What Makes CarMax Great? Essay

                  Organizational culture forms part of the influencing factor towards the success of an organization. Within every organization, there are practices, which are considered the norm, and dictates how operations in an organization are carried out. Organization culture also depends on the type of leadership within an organization. CarMax organization culture has contributed greatly to its performance, which has seen it become famous in all of its locations to the extent of being ranked among the top companies in Fortune 500 magazine. Its culture revolves various artefacts such as language, physical structure, values, ceremonies and rituals. The success of the company is realized from benefits of organizational culture, which include increased sales, productivity, customers’ loyalty and efficient service delivery. Therefore, positive organizational culture should be promoted within organizations. Abstract                Organizational culture is as a set of attitudes, norms, beliefs and practices that are shared by employees as well as the management in any organization or company (McShane, & Von, 2014). The culture generally includes various factors such as how customers, suppliers, employees and other stakeholders are treated when making decisions within an organization in addition to speed, level and process of decision-making (Ovidiu-Iliuta, 2014). Moreover, the culture encompasses the level of control and formality that is applied when carrying out operations and rewards giving to good performances within an organization.                CarMax IncOrganizational culture plays an important role within organizations whereby it helps in outlining the behaviors that are appropriate for employees and other operation practices. An organization that has clearly defined it culture ensures that the members of the organization know what the company or organization expects from them and stakeholders expect from the company (McShane, & Von, 2014). Organizational culture simply helps in defining an organization and its employees and giving it identity. The sense of identity is also communicated to the customers of the company, the employees of the company, the suppliers as well as the general public that constantly interact with the company.                All stakeholders, both external and internal, know who a company or an organization is through the culture that is communicated to them by the company or organization (Ledimo, 2013). Furthermore, it is to be noted that organizational culture helps in giving employees the sense of identity and provides the overall goals and objectives of the organization. Organizational culture is what holds the company or organization together through hard times and easy times (CarMax, Inc. SWOT Analysis, 2014).                CarMax is one of the largest retailers of used cars in the United States and is one of the Fortune 500 Companies. The first location of the company was opened up in the year 1993, and since then, it has experienced increased growth (CarMax Business Services, LLC, 2014). The CarMax Company had 128 locations by January 2014, clearly an indication that the company has grown over the years. The growth in the company can greatly be attributed to the organizational culture and values among other factors, which have propelled the company to the current position. Artifacts Language                CarMax Company is a retailer based in the United States. The language that is generally used for business in the United States is the English language (Ovidiu-Iliuta, 2014). As part of the language used at CarMax, the slogan used which helps in giving identity to the company is â€Å"The way car buying should be.† The employees work as team, which is evidenced by high interpersonal relationships among them. The interpersonal relationship is also extended to customers where employees’ high communication skills are maintained across all departments. Rituals/ceremonies                   Apart from the language that is used within the company for business and interactions between the associates and even with customers and other stakeholders, ceremonies are part of the organizational culture within the company. It is the culture of CarMax that whenever employees perform well, they are reward for their efforts. The rewards do not only just come in form of presents and other rewards; instead, the company always organize for steak cookouts for the employees. The steak cookouts are conducted regularly every time there are employees to be reward for great performance within the company. This provides an opportunity for the employees to interact with one another and share their ideas for the improvement of their performance and success of the company.                   Furthermore, it is also part of the organizational culture to ensure that the associates within the company have fun in addition to the customers. The company organizes for regular pizza parties and steak outs for its employees and encourages an atmosphere that is friendly driven by the focus of the company on integrity towards the customers and the employees of the company (McShane, & Von, 2014). Employees are rewarded with benefits such as holidays, time away, and paid vacations. Furthermore, the company offers rewards such as purchase of cars and accessories at discounted prices, discounts on childcare, appliances, fitness memberships, cell phones, travel, and furniture among others that help the employees save money. Consequently, The company employees show high respects for their customers and address them calmly. This has seen the company develop loyalty and build emotional connections with its employees, which contributes to its success.                   When hiring, CarMax normally conducts telephone interviews before face-to-face interviews. It is also the culture at CarMax when recruiting to conduct panel interviews as well as behavioural interviews for new employees. To set itself apart from other companies, CarMax also offers testing to interviewees before they can be employed. This ensures only the most qualified are employed. The hiring process is quote intensive ensuring that employees with the relevant skills are employed. This has been one of the contributing factors towards the success of the company because there is no compromise on the quality of staffs employed. Physical structures                   CarMax operates in what are known as superstores whereby a typical store is about 59,000 square feet (5,500  m2), and it carries about 300 to 400 vehicles. Furthermore, CarMax has a home office that appears like a glass box that has been modernized and is slipped in a forest (ADD Inc, 2014). The office located in such a way that there is access to daylight. It also has energy-efficient systems that regulate and control the energy consumption within the structures. The home office is designed in such a way that it appears beautiful in its natural surroundings.                     The structures are constructed using a campus plan which helps in minimizing the impact of its size whereby four-storey parking has been used. The inside of the building is constructed in such a way that it has strategically located points of interaction for the associates and customers. This helps in building a culture of collaboration and collegiality within the company. The headquarters of the company is a five-story office building that is made up of 243,000 square feet for offices, in addition to 19,000-square-foot used as a fitness facility.                  The building is located in a 3,500-acre piece of land in West Creek Business Park in the county of Goochland. The building is surrounded with trees and has a pedestrian connector that simply joins the office building and a parking deck that can host 1000 cars (ADD Inc, 2014). As part of the physical structure, CarMax uses yellow, navy blue and white colour as part of its identity. The company logo is made up of the colours mentioned; giving it unique looks that distinguishes it from other companies. The staffs of the company also put on uniforms, mostly t-shirts, that bear the logo of the company and the colours of the company. This also helps in uniting the employees by giving the identity of being equal. Values                   The main fundamental principle that guides the culture at CarMax is integrity, which is normally reflected in the way the company serves the customers, deliver its products to consumers as well as how employees within the company treat each other. Shared values are considered to be the foundation on which the operations of the company are built on CarMax Business Services. Through the various values that are shared within the company, the company seeks to ensure equal treatment of its investors, customers, and associates in terms of ethical practices and trustworthiness (Great Place to Work, 2014). The employees are involved in decision-making in addition to respect of customers and being honest as major ethical practice.                The values that are shared within the company include diversity, customer focus, communication, teamwork, associate development, and improvement. It is the culture of the company to conduct its operations in a customer-focused way, which is aimed at providing customers with great experience. On the value of respect, the company promotes individual knowledge among the associates and values the contribution that they make towards the company. Teamwork is also another value that is encouraged within the company. The employees and the management of the company normally work together for the interest of the company and also for the interest of the customers of the company. Communication is highly encouraged according to a survey conducted by Greatrated.com (2014).                The survey observed that 93% of the employees agree that there is great communication within the company. Sharing of information, soliciting for feedback and exchange of ideas within the company is also another organizational culture that is highly encouraged (CarMax, Inc. SWOT Analysis, 2014). Diversity is also another value that is practiced and encouraged as part of the organizational culture at CarMax Company. The uniqueness of the associates and employees is well integrated into the company and work is done to ensure that everyone in the company feels respected and valued despite the diversity in terms of beliefs, race, and gender among other aspects of diversity (Great Place to Work, 2014).                   Diversity within the company is promoted through various ways from the associates, the customers and even the community. For the Associates of the company, CarMax ensures that it hires, promotes and trains only the qualified associates who possess diverse attributes. Furthermore, the associates are treated with lots of respect, their contributions are respected and valued by the company and are always provided with benefits that help in supporting their diversity within the workforce. In addition to that, the associates are provided with an inclusive and collaborative environment that helps in encouraging the ideas and inputs of the associates.                  Diversity is also promoted among the customers whereby it is the culture of the company to welcome all its customers in all the stores if the company (McShane, & Von, 2014). Customers are also treated with utmost respect with an aim of providing them with exceptional experience. As part of the culture within the organization, all customers of the company are offered competitive and ethical offers that meet the needs of the customers. The community is also not left out on the issue of diversity at CarMax Company.                   It is the organizational culture of the company to make positive contributions towards the communities, which it operates, and its employees live in (Na, & Morris, 2014). This is done through the promotion of leadership in the youths, promoting education and wellness in the communities. CarMax supports diverse organizations and programs within the communities through internships, grants, volunteer activities and offering of sponsorships to the needy in the communities. Another organizational culture that is practiced at CarMax is that of associate development.                   Everyone from the junior employees to the top management is provided with opportunities for professional growth and development. The development of the associates and employees is done through coaching, sponsored trainings as well as mentoring of the employees. This has helped to improve the skills and work-performance of employees over the years. This can also be considered to be a contributing factor towards the tremendous growth experienced by the company in terms of its expansion and performance over the years.                  According to the survey by Greaterated.com (2014), it is observed that about 86% of the associates and employees at CarMax agree that they are offered great opportunities that help them to develop professionally and become better people. The positive culture within CarMax is generally attributed to the leadership with which about 94% of the employees according to a survey by agree that the bosses are great to work with. It is to be noted that the values that are practiced at CarMax start from the top management within the company whereby the leadership of the company is considered to be down-to earth and focused on the associates of the company (CarMax Business Services, LLC, 2014). The type of leadership that is found within an organization is an important factor that influences the type of organizational culture that is found within an organization.                Furthermore, it is also to be noted that CarMax offers its employees what is known as flexible time-away (CarMax, Inc. SWOT Analysis, 2014). This is a policy whereby employees are allowed to have some few weeks away from work before they resume their duties (Greaterated.com, 2014). This is a culture that to some extent is not good considering that the employees are not offered time for vacations. This culture should instead be changed to that of offering vacations, which will provide the associates with enough time to relax and build their lives.                  The company’s culture has contributed to its increased that has seen it being ranked position 54 among the Fortune 500 Companies list (Fortune 500 Magazine, 2014). An average employee within the company normally gets time away whenever they are in need of time to rest. Employees work in shifts whereby there are those that take the morning shift while others take the evening shift, but on rotational basis. Shared assumptions               Consequently, organizational culture is made up of shared assumptions within an organization. Employees normally share assumptions, which translate into being part of the organizational culture. In the sae of CarMax, the employees share the assumption that they own the company. This is based on the reason that the employees are constantly involved in the decision making process within the company. The employees are made to feel comfortable by allowing them to take part on decision making especially on matters dealing with the sales of the company and how they can increase their performance. Furthermore, the other assumption that is shared about the company is that all the customers get satisfied with the products that the company offers to them at all times. Organizational Culture and Performance of the Company                  Organizational culture and behaviour has been identified as one of the contributing factors towards the success of an organization. When there is positive organizational culture in a company, there are high chances that the company will be able to succeed (Niamh Ring, 2014). In the case of CarMax, the organizational culture that is practiced has been a contributing factor towards its growth over the years in the United Sates market. The organizational culture at CarMax can be said to have positive impact on the performance of the company in terms of employee turnover and customer attraction.                  The revenues of the company have been on the increase over the years, which mean that the organizational culture of treating customers with respect, and valuing their diversity has been of great help (Janićijević, 2013). It is also to e noted that the company has been able to retain most of its employees over the years (Reuters.com, 2014). This can be attributed to the positive organizational culture of empowering employees, valuing their contributions in the company and helping them improve professionally through trainings, coaching and mentoring (Niamh Ring, Jun 20, 2014). The impact of the organizational culture that is practiced at CarMax Inc can be seen through the number of stores that the company has been able to open up over the years. As of the year 2014 January, CarMax had about 128 superstores across the United States.                  A strong organizational culture is beneficial to a company, the employees as well as the customers of the company (Bà ¼schgens, Bausch, & Balkin, 2013). When a company has a strong and positive organizational culture, the productivity of the company is likely to improve as well as the performance of the employees (Reuters.com, 2014). Employees become motivated to work for the company therefore resulting in increased productivity. An average employees works for eight hours a day for a five-day long week. This ensures that employees are not overworked and have free time for recreational. This strong and positive organizational culture has helped to provide customers with high quality products CarMax (Narrative Science, 2014). When customers are provided with high quality products, satisfaction is guaranteed, which means that the company will continue to make sales from the customers as well as expand its operations to other markets, as observed in the case of CarMax.               The organization culture practiced by CarMax has impacted positively to its economic growth. The company has maintained high number of customers across America thus commanding a significant market shares in the industry of used cars. It has also given the company competitive advantage over other companies selling second handcars. This has been evidenced by its ever-growing sales and market share over years. Hence, the company should maintain its culture and try to improve its customer service by concentrating on customer loyalty, which make sure that customers are emotionally connected with all its products. The strategy will see it dominate in the market just like Apple, Philips and Nike that are widely known for their brand loyalty. Conclusion                   Every company has its own organizational culture that is practiced by the employees and determines how a company operates. Considering that organizational culture has great impacts on the success of an organization, companies should build and encourage positive organizational cultures that benefits all the stakeholders. CarMax attributes its success to the positive organizational culture that it has been able to build and maintain over the years. Therefore, the overall conclusion from the case analysis of CarMax with regard to organizational culture is that companies need to have positive organizational cultures that generate benefits. References ADD Inc (2014), CarMax Home Office http://www.addinc.com/portfolio/project-page.aspx?projID=105&PortID=2 on 10th September 2014. Bà ¼schgens, T., Bausch, A., & Balkin, D. B. (2013). Organizational Culture and Innovation: A Meta-Analytic Review Organizational Culture and Innovation: A Meta-Analytic Review. Journal Of Product Innovation Management, 30(4), 763-781. doi:10.1111/jpim.12021 CarMax Business Services, LLC (2014) About CarMax; Our culture and values, viewed from http://www.carmax.com/enUS/company-info/culture.html on 10th September 2014. CarMax, Inc. SWOT Analysis. (2014). CarMax, Inc. SWOTS Analysis, 1-9. Great Place to Work ® (2014), What Makes CarMax Great, viewed from http://us.greatrated.com/carmax on 10th September 2014. Greaterated.com (2014), 2014 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For List, viewed from http://us.greatrated.com/2014-fortune-100-best-companies-to-work-for-list on 10th September 2014. Janićijević, N. (2013). The mutual impact of organizational culture and structure. Ekonomski Anali / Economic Annals, 58(198), 35-60. doi:10.2298/EKA1398035J Ledimo, O. (2013). Managing Organizational Culture Through an Assessment of Employees’ Current and Preferred Culture. Proceedings Of The European Conference On Management, Leadership & Governance, 161-168. McShane, S. L., & Von, G. M. A. Y. (2014). Organizational behaviour. McGraw-Hill Higher Education Na, F., & Morris, T. (2014). Organizational ambidexterity strategy and firm performance: the moderating role of organizational capital. Academy Of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1138-1143. doi:10.5465/AMBPP.2014.22 Narrative Science (2014). Earnings expected to increase for CarMax, viewed from http://www.forbes.com/sites/narrativescience/2014/04/02/earnings-expected-to-increase-for-carmax/ on 10th September 2014. Niamh Ring (Jun 20, 2014), CarMax Soars as Earnings, Revenues Top Analyst Estimates, viewed from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-20/carmax-soars-as-earnings-revenues-top-analyst-estimates.html on 10th September 2014. Ovidiu-Iliuta, D. (2014). The link between organizational culture and performance management practices: a case of it companies from romania. Annals Of The University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 23(1), 1156-1163. Reuters.com (2014) Carmax Inc (KMX), viewed from http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?symbol=KMX on 10th September 2014. Source document

