Inferences for One Population Standard Deviation Essay Example for Free

Inferences for One Population Standard Deviation Essay The Standard deviation is a measure of the variation (or spread) of a data set. For a variable x, the standard deviation of all possible observations for the entire population is called the population standard deviation or standard deviation of the variable x. It is denoted ÏÆ'x or, when no confusion will arise, simply ÏÆ'. Suppose that we want to obtain information about a population standard deviation. If the population is small, we can often determine ÏÆ' exactly by first taking a census and then computing ÏÆ' from the population data. However, if the population is large, which is usually the case, a census is generally not feasible, and we must use inferential methods to obtain the required information about ÏÆ'. In this section, we describe how to perform hypothesis tests and construct confidence intervals for the standard deviation of a normally distributed variable. Such inferences are based on a distribution called the chi-square distribution. Chi is a Greek letter whose lowercase form is χ. A variable has a chi-square distribution if its distribution has the shape of a special type of right-skewed curve, called a chi-square (χ2) curve. Actually, there are infinitely many chi-square distributions, and we identify the chi-square distribution (and χ2-curve) in question by its number of degrees of freedom. Basic Properties of χ2-Curves are: Property 1: The total area under a χ2-curve equals 1. Property 2: A χ2-curve starts at 0 on the horizontal axis and extends indefinitely to the right, approaching, but never touching, the horizontal axis as it does so. Property 3: A χ2-curve is right skewed. Property 4: As the number of degrees of freedom becomes larger, χ2- curves look increasingly like normal curves. Percentages (and probabilities) for a variable having a chi-square distribution are equal to areas under its associated χ2-curve. The one-standard-deviation χ2-test is also known as the χ2-test for one population standard deviation. This test is often formulated in terms of variance instead of standard deviation. Unlike the z-tests and t-tests for one and two population means, the one-standard deviation χ2-test is not robust to moderate violations of the normality assumption. In fact, it is so non robust that many statisticians advice against its use unless there is considerable evidence that the variable under consideration is normally distributed or very nearly so. The non-parametric procedures, which do not require normality, have been developed to perform inferences for a population standard deviation. If you have doubts about the normality of the variable under consideration, you can often use one of those procedures to perform a hypothesis test or find a confidence interval for a population standard deviation. The one-standard-deviation χ2-interval procedure is also known as the χ2-interval procedure for one population standard deviation. This confidence-interval procedure is often formulated in terms of variance instead of standard deviation. Reference: http://classof1.com/homework-help/statistics-homework-help View as multi-pages

