Feasibility Study on the introduction of the Fortune Cooker through Mi

Feasibility Study on the introduction of the Fortune Cooker through Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Ethiopia. Feasibility Study on the introduction of the Fortune Cooker through Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Ethiopia. Thesis Proposal Student - Aarti Baldewsing Student number- 0799222 Minor- Finance and Accounting First supervisor - Mr. Dare Second supervisor- Mr. Nielsen Hand-in date - 13 April 2011 Company- The Fortune Cooker Company supervisor- Mr. Maarten Romijn Table of Content 1. Introduction3 2. Company Profile4 2.1 Product Stage4 2.2 Product Characteristics4 2.3 Product Market5 3. Research6 3.1 Research Goal6 3.2 Research Objectives6 3.3 Research Scope6 3.4 Research Questions7 4. Theoretical Framework and Methodology7 4.1 Theoretical Framework7 4.2 Methodology8 5. Ishikawa Diagram9 6. Gantt Chart9 7. Professional IBMS Competency Evaluation10 1. Introduction The title of this thesis proposal is; Feasibility Study on the introduction of the Fortune Cooker through Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Ethiopia. This title indicates that a feasibility study will be performed to see whether MFIs are willing to help finance the Fortune Cooker so that people at the BoP, so low-income households and unemployed females in Ethiopia, can make use of this product. Before laying down the background of this thesis proposal we must become fully aware of the meaning of the terms used in title of the thesis proposal in order to understand fully its content. A Feasibility Study is a study undertaken to analyse various issues and elements of the project in order to reach optimum decisions about the viability and direction of the business venture. Core elements of a feasibility study includes; market analysis, technical analysis and a financial analysis. Furthermore a feasibility study is undertaken to indentify the opportunities and threats in the internal and external environment of the new business venture and researches the potential resources needed to set up the business and ultimately looks at the prospects of success. The Fortune Cooker is a new, clean, convenient, user friendly, family power plant. It is built in a way that it uses solar energy to cook food, provide purification of water, dry wood and generate and store heat and electricity (See section 2 for detailed information). Microfinance Institutions (from here on referred to as MFIs) are institutions that deal with microfinance. According to KIVA , Microfinance can be defined as the provision of financial services such as credit, savings, insurance and more to the poor or the low-income clients who traditionally are considered non bankable and therefore do not have access to typical banking services due to the absence of formal employment and/or formal mortgages. Microcredit is the provision of a small loan to the poor and is one of the microfinance activities that an MFI performs. In this thesis the focus will be on Ethiopia as a market but this study will serve as a guide to introduce the Fortune Cooker elsewhere in the world. In specific people at the Base of the Pyramid are the target customers. As we look at the different world population groups in terms of economic activity the Base of the Pyramid (from here on referred to as BoP) or sometimes referred to as the Bottom of the Pyramid, refers to the largest but poorest socio-economic group in the world. According to Professor C.K. Prahalad four to five billion people live from 2 dollars or less a day. 2. Company Profile The Fortune Cooker is a new, clean, convenient, user friendly, family power plant. It is built in a way that it uses solar energy to cook food, provide purification of water, dry wood and generate and store heat and electricity. The Fortune Cooker company was created by Mr. Maarten Romijn who is the inventor of the product the Fortune Cooker. The Fortune Cooker was first tested in November 2003 in the Almeria area of Southern Spain. In early 2006 the product was tested in New Delhi/Gurgaon area of India. Since then changes in material usage have been incorporated in order to make the product function more effectively. For instance the aluminium mirrors have been replaced by solar glass mirrors to improve cooking performance and longevity. Underneath, an illustration is shown of the Fortune Cooker. 2.1 Product Stage The Fortune Cooker concept is ready and the product has been tested and produced and updated several times. It is on the verge of moving through the development stage into the production phase and after that it will

Strategic Management Case Study on Swiss-based Nestle Essays

Strategic Management Case Study on Swiss-based Nestle Essays Strategic Management Case Study on Swiss-based Nestle Paper Strategic Management Case Study on Swiss-based Nestle Paper Strategic Management Case Study on Swiss- based Nestle BY crnp7104 Executive Summary This paper provides a case analysis and case solution to a Harvard Business School strategic management case study on Swiss-based Nestle, the worlds largest food and beverage company with 2007 sales exceeding CHFIOO billion or about US $112 billion(Bell Shelman, 2009, p. 1). While extensive background information dating to Nestles 1867 founding is provided, the primary time setting for the case is April 2008, shortly after 29-year Nestle veteran Paul Bulcke advances to the position f CEO, replacing Brabeck, who retired after a highly successful 12 year reign as CEO. The case focuses on Bulckes efforts to formulate plans for advancing his strategic vision at Nestle. Nestle is a huge, highly successful, cash-rich global corporation