Socio Economic Impacts On Sub Saharan Africa

The exposure to climate alteration is considered to be high in developing states due to societal, economic and environmental conditions that amplify susceptibleness to negative impacts and lend to low capacity to get by with and accommodate to climate jeopardies. In add-on, projected impacts of clime alteration by and large are more inauspicious for low latitudes, where most underdeveloped states are located, than for higher latitudes. The developing states face many challenges – poorness, a high disease load, rapid population growing, nutrient insecurity, and limited H2O entree. Climate alteration is likely to drive the bulk of the population into destitution, as assets are lost and resources are diverted to cover with exigencies, alternatively of being used for development. Historically, the Earth has experienced periods of chilling and heating, with average temperatures staying comparatively stable. These alterations were due to the energy balance between land, sea and ambi ance. However, human activities such as firing fossil fuels and deforestation have contributed to the addition in nursery gases ( GHG ) in the ambiance. These trap much of the heat that would otherwise flight from the Earth, taking to a by and large warmer universe. An agricultural enlargement seems improbable and increases in agricultural productiveness are needed in order to avoid extra people being forced into poorness and hungriness ( Cline 2007 ) . Current clime jeopardies and the impacts of jutting clime alteration endanger human development ( African Development Bank et Al, 2003 ) . Climate is linked to all the Millennium Development Goals, but is most straight relevant to the ends to eliminate utmost poorness and hungriness, cut down kid mortality, combat disease, and guarantee environmental sustainability ( Martin-Hurtado et Al, 2002 ) . Agriculture, which is extremely sensitive to climate and which is projected to be negatively impacted by clime alteration in much of the Torrid Zones and sub-tropics, is the direct or indirect beginning of support for about two-thirds of the population of developing states and is a significant subscriber to their national incomes. About 70 % of the universe ‘s hapless unrecorded in rural countries. Management of clime jeopardies and clime alteration impacts in the agribusiness sector and rural communities will be critical for success. Climate alteration threatens the basic elements of life for people around the universe – entree to H2O, nutrient, wellness, and usage of land and the environment. The exposure of people to nutrient insecurity, which accompanies poorness, is increased due to the debasement of the natural environment and the merchandises ( e.g. fruits, fish, H2O and range-fed farm animal ) and services ( e.g. modulating clime ) that it provides ( Biggs et. al. , 2004 ) . Degradation is due to a figure of tendencies including clime alteration, dirt eroding, the transition of ecosystems into croplands, overgrazing and urban enlargement, among other factors ( Biggs et. al. , 2004 ) . Climate alteration poses a serious menace to ecosystems in the development states in both the medium and long term. Increases in temperature will take, non merely to an addition in the frequence of utmost events, but besides to terrible debasement of biodiversity and the loss of H2O resources that are already scarce ( Biggs et. al. , 2004 ) . Sub-Saharan Africa is the part most vulnerable to the impacts of alteration because of widespread poorness and low degrees of proficient development which limits version capablenesss. There is considerable grounds that clime alteration is already impacting Africa ‘s people and its environment to the greater extend than any other part of the universe in footings of their supports ( Lindsay, et al 2009 ) . The impacts of clime alteration are predicted to impact the supports of most people in developing states and most particularly in Africa in many ways. By 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are predicted to be exposed to increased H2O emphasis due to climate alteration. By 2020, outputs from rain-fed agribusiness in some states could be reduced by up to 50 per centum, increasing nutrient insecurity and hungriness. By 2080, an addition of 5 to 8 per centum of waterless and semi-arid land in Africa is projected. Climate alteration is likely to impact the distribution forms of infective diseases ; for illustration, there is likely to be an addition in mosquitoes which spread dandy fever and xanthous febrility. Sea degrees are projected to lift by around 25cm by 2050 ; Africa ‘s coastal countries are already sing environmental jobs including coastal eroding, deluging and remission. ( Said Kolawole et al 2009 ) . Alessandra Giannini, et Al, 2008, reviews the grounds that connects drouth and desertification in the Sahel with clime alteration past, present and future in the sub-region. Their survey concludes that there is a correlativity between the desertification and clime alteration in the Sahel part of Africa. The African Sahel provides the most dramatic illustration of multi-decadal clime variableness that has been quantitatively and straight measured. Annual rainfall across this part fell by between 20 and 30 per cent between the decennaries taking up to political independency for the Sahelian states ( 1930s to 1950s ) and the decennaries since ( 1970s to 1990s ) . Lindsay, et al 2009, farther throws more light on the impacts of clime alteration, drouth and desertification and how they are closely interlinked, and most acutely experienced by populations whose supports depend chiefly on natural resources. Their paper examines three interlinked drivers of version ; clime alteration, desertification and drouth, measuring the extent to which international and national policy supports local adaptative schemes. 2. Problem Statement The unimpeded growing of nursery gas emanations is raising the Earth ‘s temperature. The effects include runing glaciers, more precipitation, more and more utmost conditions events, and switching seasons. The speed uping gait of clime alteration, combined with planetary population and income growing, threatens nutrient security everyplace. Agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate alteration. Higher temperatures finally cut down outputs of desirable harvests while promoting weed and pest proliferation. Changes in precipitation forms increase the likeliness of short-term harvest failures and long-term production diminutions. Although there will be additions in some harvests in some parts of the universe, the overall impacts of clime alteration on agribusiness are expected to be negative, endangering planetary nutrient security. Populations in the underdeveloped universe, which are already vulnerable and nutrient insecure, are likely to be the most earnestly affected. In 2005, about half of the economically active population in developing countries-2.5 billion people-relied on agribusiness for its support. Today, 75 per centum of the universe ‘s hapless unrecorded in rural countries. ( Gerald C. et Al 2009 ) . Climate alteration issues require multiple stakeholders, planetary challenges and societal sustainability issues. This is because there are changing arguments on the causes, impacts of clime, version and extenuation issues when placing sustainable solutions on the subject. The presence of important uncertainnesss has led research workers to stress the analysis of regional and national effects ( Mendelsohn & A ; Dinar, 2004 ) . The issue of clime alteration is without uncertainty of import for developing states with an agricultural economic system and really hard to grok easy as it is multi- faceted in attack. The subject is really complex, multinational in nature and integrated in position and attack. The linkage of societal impact of clime alteration in the development states have non been good researched and most particularly in connexion with Sub Saharan Africa and non-Sub-Sahara Africa ( NSSA ) states. Climate Change has several support impacts in developing states as it reduces outputs, family incomes, wellness issues, environmental jobs and the exposure of the disadvantages in rural communities. 3. Hypothesis The socio-economic impact of clime alteration is much more likely to impact Sub-Saharan Africa ( SSA ) than non-Sub-Sahara Africa ( NSSA ) states and socio-economic dimension of version severally. 4. Overall Aim To set about a comparative surveies on the socio-economic impact of clime alteration and their socio- economic dimensions of version in Sub-Saharan Africa ( SSA ) and non-Sub-Sahara Africa ( NSSA ) states. 5. Empirical Research Questions 1. To reexamine literature on the socio-economic impacts of clime alteration in the development states. 2. To place the linkages between Sub-Saharan Africa ( SSA ) and non-Sub-Sahara Africa ( NSSA ) states in footings of clime alteration socio-economic impacts. 3. To analyze the socio-economic dimensions of version in these states, taking into history, pro-poor version, microfinance, safety cyberspace, new engineerings, index insurance and supports. 6. Theoretical and Conceptual Issues A significant sum of research has been conducted on the possible effects of clime on agricultural productiveness ( Parry, 1990 ; Leemans & A ; Solomon, 1993 ) . Some surveies have used clime induced alterations in harvest output to gauge possible planetary economic impacts ( Kane et al. , 1992 ) , while others have examined the indirect impact on economic variables such as farm gross and income ( Lang, 2001 ; Molua, 2003 ) . Schimmelpfennig et Al. ( 1996 ) present a simple taxonomy that classifies the method of analysis as either structural ( Adams et al. , 1990, 1995, 1998 ) or spacial parallel ( Darwin et al. , 1999 ; Kurukulasuriya & A ; Ajwad, 2007 ) . This survey would use some institutional economic sciences theories and the sustainable supports model analysis in making the comparative surveies. 7. Methodology The survey would do usage of quantitative and qualitative reappraisals of literature from secondary beginnings and informations already collected from the assorted parts and set about the comparative reappraisal and analysis. The survey would every bit good do usage of participatory rural assessment methods when sing the field for informations aggregation to acquire first manus information on the impacts of clime alteration and version in the assorted parts. Quantitative analysis and econometrics methods would be applied in this survey every bit good. Data analysis would every bit good be made with mention to the research jobs and aims. Data collected would be classified after the aggregation procedure and Statistical Package for the Social Science ( SPSS ) would be used to analyze all the informations collected in the field.

