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Saturday, August 31, 2019
Demographics and Culture of Brazil Essay
Brazil is currently enjoying the number 5 spot as far as big populations in the world are concerned with 190,010,647 people recorded as of August 16, 2007 (C.I.A., 2007, par. 7). Documents show that the population has grown steadily in the years with only 85,240,000 Brazilians in 1967 to 141,452,000 in 1987 (Lahmeyer, 2003, p. 1). This clearly illustrates that in just forty years, the population of Brazil has already doubled its number of natives. With a land area of 8,456,510 square kilometers, Brazil has around 58.2 people per square mile. It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 81% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001, up from 66% in 1980 (Brazil Population, 2007, par. 2). The following are more details on the current population of Brazil: Population growth rate:       1.008% (2007 est.) Birth rate:                             16.3 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) Death rate:                           6.19 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) Sex ratio:      at birth: 1                   .05 male(s)/female under 15 years:         1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years:              0.983 male(s)/female 65 years and over:     0.697 male(s)/female total population:        0.976 male(s)/female (2007 est.) Age structure:  0-14 years:              25.3% (male 24,554,254/female 23,613,027) 15-64 years:              68.4% (male 64,437,140/female 65,523,447) 65 years and over:     6.3% (male 4,880,562/female 7,002,217) (2007 est.) Median age:  total:               28.6 years male:             27.9 years female:          29.4 years (2007 est.) *Source: C.I.A. The World Fact Book 2007 Brazil’s culture is very much influenced by their Portuguese invaders who have ruled the lands for three centuries. It was only in 1822 when Brazil finally became a nation. Although Brazil is a democratic country, education, health, safety (physical and juridical) are deficient in Brazil (Brazil Travel, n.d., par. 1). Brazil is the leading economic power and regional leader in South America yet uneven distribution of income is a pressing problem (C.I.A.). Its economic strength is dependent on its mining, agricultural and manufacturing industries. One of Brazil’s cultural attractions is the Carnaval or Mar de Gras which is annually celebrated at Rio de Janeiro.  The origins of this celebration dates back to the ancient Greek festival in honor of Dionysus which the Romans soon adopted for the Roman God Bacchus as the feast of Saturnalia (World Music Productions, 2007, par. 1). Back then they celebrated it by making slaves and their masters exchange clothes while drinking wine for the whole day. Saturnalia was converted by Roman Catholics into a festival leading up to Ash Wednesday or before the 40 days of sacrifices prior to Easter. It became known as Carne Vale which literally means farewell to the flesh and is a fiesta filled with every known sin the Brazilians could think of. Carnaval, as spelled in Portuguese, is a 4-day celebration. It starts on Saturday, and ends on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi-Gras. (All About Rio, 2007, par. 1). One of the major issues that had put a spotlight on Brazil in the recent years is regarding its environment. The very rich Amazon forest is the habitat of many endangered species and it plays a major role in the weather cycle of the world. If it continues to be cut down, global warming will greatly be affected because the Amazon Forest is one of the world’s best source of rain. Other problems include illegal wildlife trade, air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other cities, improper mining activities, wetland degradation and severe oil spills (C.I.A., par. 7). References All About Rio. (2007). Ipanema.com. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from http://www.ipanema.com/ carnival/ Brazil Population. (2007). Brazil Population. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from http://www. nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Brazil.html C.I.A. (2007). The World Fact Book. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from https://www.cia.gov/ library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html#Intro Lahmeyer, J. (2003). Brazil. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from http://www.populstat.info/ Americas/brazilc.htm World Music Productions. (2007). History of Carnival in Brazil. Retrieved August 31, 2007            from http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/33/
Role Of The Internet In Providing The Technical Environment
1.  Explain the role of the Internet in providing the technical environment for businesses who manufacture new technologies and the advantages of it. Support your answers with real examples (at least three examples).The modern world of technological advancement is associated with a number of improvements especially in business transactions. The use of information and communication technology as a tool of doing business incorporates the purpose of internet. A major advancement in technological advancement is the internet which has led to integration of business transactions across regions. Internet plays a very important role in creating technical environment for organizations that manufacture new technologies (Andrea, Andrew, Michael, 2003). The global interconnection of computer network through a protocol known as internet has an integrating force. The internet connects communication technology and computing to provide information necessary for business.Key roles of internet incl ude research, sale of products and communication of a company’s message to consumers. Businesses that manufacture new technologies conduct research via internet to acquire relevant information about their services. Example of research engines includes Linux, OpenOffice.org, and Mozilla Firefox used to provide information relating to business. Another role of internet is enhancement of personalized marketing that allows businesses manufacturing new technologies to market their products to specific people. Examples include My Space, Face Book, Orkut, Twitter and friendster. Communication about new technologies manufactured by businesses through advertisement is another role of the internet (Andrea, Andrew, Michael, 2003).The use of internet has certain advantages which include first; it is efficient due to low costs making it easily accessible to acquire relevant business information. Second, internet allows businesses manufacturing new technologies to do business fast. A third advantage of internet is that it provides businesses with the capacity to gather opinions about their products from end users and other professionals. Fourth, internet provides businesses manufacturing new technologies with the capacity of trying out new ideas necessary for improving performance of the business.2. During this course (BA545 Emerging Technologies) we discussed Pull and Push technologies. Provide three examples of each, and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of Pull and Push technologies.Pull technologies requires the user of internet services to actively research and retrieve information necessary for research or any other stipulated purpose. The pull technology is a network communication style whereby request for data is initiated by the client and response provided by the server. Examples include the web, library and Usenet newsgroups. Advantages of pull technologies include acquisition of first hand information, encourages research and it is easy to use. On the other hand, disadvantages include high costs for conducting research, requires thorough training and failure to handle adequate bandwidth.Push technology on the other hand is an internet based communication style whereby request for information or any other internet service is initiated by the central server. It is based on information preferences which are expressed in advance. Examples include email, television and radio as they deliver information to the user. An advantage of push technologies includes ease of use as minimal effort is required by the recipient to receive information. The ease of use feature has made email a more preferable web site than any other internet applications. On the other hand a major draw back of push technologies is rapid exposure to technological problems, power failures and virus infections.3.  You are a systems technologist working in a big Fortune 500 company. Advancement in technological development in the field of business is one of th e most critical aspects of the market. Computers have changed the way of doing business from manual operations to electronic trading called e-commerce. This is one of the best achievements in the current trends of technology which has led to improvement in business performance. A close look of electronic commerce gives an overview of how technology has led to integration of markets.The use of internet which connects computers through application of protocols helps traders from different geographical locations to carry on business without movement. Through the aspect of globalization, current technological trends have made the exchange of goods and services to be easy and effective. Technology has made it easy for organizations to advertise their products through the internet hence capturing global markets (Andrea, Andrew, Michael, 2003). This has led to an increase in volumes traded hence leading to high profitability. Sales are made online through the help of technology and this he lps to cut down some costs and saves time.A company using e-commerce has to ensure that it has up-to-speed systems in the aspect of databases, network security and payment methods. Databases are essentials in a company that uses technology to carry on with its operations. The company is supposed to ensure that its systems are efficient to avoid losses and satisfy customer needs. A company using technology is supposed to frequently check on its systems for any technological problems. This helps to maintain efficient and up to speed system which helps to avoid wastage of resources and time.Online payment of goods and services is one of the most critical aspects enhanced by technology that needs high speed systems. This can be enhanced through the use of wire transfer which ensures that money is received on time. Doing business transactions online require adoption of strong security measures that prevents loss of information and other resources such as money. The use of passwords to ac cess accounts is a major security measure that can be used by organizations. Encryption of information is another important network security consideration. This helps to deal with hackers as they are protected from accessing accounts of the company and other important business information.4.     