Organizational Behavior Bus 520 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Organizational Behavior Bus 520 - Term Paper Example The recognizable cultural entities are values, norms, rituals, ceremonies, verbal communication process and the ability to accept change (Alvesson, 2002, p. 24). USA has always given a great performance towards the development of the business culture among them as well as to the world and that is the reason US is always portrayed as the top nation in the world. In other hand United Sates of American (USA) is a mixture of many races, cultures and religions, it is the best known cosmopolitan country in the world. Being one of the most promising American electronic companies, the Best Buy has created a culture within the organization which is a win win situation for both the company and the employees. The New ROWE program is the example of the new thought to change the organizational culture to increase the level of job satisfaction and the productivity among the employees. However, the culture in the Best Buy can be treated as a variable factor which is ever changing for the betterment of the company and to reshape the meaning of job satisfaction. Discuss the approach to organizational change that the ROWE program illustrates. It is understood by most of the countries in the world that knowing the US business culture in one of the essential tools to do business with United States of America. Being the fourth largest country in the world, US culture is having a most diverse socio-cultural structure in the world. The ROWE (Result only work environment) program is one of the most diversified cultural approach in the business environment. This is a program which allows the employees to accordingly their daily schedule. In one hand it can be said that the working hour is 24 hours and in other hand it also can be said that an employee can work when he or she feels. This new business cultural approach would give great advantages to the employees to balance their corporate and family lives. According to the program there are no work schedules in the traditional manner, e mployees are not to judge how long they work or how long they will be with their colleagues within the office rather it is the productive work they do no matter within short or longer time. This tactical approach has been proven as one of the most effective way of motivating the employees. This particular approach has also been affective to maintain the low turnover ration within the organization. It means that this approach has given the motivation to the employees to be with the company for the longer time. The employees who thought to quit, they stayed back after the implementation of the particular program. The best part about this approach is the flexibility of the work time, employees can work from home, so in this case the employees can enjoy the family life and at the same time he or she can make her daily office work also accordingly. The bottom line is, this particular approach have given a new look to the work culture. The employees have started loving their work and the result was shown in the productivity report. Discuss the resistance, both organization and individual, that the ROWE program had to overcome. USA can be considered as the global cosmopolitan country as people from many countries come here to seek better careers or business opportunities. As a result, the business environment is very much competitive, and the culture in molded with self-reliance, independence, individuality, etc rather than self sacrificing behavior for the country or for the community. The main socio-economic business culture

Working with Allied Health Professionals

Working with Allied Health Professionals This work is a reflective piece based on my experience of working within a multi-professional group setting. I will be using the model by Gibbs model (1988) to aid my reflection and present my account. Although I will be contemplating how the group performed as a whole, ultimately I aim to guide my own learning, thus aiding my preparation for future similar situations. Task Description Once strategically placed within an inter-professional group of students, we were asked to work as a team to develop an IPL strategy for the pre-registration training of Allied Health Professionals. Our efforts were to be centred on creating a twenty minute presentation based on our idea to our AHP peers. This was carried out over a week, with our presentation was expected to be given on Friday afternoon. Our Implementation of the Task and Personal Thoughts We first assembled and became acquainted with each other on Monday morning. Initial introductions and group communication were aided by a simple but effective exercise to assist preliminary group collaboration. This activity was fun, and valuable in helping us begin to establish the group relationship, and personally extinguished any uncomfortable feelings which I may usually have in a situation like this. I also felt confident that this particular group of individuals worked well together and at this point I had no concerns about the task ahead. Subsequently, we were given our main task. Although I felt that there were some very valid and intelligent thoughts brought forward during our brainstorming, I began to worry that there were perhaps too many which differed somewhat, and that as a group we were not using our time efficiently. In addition, people could not agree on the simplest practicalities, which I felt was unhelpful. The group met again on Wednesday morning, with each individual bringing their contribution of research to share. We discussed a possible structure to the presentation, although as the meeting went on it became clear that there were unquestionably some conflicting views on what our approach should be. At this point, I began to feel doubtful that the group