Treatment of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Servicemen Research Paper

Treatment of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Servicemen - Research Paper Example Research reveals that three categories of person are inflicted on this disorder. These categories could be broadly identified to be ‘war veterans’, ‘assault survivors’ and people diagnosed with ‘painful childhood history’. The research focuses upon military personnel who have developed the PTSD disorders during the various traumatic disorders faced in war (England, 2009). The research throws light on some instances due to which people are subjected to PTSD. Children who are neglected or abused in their childhood days develop this disorder in their youth or in adulthood. The research reflects that people who have a traumatic past are subjected to this disorder when they gradually grow old. Sexual Assault survivors account more in number to become mental patient that is associated with the disorders of PTSD. Women who feel neglected in the society may develop the chances of PTSD (Mayo Clinic 2015). Researchers have collected the information about the military personnel and the fact that becomes known is that around more than one million military U.S. troops were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, since 2001. These military families have faced with a number of challenges, especially those families where soldiers’ belonging to that family have not returned home. Soldiers are subjected to PTSD as they face in war and subjected to more stress like circumstances in the confrontation. Mental pain is more severe than physical pain. A family member, as well as the soldier, face this disorder due to the traumatic situations they face during the traumatic lifestyle they have incurred. PTSD symptoms are very common among military personnel, as they have to readjust with civilian life after coming from the military background. ‘Hyper vigilance’, ‘nightmares’ and ‘insomnia’ as soldiers try to assimilate and execute their war zone experiences. The se symptoms are likely to be stronger for those who have undergone immense stress during the immediate lifestyle. In RAND study, corporation that provide objective research services, it was found that out of five military veterans deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, one is found to exhibit the symptom of PTSD (Maguen, 2008).

Chpter 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chpter 5 - Essay Example In this case, ACM’s code forms the basis of explaining ethical issues due to its big membership spread across most of the countries in the world. The code epitomizes the fundamental principles of TQM such as trustworthiness, integrity and honoring commitments. Overall, the ACM’s code has 24 principles that determine ethics in a situation. The rise of the internet has brought new forms of crimes such as cyber-bullying and identity theft. However, one approach of preventing issues such as identity theft includes awareness that allows an individual to monitor their online activities. In this case, it is important for an individual to be aware of issues such as online scams, spam emails that steal one’s identity, the right software to use online, and information to share  over the internet. Security is pertinent in an issue that involves buying and selling products online. Businesses and customers should know that the failure to remain vigilant was expensive and ca used unanticipated losses. Apparently, web-based security attacks have been on the rise, and there is no sign of them ending soon. In this case,  criminals create  Trojans, malware, spywares, worms, adware, and botnets  to steal information and compromise internet users. However, simple Antivirus software can help an individual ensure that they did not compromise their security while using any software they did not trust the source. Conversely, it is important to buy, or download, antivirus from trusted sources since the internet has antivirus programs that are compromised. Finally, it is important to ensure that an individual observed measures that enhanced the privacy of their data online. With the rise of the social networks, it is important for users to observe the amount of information they released to people in their network. In addition, users should also ensure that they effectively used the privacy setting on these sites to protect their data. On the other hand, an en cryption key is crucial to secure data mostly in institutions such as banks to ensure that data was not available to unauthorized people. While all these measures are useful, security issues remain an area of concern online with hackers devising innovative approaches to steal data. One such ingenious approach is phishing, which lures people to provide their credit card information to hackers and cyber thieves who use the information. Nonetheless, different approaches can prevent an individual from such activities although it is important for individuals to present such information to authorities who will investigate the phishing issue. To protect an individual from phishing, simple toolbars such as Netcraft Toolbar can protect a user from dangerous links. In addition, it is important for internet users to ensure that they visited secure sites by conducting a simple check on the address bar. Finally, creating a back up for all files will protect a user in case their systems were comp romised. Ex. 2: Recent Internet Scam In one of the latest internet scams, internet users are getting email messages purportedly from Microsoft. In this case, the email from the address privacy@microsoft.com is a design by a phisher to steal passwords of email users. In this case, the scam targets AOL, Gmail, Yahoo, and Windows Live email addresses with a view of stealing the usernames and passwords of users (Li). The subject of the

CRM industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CRM industry - Essay Example Simply speaking, they have to find where to buy what with the greatest benefit for the company. Information systems for strategic sourcing evolved from simple on-line catalogues to more complex on-line procurement transaction terminals, and even more: "Advanced eSourcing systems went a little bit further than comparing just the price. They compare the total cost of ownership, allowing for more flexible bidding and optimizing the overall supply chain" (Ishikawa et al, 2005). The use of IS for strategic sourcing is appreciated throughout the world. With an increasing number of means of communication, such as mobile phones, email, Internet messengers, pagers, video conferences, etc. contacting your business partner, customer, or employee becomes easy as never before. However such variety in communication devices brings another challenge on the scene: what is the best way to deliver your message to your contact' Since there is never an agreement on communication preferences, the best way is not to use single mean of communication, but rather select them all with the help of unified communication systems (UCS). They serve as a bridge between communication and IT infrastructures allowing its users "maximum choice and flexibility over how, where and when they wish to communicate. UC systems will intelligently route voice and data messages to the user's preferred communication device based on the user's profile." (Jennings, 2006) So UCS may be vital for companies that rely on fast and accurate information flows. Business Intelligence Today the success of a business greatly depends on the feedback that managers receive from company operations. Health of an enterprise is constantly monitored and analysed in order to avoid unexpected failures. Business intelligence without the use of IT is as ineffective as diagnosis without medical equipment. Management needs to get comprehensive information on factors affecting a business. Indicators and metrices on sales, production or internal operations serve as the best base for decision making. Software used for business intelligence may be divided into storing and analyzing the performance, or internal operations and tools for more "human" side of the businesses, i.e. CRM and marketing tools. Nowadays, BI software is still limited with rather slow dynamics. Systems are updated monthly, weekly, or daily. Meanwhile, Golfarelli (2005) argues that "'daily updates are unacceptable whenever an immediate decision must be kept. This is the case for many applications in the industria l world". Thus the business intelligence industry is currently working on dynamic instant updates of information, which will allow using it effectively in every business. Security and Privacy Information stored within companies along with their technology infrastructure often presents the base for their competitive advantages. That is why security issues become increasingly important with the ever growing use of IT in business. Of course, the main driving forces behind security developments are banks. Modern security information systems include not only reactive but proactive measures as protection from perceived threats, such as surveillance, encryption, and

The Strategy Virgin Group Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

The Strategy Virgin Group - Case Study Example The ownership group of the company believed that the normal pressures of the shareholders for instant results along with the added cost associated with the reporting requirement of institutions such as the London Stock Exchange (LSD) inhibit the ability of the company to grow. Due to the fact that the company was kept private, the firm has been able to keep basic accounting numbers of its operation without the rigorous requirement accounting frameworks such as GAAP or IFRS required. The management of the company established a business strategy for its conglomerate group based on the assumption that its brand would be able to captivate the domestic customers due to the fact the Virgin brand represents quality and value. The Group’s ambition caused the firm to penetrate industries it should have not to such as the train travel industry. The firm believes that one of its primary business sectors that helped the company build brand value is its airlines' operations. The overall st rategy of the group so far has worked, but due to market changes, the firm must adjust its long-term strategy to meet the customer requirements of its clientele.

