicle to the particular section where the repair will be carried. The Heavy duty Department organ gram is shown below: [pic] CHAPTER TWO 2. DETAILS OF INDUSTRIAL TRAINING. EXPERIENCE GAINED: At DELTA STEEL COMPANY PLC, i participated in motor vehicle repair and maintenance, although I was made to go through almost all the sections in the heavy duty/ internal transport department. I had the opportunity to be exposed to diesel engines, petrol engines, pneumatic systems. All systems discussed below cover the works i carried out in this organization. 2. 1 Ignition Systems: The purpose of the ignition system is to create a spark that will ignite the fuel-air mixture in the cylinder of an engine. It must do this at exactly the right instant and do it at the rate of up to several thousand times per minute for each cylinder in the engine. Currently, there are three distinct types of ignition systems,   The Mechanical Ignition System, The Electronic Ignition System and  Finally, the Distributorless Ignition System. The distributor is the nerve center of the mechanical ignition system and has two tasks to perform. First, it is responsible for triggering the ignition coil to generate a spark at the precise instant that it is required (which varies depending how fast the engine is turning and how much load it is under). Second, the distributor is responsible for directing that spark to the proper cylinder (which is why it is called a distributor) The ignition switch. There are two separate circuits that go from the ignition switch to the coil. One circuit runs through a resistor in order to step down the voltage about 15% in order to protect the points from premature wear. The other circuit sends full battery voltage to the coil. The only time this circuit is used is during cranking. Since the starter draws a considerable amount of current to crank the engine, additional voltage is needed to power the coil. So when the key is turned to the spring-loaded start position, full battery voltage is used. As soon as the engine is running, the driver releases the key to the run position which directs current through the primary resistor to the coil. On some vehicles, the primary resistor is mounted on the firewall and is easy to replace if it fails. Ignition Coil The ignition coil is the heart of the ignition system. As current flows through the coil a strong magnetic field is built up. When the current is shut off, the collapse of this magnetic field to the secondary windings induces a high voltage which is released through the large center terminal. This voltage is then directed to the spark plugs through the distributor. Ignition Timing The timing is set by loosening a hold-down screw and rotating the body of the distributor. Since the spark is triggered at the exact instant that the points begin to open, rotating the distributor body (which the points are mounted on) will change the relationship between the position of the points and the position of the distributor cam, which is on the shaft that is geared to the engine rotation. Ignition Wires These cables are designed to handle 20,000 to more than 50,000 volts. The job of the spark plug wires is to get that enormous power to the spark plug without leaking out. Spark plug wires go from the distributor cap to the spark plugs in a very specific order. This is called the â€Å"firing order† and is part of the engine design. Each spark plug must only fire at the end of the compression stroke. Each cylinder has a compression stroke at a different time, so it is important for the individual spark plug wire to be routed to the correct cylinder. For instance, a popular V8 engine firing order is 1, 8, 4, 3, 6, 5, 7, 2. The cylinders are numbered from the front to the rear with cylinder #1 on the front-left of the engine. So the cylinders on the left side of the engine are numbered 1, 3, 5, 7 while the right side are numbered 2, 4, 6, 8. On some engines, the right bank is 1, 2, 3, 4 while the left bank is 5, 6, 7, 8. A repair manual will tell you the correct firing order and cylinder layout for a particular engine. The next thing we need to know is what direction the distributor is rotating in, clockwise or counter-clockwise, and which terminal on the distributor cap that #1 cylinder is located. Once we have this information, we can begin routing the spark plug wires. If the wires are installed incorrectly, the engine may backfire, or at the very least, not run on all cylinders. It is very important that the wires are installed correctly. Spark Plugs The ignition system's sole reason for being is to service the spark plug. It must provide sufficient voltage to jump the gap at the tip of the spark plug and do it at the exact right time, reliably on the order of thousands of times per minute for each spark plug in the engine. The modern spark plug is designed to last many thousands of miles before it requires replacement. These electrical wonders come in many configurations and heat ranges to work properly in a given engine. The heat range of a spark plug dictates whether it will be hot enough to burn off any residue that collects on the tip, but not so hot that it will cause pre-ignition in the engine. Pre-ignition is caused when a spark plug is so hot, that it begins to glow and ignite the fuel-air mixture prematurely, before the spark. Most spark plugs contain a resistor to suppress radio interference. The gap on a spark plug is also important and must be set before the spark plug is installed in the engine. If the gap is too wide, there may not be enough voltage to jump the gap, causing a misfire. If the gap is too small, the spark may be inadequate to ignite a lean fuel-air mixture, also causing a misfire. The Electronic Ignition System (from 1970's to today) In the electronic ignition system, the points and condenser were replaced by electronics. On these systems, there were several methods used to replace the points and condenser in order to trigger the coil to fire. One method used a metal wheel with teeth, usually one for each cylinder. This is called an armature or reluctor. A magnetic pickup coil senses when a tooth passes and sends a signal to the control module to fire the coil. Other systems used an electric eye with a shutter wheel to send a signal to the electronics that it was time to trigger the coil to fire. These systems still need to have the initial timing adjusted by rotating the distributor housing. The advantage of this system, aside from the fact that it is maintenance free, is that the control module can handle much higher primary voltage than the mechanical points. Voltage can even be stepped up before sending it to the coil, so the coil can create a much hotter spark, on the order of 50,000 volts instead of 20,000 volts that is common with the mechanical systems. These systems only have a single wire from the ignition switch to the coil since a primary resistor is no longer needed. On some vehicles, this control module was mounted inside the distributor where the points used to be mounted. On other designs, the control module was mounted outside the distributor with external wiring to connect it to the pickup coil. On many General Motors engines, the control module was inside the distributor and the coil was mounted on top of the distributor for a one piece unitized ignition system. GM called it High Energy Ignition or HEI for short. The higher voltage that these systems provided allow the use of a much wider gap on the spark plugs for a longer, fatter spark. This larger spark also allowed a leaner mixture for better fuel economy and still insure a smooth running engine. The early electronic systems had limited or no computing power, so timing still had to be set manually and there was still a centrifugal and vacuum advance built into the distributor. On some of the later systems, the inside of the distributor is empty and all triggering is performed by a sensor that watches a notched wheel connected to either the crankshaft or the camshaft. These devices are called Crankshaft Position Sensor or Camshaft Position Sensor. In these systems, the job of the distributor is solely to distribute the spark to the correct cylinder through the distributor cap and rotor. The computer handles the timing and any timing advance necessary for the smooth running of the engine. The Distributorless Ignition system (from 1980's to today) Newer automobiles have evolved from a mechanical system (distributor) to a completely solid state electronic system with no moving parts. These systems are completely controlled by the on-board computer. In place of the distributor, there are multiple coils that each serve one or two spark plugs. A typical 6 cylinder engine has 3 coils that are mounted together in a coil â€Å"pack†. A spark plug wire comes out of each side of the individual coil and goes to the appropriate spark plug. The coil fires both spark plugs at the same time. One spark plug fires on the compression stroke igniting the fuel-air mixture to produce power, while the other spark plug fires on the exhaust stroke and does nothing. On some vehicles, there is an individual coil for each cylinder mounted directly on top of the spark plug. This design completely eliminates the high tension spark plug wires for even better reliability. Most of these systems use spark plugs that are designed to last over 100,000 miles, which cuts down on maintenance costs. 2. 2 TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS The transmission is a device that is connected to the back of the engine and sends the power from the engine to the drive wheels. An automobile engine runs at its best at a certain RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) range and it is the transmission's job to make sure that the power is delivered to the wheels while keeping the engine within that range. Transmission Components : The modern automatic transmission consists of many components and systems that are designed to work together in a symphony of clever mechanical, hydraulic and electrical technology that has evolved over the years into what many mechanically inclined individuals consider to be an art form. The main components that make up an automatic transmission include: †¢Planetary Gear Sets which are the mechanical systems that provide the various forward gear ratios as well as reverse. The Hydraulic System which uses a special transmission fluid sent under pressure by an Oil Pump through the Valve Body to control the Clutches and the Bands in order to control the planetary gear sets. †¢Seals and Gaskets are used to keep the oil where it is supposed to be and prevent it from leaking out. †¢The Torque Converter which acts like a clutch to allow the vehicle to come to a stop in gear while the engine is still running. †¢The Governor and the Modulator or T hrottle Cable that monitor speed and throttle position in order to determine when to shift. On newer vehicles, shift points are controlled by Computer which directs electrical solenoids to shift oil flow to the appropriate component at the right instant. 2. 