with hundreds of billionaire brands, a strong culture, and a history of producing innovative products and customizing products and services to meet local tastes. Looking around at Nestle, scanning the environment, and appraising the future, new CEO Bulcke sees little room for alarm. Looking towards the future, Bulckes only worry is that we become omplacent (Bell Shelman, 2009, p. 1). Bulckes predecessor, Brabeck, had set Nestle on the path of achieving worldwide sustainable competitiveness through four strategic pillars: 1) low-cost, highly efficient operations; 2) renovation and innovation of the Nestle product line; 3) universal availability; and 4) improved communication with consumers through better branding (Bell Shelman, 2009, p. ). Brabeck believed and indeed was proven that adherence to these four strategic pillars would allow achievement of the Nestle Model, a term which referred to Nestles long term objectives of organic rowth between 4% and 6% each year; continued year-after-hear improvements in earnings before interest and tax EBIT margin; and improved capital management (Bell Shelman, 2009, p. 3). Brabeck launched a number of important initiatives during his twelve year tenure, including restructuring of the RD department to be more responsive to consumers, drive renovation and innovation and support organic growth; launching a 60/40 preference rating system for products; and developing GLOBE (Global Business Excellence), a comprehensive information system designed to tie all of Nestles usinesses together under a common technology infrastructure. Brabeck, who saw sales grow 78% and EBIT grow 142% during his tenure, also made several critical acquisitions in bottled water, pet food, coffee, and ice cream; championed Nestles culture as the critical glue of the corporation; and pioneering the way for the beginning of Nestles shift from being a technology and processing-driven food and beverage company toward a broader vision of nutrition, health, and wellness (Bell Shelman, 2009, p. 4). Bulcke succeeded Brabeck as Nestles CEO in April of 2008, following two years of careful succession planning. Bulcke appears to share Brabecks basic philosophy of leadership (which emphasizes empowerment) as well as his views on the importance of culture in Nestles long term performance. Bulcke has also reaffirmed Brabecks commitment to GLOBE (which Bulcke sees as an important vehicle for continuous improvement (Bell Shelman, 2009, p. 10). Despite these basic commonalities, Bulcke has made it clear that his vision for Nestle is not identical to that of his predecessors. Bulcke wants all of Nestles future growth to come as a result of internal growth, not acquisition. Bulcke strongly supports a rapid transition to the ealth, nutrition and wellness strategy and indeed, envisions this strategy as one leg of four complementary platforms which Bulcke believes could double the companys sales over the next ten years. Besides health, nutrition and wellness, the three other platforms are emerging markets; out of home consumption and premiumization of existing products (developing exclusive, high-quality versions of existing products and appealing to higher income customers (Bell Shelman, 2009, p. 0). Problem Statement Nestle must formulate and implement the optimal strategy which will allow it to eet the growth and performance goals related to the Nestle Model while at the same time achieving a sustainable competitive advantage within the global food giants broader vision of transitioning to a health, nutrition and wellness company, and responding to threats and opportunities in the external environment. Problem Analysis An analysis of the problem and an appraisal of Nestle is provided below with the assistance of three analytical tools: a pest analysis, a Porters Five Forces analysis, and a S. W. O. T. (strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats) analysis. P. E. S. T. Political. Globalization is unquestionably one of the most important political factors in the food and beverage industry. Nestle is clearly a global business, and in recent years as globalization has become a reality, it has learned that globalization means a lot more than Just access to emerging markets. As Jose Lopez, Nestles Vice President of operations observed, the impact of globalization has been different than we thought it would be. For those of us in the West, globalization meant developing countries opening their markets for us to sell to. Yet thats not how it turned out instead of being globalized we are learning to react to global arkets (Bell Shelman, 2009, p. 10). Nestles status as a global corporation makes it a target for anti-globalists (Conlin, 2008). Regulatory issues are an important issue in the global food and beverage industry. Nestle, for example, operates in many highly regulated sectors, with multiple tiers of regulation affecting its products in many cases (related to food and beverage safety, production regulations, environmental regulations, cross-border trade, etc. ) (Nestles environmental impact, 2008). Economic. Demand for basic food supplies persists even in times of economic downturn. However, the patterns of eating and drinking changes, with full meals more likely to be prepared and consumed at home. With operations around the globe, Nestle had to make adjustments for variations in demand fluctuations and price sensitivities in different countries and geographic regions. Although Nestle was based in Switzerland and most of its key leaders were from the United States and the European continent, one third of 2007 sales came from the developing world and analysts projected that by 2010, 90% of the worlds population would