You are an Information Systems educator, and you have been asked to write an article about emerging technologies and how important it is to be prepared to adapt to new technologies (on-time), and the efforts and expenses businesses are likely to spend. Include at least four examples of emerging technologies.The development of technology in the modern world has led to emergence of certain technologies applied in certain aspects of life. This has drastically changed the way of life in positive and negative aspects. Nearly every activity in organizations, government offices, institutions, homes, health centers and hospitality industry is carried through the use of informatio n systems. Some key emerging technologies include communication, transportation, bioinformatics and entertainment (Andrea, Andrew, Michael, 2003). These key areas of development have been enhanced by application of information technology systems.In communication, technology has made it possible for individuals to pass information across long distances within a short period of time. This includes the use of mobile phones, electronic mails, fax and social networks such as Face book. The mode of communication has completely changed due to technological advancements. Transportation technology is another key development that has made movement of goods and people to be more easy and cheap. Developments in air space and road transport systems as a result of technology have made transportation more cheap and easy. Bioinformatics includes the aspects of genetic engineering and photosynthesis which has led to increased level of production. The entertainment sector has changed since the develo pment of information systems.The use of televisions, radio, computers and other electronic gadgets have led to a change in entertainment field. The changes resulting from technological advancement calls for proper arrangement by individuals within the key sectors affected. It is important to be prepared about the changes so as to avoid making losses and face the challenges associated with new inventions. Businesses have to take appropriate measures on time such as communicating to customers about the changes to avoid embarrassment (Andrea, Andrew, Michael, 2003). Embracing new technologies by businesses results to creation of more expenses such as training, purchase, maintenance, installation and inconvenience costs. Business owners have to be prepared to deal with such costs for better performance of organizations.ReferenceAndrea, P., Andrew, D. & Michael, H. (2003). The Business of Systems Integration. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Friday, August 30, 2019
Impement and Monitor Marketing Activities Essay
Executive Summary The marketing plan reviewed in this report is for BBQ fun 2009. BBQ fun aims to be e leading outdoor†lifestyle retailer, catering to the growing need for furnishing new and renovated dwellings in the greater Brisbane area. The assortment offer of BBQs, outdoor furniture and BBQ accessories will position BBQ fun as best in class for outdoor†lifestyle retailing. BBQ fun will reinvent the way people shop for outdoor†lifestyle products. BBQ fun will build its reputation on offering the fullest assortment of products possible in their chosen fields, incorporating both local and imported goods with products sold on easy to manage long†term payment plans. Our after sales service and three†year guarantees will find traction with a market dominated by low†quality items. Strategies and Tactics BBQ fun will be operating with an advertising budget of $250,000 for the year. The advertising program will target: †¢Local letter†box drops †¢Radio advertisement and †¢Magazines with coupon inserts in the BrisNews magazine Stakeholders Briefing regarding their implementation roles Board of directors: the board of directors are required to approve the hence they will be briefed on details of the plan through a presentation conducted for them and also informing them their roles in the implementation process. Human resource staff: in order for the human resource staff to conduct the recruitment and training they will be informed through a report including need for recruitment, training based on the marketing plan which would be used to brief the stakeholders as well. Finance staff: these staff will need to set a separate cost centre for the budget associated with the marketing plan. A written request for a budget allocation, or similar, would be used to brief this stakeholder group. Managers: managers will be informed of any possible impact of the marketing activities on their departments through a meeting with the marketing department, which would include new products and services. Marketing and non–marketing personnel briefing Objectives: †¢Increase sales from $15 million per year to $20 million per year in the next three years †¢Increase our loyalty customers list from 10,000 to 16,000. †¢Establish brand recognition in Brisbane so that at least two in three people recognise our brand in a random survey taken in 18 months’ time. Marketing department will have direct roles in relation to the implementation and hence they will require significant details about the overall plan as well as each of the strategies and the related tactics. Sales staff will need overview of the plan and the strategies or tactics to be used and will need detailed information of the activities that will affect them, such as new special offers/pricing or changes to sales processes. Staff directly responsible or accountable for activities listed in the action plan section of the marketing plan, an individual action summary will be used to record relevant information for later use in measuring their performance or contribution to the marketing plan. Performance Measures BBQ fun will adopt balanced scorecard approach to measure the performance will enable BBQ fun to monitor and manage overall business strategy by looking at the drivers of current and future success for the organisation. It will focus on the link between the marketing plan and the four critical areas of the business operations namely customer, financial, internal business processes and learning and growth. Sales personal will have a performance measure relating to the overall goal of BBQ fun which will be increase sales from $15 million per year to $20 million per year in the next three years. Marketing personnel will have performance measures that relate to overall marketing activities which is deliver all marketing campaigns on time and within budget. Prioritised list of marketing strategies activity descriptiondeliverablesresources needed Local letter†box dropsLeaflets designed, printed and distributedCannon’s consultants Finances- $150000 Personal for distribution Radio advertisementRadio advertisement developed, slots booked and aired on radio.Cannon’s consultants Finances-$280000 Magazines with coupon inserts in the BrisNews magazineDesign and print coupon inserts, tie up with magazine and distribute in the local area.Cannon’s consultants Finances- $150000 Communication and team building strategies Before the commencement of the project a team meeting was be held with each team member present where they were provided with a summary of the overall project action plan with the goals and objectives detailed in a schedule timetable detailing implementation and points of measures. They were also provided with detail each team member’s area and tasks of responsibility. An interactive discussion was also initiated to discuss any issues of concerns. A half an hour will be scheduled on Monday morning of each week to monitor the overall campaign progress, discuss individual tracking and highlight any unexpected issues that need attention. During the initial meeting each and every employee will be made clear of where they fit in the organisation structure, their responsibilities and accountabilities. It was decided to organise a staff party at the completion of each milestone. Strategies for monitoring marketing activities and analysing performance The whole project will be monitored on a Gannt Chart which will illustrate the start and completion dates of each self-contained stage in the project. The chart will reveal the process sequence and highlight the dependencies of some processes on other processes. Week 1 Date:Week2 Date:Week 3 Date:Week 4 Date:Week5 Date: distribution Leaflet printing Inserting graphic enhancements Develop leaflet for letter box drops A separate Performances analysis will be conducted for each activity in following manner Task 2 Monitoring and implementing promotional activities A regular review of all the marketing activities is being conducted based on the Gannt chart to keep track, so that evaluation of any issue of concern can be carried out as soon as possible. †¢The regular review revealed that 70% of the people in the target market recognise the BBQ brand and what it represents, †¢sales growth target of Increase sales from $15 million per year to $20 million per year in the next three years has been achieved †¢gross profit margins are still 48% Monitor Product pricing and distribution decisions Product attributes: BBQ, outdoor furniture and BBQ consumables. Product benefits: easy manage payment plan. Product usage: All the products can be used in day to day household Product users: people residing in new dwellings, people renovating and people replacing their old BBQ. Product competitors: The Yard, BBQ’s R Us, Outdoorz. Product distinction from competitors: †¢BBQfun’s credit offer is backed by a top tier bank. †¢Imported products make up 33% of the assortment. †¢The three†year guarantee is unique in the market place. †¢Broadest possible range in chosen fields. Product classes: quality, fashionable and unique outdoor-lifestyle. Monitoring results against targets in the marketing plan Monitoring marketing performance is being done by looking at what has happened and why considering the results and how do they compare with our goals? To find the reasons for why it happened its being looked into by checking: Were the marketing efforts put in right direction? Was there any specific activity that contributed the most to boost the results? What part of the marketing plan did what? Monitoring process will be as follows Establishing standardsAchieving total sales of $11,000,000, Gross profit of 5,500,000 with a marketing expense of 180,000 by the end of 2009 Measuring performanceSales target of $11,000,000 has been achieved but the gross profit is $5,280,000 which is less by $220,000 Proposing measures to correct deviations from the standardSource a new manufacturer from overseas to provide products at cheaper prices hence increasing the gross profit margin. Monitoring marketing revenue and costs against budget Monitoring of marketing revenue and costs against allocated budgets is being carried out by analysing and recording variations. Detailed revenue versus expenses for all marketing decisions, will include, timelines involved in accomplishing the required goals and objectives. Budgets will clearly layout the spending requirements for †¢each decision †¢breakdowns by month †¢Breakdowns by year. It will be determined how sales vary between regions and where the resources are going. Marketing managers will analyse the information containing: †¢how marketing costs are spread †¢where the money is being spent: ï‚ §Is it on product development, promotion or customer research? †¢standards of how much should be spent on marketing †¢how much money needs to be spent on marketing in order for the organisation to be competitive †¢what results should be expected to result from marketing spending: †¢Is the revenue generated from marketing meeting budget expectations? †¢Are costs within budget? †¢Does analysis identify variations? Recording variations in revenue and cost against budget The budget figures for the revenue and cost would be compared with the actual figures and the variances will be recorded in revenue and cost variance template outlined below ItemBudgeted $Actual $Variance % Total sales11,000,00011,000,0000 Gross profit5,500,000$5,280,0004 Expenses Direct mail40,00040,0000 Magazine advertisement110,000110,0000 Radio Promotions30,00030,0000 