Gender differences in leadership style Dissertation

Gender differences in leadership style - Dissertation Example Gender differences in leadership style has in recent years become an area of immense interest for study in the fields of sociology, management and psychology, especially in view of the increasing number of women that have begun assuming leadership roles in different fields. However, it is known that there are basic differences in the ways males and females function as leaders and the issue arises if such differences are associated with gender. This issue has made researchers to attempt in providing a means to explain why very few women have been able to assume leadership roles. There is no doubt that women are forming a larger proportion of the work force but very few are able to hold top management and administration functions. It is for this reason that researchers have been focusing on determining if women lack the required skills in attaining senior positions or whether they are different in terms of their leadership styles and perceptions. This is a paper on gender differences i n leadership styles and examines the relevant literature in focusing on the leadership styles of male and female school principals. The issues to be examined relate to functions of school principals in regard to instructional leadership, ethical practices, interpersonal relationships, decision making and practices of professional development. Vecchio (2002) conducted research to examine the gender differences amongst school principals. Although the number of females responding to the questions was small, they were still considered to be a significant group. The researcher found some basic differences in the leadership styles of male and female principals. Male principals had much more experience than female principals. In clear indication of the leadership style of women, it was found that female principals conducted more weekly faculty meetings than their male counterparts. Women were not found to be very active in attending national or regional level conventions. The most significant difference amongst male and female principles appears to be that females are more worried about the ways in which a typical school day will be spent. While 77 percent females reported that their main duty was to act as instructional leaders, only 58 percent men reported having similar viewpoints. However, both groups confirmed that most of their day was spent in general managerial functions. In terms of the time spent by each group to allocated activities, both agreed that maintaining contact with teachers and maintaining discipline amongst students were the most important functions of school principals. Lesser time was devoted by both groups on issues of general management. In terms of the manner in which a typical day is spent by both groups, almost 80 percent women principals were found to be involved in teaching as well as administrative work. They used 48 percent of their time in teaching. In contrast, only 47 percent male principals were allotted work related to both administration and teaching. Male principals were found to be using only 35 percent of their time on teaching. It is therefore evident that the notion of instructional leadership is considerably impacted with the percentage of time that is spent on teaching in a typical school day. It is also evident that female principals have greater work load of teaching, which makes them vulnerable in being less effective towards providing instructional leadership as compared to their male counterparts (Eagly and Karau, 2002). Other issues that need to be examined in determining gender differences in gender differences in leadership style between male and female school principals are: The leadership approach that characterizes school principals Whether the leadership styles of female principals considerably different from their male counterparts Although there is some difference in the leadership styles of male and female p

Is leadership and management the same of different Analyse different Essay

Is leadership and management the same of different Analyse different perspectives and present your argument - Essay Example The question is worth-discussing, so this work will try to define who leaders and managers are and what are their tasks through the history of leadership and management beginning from 80th till the formation of modern approach. Leaders and managers: who are they? One of the simplest approaches to differentiation of management and leadership was presented by Prof. John Kotter in his book â€Å"A Force for Change†. â€Å"The purpose of leadership is seen in bringing about movement and useful change and the purpose of management is to guarantee stability, consistency, order and efficiency† (Kotterman, 2006). Both, leadership and management are important for success of any organization. From definition suggested by Kotter it is clearly seen that it is not only possible to interchange these concepts, but it should be mentioned that these concepts define quite different things: management is for stability, leadership is for change. Moreover, it is quite relevant to note that managers and leaders can be people from the same class. A very interesting explanation of management and leadership is given in the book â€Å"Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge† (1985): â€Å"Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing† (Fairholm 