was capable of decision-making, and started to feel anxious about our assignment. In addition, I felt that one particular member of the group seemed to feel strongly about their own outlook on the task, and that perhaps they were slightly negative regarding other ideas, unhelpful for the overall morale of the group. The following day we met in a skills lab to take some photographs for our presentation, which was successful. This was followed by a short discussion, where some of the members of the group voiced their concerns that they had lost track of how the group would present. It was then disclosed that one particular idea had been developed outside of the meetings and that there was no need to be concerned, which made me feel excluded from the decision-making. As a result, I resolved to prevent my thoughts becoming too negative by concentrating on my particular research and presentation role, accepting the decision made. On the day of the presentation, we met up beforehand and rehearsed using our amalgamated slides. I was pleasantly surprised about how the whole thing flowed, and felt relieved. The group as a whole also seemed reassured. Evaluation Individual Performance I believe that I tried my upmost to show commitment to the group and its task, and to give support when necessary. This is reflected in the peer evaluations that I received after the task was over. At the same time, I also tried to keep the group focused and remind them of time constraints. Nonetheless, I have come to realise that I was anxious and distrustful that the group would not be able to finish the work that had been set. Because of my unease of the groups relatively slow progression, I think that I subliminally withdrew from the group in that I was only confident in my own individual component of the work, deciding to stop being concerned with the overall work. One of the manners of conflict identified by John Hunt (1987) is unhelpful flight behaviour (psychological, physical or symbolic withdrawal), which blocks and inhibits group work. In my opinion this describes the negative way in which I acted, which on reflection was likely detrimental to group effectiveness. Group Performance I think our final presentation artefact was successful, reflected by the unexpectedly positive feedback which we received. I found this surprising, because of the amount of conflict and lack of decision-making that went on during the process. Charles Handy (1993) is of the opinion that although groups collaboratively produce fewer ideas than individual brainstorming, the quality of the ideas is superior in that they are more thought through and better evaluated. Even though our proposal is not what I would have gone for individually, I have come to realise that collaborative ideas are of sound quality and should not be distrusted. Despite our conflict, I realise that with regards to ethical concerns all of us were extremely understanding of certain members individual needs. For example, instances where it was necessary to consider child care issues whilst deciding meeting times were all taken into account, with everyone being very considerate and accepting. I appreciate that acting fairly and in a reasonable way to each other is critical, as agreed by the first of the four ethical principles drawn up by Beauchamp and Childress (1995): Respect for autonomy. However, in my opinion it is important to recognise that group effectiveness seemed to break down as the week went on. Aspects contributing to this included conflicting ideas, poor decision-making and lack of time for healthy group development. I firmly believe that the latter was especially damaging to our group communication. The groups decision-making was so meagre that individual members of the group had no choice but to take initiative and make decisions without the entire groups permission. Although I felt that this represented group decision-making failure, in hindsight it probably saved us from ultimate failure of the task. Analysis and Reflection of my own and my groups performance Within this section are a few key elements that I regard as being important aspects of this experience to learn from: Team-working In my opinion, there were some very good aspects within our team-working, taking into account our ultimate success. Spears (1992) describes the METHODS model, which uses an acronym for its seven concepts. I have thought about this with regards to my group experience, and feel that the team worked well in carrying out individual research, then coming together to educate each other to provide the necessary sustenance to produce the presentation. In addition, I think the team came up with exciting although challenging ideas that took the theme a creative step further, when a more demure approach would have been acceptable. Hence in my opinion, we achieved the Dream element of the model, taking the time to be imaginative. However, I think more effective team-working would have been possible if we had set clear goals to be met in our meetings, which would have avoided anxiousness and confusion. In addition, I think we would have benefitted from some outside feedback to improve our working and reduce conflicts. Furthermore, although many creative ideas were put forward, some were unfortunately met by some negative attitude damaging to the innovative environment. On reflection, I think that our group would have undoubtedly benefitted by planning our work using the METHODS model. In particular, I will definitely strongly advise my future groups to use goal-setting to encourage improvement, to gain feedback throughout and to optimise team success by encouraging innovation rather than cynicism. Decision-making I think that the groups decision-making was poor due to a combination of the large number of ideas, avoidance of conflict, and lack of planning and organisation. Although in my