Barriers to Entry and Various Risks That Must Be Considered by Foreign Retail Companies Seeking to Conduct Business in China Essays

Barriers to Entry and Various Risks That Must Be Considered by Foreign Retail Companies Seeking to Conduct Business in China Essays Barriers to Entry and Various Risks That Must Be Considered by Foreign Retail Companies Seeking to Conduct Business in China Essay Barriers to Entry and Various Risks That Must Be Considered by Foreign Retail Companies Seeking to Conduct Business in China Essay Barriers to entry and various risks that must be considered by foreign retail companies seeking to conduct business in China By Aizhan Yermekbayeva Let China sleep, for when she awakes, she will shake the world (Napoleon Bonaparte) Most politicians, businessmen and academics would agree with the quote above. It is becoming more and more evident that â€Å"China is now slowly waking up†. And a market of over 1. 5 bn potential consumers is perceived by most multinational enterprises (MNCs) as an opportunity hard to miss. Businessmen and even renowned academics make various recommendations on approaching Chinese market. This article will provide a critical analysis on how to develop businesses in China successfully and sustain stable profitability. The main focus will be drawn on entering and operating business in the retail industry as the industry is attracting the growing number of foreign investors despite the fact of having unresolved issues with the supply chain management, â€Å"bureaucratic red tape† and most importantly fierce competition. China could be divided into two main parts when it involves setting up a business: Hong Kong and mainland China. Hong Kong, which was a British colony until it was reunited with mainland China in 1997, is considered to be one of the most liberal markets with low level of governmental interference. However this article’s primary focus is on the mainland China, given its current political and economic importance. Merely thirty years after the reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s, China has become the world’s fastest growing economy. Some predicted that by 2015 China will surpass Japan and will become the world’s second largest economy (Hall, 2009). But it happened five years earlier. It has been expected that by 2010 its retail industry will be worthy of $596 bn. China’s vast natural resources and cheap labour are substantially appealing to foreign investors. â€Å"No future is brighter than China†, states Coca-Cola’s chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent (Einhorn, 2009). As thought provoking as it may be Lehman Brothers in China still went bankrupt in 2009 and Marks Spencer, despite having more than sufficient financial resources, failed to succeed. According to a statement made by the executive chairman of MS Sir Stuart Rose, â€Å"basic shop keeping mistakes† (wrong clothing sizes) and issues in the supply chain were the main reasons why their market entry strategy did not succeed in China. However, there are still barriers to entry and various risks that must be considered by companies seeking to conduct business in China. The government in mainland China regulates the market, sets the controlling legislation and rules for foreign direct investments (FDIs) and competition . After China’s admittance to the WTO most of the regulatory barriers to Chinese market have been eliminated. China’s current economic environment offers a great opportunity for businesses. Although China has been undergoing fast economic reforms these are not necessarily followed in tandem by political reforms. As such, most MNCs mistake is that they approach China in the same manner and with the same strategy as they would any other country. Conversely those businesses that have succeeded in China have used a strategy of â€Å"understanding local ways†. It is vital not to underestimate the power of guanxi. Therefore foreign managers are strongly advised to understand this cultural phenomenon before attempting to start a business in China. Guanxi is â€Å"a complicated system of favour banking† which is practiced within a certain group. The importance of guanxi is often emphasised by a Chinese saying that without guanxi a person gets â€Å"half the result with twice the effort†. However, the main risk of guanxi is that it requires a high level of trust between parties involved in favour exchange – where someone’s word is his bond as opposed to an actual agreement. Strong guanxi networks would make the challenges of conquering Chinese retail market, such as setting up an efficient supply system less complicated. However there are additional threats and limitations that might affect foreign businesses, particularly retailers. Especially, taking into consideration a significant role that local government plays in the Chinese market. The growing concern for retailers is that the Chinese government is discussing adopting protectionist regulations in the retail industry. New regulations are showing signs already as the local