1998, p. 17). ... This interest was caused by the growing development of Japanese business world. Japanese organizations had their secret: they substituted mechanical function of managers by a facilitative and developmental function (Fairholm, 1998). In America this tendency was ‘wrongly copied’ and managers were mixed up with leaders by a mistake. This process is perfectly described in the following citation: â€Å"To punish managers for letting us down, we blessed leaders with the good-guy styles and damned management with the bad-guy ones. The next step was to portray leaders as transformational and managers as transactional† (Kotterman, 2006). It is clearly seen, that in 80s it was rather hard to differ between managers and leaders. Moreover, a function of managers was even neglected and very often at that time managers were described as ‘control freaks’ (Kotterman, 2006). Kotter’s claim was one of the most understandable at that complicated period: he claim ed that managers have to deal with difficulties and leaders are focused on change and innovation. Generally, in 80s the main interest of scientists and researchers was focused on leaders, while the function of managers was not interesting for them anymore. Managers’ function to motivate employees for successful performance was taken away from them by leaders. In the book â€Å"Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations† (1985) Bernard Bass claims that leaders have to be responsible for human resources motivation. The main drawback of researches and studies of that time was a lack of attention to the performance of leader’s functions. In other words, these studies were not practically implemented (Fairholm, 1998; (Martin, 1999). It

CISCO Systems Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

CISCO Systems Inc - Research Paper Example The company operates through data center operations management services, which assists the customers in accelerating the operational success by employing new technologies and solves the problems that arise in the due course of time. The Data Center Services for Operations Enablement of CISCO includes many voluntary modules, which assist in accelerating the operational maturity of the Data Center management processes. The three main domains of operation such as plan, build and manage are significant in the company. The services aim at addressing the challenges that are associated with the operational processes and tools. This requires assessment of data effectively and efficiently in the data center. The business operation of CISCO has undergone huge changes and is also encountering modifications presently so that they can sell the bundles of solutions in high prices. The offered solution bundles need changes in credit selling, revenue attribution, supply chain and order processing (CISCO Systems Inc., 2014a; CISCO Systems Inc., 2014c). Analysis of operations transformation process of CISCO One of the main competitive advantages of CISCO is its ability to offer architectures of different products related to collaboration, mobility, borderless networks, and security. The transformation process of the service that is taken into account is Wireless LAN (CISCO Systems Inc. 2014b). The process considers the designing and sale of the solutions of the products that are developed by the units or partners of the unit.

Strategic Marketing (StarHub Internet) Research Paper

Strategic Marketing (StarHub Internet) - Research Paper Example But, in the era of the 21st century focusing on one method of marketing is considered as equivalent to committing organizational suicide and therefore, modern businesses are forced to use a bunch of marketing techniques in order to stay in the business (Fahy and Smithee 1999). Moreover, marketing and advertisement is away from the noble concept of ethics and righteousness (Robin and Reidenbach 1987). The marketing is considered marketing whether or not it is dirty. So the staff in the advertisement department is supposed to keep the products and services of the company selling in order to keep their jobs (Botan 1997) The distribution strategy is a means of devising a system and mechanism for delivering the products to the customers. The business in the 21st century cannot survive without placement of the products as soon as possible. The internet service provider is recommended to develop the internal state of the art system and then, move on to the next stage of promoting itself and its services. The main idea is to boost the organizational ability to provide services when customers need or demand them. The external environment of the business has a profound impact on internal matters and practices of the business (Bourgeois 1980). The concerned Strategic Business Unit is operating in an industry that is characterized as well developed and established and therefore, the company is in need to follow the industrial norms strictly. The management is recommended to blend in the market before thinking of innovating. In opening few years, the SBU will not be able to do much more than surviving through the challenges of the industry (Sethi 1979). The SBU’s first and paramount objective is to find balance and sustainability in a challenging environment and these objectives and goals can be obtained by following industrial standards and norms at in initial one or two years (Hult, Hurley and Knight 2004). But, the quality of services should be maintained in