History of Furniture Design

History of Furniture Design How did furniture develop through the centuries? Furniture (probably from the French fournir — to provide) is the mass noun for the movable objects (mobile in Latin languages) intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things. The question above is not an easy one to answer. Going through the ages of the past it can easily be seen that people invented loads of different types and shapes of furniture. To try to answer this question we would have to go all the way back to the medieval times. This period in time would have to be the starting point in this matter and the Fourteenth-Centurys Great Hall would have to be our point A. Moving forward in the pursuit of evolution of the furniture we would come across the Fifteenth-Centurys Solar (room) and following that road the typical Tudor Interior from the Sixteenth-Century in which the Elizabethan trend was the strongest one to point out. Another development going forward was presented in the Seventeenth-Century in the age of Stuarts quickly followed up by the Georgian Times with its changes in the furniture art and craft. Late Eighteen-Century was known as the golden age for furniture also names as â€Å"age of mahogany†. Moving forward into the Victori an times and drastic increase in furniture demand and finally put an end to the journey through the development of furniture and settle in the Twentieth-Century and its long history. The pursuit of the answer to the above question will not be straight forward and it will involve getting into details of different fashion and behaviour of people who lived in the periods presented above. The time frames would have to be examined carefully and the conclusion have to be made after comparing and reviewing examples from each period of time. The plan would be to keep the research chronically and go over the terms of years in historical order. That is the best possible way to point out the differences and potential development of the furniture along the ages. The fact that people are the creators of the furniture supports the positive answer to the question as all human beings are unique and persons mind is infinite. Therefore the furniture build by the hand of men can and will vary among the time. MEDIEVAL: The quest through the ages in the aim of furniture development will start in the medieval time. Furniture in that period was created purely to help people with day to day tasks table was used only to eat or draw on it. It was not designed to be a piece of art, it was more of a tool. There was a very little furniture in a medieval home and the piece were all of basic, utilitarian design. One of the most valued items was the wooden bed on which lay the feather mattress, supported on boards or rope mesh. After the bed the chest was the most important article of furniture, the craftsmen were outrunning themselves in the decorative piercing of them. There were also cupboards for storage of food and plate. Benches and long oak solid and trestle tables were popular as well in that time, the families were big and the longer the table the more people could eat at the same time. Practicality was the main purpose of the medieval age furniture. Great Hall was the main room where peopl e used to dine and festive together. Most furniture was made of oak, boarded for the most part and decorated by carving and painting. Medieval Trestle table Medieval Chest ELIZABETHAN / JACOBEAN: The introduction of joined furniture towards the end of the Fifteenth-Century made possible stronger and lighter articles. In the time of the Tudor dynasty furniture was slowly becoming more varied in design and greater in quantity. Oak was still the wood most in use and decoration was by carving and inlay. In the first half of the Sixteenth-Century linenfold panelling was extensively carved to decorate panels for chests and cupboards. The reign of Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 24 March 1603) is a good starting point for the study of furniture. Elizabethan furniture is characterised by the bulbous leg, carved with acanthus leaf decoration (seen in beds, tables, court cupboards and buffets). The four-poster bed made its appearance in this century. The framework of tester, posts and headboard was richly carved over the entire surface. Through still not common, chairs were more numerous than in the previous times. Elizabethan bedroom Elizabethan table STUART: Furniture, as elsewhere in the house had become more adequate and convenient. Additionally to the kitchen table there was always a settle, a dresser, and chairs. In the second half of the Seventeenth-Century the carving of woodwork reached exceptionally high standard of craftsmanship. Classical ornaments were used in carving. Most common ones were egg and dart, bead and reel and acanthus foliage. After the Restoration of the Monarchy (1660) furniture become more decorative but at the same time they were more useful at home. Charles II after his return to England from France brought different methods of making the furniture. Also, use of the other types of wood and the meaning of ornamentation strongly evolved at that time. Craftsmen from France were permanently moving to England and they were improving and implementing their way of creating the furniture to the local ones. The period between 1660 and 1750s was known in the history as the â€Å"age of walnut†. This wood was generally used purely due to the low cost and the colour of it. The construction of the furniture became more delicate and the design of it varied. Legs were turned in bobbin vase or columnar form or as the quality of lathe design improved, in the spiral twist. The day bed appeared along with the usage of more chairs and settees. Solid dining tables were pushed out by the gate-leg design, card and small side tables. Upholstery was in common use for seating furniture, it was covered with turkeywork, velvet or embroidery and edged with fringe and tassels. The appearance of new decorative techniques (veneering, japanning, gesso, marquetry) raised the art of furniture to the next level. Stuart chair Gate-leg table GEORGIAN: The form of classicism followed by architects during this long period changed markedly. Palladianism appeared