Total180,000180,0000 Task 3 Section A Implementing marketing strategies and tactics Overview of the marketing activity to be implemented I am involved in implementing the following marketing activities for BBQ fun; †¢Direct mail †¢Magazine advertisement †¢Radio Promotions Strategies and Tactics BBQ fun will be operating with an advertising budget of $250,000 for the year. The advertising program will target: †¢Local letter†box drops †¢Radio advertisement and †¢Magazines with coupon inserts in the BrisNews magazine Stakeholders Briefing Board of directors: approval of the board of directors is required hence they were briefed on details of the plan through a presentation conducted for them and also informing them their roles in the implementation process. Human resource staff: in order for the human resource staff to conduct the recruitment and training they were informed through a report including need for recruitment, training based on the marketing plan which would be used to brief the stakeholders as well. Finance staff: This staffs was required to set a separate cost centre for the budget associated with the marketing plan. A written request for a budget allocation was used to brief this stakeholder group. Managers: managers were informed of all possible impact of the marketing activities on their departments through a meeting with the marketing department, which included new products and services. Roles critical to the success of the marketing plan activities RoleResponsibilities Board of directorsProvide approval for the plan and its implementation, make available all resources required for implementation and monitoring of the plan. Human resource departmentProvide with all human resources required to complete the tasks to meet the requirements of the plan Finance staffMake available pre-approved finances as and when required by the plan Line managersTo accommodate any impacts by marketing plan and working around it Marketing managerPrimarily responsible for marketing activities and has the authority and responsibility over all company activities that affect customer’s satisfaction. This is in addition to his other responsibilities. Radio companyTo develop in conjunction with marketing manager the advertisement and air Printing houseTo design and print promotional material in conjunction with marketing manager distributorsTo distribute the promotional material Briefing of marketing and non-marketing personnel To brief all marketing and non-marketing personnel individual meetings with these groups were organised and their roles and responsibilities and performance measures were discussed and a written statement of same was provided to them. The documents used to brief the stakeholders were used again for briefing purposes. Prioritised list of the marketing strategies and the resources required for their implementation The following is the prioritised list of the marketing strategies and the resources required for their implementation: strategiesresources retain existing customers by providing excellent after sales service and three years guarantee on the productsTrained customer service representatives, good quality service centres to confirm with guarantee Develop customer base by providing wide range, quality and unique productsWell-equipped research and development department to develop wide ranging, quality and unique products Generate business through new customers by conducting advertisement and promotion activitiesContracts with Printing house, radio stations and magazines Evaluation of Communication and team building strategies Before the commencement of the project a team meeting was be held with each team member present where they were provided with a summary of the overall project action plan with the goals and objectives detailed in a schedule timetable detailing implementation and points of measures. They were also provided with detail each team member’s area and tasks of responsibility. An interactive discussion was also initiated to discuss any issues of concerns. A half an hour will be scheduled on Monday morning of each week to monitor the overall campaign progress, discuss individual tracking and highlight any unexpected issues that need attention. During the initial meeting each and every employee will be made clear of where they fit in the organisation structure, their responsibilities and accountabilities. It was decided to organise a staff party at the completion of each milestone. Pricing: While BBQfun will price at comparable prices for comparable quality, it will not be cheap. We pus h value over cheap and back this up with a three year guarantee. Distribution: BBQfun products will be distributed through a chain of retail stores which customers can access easily via the large car parking arrangements. Advertising and promotion: The most successful advertising will be ads and inserts in the Brizzy as well as a PR campaign of informational articles and reviews also within the Brizzy. Promotions will take the form of in store entertainment and competitions with prizes to exotic overseas destinations. Customer Service: BBQfun’s philosophy is that whatever needs to be done to make the customer happy must occur this investment will pay off with a fiercely loyal customer base that is extremely vocal to their friends with referrals. Strategies for monitoring marketing activities and analysing performance The performance was analysed by comparing the current collected data with the set goals and determining whether the following goals are being achieved. Timelines: were all the actions completed within stipulated time frame Resources: were all the resources used efficiently and effectively. Costs: did the cost of implementing activities stayed with in the developed budget Sales: did the campaign achieve the desired sales figures. A brief feedback form was circulated to all appropriate personnel weekly for all employees to note customer satisfaction, events or problems that need to be addressed, as they happen each day. Employees were required to record action taken when customers aren’t satisfied with products or services. A summary of these internal feedback containing relevant comments on improving customer satisfaction (or solving customer problems) were circulated each week to all employees to inform, educate, and improve total organisation problem–solving for customers. This assisted in improving communication. Surveys were sent to customers to gather their input on how well BBQ fun is satisfying their needs. A monthly or quarterly review with specific customers to determine: †¢summary of sales information compared to previous years †¢Current customer service problems, detailing what they were and steps that were implemented to resolve the issues. †¢customer service improvements summary The entire campaign was monitored on a Gannt Chart which illustrated the start and completion dates of each self-contained stage in the project. The chart revealed the process sequence and highlighted the dependencies of some processes on other processes. Section B Current progress of the marketing activities against the marketing plan and overall objectives Monitoring and implementation of promotional activities against communication objectives in the marketing plan communication objectivesImplementation to position BBQ fun as the premier outdoor†lifestyle store in the greater Brisbane area, commanding a majority of the market share within five years In addition to radio promotion and magazine advertisement, direct mail campaign was one way to communicate directly with the consumer. BBQ fun also used ads and inserts in Brizzy magazine. communicate that BBQ fun offers the widest, most exotic, easy access outdoor†lifestyle products in Brisbane Direct mail campaign was one way to communicate directly with the consumer. BBQ fun also used ads and inserts in Brizzy magazine. create customer awareness regarding their services offered Grassroots PR campaign. This campaign invited people from Brizzy for lunch to get articles writte n about BBQ fun into the news develop that customer base BBQfun’s did everything to make customer satisfied, this investment payed off with a fiercely loyal customer base that is extremely vocal to their friends with referrals. work toward building customer loyalty and referrals BBQ fun’s did everything to make customer satisfied, this investment payed off with a fiercely loyal customer base that is extremely vocal to their friends with referrals. Monitoring of product, pricing and distribution decisions against organisational policy and the objectives of the marketing plan Marketing objectivesDecisions †¢Increase sales from $15 million per year to $20 million per year in the next three years †¢Increase our loyalty customers list from 10,000 to 16,000. †¢Establish brand recognition in Brisbane so that at least two in three people recognise our brand in a random survey taken in 18 months’ time.Product: The product will be wide ranging, quality and unique. It offers the house proud customer a different option from the cheap mass produced offer prevalent in the market. New products will be developed on a regular basis in line with changes in customer taste which is targeted at every 12 months. The plan for product testing is to engage market research firms. Pricing: All products/services were competitively priced relative to comparable high†end outdoor†lifestyle lines. While BBQfun priced at comparable prices for comparable quality, it will not be cheap. We push value over cheap and back this up with a three year guarantee. Distribution: BBQfun products were distributed through a chain of retail stores which customers can access easily via the large car parking arrangements. Easy to access stores with extensive choices in our chosen fields, that are sold on an easy to manage payment plan with a three†year guarantee are the keys to our customer’s needs and wants. Monitoring results against targets in the marketing plan Monitoring marketing performance was done by looking at what has happened and why considering the results and how do they compare with our goals? To find the reasons for why it happened its being looked into by checking: Were the marketing efforts put in right direction? Was there any specific activity that contributed the most to boost the results? What part of the marketing plan did what? Monitoring process will be as follows Establishing standardsAchieving total sales of $11,000,000, Gross profit of 5,500,000 with a marketing expense of 180,000 by the end of 2009 Measuring performanceSales target of $11,000,000 has been achieved but the gross profit is $5,280,000 which is less by $220,000 Proposing measures to correct deviations from the standardSource a new manufacturer from overseas to provide products at cheaper prices hence increasing the gross profit margin. Monitoring marketing revenue and costs against budget Monitoring of marketing revenue and costs against allocated budgets is being carried out by analysing and recording variations. Detailed revenue versus expenses for all marketing decisions, will include, timelines involved in accomplishing the required goals and objectives. Budgets will clearly layout the spending requirements for †¢each decision †¢breakdowns by month †¢Breakdowns by year. Recording variations in revenue and cost against budget The budget figures for the revenue and cost were compared with the actual figures and the following variances were recorded in revenue and cost variance template outlined below ItemBudgeted $Actual $Variance % Total sales11,000,00011,000,0000 Gross profit5,500,000$5,280,0004 Expenses Direct mail40,00040,0000 Magazine advertisement110,000110,0000 Radio Promotions30,00030,0000 Total180,000180,0000 Section C Evaluating and improving marketing performance Processes used to regularly assess marketing performance against objectives Evaluation of marketing performance was done by gathering information measuring customer reactions. This enabled us to analyse and gather invaluable information. This information was used to improve the targeting of our marketing activity. Further valuable information was gained by periodically assessing customers’ feelings and opinions of the organisation and how well their needs are being satisfied, which is collected by customer feedback survey. The information was gained by analysing: †¢customers’ feedback †¢Key focus of appeal? †¢Success in appealing to our targets †¢improvement suggestions available †¢product features promoted †¢benefits of the product promoted Interview questions 1.Overall, are you very satisfied with the way BBQ fun performed on this occasion? 