a lon g term perspective. The external environment of the internet industry is well established and therefore, management of the company is suggested to introduce standardizations and development of standard operating procedures. The structure of SBU will also be divided clearly and there should be departmentalization. The task of providing internet services is a simple one and because of this reason, management does not have much room for innovation and newness while performing business activities. Product Augmentation Strategy The product augmentation strategy is used to mix two or more offerings in one package so that the customer can receive more value in less amount of money. This strategy is rate as the most effective one, when an organization is working to develop it market presence and share. The internet service provider is recommended to provide high quality cloud printing and scanning services along with traditional ones and therefore, the customers may receive more value than their expectations and anticipations. The receipt of more customer value will induce the consumers to become repeated benefiters. These strategies will be designed for one to two initial years and then the business unit must expand its geographical reach. The core source of creating customer value in internet industry is the quality of internet downloading and uploading speed. In the modern society people have internet connections

Network Measurement Laboratory Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Network Measurement Laboratory - Lab Report Example This experiment is aimed to experimentally determine the Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuit of a Black box network which consists of resistive elements and voltage source. Furthermore, the value of the load resistance connected across the two terminals of the black box will be determined such that maximum power is transferred from the network load. Finally, the objective of the experiment is to determine certain network parameters. This experiment will aid the students to understand the behavior of given circuits and explain their outputs, understand Thevenin and Norton principles, the principle of maximum power transfer and their implications for practical systems. Thevenin Theorem states that: â€Å"any linear terminal circuit is equivalent to an ideal voltage source Vth in series with a resistance Rth where Vth is open circuit voltage the two terminals and Rth is the ratio of open-circuit voltage to the short-circuit current (Isc) at the terminals†. On the other hand, an alternative proposition to Thevenin’s theory, Norton’s theorem states that â€Å"Any linear resistive two terminal circuit is equivalent to a parallel combination of an ideal current source In and a resistance Rn, where In is the short-circuit current at the terminals and Rn is the ratio of the open-circuit voltage to the short-circuit current†. These theorems are illustrated in the circuit below Measurements for the values of 12 VDC and 18 VDC of the excitation voltages were then made. The Thà ©venin Circuit Component was then turned over and a schematic diagram representation drawn as shown below A 10Kï â€" variable resistor was connected across the output of the black box and the current and the voltage across the resistor measured. The resistance was varied the current and voltage recorded as a function of the resistance. The current and the voltmeter measurement

Globalization of Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries Essay Example for Free

Globalization of Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries Essay Globalization of both the economy and the society has confronted the world over the past decade. A shift of focus and interest from the local market to the international setting has demanded innovation not just in corporate leadership as new information; forms of communication and technology are being offered to be utilized in encouraging and reinforcing interaction among individuals. Fewer trade barriers and unprecedented technological advances have accelerated the pace of globalization. The advances in communication technology make it easier to enter the international market through the efficient marketing and advertising strategies that a number of international business organizations invest in by utilizing the services provided by the Worldwide Web. Electronic data communication (EDC) facilitates the exchange of data at tremendous speeds; it sorts and integrates data with other information available to the recipients (businesses, banks, capital markets) from other sources. Individual countries and trading and currency blocs alike view the fast-moving e-business sector as having a direct impact on the countries’ and blocs’ competitiveness in the global market. Increased market competition identifies continuous adjustment and improvement in the production lines of countries to recognize the participation of smaller business units. The free flow of goods and services, the establishment of functioning trade blocs like the European Union, more favorable regulations for foreign direct investment, and e-commerce are now major features of the global market. The introduction of the new division of international labor calls for evaluation and reorganization of the business operations as well as a reassessment of the current technological practices. The Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries Industry in