and developed in the early years of this period (1714 1760). Typical English style restrained and almost austere on the exterior, correct in its classical design and detail, richer, warmer and bold within. The country houses of this type were set in carefully selected exteriors, ideal positioned in laid out parklands. The Eighteenth-Century was the golden age of the English house. The quality of design and craftsmanship in architecture and the decorative arts had been steadily improving since Elizabethan times and this reached its zenith in the years 1760 1790. There was a trend in furnishing design to follow a rapidly changing variety of different source material. The standard of workmanship suffered due to mass production of decorative parts based on the cost and time saving background. In total, the time and patience required to train a craftsman and the money to pay him to produce a superb piece of furniture were running out and the decay of taste was imminent. The general quality of the furniture was dropping down rapidly. Due to quick increase of population classy and stylish furniture were pushed out by simpler quicker to made designs, more efficient and less effective mass products. The golden age was also called the mahogany age in the furniture history. Although walnut was continued in use until mid-century, other woods were also employed. After the abolition in 1721 of the import duties of West Indian timers, mahogany began to enter the country in numbers. It was a perfect wood for a furniture making industry. Strong, suitable for delicate carving (ribband or lyre back chairs and cabriole legs terminating in claw and ball feet), also available in greater widths than walnut what made it ideal for veneered surfaces of larger area and for table tops. It had a beautiful patina and resistance to woodworm. In this period many new designs appeared at a glance, such as tables, chair, stools, settees, bureaux. China and corner cabinets were also popular, along with dumb waiters, mirrors, candle stands desks and commodes. The designs of the first half of the century were larger scale, nicely carved in classic manner and superbly veneered surfaces. 1750s was the time of the Rococo motif in furnishing, followed by Chinese and Gothic forms. 1760s was a more delicate period characteristic with carved mahogany but also painted and gilded beech, harewood and satinwood veneers, ormolu mounts and marquetry and brass inlay. In this period more delicate furniture pushed out the heavier designs from previous years i.e. the cabriole leg was pushed out by the tapering square leg. New items started appearing in the 70s and 80s of Eighteen-Century and Pembroke table was one of the examples. At the end of the century came the Sheraton era, displaying simultaneously strength, function and delicacy in the furnishing designs. Decoration was restrained in painting, inlay and veneer, often with metal inlay and mounting. The design was plain and mostly copied from antique originals Greece. The sofa table evolved from the Pembroke form. Chairs were characterized with by horizontal backs rather than vertical splats, and legs which often curved in sabre design (Egyptian or Etruscan samples). Typical of mirror design was the circular convex type. The long dining table was revived, standing on curved legs and pillared supports. 1740 1750s room 1760s room (Adams Room) Pembroke table Lattice-back chair Rococo set Regency furniture (late 18th cent.) VICTORIAN: Nineteenth-Century period. The interiors of Victorian houses were in marked contrast to the previous century. One of the major reasons for this was the urbanization process and the migration of people from country to the cities. Also, the major growth of population forced the change in the design of the houses and its interiors. Mass-production methods of supplying the needs led to a greater similarity in their designs, which overall resulted in a poorer level of design and workmanship. The early part of this period saw machines beginning to replace hand labour, the beginning of the industrial age.This period created a large gap between the designer and the craftsmen. The factories had changed, the designers no longer had direct contact with the customer. The new machines were introduced to take away from man the back braking jobs and speed up manufacture. They soon began to take over most of the work and the furniture started to be designed around what the machine could m ake, therefore the quality of design declined. The demand for furniture was high, the factories were manufacturing at a fast pace, and a frantic rush for the designers to keep ahead of each other created poor quality design. Interior decorative schemes were in great contrast to the Regency ones. White or light painted wood work had been replaced by dark brown tones. Furnishing fabrics were all darker and richer in hue and most often strongly patterned. There was a strong tendency to drape materials over everything, tasselled velvet covers to tables and chimneypieces, antimacassars on the chair and sofa backs. Upholstery was heavy, button designs were very fashionable. The whole interior was over furnished and over decorated, a profusion of stuffed birds, framed photographs, lace mats and wax fruit. Designers rather used and modified many styles taken from various time periods in history like Gothic, Tudor, Elizabethan, English Rococo, Neoclassical and others. The clean Grecian lines of the Regency period were out of favour by 1835 and everyone wanted furniture that was showier with plenty of curves. This showier furniture after 1850 led to low prices and poor construction and workmanship that was often h idden by veneer and applied ornament. The Gothic and Rococo revival style were the most common styles to be seen in furniture during this time in history. In the last 20 years of the century colours became lighter again, patterns less vivid, and fewer pieces of furniture were placed in a room. Mass production was still at its height therefore the quality and individualism of the furniture started to extinct. Because of the technical progress in the industry the interior became more casual and was supposed to be functional more than elegant. Furniture was less attractive, it was heavier