3 The Cooling System: The cooling system is made up of the passages inside the engine block and heads, a   water pump to circulate the coolant, a thermostat to control the temperature of the coolant, a radiator to cool the coolant, a radiator cap to control the pressure in the system, and some plumbing consisting of interconnecting hoses to transfer the coolant from the engine to the radiator. A cooling system works by sending a liquid coolant through passages in the engine block and heads. As the coolant flows through these passages, it picks up heat from the engine. The heated fluid then makes its way through a rubber hose to the radiator in the front of the car. As it flows through the thin tubes in the radiator, the hot liquid is cooled by the air stream entering the engine compartment from the grill in front of the car. Once the fluid is cooled, it returns to the engine to absorb more heat. The water pump has the job of keeping the fluid moving through this system of plumbing and hidden passages. pic] A thermostat is placed between the engine and the radiator to make sure that the coolant stays above a certain preset temperature. If the coolant temperature falls below this temperature, the thermostat blocks the coolant flow to the radiator, forcing the fluid instead through a bypass directly back to the engine. The coolant will continue to circulate like this until it reaches the design temperature, at which point, the thermostat will open a valve and allow the coolant back through the radiator. In order to prevent the coolant from boiling, the cooling system is designed to be pressurized. Under pressure, the boiling point of the coolant is raised considerably. However, too much pressure will cause hoses and other parts to burst, so a system is needed to relieve pressure if it exceeds a certain point. The job of maintaining the pressure in the cooling system belongs to the radiator cap. The cap is designed to release pressure if it reaches the specified upper limit that the system was designed to handle. Prior to the '70s, the cap would release this extra pressure to the pavement. Since then, a system was added to capture any released fluid and store it temporarily in a reserve tank. This fluid would then return to the cooling system after the engine cooled down. This is what is called a closed cooling system. Circulation The coolant follows a path that takes it from the water pump, through passages inside the engine block where it collects the heat produced by the cylinders. It then flows up to the cylinder head (or heads in a V type engine) where it collects more heat from the combustion chambers. It then flows out past the thermostat (if the thermostat is opened to allow the fluid to pass), through the upper radiator hose and into the radiator. The coolant flows through the thin flattened tubes that make up the core of the radiator and is cooled by the air flow through the radiator. From there, it flows out of the radiator, through the lower radiator hose and back to the water pump. By this time, the coolant is cooled off and ready to collect more heat from the engine. The Components of a Cooling System †¢ The Radiator †¢ Radiator Cooling Fans †¢ Pressure Cap & Reserve Tank †¢ Water Pump †¢ Thermostat †¢ Bypass System †¢ Head Gaskets & Intake Manifold Gaskets †¢ Hoses The Radiator The radiator core is usually made of flattened aluminum tubes with aluminum strips that zigzag between the tubes. These fins transfer the heat in the tubes into the air stream to be carried away from the vehicle. On each end of the radiator core is a tank, usually made of plastic that covers the ends of the radiator, Radiator Fans Mounted on the back of the radiator on the side closest to the engine is one or two electric fans inside a housing that is designed to protect fingers and to direct the air flow. These fans are there to keep the air flow going through the radiator while the vehicle is going slow or is stopped with the engine running. Water Pump: The water pump is made up of a housing, usually made of cast iron or cast aluminum and an impeller mounted on a spinning shaft with a pulley attached to the shaft on the outside of the pump body. A seal keeps fluid from leaking out of the pump housing past the spinning shaft. The impeller uses centrifugal force to draw the coolant in from the lower radiator hose and send it under pressure into the engine block. There is a gasket to seal the water pump to the engine block and prevent the flowing coolant from leaking out where the pump is attached to the block.. Thermostat The thermostat is simply a valve that measures the temperature of the coolant and, if it is hot enough, opens to allow the coolant to flow through the radiator. If the coolant is not hot enough, the flow to the radiator is blocked and fluid is directed to a bypass system that allows the coolant to return directly back to the engine. The heart of a thermostat is a sealed copper cup that contains wax and a metal pellet. As the thermostat heats up, the hot wax expands, pushing a piston against spring pressure to open the valve and allow coolant to circulate. Bypass System This is a passage that allows the coolant to bypass the radiator and return directly back to the engine. Some engines use a rubber hose, or a fixed steel tube. In other engines, there is a cast in passage built into the water pump or front housing. Head Gaskets and Intake Manifold Gaskets All internal combustion engines have an engine block and one or two cylinder heads. The mating surfaces where the block and head meet are machined flat or a close, precision fit, but no amount of careful machining will allow them to be completely water tight or be able to hold back combustion gases from escaping past the mating surfaces. In order to seal the block to the heads, we use a head gasket. The head gasket has several things it needs to seal against. The main thing is the combustion pressure on each cylinder. Oil and coolant must easily fl ow between block and head and it is the job of the head gasket to keep these fluids from leaking out or into the combustion chamber, or each other for that matter. A typical head gasket is usually made of soft sheet metal that is stamped with ridges that surround all leak points. When the head is placed on the block, the head gasket is sandwiched between them. Many bolts, called head bolts are screwed in and tightened down causing the head gasket to crush and form a tight seal between the block and head. Head gaskets usually fail if the engine overheats for a sustained period of time causing the cylinder head to warp and release pressure on the head gasket. This is most common on engines with cast aluminum heads, which are now on just about all modern engines. Hoses There are several rubber hoses that make up the plumbing to connect the components of the cooling system. These hoses are designed to withstand the pressure inside the cooling system. Because of this, they are subject to wear and tear and eventually may require replacing as part of routine maintenance. If the rubber is beginning to look dry and cracked, or becomes soft and spongy, or you notice some ballooning at the ends, it is time to replace them. The main radiator hoses are usually molded to a shape that is designed to rout the hose around obstacles without kinking. 2. 4 ENGINES (INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES) PETROL ENGINES: Internal combustion gasoline engines run on a mixture of gasoline and air. The ideal mixture is 14. 7 parts of air to one part of gasoline (by weight. ) Since gas weighs much more than air, we are talking about a whole lot of air and a tiny bit of gas. One part of gas that is completely vaporized into 14. 7 parts of air can produce tremendous power when ignited inside an engine. Air enters the engine through the air cleaner and proceeds to the throttle plate. You control the amount of air that passes through the throttle plate and into the engine with the gas pedal. It is then distributed through a series of passages called the intake manifold, to each cylinder. At some point after the air cleaner, depending on the engine, fuel is added to the air-stream by either a fuel injection system or, in older vehicles, by the carburetor. Once the fuel is vaporized into the air stream, the mixture is drawn into each cylinder as that cylinder begins its intake stroke. When the piston reaches the bottom of the cylinder, the intake valve closes and the piston begins moving up in the cylinder compressing the charge. When the piston reaches the top, the spark plug ignites the fuel-air mixture causing a powerful expansion of the gas, which pushes the piston back down with great force against the crankshaft. Engine Types The majority of engines in motor vehicles today are four-stroke, spark-ignition internal combustion engines. The exceptions like the diesel and rotary engines will not be covered in this article. There are several engine types which are identified by the number of cylinders and the way the cylinders are laid out. Motor vehicles will have from 3 to 12 cylinders which are arranged in the engine block in several configurations. The most popular of them are shown on the left. In-line engines have their cylinders arranged in a row. 3, 4, 5 and 6 cylinder engines commonly use this arrangement. The â€Å"V† arrangement uses two banks of cylinders side-by-side and is commonly used in V-6, V-8, V-10 and V-12 configurations. Flat engines use two opposing banks of cylinders and are less common than the other two designs. They are used in engines from Subaru and Porsche in 4 and 6 cylinder arrangements as well as in the old VW beetles with 4 cylinders. Flat engines are also used in some Ferraris with 12 cylinders Most engine blocks are made of cast iron or cast aluminum.. Each cylinder contains a piston that travels up and down inside the cylinder bore. All the pistons in the engine are connected through individual connecting rods to a common crankshaft. The crankshaft is located below the cylinders on an in-line engine, at the base of the V on a V-type engine and between the cylinder banks on a flat engine. As the pistons move up and down, they turn the crankshaft just like a bicycle riders legs will pump up and down to turn the crank that is connected to the pedals of a bicycle. A cylinder head is bolted to the top of each bank of cylinders to seal the individual cylinders and contain the combustion process that takes place inside the cylinder. Most cylinder heads are made of cast aluminum or cast iron. The cylinder head contains at least one intake valve and one exhaust valve for each cylinder. This allows the air-fuel mixture to enter the cylinder and the burned exhaust gas to exit the cylinder. Engines have at least two valves per cylinder, one intake valve and one exhaust valve. Many newer engines are using multiple intake and exhaust valves per cylinder for increased engine power and efficiency. These engines are sometimes named for the number of valves that they have such as â€Å"24 Valve V6† which indicates a V-6 engine with four valves per cylinder. Modern engine designs can use anywhere from 2 to 5 valves per cylinder. The valves are opened and closed by means of a camshaft. A camshaft is a rotating shaft that has individual lobes for each valve. The lobe is a â€Å"bump† on one side of the shaft that pushes against a valve lifter moving it up and down. When the lobe pushes against the lifter, the lifter in turn pushes the valve open. When the lobe rotates away from the lifter, the valve is closed by a spring that is attached to the valve. A common configuration is to have one camshaft located in the engine block with the lifters connecting to the valves through a series of linkages. The camshaft must be synchronized with the crankshaft so that the camshaft makes one revolution for every two revolutions of the crankshaft. In most engines, this is done by a â€Å"Timing Chain† (similar to a bicycle chain) that connects the camshaft with the crankshaft. Newer engines have the camshaft located in the cylinder