government has selected a group of local retailers and is giving them financial support. It is the first stage of formation of the â€Å"national champions† local retail companies which are expected to become the leaders of the retail industry. There are many reason why the Chinese government is compelled to undertake these actions such as the retail industry is expanding at a fast rate and from the local population’s perspective the key industry players that benefit from it the most are foreign companies. This viewpoint pressurises the government to protect the local retail chains, which are not able to compete against international retail giants because of the insufficient financial resources. Therefore these regulations are expected to favour domestic retailers in allocation of strategic locations and have been highly welcomed by national retailers. Under these circumstances it is of utmost importance for foreign retailers to re-assess their future strategies. As it was mentioned before the Chinese retail industry is highly competitive which emphasises the importance of the visibility of hypermarkets. Another challenge of maintaining competitiveness lies in increasing prices of land and rented premises as foreign retailers are focused on operating hypermarkets in strategic and urban areas that raise operating costs. Moreover foreign retailers are already being pressurised into price wars as local retailers, mostly family-owned stores, offer very low prices which appeals to Chinese price-conscious customers. Furthermore with variety of retailers offering similar goods and services the local customers’ demands have shifted. The times when foreign companies could sell their ut-of-date products are long gone. Currently foreign retail companies are expected to provide high quality products and it makes it even more challenging to offer competitive prices at the same time. Initially foreign retail chains could differentiate themselves from locals with new technologies, innovative practices in marketing and by offering consumer friendly return policies. As â€Å"understanding the needs and motivations of Chinese consumers is the name of the game†. However they have soon lost this advantage as domestic competitors were fast to copy and employ them. Additionally local retail chains’ scope is smaller which makes it easier for them to set up an effective supply chain. While for retailers like Tesco, Carrefour and Wal-Mart it is difficult to keep supply chain centralised. Fragmented nature of Chinese retail market and geographically vast area impose more challenges. Moreover the local governments of different areas have customs duties which also increase the prices of suppliers. For example each of Tesco’s stores has to work with 1000 suppliers. Furthermore it is difficult for global retailers to overcome â€Å"the liability of foreignness†. It makes them vulnerable to changes in global political arena and politics between countries. In 2008 Carrefour suffered significant financial losses because Chinese customers decided to boycott all French retailers in protest to the pro-Tibet political standing of the President of France, shortly after riots in Tibet. Therefore political risks have to be taken into consideration. It is evident from the above mentioned that Western businesses coming to China should not make false assumptions based on the rapid development of infrastructure that the Chinese market and especially the retail industry function the same way. Therefore the significance of doing proper â€Å"homework† before approaching foreign markets, especially China, cannot be overemphasised. The differences outlined above should be considered to avoid future disappointments and subsequent failures in entry strategy. Companies that rushed into conquering the Chinese market without sufficient information failed to succeed encountering the Chinese bureaucracy and unreliable business partners. There are several conditions in order to create successful joint ventures in China: Finding a reliable partner, which is best achieved through connections attained with guanxi. Chinese business partners bring local knowledge and the experience in conducting business in the Chinese market which may be useful for cost cutting. Nevertheless when choosing a partner or business allies, financial strength and mutual interests should be taken into account. Foreign companies should seek for a financially reliable partner. Strategic location. Interaction with local governments is crucial for obtaining a desirable location Monitoring changes in accounting, taxation and other legislative modifications Human resources management (HRM). Low labour costs are one of the major incentives for foreign companies to come to China. The general manager of JV companies noted that there are three key elements to succeeding in China: â€Å"people, people, and people† (Epser 1991:24-30). Although success depends on the quality of personnel management. Relations with trade unions (TUs) may come as challenge as the way they function in China