in design and often over elaborately decorated. In the late century the whole 18th century and the earlier style designs were copied and reproduced for a mass market. It was very hard to establish which the differences between the originals and the reproductions. One of the characteristic Victorian features was the extensive use of the papier mache and to a lesser degree, Tunbridge ware. The balloon back chair and the introduction of brass and iron in the construction of the bedsteads were crucial in the Victorian furniture history. Rocking chairs were v ery popular along with tent beds. Plainer, more traditional furniture was made by a number of designers at the end of the century. William Morris started a rebellion against this trend, founding a company to demonstrate the superiority of quality handmade furniture. Honesty of the handmade joints was his feature of construction. This lead to the Arts and Crafts Movement on the 1880s leading on to Art Nouveau. This drew attention to the merits of 18th Century furniture and led to the practice of purchasing second hand furniture and the antique shop began. Victorian chairs Victorian hall Victorian rocking chair Balloon back chair Tunbridge ware box Papier mache table THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY: Throughout history there has been great change in furniture design, but by far the most rapid and revolutionary period of furniture history was the 20th Century. The two world wars of this century were not themselves responsible for the changes in society. The wars did however act as catalysts speeding up the processes of change. They have created specific barriers before and after the years of struggle with no chance of returning back to the previous existence. All of the above has changed peoples attitude towards change drastically. After each war the position of women and their functionality had altered fundamentally. Middle and upper class housewives found themselves without sufficient labour to run their homes as before needed to arrange labour save equipment and finishes without outer help. Interiors quickly became plain and far lesser furniture was used inside. The history of furniture design in the 20th century reflects the changing tastes and trends within the design community. The early years of 20th century design were dominated by the slow reaction from the mid-Victorian over furnished interior, were the excess of decoration taken place once again. International Arts and Crafts Movement which was quickly followed by Art Nouveau (circa 1910-1920) and Art Deco (circa 1920-1930) became more of a trend than periods in the early 20th century furnishing history. There was a great furniture demand to supply all new build houses after the wars. Machine production had to be established to cope with the needs, however this has greatly impacted the quality of the furniture. Some excellent modern designs were manufactured in Scandinavia and in the 30s were gradually influencing the English product for the better. This flat packed furniture revolutionised the market in the whole Western Europe. By mid century Modern and Post Modern styles accounted for the changing tastes of post-war consumers. Convenience and time-saving became more important to the whole family in the decades after 1945. After World War II, the public as a whole looked to warmer and softer furniture, organic forms, warmer products like timber and upholstered chairs. They wanted to be cared for by their furniture, feel comfortable and most of all have some luxury that had long been missing. Central heating replaced the heating of the individual rooms. These two factors, together with a rising standard of living and a desire for greater privacy for the individual members of the family led to general rearrangement and the new decor of the rooms. The recognition that with a central heating there was no need for a fireplace led to the fact that in most homes the TV receiver became now the focal centre. Smaller, more individual bedrooms appeared in the households. One of the most popular developments of that period was the usage of plastic textiles. In the field of plastic an extensive range of materials has become available to produce colourful, attractive, and easy to care surfaces at home. The plastic materials together with development of synthetic textile fibres, have revolutionised the decoration processes in the furniture industry. Plastics were like the tubular steel of old, it opened up doorways for new furniture design, lightweight and versatile, designers like Joe Colombo, Vernon Panton and Anna Castelli-Ferreri stormed ahead concepting and manufacturing plastic stacking chairs, beautiful and versatile. The industrial style or Hi Tech movement developed in the 70s. The greatest advances were in office furniture and equipment with Olivetti of Italy leading the way. The 80s period of furniture design continued to focus on the industrial sector. Designs were predominately commissioned for retail shopping, hospitals, restaurants, school s and hotels. The favoured materials were metal, perforated metal became popular along with steel reinforcing mesh. Designers of this period searched to find greater meaning and purpose for their furniture design. Some strange and unusual forms were explored like the W.W. Stool by Phillipe Starck a fantasy style piece of furniture that makes you question if you can indeed dare to sit on it! The Soft Heart chair by Ron Arad showed how by using polyurethane foam that the choice of shapes and form was limitless! Clever materials, technology and production methods meant that the only limits were the designers imagination. Going through the period of time and examining all different trends in the history of furniture few interesting conclusions appeared. Bibliography: 1. â€Å"English Interiors a pictorial guide and glossary†, Doreen Yarwood 1983 2. â€Å"The Encyclopedia of Furniture third edition†, Joseph Aronson 1965 3. â€Å"A Century Of Interior Design 1900 2000†, Stanley Abercrombie 2003 4. 20th Century furniture history http://www.slais.ubc.ca/courses/libr559f/04-05-st1/portfolios/G_Bahnemann/Furniture_Design.pdf 5. Victorian Furniture history http://www.interiordezine.com/index.cfm/Furniture_History/Victorian_Furniture