head directly over the valves. This design is more efficient but it is more costly to manufacture and requires multiple camshafts on Flat and V-type engines. It also requires much longer timing chains or timing belts which are prone to wear. Some engines have two camshafts on each head, one for the intake valves and one for the exhaust valves. These engines are called Double Overhead Camshaft (D. O. H. C. Engines while the other type is called Single Overhead Camshaft (S. O. H. C. ) Engines. Engines with the camshaft in the block are called Overhead Valve (O. H. V) Engines. How an Engine Works The four strokes are Intake, Compression, Power and Exhaust. The piston travels down on the Intake stroke, up on the Compression stroke, down on the Power stroke and up on the Exhaust stroke. †¢Int ake As the piston starts down on the Intake stroke, the intake valve opens and the fuel-air mixture is drawn into the cylinder (similar to drawing back the plunger on a hypodermic needle to allow fluid to be drawn into the chamber. When the piston reaches the bottom of the intake stroke, the intake valve closes, trapping the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder. †¢Compression The piston moves up and compresses the trapped air fuel mixture that was brought in by the intake stroke. The amount that the mixture is compressed is determined by the compression ratio of the engine. The compression ratio on the average engine is in the range of 8:1 to 10:1. This means that when the piston reaches the top of the cylinder, the air-fuel mixture is squeezed to about one tenth of its original volume. †¢Power The spark plug fires, igniting the compressed air-fuel mixture which produces a powerful expansion of the vapor. The combustion process pushes the piston down the cylinder with great force turning the crankshaft to provide the power to propel the vehicle. Each piston fires at a different time, determined by the engine firing order. By the time the crankshaft completes two revolutions, each cylinder in the engine will have gone through one power stroke. †¢Exhaust With the piston at the bottom of the cylinder, the exhaust valve opens to allow the burned exhaust gas to be expelled to the exhaust system. Since the cylinder contains so much pressure, when the valve opens, the gas is expelled with a violent force (that is why a vehicle without a muffler sounds so loud. ) The piston travels up to the top of the cylinder pushing all the exhaust out before closing the exhaust valve in preparation for starting the four stroke process over again. Oiling System Oil is the life-blood of the engine. Oil is pumped under pressure to all the moving parts of the engine by an oil pump. The oil pump is mounted at the bottom of the engine in the oil pan and is connected by a gear to either the crankshaft or the camshaft. This way, when the engine is turning, the oil pump is pumping. Engine Balance The Flywheel for a four cylinder engine produces a power stroke every half crankshaft revolution, an eight cylinder, every quarter revolution. This means that a V8 will be smother running than a four cylinder engine. To keep the combustion pulses from generating a vibration, a flywheel is attached to the back of the crankshaft. The flywheel is a disk that is about 12 to 15 inches in diameter. On a standard transmission car, the flywheel is a heavy iron disk that doubles as part of the clutch system. The flywheel uses inertia to smooth out the normal engine pulses. DIESEL ENGINES[pic] A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber during the final stage of compression. This is in contrast to a petrol engine (known as a gasoline engine in North America) or gas engine (using a gaseous fuel, not gasoline), which uses the Otto cycle, in which an air-fuel mixture is ignited by a spark plug. The diesel cycle was invented by German engineer Rudolf Diesel and it has the highest thermal efficiency of any regular internal or external combustion engine due to its very high compression ratio. Low-speed diesel engines (as used in ships and other applications where overall engine weight is relatively unimportant) often have a thermal efficiency which exceeds 50 percent. Diesel engines are manufactured in two stroke and four stroke versions. They were originally used as a more efficient replacement for stationary steam engines. The diesel internal combustion engine differs from the gasoline powered Otto cycle by using highly compressed, hot air to ignite the fuel rather than using a spark plug (compression ignition rather than spark ignition). In the true diesel engine, only air is initially introduced into the combustion chamber. The air is then compressed with a compression ratio typically between 15 and 22 resulting into a 40-bar (4. 0  MPa; 580  psi) pressure compared to 8 to 14 bars (0. 80 to 1. 4  MPa) (about 200 psi) in the petrol engine. This high compression heats the air to 550  Ã‚ °C (1,022  Ã‚ °F). At about this moment, fuel is injected directly into the compressed air in the combustion chamber. This may be into a (typically toroidal) void in the top of the piston or a pre-chamber depending upon the design of the engine. The fuel injector ensures that the fuel is broken down into small droplets, and that the fuel is distributed evenly. The heat of the compressed air vaporizes fuel from the surface of the droplets. The vapour is then ignited by the heat from the compressed air in the combustion chamber, the droplets continue to vaporise from their surfaces and burn, getting smaller, until all the fuel in the droplets has been burnt. The start of vaporisation causes a delay period during ignition, and the characteristic diesel knocking sound as the vapor reaches ignition temperature and causes an abrupt increase in pressure above the piston. The rapid expansion of combustion gases then drives the piston downward, supplying power to the crankshaft. Major advantages Diesel engines have several advantages over other internal combustion engines: †¢ They burn less fuel than a petrol engine performing the same work, due to the engine's higher temperature of combustion and greater expansion ratio. Gasoline engines are typically 25 percent efficient while diesel engines can convert over 30 percent of the fuel energy into mechanical energy. †¢ They have no high-tension electrical ignition system to attend to, resulting in high reliability and easy adaptation to damp environments. The absence of coils, spark plug wires, etc. , also eliminates a source of radio frequency emissions which can interfere with navigation and communication equipment, which is especially important in marine and aircraft applications. †¢ They can deliver much more of their rated power on a continuous basis than a petrol engine. †¢ The life of a diesel engine is generally about twice as long as that of a petrol engine due to the increased strength of parts used, also because diesel fuel has better lubrication properties than petrol. †¢ Diesel fuel is considered safer than petrol in many applications. Although diesel fuel will burn in open air using a wick, it will not explode and does not release a large amount of flammable vapor. The low vapor pressure of diesel is especially advantageous in marine applications, where the accumulation of explosive fuel-air mixtures is a particular hazard. For the same reason, diesel engines are immune to vapor locking. †¢ For any given partial load the fuel efficiency (mass burned per energy produced) of a diesel engine remains nearly constant, as opposed to petrol and turbine engines which use proportionally more fuel with partial power outputs. They generate less waste heat in cooling and exhaust. As with petrol engines, there are two classes of diesel engines in current use: two-stroke and four-stroke. The four-stroke type is the â€Å"classic† version, tracing its lineage back to Rudolf Diesel's prototype. It is also the most commonly used form, being the preferred power source for many motor vehicles, especially buses and trucks . Much larger engines, such as used for railroad locomotion and marine propulsion, are often two-stroke units, offering a more favourable power-to-weight ratio, as well as better fuel economy. The most powerful engines in the world are two-stroke diesels of mammoth dimensions. Two-stroke diesel operation is similar to that of petrol counterparts, except that fuel is not mixed with air before induction, and the crankcase does not take an active role in the cycle. Normally, the number of cylinders are used in multiples of two, although any number of cylinders can be used as long as the load on the crankshaft is counterbalanced to prevent excessive vibration. The inline-six cylinder design is the most prolific in light to medium-duty engines, though small V8 and larger inline-four displacement engines are also common. Five cylinder diesel engines have also been produced, being a compromise between the smooth running of the six cylinder and the space-efficient dimensions of the four cylinder. CHAPTER THREE 3. 0 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED Below are some of the problems I encountered in the course of my industrial attachment: – initial difficulty in carrying out certain laborious jobs, such as tightening/ loosening of nuts and bolts – lack of technical know how on what to do without close supervision, during the first few weeks of attachment. Restricted relations with staffs, during my first few weeks of attachment, due to unfamiliarity – . initial difficulty in fitting into the workshops practices, and – Initial difficulty in navigating the workshop. 3. 1 CONCLUSION/ RECOMMENDATION Haven fully participated in the Students’ Industrial Work Experience scheme(SIWES) programme, which allowed me to experience and practice first hand, the practical aspects of my chosen field o f study; I wish to make the following recommendations; 1. That the authorities’ in-charge should ensure better welfare for students carrying out the SIWES programme. 2. The Industrial Training Fund officials and university based supervisors should be encouraged to pay more visits to thier students on attachment, so as to cut down cases of students refusing to participate in the training. 3. The various companies students are attached to should ensure better welfare for students attached to their various organizations. 4. The safety of students in the SIWES programme should be uppermost in the minds of managers in the various companies students in this programme are attached. Hence safety gadgets/wears/equipments should be provided for students at places of attachment as this would reduce the risk of accidents. 5. The organizations should ensure that the students attached to their respective firms are properly motivated. 3. 2 REFERENCE – TECHNICAL KNOW HOW: A MANUAL FOR DELTA STEEL COMPANY TRANEES(1989) – WIKIPEDIA – APPLIED THERMODYNAMICS, BY MACKONKEY. (1990) ———————– Figure 1: Organizational Set-up for delta steel company Nigeria Limited Monitoring Unit Rolling mill Board of Directors General Manager Audit Unit Legal Services/Company Secretary Assistant General Manager Purchasing Statistics/Planning S. M. S Administrative/Finance Pellet plant Supporting Staff Preventive maitainance Over hauling workshop Welding/Fabrication vulcanizing Billing Cashier Packing Officer Accountant Cashier I Managing Director Workshop Supervisor Admin. Manager Purchasing/Supply Security Stores Secretary Supply Stores Officer Clerks Auto electrical Figure 3: Organ gram for the heavy duty department.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