History and political science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History and political science - Essay Example Some of the ancient theorists are the Marxists and empiricists. Marxists focused on the issue of communism and capitalism1. Karl Marx is among the many known historians who led to the development of the Marxist theory. Therefore, it is necessary to address a number of theories developed by these historians. Numerous reasons are accountable for the difference in interpretations of history as depicted by varied historians. First, historians existed at dissimilar times and thus encountered different life occurrences. For instance, the ancient historians majorly tried to put into history the occurrences that people had not given attention2. This is a category of individuals, who ventured majorly in the explanation of the origin of humanity and the social classes. In an appropriate explanation of why historians have such different interpretations of history, it is crucial to examine the works of Karl Marx3. Marx is highly renowned due to his Marxist theory. Karl Marx is among the ancient historians born in Germany in 1818 and his works contributed mightily to history. Marx existed during a period coupled with many revolutions. As a result, together with his collaborator, he developed several ideas from their life experiences. Karl’s closest friend, Friedrich Engels worked together in writing the history. As opposed to ancient historians, modern and postmodern historians depict a different way of interpreting history4. The key reason behind their interpretation is the developments that have occurred recently. In addition to the developments, the availability of the secondary information sources in national archives and libraries facilitates the process of interpreting history5. Such resources normally compare the ancient history with the current, thus coming up with an accurate, as well as informed explanation of the key historical happenings. The question also demands an explanation on how different historians interpret history in a dissimilar manner. In answ ering the above question, it will be necessary to focus on some of the historians’ interpretations about history. An ancient historian whose name is Karl Marx contributed significantly in history. He interpreted history by giving a lot of attention to materialistic bit of it6. As a result, the phrase historical materialism came into existence. The literature has revealed that he concentrated on both physiological, as well as the material needs. He disputed the idea of a complete satisfaction of an individual’s both physiological, as well as materialistic needs. He thus concluded that the ease at which to access such materials determines the nature of a society hence the birth of the phrase history of humanity. He also established three ways in which human society changes and all of them were dependent on the level of production. In addition to the Karl’s interpretation of history, other historians such empiricists have different interpretations7. Empiricists emp loy scientific principles in understanding how history has been changing over time. They insist the implication of applying knowledge in order to understand the key historical events. In the information collection process, they stress on the authenticity of the resources used in maintaining the accuracy of information. They aim at visiting the main international archives thus collecting the most accurate information for interpretation purposes. Among all the theories described in the book, I feel comfortable with the empiricist theory. The above is a theory based on knowledge, as well as epistemology8. Scholars define epistemology as the study of knowledge. The empiricists majorly center their work on craft. The issue of craft highly concentrates on knowledge and skill. The empiricism is an

Review of What Management Is Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review of What Management Is - Essay Example Management has been the key to innovation for success in the past as well as the present. It contains such principles which are jargon-free. She studied how different people work together and emphasized all ideas for effective management should be transmitted into action to get better performance. This theory was supported on the basis of case studies considering dell, for hospitals etc. only such people should be hired in the organization who have capabilities to deal with challenging situations. Management is not only used in business, nowadays management is required for every work. For instance, if one has made choice in any decision or it is related to the community, one should first know the definition of management and should also identify both good as well as bad aspects. In an organization, managers have limited resources they should be able to manage those in accordance with the requirement. In order to become a manager, no training is needed i.e. normally many managers do not possess any formal diploma in management, rather a diploma doesn’t prove that a person is a good manager (Magretta Joan 15). Managers work efficiently only because they have work pressure because of which they prefer to work in teams, find the quick solution to the problems and try to make an effective decision in a short time. To be a manager is the most critical job compared to other professions. Managers are the sole person who helps us identify whether social institutions are serving us properly or not. So one should band the tradition of thinking of a managerial work, in spite should adopt it in practice so that difficult problems can be solved and performance can be improved further (Mintzberg Henry  165).  

Alternative Solutions Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Alternative Solutions Analysis - Essay Example Following are three alternative solutions to the problem identified by the management and employees of Carriage Enterprises, Inc. A task force is in place and will meet to determine which solution will be implemented as the primary plan. Implementation of the plan will require management and direct reports to cooperate and accept the necessary changes for growth and productivity. The management at of Carriage Enterprises, Inc. would like to issue a formal apology to the candidates involved in the hiring misunderstanding. Management does however, understands that an executive management position requires the chosen candidate to possess certain expertise in place usually before the position is given. In this case, management and the chosen candidate both employed recognized that more training in various departments would be necessary, to maintain the position. Therefore, Aa management mentor will work very closely with the individual to strengthen those needednecessary skills in the areas of communication, incentives and public relations. This situation has afforded management provided the opportunity to make rightcorrect the wrong harm done to those employees directly affected by the decision. Our management team has put in place a contingency plan do due to this dilemma., The plan requires the person hired will have to commit to increased training that must be completed satisfactory within one year. This The new manager must also grasp andfully comprehend the strict guidelines required to maintain the position. The management team will also monitor the candidate's through performance on various tests to ensure this personhe/she can handle the upcoming required work schedule and responsibilities. One of theAnother ideas to solve the recent promotion problem at Carriage Enterprises, Inc. , is to promote the more qualified candidate and demote the less qualified candidate. Two key terms will guide the organizations' decision to accept or reject this alternative. These terms are identified and defined by Gomez-Mejia an d Balkin (2002) as decision quality (or the facts used to make a decision), and decision acceptance, which ""is based on people's feelings: decision acceptance happens when people who are affected by a decision like it."". In Tvalidating the quality of this decision, two factors are must be considered in determining whether this would be a sound basis for the decision. FThe first, is a fact based comparison of the qualifications of the two candidates should be made. Unfortunately, since an offer has already been tendered and accepted for the position, it would be risky for there is significant risk for the organization to admit they performedthat less than acceptablepoor quality research on the candidatewas performed prior to making the offer of employment. Secondly, a decision to demote an employee based on job performance is not only reasonable but accepted in the business worlda perfectly acceptable business practice. But Nevertheless, it is too early in this

Marketing Plan Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Plan - Coursework Example The country is however besieged by rising unemployment. UK witnessed five days of social unrest and riots in August of 2011which resulted in loss of reputation and goodwill for the country (Internet Business News 2011). The rate of change of technology impacts the UK automobile sector considerably. All players in the industry have to keep abreast of the latest technologies and incorporate them in the subsequent models of automobiles. The growth of internet has provided the automobile industry a new sales and communication channel. At the same time, it has provided the consumer an extremely powerful tool to compare and contrast not only the prices of automobiles, but also their specifications and features. The UK government initiated a ‘scrappage incentive scheme’, wherein a car buyer was given  £1,000 trade-in incentive for replacing a 10 year old vehicle with a new, more efficient car. This scheme helped boost sales, but of smaller vehicles and not the likes of BMW (Reed 2009). The government is also giving incentives to buyers to opt for alternative-fuel vehicles (AFVs). Under enormous pressure to go ‘green’, the automobile manufacturers have not only rolled out AFVs but have also invested heavily in enhancing productivity through modular design, flexible manufacturing technology and highly skilled shop floor workforces. The UK automobile industry is extremely competitive with automobile manufacturers from Europe, Japan, China, India and the United States operating in the country. Being a mature market, the rate of growth of UK automobile sector is very low. All major automobile brands are available in the UK market. The car industry thrives on brand loyalty which is to the advantage of existing players. Other potential entry barriers include high investments and long gestation period. The automobile industry requires raw materials and parts of varied kinds. Over the last few years, the

Three arguments Essay Example for Free

Three arguments Essay Word critical argument analysis essay, focuses on three professional essays and how these authors construct their arguments using opinion and evidence. There are many different ways in which authors can construct their arguments. In the highly controversial topic of legalizing marijuana I found three very different styles of arguments in which the authors backed up their opinions with facts. In my reading of these arguments each writer had there own style. The first essay by Stephen B. Duke, Cannabis Captiva Freeing the World from Marijuana Prohibition, the second Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: Investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence, and the third Poll: Nationwide Marijuana Legalization Inevitable, each essay had a different way in proving there arguments. The authors all used the same tactics in persuading the audience. Arguing why marijuana should be legalized. In the first Essay written by Stephen B. Duke, Cannabis Captiva Freeing the World from Marijuana Prohibition, the author provides you with historical facts to back up his argument. He starts with how marijuana was used daily in certain cultures and goes through time showing that government abolishment is impossible. He states that government regulating the drug is possible specifically if the ban is lifted. In this argument it shows that the abolishment of alcohol only brought violence, crime and criminal organizations. In this essay it states that in the United States, large criminal organizations maintained by violence and bribery increasingly control the networks that distribute marijuana. By ultimately legalizing alcohol the government could control who it was sold to and the consumer could also rely on the quality of the liquor. By comparing marijuana with alcohol he argued that by abolishing marijuana only causes more problems and creates no way of containment. If marijuana was legalized the government could create sanctions and put control in there hands, creating no need for organized crime. The author used facts in history to support his argument. In this essay, Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: Investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence, the authors took a survey taken by individuals who lived in states where marijuana was legal and residents of states where marijuana was illegal. Cerda (2011)† We combined abuse and dependence into one outcome, since empirical findings indicate that it better captures the underlying prevalence of cannabis use disorders than dependence or abuse alone. While substance use disorders were originally conceived as a bi-axial syndrome with dependence capturing more physiologic dimensions of addiction and abuse capturing more behavioral consequences, there is now substantial evidence to indicate that abuse and dependence criteria, including cannabis use disorder criteria, represent a uni-dimensional construct† (para. 10). In this argumentative essay the writer takes the results of the survey and concludes that there is a strong relationship between use, abuse and dependence in states that have made marijuana legal. This argument shows that by keeping it illegal there are less people who use, abuse and become dependent on it. The author used a survey in which took results of states where marijuana was legal and where marijuana was illegal to support his argument. In the article, Poll: Nationwide Marijuana Legalization Inevitable, the author doesn’t argue a side either for or against marijuana. This article gives the results of a survey taken nationwide regarding marijuana. According to Kwtx (2014) ‘The telephone survey found that 75 percent of respondents — including majorities of both supporters and opponents of legal marijuana— think that the sale and use of pot eventually will be legal nationwide.†(para. 4) In conclusion he states that the results reflect nationwide marijuana legalization is inevitable. Without picking a side he concluded a survey of what people think will happen in the future either for or against its legalization. Although the poll didn’t reflect the fact that full legalization of marijuana is or isn’t wanted it shows you three fourths of a majority think it is inevitable that it will be legalized. This author used a survey without having an argument to support his article. Reference Duke, S. B. (2010). Cannabis captiva: Freeing the world from marijuana prohibition. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 11(2), 83-90. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/910990356?accountid=458 Cerda, m. (2011). Science direct. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/science/article/pii/S0376871611002742 KWTX. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.kwtx.com/centraltexasvotes/home/headlines/PollLegalization-Of-Pot-Nationwide-Is-Inevitable-253584841.html