opinion lots of ideas can only be positive, group meetings lacking structure and orientation meant that this large amount of suggestions made things confusing, hence positive decisions were impossible to achieve. As observed by C. Handy (1999 p.173), the decision-making procedure could be by authority, majority, consensus, minority or no response. During our group work, the only decisions made were negative, via a minority or no response process. I think that this is because we failed to decide upon an appointed decision-making method during the early stages of group development. In my opinion, the role that I played within my group experience affected the decision-making negatively, in that I was so concerned the task would not be completed, I avoided conflict and went along with the strongest voice in the group. Looking back, my thinking was to try to aid progression, as I thought that further conflict would slow things down further. Works by Hall (1971) includes advice for good decision-making, for example the recommendation that group members should avoid changing their minds merely to avoid conflict, and to actively seek out differences of opinion. This is something I will take with me and implement in future situations. From this reflection, I have learnt that forward planning is key. For example, an authoritative leader should be appointed from the beginning, as should a method of decision-making. In addition, meetings should be planned and well structured, with goals set to be met by the end of each one. Diversity and Difference Current theory by Cox (1993) states that although diversity in groups often leads to disagreements, it also means more productivity than with a group which is more homogenous, including a higher level of creativity and innovation. In my group experience, there was some definite heterogeneity within group members characteristics, including different personalities, attitudes, and in turn influence and group integration. I think that this was the cause of the conflict that occurred, although as I have already mentioned, the group did collaboratively produce a vast range of ideas and importantly was successful in its end goal. I believe that although conflict would have been absent had there been less diversity, so would have the quantity and quality of imaginative ideas. To reflect upon my group role, I will use Holm and Stevensons prompt questions (1994): What was my role in this situation and was I comfortable? Belbin (1981) noted that if any of the eight team roles is absent or inadequate, the overall team will be off-balance. Prior to meeting my group, I carried out a Belbins Team Roles Questionnaire, finding that typically I am an Implementer and Teamworker. In retrospect, whilst I was part of this particular group, I believe that I took on a different role. Although I remained an Implementer, in my opinion I acted more as a Completer-finisher than a Teamworker, considering my anxiousness that the group was inefficient and that the task may not get done on time. I believe my role changed to facilitate the groups progression and even out an imbalance. This change did cause me to feel slightly uncomfortable, mainly due to the unease associated with it. How did others act? Were the actions appropriate? Looking back, I think that in particular there were too many team workers. The group regarded the conflict and tension that had occurred as negative, and people were keen to avoid this as much as possible. Although our actions were appropriate given our situation and the task at hand, things may have been implemented in a more effective and planned way. From this reflection, I have come to realise that some diversity (although associated with disagreement) is positive, and ultimately necessary for good productivity. Additionally, although each team role is associated with some negative aspects, all are crucial for good team-working. I will bear all this in mind in future, and will no longer shy away from some healthy conflict. Management of power and conflict When the group met after each individuals research, there was some tension and disagreement over the groups priorities, and the method by which the task should be carried out. As conflict continued pressure mounted, not helped by time constraints of the room booking. The Tuckman stages of group development (1965) describe part of the Storming stage as the group beginning to settle disagreements and setting priorities, however this was unachievable due to lack of time available. As a result of this situation a clear leader surfaced, providing much needed structure and clarity. She listened to everything that all had to say, somehow having the ability to create an innovative environment whilst simultaneously bringing some degree of organisation into the proceedings, precisely what the group was actively looking for. She also had huge confidence in the group as a whole, emitting positivity and confidence, vital to the needs of the team at the time. Although the storming stage was not entirely complete, the norming stage commenced because of this newly-found structure. Even so, as I have described disagreements were not all entirely resolved. This resulted in tension and some continuing conflict being present within the group throughout the rest of our time together. This was unfortunate, as one particular member of the group began to interpret some of the discussion as being a personal attack, thus becoming defensive. However, I am pleased to say that on the day of the presentation we managed to set aside all hostility and presented our work proudly together and as a team. From this analysis element, I have come to realise that time should be made for healthy group development to allow time for conflict resolution. Clinical Reasoning One of the CAIPE principles of effective Interprofessional Education (2002) is to respect