2.BBq fun’s service representatives (CSRs) are well trained. 3.Did service representatives (CSRs) adhere to professional standards of conduct? 4.How often do you typically use the product? 5.How did your Product performed? 6.Overall, how satisfied were you with your new Product? 7.Have you ever contacted customer service? 8.If you contacted BBq fun’s customer service, have all problems been resolved to your complete satisfaction? 9.Considering only your most recent purchase experience, how likely would you be to recommend the purchase of this product to a friend or colleague? Changes in business practices required to meet changing customer requirements 1.In addition to closely located retail stores an online store should be set up for the convenience of the customers. 2. To create provision for providing possible franchise as there has been lot of request for the same. Improvement plan ActionResponsibilityTimeframe Engage information and technology company to discuss, develop and host the retail storeIT Manager31/07/2010 Work out a complete business plan to make available opportunities for offering franchiseBoard of directors and Chief financial officer31/07/2010 Memo To: board of directors, finance department, human resource department, IT department and Marketing executives. From: John Smith, Marketing Manager Date: July 1, 2010 Subject: Changes to the Marketing Objectives Dear All It is to inform all that based on the analysis of the customer feedback process the following recommendations are suggested: ActioncostAdditional revenue Start online retail store$15000.00$45000.00 annually Engage in franchising opportunities$3000.00$5000.00 fixed monthly and 10% of the net profit A detailed modified marketing plan to reflect the actions recommended is attached here with for your kind perusal. You will be informed when a meeting to discuss the details will be organised shortly. Section D Self-reflection Strategies and tactics Direct mail: direct mails contribution was also substantially big. Magazine advertisement: returns from this form were not that high Radio Promotions: worked really well and got the expected revenue even though the cost was substantially higher Team leadership skills Respectful As a quality team leader I was respectful to all team members. A respectful leader I empowered them by encouraging them to offer ideas about decisions that affect them. This informed team members that the i respect their input and opinions. Fair I treated all my team members fairly. I was consistent with rewards and recognition, as well as disciplinary action. I ensured all team members receive the same treatment. Delegation I shared leadership through delegation. Delegating certain tasks to team members allowed me to focus on improving workplace functions and production. Confidence I was confident in my abilities, as well as confident in the abilities of my team members. I was secure in the decisions I made that affected my team. I also reassured team members of my authority within the organization. Integrity I was honest and open with his team members. I gained the trust of team members because I did what I said. I did and treated others, the same way I want myself to treat. Appendix 2: Workplace evidence Individual action summary Team memberJohn Smith Objective:To develop, get it printed and distribute Leaflets in local letter-box drops Description of activities: †¢Design and Develop leaflet †¢Collect quotes for printing †¢Place order for printing †¢Arrange man power for distribution of leaflets †¢Receive printed materials †¢Execute distribution Deliverables:†¢Final design of the leaflet †¢Collecting quote and placing order for printing †¢Receiving printed leaflets †¢Actual distribution of the leaflets Timeframe:01/07/2009 to 31/07/2009 Resources required:Designers, printers, $40,000 Review date:15/07/2009 Reviewed by:Mark BoerDesignation:Vice President Marketing Signature: Dated: 30th June 2010 TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN I have immense pleasure in stating that it should go without saying that John Smith is a remarkable marketing talent, with an eye for not only growing his traditional business, but also seeking out opportunities in to expand the business. John has always taken his role seriously and is passionate about his results. Beyond his passion on driving performance, Leif is a natural leader, and fights hard for his beliefs. He’s at his best in a group environment, and is consciously proactive at getting full involvement of all other team members to derive the best results possible. He has a very effective personal style, and will be looked to for continued executive leadership with our Marketing efforts. I have the deepest personal and professional respect for John, and sincerely belief he will bring his unique energy, optimism, passion, and tireless creativity to your class and classroom. He has my highest endorsement. If you have any questions about this recommendation or my endorsement of Leif, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will gladly try to help.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Technical report -information system for a FBO Assignment
Technical report -information system for a FBO - Assignment Example The main business operation is focused around the hangar maintenance with other departments to provide the support functions of the business. First, the back office solutions will be discussed as a support function for the information system. This report will then break down the information system as it pertains to each department by the hardware and software that is required for the users to properly perform the functions of their job. Schematic System requirements Hardware Requirements All the computer system in this setup have a similar structure containing the main memory, the processor, and peripheral devices such as output and input devices, secondary storage, Visual display unit among others. The main functionality of the system is to synchronize all the systems so that they are able to carry out several functionalities as being commanded by the installed programs. The central processing Unit (CPU) is the most fundamental component of any computer system. This directly implies that the proper functionality of a system is fully dependent on the type and speed of the processor. Also, the functions of the processor are made possible by the availability of the main memory also known as random access memory (RAM) which acts as a storage for the programs that are processed by the central processing unit and this also depicts its importance. In this scenario, high performance of the setup system is importance. Thus to enhance this high performance, powerful computers are required. In summary, the hardware specifications to enhance high performance in this system are listed in the table below. Component Requirement Processor Specification 3rd Generation Intel Core i5-3330 processor 6M Cache Speed – 3.2GHz Memory 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM, 1600MHz Available Disk Space 1TB Hard Drive 3.5" 7200rpm, SATA Drive DVD+/-RW Tray Load Drive, 16X, SATA Display and Peripherals Monitor, Keyboard and pointing device The recommended computer system which contains the above stated components is Inspiron 660 Desktop. This Computer is designed produce high performance. This is made possible by the third generation Intel core processor and the main memory of 8 GB. Moreover, the computer is equipped with four USB 3.0 ports, HDMI connection, 8 – in -1 media card to facilitate connectivity to other peripheral devices. Other peripheral devices Device Cost Cisco Linksys E1200 Wireless Router $ 44.99 HP – Office jet Pro 8600 Plus Network-Ready Wireless All-In-One Printer $ 229.99 To facilitate communication of all the devices over the network and the internet, Local Area Network is setup which includes a wireless network for wireless devices. Also, to facilitate the day to day printing services, HP – Office pro 8600 plus printer is installed. Basic Structure of the network Server Hardware Requirements The processor should 3rd generation Intel i3 processors with a minimum speed of 2 GHz. The recommended for this task should 3rd generat ion i3 processors with a speed of 2.16 GHz. The processor should Intel Manufactured. The recommended minimum Random Access Memory is 1 GB or higher. Considering the above stated specifications, the best server to
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Nietzsche and The Meaningful Life Philosophy Essay
Nietzsche and The Meaningful Life Philosophy - Essay Example During the industrial revolution, the Western world engendered the new problem of individual existence in the world. This was based on the absurdity and alienation as portrayed in the sufferings of Etienne and Gervaise. People are still disturbed by the question of reasons of living and to find solutions on reasons of suffering. According to Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher meaning of human suffering lies on ‘styling’ through ‘becoming’. He believes that people suffer because they are under a delusion that there exists inherent meaning in themselves and the world. He believes that life is based on contingency and only individuals can instil meanings to their lives. He disagrees with persons following a ‘herd’ and a standard moral conduct. In a pursuit to find meaning in life, one must be courageous and avoid indoctrination of social morals and values. Individuals should then go out to decide on what they want to become because there are no societal intrinsic morals that are permanently embedded in us.( Gravil, 72). Nietzsche in understanding this creates a theoretical argument called ‘eternal recurrence’. This is where individuals live there life in an exact manner over and over again. Having such life demands aesthetic, ones desire harmony and experiences. Through this concept, our life is nothingness and it’s our responsibility to assert meaning to it. For styling to take place, everyone must be contended and build their lives from that. He holds that those who are dissatisfied with life will never find happiness as they will always resent who they are. Nietzsche also proposes the argument that God is dead in his book ‘The Gay Science’. He believes that God remains dead and humans have killed him and no longer aides the survival of species instead he kills them. Nietzsche believes that he is the first to have discovered the death of God. He states that the idea of God lost its fu ll power and creative force.