Design and Planning of 2G, 3G and Channel Modelling of 4G

Design and Planning of 2G, 3G and Channel Modelling of 4G Chapter 1 Fundamentals of Cellular Communication In this chapter, all the background knowledge which is required for this project has been discussed. 1.1 Cell The area covered by single BTS(base transceiver station) is known as cell. 1.1.1 Shape of cell The shape of cell depends upon the coverage of the base station. The actual coverage of the base station is called footprint and is found with the help of measurements from the field. We can make our calculations easier by using the shape of circle noting that there would not be spaces between them. As, the purpose is to provide coverage to each and every subscriber. But if there are spaces between the coverage areas then the person in that specific area will not be able to get any coverage. To cover the problem of interleaving spaces, the shapes that can be used theoretically are: Square Triangle Hexagon But in selection criteria one thing must be kept in mind that every person within a cell get same coverage specially the person at the edges of the cell. So hexagon is the shape among these three choices with largest coverage area. Its coverage area and shape is closest to the circle and it helps tessellate. Omnidirectional antenna is used in the center of it, and if we want to use sectored directional antenna then it must be used at any three corners of it. 1.1.2 Area of the Cell The area of a cell with radius R is shown in figure 1.1(a), is given by: 1.2 Frequency planning While developing the cellular system, it has limited capacity due to the given bandwidth. So, in order to solve this problem Cellular Systems have to depends on an intelligent and more use of channels through out the area. Every cellular base station is alloted a group of different radio channels to be used in a cell. Base station in the adjacent cells use completely different frequencies. For this purpose antennas are used such that their power may get limited within the cell. In this way the allocated frequencies maybe reused in different cells again. The process of allocating and selecting channel groups for all the base stations in a system is known as frequency reuse or frequency planning. We use two types of antennas: Omnidirectional antenna Sectored directional antenna Omnidirectional antennas are used in the cells which are centrally excited and sectored directional antennas are used in the edge excite cells. To understand the concept of frequency reuse, let us say that S are the total no. of duplex channels available for use, k number of channels given to each cell i.e. k S=kN (1.2) Where N is no. of cells which uses the complete set of available frequencies known as cluster frequency reuse factor (1.3) Each cell is in the cluster is assigned of the available channels. The radio frequency from 3Hz to 3000GHz are separated into 12 bands, as shown in the table. Frequency spectrum has different propagation characteristics. As far as concerned to the mobile communication, we only pay attention to the UHF spectrum. 1.2.1 Cluster size(N) If we use N large (a large cluster), the ratio of the cell radius and the distance between co-channel decreases, which causes weaker co-channel interference. But if N is smaller, by keeping the cell size same then we more clusters are needed to cover an area. Hence the capacity is increased. So if we use N larger then the quality of voice is good but the capacity is less and vice versa. 1.3 Interference Interference is one of the major factor in the capacity and performance of a cellular network. The interference is due to a call in the neighbouring cell, another base station operating in the same frequency. Interference causes crosstalk and noise. There are two types of interference. Adjacent channel interference Co-channel interference 1.3.1 Adjacent channel interference Adjacent channel interference results from the signals which are side by side in frequencies to the desires signal. Adjacent channel interference is caused by wrong filtering, like incomplete filtering of not wanted modulation in frequency modulation (FM) systems, not proper tuning, or poor control of frequency. It causes problem. Adjacent channel interference can be reduced by careful channel assignment, filtering and power control within a cell. 1.3.2 Co-channel interference Co-channel cells are the cell which use the same set of frequencies. For example, in the figure 1.2 all the letter ‘A are the co-channel cell because they use the same set of frequencies. Interference due to the co-channel cells is called co-channel interference. It can be reduced by using greater value of N(cluster size). If D is the distance between the co-channel cells and R is radius of the cell, then by using greater value of N the ratio between D to R is increased hence reducing co-channel interference. The relation can b written as: 1.4 Improving coverage and capacity The number of channels assigned to a cell became insufficiently as the demand of wireless system increases. To provide more channels per coverage, some techniques are introduced which improve the coverage and capacity. These techniques are: Cell splitting Sectoring Microcell zone concept 1.4.1 Cell Splitting Cell splitting is the process of dividing a cell into smaller cells. In this process we reduce the antenna height and power of the base station. Cell splitting increases the capacity by increasing frequency reuse factor. In cell splitting Channel assignment techniques remain the same. SIR remains the same Trunking inefficiency do not get suffer. Trunking efficiency is the measure of the number of users which can be offered a particular Grade of service with the specific configuration of the channels. The grade of service (GOS) is the measure of the ability to access a trunked system during the busy hours. The radius of the new cell is reduce to half. So power is also reduced. 1.4.2 Sectoring Sectoring uses directional antennas for controlling the interferences and frequency reuse of channels. The co-channel interference is reduced and thus increasing system performance by using directional antenna. A cell is normally divided into three 120 sectors or six 60 °sectors. When sectoring is used, the channels used in a particular cell are broken into sectored groups and are used only within a particular sector. The no. of channels get divided into sectored groups, so the trunking efficiency is reduced. In sectoring SIR is improved by reducing interference and trunking efficiency is reduced. Handoff increased in sectoring. The s/I improvement allows to decrease the cluster size N in order to improve the frequency reuse, and thus the system capacity. Further improvements in s/I is achieved by downtilting the sector antennas. 1.4.3 Microcell Zone Concept Microcell Zone concept distributes the coverage of a cell and extends the cell boundry to hard to reach places. It maintains the S/I and trunking efficiency, and increases the coverage and capacity of an area. 1.5 Radio wave propagation Radio waves propagate through different channels and by different ways to reach the MS(Mobile Station). It also depends upon the speed of the wave. The propagation of radio waves depends into two types: Large scale propagation Small scale propagation(Fading) 1.5.1 Large scale propagation The model predicts that the average signal strength for all transmitter-receiver (TR) distance on a scale known as large scale propogation model. 1.5.2 Small scale propagation The models that predicts the rapid fluctuation of the received signal strength over a short distance known as small scale propagation model or fading. 1.5.3 Free Space Propagation Model The free space propagation model is used when the transmitter and receiver have line of sight (LOS) between them to predict the received signal strength. Where Pr = received power. Pt = transmitted power, Gt and Gr = transmitter and receiver antenna gain, do= T-R separation, L = system loss factor ÃŽ » = wavelength. 1.6 Propagation Mechanisms The propagation mechanisms which effect propagation are: Reflection Scattering Diffraction Reach directly (in case of Line of Sight) If there is line of sight signal reach the Mobile station directly and signal power is very strong. 1.6.1 Reflection Reflection occurs when an electromagnetic wave falls upon an object which is large as compare to the wavelength of the wave. It occurs from buildings, walls, surface of earth etc. 1.6.2 Diffraction Diffraction happens when the path between the transmitters and receivers is disturbed by a surface with sharp edges. It source is any sharp edge object. Knife edge diffraction Model is used for diffraction. 1.6.3 Scattering Scattering occurs when an electromagnetic wave falls upon an object which has small dimension as compared to the wavelength of the wave. Scattering occurs due to small objects, rough surfaces or any irregularities. Objects such as lamp posts, trees scatter the radio waves. Radar Cross Section Model is used for sectoring. 1.7 Small Scale Fading Fading is the fluctuation in the received signal strength over very short distance. Fading is due to reception of different versions of same signals. Following are the factors which influence Small-Scale Fading are: Multipath propagation: Due to absence of LOS signal follows the multipath due to reflection, diffraction, scattering. Speed of the mobile: Fading also accurs due to the movement of the mobile as the signal strength changes. Speed of the surrounding objects: Fading also occurs due to the movement of mobile, if the speed of the surrounding object is much faster then the speed of the mobile then it also induces Doppler shift. The transmission BW (bandwidth) of the signal: The received signal is distorted if the transmitted signal bandwidth is greater than the bandwidth of the channel. 1.8 GSM The first GSM network was launched in 1991. The GSM network was structured hierarchically. It consists of one administrative region, which is assigned to MSC. Each administrative region is consists of at least one location area (LA). LA is also called the visited area. An LA consists of several cell groups. Each cell group is assigned to a base station controller (BSC). Cells of one BSC may belong to different LAs. GSM distinguishes explicitly between users and identifiers. The user identity associates with a MS by mans of personal chip cards, the subscriber identity module (SIM). The SIM is portable and transferable MSs. The mobile Roaming number is a temporary location-dependent ISDN number. It is assigned by a locally responsible Visited Location Number (VLR). The GSM network can defined into four major parts. Mobile station (MS). Base station Sub-system (BSS). Network and switching Sub-system (NSS). Operation and support Sub-system (OSS). 1.8.1 Mobile station A mobile station consists of two parts. Mobile equipment and terminal. Subscriber identity module (SIM). 1.8.2 THE Terminal There are different types of terminal distinguished principally by their power and application: The fixed terminals are installed in cars. The GSM portable terminals can be used in the vehicles. The hand held terminals have experienced a biggest success depending upon their weight and volume, which are decreasing continuously. These terminals can emit power of 2 w. The evolution of technologies decreases the maxpower to 0.8 watts. 1.8.3 SIM Sim is a smart card which identifies the terminal. Using the sim card in the mobile, the user can access all the services provided by the provider. Terminal does not operate without the sim,. Personal identification number(PIN) helps protect sim. 1.9 The Base Station Subsystem The BSS connects the MS to Network Switching Sub-system. It is incharge of transmission as well as reception. The BSS is further divided into two main parts. Base transceiver station (BTS) or base station. Base Station Controller(BSC). 1.9.1 The Base Transceiver Station The BTS deals with the transceivers and antennas which are used in each cell of a network. BTS is usually in the center of cell. Size of the cell is defined by its transmitting power. Each BTS has one to sixteen transceivers which depends upon the density of users. 1.10 The Base Station Controller The BSC controllers the group of BTS and manages radio resources. The BSC is incharge of handover, frequency hoping and exchange of radio frequency power level of BTSs. 1.11 The Network and Switching Subsystem It is to manage the communication between mobile and other users, such as ISDN users, telephony users. It store the information in data bases about the subscriber and manage their mobility. 1.12 The Mobile Services Switching Center (MSC) It is the central component of the NSS. Network Switching Functions are performed by the MSC. It provides connection to more other networks. Chapter 2 Planning One of the important phase of the project in which all the detail information is gathered about different areas and their population including city boundary, market analysis and roads are the key features in these details are city profiling. This phase is divided into different tasks. 2.1 Lahore City Map First is to get the detailed map of the Lahore city, which includes all the aspects related to the project. These are following:- Area division Dense area Sub-urban area open area Boundaries of City 2.2 Boundary Marking The project â€Å"Radio Frequency Planning † is basically the frequency planning of the city, not to its belongings areas. The exact boundary of the city is marked in order to concentrate on the marked area. 2.3 Population Population of the city plays an important role in the frequency planning. It helps a lot in the estimations and assumptions. The population of the city is around 10 million. 2.4 Estimations and Assumptions This part is mainly concerned with the frequency planning. When a new telecommunication company comes in the market, it estimates it users. This estimation is done with respect to the total population of the particular area. The estimations are done to estimate the users on urban, suburban and open areas. 