FRANCE Royle and Towers (2002) note that the Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries industry has now extended throughout the world, expanding in FRANCE and other European countries, bakeshops are often considered as a characteristic of the new global culture. These bakeshops are illustrated as informal, have uniform service to anyone regardless of social status and focuses on giving quick-service to its customers. The industry grew out of a cultural philosophy that greatly values friendliness more than propriety, basically more than traditions of gracious living and democratic consensus over status-based divisions. Firms within the Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries industry fall into the category of a competitive market structure. According to Lipset (1991), the competitiveness of a market refers to the extent to which individual firms have the control or power to influence market prices or the terms on which their products are sold. It must be noted that â€Å"the less power an individual firm has to influence the market in which it sells its products, the more competitive the market is† (Lipset, 1991). In the recent years, the integration of strategic planning and functional marketing has been perhaps the most relevant development in the field of marketing management as marketing managers have all the more realized that tactical marketing decisions must be made within a wider strategic framework. Marketing Mix (4Ps) Product – Products that Cakes and Cookies are offering can be improved and expanded. For example they can add more cakes that suit the taste and needs of their consumers in FRANCE. Cakes and Cookies should not limit their products according to the old time customers in the U. S. Placement – Decisions involving the place/distribution are also crucial in meeting the needs of the target market. There are many factors to consider such as the choice of location where the product will be sold to the consumers, and the various channel distribution required to bring the product in the target market. Elements of distribution channel include the packaging, storage facilities, transportation, and the members of the channel itself. Cakes and Cookies should make their customized packages and boxes for their Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries and this should be appropriate according to the taste of the FRANCE consumers. It is always relevant to choose a channel pattern that is suitable for the target market needs. Price Among other factors considered in pricing are the needs of the market, the costs involved, the effect on margins and the value offered at a minimum for the consumer without the price cut hitting the company image. It is not surprising therefore, that Cakes and Cookies entry price strategy became a model in starting business in the area. Finally, it is interesting to note that in FRANCE have consistently agreed with Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries pricing strategy for many years. This shows that consumers give their loyalty as long as the price is right and fair. Promotions – Today, personal selling, sales promotions, in the forms of souvenirs, and point-of-purchase displays (POP), publicity through non-paid presentation of the product to the target market (feature articles and special news coverage), and public relations (established link with the stakeholders) were utilized by Cakes and Cookies Similarly, TV and radio advertising are important channels to promote Cakes and Cookies Usually, effective television and radio advertising involves a good opening punch line, presentation of the competitor’s product (brand must not be mentioned) and its weakness, testimony of experts or renowned personalities/authorities, and in some cases, use of famous movie actors and actress also helps. Further, the existence of Internet and the continued revolution in the world of Information Technology are certainly positive signs for the blossoming of many new advertising opportunities. For instance, pop-up ads and email ads have started to inva de the Internet. Most advertising firms have also started to exert efforts to make their advertisements appealing to the public (Chow and Holden, 1997). Segment, Target and Positioning of the Product Of all the components of a marketing plan, perhaps the most overlooked but most critical element is the definition of the target market. According to Lovelock and Young (2000), it is a homogenous group of people or organizations that a company wishes to appeal to. There are two basic targets for a product or service: the user and the non-user segments. Thus, there are also two business and marketing decisions that the company must decide upon in light of the basic targets. The first is to cultivate the present market alone while the second is to go after non-users. The former can inspire consumer loyalty which is an important factor in the survival of any business. In the case of Cakes and Cookies, they should categorize their target market into two market segments: (1) the Cakes and Cookies patrons or those who have already tried the product, and (2) the Cakes and Cookies non-consumers. The Cakes and Cookies consumers further classified into (a) males and (b) females in order to differentiate the market appeal and competitiveness of the offered products in terms of sex as well as the specific consumers for specific types of Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries. in