the contribution of each professional within the patient care pathway. As a group, I think we demonstrated this, as there was much amicability in considering each others needs, responsibilities and alternative responsibilities in order to reason meeting times and the amount and type of individual work each person took on. It was reassuring to realise that this is possible within interprofessionals. One of the thoughts behind interprofessional learning is that it enables professionals to learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care. In terms of my own personal experience of the group work I think I have certainly significantly enhanced my knowledge of other healthcare professionals alongside the undertaking of the task. This module has allowed me to further appreciate the value of the IPL activities that are in place as part of our learning, for example the observation of MDT meetings. I appreciate that my learning would benefit from developing my clinical reasoning skill set further, and I have identified this as an essential area for my professional development. Conclusion The conclusion is a fundamental part of the Gibbs model of reflection, prompting reflection on what else I could have done. To aid this, I shall continue to refer to a selection of Holm and Stevensons reflection questions: How could I have improved the situation? By easing my anxiety in having more trust in my peers and in the group as a whole, my personal experience would have been much more positive. In addition, forward planning, for example the setting of goals and early decisions as to how the group will work would have been beneficial. Do I feel as if I have learnt anything new about myself? I have become aware that I am able to be flexible according to the needs of my group in the role that is required of me. I see this as a positive concept, as during my time as a healthcare practitioner, I will come across a diverse range of situations, where malleability will be key. Has it changed my way of thinking in any way? I have come to realise that individuals are diverse in their characteristics, attitudes and beliefs, and appreciate that this diversity is very positive within a group setting. I have also come to realise that a degree of conflict is good for productivity and creativity (although time must be allocated for any conflict to be resolved). Action Plan Attend a successful team worker course to work on my group skills. Find ways of relieving anxiety, by perhaps attending a course on this. Strongly suggest use of the METHODS model during future group scenarios to aid effective team-working. Strongly propose to decide on a decision-making procedure early on in a future group situation. Actively make time for healthy group development. Ask for relevant and professional feedback to be given to the group throughout. Try out different reflection models for different experiences to help me determine which are most useful for my own personal learning and to aid me in becoming a successful reflective practitioner. Participate in as many IPL activities as possible to develop my clinical reasoning skills.

How the concentration of an acid affects the rate of reaction on marble chips :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

How the concentration of an acid affects the rate of reaction on marble chips Background: These different speeds of reaction are referred to as their rates. The rate of reaction depends on how often and how hard the reacting particles collide with each other. Particles have to collide in order to react, and the have to collide hard enough as well. This is called the collision theory. When the temperature is increased the particles all move quicker. If they are moving quicker then they are going to have more collisions. Reactions only happen if the particles collide with enough energy. At a higher temperature there will be more particles colliding with enough energy to make the reaction happen. This initial energy is known as the activation energy, and it is needed to break the initial bonds. If one of the reactants is a solid then breaking it up into smaller pieces will increase its surface area. This means the particles around it in the solution will have more area to work on so there will be more useful collisions. A catalyst works by giving the reacting particles something to stick to where they can bump into each other. This obviously increases the number of collisions too. If the solution is made more concentrated it means that there are more particles of reactant knocking about between the water molecules, which makes collisions between the important particles more likely. Chemists overseeing large reactions in industrial situations must carefully consider the rates of reactions. For some reactions, such as the production of a final material, fast reactions will be desirable to increase production and therefore sales profit. For other reactions, such as the degradation of a material, reducing the rate may be beneficial to increase the lifetime of a product. Times Education Series Chemistry GCSE Plan: I will investigate how the concentration affects the rate of reaction between hydrochloric acid and calcium carbonate (marble chips). The rate of reaction can be measured by measuring the amount of gas produced after a certain amount of time. The reaction will take place in the conical flask from where the gas produced will travel into the up-turned measuring cylinder. The gas will then displace the water in the tube. I will measure out exactly 50ml of 1molar hydrochloric acid into the conical flask. I will then weigh out exactly or as close as possible to 2 grams of small sized marble chips. I will put the chips into the flask with the acid and immediately place the bung over it so as to lose as little gas as possible. I will then take readings at intervals of fifteen seconds.