is different from Western countries. Interestingly it is noted that TUs are usually focused more on protecting the interests of the Party than that of employees. Other precautions include: avoidance of recruiting from only one source as in some cases new recruits may have similar negative qualities; While high quality employees may require patience and flexible attitude to find; Avoid employing a large workforce as local authorities might pressurise to hire more; Experienced native management personnel is essential for managing bureaucratic procedures; New employees should be trained, their skills and work ethics developed to coincide with main interests of the company Supply chain management is without a doubt of significant importance in decreasing costs and developing business. However this is one of the areas that have not been researched thoroughly. Summarising all criteria above, locating a Chinese partner with high level of reliability and with a nationally successful business is of utmost importance when establishing a joint venture. Guanxi is as well important in finding a strategic location and employing a suitable workforce. Nevertheless there is a scarcity in detailed information on supply chain management which is arguably one the most significant areas in cost cutting strategy. El Kahal identifies the main challenges of developing businesses in Asia Pacific, and as the author says â€Å"anyone who looks to Asia has to look at China†. Therefore challenges found the most relevant to conducting business in China and suggested (potential) solutions are presented in Table – 3. Table – 3. Challenges |Implications |Solutions | |Obtaining information on market competition |It is difficult for foreign managers |â€Å"hands-on experience†, the manager has to | |and the external factors affecting business |to assess the market, potential |have an extensive knowledge of the | |operations |rivals and find suitable partners |operating environment to reduce reliance on| | | |detailed data analysis. Establishing sound | | | |personal ties and networking is used by | | | |most local senior managers as an | | | |alternative to documented data and is | | | |essential for verification of information | | | |reliability received from various external | | | |sources. |â€Å"Bureaucratic red tape† |Might affect the pace of projects and|Weigh diligently possibilities of | | |business operations |regulatory and legislative obstacles and | | | |utilise the knowledge of the local managers| | | |through building a personal network | |Political aspects and internal issues of the|May lead to termination of business |It is highly encouraged to do thorough | |country like bribery |and even more severe consequences; |research before starting a business. | |make a significant damage to | | | |company’s reputation | | Overall China offers opportunities to prosper however challenges and obstacles should be taken into careful consideration. Foreign businesses should do their ‘home work’ to meet or avoid them. This article attempted to provide various advice and recommendations on the subject, however every company adopts a different approach based on the internal and external environments. Despite foreign retailers’ high expectation about future prospects of the Chinese retail industry, the economic crisis has affected China as well. Bain Co predict that in the next four years there will be a decreasing trend in the number of hypermarkets in China. According to Financial Times there is an over-saturation of hypermarkets in some urban areas such as Shanghai were there are already approximately 120-130 hypermarkets. This tendency causes an increase in rental costs, fierce competition forces rivals to cut prices and these factors combined with the country’s present infrastructure issues creates an uncertain future for foreign retailers. However, some global retail giants like Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco see the economic downturn as an opportunity to get ahead of competition. Interestingly the Chinese character for ‘risk’ has two symbols: â€Å"danger† and â€Å"opportunity†. Investing abroad is a risk, but it is also an opportunity and with the right and timely information organisations can form a unique strategy of succeeding in China. References Chen, C. C. and Chen X. P. (2009) Negative externalities of close guanxo within organizations. Asia Pacific Journal of Management. 26. pp. 37-53 Chen, M, (2004) Asian Management Systems. 2nd ed. London: Thomson Learning. p5. , 241, 242 Chow, I. , Holbert, N. , Kelley, L. , Yu, J. (2004) Business Strategy: An Asia-Pacific Focus. 2nd ed. Singapore: Pearson Education South-Asia. El Kahal, S. 2001) Business in Asia Pacific. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. p. 63, 70, 562 Epser, P. (1991) cited in Chen, M, (2004) Asian Management Systems. 2nd ed. London: Thomson Learning. p. 241 Fels, A. (2009) The regulation of retailing – lessons for developing countries. Asia Pacific Busine ss Review. 