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Directors Confidential Board Meeting Assignment
Directors Confidential Board Meeting - Assignment Example All business services required access to internet, secretary services, copying, phones and fax. Breakfast and lunch to be arranged .Inform the complete day schedule of the guests to be ready with additional necessary arrangements. Morning refreshments to be provided after the arrival of guests at 8 am. A three course working lunch to be arranged at 1 pm. Afternoon refreshments to be provided during high tea. Complete the task by October 20. Transport to be arranged from Canary Wharf to London airport the next day. Pick up from Canary Wharf square mile at 7 am. Individual Limousines to be arranged for clients. In total 8 cars to be booked. Complete task by October 27. .. Contact Town car and limo service Inc (2) to save time for the booking. Guests to be dropped back to Canary wharf after dinner. 10 Individual costs for dinner not to exceed 150. Hence contact the Hotel Hilton facility manager to discuss on the facilities again (Food menu & dinner area).Complete task by October 25. 11 Transport to be arranged from Canary Wharf to London airport the next day. Pick up from Canary Wharf square mile at 7 am. Individual Limousines to be arranged for clients. In total 8 cars to be booked. Complete task by October 27. 12 Take down contact details of the Facility managers, Drivers and other support facilitators for any immediate changes/arrangements. Complete task by October 28. 13 Discuss on the plan with team members internally again and ask for suggestions/opinions for any betterment/change in the plan. Complete task by October 29. 14 Inform the client about the plan and ask if there are any changes necessary required in the plan. Complete task for October 30. (2)Event function sheet Time Agenda 7:00 AM Guests to be picked up from Canary Wharf - Square circle. 7:45 AM Guests to reach Hotel Marriott West India Quay 8:00 AM Welcoming guests at the Hotel reception 8:15 AM Breakfast 9:00 AM Message by the Head - Executive director. 9:30 AM Message by Second in command on the strengths of the company 10:15 AM Message by Third in command on the strengths of the competitor company. 11:00 AM Tea break 11:15 AM Overview of the current business scenario by a Senior executive 12:00 PM Discussion on Merger and Acquisition. 1:00 PM Lunch 1:45 PM Business prospects after the take over of the competitor company. 3:30 PM High tea 3:45 PM Discussion on Improvising on Business segments 4:30 PM A
Monday, August 26, 2019
Essay Title Why is linking serial offences not an exact science
Title Why is linking serial offences not an exact science Critically examine this view using real example to illistrate your points - Essay Example The insistence on the number of victims being a minimum of three poses a problem in that it may be viewed more as a counting exercise rather than the indicator of a particular state of mind! As stated by Mouzos & West: "a killer who murders two victims and is apprehended by police prior to committing additional murders, and who exhibits the same or similar characteristics as one who kills five, is also important to our understanding of this phenomenonThe ability of law enforcement agencies and the wider community to understand and manage the risk posed by the serial killer is intrinsically linked to a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of the individual and the motivating factors."(Serial Murder-Australia, 2007) Mouzos & West suggest that further study should be done on those who commit two instead of more murders, and this can be compared with studies already done of the motivations of serial killers. This would lead to an understanding of why-apart from being caught-those who stop at two murders on separate occasions do so. (Serial Murder-Australia, 2007) The task of linking serial offences cannot be an exact science in the way Physics or Chemistry are, because of the human element involved. Any study of human volition cannot be exact, however much that study may claim to depend on precise mathematical formulae or other measurements. It is the ability to predict, which may be considered as the basis for categorizing a science as exact (pure science) or inexact (humanities). Linking serial offences can ultimately only indicate likelihood rather than certainty, because this involves human volition-both in the commission of the offence by the perpetrator, and in the interpretation of data (this involves discretion) relating to offences. Let us examine the results of studies on the predictability factor in linking serial offences. The task of "prediction of dangerousness"(Norko & Baranoski, p73, 2008) gained importance in medicine in the seventies and eighties, not because of clinical wisdom or the "quest for testable hypotheses about human behaviour"(Norko & Baranoski, p 73, 2008) but out of a practical need to differentiate between patients who needed to be treated as in-patient, and out-patients, and to decide who could be permitted voluntary care, and who had to compulsorily be given treatment. The criterion of dangerousness was put forward as the basis for making these decisions. This dangerousness criterion and the necessity for doctors to predict its violent eruption became enshrined in several legal decisions between 1960 and 1980. However, as a reaction to this, psychiatrist Bernard Diamond declared that "Neither psychiatrists nor other behavioural scientists are able to predict the occurrence of violent beh aviour with sufficient reliability to justify the restriction of freedom on the basis of the label of potential dangerousness." (Diamond, 1974, p 452 in Norko & Baranoski, pp73-74,2008) Research studies undertaken since 1990 have concluded variously. There are studies that demonstrate a) linkages between mental illness and violence, b) others that do not support such a linkage, and c) yet again other studies that "demonstrate the importance of nonmental health variables in relation to violence."(Norko & Baranosk
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7
Business Ethics - Essay Example Additionally, the paper would provide a comparative study in between Chen’s views and the German team’s views and offer justification regarding whether offering gifts to the government officials for facilitating the new plan be unlawful and immoral. DISCUSSION (a). In Favour With reference to the case i.e. NES China: Business Ethics (A) by Xin Zhang, it can be viewed that though offering gifts to the government officials for facilitating the approval process of any established plan is considered to be against the law. However, it has also been observed from the past that the process of providing gifts for establishing an interpersonal relation is based tacitly on establishing mutual interests and benefits. Similarly, offering gifts is considered to be mandatory as it helps in establishing a more open relation amid the business organization and the government of the country i.e. China. China is considered to be amongst those countries that provide enormous complexity and difficulty for any foreign companies to cope with the Chinese bureaucratic hurdles, therefore providing gifts is ascertained to be an easy way of mitigating those issues (Zhang 401-408). Thus, considering the above mentioned facts, it can be stated that offering gifts to simplify the process for establishment of a holding company in a country such as China would be profitable for the organization. Against It has been viewed that though providing gifts for establishing an interpersonal relation
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Estimation of gravitational acceleration due to pendulim Assignment
Estimation of gravitational acceleration due to pendulim - Assignment Example The use of a simple pendulum experiment in the study of motion helps to provide valuable insights into the acceleration of objects due to the gravitational force. In this experiment, a mass is set to swing to determine the number of oscillations in a particular period. Such an oscillatory motion is referred to as simple harmonic motion (JHA & JHA, 2009 pg. 275). This experiment was conducted to facilitate the understanding of the relationship between various parameters in an oscillatory system. As such, the main objective of this experiment is to estimate the value of gravitational force acting on the pendulum and compare this value with the widely accepted value of 9.81m/s2, mathematically. The period is the time a simple pendulum takes to complete a single oscillation. This physical quantity does not depend on the mass and the amplitude of the swing. However, it is dependent on factors such as the pendulum’s length and the acceleration due to the gravitation. A shorter pendulum has a shorter period than a longer pendulum (Matthews 2005, p.133). In small swings (swings with small angles), the period, T, of a pendulum with a certain length, L, is given by; There exists only one true value of the period of a swinging pendulum; no matter the measurement method and how precise the instrumentation used can be applied. As such, a measurement of the period is a true value approximation and gives either the true value or a value close to the true value. From the above, acceleration due to gravitational force can be determined by making g the subject of the formula, that is, g = 4À2L / T2. The apparatus used in the experiment included the pendulum bob, string, split cork, and timer. The thread of the pendulum was placed between two halves of a split cork and clamped to a firm support. Additionally, the length of the thread was set at a
Friday, August 23, 2019
Transformational Leader Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Transformational Leader - Case Study Example Gandhi respected the Hindu religion that he observed through out his life. His values and principles had basis on religion and the understanding of basic human rights, gained from his career in law. To Indians, Gandhi is the founding father of their nation. Gandhi lived according to his philosophy of creating harmony of thought, speech, and action (Allen, 2008). His philosophies are still worthwhile and applicable today. Mohandas was the last-born son of karamchand, from his fourth wife. Mohandas got into marriage at an early age, marrying his age mate. Theirs was an arranged marriage reflecting the Indian culture instilled in Gandhi. In his childhood, there was nothing peculiar, Gandhi lived to respect his parents and was an ordinary student in school (Jegen and Deats, 2005). In 1888, Gandhi left India for London, to further his studies. He spent three of his years studying law in London. Gandhi spent the first three months of his life trying to accustom himself to fit in the English culture but gave after he realized that he could handle a simple life better. He gave up on the English sophistication. He settled down to concentrate on his studies and obtained his degree in law. Gandhi travelled back to India after his studies to rejoin his wife and kids. Gandhi returned to India only to face disappointment because he could not get a job. Fortunately, an opportunity opened up in South Africa. He set out to South Africa, and his stay there transformed the soft-spoken Gandhi to a more assertive individual. In his first formal trip, he faced discrimination for being Indian. South Africa was under the British rule and the colonialists discriminated all other races. Gandhi chose to fight for the rights of Indians in South Africa. Therefore, he extended his stay in South Africa. The oppressing system did not allow Indians to vote and Gandhi wrote petitions concerning this issue. However, Gandhi was a man of his own kind in philosophy and he decided to fight