An analysis of the opening of Nosferatu by F.W. Murnau Essay

Within the horror genre of horror, vampires are particularly popular. During the silent horror films era there was another popular genre, the western. While the western declined in popularity during the 1970’s, the horror film has sustained an audience for over 20 years. The reason for this is that things that are supernatural fascinate people and strangely people are attracted by the emotional effects of the horror films ability to shock, disgust and to repel. Some of the most popular films that feature vampires, both modern and old include – Nosferatu (1977) the earliest adaptation of â€Å"Dracula†, a novel written by Bram Stoker , in addition to this another film in the horror sector, is Van Helsing (2005), another film featuring the infamous Count Dracula. Vampires are so popular because of their characteristics and their supernatural powers. Count Dracula was created as a novel by a writer called Bram Stoker in 1897. At the time of its creation it didn’t spring up a lot of attention, when the movie came out more people were interested in it. Dracula has remained popular since, and many films have had him as a main antagonist or in some cases as a protagonist or used his name in the title to add additional effect to the movie. A lot of Nosferatus parts and bits were copied by modern titles. It is the second most used character in the film industry after Sherlock Holmes. Although vampires have been known and popular since medieval times, introducing Count Dracula into the genre brought real popularity to it and increased the interest in vampires. When it became popular in 1910s some people became very interested in the structure Bram Stoker wrote it and studied it at university therefore changing the novel into an academic novel. The full name of the film is Nosferatu , Eine symphony des Grauns (in English: Nosferatu a Symphony of Horror). It was made in 1922 and was directed by F.W. Murnau, who was born in 1888 and starring Max Schreck. Before the film was made, Bram Stokers widow, Florence Stoker refused to turn her husband’s novel into a film. That brought some trouble into the making of the movie as Murnau already started producing the film. He got past this problem by cunningly changing the name of the film to Nosferatu and changing Dracula to Count Orlock. The characters Jonathan Harker became Hutter and Van Helsing became Bulner. The setting was also changed from Victorian London to Bremen. Nosferatu was different to other films of the time. Most of the film was shot location in Eastern Europe therefore there was a sense of realism and expressionism in the film. When the film was released, Florence Stoker noticed the similarities and sued the movie. In July 1925, the German Court ordered all the prints of the film to be destroyed. However somehow the film survived the destruction and can be bought in today’s shops. Nosferatu is a silent movie. During the time it was filmed they didn’t have the technology to film a â€Å"talking movie†. Talking movies were only introduced in the late 1920s. There is a possibility that they wanted to keep it a silent film because people were used to them, in addition to this they might have kept it a silent movie to create a special atmosphere, kind of scary and eerie. A silent film is a film with no synchronised recorded sound, especially spoken dialogue. The idea of combining motion pictures is nearly as old as the film itself. The film Nosferatu is accompanied by classical music all the way through it. At the start of the film there is eerie music which is classical, it consists of string instruments that create an effect contrasting to the bright and happy scene. During the film the music continues and hasn’t got many changes to it but when Hutter leaves the Inn and is on his way to Count Orlock castle and crosses the bridge the music changes from a higher pitch of a steady violin into a heavier slower cello to change the atmosphere from a lighter and brighter into a darker and mysterious one. When the carriage speeds up at the end of their journey the music becomes more frantic and a harp joins in to show the action the action speeds up and becomes more intense. This also supports the supernatural effect by increasing the natural speed of music which the audience have never met and therefore making the audience more anxious. The acting in Nosferatu is completely different to acting in modern films as in modern films the actors do not need to exaggerate their actions as much. They are accompanied by both music and effects therefore their actions are easier to understand and are self-explanatory rendering the need to exaggerate useless unless it is a comedy in which the exaggeration is far more important. During the film there is a lot of exaggeration moments when the characters need to show what they mean, how they feel, without speaking. For example at the very start when Hutter mentions Count Orlock, everybody in the in stops what they are