How to Build a Professional Portfolio Essay

Professional Portfolio -Copies of all certificates and degrees -Copies of your resumes -Course Completion transcripts or certificates -Evidence of a Clinical Practicum -Awards and Recognition Developing your professional portfolio isn’t an easy task, but once its complete you can update it periodically and relatively easily. The portfolio will allow you to be organized when you start to complete applications. You can develop an online portfolio but you should probably start it using a 3 ring binder in effort to keep all of your copies. What Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors Do Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors advise people who suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, or other behavioral problems. They provide treatment and support to help the client recover from addiction or modify problem behaviors. Work Environment Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors work in a wide variety of settings, such as mental health centers, community health centers, prisons, and private practice. Most work full time. How to Become a Substance Abuse or Behavioral Disorder Counselor Educational requirements range from a high school diploma to a master’s degree, depending on the setting, type of work, state regulations, and level of responsibility. Pay The median annual wage for substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors was $38,520 in May 2012. Job Outlook Employment of substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors is projected  to grow 31 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations. Growth is expected as addiction and mental health counseling services are increasingly covered by insurance policies. Similar Occupations Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors with similar occupations. More Information, Including Links to O*NET Learn more about substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Assessing the Quality of Education in the Philippines

The goal of this Article is to ensure that quality education will be vailable to Filipinos from all walks of life in four corners of our country. Why powers and functions of and Dep- Ed does the 3 education bodies put into action their duties and powers for delivering of quality education and holistic development of Filipino students and graduates? Dep-Ed, CHED and TESDA are working hand in hand independently from each other. These three education bodies report directly to the Office of the President. Like what was mentioned above, the three sectors are all mandated to ensure the quality of education in their own respective level. The separation of 3 bodies ensures that there would be the necessary attention, priorities and resources for all levels. Each sector also ensures the readiness of a student to the next level. For example, Dep-Ed needs to make sure that the graduating elementary students are all ready and prepared to handle the programs and curriculum of high school level until they finish high schools. A student who finished high school should be ready to the tasks and programs in college either a bachelor degree or vocational courses. Given that these three educational bodies work accordingly and will be given the mandated resources nd budget, the quality of education in the Philippines would soon be competitive and be affordable to every Filipino child. The education plan on the reform to be initiated by the new president of the Philippines. length of education to global standard which was from 10 years to 12 years. I have two stands on this initiative. First, the idea of aligning the length of education to the global standard would be an effective way of ensuring that our grade school and high school students have the enough time to get the necessary quality of education Time as evolved so fast and it has been said that the only constant in world is change. It could be Just appropriate to align our education duration to global standard to ensure our students would be able to cope with the rapid- changing society. On the other hand, this initiative would only be effective to private schools whose students are fewer than the students in public schools. Also, I do not agree with this initiative as I do not see any problem with the length of education in the Philippines even if it doesnt really follow the global standard. I believed that it is not the length of basic ducation that we need to focus on. Philippines was able to make good and topped student that has excel in many filel and in many countries with the education we have. What we need to focus on are the numbers of classrooms and facilities in public school, strengthening the research for all levels and increasing the numbers of public teachers. We need to focus on the materials and resources we are to give to our education sector and strengthen the existing policy for us all to be effective. Give your stand regarding the criticism on sex education by the Dep- Ed and church? Sex education has been one of the 3 most controversial topic across all corners in the Philippines. For the longest time, sex education has been the discrepancy of parents whether to discuss it with their children or not. I partially agree to the motion of sex education among our students. I guess it would be time for our students to end their curiosity. Sex, whether we like it or not, is a subject we all need to discuss with our kids. We got no choice but to discuss sex with them since this is something that has been abused by many young people. Sex has been abused and has been done because young people were not disciplined and educated to them. It is said in the bible that sex is a gift from God and should only be done by a married couple. It is also said in the bible that God asked us to promulgate. However, it is also mentioned in the bible that once we have promulgate across all over the world then it we need to take the measures to control it. Young people, at the right time and at the right way, needs to be educated with sex. A good curriculum is needed to ensure good education regarding sex to our young people.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Homelessness Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Homelessness - Case Study Example This was the only nice item of clothing she had and she was glad that her sister had outgrown it fast. Other wise she would be cold in her now threadbare pullover, the only other thing that she could say was really hers that she was given many Christmases back by some stranger who found her crying on the junction of Elm and Mel Street. Last week, that boy Curtis in her class had made fun of her look, again! He said it was jaded and unkempt. Well, he didn't know the half of it. At least she was able to shower today. She couldn't remember the last time she had a decent shower. She just used a wash cloth to wipe herself in the school bathroom so that she would at least not smell like the old torn upholstery that she always slept on. Her hair was clean today too. Normally, it was all oily and tangled. No wonder she had such few friends. Other girls at school were always clean, looking all prim and proper in their cute clothes compared to her. No wonder she couldn't get a boy to like her, she thought to herself quietly. Last night her mother was able to get them space at the Open shelter. She and her sister had been overjoyed. She got a hot bowl of soup and some steaming vegetables for supper and this morning, a mug of tea. But she thought the best part of all was that she got a bed all to herself that she did not have to share with either her mother or her sister. She had slept soundly for the first time in many weeks not worried about the cold or the mean looking strangers in the next carton house. She hadn't really eaten to her fill and she thought it hadn't been enough having had nothing to eat for two straight days. But it sure had tasted so good. She couldn't remember the last time she had anything hot, and clean, to eat. Most of the time she and her sister just rummaged through the bins outside restaurants. Two day old croissants weren't all that bad when washed down with some water. She then remembered that she might have to sleep in the carton house today and she frowned. Her mother might not be so lucky to get space in the Open shelter again today. It was by luck that she had managed to do so yesterday anyway. She would be sleeping hungry again today; there would be no hot bowl of soup like yesterday. Well, maybe not because something good just might happen. Like the Salvation Army would come by handing out packed food like they sometimes do. She thought about Curtis again and promised herself that one of these fine days she would punch him squarely on the jaw. She smiled at the thought of him just squirming. Soon, she started picking the small balls of lint from her frock, and for that moment she completely forgot about Curtis. Someday she would have all the nicest frocks and in different colors too. Pink was her favorite color. It was early morning and a lady going for her morning jog stopped by the bench to stretch for a bit. As she did so she took out one of those delicious looking power candy bars. As she watched the woman strip the cover off the bar, Sue could already feel the far off rumble in her stomach. The mug of tea she took in the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Discuss Love and Passion in relation to either Contemporary Art Assignment

Discuss Love and Passion in relation to either Contemporary Art - Assignment Example The essay "Discuss Love and Passion in relation to either Contemporary Art" explores the Contemporary Art and its connection with Love and Passion. Passion is best described as the rendezvous of the body and the soul. The place where the body’s activity is amalgamated with the soul’s passivity all in intertwine and imposing upon each other. The different make-up of the body allows for the disposition of the passion that exists and gives necessary motion into action. Passion diffuses the spirits which ultimately leads to the realization of passion. When this object of passion becomes the pivotal point then it charges for the union of the senses. Foucault relates on how passion can lead to madness as it at certain degrees transcend beyond a simple cause but through its dominance becomes the foundation of its possibility. These ‘diseases,’ like madness, can then be deemed as an illness of both the soul and the corporeal. In the moralist tradition, madness is d efined in correlation to consternated passion. This chase for the gratification of passions can lead to transient lunacy. Previous thoughts directly associated madness with the notion of passion and desire and its fulfillment. If this is true, then it must mean that when love leads to insanity then that is the ultimate consummation of this fusion gone awry. This manifestation of lurid emotions can often be seen in many artists’ works. The fury and passion of relentless and point blank overbearing love is a subject that is not too uncommon.

International Business Management UNIT4DB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Business Management UNIT4DB - Essay Example If companies like Boeing and Volkswagen would go along with China's terms it brings benefits for both China and international companies. Globalization of trade opens new opportunities for MNEs to compete on the global market. In this case, the international organization must be responsive to change through people employed by it and new environment it operates. Without cooperation and information interchange, many foreign companies will fail to perform successfully in China. On the other hand, International Business Studies and International Human Resource Management are the main fields of research which make information available for a wide target audience. Contemporary developments in the field of IHRM suggest that if Chinese companies learn modern management skills from non-Chinese companies and acquire technology it create great opportunities for both parties and help them to overcome national differences and cultural diversity. The main problem is that modern management skills is truly international and used by many companies around the world. On the one hand, contemporary developments in the field of IHRM "incor porate the broader contextual reality" (Schuler et al 2002:.43).