live in developing and emerging countries. Social. As a food and beverage company operating with the global food industry, Nestle was well aware of the fact that patterns of food and beverage consumption tend to be culturally-bound or at least culturally linked. Technological. Throughout the industry, technologies are vital to defining recipes, producing food and beverages, locating and purifying water (Nestle is one of the worlds biggest bottled water companies). As the companys own GLOBE initiative demonstrates, internal technologies are vital to coordinating operations. Five Forces Threat of New Entrants (Low-Medium). Even though food and beverage is in many ays analogous to a commodity business, barriers to entry as a result of supply-side economies of scale, demand side benefits of scale, capital requirements, incumbency advantages and unequal access to distribution channels keep the threat of new entrants relatively low (Porter, 2008). Power of Suppliers (Medium) Porter (2008) notes that powerful suppliers capture more of the value for themselves by charging higher prices, limiting quality or services, or shifting costs to industry participants (p. 6). For most major firms in the food and beverage industry, the power of suppliers is medium to medium high. For Nestle, the power of suppliers is quite low as a result of extensive vertical integration by Nestle. Power of buyers (low). For Nestle and most other buyers in the industry, the power of suppliers has been kept quite low because of the fact that buyers are numerous and cannot credibly threaten to integrate forward and assume their business. Threat of Substitute Products (High). It would be difficult to name or think ofa food or beverage product which did not have a near or identical substitute. Rivalry of existing competitors (Medium High to High). Porter (2008) notes that the ntensity of rivalry is greatest when competitors are numerous or roughly equal in size and power, industry growth is slow; exit barriers are high and firms cannot read each others signals very well (p. 9). Many of these conditions have been met, thus the intensity of rivalry would be assessed as fairly intense. S. W. O. T. Analysis Strengths 1 . Financial strengths a decade-plus of strong financial results; available cash for launching new operations and/or making acquisitions. 2. Strong corporate culture. 3. History of strong, capable leadership. 4. Effective R Department 5. Strong portfolio of products . Stable of blockbuster brands 7. Huge physical infrastructure with locations around the world 8. Well-developed supply chain 9. Integrated management 10. Good relations with suppliers and farmers 1 1 . Ability to customize and localize products Weaknesses 1. History of product recalls 2. History of questionable reputation and shady deal-making (Datamonitor, 2008). 3. Allegations of unethical conduct. 4. Product concentration in many areas which might be viewed as unhealthy. 5. Few to no organic profiles in its portfolio. Opportunities 1 . Growth in emerging and developing markets 2. Changing tastes worldwide . Opportunity to make positive contributions to peoples health and nutrition 4. Opportunity to develop new products 5. Opportunity to further expand into new markets (geographic and product) 6. Opportunity to acquire complementary firms and/or firms to mitigate weaknesses Threats 1 . Threat of competition from major global food rivals 2. Threat of competition from smaller, local companies who are more in touch with the needs of the local market. 3. Threat of competition from large discounters such as Wal-Mart, Sams Club and Costco. 4. Threat of backlash based on political opposition 5. Threat of regulation . Threat of changing consumer tastes 7. Threat of environmental degradation Alternatives Any potential alternative strategies must aim at achieving the Nestle Model and its associated long-term objectives (of 5-6% annual organic growth, continued year-to- year improvement in EBIT margin, and improved capital management) as well as be consistent with CEO Bulckes stated mandates of stressing internal growth as the primary source of future growth, using GLOBE as a vehicle for continuous improvement, and making the health, nutrition and wellness strategy the mainstream of Nestles business. With these caveats in mind, the following alternative strategic variations have been identified. 1. Adhere rigidly to Bulckes basic outline with the 4 Complementary Platforms for growth. This alternative would follow CEO Buckles rationale that Nestles top strength is its product and brand portfolio, that growth should be generated internally, and that strategy should focus on Bulckes four identified platforms for growth: 1) health, nutrition and wellness (to be the centerpiece), 2) emerging markets; 4) out of home consumption; and 4) premiumization of existing products. An obvious advantage of this alternative is that t will have the full support of Nestles CEO who will no doubt work hard to ensure support for the program from Nestles board, its management, and its rank-and-file employees. Another advantage of this alternative is that it provides a moderate degree of consistency with the previous strategy under CEO Brabeck (particularly in terms of its embrace of the Nestle Model and its desire to continue moving Nestle beyond food to nutrition, health and wellness. A third advantage is that it clearly builds on some of Nestles major strengths, including its broad product and brand portfolio and its strong international presence. At the same time, there are a number of disadvantages with this strategy. First of all, by restricting growth to internal growth, this alternative forgoes possible benefits