doing which shows that something has happened as the second before the inn was very busy and lively, now it has and died down. This shows the fear and scary atmosphere. Without the exaggeration of the characters we wouldn’t be able to see and understand what was happening. In addition to this the facial expressions of the characters really are exaggerated e.g. when Hutter wakes up you can see his face transforming from sleepy to very happy or when you see the reaction of the people when Hutter mentions the Count. â€Å"It was a strong face, with peculiar arched nostrils and high domed forehead. His eyebrows were massive. The mouth was fixed and rather cruel looking with sharp white teeth, which hung over his lip. For the rest, his ears were pale and at the top extremely pointed, the chin was broad and strong, the cheeks firm though thin†¦.†. This is a extract from Dracula by Bram Stoker. There isn’t much difference between the Dracula by Stoker and Count Orlock pictured by Murnau except that Count Orlock had a hunchback which gave him an aura of a freak, a deformed monster which further emphasized his horrific appearance. In addition to this Count Orlock was bald which made him a bit more scary then Dracula described by Stoker. The lighting in Nosferatu plays a very important part in setting the atmosphere of the film. It makes the setting in most of the scenes and has a climate to it. For example at the start of the film we are presented with a bright scene containing an old German Nordic building, which is well lit and bright on the left side, but a tree on the right cast a shadow on the inn and the carriage which symbolises a mysterious shadow on the events to come. Another example of the usage of the lightning is also an example of German expressionism, this is when Hutter looks out the window and you can see the valley coming down, in the background you can see the a very dark forest which casts a shadow on the bright scene and creates an eerie and mysterious atmosphere. The use of darkness is also very important in the creation of the atmosphere. For example when it start to get dark after Hutter looks out the window we can see that the animals start to flee, which suggests to the reader that they are scared of something which is yet to come in the darkness. Just as camera shots are framed to interpret a films narrative, so camera movement can direct an audiences attention to details or a particular viewpoint within a film. In the early days of films, scenes were shot with only one or two cameras on fixed tripods, so reality appeared in a rather two dimensional way. Now, directors commonly use multiple cameras so audiences can see the action from a range of prospective giving a more realistic, 3 dimensional experience. The camera effects in Nosferatu suit the technology that was available to filmmakers at the time Nosferatu was filmed. The film is filmed at a frame rate of 16 to 23 frames per second. The camera plays an important part in Nosferatu as most effects are created by the camera, for example when Hutter looks out the window he can see the valley coming down. This has an effect of something leaning over the events yet to come, also when the tree is move to the fore ground and the mountain is in the background tat also has the same effect as the valley coming down. In addition to this there is a long shot and there is a mountain in the background. The long shot gives the feeling of layers in the scene. Mise-en-scene is the most important part of Nosferatu. This is because the usage of the settings, props, costumes and makeup was very important for the silent movies as they had a message to get across (e.g. fear) without using dialogue, sound and very little music or none at all. For example at the very start of the movie the viewer is introduced with the title, its in bold letters, in a gothic style. The way its presented with the letter that look like blood is flowing down the screen, suggest that it is a horror film and gives a mysterious atmosphere. It also bring a suggestion that the film has German Expressionism in it. In addition when Hutter drops the book advising on vampires it bring him bad luck. The use of the prop there gives the viewer a sort of a feeling Hutter was stupid doing that and that the bad luck will catch up with him. The sense of weirdness in Nosferatu is also created when Hutter looks out the window and sees the valley coming down, the animals running away we can see a man running down the hill in a nightgown. This gives the audience a feeling of confusion and puts a weird atmosphere in and leaves the audience asking themselves what is going on? Also when he throws the book down it gives the audience a sense of ignorance and irony about Hutter. When Hutter crosses the bridge to get to Orlocks cast, the bridge is used as metaphor that if he crosses he cant come back and another bridge is put in to emphasize the metaphor. In my opinion mise en scene played a very important part in Nosferatu. Film directors and