15(1). Pp. 13-27. Gamble, J. (2009) Demanding customers in the Chinese context. Asia Pacific Business Review. 15(1). pp 93-105 Peng, M. (2009) Global Strategic Management. 2nd ed. Canada: South Western Cengage Learning. p. 16; 156 Wang, S. (2009) Foreign Retailers in post-WTO China: stories of success and setbacks. Asia Pacific Business Review. 5(1). pp59-77 Wal-Mart, Tesco, Carrefour do battle in the East. (2008) Strategic Direction. 24(2). pp5-7. Hall, J (2009) Every little helps for Tesco in ChinaSupermarket makes steady inroads. Daily Telegraph. [online] Available from: http://find. galegroup. com/gtx/infomark. do? contentSet=IAC- Kent, M (2009) cited in Einhorn, B (2009) Coke Committed to China Expansion. Business Week. [online] Available from: businessweek. com/globaliz/content/jun2009/gb20090623_410186. htm Rigby, E (2008) Tesco in new drive on China. Financial Times. [online] Available from: ft. com. /cns/s/0/a89db8f6-89b2-11db-ae27-0000779e2340. html

12 Trucking Tips to Drive Safer This Winter

12 Trucking Tips to Drive Safer This Winter I don’t know about where you are, but here in New York, autumn has finally caught up to us. All the trees are racing to turn to yellow and red, and if this year’s anything like the last two, we’ve got some frigid temperature and blustery snowstorms to look forward to. Many drivers who find themselves in winter conditions forget some basics- they don’t change their driving skills or brush up on maneuvering and skid control. Make sure you’re up-to-date on the preventative safety skills that could save your life or someone else’s.If you’re still on the road this time of year, here are some important safety suggestions from the experts at Smart-Trucking.com.1. Slow DownThe speed limit may tell you the legal max, but it can’t read road conditions or understand delays in stop time the way you can. Don’t let your eagerness to finish a trip make you hurry when it’s not safe.2. Follow SafelyWhen possible, leave 1/4 mile bet ween you and the vehicle in front of you, and try to give space to the vehicles next to you, too. Remember that if you’re driving with a group, the mistake the front truck makes can impact everyone else.3. Get Out of the PackFor that reason alone, try not to drive in the packs traffic tends to organize itself into- your goal should be attaining the maximum distance around your vehicle.4. Don’t Fixate on Tail LightsIt can be tempting to focus on the lights of the car in front of you when visibility or weather conditions get overwhelming, but if you can see them you’re probably too close!5. Don’t Stop on the ShoulderOther cars and trucks in low visibility may not be able to figure out your truck has pulled over or even that it’s stopped, and they could slam into your rear axle before they knew what was happening. Try to get to a truck stop or weigh station- anywhere you can pull fully off the road.6. Don’t Try to Be a HeroEven if you pride you rself on always being on schedule or arriving before your deadlines, remember that pushing yourself when the weather is inclement is not worth risking your safety. Balance the pressure you feel coming from dispatches or service rules with concern for your life and others on the road.7. Don’t Jake BrakeBe especially aware of the risks of employing your jake brake and over-using your footbrake on icy and snowy roads. You may find yourself sliding and spinning out of control, especially when the trailer is empty.8. Pay Extra Attention to your Circle CheckMake sure all your systems are fully functional- you don’t want the defroster, the heater, the wipers, or the lights (particularly the brake and tail lights) to go down on you in the middle of a scary stretch of road. Make sure everything that has a level is full to capacity. If possible, have extras stored away in case you need to refill mid-drive.9. Stay Fueled UpFull fuel tanks mean extra weight on your drive tires, wh ich helps with traction and stability. Make sure your tires have enough pressure for winter driving, as well.10. Keep Your Lights CleanWhenever you can stop, make sure to clear off your head and tail lights, particularly if you’re equipped with LED lights. Make sure you’re visible, so other drivers can adjust if they need.11. Pack an Emergency KitYour kit should have necessities for servicing your truck, but also the basics to help you hunker down if necessary: a change of warm clothes, a bottle of water, hand-warmers, first aid kit, batteries, a flashlight, and flares. Also,  consider investing in portable chargers for any electronics you carry regularly.12. Get off the RoadWhen in doubt, use your common sense and best judgment about when it’s time to get off the road. It may make for a great war story to power through a terrible blizzard and make your delivery dates, but I guarantee people would rather remember the time you arrived a day late, alive and well , than the horrific accident that kept you from arriving at all. Know when to pull off the road. Remember that you’ll be the one ultimately held accountable for whether you drove or parked to wait it out.