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Homework3 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Homework3 - Article Example This is to mean that the correlation between theory and practice is the fact that theory is distracted practice while practice is practical theory. In this regard, the ones focusing on practice often argue that the believers of theory are detached from the real experience of the actual happenings in the world. On the contrary, the believers of theory argue that practice alone is not enough, as practice must touch on theory that forms the basics of what they do (McKenna &Rooney, 2005). Contradictions will, therefore, ensue as both schools of thought believe that malpractices shape each other’s thoughts. The major question, for that reason, focuses on whether following a specific set rules determines which of the two is valid (McKenna &Rooney, 2005). Theoretically, one would argue that there is no major disparity between practice and theory. However, for the case of practice, the difference is major; thus, contradictions. McKenna, B. &Rooney, D. (2005). Wisdom Management: Tensions Between Theory And Practice In Practice. In: KMAP 2005 Knowledge Management in Asia Pacific Conference: Building a Knowledge Society, School of Information Management and the School of Government: Victoria University of Wellington, New
The depth of time Essay Example for Free
The depth of time Essay We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up. We all wonder what life is. After much contemplation, I have found that life just boils down to a moment, more specifically the present moment. The past and the future exist only in our imagination. Real life and the world exist only in the present moment. How do we get a hold of or point at this moment exactly? Time is like a strong wind. You cannot reach out and grab it. In most cases you cannot slow it down or speed it up.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Travel Time Reliability Analysis
Travel Time Reliability Analysis CHAPTER TWO Literature Review 2.1 Introduction Lyman (2007) states that travel time reliability is vital measure of congestion and can serve as benchmark for prioritizing improvements into a city transportation system. This research start with a literature review of travel time reliability and its worth as a congestion measure. Travel time reliability can be denoted as the probability of successfully completing a trip within specified time interval (Iida, 1999). Therefore, the increase of travel time will lead to the unreliability and variability of travel time (Recker et al., 2005). The better understanding of travel time reliability and variability might assist transport planner to select proper transport policy in conjunction with reduction congestion problems as well as lessening the impact of different type of incidents (Recker et al., 2005). It can be said that, the more reliable the transportation system, the more stable is the performance. In addition, lower travel time fluctuation also contributes to less fuel consumption as well as less emissions due to a reduced amount of acceleration and deceleration by vehicles (Vlieger et al., 2000). Moreover, from a transport users point of view, more reliable travel times mean more predictable journey times and improved activity schedules. In accordance with just in time services, reliable travel time will significantly increase the freight industrys performances to deliver goods (Recker et al., 2005). As travel time reliability considers the distribution of travel time probability and its variation at road network, the higher travel time variance the lower travel time reliability (Nicholson et al., 2003). It can be also said that under ideal conditions travel time reliability would have a variance equal to zero. Indeed, the increase of its variance will therefore significantly reduce its reliability. However, the relationship between travel time variance and its reliability is not linear, so that, it cannot be generally accepted that a double of travel time variance will lead to a half of its reliability. To conclude, the greater travel time fluctuations will have significant impacts on transport network reliability. According to different purposes of travel time reliability study, there are several travel time reliability surveys. By comparing different aspect of the travel time study and by considering the complexity of data collection as well the data analysis, Lomax et al. (2003) has reviewed the suitable assessment of travel time reliability. Based on the scope and the limitation of each method this work suggested the different study in terms of measurement travel time variability and travel time reliability. The analysis of the archive traffic data is not proper in measuring the travel time reliability due to the lack of data constant and the lack of other attribute related with the traffic condition. However, the data is easy to obtain. In addition, the micro simulation techniques have been used extensively, however according to Lin et al (2005) there are some deficiencies in travel time micro simulation modeling in terms of the high need for data calibration. In order to gain real life traffic conditions, some travel time reliability research used the probe vehicle methods. Since this method requires ext ensive labour and only covers some of the study area or some of the road segments, it cannot be applied in terms of assessing the travel time reliability on large road networks. Indeed, Lomax et al also recommended some reliability measurements by examining the reliability and variability percentage (e.g., 5%, 10% and 15%). Those approaches take into account the effect of irregular conditions in the forms of the amount of extra time that must be allowed for travelers. The first measurement is the percent variation which expresses the relationship between the amount of variation and the average travel time in a percentage measure. The second is the misery index that calculates the amount of time exceeded the average slowest time by subtracting the average travel time with the upper 10%, 15% and 20% of average travel rates and the last is travel time buffer which add the extra travel time of 95% trips in order to arrive on time. In addition, since reliable travel time is the key indicator of users route choice there are many recent research works which investigated the travelers behaviour under unreliable travel time. According to travelers behavior in route choice survey, the greater the variance of travel time of selected links the less attractive it is (Tannabe et al., 2007). Additionally, Bogers and Lint (2007) investigated traveler behavior on three different road types in The Netherlands under uncertainty conditions, as well as the impact of providing traveller information on route choice. They conclude that providing traveler information has significant impact on effecting travelers decision, in addition, based on travelers experience they will choose the route with minimal travel time variance. It means that the routes that have high travel time reliability are not attractive for users. Indeed, according to Lomax et als review that the best alternative to measure the travel time variability and route choicer behaviour under uncertainty condition is by using probe vehicles. Though this method was highly labourious and expensive, it is more realistic (Lomax et al., 2003). Then Tannabe et al (2007) undertook an integrated GPS and web diary in Nara, Japan. This study found that travelers might change their route to reduce the uncertainty in travel time. In addition, there was a positive correlation between coefficients of variation (CV) of the commuting routes. It is found that the appropriate functional hierarchy of road may be disturbed by the uncertainty of travel time. These findings suggest that a reliability index of travel time is very useful and important for evaluating both actual level of service (LOS) and functional hierarchy of road network. Recent travel time reliability research investigated the relationship between the traveler behavior and their response to the provision of travel information system while they experience high travel time variability. Asakura (1999) concluded that the Stochastic User Equilibrium model can generate the user route choice behavior based on the different levels of information provision. This study analyzed two different groups, the first group being the well informed users and the second the uninformed users. He concluded that providing better information can improve the transportation network reliability. In order to find out the different perspectives of travel time reliability for different persons with different purposes, Lo et al (2006) studied the notion of the travel time budget, in which each traveler seeks to minimize their own individual travel time budget (the amount of time that the individual is prepared to devote to travelling), which means the total travel time of the individual should not exceed their allocation of time to travel. To evaluate the link between the presence of ramps on motorways and travel time reliability, recent reliability network research has been undertaken in The Netherlands. Th is study analyzed whether the geometry of road network also affected the travel time reliability (Tu et al., 2007) by investigating the presence of ramps on six major. This study concluded that the presence of ramps in the road network has reduced the travel time reliability. Since road network reliability considers the probability of transportation system failures in how to meet performance parameters such as reasonable travel time and travel cost, level of service and the probability of connectivity of the transport network and lack of measuring the consequences of link failure to the community, the concept of road network vulnerability might be an alternative way to fill some of road network reliability deficiency, particularly in assessing the adverse socio-economic impact to community (Taylor et al. 2006). ROAD NETWORK VULNERABILITY Due to the potential socio-economic cost of degraded transport network to community, the concept of road vulnerability has been developed by researchers under transport network reliability umbrella. The definition of vulnerability has not yet been generally agreed. Several authors notion of the vulnerability focused on the negative events that significantly reduced the road network performance. Berdica (2002) defined the vulnerability as a susceptibility to incident that can result in a considerable in road network serviceability. The link /route/road serviceability described the possibility to use that link/route/road during a given period of time. Furthermore, since accessibility depend on the quality of the function of the transportation system, this concept relate to the adverse of the vulnerability in terms of reducing accessibility that occurs because of the different reasons. As the idea of network vulnerability relates to the consequences of link failure and the potential for adverse socio- economic impacts on the community (Taylor et al., 2006, Jenelius, 2007a), thus vulnerability can be defined in the following terms: 1. A node is vulnerable if loss (or substantial degradation) of a small number of links significantly diminishes the accessibility of the node, as measured by standard index of accessibility. 