Issues on Patent and Copyright Laws In China Essay -- China Patent Cop

Issues on Patent and Copyright Laws In China This site contains information on China's patent and copyright law. It goes on to discuss some ethical issues about China's lack of law enforcement on intellectual property protection. History of Patent System China’s patent system can be traced back to the late Qing Dynasty when China began signing international treaties. For example, on August 18, 1903, China and the United States agreed on a treaty on navigation and commerce. The treaty provided for a â€Å"reciprocal patent-granting arrangement whereby citizens of one contracting party could apply for and secure patent rights for their inventions in the other contracting party.†1 After the Qing Dynasty was over thrown in 1911, the Nationalist government created the Interim Charter on Rewarding Industrial and Artistic Products. And soon thereafter, in 1944, the Patent Law of modern sense was created. Although the Patent Law was adopted in China, the Nationalist government was forced to Taiwan and thus the Patent Law had no effect in mainland China. In 1949, the new government adopted the Provisional Regulations on the Protection of the Invention Rights and Patent Rights, whose purpose was to encourage invention. In 1978, t he government reissued the Regulations on Awards for Technical Improvements and the Regulations on Awards for Inventions which were first issued in 1963 and abolished soon after. Then in 1985 the Patent Law was introduced. China’s Patent Law went through a critical revision in 1992. Amendments were focused on the areas pharmaceutics, chemicals, food, beverages and condiments.1 Current Patent Law The Patent Law of the People’s Republic of China was adopted at the Fourth Session of the Standing Committ... ...g, 1994) p. 64-65. 3 Brahm, p. 65. 4 Brahm, p.116. 5 Brahm, p. 110-111. 6 Brahm, p. 111. 7 Brahm, 17. 8 China Daily Online, IN BRIEF (Page: 3, Date: 04/22/2003), <http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2003-04-22/112904.html> 9 Noah J. Smith, China Implements New Software Regulation To Streamline Registration, Boost Protection, Patent, Trademark & Copyright Law Daily, 6 Mar. 2002, <http://subscript.bna.com/SAMPLES/ptd.nsf/85256269004a99228525625400656cb3/ 4d9c50eea1edd85185256b740006aecb?OpenDocument> 10 China says "no" to pirated software, China Daily, 5 Apr. 2002, <http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/news/cn/2002-04-05/64442.html> 11 Solving the problem of pirating, etaiwannews.com, 5 May 2001, <http://www.etaiwannews.com/Editorial/2001/05/05/989030288.htm>