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Health Economics - Essay Example For instance, high level of technology, decrease in the cost of production, decrease in profit obtained from other goods, and an increased number of sellers in the market will shift the curve to the right side of equilibrium. All these factors will lead to a decrease in price of the drug in question since very little cost is used in production (Taylor & Weerapana, 2011). On the contrary, Mankiw (2011) argues that if the price of inputs increases, cost of production of other goods increases, level of technology diminishes, and the number of suppliers in the market reduces, then it is expected that price of the commodity increases. These factors will shift the supply curve on the left side of the equilibrium side as a result of negative change in the market prices. Additionally, increased prices of the drug will lower its demand since very few people will be able to purchase it. On the other hand, demand curve will be affected by a several factors. For example, increase in the expected value of the good, increase in the value of a substitute, decreased price of the complementary good, increase in the number of the potential consumers and increased earnings of the consumer will lead to increased demand. This will lead to the equilibrium shifting to the right. This will lead to increased value of the drug. Moreover, when there is a decrease in expected value of the commodity, increased value of the complementary commodity, a decrease in the price of the substitute; decreased number of potential consumers and decreased income of the consumer will lead to a downward change of the curve or the curve shifts to the left hence less demand. This decreases the price of the certain drug and supply will be down. Decrease in demand leads to flooding of a certain good in the market (Arnold, 2008). Several factors impact the degree of supply curve or demand curve shift (Graves & Sexton, 2006). First, monopoly or production

The Real World of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Real World of Management - Essay Example Following will involve listening to subordinates. A manager should be listening and should incorporate the activities of other people in the normal running of his duties. The research will also deal on entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship. Those are the qualities of a manager that will enable him or her to increase innovation and profitability in the company. A manager should also be able to have problem solving skills, research skills and decision-making skills. Every organization will be faced by a number of conflicts; the manager should be able to solve the problems in a fair manner. A manager should also be able to carry out research on ways that will improve the working of a company. Management will also involve ethical management and corporate social responsibility. Ethical management implies the way an organization relates to competitors and other stakeholders of the company. Corporate social responsibility implies to the way a company gives back to the society. The society should be rewarded for being part of the company. According to peter drucker, management involves doing things that are correct while leadership is doing the correct things. A good leader should have vision and should eye things that are beneficial to a company. Traditionally, it was believed that leaders are born and not trained. In the modern view, hard work, patience, and persistence will lead to an effective leader. That means that a good leader should be able to undergo training that will enable him sharpen his skills. That means that a good leader will be able to evolve with time and be able to understand employees with time (Brooks 276)1. A good leader should be listening and understanding. He /she should lead by example. That implies that a lead should be the first person to adhere to the rules of the company and to conform to the vision and goals of the company. That will be leading by example and that will be

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The Zero Crossing Detector Engineering Essay