order to determine the competitiveness of each product per se. the Cakes and Cookies non- consumers, on the other hand, are further grouped into (a) those who do not eat Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries in general, and (b) those who eat other Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries. These market segmentation schemes according to product use will provide important information regarding the overall competitiveness of Cakes and Cookies products as well as viability and opportunities for encouraging sweeteners non-users to not just try any other average sweeteners but to choose Cakes and Cookies products among others. Moreover, companies now face the challenge of making its target consumers respond accordingly to their marketing efforts and those who understand its consumers’ responses will have a great competitive advantage (Kotler Armstrong, 2001). In this light, Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries should keep in mind the differences that are distinct between and among other bakeshops target market based on different cultural backgrounds which significantly affect the effectiveness of the campaign. The fact is, there may be ideas that will not be applicable across the diverse target market population. Studies on the relationship of consumer behavior and their personal values and cultural orientation as well as their beliefs on certain principles, the dispositions they hold and side they take on political, gender and social problems and issues will be likewise duly accounted. Positioning The changing world has then placed much emphasis on the importance of communication for effective marketing. All types of communication are involved in marketing communications, including literature, training, advertising, mail, telephone, product promotions and other contact relevant to marketing communication. Among the channel members, even follow-up on complaints as well as customer billing may be included within the communication loop. In order to effectively serve the marketing channel, correct timing and accuracy in communications is essential. Moreover, it is important for the company to recognize that all members of the channel have an obligation or important role in maintaining the efficacy of marketing communications. Organizations that capitalize on customers active participation in organizational activities can gain competitive advantage through greater sales volume, enhanced operating efficiencies, positive word-of-mouth publicity, reduced marketing expenses, and enhanced customer loyalty (Lovelock Young, 1979). Channel communications works in a two-way system wherein information transfers to the user and bounces all the way back to the producer (Goldberg McCalley, 1992). In other words, marketing communications works like a feedback system, which allows company producers to relay information to the customers. In response to the provided information, consumers give certain reactions or behaviors. In this light, the electronic transformation of the services offered by Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries will result to better and more efficient and effective customer service system to the clientele. Moreover, the functionality of the online portal for the marketing and advertising needs of the agency will most possibly result to increase customer reach, satisfaction level and return of investment. Furthermore, if consumers somehow become better customers that is, more knowledgeable, participative, or productive the quality of the service experience will likely be enhanced for the customer and the organization (Bowers, Martin Luker, 1990). Finally, some of the ways that companies acquired cost advantages are by improving process efficiencies, gaining unique access to a large source of lower cost materials, making optimal outsourcing and vertical integration decisions, or avoiding some costs altogether. If competing firms are unable to lower their costs by a similar amount, the firm will be able to sustain a competitive advantage based on cost leadership.

Factors Affecting Human Comfort In Buildings

Factors Affecting Human Comfort In Buildings Introduction There are many factors that affect human comfort in the internal built environment. Human comfort is affected by thermal factors; physical factors and personal factors. Another factor that can affect human comfort is sound of the environment around them. The final factor that affects the human comfort is the visual of the room and the light intensity. There are ways to measure the physical factors that affect human thermal comfort, the sound comfort and the visual comfort. Thermal Factors The average temperature inside a building is 19-21 degrees and outside is -1 degrees, but there are two different thermal factors that affect the temperature of the room and human comfort; they are physical and personal factors. The physical factors include; air temperature, mean radiation temperature, relative humidity and air velocity. The air temperature inside of a building will change depending on the temperature outside the building and the k-values of the materials used to build the walls and insulation. K-values are the values that all materials have which shows how good insulators the materials are, the lower the k-value the more affective the materials are at retaining heat. The u-value is what overall heat resistance of the materials