2.5 Area Division The area division depends upon the percentage of population in an area and type of area as it is the important factor in the site as wall as frequency planning. The Lahore city is divided into three major areas. 2.5.1 Urban Area Urban area is an area which is surrounded by more density of humans and structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it 2.5.2 Sub-Urban Area Suburban area is districts located either inside a town or citys outer premises or just outside its limits. 2.5.3 Open Area Open area is partially settled places away from the large cities. Such areas are different from more intensively settled urban and suburban areas. There are less population as compared to urban and sub-urban areas. 2.6 Site Planning 2.6.1 Map of Lahore 2.6.2 Urban Area 2.6.3 Sub-Urban Area 2.6.4 Open Area HATA Model for Urban Area = Path loss in Urban Areas in decibel (dB) = Height of base station in meters (m) = Height of mobile station Antenna in meters (m) = Frequency of Transmission in megahertz (MHz). = Distance between the base station and mobile stations in kilometers To calculate radius of a site of Urban Area For Downlink =-75 dBm(this power covers both indoor and outdoor coverage range -70 to -90 dBm ) = 35 m(Average height of antenna in city is 30 to 200 m) = 1.5 m = 13 dBm = 46 dBm (Max Power transmitted by Base Station) = Cable loss = 2.01 dBm = 945 Mhz (Downlink frequency 935 to 960 MHz) = Combine Loss= 5.5 dBm Putting in HATA equation For Uplink = -102 dbm(Min Power received by Base Station) = 29.1 dBm (Max transmitted power mobile) = 900 MHz (890 to 915 MHz) Putting in HATA equation We will be using d=0.90 Km as it covers both Uplink and Downlink. For Sub-Urban Area For Downlink For downlink of Suburban parameters are same as for Urban. For Uplink Uplink parameters are also same as Urban Areas We will be using d=2.32 Km for Suburban Area. For Open Areas Downlink For downlink parameters are same as Urban Areas For Uplink We will be using d=8 for Open Areas. We will be using 65 degree directional Antennas. Angle between 2 consecutive lobes is 120 degree. r=Radius of lobes For Full Lobe For All 3 Lobes Area of site in Urban Area of site in Suburban Area of site in Fields(Open Area) Calculations for Number of BTS 2.7 Frequency Planning One of the breakthrough in solving the problem of congestion and user capacity is the cellular concept. Cellular radio systems rely on reuse of channels throughout a coverage region. A group of radio channels are allocated to each cellular base station to be used within a area known as cell. Different channels are assingned in the adjacent cells of the base station. The same group of channels can be used by limiting the coverage area, within the boundaries of a cell to cover different levels, within tolerable limits. Frequency planning is the design process of selecting, allocating or assinging channel group stations within a system. The theoretical calculations, and fixed size of a cell is assumed, that can differentiate no of channels in a cell and from that can differentiate cluster size and will differ, the capacity of the cellular system. There is a trade between the interference abd capacity in theoretical calculation as if we reduce the cluster size more cells are needed to cover the area and more capacity. But from another perceptive small cluster size causes the ratio between cell radius, and the distance between co-channels cells to increase, leading to stronger co-channels interference. In practical calculations, a fixed no of channels are allocated to a cell. One channel per lobe 3channels are allocated to a cell. The capacity can be increased by allocating 2 channels per lobe or 6 channels per cell. But after allocating channels once, they will remain fixed for the whole cellular system and frequency planning. Now as with the fixed no of channels as per cell, the capacity will remain constant of the system and we can achieve weaker co-channel interference, by having a small cluster size(N). A cluster size of 7 is selected in this project, which is also discussed. So in later practical world , there is not a trade-off between capacity and co-channel interference. 2.7.1 Calculations The city of Lahore is divided into 120 cells. We take 3 channels per cell that gives us 1 cell = 3 channels Reuse factor = 1/N = 1/7 Which means that frequency can be reused after a cluster of 7 cells. That gives us the total of 7 x 3 =21+ 2(guard cells)=23 channels We will be using 23 channels with a reuse factor of 1/7. 2.8 Implementation in GAIA Figure 2.1 is a snapshot of GAIA planning tool showing us the structure of an urban area. This figure illustrates the urban boundary which we calculate during city profiling. It also shows the antenna system used, in this case 3 sectors with 120 degree azimuth spacing is used. Antennas are installed on the rooftop of buildings or houses due to dense population and to provide a better coverage. Figure 2.2 shows us the planning of a Sub-Urban area with sites more distance apart as population is less, compared to urban. In Sub-Urban 3 sector cell is used which is similar to the ones used in Urban Figure 2.3 shows us the coverage planning of a network in an open area. Here the sites are further apart as open area has least population. 3 sector cell is used with the antennas installed above a steel structure for better coverage. Figure 2.4 shows the sector wise cell area of the sites in the urban area of the city in GAIA, which can be differentiated with the help of different color for each sector, also it shows the coverage area of every site. We have used grid approach in this planning, it is the most widely used and most effective technique used theoretically and practically. Figure 2.5 shows the cell boundary of sites in Sub-urban area of the city. Figure 2.6 shows the cell boundary in the open area of the city. Figure 2.7 illustrates the signal strength in the urban area of the city. Because of the dense population the signal power is strong throughout to ensure high quality calls to the subscribers with minimum interference and call drop. Figure 2.8 shows the 2G signal strength in the Sub-urban areas where population density is low and so the power required is less as compared to urban areas. Figure 2.9 shows the serving signal strength in open area. The signal is the weakest as there is the least number of people in open area. CHAPTER 3 FUNDAMENTALS OF 3G 3.1 INTRODUCTION The Universal Mobile Telephony System (UMTS) or 3G as it is known is the next big thing in the world of mobile telecommunications. It provides convergence between mobile telephony broadband access and Internet Protocol (IP) backbones. This introduces very variable data rates on the air interface, as well as the independence of the radio access infrastructure and the service platform. For users this makes available a wide spectrum of circuit-switched or packet data services through the newly developed high bit rate radio technology named Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA). The variable bit rate and variety of traffic on the air interface have presented completely new possibilities for both operators and users, but also new challenges to network planning and optimization. The success of the technology lies in optimum utilization of resources by efficient planning of the network for maximum coverage, capacity and quality of service. This part of our project aims to detail method of UMTS Radio Network (UTRAN) Planning. The new technologies and services have brought vast changes within the network planning; the planning of a 3G network is now a complex balancing act between all the variables in order to achieve the optimal coverage, capacity and Quality of Service simultaneously. 3.2 WCDMA In UMTS access scheme is DS-CDMA (Direct Sequence CDMA) which involves that a code sequence is directly used to modulate the transmitted radio signal with information which is spreaded over approximately 5 MHz bandwidth and data rate up to 2 Mbps. Every user is assigned a separate code/s depending upon the transaction, thus separation is not based on frequency or time but on the basis of codes. The major advantage of using WCDMA is that there is no plan for frequency re-use. 3.3 NODE B Node B functions as a RBS (Radio Base Station) and provides radio coverage to a geographical area, by providing physical radio link between the UE (User Equipment) and the network. Node B also refer the codes that are important to identify channels in a WCDMA system. It contains the RF transceiver, combiner, network interface and system controller, timing card, channel card and backplane. The Main Functions of Node B are: Closed loop power control CDMA Physical Channel coding Modulation /Demodulation Micro Diversity Air interface Transmission /Reception Error handling Both FDD and TDD modes are supported by Single node B and it can be co-located with a GSM BTS to reduce implementation costs. The conversion of data from the Radio interface is the main task of Node B. It measures strength and quality of the connection. The Node B participates in power control and is also responsible for the FDD softer handover. On the basis of coverage, capacity and antenna arrangement Node B can be categorizes as Omni directional and Sectorial: OTSR (Omni Transmitter Sector Receiver) STSR (Sector Transmitter Sector Receiver) 3.3.1 OTSR (Omni Transmit Sector Receive) The OTSR configuration uses a single (PA) Power Amplifier, whose output is fed to a transmit splitter. The power of the RF signal is divided by three and fed to the duplexers of the three sectors, which are connected to sectorized antennas. 3.3.2 STSR (Sectorial Transmit Sector Receive) The STSR configuration uses three (PA) Power Amplifier, whose output is fed directly to the duplexers of the three sectors, which are connected to sectorized antennas. Node B serve the cells which depend on sectoring. 3.4 ACCESS MODES 3.4.1 FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) A duplex method whereby uplink and downlink transmissions use two separated radio frequencies. In the FDD, each downlink and uplink uses the different frequency band. 3.4.2 TDD (Time Division Duplex) It is a method in which same frequency is used for the transmission of downlink and uplink by using synchronized time intervals. Time slots are divided into transmission and reception part in the physical channel. 3.4.3 Frequency Bands 3.4 CELLULAR CONCEPT The UMTS network is third generation of cellular radio network which operate on the principle of dividing the coverage area into zones or cells (node B in this case), each of which has its own set of resources or transceivers (transmitters /receivers) to provide communication channels, which can be accessed by the users of the network. A cell is created by transmitting numerous number of low power transmitters. Cell size is determined by the different power levels according to the subscriber demand and density within a specific region. Cells can be added to accommodate growth. Communication in a cellular network is full duplex, which is attained by sending and receiving messages on two different frequencies. In order to increase the frequency reuse capability to promote spectrum efficiency of a system, it is desirable to reuse the same channel set in two cells which are close to each other as possible, however this increases the probability of co-channel interference . The performance of cellular mobile radio is affected by co channel interference. Co-channel interference, when not minimized, decreases the ratio of carrier to interference powers (C/I) at the periphery of cells, causing diminished system capacity, more frequent handoffs, and dropped calls. Usually cells are represented by a hexagonal cell structure, to demonstrate the concept, however, in practice the shape of cell is determined by the local topography. 3.4.1 Types of Cell The 3G network is divided on the basis of size of area covered. Micro cell the area of intermediate coverage, e.g., middle of a city. Pico cell the area of smallest coverage, e.g., a hot spot in airport or hotel. Macro cell the area of largest coverage, e.g., an complete city. 3.5 FADING Fading is another major constraint in wireless communication. All signals regardless of the medium used, lose strength this is known as attenuation/fading. There are three types of fading: Pathloss Shadowing Rayleigh Fading 3.5.1 Pathloss Pathloss occurs as the power of the signal steadily decreases over distance from the transmitter. 3.5.2 Shadowing Shadowing or Log normal Fading is causes by the presence of building, hills or even tree foilage. 3.5.3 Rayleigh Fading Rayleigh Fading or multipath fading is a sudden decrease in signal strength as a result of interference between direct and reflected signal reaching the mobile station. 3.6 HANDOVER IN CDMA The term handover or handoff refers to the process of transferring data session or an ongoing call from channel to channel connected to the core network to another. The handover is performed due to the mobility of a user that can be served in another cell more efficiently. Handover is necessary to support mobility of users. Handover are of following types (also known as handoff): Hard Handover Soft Handover Softer Handover 3.6.1Hard.Handover In Hard handover the old radio links in the UE are dispose of before the new radio links takes place. It can be either seamless or non-seamless. In seamless hard handover, the handover is not detected by the user. A handover that needs a change of the carrier frequency is a hard handover. 3.6.2Soft.Handover Soft handover takes place when cells on the same frequency are changed. Atleast one radio link is always kept to the UTRAN in the removal and addition of the radio links. It is opperated by means of macro diversity in which many radio links are active. 3.6.3Softer.handover It is one of the important case of soft handover which describe the removal and addition of the radio links which is being belonged by the same Node B. Macro diversity can be performed in the NODE B with maximum ratio combining in softer handover. There are inter-cell and intra-cell handover. Handover 3G 2G (e.g. handover to GSM) FDD inter-frequency hard handover TDD/FDD handover (change of cell) TDD/TDD handover FDD/TDD handover (chan Design and Planning of 2G, 3G and Channel Modelling of 4G Design and Planning of 2G, 3G and Channel Modelling of 4G Chapter 1 Fundamentals of Cellular Communication In this chapter, all the background knowledge which is required for this project has been discussed. 