2. A network link is critical if loss (or substantial degradation) of the links significantly diminishes the accessibility of the network or of particular nodes, as measured by standard index of accessibility. Therefore, it can be concluded that road vulnerability assesses the weakness of road network to incidents as well as adverse impacts of the degraded road network serviceability on the community. In relation with the road network vulnerability definition which focuses on two different aspects; selecting critical road network elements and consequences of measurements, Jenelius (2007a) has identified that road network vulnerability assessment can be distinguished into two stages. The first stage is to select a critical link by identifying the road network likelihood and by quick scanning of wide road transport and the second one is measuring the consequences of link disruption to community. Based on previous works, different approach has been applied in order to scan wide road network. Jenelius et al ( et al., 2006) selected particular major arterial road which connect the district at the Northern Sweden to be the worst case scenario and selected road links randomly as the average case scenarios. Scott et al (2006) has also introduced topology index and the relation between capacity and volume then select the critical link. Indeed, Jenelius (2007a) has suggested that conducting comprehensive assessment of road network will be helpful for identifying roads that are probably affected by the traffic accident, flood and landslides. Berdica et al (2003) undertake a comprehensive study in order to test 3 types of software to mode l road network interruptions. This study simulated the short duration of incidents on University of Canterbury networks by using SATURN, TRACKS and Paramics. They modelled a total block of one link on the small network then run the model at the macroscopic level by using TRACKS, at mesoscopic level by using SATURN and at the microscopic level by using Paramics. Based on the simulation, the different packages gave different result in terms of their responsiveness to model the short incidents, for instance, Paramics might be considered as a suitable software package for short duration incidents because it is more responsive than other softwares. SATURN which is more detail in its formulation than TRACKS has less responsiveness than TRACKS. Given the lack of generally recognized measurement of road vulnerability, it has been common practice to consider measures such as the increase of the generalized travel cost, the changes of the accessibility index or the link volume/capacity ratio when one or more links were closed or degraded as road vulnerability measurement. Taylor et al (2006) studied the network vulnerability at the level of Australian national road network and the socio economic impact of degradable links in order to identify critical links within the road network, by using three different accessibility approaches. The study introduced the three indices for vulnerability. The first method was the measurement of the change of the generalized travel cost between the full network and the degraded one. This method has concluded that by degrading one particular link the generalized travel cost will increase, and then the links which gave the highest travel cost was determined as the most important link. The second method used the changes of the Hansen integral accessibility index (Hansen, 1959) in order to seek the critical links. It was assumed that the larger the changes were after cutting one link, the more critical that link was on the basis of the adver se socio-economic impacts on the community. The last approach considered the changes of the Accessibility/Remoteness index of Australia (DHAC, 2001). This method was similar to the second method which sought the critical link depending on the difference between the ARIA indices in the full network and the ARIA indices in degraded network. Moreover, Taylor et al (2006) also studied the application of the third approach at the regional level in the state of Western Australia. This study concluded that removing a link gave different impacts for the cities, for example, by cutting one link, the impacts on the several cities were only local, in contrast, other cities where they were available similarly alternative road performance did not give significant changes of the ARIA indices. Due to the importance of a particular link within the wide road network, Jenelius et al (2006) introduced a similar approach to Taylor et al (2006). They studied the link importance and the site exposure by measuring the increase in generalized travel cost in the road network of the Northern Sweden where the road networks were sparse and the traffic volumes were low. By assuming the incident was a single link being completely disrupted or closed so the generalized cost increases, then the most critical link of the operation of the whole system and the most vulnerable cities because of the link disruptions were determined. The study concluded that the effect of closing a link was quite local and the worst effect was in the region where the road network was sparser with fewer good alternative roads. This research suggests that the road network vulnerability assessment can be applied in road network planning and maintenance, to provide guidance to the road administration for road prioritization and maintenance. In addition, Taylor (2007) studied the road network vulnerability in South Australia road network which included all the freeways, highways and major main roads. This research used a large complex road network and evaluated the ARIA indices changes for about 161 locality centers with populations exceeding 200 people. This study found the top ten critical links in the South Australia regional road network. Moreover, in relation with vulnerability approach in D Este and Taylor (2003), Chen et al (2007) tries to assess the vulnerability of degradable networks by using the network based accessibility and by combining with a travel demand model. Their study concluded that themodel can consider both demand and supply changes under abnormal conditions. Thus the vulnerability network assessment can be measured by considering the duration of the disruption (increase the travel time) and modeling the user equilibrium both the cases when there are alternative roads or the case when there are not alternative roads (Jenelius, 2007b). Indeed, Scott (2005) introduced the measurement of the Network Robustness Index by considering the ratio between the link capacity and link volume and assigning topology index for each link then test whether the particular links can cope with the changes of the traffic demand when one or more links were closed or degraded (Scott et al., 2005). Jenelius (2007b) introduced the new method in order to incorporate dynamic road condition and information by assessing the increase travel time using the extended of the user equilibrium model. This study assumed that there was no congestion and there was at least one alternative route between the origin and destination. Further, this study also assumed that the road users have perfect road information about the length of road closure so that they can decide whether they need either to take a detour or to go back to their origin and wait until the road reopened. This method calculated the additional travel time which is calculated since the road users were informed about the road closure, the waiting time until the road reopened. The difference between the normal travel time and t he additional travel time due to road closure was assigned as the increase travel time. However, this study did not take into consideration the change of the travel flow at the alternative routes. This assumed that the mix of the current and diverted traffic can flow at the free flow. In order to assess the increase of the flow when the diverted traffic mix at the current traffic which already meet the capacity or are already congested, the study which conducted by Lam et al (2007) can be considered. This method introduced the path preference index which is the sum of the path travel time reliability index and the path travel time index. To examine road network vulnerability in an urban area, Berdica et al. (2007) studied the vulnerability of the Stockholm road network by examining 12 scenarios involving partial and total closure of selected links, including bridge failure. Also, it assessed the road network degradation in three different times of day, morning peak hour, middle of d ay and afternoon peak hour. This study concluded that by closing one link or all links as well as bridge failure would increase the total travel time and total trip length (on the assumption that travelers chose their minimum time route based on user equilibrium method). The model of different scenarios at different times gave different results but the most vulnerable links were the Essinge route and the failure of Western bridge scenario. To conclude this study calculated the increase of total travel time a day and then multiply that by 250 days to obtain the total increase travel time for yearly basis. Though the highest total travel time increase in only 8% per day, however if it is calculated by 35 SEK (travel cost per hour) it gave significant impact of total travel cost increase. However, it did not take into account the duration of the closure and left some discussion of link disruption impacted such as the effect of noise and pollution during the road closure. Moreover, Knoo p and Hoogendoon (2007) assess the spillback simulation in dynamic route choice in order to examine the spillback effects then evaluated the road network robustness and the vulnerability of links. This study concluded that it is necessary to assess the spillback effect in order to identify the most vulnerable link within the wide road network. Tampere (2007) investigated the vulnerability of highway sections in Brussels and Ghent. This work was quite challenging, it tried to consider the different aspect of the road network vulnerability criteria related to the amount of vehicle hours lost due to major incidents. This work compromised of two steps; the first one is the quick scanning of the most vulnerable link from the long list into short list by considering the several aspects and then by obtaining the short list links then the vulnerability measure was conducted. Since this method used the dynamic traffic assignment, there are some drawbacks during the model run such as the lack of traffic distribution after the occurrence of the incident which resulted an illogical of travelers route choice. In general this method has successfully measured the vulnerability by not only considering the traffic condition but also taking into account the different road networks. Though this method has not considered traffic assignment criteria, it is still considered as a refinement over similar studies Measures of Congestion used in Transportation Planning Measures of congestion are intended to evaluate the