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Moral and National Education Controversy in Hong Kong Essay

The Moral and National Education Controversy in Hong Kong - Essay Example Hong Kong is a like a second home for most of the people of China. Irrespective of the fact that China is growing and is open up to the rest of the world, it still faces a restrictive enough present and an uncertain future. This makes them chose to give birth outside of China. Apart from this, some people give birth to their children outside of China to avoid the one child policy. Others do it to reap the benefits of the country the child is born into. This might include, the right to education, freedom to travel, good social services, etc (Birth rights battle: China vs. Hong Kong 2012). This has lead to the plans to adopt Chinese civic education into the Hong Kong public school curriculum. This has created huge sparks of protests among the residents of Hong Kong. They believed that the young minds were being brainwashed’ by the pro-mainland (China) propaganda (National education raises furor in Hong Kong 2012). A ‘Moral and National Education’ subject was introdu ced against which 90,000 people protested on the streets. The controversy inflamed after the government’s National Education Services Centre distributed a booklet to the schools. This booklet was entitled ‘The China Model’. Provocative statements such as China are ruling party is progressive, selfless and united. Events which are integral in China’s history have not been mentioned. ... The idea behind national education is to supplement the original moral education curriculum with that of the national education. Some of the teaching course material that was made public depicted patriotic education being carried out inside China by the Communist Party for years. They argue that the framework of nationalism is being used to address history and culture. People in favor of this subject (Chinese liaisons mainly) supported their stance by arguing that the same is being carried out in the West. The ironic thing is that when it comes to politics, the people of China resolutely decline to follow any of the Western models. Moreover, they argue that in the West, national education is inseparable from their political systems, speech environments and concepts of human rights (China Media Project 2012). People of the National Education Services centre are optimistic about the subject being introduced. They argued that this one subject cannot brainwash the people of Hong Kong as they have access to a lot of information. Protestors argued that how there should be some flexibility regarding the implementation of National Education. Specific lessons to be taught in the classrooms can be chosen. Apart from this, national education can be incorporated as a broader theme. The government has adopted a very broad approach. They did not want to preclude any topic from the curriculum, whereas many critics wanted specific topics to be discussed and not all. Moreover, people believe that the government does not keep a track of what is being taught nor will they supervise anything. A pluralistic approach of teaching the same subject will be adopted. The government

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The Challenges of Cash Flow Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Challenges of Cash Flow - Assignment Example This will enable customers to mail payments and checks processed by the bank as quickly as possible. Companies should use one bank to centralize and easily manage their cash. Tightening credit requirements – It is a marketing strategy to extend credit to customers to increase sales. Businesses often have to extend credit to customers, particularly when starting out or growing. Businesses should also scrutinize individual customers to assess the risks related to selling to customers on credit. Additionally, companies should accept credit cards although it will attract a small percentage of interest (Linzer, 2006). Increasing sales – increased sales would defiantly increase cash inflow. In order to achieve this objective, a company should sell more goods to existing customers and get new customers through advertisement of products and services (Jones, 2008). Pricing discounts – discounts on accounts receivable motivate customers to pay early in order to claim the discount offered. This will definitely improve cash inflow. However, this will reduce the firm’s profit margin. A company may delay payments to the suppliers as a counteraction. This must be done with a lot of precaution so as not to affect the firm’s credit rating. Securing loans – bank overdraft or other short-term loans can also be used to solve short-term cash flow problems (Linzer, 2006). A long-term amortized loan is also another way to solve cash flow during financial difficulties but it should sum up principal and interest until the loan is finally settled. Set cash flow targets- proper cash flow projections will enable your firm to properly estimate and project the required cash flow. The use of cash flow analysis tools like use of cash budget and projected cash flow statement are also effective (Jones, 2008). Make payment by your customers as

Sunday, September 22, 2019

German history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

German history - Essay Example Scholars have argued that if the rivalry would have continued then the idea of the unification of Germany would have been impossible to achieve. If Austria continued to be in the union it would have been impossible for the unification of German to be a reality and therefore the only way to achieve unification was simply the elimination of Austria from the union through compulsion (Merkl 33). When Otto Von Bismarck came into power he believed in the inevitable unification of German with Prussia as its leader. Therefore he went ahead with his plan and drove out Austria from interfering with the affairs of German. The reason behind his advocating for the unification of German was because through it Prussia would have a greater influence and power. Therefore Bismarck essentially used political strategies that were backed up by s strong military support that enabled the unification of German (Leonhard and Funk 47). In the Italian case, things were different. By the late 1700’s the Italian peninsula had been conquered severally by the French and Austria and hence had no sovereign government. It was ruled by Austria something that Italians did not like and began rebellions culminating in the 1848 revolution where the pope was forced out. Later he asked for help from the catholic powers in Europe who came to his rescue driving Garibaldi out of Rome. A series of wars ensured, realignments occurred and revolts were a norm leading to the unification of Italy in 1871. Basically the unification of Italy was based on popular rebellions against foreign rule (Collier 40-55). QUESTION TWO The concept of imperialism arose from Britain’s abuse of power in territories outside Europe as the country believed in consolidation and expansion of its empire. During the 19th century scholars began to view imperialism as the use of state power on foreign countries for the economic benefit of the home country. It should be noted that the idea behind expansion of empires is nat ionalistic. Imperialism can be seen to be highly related to economic growth as during this time most European powers had colonies in Africa that they used to enrich themselves and therefore this can be seen as an aspect of nationalism because the expansion into foreign territories was for the sole gain of the nation (Hobson 10). Good examples can be traced in the 19th century with German among the leading countries in terms of economic development after charismatic leadership in Berlin who instilled into citizens a sense of national pride. Also the French are seen as one of the most patriotic nations at any one period because of imperialism save for Napoleons rule (Sherman and Salisbury 453). Imperialism as an act was began by the Portuguese people during the early 16th century. They began the concept in South America before expanding to Africa. The Portuguese were followed immediately by the Spanish who are seen to have made a real attempt in North America and gradually expanded to South America. During the 18th century the Portuguese stopped its continued financial support of colonies in Africa leaving France, Belgium, England and the Dutch to continue with concept (Krieger and Crahan 194). QUESTION THREE The World War II would not have happened had the remnants of the World War 1 been addressed. Just before the World War II many issues had not been resolved and therefore they built up and contributed to World War II. A good example is the Amritsar Massacre of 1919. This

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Wal-Marts Unethical Behavior Essay Example for Free