Plight of the Code Hero in the Works of Ernest Hemingway Essay

The Plight of the Code Hero in the Works of Ernest Hemingway      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his novels Ernest Hemingway suggests a code of behavior for his characters to follow: one that demands courage in difficult situations, strength in the face of adversity, and grace under pressure.   Termed the "code hero," this character is driven by the principal ideals of honor, courage, and endurance in a life of stress, misfortune, and pain.   Despite the hero's fight against life in this violent and disorderly world, he is rarely the victor.   The code that the hero follows demands that he act honorably in this uphill battle and find fulfillment by becoming a man and proving his worth.   Hemingway himself lived his life trying to show how strong and unlimited he was, a trait reflected in his novels as his heroes struggle through.   They are all martyrs to their cause, suffering but triumphantly ending their lives because they do not falter and show no weakness.   Destroyed, they are nevertheless winners because they do not give in.   "Su ccess is that old ABC -- ability, breaks, and courage" (Luckman n. pag.).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hemingway's heroes succeed precisely because of these characteristics.   Hemingway's heroes are not Marvel Heroes; they do not leap over tall buildings in a single bound, nor do they shoot spider webbing from their hands.   They traverse life and endure the pain dealt them, surviving with a moral and spiritual, but not material, victory.   They are not flat cardboard characters but real people who are heroes because they overcome a problem, not because they have a special ability.   The key trait that they have is the retention of their dignity.   The code heroes in TheOld Man and the Sea, The Sun Also Rises, and For Whom the B... .... _____.   The Old Man and the Sea.   USA: Scribners, 1952. _____. "Quotations Organized by Topic," <http://www.quoteland.com/quotes/topic/147.html> (18 May 1999). _____.   The Sun Also Rises.   USA: Scribners, 1926. Lord Byron. "Quotations Organized by Topic," <http://www.quoteland.com/quotes/topic/147.html> (18 May 1999). Luckman, Charles. "Quotations Organized by Topic," <http://www.quoteland.com/quotes/topic/147.html> (18 May 1999). McConnell, Frank.   The Modern Novel in America, Regnery, revised edition,1963, pg. 814.   Rpt. In World Literature Criticism.   Detroit: Gale Research, 1992. "Oscar Wilde." http://www.cp-tel.net/miller/BilLee/quotes/Wilde.html (18 May 1999). Shalizi, Cosma. "For Whom the Bell Tolls," <http://www.physics.wisc.edu/~shalizi/Poetry/Donne/For_whom_the_Bell_Tolls>   (1 May 1999).

The Globe Theater :: European Europe History

The Globe Theater Among the many famous writers we have studied this year is William Shakespeare. Shakespeare's life was assuredly most intriguing. Seeking answers, we had simple questions we wanted to determine. What were his morals? His passions? His legacy? When studying Shakespeare, we found that his life revolved around the Globe Theatre. Naturally we wanted to see why Shakespeare spent so much of his life involved in the Globe. The first Globe lasted from 1599-1613. Additionally, this structure was called the "wooden o" playhouse. Before the Globe, there was another "Theatre", which many people do not realize. "The Theatre" prospered for 21 years. Refusing to renew the players' lease, the landowner Giles Allen caused an unexpected problem for the players. James Burbage had recently died and his two sons, Richard and Cuthbert became managers. Although Allen owned the land, the sons owned the Theatre, and they wanted their valuable timber. In desperation, the brothers decided to take action. They leased land across the river and they waited until Christmastime to strike, when they could be sure Allen was away on vacation. At night they began to dismantle the Theatre piece by piece and floated it across the river Thames. With the timber, the brothers and their friends reconstructed their cherished playhouse. Because of the saying "the whole world is a stage" they would call it the Globe Theatre. By the middle of 1599 the Globe opened and was a huge success. Audiences were packed in "the house with a thatched roof", sometimes even so much as three thousand people could be held at once. For sixpence the rich sat in the Lord's Rooms to get a better view, which were on the top half of the Globe. For threepence they sat on cushions in the Gentlemen's Rooms. For twopence they perched on hard wooden benches, but most were called "groundlings" who paid a penny to stand in the yard beneath the open roof. Interestingly enough, there were two trap doors, the trap door to heaven and the trap door to hell. Since the players already had to pay for the structure most of the actors actually lived in the Theatre. During a play of Henry the V, a spark from a cannon accidentally caught the thatched roof on fire and the whole Globe was burned down in less than an hour. Yet within a year a second Globe was built and completed in 1614 but the Puritans tore it down in 1644.