The Zero Crossing Detector Engineering Essay The X 10 transmitter sends data timed with the zero crossing of the power line, thus each unit needs to have a built-in zero crossing detectors. Mainly, the X10 manufactures are using PIC16F8XXX family to detect zero crossing by applying the external interrupt on the RB0 pin, which links to the power line through 5M resistance (to limit the current into the PICmicro) as it is shown in the figure 00. The PICmicro has a protection diodes which are designed to clamp any voltage higher than VDD or lower than VSS. Thus, when a negative half cycle of the AC voltage is applied, the RB0 pin clamps the voltage to VSS 0.5V, this can be interpreted as a logic-0. At the same time, as the AC voltage rises to or over VDD, the logical value will become logic-1. RB-0 is configured for external interrupts, whereas the input buffer is a Schmitt trigger. Therefore, the input threshold (0.2 VDD = 1V) on the falling edge and (0.8 VDD = 4V) on a rising edge. So there is an interrupt occurs on every zero crossing. The following equation is used to calculate the RB0 pin state which will change in relative to the zero crossing V = Vpk*sin(2*Ġ¢*f*t), where Vpk = 320Vand f = 50 Hz On the rising edge, RB0 can go high about 64  µ s after the zero-crossing. However, on the falling edge, it can go low about 16 ÃŽ ¼s before the zero-crossing. 120 kHz Carrier Generator X-10 transmitters use 1msec bursts of a 120 kHz to send information over 50 Hz power lines. Different techniques could be used in order to generate 120 kHz, however, in x10 units are mainly use one of the PICmicro MCUs CCP modules as it is shown in the figure100. The CCP (Capture/Compare/PWM) module of PIC 16F67xA is used in PWM mode to produce a 120 kHz square-wave with a half duty cycle of (50% of the duty cycle). In order to generate the carrier frequency of 120 kHz, the system oscillator capacity was chosen to be 7.680 MHz, Where the frequency of the PWM is the inverse of the period (1/period) And since one instruction is taking four oscillation periods we come up with the term of 4Tosc Main oscillator is 7.680MHz, Tosc = 1/7.680MHz PWM period = 1/120 kHz = 8.333 µs PWM period = [(PR2) + 1] * 4 * Tosc * (TMR2 prescale value) = [(0) + 1] * 4 * 1/7.680MHz * (16) = 8.333 µs After initialization, the CCP (Capture/Compare/PWM) is always enabled, and the register TRISC bit is used to gate On and Off the PWM output. By sitting the TRISC bit = 1, then the pin is an input and the 120 kHz signal is blocked and not accessible to the pin, other than When the TRISC bit = 0, the pin becomes an output and the 120 kHz signal is free and coupled to the AC power line. Before the 120 kHz coupled to the powerline, it will pass through 200à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ resistance, a transistor amplifier and high pass filter as depicted in the Figure 5. Since the impedance of a capacitor is Zc = 1/(2*Ġ¢*f*C), If f = 120kHz Zc = 1/(2*Ġ¢*120k*0.1*10-6) If f = 50kHz Zc = 1/(2*Ġ¢*50k*0.1*10-6) The capacitor of the high pass filter is equal to 0.1 ÃŽ ¼F which presents low impedance to the 120 kHz carrier frequency, but with 50 Hz power line frequency it will present high impedance. Therefore high pass filter will safely couple the 120 kHz signal to the 50 Hz power line. Finally, the 12 kHz signal should well match with the synchronize of zero crossing with maximum delay about 300 ÃŽ ¼s from the zero-crossing to the beginning of the X-10 envelope in order to be compatible with other x10 receiver. Since the maximum delay of the zero-crossing detector = 64 ÃŽ ¼s 300 ÃŽ ¼s 64 ÃŽ ¼s = 236 ÃŽ ¼s Thus the firmware must begin the transmission of the 120 kHz envelope with maximum time of 236 ÃŽ ¼s after detection of the zero-crossing to. 120 kHz Carrier Detector In order to receive a x10 signal, it is essential to detect the presence of the 120 kHz signal on the 50Hz AC power line. This application requires a specific hardware structure which? contains three blocks placed between the PIC and the power line and subsequence the 120 kHz carrier will bass through all of them to reached RC pin of the PIC. The first block from the power line side is the decoupling capacitor which contains e a 0.1 µ capacitor in parallel with 1Mà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ resistance. The next one is the high bass filter and the final one is the envelop detector which is connected to the PC pin of the PIC as it shown in figureXX. Since the impedance of a decoupling capacitor is Zc = 1/ (2*Ġ¢*f*C), If f = 120 kHz Zc = 1/ (2*Ġ¢*120k*0.1*10-6) =1/ 0.075 = 13.26 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ Zc of 120 kHz = 13.26 