are. Air temperature is also affected by the people inside the building and they activity they are doing. The mean radiant temperature also affects the human comfort; mean radiant temperature is the radiation that is coming into the building f rom windows and walls, balanced against the radiation given off by the human body. The relative humidity is another factor that affects the air temperature; the relative humidity is the percentage of water vapour saturation that is in the air. The final physical factor that affects human comfort is the air velocity; this is the movement of the air throughout a building or a room. This can be affected by the convection in the room, the warm air enters a room and rises to the ceiling, pushing the cold air downwards and draught also changes the air velocity, the cold air flows into the room and makes the temperature of the draught path colder that the room temperature. Physical and Personal Factors There are also personal factors that can affect the human comfort in a building, they include; age, gender, state of health, clothing and the level of activity. The age of a person greatly affects the temperature of a room; older people give off less heat then younger people. Gender is also a factor that affects the temperature given off by people, females give off less heat than males, and they give off 85% of what the male body gives off. The state of health of the person also affects the heat that they give off and the temperature of the room, a person who is sick or has an illness gives off less heat that a person who is physically healthy. The clothing you are wearing also affects the temperature that you need to be comfortable, depending on the weight of the clothing you will need different temperatures to feel comfortable e.g. swimwear 29 degrees, light clothing 25 degrees, suit, jumper 22 degrees, coat, glove, hat 14 degrees. The level of activity you are doing also affects t he heat that you give off and the temperature needed to feel comfortable. Sleeping 70W, watching TV 115W, office 140W, factory work 265W, lifting 440W. Audio / Sound Factors The sound of the environment that a person is in greatly affects their comfort in the building. Sound is a form of energy that is transmitted in pressure waves and changes depending on the pressure of the air in the room. Sound is the vibration of the particles in a wave that send the particles in all directions and spread out; this creates a pattern of refraction and compaction. Sound has two different sources and types where it can originate from, they are impact/structure-borne sound and air-bourn sound. These are different as they are where the source of the sound comes from. Air-bone sound is sound which travels through the air before reaching a partition, meaning that the vibrations must have travelled through the air before they reach the partition. Main sources of air-borne noise are; voices, radios and musical instruments. Impact sound is vibrations that are generated on the partition and a continuous vibration can be classed as a series of impact noises in succession. Impac t noise does not travel through air like air-borne noise does. The main sources of impact noise are; footsteps, slamming door and vibrating machinery. It is important to know the difference between impact and air-borne noise as the methods that are used to prevent them are very different. However a single source could generate both air-born and impact noise e.g. footsteps, on the floor below the origin the sound would be impacts as it is started on the partition, but in the room of the sound it travels through the it before reaching the partition making it both air-born and impact. Both types of sound have different ways of preventing, so different installations must be put in to insulate from the type of sound. Air-born sound can be prevented by mass of partitions e.g. thick walls as lightweight particles give very little resistance unless they are in layers. The main ways that impact sounds are prevented is by using vibration pads and soft covering on floors and walls. Sound rever berates, so if a sound suddenly stops the sound will not stop instantly. The time taken for the reverberation of a sound decays at different rates depending on the area of the exposed surfaces, sound absorption values of the materials used in the building, the distance between the surfaces and the sound and the frequency of the sound. Visual / Lighting Factors The final factor that affects human comfort is light intensity. If the light levels are too low or too high then it will not be as suitable. Light travels in rays and bounces off objects and into the eye. The rays cannot bend so they must go in straight lines, but light can be refracted through certain materials which can bend the beam slightly. The light needs to be the right intensity so that the eyes dont have to strain too much if it is too dark or if the light is too bright it may blind. Light can be controlled by letting certain amounts of natural light through windows and also by the brightness of the artificial light from the light bulbs. Natural light can be controlled by using darkened windows and the artificial light can be controlled by having dimmers on the lights to change the intensity as the intensity of natural light changes. Glare can affect the human comfort, glare is a light intensity that is too high reflecting off a surface and reflecting into the eyes making it difficult