Wal-Marts Unethical Behavior Essay For the past few decades Wal-Mart has been criticized and accused for being involved with all sorts of unethical behavior. Many various groups of people have come after Wal-Mart protesting against their company’s policies and business practices. Labor, community, environmental, and religious groups are some of the most known types of groups that have tried to personally attack Wal-Mart for their lack of social responsibility. Just some of the many areas that have raised concern by people would be the corporation’s foreign product sourcing, environmental practices, the use of public subsidies, and the treatment of employees and product suppliers. Wal-Mart continues to deny any allegations of wrongdoings and unethical behavior (Fishman). Many stories have surfaced that would label Wal-Mart as being an unethical company. Some stories are big, some are small, and some are probably completely made up. However, there is a lot of evidence that shows how unethical Wal-Mart has been in many different types of circumstances. Prior to 2007 it was estimated that 87,000 Wal-Mart employees were cheated out of $34 million because the Wal-Mart executives failed to pay workers overtime. Some even admitted that they were trained by their superiors to not pay anyone overtime. This is a very immoral act because the workers are not getting paid what they deserve and this makes it harder for them to pay for their living expenses (Fishman). Wal-Mart has had over 100 lawsuits concerning wage and hour violations. They have been charged with not giving workers federally mandated breaks and lunches. They have also required workers to take their missed breaks or overtime before the Friday’s end of the pay period, which is an illegal act. Wal-Mart has been accused for not paying full-time benefits for workers who work 40 hours or more per week. In 2005 in the state of California, Wal-Mart was forced to pay $172 million in damages. There has been several cases of where Wal-Mart has had to pay many millions of dollars for employee damages. The ethical issue in this case would be fairness. All employees should be granted what they deserve and what they were promised (Greenhouse). Wal-Mart does not pay many of their employees enough money to support their family or even have health care. They pay 26-37% less than the national average for the same jobs in the retail industry. Wal-Mart pays poverty level wages and this is very unethical because they make such huge profits that can allow them to pay decent living wages. Wal-Mart profits more by using State Governments to fund health care for its employees which is not fair to their competitors or the society (Olsson). Wal-Mart has the worst health packages when compared with their competitors. For example they cover only about 50% of their employees while the national average for major retailers is around 64%. Wal-Mart employees have to wait for 6 months to get health insurance compared to the national average of 3 months. They even charge extra for emergency room visits and ambulance usage. Also, employees with pre-existing conditions have to wait at least one year to receive any treatment. Instead of trying to give their employees the bare minimum, Wal-Mart should readjust their prices and salaries so that enough money would go towards things like basic health care (Fishman). Thorough studies have been done as well as many court cases that prove that Wal-Mart discriminates against women by not paying them as much as their male counterparts. It is also much rarer for women to be promoted to upper management than it is a male. A 2003 study was done that showed that women received 37 cents an hour less than the men that held the same position. Female managers earn about $5,000 less than male managers. Even though 72% of Wal-Mart’s workforce consists of women they still only make up 33% of all managers. Jon Lehman who is a former Wal-Mart store manager said that most of the superiors believed that women are useless at Wal-Mart. An African American woman asked a superior if she wasn’t promoted to management because she was a woman or because she was black and the superior replied that two out of two isn’t bad. Not only is this against the law, but it is very immoral as well as discriminatory (Norman). Just one audit of one week’s worth of time clock records at one specific Wal-Mart showed that minors were working too late at night, during school hours, and were working too many hours a day. It also found more than 60,000 cases of minors not taking breaks and even more cases of minors working through meal times. This is unethical because minors should be focusing on school and not working too many hours at Wal-Mart. A Wal-Mart in CT was given huge violations for having minors working with machinery such as paper balers, chainsaws, and forklifts. Children are not at the age of consent to operate such machinery in any fashion. Horrific incidences were discovered in a Wal-Mart factory in Bangladesh where children were routinely beaten, forced to work overtime for little or no pay, and were told to lie about their age (Greenhouse). In China, workers are treated more like slaves than people. They are treated as tools to get the work done as quickly and cheaply as possible. They are taught to lie to inspectors and auditors about the amount of time they work and the working conditions that they endure (Greenhouse). They were told that if they didn’t lie then they would lose their job. Wal-Mart pays only 18 cents for a product that is made in China that they charge $14.96 for in America. It was reported that a Wal-Mart supplier factory employed minors as young as 12 working them for excessive overtime hours and for under minimum wage. They were also working with chemicals without any protective gear. All human beings should be treated with a certain level of respect regardless of age or ethnicity. Wal-Mart should improve their working conditions and remedy all situations of unethical behavior especially towards those who are under age and not supposed to be working in the first place (Fishman). Wal-Mart claims to care about the environment, but they actually harm the environment. They lied about having an environmental person dedicated to these issues and they don’t actually have an environmentally friendly policy in place. Wal-Mart shows to have more of an avoidance towards their harming of the environment. They have been known to put chemicals into the environment that can cause birth defects as well as storing fertilizers in parking lots unprotected. Wal-Mart has seemed to continue to ignore the idea of better storage for certain products and necessary environmental policies. Over a few years span Wal-Mart has had to shell out millions of dollars to pay for Clean Water Act violations (Olsson). Wal-Mart has received billions of dollars in subsidies to set up shop nationwide as well as some other countries. Wal-Mart is so profitable that it does not need to receive money from anyone. If Wal-Mart was a community conscious organization then they wouldn’t need any money from cities, states, or communities. They often set up their stores on the outskirts of town so they can receive free plumbing, however other companies and citizens have to pay for such utilities themselves when they’re in the same situation (Bianco). Sam Walton was known for practicing corporate socialism. He sought out free land, long term leases at prices below market, getting workers trained at the government’s expense, and even pocketing sales taxes. He also had a $37 million ramp and roadway constructed for Wal-Mart’s corporate headquarters in Arizona which the State paid for (Fishman). The government’s money that is going to Wal-Mart could be going towards things such as education and building our youth. They are a very selfish organization that strives to get bigger individually and have complete disregard for everyone else. There was a case in Denver where three schools ended up closing because there was not enough money to keep them open, however around that same time period Wal-Mart received $2 million. It is very unethical and not abiding by free market policies to give such a huge store like Wal-Mart such a competitive advantage when the mom and pop stores continue to go out of business (Bianco). By being such an unethical company Wal-Mart is putting smaller, trustworthy businesses out of business. Since they pay very low wages and receive money from states and governments, they can charge such a cheap price which in return puts those smaller businesses that have to charge slightly more for the same products out of business. It is just plain wrong how Wal-Mart treats everyone that is involved with their organization and the competitors. They don’t care about the economy or the environment; they only care about how much money they can collect. It is estimated that Wal-Mart’s trade deficit with China eliminated 200,000 U.S. jobs between 2001 and 2006 (Olsson). If Wal-Mart was its own nation then it would be China’s eighth largest trading partner. Wal-Mart is able to have such cheap goods because the safety standards are lower in China which in return puts the American consumer at risk. This is very unethical because Wal-Mart is risking their consumer’s health by trying to maximize their own profits. By offering such low prices, Wal-Mart is putting other companies out of business that actually sell quality products that are safe to the consumer (Bianco). Wal-Mart has hundreds of cameras and security guards inside their stores to protect their own merchandise, but it’s a completely different story when it comes to the type of security that is present in the parking lots or outside of the stores. There has been so many shootings, carjackings, and muggings in Wal-Mart parking lots that many local police departments have asked Wal-Mart to hire on site security guards to help protect against such behavior. However, for the most part Wal-Mart has failed to do so. Wal-Mart has known of these types of issues in their parking lots, but have continued to turn their heads in the opposite direction (Norman). When Wal-Mart plans for new store locations, there are many activists and groups of people that oppose and try to protest the construction of the new store. Wal-Mart tends to ignore issues such as traffic congestion, potential environmental problems, public safety, and bad public relations. In 2004 Wal-Mart opened a store in Mexico just over a mile from the historic Teotihuacan archaeological site and the Pyramid of the moon. This caused a lot of protests with the locals because they thought this was a very disrespectful notion. By building a Wal-Mart in such a symbolic area it was seen by many as placing one of the main culprits of globalization in the heart of ancient Mexico (Fishman). In 1998 Wal-Mart wanted to open a store in Nashville, Tennessee right on top of Native American burial grounds and where a Civil War battle took place. Protests took place, however Wal-Mart won the battle and ended up moving the graves so they could construct the new store. If this isn’t immoral and disrespectful then I don’t know what is. I would have to think that there would be other locations where they could have opened the store. It almost seems as if Wal-Mart likes to show their power in any way possible (Norman). Wal-Mart cannot justify all the wrong that they have done to many people and communities by simply offering and continuing to express their low prices. Money may make the world go around, but it won’t save the world. People’s actions is what will make this world a better place to live in. Sacrificing the environment and human rights is simply immoral and unethical just so one major monopolistic organization can continue to offer the lowest prices possible. Wal-Mart needs to be held accountable for all of their actions regardless of the amount of money they produce. It is very difficult to monitor and control such a huge companies actions and to try and stop them from being completely unethical. The outcome of their unethical behavior has been many lawsuits and they just continue to surface. Wal-Mart has such a huge profit that these lawsuits do not stop them from being unethical (Bianco). Hopefully Wal-Mart’s unethical behavior will eventually catch up with them. Wal-Mart superiors at the corporate level should understand that unethical behavior eventually turns around to bite you but they continue to ignore the issues. It will take many years to completely resolve the type of unethical behavior that is allowed but steps need to be taken to reach that sort of goal. A complete restructuring of the company and those in charge may be necessary to cleanse the unethical behavior. The right people and policies must be in place from top-down to every Wal-Mart store across the entire world. Once they realize all the issues and feel the need to correct them, then they can look forward to the future in a positive and ethical way that will benefit everybody involved. References Bianco, Anthony; Zellner, Wendy. Is Walmart Too Powerful? Business Week. 2003. Fishman, Charles. The Walmart You Don’t Know. Fast Company. 2003. Greenhouse, Steven. In-House Audit Says Walmart Violated Labor Laws. The New York Times. 2004. Norman, Al. The Case Against Wal-Mart. Raphel Marketing. ISBN 0-9711542-3-6. 2004. Olsson, Karen. Up Against Walmart. Mother Jones. 2003