1.1 Cell The area covered by single BTS(base transceiver station) is known as cell. 1.1.1 Shape of cell The shape of cell depends upon the coverage of the base station. The actual coverage of the base station is called footprint and is found with the help of measurements from the field. We can make our calculations easier by using the shape of circle noting that there would not be spaces between them. As, the purpose is to provide coverage to each and every subscriber. But if there are spaces between the coverage areas then the person in that specific area will not be able to get any coverage. To cover the problem of interleaving spaces, the shapes that can be used theoretically are: Square Triangle Hexagon But in selection criteria one thing must be kept in mind that every person within a cell get same coverage specially the person at the edges of the cell. So hexagon is the shape among these three choices with largest coverage area. Its coverage area and shape is closest to the circle and it helps tessellate. Omnidirectional antenna is used in the center of it, and if we want to use sectored directional antenna then it must be used at any three corners of it. 1.1.2 Area of the Cell The area of a cell with radius R is shown in figure 1.1(a), is given by: 1.2 Frequency planning While developing the cellular system, it has limited capacity due to the given bandwidth. So, in order to solve this problem Cellular Systems have to depends on an intelligent and more use of channels through out the area. Every cellular base station is alloted a group of different radio channels to be used in a cell. Base station in the adjacent cells use completely different frequencies. For this purpose antennas are used such that their power may get limited within the cell. In this way the allocated frequencies maybe reused in different cells again. The process of allocating and selecting channel groups for all the base stations in a system is known as frequency reuse or frequency planning. We use two types of antennas: Omnidirectional antenna Sectored directional antenna Omnidirectional antennas are used in the cells which are centrally excited and sectored directional antennas are used in the edge excite cells. To understand the concept of frequency reuse, let us say that S are the total no. of duplex channels available for use, k number of channels given to each cell i.e. k S=kN (1.2) Where N is no. of cells which uses the complete set of available frequencies known as cluster frequency reuse factor (1.3) Each cell is in the cluster is assigned of the available channels. The radio frequency from 3Hz to 3000GHz are separated into 12 bands, as shown in the table. Frequency spectrum has different propagation characteristics. As far as concerned to the mobile communication, we only pay attention to the UHF spectrum. 1.2.1 Cluster size(N) If we use N large (a large cluster), the ratio of the cell radius and the distance between co-channel decreases, which causes weaker co-channel interference. But if N is smaller, by keeping the cell size same then we more clusters are needed to cover an area. Hence the capacity is increased. So if we use N larger then the quality of voice is good but the capacity is less and vice versa. 1.3 Interference Interference is one of the major factor in the capacity and performance of a cellular network. The interference is due to a call in the neighbouring cell, another base station operating in the same frequency. Interference causes crosstalk and noise. There are two types of interference. Adjacent channel interference Co-channel interference 1.3.1 Adjacent channel interference Adjacent channel interference results from the signals which are side by side in frequencies to the desires signal. Adjacent channel interference is caused by wrong filtering, like incomplete filtering of not wanted modulation in frequency modulation (FM) systems, not proper tuning, or poor control of frequency. It causes problem. Adjacent channel interference can be reduced by careful channel assignment, filtering and power control within a cell. 1.3.2 Co-channel interference Co-channel cells are the cell which use the same set of frequencies. For example, in the figure 1.2 all the letter ‘A are the co-channel cell because they use the same set of frequencies. Interference due to the co-channel cells is called co-channel interference. It can be reduced by using greater value of N(cluster size). If D is the distance between the co-channel cells and R is radius of the cell, then by using greater value of N the ratio between D to R is increased hence reducing co-channel interference. The relation can b written as: 1.4 Improving coverage and capacity The number of channels assigned to a cell became insufficiently as the demand of wireless system increases. To provide more channels per coverage, some techniques are introduced which improve the coverage and capacity. These techniques are: Cell splitting Sectoring Microcell zone concept 1.4.1 Cell Splitting Cell splitting is the process of dividing a cell into smaller cells. In this process we reduce the antenna height and power of the base station. Cell splitting increases the capacity by increasing frequency reuse factor. In cell splitting Channel assignment techniques remain the same. SIR remains the same Trunking inefficiency do not get suffer. Trunking efficiency is the measure of the number of users which can be offered a particular Grade of service with the specific configuration of the channels. The grade of service (GOS) is the measure of the ability to access a trunked system during the busy hours. The radius of the new cell is reduce to half. So power is also reduced. 1.4.2 Sectoring Sectoring uses directional antennas for controlling the interferences and frequency reuse of channels. The co-channel interference is reduced and thus increasing system performance by using directional antenna. A cell is normally divided into three 120 sectors or six 60 °sectors. When sectoring is used, the channels used in a particular cell are broken into sectored groups and are used only within a particular sector. The no. of channels get divided into sectored groups, so the trunking efficiency is reduced. In sectoring SIR is improved by reducing interference and trunking efficiency is reduced. Handoff increased in sectoring. The s/I improvement allows to decrease the cluster size N in order to improve the frequency reuse, and thus the system capacity. Further improvements in s/I is achieved by downtilting the sector antennas. 1.4.3 Microcell Zone Concept Microcell Zone concept distributes the coverage of a cell and extends the cell boundry to hard to reach places. It maintains the S/I and trunking efficiency, and increases the coverage and capacity of an area. 1.5 Radio wave propagation Radio waves propagate through different channels and by different ways to reach the MS(Mobile Station). It also depends upon the speed of the wave. The propagation of radio waves depends into two types: Large scale propagation Small scale propagation(Fading) 1.5.1 Large scale propagation The model predicts that the average signal strength for all transmitter-receiver (TR) distance on a scale known as large scale propogation model. 1.5.2 Small scale propagation The models that predicts the rapid fluctuation of the received signal strength over a short distance known as small scale propagation model or fading. 1.5.3 Free Space Propagation Model The free space propagation model is used when the transmitter and receiver have line of sight (LOS) between them to predict the received signal strength. Where Pr = received power. Pt = transmitted power, Gt and Gr = transmitter and receiver antenna gain, do= T-R separation, L = system loss factor ÃŽ » = wavelength. 1.6 Propagation Mechanisms The propagation mechanisms which effect propagation are: Reflection Scattering Diffraction Reach directly (in case of Line of Sight) If there is line of sight signal reach the Mobile station directly and signal power is very strong. 1.6.1 Reflection Reflection occurs when an electromagnetic wave falls upon an object which is large as compare to the wavelength of the wave. It occurs from buildings, walls, surface of earth etc. 1.6.2 Diffraction Diffraction happens when the path between the transmitters and receivers is disturbed by a surface with sharp edges. It source is any sharp edge object. Knife edge diffraction Model is used for diffraction. 1.6.3 Scattering Scattering occurs when an electromagnetic wave falls upon an object which has small dimension as compared to the wavelength of the wave. Scattering occurs due to small objects, rough surfaces or any irregularities. Objects such as lamp posts, trees scatter the radio waves. Radar Cross Section Model is used for sectoring. 1.7 Small Scale Fading Fading is the fluctuation in the received signal strength over very short distance. Fading is due to reception of different versions of same signals. Following are the factors which influence Small-Scale Fading are: Multipath propagation: Due to absence of LOS signal follows the multipath due to reflection, diffraction, scattering. Speed of the mobile: Fading also accurs due to the movement of the mobile as the signal strength changes. Speed of the surrounding objects: Fading also occurs due to the movement of mobile, if the speed of the surrounding object is much faster then the speed of the mobile then it also induces Doppler shift. The transmission BW (bandwidth) of the signal: The received signal is distorted if the transmitted signal bandwidth is greater than the bandwidth of the channel. 1.8 GSM The first GSM network was launched in 1991. The GSM network was structured hierarchically. It consists of one administrative region, which is assigned to MSC. Each administrative region is consists of at least one location area (LA). LA is also called the visited area. An LA consists of several cell groups. Each cell group is assigned to a base station controller (BSC). Cells of one BSC may belong to different LAs. GSM distinguishes explicitly between users and identifiers. The user identity associates with a MS by mans of personal chip cards, the subscriber identity module (SIM). The SIM is portable and transferable MSs. The mobile Roaming number is a temporary location-dependent ISDN number. It is assigned by a locally responsible Visited Location Number (VLR). The GSM network can defined into four major parts. Mobile station (MS). Base station Sub-system (BSS). Network and switching Sub-system (NSS). Operation and support Sub-system (OSS). 1.8.1 Mobile station A mobile station consists of two parts. Mobile equipment and terminal. Subscriber identity module (SIM). 1.8.2 THE Terminal There are different types of terminal distinguished principally by their power and application: The fixed terminals are installed in cars. The GSM portable terminals can be used in the vehicles. The hand held terminals have experienced a biggest success depending upon their weight and volume, which are decreasing continuously. These terminals can emit power of 2 w. The evolution of technologies decreases the maxpower to 0.8 watts. 1.8.3 SIM Sim is a smart card which identifies the terminal. Using the sim card in the mobile, the user can access all the services provided by the provider. Terminal does not operate without the sim,. Personal identification number(PIN) helps protect sim. 1.9 The Base Station Subsystem The BSS connects the MS to Network Switching Sub-system. It is incharge of transmission as well as reception. The BSS is further divided into two main parts. Base transceiver station (BTS) or base station. Base Station Controller(BSC). 1.9.1 The Base Transceiver Station The BTS deals with the transceivers and antennas which are used in each cell of a network. BTS is usually in the center of cell. Size of the cell is defined by its transmitting power. Each BTS has one to sixteen transceivers which depends upon the density of users. 1.10 The Base Station Controller The BSC controllers the group of BTS and manages radio resources. The BSC is incharge of handover, frequency hoping and exchange of radio frequency power level of BTSs. 1.11 The Network and Switching Subsystem It is to manage the communication between mobile and other users, such as ISDN users, telephony users. It store the information in data bases about the subscriber and manage their mobility. 1.12 The Mobile Services Switching Center (MSC) It is the central component of the NSS. Network Switching Functions are performed by the MSC. It provides connection to more other networks. Chapter 2 Planning One of the important phase of the project in which all the detail information is gathered about different areas and their population including city boundary, market analysis and roads are the key features in these details are city profiling. This phase is divided into different tasks. 2.1 Lahore City Map First is to get the detailed map of the Lahore city, which includes all the aspects related to the project. These are following:- Area division Dense area Sub-urban area open area Boundaries of City 2.2 Boundary Marking The project â€Å"Radio Frequency Planning † is basically the frequency planning of the city, not to its belongings areas. The exact boundary of the city is marked in order to concentrate on the marked area. 2.3 Population Population of the city plays an important role in the frequency planning. It helps a lot in the estimations and assumptions. The population of the city is around 10 million. 2.4 Estimations and Assumptions This part is mainly concerned with the frequency planning. When a new telecommunication company comes in the market, it estimates it users. This estimation is done with respect to the total population of the particular area. The estimations are done to estimate the users on urban, suburban and open areas. 