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ If f = 50 kHz Zc = 1/ (2*Ġ¢*50*0.1*10-6) = 1/3110^-6 = 32.25 k à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ Zc of 50 Hz = 32.25 k à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ The capacitor of the decoupling filter is equal to 0.1 ÃŽ ¼ farad which is presenting low impedance (13.26 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦) to the 120 kHz carrier frequency, but with 50 Hz power line frequency it will present high impedance (32.25 k à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦). Therefore the decoupling filter will safely couple the 120 kHz signal detector to the 50 Hz power line and allow only 120 kHz to bass through it. The next block is another high pass filter, design an RC filter that will pass only 120 kHz carrier and attenuate the entire 50Hz. The second high pass filter scheme is shown below Where the high pass filter characteristics is shown in the next scheme ωp is the passband edge of the high pass filter ωp = 1 / CR where C = 150 pF and R = 33 k à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ ωp = 2 Ġ¢ fp fp = 1 / 2*Ġ¢*C*R fp = 1/(2*3.14*33*10^3*150*10^-9). fp = 32 kHz. Where, fp is the frequency of the passband edge that will assures all the 50 Hz signal is completely attenuated, at the same time as the 120 kHz signal is passed through the filter to the amplifier stages. The signals are inter the amplifier stage with a value between ten millivolts to a few hundred millivolts. The module must amplify the carrier to certain limit and converted to a logic level signal that the PIC can detect. The amplification, however, must be carefully selected in order to prevent the signal will pass through the first stage which is the tuned amplifier stage where the 120 kHz signal is amplified by using a series of 4069UB inverters to configure as high gain amplifiers. The tuned amplifiers operate with peak response at 120 kHz at the first two stages while the next two stages are untuned amplifier but provide additional amplification. The amplified 120 kHz signal is passed to the envelope detector block which is containing a diode, capacitor, and resistor. The out put of the envelope detector is buffered through an inverter and finally the inverse of the amplified 120 kHz is presented to an input pin (RC3) of the PIC16F8xxx. When the zero crossing is interrupt the RC3 will checked to see whether or not the carrier is present within the 1 ms transmission envelope. A stream of 1 volt is representing the presence of the carrier while 0 is the absence of the carrier. Transformerless Power Supply X10 modules used PIC16F877A or any other PIC requires a 5V supply to feed the board circuit. Since X-10 units are intended to be plugged into a wall outlet, a transformerless power supply is used to provide the require voltage. There are two significant characteristics of transformerless supplies that should be kept in mind: lack of isolation from the 240 volt AC and limited current capacity. Figure00 illustrates the transformerless power supply diagram used in this application. As it shown in figure00, a 220v VDR (voltage dependent resistor) being and connected between Line and Neutra to protect the circuit from spikes on the AC power line. 1Mà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ resister connects in parallel with two capacitors to provide a discharge path for the voltage left on the capacitors when the module is unplugged from the wall. The voltage across 1000Mfarad was rectified by using two diodes and finally a 5.1V Zener diode to produce a 5V supply for the circuit. Load Switch There are two options to control a mains rated load, either to use a Triac or a relay. Electrical designers used relays in many different applications because they are suitable for very high power loads and very low power loads also when the main rated load need to be isolated and finally when the load require a relatively slow toggling rates. A Triac is the best option for switching non isolated medium power loads and they have a rapid switching capability and subsequence they are very suitable for dimming and lamp control. x10 manufacturer used a Triac as a load switch of the x10 units because its medium power switching capacity and most of the home appliances are consumes a medium power. In addition, Triacs are an inexpensive three-terminal device designed to switch a medium current load and has been used