Friday, September 20, 2019

Organisational Behaviour and Team Work in Business

Organisational Behaviour and Team Work in Business INTRODUCTION The assignment brings out the discussion over the organisational behaviour in life experience of team work in organisation or in classroom activities. Organisational behaviour in a team work plays a vital role and it is the topic has been discussed for a very long time and now nearly everyone knows about its concepts. Simply the organisations wont perform but the one person or many people. When it comes to organisations there should be a team work and perform individuals cant perform whatever they want in an organization they have to form a team and perform individually as well as teams. So when forming a team, organizational behaviour influences toward its success. Organizational Behaviours is the key aspect to maintain and enhance interaction levels amongst people in the organizations. Other attributes like leadership, motivation, decision making, openness to discuss problems, challenge-initiative is all in the base concept of Organizational behaviour to help the business achieve its strategic and in some business objectives. The proper definition of organizational behaviour with its understanding and management has resulted in development of few key offshoots to the concept of Organizational behaviours In my view a personality behaviour means how can we describe a person, how this person differences from the others behaviour, how we can measure the characteristics and differences. Psychometrics is also the most important related to the assessment and measurement of the personality, aptitude, intelligence. It is like the unique character of the individual and measure and understands the differences between the individuals. I think the term itself indicates the properties of behaviour which are both enduring and set the individual apart from others. These properties concern the individuals typical ways of coping with life. I am going to explain a few words about the group because it will explain the importance of individual in the group. The group may spend a lot of time on the each stage, but some groups never reaching the final stages because the personality and levels of dominance of each member may play a large part in the failure or success of the group and its ability to progress through the different stages, the time goes by changes occur, such as new members joining the group or old members leaving the group may re-enter the cycle and begin the development of the process all over again. In this assignment i am going to use the Leadership theory and Motivation Maslows theory. These theories are best suitable for my opinions or views that are raised in my experience and i like those theories a lot so the two theories are chosen. Let me start with those theories Leadership theory A simple definition of leadership is that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. Leadership is one of the most hotly debated topics in management studies, social psychology and organisational psychology (Pfeiffer 1993). Despite the depth and breadth of debate concerning leadership effectiveness, it remains an elusive construct. As a result, researchers and practitioners have not reached a consensus on a true and concise definition that represents an accurate depiction of effective leadership in all situations and possibilities. The leadership is one of the effective concepts and well defined as: Treat people with politeness, respect and dignity and in doing so create a strong role model for others to follow. Building a reputation of fairness gives you a buffer against the times when the policy is wrong or you behave badly Gratton (2000:206) According to Nathan F. Iannone, leadership can be defined as the art of influencing, directing, guiding, and controlling others in such a way as to obtain their willing obedience, confidence, respect and loyal cooperation in accomplishment of an objective. Leadership is about the future and about how do I tap into the group orientation (into what everybody shares). According to Jago (1982) the quality and the qualified, good leaders are not born instead they are made with the influenza ion of the training and the self-assessment, developing skills by improvising others. The natural people ability is also evaluated as a measure of walk their talk. The fascination of the leadership is much higher in terms of the charismatic leader. The leadership based on this charismatic model is really being focused towards the vision and also the ability and the talents are naturally born and also termed as gift. The natural leader adapts the tapping of their inner resources and also natural leaders are more often generalist (Stonefield, 1992:3). The leadership theory based on this contingency model states that there is no particular model of leadership which suits as appropriate in all times of situation. The variables are the basic elements and the preliminary components which determine the success rather than the leadership style which we intend to follow or insist. The leadership has a quality in order to follow the vital roles and also in order to perform the action depending and assessing the situation through various means (Cherry, 2010). The trait approach to personality is one of the major theoretical areas in the study of personality. The trait theory suggests that individual personalities are composed broad dispositions. Consider how you would describe the personality of a close friend. Chances are that you would list a number of traits, such as outgoing, kind and even-tempered. A trait can be thought of as a relatively stable characteristic that causes individuals to behave in certain ways. Unlike many other theories of personality, such as psychoanalytic or humanistic theories, the trait approach to personality is focused on differences between individuals. The combination and interaction of various traits forms a personality that is unique to each individual. Trait theory is focused on identifying and measuring these individual personality characteristics. According to Offer Mann, Hanges and Day (2001) much of the discourse on the internal characteristics of leadership over recent years has focused on values and ethics. They argue that disillusionment and a lack of confidence in political leadership have been generated by the particular values that political leaders use to motivate their actions. As a result, Offermann, Hanges and Day (2001) claim that the world is more aware of the importance that values play in leadership effectiveness and success. In addition, it has been shown that particular types of leaders attract different followers depending on their value types (Ehrhart Klein 2001). McShane (2001) argues that in order to motivate, influence, be liked and respected, a leaders values need to align themselves with those of their employees and to reflect integrity, honesty, compassion and assertiveness. The contingency leadership is one of the effective leadership techniques and also has an ability to act as a vital tool in establishing the focus on variables in an environment in order to determine the situations which really opt for our behaviour in any kind of situation. The leadership theory based on this contingency model states that there is no particular model of leadership which suits as appropriate in all times of situation. The variables are the basic elements and the preliminary components which determine the success rather than the leadership style which we intend to follow or insist. The leadership has a quality in order to follow the vital roles and also in order to perform the action depending and assessing the situation through various means (Cherry, 2010). My definition of Leadership is being able to: inspire others, motivate, set a vision, communicate, respect others, and lead by example. A leader must have an honest understanding of who they are, what they know, and what they are capable of. To be successful person you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors. In my opinion this can build confidence in your followers in their faith in you to be able to lead. Followers Different person require different styles of leadership. For example, a company I was working requires more supervision than an experienced employee. A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than anyone with a high degree of motivation. You must know your people! The fundamental starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and motivation. You must come to know your employees be, know, and do attributes. Communication Communication is the exchange and flow of information and ideas from one person to another person; it involves a sender transmitting an idea, information, or feeling to a receive. What and how you communicate either builds or harms the relationship between you and your employees. Situation Situations are different from all time. Leader is an individual who can use different leadership styles based on the situations .decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. For example, you may need to confront an employee for inappropriate behaviour, but if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results may prove ineffective. Also note that the situation normally has a greater effect on a leaders action than his or her traits. This is because while traits may have an impressive stability over a period of time, they have little consistency across situations (Mischel, 1968). This is why a number of leadership scholars think the Process Theory of Leadership is a more accurate than the Trait Theory of Leadership. Every organisation is subdivided into two different categories such as formal and informal. The organisation when seen as external spectator it appears to be formal with its will defined mission statement, policies and procedure and organisation structure charts, but this is just the tip of the great iceberg floating underneath in the form of informal organisation which a manger has to face. This informal organisation includes informal leaders which have no formal authority given by organisation but they have their influence on many employees, to maintain good relation with such informal leaders as sometimes they can help in getting things done. Internally organisation is subdivided into many groups based on their nature of job, their ethnicity, their culture, their language having their own norms and sentiments managers need to identify such groups and make consistent effort to maintain peace in groups by serving the role of mediator, for smooth running of organisation. Organisation consist of another route of power which can be said as counter organisation, that can be seen in the form of labour unions which are formed to keep check on organisation and make sure that profit hungry organisation dont exploit them. Such counter organisations are needed to be handled with great care. It can be said informal organisations are formed by the people of organisation to satisfaction of their cultural needs and a sense of personal identity and personal belonging. It also provides means to highlight deficiencies in the formal organisation such as excess time taken to complete a task. MASLOW THOERY OF MOTIVATION Motivation is a fundamental driving force behind people behaviour and performance. When the research was done to explain different aspects of motivation from an organisational behavioural perspective many theories or models used to describe the topic of motivation basically it is described as the extent to which persistent effort is directed towards a goal. It is very important to know about different types of motivation theories and their implementation in a group or organisation. These motivation theories specify the kinds of needs people has and condition in which they would want to exemplify these needs. Motivation can be internal or external. Example of external motivation is Deadlines. The fear of losing a contract or of not finishing a job on time you started is an example of internal motivation. Both internal and external motivation can be equally powerful. Why i am using this Maslows theory to reflect on my behaviour in group situations. This theory comes under content theories of motivation. There is significant relationship between behaviour and motivation particularly between group and individuals. Motivations of group have a serious impact on individual behaviour likewise the motivation of an individual can have serious impact on group. Abraham Maslow theory was proposed by Dr. Abraham Maslow in 1943, this theory is general overview of human motivation. His theory strikes a distinctive sense of balance between biological and social needs that integrates many motivational concepts. According to Maslow individual needs are set in a hierarchy, and everyone must satisfy their basic needs before they can satisfy their higher needs. The hierarchy is many times portrayed, as a pyramid beginning with physiological needs at the bottom and self-actualization at the top of this pyramid. The needs at the lower level are the most basic. These basic needs must be satisfy well before an individual can become concern with the higher needs like physiological needs, safety needs, security needs, social needs, law and affection, esteem needs. These needs must be satisfied before a person can act unselfishly. He called these needs deficiency needs. As long as we are motivated to satisfy these craving, people are moving toward growth, s elf-actualization, satisfying needs is healthy, which preventing gratification makes us sick or act evilly. Gareth Morgan suggests that employees are people with complex needs that must be satisfied if they are to lead perform effectively in a work place. Employees perform best when they are motivated by task, which will earn them some reward that satisfies their personal needs. Abraham Maslows theory of motivation most widely famous as hierarchy of needs states that human needs when arranged in form of hierarchy, ascending from lowest to the highest, as soon as need at lower level gets completed, the need at next level servers to be a motivator. Maslow divided human needs into five main categories such as physiological which include basic needs for sustaining life like food, water, shelter and sleep. According to Abraham Maslow there are five different levels in hierarchy of needs. Self-actualizing Needs Self-actualizing Needs is the highest level of Maslows hierarchy of need. People are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others and interested fulfilling their potential. Esteem Needs Esteem needs include the things that reflect on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition and accomplishment. Social Needs Social needs include belonging, love and affection. Maslow considered these needs to be less basic than physiological and security needs. Relationships such as friendships, love, romantic attachments and families help fulfil this need for companionship and acceptance, as does involvement in social, community or religious groups. Security Needs Security needs include safety and security. Security needs are important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs. Examples of security needs include a desire for steady employment, health insurance, safe neighbourhoods and shelter from the environment. Physiological Needs A physiological need is low needs. These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival, such as the need for water, air, food and sleep. Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met. Maslow was correct when he said that one need has to be fulfilled before we can move to the next one. Without sufficient amount sleep I wouldnt be able to think of nothing but sleep. Also if I am hungry food will be the only thing on my mind. But because each day I satisfy these basic needs I am able to think about other things because these needs are no longer controlling my thoughts. Next priority is given to security which includes freedom from physical danger and other fears like losing job, property, food, or shelter. Since people are social animals they need to belong, to be accepted by others, hence acceptance third in the list of needs. Once people satisfy their need to belong esteem needs emerge in the form of satisfactions as power, prestige, status and self-esteem and at last when all the other needs are satisfied need for self-actualization which is the desire to maximize ones potential and achieve something. Applying this theory many organisations where suggested to motivate their employees by monetary gains or assuring security of their job. , Koontz, H, Weihrich (2008), Morgan (2006). There was a research conducted by Douglas T Hall and Khalil Nongame which studied needs of hierarchy involving a group of managers over a time span of five years. They found that there was no strong evidence of hierarchy, as managers get promoted in organisation their physiological needs tend to decrease, while on other hand needs for self-actualization tend to increase H, Koontz , H, Weihrich(2008). Upcoming flaws of Maslows theory the process theory of motivation stated, with the study of ones decision making process and deter mining how individual behaviour is energised, directed and maintained. The major process theory of motivation includes expectancy theory, equity theory, goal setting theory and reinforcement theory. In my classroom activities I am relating this theorys to my classroom activities in a group. When considered my experience in a group situation once while doing a group presentation in collage we all are five people. We had a 20 days time to presentation and from first day we all thought to meet at my place but no one turn up this happened many time every one say some other reason. It happened for all 19 day only 1 day left to submit the presentation than I thought to divide the task to my group members. Each one is assign a separate task and the task should complete before the particular schedule time. With this I emerge as leader that made me influenza ion as Leadership. Not only Leadership but also motivation In order to sleep tonight I have to complete my task of presentation before sleep. I need to satisfy my physiological need that is to sleep in time. I should complete the presentation before night CONCLUSION According to the trait theory the question arises of weather a leader is born or developed. There is no defined answer as many theorists have different answers to this. Understanding the concepts from above of motivation its rewards systems as to how useful it is for a leader to understand how it can be utilized in getting work done from people, decision making and its importance in growing more efficient, managing change and adapting quickly to it, understanding human perceptions and how they affect management, understanding the value of power in an organization without which a leader is nothing, politics and control and the other factors finally lead towards the understanding that leaders are developed. Many individuals may be born with the skill to be a leader this does not prove that he grows up to be an effective leader. However he can develop the ability to become one. Experience and the urge to learn can help one become an efficient leader. According to my understanding a pers on might be born with natural abilities to become a leader. This assignment is very useful to assess my past behaviour to the present behaviour and ways to develop the behaviour and to assess the performance by using these theories in a group. These are the two oldest theories what I used because older principles are the basic for anything i.e. the applications should follows the basic principle. Only few people are reached the self-actualization concept in the Leadership theory and Maslows theory. I am very much willing to taste that step. So I am going to putting my effort in this way and also looking the ways to develop. In my opinion if the group activities are conducted from the child hood they will be a very useful to the individual to improve their personality, behaviour and from that the concept of Leadership and motivation skills will also improve for the betterment of the future.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Objections to Charles Peirces Article, A Neglected Argument for the Re