2.5 Area Division The area division depends upon the percentage of population in an area and type of area as it is the important factor in the site as wall as frequency planning. The Lahore city is divided into three major areas. 2.5.1 Urban Area Urban area is an area which is surrounded by more density of humans and structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it 2.5.2 Sub-Urban Area Suburban area is districts located either inside a town or citys outer premises or just outside its limits. 2.5.3 Open Area Open area is partially settled places away from the large cities. Such areas are different from more intensively settled urban and suburban areas. There are less population as compared to urban and sub-urban areas. 2.6 Site Planning 2.6.1 Map of Lahore 2.6.2 Urban Area 2.6.3 Sub-Urban Area 2.6.4 Open Area HATA Model for Urban Area = Path loss in Urban Areas in decibel (dB) = Height of base station in meters (m) = Height of mobile station Antenna in meters (m) = Frequency of Transmission in megahertz (MHz). = Distance between the base station and mobile stations in kilometers To calculate radius of a site of Urban Area For Downlink =-75 dBm(this power covers both indoor and outdoor coverage range -70 to -90 dBm ) = 35 m(Average height of antenna in city is 30 to 200 m) = 1.5 m = 13 dBm = 46 dBm (Max Power transmitted by Base Station) = Cable loss = 2.01 dBm = 945 Mhz (Downlink frequency 935 to 960 MHz) = Combine Loss= 5.5 dBm Putting in HATA equation For Uplink = -102 dbm(Min Power received by Base Station) = 29.1 dBm (Max transmitted power mobile) = 900 MHz (890 to 915 MHz) Putting in HATA equation We will be using d=0.90 Km as it covers both Uplink and Downlink. For Sub-Urban Area For Downlink For downlink of Suburban parameters are same as for Urban. For Uplink Uplink parameters are also same as Urban Areas We will be using d=2.32 Km for Suburban Area. For Open Areas Downlink For downlink parameters are same as Urban Areas For Uplink We will be using d=8 for Open Areas. We will be using 65 degree directional Antennas. Angle between 2 consecutive lobes is 120 degree. r=Radius of lobes For Full Lobe For All 3 Lobes Area of site in Urban Area of site in Suburban Area of site in Fields(Open Area) Calculations for Number of BTS 2.7 Frequency Planning One of the breakthrough in solving the problem of congestion and user capacity is the cellular concept. Cellular radio systems rely on reuse of channels throughout a coverage region. A group of radio channels are allocated to each cellular base station to be used within a area known as cell. Different channels are assingned in the adjacent cells of the base station. The same group of channels can be used by limiting the coverage area, within the boundaries of a cell to cover different levels, within tolerable limits. Frequency planning is the design process of selecting, allocating or assinging channel group stations within a system. The theoretical calculations, and fixed size of a cell is assumed, that can differentiate no of channels in a cell and from that can differentiate cluster size and will differ, the capacity of the cellular system. There is a trade between the interference abd capacity in theoretical calculation as if we reduce the cluster size more cells are needed to cover the area and more capacity. But from another perceptive small cluster size causes the ratio between cell radius, and the distance between co-channels cells to increase, leading to stronger co-channels interference. In practical calculations, a fixed no of channels are allocated to a cell. One channel per lobe 3channels are allocated to a cell. The capacity can be increased by allocating 2 channels per lobe or 6 channels per cell. But after allocating channels once, they will remain fixed for the whole cellular system and frequency planning. Now as with the fixed no of channels as per cell, the capacity will remain constant of the system and we can achieve weaker co-channel interference, by having a small cluster size(N). A cluster size of 7 is selected in this project, which is also discussed. So in later practical world , there is not a trade-off between capacity and co-channel interference. 2.7.1 Calculations The city of Lahore is divided into 120 cells. We take 3 channels per cell that gives us 1 cell = 3 channels Reuse factor = 1/N = 1/7 Which means that frequency can be reused after a cluster of 7 cells. That gives us the total of 7 x 3 =21+ 2(guard cells)=23 channels We will be using 23 channels with a reuse factor of 1/7. 2.8 Implementation in GAIA Figure 2.1 is a snapshot of GAIA planning tool showing us the structure of an urban area. This figure illustrates the urban boundary which we calculate during city profiling. It also shows the antenna system used, in this case 3 sectors with 120 degree azimuth spacing is used. Antennas are installed on the rooftop of buildings or houses due to dense population and to provide a better coverage. Figure 2.2 shows us the planning of a Sub-Urban area with sites more distance apart as population is less, compared to urban. In Sub-Urban 3 sector cell is used which is similar to the ones used in Urban Figure 2.3 shows us the coverage planning of a network in an open area. Here the sites are further apart as open area has least population. 3 sector cell is used with the antennas installed above a steel structure for better coverage. Figure 2.4 shows the sector wise cell area of the sites in the urban area of the city in GAIA, which can be differentiated with the help of different color for each sector, also it shows the coverage area of every site. We have used grid approach in this planning, it is the most widely used and most effective technique used theoretically and practically. Figure 2.5 shows the cell boundary of sites in Sub-urban area of the city. Figure 2.6 shows the cell boundary in the open area of the city. Figure 2.7 illustrates the signal strength in the urban area of the city. Because of the dense population the signal power is strong throughout to ensure high quality calls to the subscribers with minimum interference and call drop. Figure 2.8 shows the 2G signal strength in the Sub-urban areas where population density is low and so the power required is less as compared to urban areas. Figure 2.9 shows the serving signal strength in open area. The signal is the weakest as there is the least number of people in open area. CHAPTER 3 FUNDAMENTALS OF 3G 3.1 INTRODUCTION The Universal Mobile Telephony System (UMTS) or 3G as it is known is the next big thing in the world of mobile telecommunications. It provides convergence between mobile telephony broadband access and Internet Protocol (IP) backbones. This introduces very variable data rates on the air interface, as well as the independence of the radio access infrastructure and the service platform. For users this makes available a wide spectrum of circuit-switched or packet data services through the newly developed high bit rate radio technology named Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA). The variable bit rate and variety of traffic on the air interface have presented completely new possibilities for both operators and users, but also new challenges to network planning and optimization. The success of the technology lies in optimum utilization of resources by efficient planning of the network for maximum coverage, capacity and quality of service. This part of our project aims to detail method of UMTS Radio Network (UTRAN) Planning. The new technologies and services have brought vast changes within the network planning; the planning of a 3G network is now a complex balancing act between all the variables in order to achieve the optimal coverage, capacity and Quality of Service simultaneously. 3.2 WCDMA In UMTS access scheme is DS-CDMA (Direct Sequence CDMA) which involves that a code sequence is directly used to modulate the transmitted radio signal with information which is spreaded over approximately 5 MHz bandwidth and data rate up to 2 Mbps. Every user is assigned a separate code/s depending upon the transaction, thus separation is not based on frequency or time but on the basis of codes. The major advantage of using WCDMA is that there is no plan for frequency re-use. 3.3 NODE B Node B functions as a RBS (Radio Base Station) and provides radio coverage to a geographical area, by providing physical radio link between the UE (User Equipment) and the network. Node B also refer the codes that are important to identify channels in a WCDMA system. It contains the RF transceiver, combiner, network interface and system controller, timing card, channel card and backplane. The Main Functions of Node B are: Closed loop power control CDMA Physical Channel coding Modulation /Demodulation Micro Diversity Air interface Transmission /Reception Error handling Both FDD and TDD modes are supported by Single node B and it can be co-located with a GSM BTS to reduce implementation costs. The conversion of data from the Radio interface is the main task of Node B. It measures strength and quality of the connection. The Node B participates in power control and is also responsible for the FDD softer handover. On the basis of coverage, capacity and antenna arrangement Node B can be categorizes as Omni directional and Sectorial: OTSR (Omni Transmitter Sector Receiver) STSR (Sector Transmitter Sector Receiver) 3.3.1 OTSR (Omni Transmit Sector Receive) The OTSR configuration uses a single (PA) Power Amplifier, whose output is fed to a transmit splitter. The power of the RF signal is divided by three and fed to the duplexers of the three sectors, which are connected to sectorized antennas. 3.3.2 STSR (Sectorial Transmit Sector Receive) The STSR configuration uses three (PA) Power Amplifier, whose output is fed directly to the duplexers of the three sectors, which are connected to sectorized antennas. Node B serve the cells which depend on sectoring. 3.4 ACCESS MODES 3.4.1 FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) A duplex method whereby uplink and downlink transmissions use two separated radio frequencies. In the FDD, each downlink and uplink uses the different frequency band. 3.4.2 TDD (Time Division Duplex) It is a method in which same frequency is used for the transmission of downlink and uplink by using synchronized time intervals. Time slots are divided into transmission and reception part in the physical channel. 3.4.3 Frequency Bands 3.4 CELLULAR CONCEPT The UMTS network is third generation of cellular radio network which operate on the principle of dividing the coverage area into zones or cells (node B in this case), each of which has its own set of resources or transceivers (transmitters /receivers) to provide communication channels, which can be accessed by the users of the network. A cell is created by transmitting numerous number of low power transmitters. Cell size is determined by the different power levels according to the subscriber demand and density within a specific region. Cells can be added to accommodate growth. Communication in a cellular network is full duplex, which is attained by sending and receiving messages on two different frequencies. In order to increase the frequency reuse capability to promote spectrum efficiency of a system, it is desirable to reuse the same channel set in two cells which are close to each other as possible, however this increases the probability of co-channel interference . The performance of cellular mobile radio is affected by co channel interference. Co-channel interference, when not minimized, decreases the ratio of carrier to interference powers (C/I) at the periphery of cells, causing diminished system capacity, more frequent handoffs, and dropped calls. Usually cells are represented by a hexagonal cell structure, to demonstrate the concept, however, in practice the shape of cell is determined by the local topography. 3.4.1 Types of Cell The 3G network is divided on the basis of size of area covered. Micro cell the area of intermediate coverage, e.g., middle of a city. Pico cell the area of smallest coverage, e.g., a hot spot in airport or hotel. Macro cell the area of largest coverage, e.g., an complete city. 3.5 FADING Fading is another major constraint in wireless communication. All signals regardless of the medium used, lose strength this is known as attenuation/fading. There are three types of fading: Pathloss Shadowing Rayleigh Fading 3.5.1 Pathloss Pathloss occurs as the power of the signal steadily decreases over distance from the transmitter. 3.5.2 Shadowing Shadowing or Log normal Fading is causes by the presence of building, hills or even tree foilage. 3.5.3 Rayleigh Fading Rayleigh Fading or multipath fading is a sudden decrease in signal strength as a result of interference between direct and reflected signal reaching the mobile station. 3.6 HANDOVER IN CDMA The term handover or handoff refers to the process of transferring data session or an ongoing call from channel to channel connected to the core network to another. The handover is performed due to the mobility of a user that can be served in another cell more efficiently. Handover is necessary to support mobility of users. Handover are of following types (also known as handoff): Hard Handover Soft Handover Softer Handover 3.6.1Hard.Handover In Hard handover the old radio links in the UE are dispose of before the new radio links takes place. It can be either seamless or non-seamless. In seamless hard handover, the handover is not detected by the user. A handover that needs a change of the carrier frequency is a hard handover. 3.6.2Soft.Handover Soft handover takes place when cells on the same frequency are changed. Atleast one radio link is always kept to the UTRAN in the removal and addition of the radio links. It is opperated by means of macro diversity in which many radio links are active. 3.6.3Softer.handover It is one of the important case of soft handover which describe the removal and addition of the radio links which is being belonged by the same Node B. Macro diversity can be performed in the NODE B with maximum ratio combining in softer handover. There are inter-cell and intra-cell handover. Handover 3G 2G (e.g. handover to GSM) FDD inter-frequency hard handover TDD/FDD handover (change of cell) TDD/TDD handover FDD/TDD handover (chan