performance of the transportation network and to diagnose problem areas. They provide information on how well the system has met certain stated goals and targets, and can also help to explain variations in user experiences of the system. There are four general categories of congestion measures. The first category contains measures that explain the duration of congestion experienced by users in some way; these include delay, risk of delay, average speed, and travel time. The next category includes measures that analyze how well the system is functioning at a given location. This category primarily consists of the volume to capacity (V/C) ratio, which is usually expressed as a level-of-service (LOS) category. LOS is a performance rating that is often used as a technical way to express how well a facility is functioning. For example, a facility functioning poorly is likely to be rated as LOS F, but could just as easily be described as poor. The third category is that of spatial measures, including queue length, queue density, and vehicle miles traveled. It is important to note that some of the duration and spatial measures are actually measured as point measures. The final category of measures is the other category, consisting primarily of travel time reliability and the number of times a vehicle stops because of congested conditions. Easily the most common measure of traffic congestion is the volume-to-capacity ratio. The V/C ratio measures the number of vehicles using a facility against the number of vehicles that the facility was designed to accommodate. This ratio is an important measure for planners to use, and represents an easily understandable measure of whether or not a roadway is congested. However, it can lead to some philosophical problems, such as whether transportation systems should be built to handle the highest demand or the average demand, and what level of service is acceptable. In addition, it is difficult to accurately measure the capacity of a roadway. The volume-to-capacity ratio is an important tool for comparing a roadways performance to other roadways and over time, but does not necessarily reflect the overall user experience and values in the system. Despite the prevailing usage of the volume-to-capacity ratio, and perhaps because of its inherent philosophical difficulties, the (FHWA) ha s strongly encouraged agencies to consider travel time experienced by users as the primary source for congestion measurement. They also state that currently used measures of congestion are inadequate for determining the true impact of the congestion that clogs up the transportation system from a users perspective, and that they are not able to adequately measure the impacts of congestion mitigation strategies. What is travel time reliability? As mentioned in section 1.1.1, the OECD (2010) provides a general definition for Travel Time Reliability: The ability of the transport system to provide the expected level of service quality, upon which users have organized their activities. The key of this definition is that a route is reliable if the expectations of the user are in accordance with the experienced travel time. But this does not directly lead to a TTR measure. Nonetheless, this definition shows that user expectations should be taken into account when selecting a proper TTR measure. Congestion is common in many cities and few people will dispute this fact. Drivers become used to this congestion, always expecting and plan for some delay, especially in peak driving times. Most drivers budget for extra time to accommodate traffic delays or adjust their schedules. Traffic delays are mostly much worse than expected when it happens. All travelers are less tolerant of unpredicted delays, the effect is that it makes then to be late for work or vital meetings, miss appointment, or suffer additional childcare fees. Shippers and freight forwarders who experience unpredicted delay may lose money and interrupt just-in-time delivery and manufacturing processes. Traffic congestion used to be communicated only in terms of simple average in time past. Nevertheless most travelers experience and remember a different thing than the simple average as they commute within a year. Travelers travel time differ from day to day, and remember the few bad days they suffered through unexpect ed delays. Commuter build time cushion or buffer in planning their trip to account for the variability. The buffer helps them to arrive early on some days, though not a bad thing, but the additional time is carved out of their day time which could have been used to pursuit other activities than to commute. Travel time reliability time frames Travel Time Reliability can be categorized by its time frame. Bates et al. (2001) discusses three levels of variability: inter-day, inter-period and inter-vehicle. Martchouk et al. (2009) explains these as follows: Inter-day: Variations in the travel time pattern between days. Some days of the week might have substantially different traffic volumes than others. For example, a Sunday will generally have less traffic than a Monday. Same weekdays should have about the same travel time pattern, but there can still be variations. Also, events such as road works or inclement weather cause inter-day variations. Inter-period: Variations in travel times during a day. Many road sections have a morning and evening peak, during which travel times are larger. These variations are caused by variations in traffic volume. Inter-vehicle: Relatively small differences in travel times between vehicles in a traffic stream. These are caused by interactions between vehicles and variations in driver behavior, including lane changes and speed differences. Although Martchouk et al. (2009) shows that individual travel times on a motorway section can vary strongly in similar conditions, due to driver behavior, this study focuses on inter-day variations. It is assumed that inter-vehicle variations have no significant influence on Travel Time Reliability. In urban areas, the speed difference between vehicles will generally be smaller than on highways. The reasons for this are: the average speed on highways is higher, there is more overtaking, trucks cannot drive at the maximum allowed speed, and routes are longer. Inter-period variations are also not considered, because it is presumed that road users know that travel times within a day vary according to a more or less fixed pattern. It is the deviations from this daily pattern which are interesting in the light of TTR, since these cannot be predicted by road users. Therefore, the focus of this investigation is on inter-day variation. Why travel time reliability is important? Travel time reliability is vital to every user within the transportation system, whether they are freight shippers, transit riders, vehicle drivers and even air travelers. Reliability allows business travelers and personal to make better use of the own time. Because reliability is so significant for transportation planners, transportation system users, and decision makers should consider travel time reliability as a key measure of performance Traffic management and operation activities is better quantified and beneficial to traffic professionals by the use of travel time reliability than simple average. For instants take into consideration a typical before and after study that attempts to quantify the benefits of an accident management or ramp material program. The development in average time may seem to be modest. However reliability measure will show a much greater development because they show the effect of improving the worst few days of unexpected delay. The Beginning of Travel Time Reliability as a Performance Measure Hellinga (2011) states that in the past, analysis of transportation networks focused primarily on the estimation and evaluation of average conditions for a given time period. These average conditions might be expressed in terms of average traffic stream speed; average travel time between a given origin and destination pair; or some average generalized cost to travel from an origin to a destination. This generalized cost typically includes terms reflecting time as well as monetary costs. These terms are summed by multiplying the time based measures by a value of time coefficient. A common characteristic of all of these approaches is that they reflect average or expected conditions and do not reflect the impact of the variability of these conditions. One reason for this is that models become much more complicated when this variability would be included. Also, a vast amount of data from a long period of time is needed. Unfortunately, collecting data is often costly and time-consuming. H ellinga (2011) also observes that more recently, there has been an increasing interest in the reliability of transportation networks. It is hypothesized that reliability has value to transportation network users and may also impact user behavior. Influence on traveler behavior may include: destination choice, route choice, time of departure choice, and mode choice. It is useful for road managers and planners to have knowledge about the relations between TTR and road user behavior, because this can be used to predict or even deliberately influence this behavior by applying traffic management measures. Consequently, there has been an effort to better understand the issues surrounding reliability, and to answer a number of important questions such as: 1. How is transportation network reliability defined? 2. How can/should network reliability be measured in the field? 3. What factors influence reliability and how? 4. What instruments are available to network managers, policy makers, and network users that impact reliability and what are the characteristics of these causal relationships? 5. What is the value of reliability to various transportation network users (e.g. travelers, freight carriers, etc.) and how is this value affected by trip purpose? 6. How do transportation network users respond to reliability in terms of their travel behavior? (E.g. departure time choice, mode choice, route choice etc.) 7. How can reliability (and its effects) be represented within micro and macro level models? (Microscopic models focus on individual vehicles, while macroscopic models pertain to the properties of the traffic flow as a whole.) 8. How important is it to consider the impact of reliability in transportation project benefit/cost evaluations? 9. Does the consideration of the impact of reliability within the project evaluation process alter the order of preference of projects within the list of candidate projects? Hellinga (2011) states that the above list of questions, which is likely not exhaustive, indicates that there currently exists a very large knowledge gap with respect to reliability. Various research efforts around the world are beginning to fill in these gaps, but the body of knowledge is still relatively sparse and there is not yet even general agreement on terminology. Note that the first, second, and (partially) fifth question are part of this investigation What measures are used to quantify travel time reliability? The four recommended measures includes 90th or 95th percentile travel time, buffer index, planning time index, and frequency that congestion exceeds some expected threshold. These measurements are emerging practices, some of
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