Objections to Charles Peirce's Article, A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God ABSTRACT: Charles S. Peirce sketches "a nest of three arguments for the Reality of God" in his article "A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God." I provide careful analysis and explication of Peirce's argument, along with consideration of some objections. I argue that (1) there are significant differences between Peirce's neglected argument and the traditional arguments for God's existence; (2) Peirce's analysis of the neglected argument into three arguments is misleading; (3) there are two distinct levels of argument that Peirce does not recognize; and (4) it is doubtful whether the argument meets all the criteria set by Peirce himself. Charles S. Peirce published in the Hibbert Journal in 1908 an article titled, "A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God." The article sketches what Peirce calls, in a later comment, "a nest of three arguments for the Reality of God" (6.486). (1) I provide an analysis of Peirce's argument and his interpretation of it along with a consideration of some objections. I shall argue: (1) that there are significant differences between Peirce's neglected argument and the traditional arguments for God's existence; (2) that Peirce's own analysis of the neglected argument into three arguments is misleading; (3) that there are two distinct levels of argument that Peirce does not acknowledge, and (4) that it is doubtful the argument meets all the criteria Peirce himself establishes. I trust that your response to what I have to say will not mirror the response Michael Raposa reports he received from a "prominent American philosophical theologian," when he gave a presentation on this topic; that... ... 77-78. Also, if we follow Karl Barth. s interpretation of Anselm. s ontological argument, then the prayerful context in which Anselm offers his argument gives it a more religious cast. However, whatever similarities may exist I think it vital to recognize the differences otherwise one will expect to find yet another bit of metaphysical argumentation about God and be disappointed at not finding it. (5) It must, however, be admitted that if everyone who mused reached the same conclusion, this rather impressive fact would cry out for some explanation. (6) C.F. Delany, "Peirce on the Hypothesis of God," op. cit., p. 735. (7) Donna Orange, Peirce's Conception of God. op. cit., p. 86. (8) Michael L. Raposa, Peirce's Philosophy of Religion. op. cit., p. 128. (9) John E. Smith, "The Tension Between Direct Experience and Argument in Religion." op. cit., p. 497.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Book Review: The New Terrorism by Walter Laqueur Essay -- essays rese

THE NEW TERRORISM BY WALTER LAQUEUR Walter Laqueur’s book, â€Å"The New Terrorism: Fanaticism and the Arms of Mass Destruction†, is empowering readers with the entire spectrum of terrorism. The reasons behind terrorism are not easy to understand, but Laqueur goes into great detail to try and bring the reader to an understanding of what the terrorist is thinking in order to justify the means to the end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Laqueur sheds enlightenment into a new arena for terrorism: Arms of Mass Destruction. The chemical and biological weapons of yesterday are available and relatively cheap on today’s open market. Mr. Laqueur goes into depth on previous usages by terrorist organizations using these types of weapons as well as the possibility of further use. One frightening point that Laqueur makes is that the use of nuclear devices could very well have a possible future in terrorism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With nuclear devices as a possible method for inflicting terrorism, there will be no safe place for any citizen of any nation. The United States has recently been the object of terrorist harassment and more than likely the will continue to be a target of the new form of terrorism greatly threatening American security.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author’s main thesis focuses around this new type of nuclear terrorism, and he gives many different types of examples of groups that have already used biological and chemical methods to achieve favorable resul...

A Wrinkle in Time :: essays research papers

Meg Murry - The book's heroine and protagonist, a homely, awkward, but loving high school student who is sent on an adventure through time and space with her brother and her friend Calvin to rescue her father from the evil force that is attempting to take over the universe. Meg's greatest faults are her anger, impatience, and lack of self-confidence, but she channels and overcomes them, ultimately emerging victorious. A Wrinkle in Time is the story of Meg Murry, a high-school-aged girl who is transported on an adventure through time and space with her younger brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin O'Keefe to rescue her father, a gifted scientist, from the evil forces that hold him prisoner on another planet. At the beginning of the book, Meg is a homely, awkward, but loving girl, troubled by personal insecurities and her concern for her father, who has been missing for over a year. The plot begins with the arrival of Mrs. Whatsit at the Murry house on a dark and stormy evening. Although she looks like an eccentric tramp, she is actually a celestial creature with the ability to read Meg's thoughts. She startles Meg's mother by reassuring her of the existence of a tesseract--a sort of "wrinkle" in space and time. It is through this wrinkle that Meg and her companions will travel through the fifth dimension in search of Mr. Murry. On the afternoon following Mrs. Whatsit's visit, Meg and Charles Wallace walk over to Mrs. Whatsit's cabin. On the way, they meet Calvin O'Keefe, a popular boy in Meg's school whom Charles considers a kindred spirit. The three children learn from Mrs. Whatsit and her friends Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which that the universe is threatened by a great evil called the Dark Thing and taking the form of a giant cloud, engulfing the stars around it. Several planets have already succumbed to this evil force, including Camazotz, the planet on which Mr. Murry is imprisoned. The three Mrs. W's transport the children to Camazotz and instruct them to remain always in each other's company while on their quest for Mr. Murry. On Camazotz, all objects and places appear exactly alike because the whole planet must conform to the terrifying rhythmic pulsation of IT, a giant disembodied brain. Charles Wallace tries to fight IT with his exceptional intelligence but is overpowered by the evil and becomes a robot-like creature mouthing the words with which IT infuses him.