accrued through Judicious acquisition. Nestle has some weaknesses in areas where it intends to growth (e. g. health and nutrition) and acquisitions might be able to counteract those weaknesses more quickly than internal growth. Secondly, Bulckes insistence on giving the health, nutrition, and wellness strategy priority above all else and working to quickly make it the mainstream of Nestles business may not reflect a realistic goal. Nestle will face many challenges as it tries to make health, nutrition and wellness a mainstream characteristic of key divisions like confectionary, powdered and liquid beverages, ice cream, and many of the prepared foods. Another potential disadvantage to Bulckes planned strategy is that the selected four complementary growth platforms are not yet proven to be complementary and at face value, seem to be on some levels contradictory (e. g. , it may be difficult to reconcile efforts to premiumize existing productions with efforts to build a portfolio of popularly positioned products in emerging markets. In addition, it may be difficult to maintain growth and EBIT goals across these new, as yet untested platforms. Another consideration is that over the next few years, it may become apparent that one or more of these 4 platforms has more growth and profit potential than the others; if so, it would be disadvantages to continue a more or less equal emphasis on all three. 2. Build greater flexibility into the model, allowing for a slower transition to the company-wide health, nutrition and wellness model, and allowing for the possibility of modification and/or elimination of one or more of the other three rowth platforms (as well as the possible addition of a different growth platform). Also maintain a flexible approach with regard to acquisitions versus internal growth. This alternative would have the advantage of increasing the potential of meeting growth and profitability goals. Another advantage in a flexible approach is that it would allow for the possibility of discovering another potential growth platform. Yet another advantage would be the possibility of speeding growth and/or progress towards the goal of transitioning to the health and nutrition model via Judicious acquisitions as opposed to a sole reliance on internal growth. A major disadvantage of this strategy is that CEO Buckle may be disinclined to give it his full support because it is not fully consistent with his plan. Another disadvantage is that this flexible approach may delay Nestles progress towards the health and nutrition model. Another potential disadvantage is that in encouraging flexibility, Nestle may inadvertently foster inconsistencies in its business strategies and objectives and create confusion, conflicts and/or contradictions between product areas/business units. Yet another disadvantage is that it provides Nestle with an opportunity to back way from its health and nutrition strategy if it should prove difficult to execute. 3. Add a program of acquisition and divestiture to Bulckes basic model. Rather than relying solely on internal growth, this alternative would allow for the use of Judicious (yet frequent and widespread if deemed necessary) acquisitions, particularly in areas targeted for growth where Nestle is weak (e. . organic foods). Coupled with the acquisition strategy would be a targeted divestiture strategy, aimed at gradually exiting those businesses and dropping those products which are fundamentally at dds with Nestles commitment to health, nutrition and wellness. For example, this may require Nestle to exit most of its confectionary business. Likewise, the company would want to review whether or not food products loaded with salt, sugar, and artificial preservatives and flavorings really belong in the portfolio of a company which has pledged to transform itself into a unified health, wellness and nutrition company. The acquisition portion of this modification to the strategy has the advantages of allowing for the addition of new resources, including new resources nd businesses which may complement existing businesses and lead to synergies. The divestiture strategy has the advantage of allowing Nestle to exit those business which simply do not meet its overall guidelines and strategic objectives and to do so in a way which is likely to contribute favorably to both its financial objectives and its objective of building an integrated health, wellness and nutrition company. As with alternative #2, this alternative carries the risk of failing to attract support from core employees as well as the risk that the CEO will oppose it. Recommendations Implementation It is strongly recommended that Nestle combine the above suggested alternatives #2 and #3, building flexibility into the strategy overall, slowing the planned transition time for moving to a unified health, wellness and nutrition company, and allowing the firm to focus on its core resources and business opportunities by using the tools of acquisition (adding strength in selected areas and/or counteracting weaknesses in some areas) and divestiture (shedding unprofitable businesses and products, getting rid of businesses which do not fit into the profile of a unified health, wellness and utrition company. Such a combination, flexible approach will be best suited to tailoring to the specific resources and capabilities of Nestle and the opportunities and threats in the external environment. Moreover, it is more likely that Nestle will meet its performance and financial goals through this flexible approach than through Bulckes more rigid approach. To begin implementation of this option, it is recommended that Nestle top leadership and management planners use the resource-based view of the firm (Barney, 1991) and in particular, Grants (1991) practical framework of a resource- ased approach to strategy analysis as a guide to strategy formulation and implementation. This will involve the following five-step process (Grant, 1991, p. 115): 1 . Identifying and classifying Nestles resources within the three primary categories of physical capital, human capital, and organizational capital. Both tangible and intangible resources should be identified. After resources are identified and classified, Nestle management should appraise the firms strengths and weaknesses, relative to key competitors Unilever, Kraft, Group Danone and General Mills. The next omponent of this step is to identify opportunities for better utilization of resources. 