Hiding Behind the Mask

As a non-traditional student attending college, I sometimes ponder on how I have secluded myself. I am taking both online and face-to-face classes, and seem to hide my fears one time or another. Like Paul Laurence Dunbar in his poem, â€Å"We Wear the Mask† I can tell that different types of people do hide behind the mask rather than being honest with themselves, because I seem to do that also, whether it is to save ourselves or the feelings of another. When I participate in my online classes, I seem to say things in discussions that I wouldn’t say in a face-to-face setting, so I seem to hide behind a mask while in my classes. The mask hides my fears, and emotions that I would be ashamed to show otherwise. As in â€Å"We Wear the Mask† they also have fears, and emotions, but their fears are of the history that they have suffered. We all seem to put on fake faces and pretend for many different reasons. As an argument, however, I hide behind a mask not for negativity or intentional, but it does allow me to respond with my real thoughts and ideas. Dunbar’s mask is used to hide their true selves behind grins, and lies. However, I believe many people hide behind a mask because of being ashamed to show a part of their real identities, or because of a lie in one form or another. I believe one should learn from the past, and take off the mask so that you can clearly see what lies ahead.

Principles of supporting change in a business environment Essay

You should use this file to complete your Assessment. The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference Then, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number. Please note that this Assessment document has 3 pages and is made up of 3 Sections. Name: Section 1 – Understand why change happens in a business environment 1. Explain why change happens in a business environment. You should include at least three reasons in your answer. There are few factors which constantly pressure organizations to adapt and they force change in a business environment. We can apply here PEST acronym, it means that changes in business environment happen for political, social or technical reasons. Political changes are out of business’ control. They need to adapt to the all law changes. If not, they can even be prosecuted. Economic changes are dependable i.e. from the exchange rate due to its high influence on import and export. Economic change is also a change forced by a competition on the market. Products or services need to be competitive in price or/and quality, otherwise company will not prosper well. Social change comes from customer’s attitude and buying preferences. It can be shaped by media and big events. Technical change is forced by new technologies. To be competitive, and to be ahead of the competitors means, that company has to be up to date with modern solutions. Section 2 – Understand the purpose of supporting change in a business environment 1. Identify the main reasons for reviewing working methods, products and / or services in a business environment. Business environment is very changeable. Services or/and products have to be constantly efficient, so they have to be continuously reviewed. It ensures that company stays competitive and meets the targets. One of reasons of reviewing working methods is a change in a service/product. All related procedures need to be updated to be sufficient. Company has to make sure that all methods are updated and best possible from currently known. They has to agree with all standards. In ensures, that company is competitive and meet customers’ requirements. 2. When a business is going through change: a) Describe the different types of support that people may need. There are people, who can adapt to change really well and those, who can not. It is really important for company to make sure, that all employees feel comfortable with new changes. There are some universal ways of supporting people within a business change: Effective planning helps to avoid a chaos during the change. It shows all employees that everything was well planned and considered. Participation makes it easier to adapt. It is very important for team members to feel valued part of change. Clear communications and expectations. People have to be well informed and know what is happening, why and how things will look like after. Training or  retraining. There will be new work methods, new equipment, procedures. Employees need to receive training to be able to work effectively. Encouragement and other supportive behaviours are important for team members. Positive attitude is needed, smiling, encouragements and understanding. b) Explain the benefits of working with others. Working with others gives a wide range of different ideas and opinions. Different people will have different approaches to same problem. Different skills are brought to one project by all the team members. In time of change working with others may be really helpful, team members know each other and can help one another when it is necessary. When we do not work as a part of a team communication an relations get worse. The team is unsuccessful as well as individuals. Such a behaviour does not benefit anyone. Section 3 – Understand how to respond to change in a business environment 1. In relation to your current business environment (or one that you are familiar with): a) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in working methods. Changes happen for a reason and are unavoidable if a company wants to remain successful. It is very helpful to keep positive attitude in all this situation. Positive approach will help us to adapt faster and will influence other team members. Negative response will create difficult environment to work in by financing others in a bad way. b) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in products or services. We should respond positively to changes in products or services to positively influence and motivate others. Positive attitude helps to ensure that change is coming through smoothly and without unnecessary disruptions. c) Identify ways of responding positively to change. First positive response is recognizing the change as something positive, a possibility to gain new skills, to grow as an employee and possibly make a career progression. We should try to attend all offered trainings and motivate our colleagues to do so. We should avoid getting involved in negative conversation and try to spread a positive attitude and always look for support from other team members or a manager if we feel it is necessary.  Once you have completed all 3 Sections of this Assessment, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your work to your tutor for marking.