editors splice scenes together to form the most effective narrative for their films. Unused film footage of scenes and takes sometimes ends up as out takes. The cuts should help the continuity of a films storyline. The types of cuts directors insert can act as cues for audiences, helping them to pick up the storyline quicker. Some of these editing techniques include: Jump cut used to make the audience and montage to give a great deal of information in a brief period. The film Nosferatu is edited in a couple of ways. One of them is the usage of intertitles. Intertitles are special frames that show what the characters is saying and in result move the plot along and speed the action up a bit, which makes the reader more interested. Another technique that Nosferatu uses is moving from night to morning very quickly which also speeds up the action and keeps the audience interested. Many scenes with nature so its montage. In my opinion the film Nosferatu was a very good and interesting for the times it was made in but in the long run it cannot compete with new horror films that appeal to the new audiences. Also it doesn’t have the interesting parts of modern films and the case of it now having any sound puts some audiences off. By studying I have learnt quite a lot about the movie industry and its beginnings. For example when the 1st horror movie was made and how many problems it had. In addition to this I learnt about a lot the techniques used by directors in the films.

Vibration Measurement Instruments

VIBRATION MEASUREMENT In some practical situations, it might be difficult to develop a mathematical model of the system and predict its vibration characteristics through an analytical study. In such cases, we can use experimental methods to measure the vibration response of the system to a known input. This helps in identifying the system in terms of its mass, stiffness, and damping. In practice the measurement of vibration becomes necessary for the following reasons: 1.The increasing demands of higher productivity lead to higher operating speeds of machinery and efficient use of materials through lightweight structures. These trends make the occurrence of resonant conditions more frequent during the operation of machinery and reduce the reliability of the system. Hence the periodic measurement of vibration of machinery and structures becomes essential to ensure adequate safety margins. Any observed shift in the natural frequencies or other vibration characteristics will indicate eit her a failure or a need for maintenance of the machine. 2.The measurement of the natural frequencies of a structure or machine is useful in selecting the operational speeds of nearby machinery to avoid resonant conditions. 3. The theoretically vibration characteristics of a machine or structure may be different from the actual values due to the assumptions made in the analysis. 4. The measurement of frequencies of vibration and the forces developed is necessary in the design and operation of active vibration-isolation systems. 5. In many applications, the survivability of a structure or machine in a specified vibration environment is to be determined.If the structure or machine can perform the expected task even after completion of testing under the specified vibration environment, it is expected to survive the specified conditions. 6. Continuous systems are often approximated as multi-degree-of-freedom systems for simplicity. If the measured natural frequencies and mode shapes of a continuous system are comparable to the computed natural frequencies and mode shapes of the multi-degree of- freedom model, then the approximation will be proved to be a valid one. . The measurement of input and the resulting output vibration of a system help in identifying the system in terms of its mass, stiffness, and damping. 8. The information about ground vibrations due to earthquakes, fluctuating wind velocities on structures, random variation of ocean waves, and road surface roughness are important in the design of structures, machines, oil platforms, and vehicle suspension systems.In general, a transducer is a device that transforms changes in mechanical quantities (such as displacement, velocity, acceleration, or force) into changes in electrical quantities (such as voltage or current). Since the output signal (voltage or current) of a transducer is too small to be recorded directly, a signal conversion instrument is used to amplify the signal to the required value.The ou tput from the signal conversion instrument can be presented on a display unit for visual inspection, or recorded by a recording unit, or stored in a computer for later use. The data can then be analyzed to determine the desired vibration characteristics of the machine or structure. Depending on the quantity measured, a vibration measuring instrument is called a vibrometer, a velocity meter, an accelerometer, a phase meter, or a frequency meter. Reference link: http://classof1. com/homework-help/engineering-homework-help