to see detail or may cause visual discomfort. P2- Describe how each factor is measured There are methods that are used to measure the physical factors that affect human thermal comfort. To measure the physical factors, the instruments that are used are; thermometers, globe thermometer, hygrometer and anemometer. A thermometer is a device that is used to measure the temperature of a room, a thermometer includes a liquid that rises as the temperature does and on the side a scale that measures the temperature in  °C and degrees  °F. A globe thermometer is a device that measures radiant heat and consists of a thermometer sensor with a bulb located at the middle of a black copper bulb. The globe thermometers units of measurement are  °C. This can be used to calculate the mean radiant temperature providing that you know the air velocity and temperature. A hygrometer is an instrument that is used to measure that saturation of water vapour in the air of the surrounding environment. This instrument relies on the pressure, temperature, mass and mechanical or electrical cha nge. By calibrating the device and calculating the other factors the humidity can be worked out. It measures its units in percentages. An anemometer is a device used to measure the speed of wind, but there is also an anemometer that measures the pressure of wind, it consists of three or four cups that revolve around a shaft at different speeds depending on the wind temperature and pressure. They are measure in meters per second. Sound is measured using a sound level meter, this instrument analyses the sound that it picks up and uses electronics to convert the sound onto a digital scale. Sound level meter can pick up sound instantly or can be used to pick sound up over time and the average can be calculated. The intensity of light in a room can be measured using a light meter. The light meter woks using an electrical current which is generated by photosensitive electrons that detect the amount of light hitting the surface. This causes the electrons to react depending on the amount hitting the surface and is then converted into an electrical reading. P3- State acceptable values for each factor Each measurement has a range of acceptable values that affect the human comfort is the environment. The suitable range for temperature in a room is from 19 °C- 21 °C. This is also the same value with a globe thermometer. The acceptable value for the humidity of a room ranges from 40%-60%. The units of measurement that sound is calculated in is decibels and the suitable range in a workplace is from 135dB-137dB maximum. Light intensity is measured using Lux, the acceptable values for the intensity of light is 50- 100Lux. M1- Produce clearly worked, accurate answers for different calculations relating to human comfort in the internal environment 1) Calculate the U-value of a cavity wall with a 102.5mm thick brick outer leaf, 45mm of clear cavity, 50mm of fibre insulating board, 115mm of lightweight concrete block inner leaf and 15mm of dense plaster finish. Brickwork – 0.84 Cavity – 0.13 Fibre insulting board – 0.05 Concrete, lightweight – 0.19 Plaster, dense – 0.50 0.1025 + 0.05 + 0.115 + 0.015 + 0.13 =0.13 + 0.05 = 2.06728696742 0.84 0.05 0.19 0.50 1 = 0.483725779 2.06728696742 U-value = 0.48W/m ²K 2) Compare the U-values of a single-glazed window made up of one sheet of 14mm glass with a double-glazed window made up of two sheets of 28mm glass with a 20mm air gap between them. Comment on the difference in U-values and its effects. Glass – 1.022 Cavity – 0.13 Single-glazed = 0.014 + 0.13 + 0.05 = 0.19369863013 1.022 1 = 5.162659127 0.19369863013 U-value = 5.16W/m ²K Double-glazed = 0.028 + 0.028 + 0.13 + 0.13 + 0.05 = 0.36479452054 1.022 1.022 1 = 2.741269249 0.36479452054 U-value = 2.74W/m ²K The single-glazed has a higher U-value compared to the double-glazed. The difference in the U-value is 2.42; this makes a big difference in the insulation or resistance of heat. The higher U-value has less resistance and is a better insulator, so heat can easily escape. However the double-glazed has more resistance and cannot conduct the heat as well. 3) An un-insulated wall has a U-value of 0.92W/m ²K. If insulation board is added to the construction, what minimum thickness of this board is needed to reduce the U-value to 0.34W/m ²K? The conductivity of the insulation board is 0.028W/mK. 0.0565 + 0.92 = 2.93785714286 0.028 1 = 0.34048348655 2.93785714286 U-value = 0.34W/m ²K Insulation board = 56.5mm 4) A dwelling is 6m long by 4.5m wide by 2.4m high. In the walls, there are two windows, each 1m by 0.6m and a large door 2m by 0.8m. The construction has the following U-values: Windows – 4.8 Door – 3 Walls – 2.3 Roof – 0.15 Floor – 3 The inside environmental comfort temperature is 19 °C while the outside air temperature is -1 °C. The volumetric heat specific capacity of the air is 1300J/mK. There are 1.5 air changes per hour. Calculate the total rate of heat loss for the dwelling. Volume of room = 6 Ãâ€" 4.5 Ãâ€" 2.4 = 64.8m ³ Air change rate = 1.5 Volumetric specific heat for air = 1300J/mK Temperature difference = 20 °C 64.8 Ãâ€" 1.5 Ãâ€" 1300 Ãâ€" 20 = 702W 1 Rate of heat loss = 702W 5) Calculate the reverberation time for a hall which has a volume of 2000m ³ and a sound absorbing area of 350m ². 0.16 Ãâ€" 2000 = 0.91428571428 350 Reverberation time = 0.91s 6) A hall has a volume of 4000m ³ and a reverberation time of 1.6 seconds. Calculate the amount of extra absorption (m ²) required to obtain a reverberation time of 1 second. Comment on how the length of the reverberation time has an impact on activities. 