extensively in home appliances such as lamp dimmers and motor speed controllers. The main two terminals M1 and M2 are wired in series with the load figure00. A Triac is, three-te rminal device that acts as a high-speed, bidirectional AC switch, two terminals, MT1 and MT2, are wired in series with the load. A small trigger current between MT1 and the gate allow conduction to occur between MT2 and MT1.when the latching occur between M1 and M2, the load current continues to flow even after the gate current is disconnected, as long as the load current exceeds the latching value. Therefore, when the 50Hz AC voltage falls below the latching voltage near each zero-crossing, the Triac will automatically switch off. There are two ways to maintain the load current beyond each single half cycle of the 50Hz AC supply, either the gate current have to be maintained continuously or the triac have to be retriggered each half-cycle of 50Hz. the advantage of the pulse trigger is that only lower average current is required. Typically, the trigger pulse duration must be long enough for the load current in order to reach the latching current. A L4008L6 Triac was selected for X10 module because it has a sensitive gate that the logic level output of the PIC MCU I/O pin will directly control it. Although, the PIC MCU can provide only positive voltages to the gate, the sensitive gate Triac can control the alternative AC current in both directions through the device. A lamp dimmer can be created by including a delay between the time that the trigger current is provided to the Triac from the PIC MCU and the time of each zero-crossing. In other words, TRIACs can be used to control the brightness of a light by switching the 50Hz AC power on part-way through each half cycle (Figure 2 and Figure 3). Therefore x10 maker allows the PIC MCU to directly drive the gate of a TRIAC through a current limiting resistor. By controlling the power-line cycle, the PIC MCU can control the average voltage across the lamp, and therefore the brightness . . .(unclear) http://www3.telus.net/Whalco/SDim.htm ftp://ftp.efo.ru/pub/cypress/psoc/capsense/app/TD-AN_LampDimmerAppNote.pdf http://www.freescale.com/files/microcontrollers/doc/app_note/AN2839.pdf

Nuclear Energy :: Essays Papers

Nuclear Energy It seems that the world as a whole is in search of an energy source that is cleaner, cheaper, and more efficient. This seems to be particularly true in the United States where the government seeks to separate themselves from their reliance on petroleum from countries including those in the Middle East. Their agenda, unfortunately, is less concerned with environmental issues than it is with issues of power, money, and dominance. Either way, nuclear energy has emerged as the forerunner for alternative energy sources. Today, there are 109 nuclear power plants in the United States which contribute roughly 20% of the power used in the United States(Nuclear Energy, April 13, 2005). Nuclear fission is performed by fusion of hydrogen into helium. This is done using uranium, plutonium, or thorium and placing them in the reactor, which start a chain reaction that can produce vast amounts of energy. Uranium is the element primarily used in reactors. The fission of a single atom can produce 10 million times the amount of energy that an atom can produce that is burned from coal. Uranium is an abundant element which is easily found and extracted. It often has to undergo a relatively cheap refining process, however, as the isotopes are found mixed in nature. Nuclear fission is also relatively clean, as there is no excess CO2 produced, as there is in the burning of coal and petroleum. It does, however, have is pollutants. The filtering rods used have to be changed every two years and the o ld rods disposed of. Because the rods are highly radioactive, their disposal must be dealt with meticulously. Currently most of the rods are shipped to Yucca Mountain (The Bane of Nuclear Energy, April 13, 2005). Despite the benefits of nuclear fission, the quest still continues for an even better energy source. The hopes of the new energy source are pinned on a process known as nuclear fusion. This is the process that takes place on the sun and other stars under intense heat and pressure. The hope is that nuclear fusion will become a reality here on earth as it will provide an unprecedented amount of energy very cheaply and with very little pollution.