4000 Ãâ€" 0.16 = 400 1.6 Extra absorption = 400m ² The length of reverberation time can have an impact on activities. Depending on the reverberation time may have a large effect on it. If the activity is a speech then the reverberation time needs to be lower. The ideal reverberation time for speech is 0.5 – 1 second. However, of the activity involves music then the reverberation time can be higher as the ideal reverberation time for music is 1.5 – 2 seconds. 7) Calculate the wavelength of sound in air at 40Hz. 340 = 8.5 40 Wavelength = 8.5 8) Calculate the illumination in lux (lx) at a desk in a room where there is a requirement for a 5% daylight factor. The external sky has been measure at 7300 lx. 7300 Ãâ€" 5 = 365 100 5% = 365lx D1- Analyse, in both qualitative and quantitative terms, the basic factors that affect human comfort In a building the human comfort can be affected by the temperature in the room, the light intensity and the sound levels in the room. If any of these are higher or lower than the acceptable values then the people might not be able to work to the best of their abilities or concentrate. The use of ventilation, the need and the relation to heat loss. The partitions used and the relation to sound and heat transfer. To make sure that the temperature in a room is constantly within the right values the ventilation and heating up of the new air has to be constant. This is so that the temperature changes cannot affect the workers in the office; if the temperature levels are changing constantly it can affect work rate and ability. Temperature can change quickly by being in a draft or the convection as the hot air rises and the cold air is pushed down. When the room is hot this can also increase the humidity in the room, when the humidity gets high it can make perspiring difficult. This makes the quality of the work that will be done lower and also makes the experience of the worker worse. The temperature can also be too low as well. If the temperature is too low then this will also have a negative effect on the work that will be done. When they are too cold it will cause shivering which will make working harder, if typing or writing. The sound in a room also affects the human comfort. If the noise level in a room is too high then the workers would be uncomfortable. If the sound is increased then this will make hearing much more difficult. This would also make listening to others harder and also following spoken instructions much more difficult to follow out. This could also have a permanent effect of the persons hearing and may partially or completely deafen them. this means that the quality of the work would not be done as well and may also not be done to the standard wanted due to a possible hearing disability. The amount of light in a room is also a factor that also affects human comfort. If the light levels are too high in a room then the worker may be unable to see well or if light is reflecting off surfaces into their eyes this may irritate the workers. This may also cause partial blindness or permanent blindness. The contrast in lights if they are working at a computer may also hurt their eyes due to straining them to see a screen or paper. However, if the light levels are too low this may also have a negative effect as well. If the light levels are too low this will also cause straining on the eyes and difficulty seeing. Also the contrast of lights in certain areas may have a harmful effect on the eyes of the workers. If the light on the screen is too bright compared to the inside and natural lighting then this could also hurt their eyes. Another factor which may affect human comfort would be the altitude that they are working at. If they are at a high altitude then there may be a lack of oxygen or knowing that they are high may make the workers feel nauseated and sick. At high altitudes people may experience increased bladder activity, decreased appetite, insomnia, swelling of hads, feet and knees and breathlessness. Ventilation is also needed in a working environment. If there is no ventilation then the room would have an insufficient supply of oxygen and exchange for fresh air. If the room is also too hot this will cause the room to be stuffy and will have a very bad effect on the workers. The ventilation can be shafts and windows. Windows will also allow light into the office so that the light levels will not be too low and this will also allow a large amount of oxygen into the offices. The partitions that are used in an office may be good and bad. The partitions could be too thin and you may be able to hear through the partitions, this could be distracting for workers and depending on the thickness of the partition, it may trap in too much heat or let too much heat escape making it difficult to work in conditions that arent correct. If an office has a large amount of natural light this can be good for the workers as they will feel like they are in a natural environment, also allowing enough fresh air at a constant temperature, however if it is very dark outside then it might make the workers feel colder and if it is too bright then it may make them feel too hot. This could be avoided by having curtains or blinds, which will also trap heat in if it is a cold day and keep the cold out.