2. Identify Nestles capabilities what can Nestle do more effectively than its key rivals? Once capabilities have been identified, it is necessary to identify the resource inputs to each capability, as well as the complexity (e. g. , does it involve several resources? ) 3. The strategy team should then appraise the rent-generating potential of resources and capacities in terms of: a) their potential for sustainable competitive advantage [in order to have this potential, a resource/capacity must be valuable, rare, mperfectly imitable, and non-substitutable] (Barney, 1991, p. 106); and b) the appropriability of their returns. 4. Based on the preceding work, the Nestle strategy team should then select a strategy or collection of strategies which best exploits the firms resources and capabilities relative to external opportunities. . Finally, Nestle strategy managers should identify resource gaps which need to be filled, as well as invest in replenishing, augmenting and upgrading the firms resource base. It recommended that Nestle managers complete this initial strategic analysis within six months. Once this initial assessment/strategy formulation is completed, the strategy team should: 1 . Survey and assess the identified resources and capabilities in ter ms of their level of fit with Nestles goal of transitioning from a food company to a health, nutrition and wellness company. . Target non-producing or inappropriate (those which dont fit with the rest of the portfolio or the strategic objects) for divestiture and develop a timetable and plan for such divestiture. 3. Examine the identified resource gap areas and determine if these gaps can be filled through internal development (e. g. R, internal growth) and/or strategic acquisition. If acquisition, begin scanning the environment for likely acquisition targets. References Barney, J. (1991). Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120 Bell, D. E. Shelman, M. (2009). Nestl? © in 2008. Harvard Business School Case Study, 9-509-001 (Rev. October 28, 2009). Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing. Colin, M. (2008, April 14). A town torn apart by Nestle. Business Week, Retrieved September 30, 2012 from businessweek. com/stories/2008-04-1 5/a-town- torn-apart-by-nestl Datamonitor (2011,June). Company Profile: Nestle. Swat Analysis, pp. 27-32. Grant, R. M. (1991). The Resource-Based Theory of Competitive Advantage: Implications for Strategy Formulation. California Management Review, 33(3), 114-135. Nestl? © professionals name change, restructuring reflect customer focus (2008, April 7). Nations Restaurant News, p. 40. Nestles environmental impact (2008, April). Diary Industries International, p. 10. Porter, M. E. (2008, January). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, pp. 1-18. articlesbase. com/management-articles/strategic-management-at- nestle-5907881 . html

Should the drinking age be lowered to 18 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Technology - Essay Example Technology has assisted them long and hard to further their belief in this phenomenon. The proponents of technology have supported it because they find no reason in disapproving the advantages that come along with it in different fields of life. Technology has allowed people to relax more today than ever before.This is the reason why the advocates of technology are always in favor of it. Technology has resolved nearly all the issues plaguing the human society and has been the savior on more than a single occasion to be remarked as the messiah of the modern day society. People have felt more inclined to cope up with the different technological facets today than ever before as their trust and confidence has increased manifolds. This trust and confidence has increased because they have seen the advantages and benefits that technology has offered them over the years. They have found out that technology assists them whenever they seem to be in a problem. Plus it is proactively driven to bring rewards for them which is also something that positively motivates them about technology. The ones who receive these benefits in turn tell others about how good the technological manifestations have been. This is the reason why technology is taken on by people in a sudden manner and then there seems to be no looking back on this tangent at all. If seen correctly, this is one of the major pluses behind the concept of technology adoption (Swart, 2012). Technology has overtaken the human emblem by a fair count. It has made people realize where they can find a substit ute for their own selves. At times, technology has even taken the sheen off the human intellect. This is an alarming aspect because human beings are superior than any other entity in this world yet technology has come out strong to make them redundant on certain occasions (Jensen, 2005). The role of human beings cannot be denied under any case whatsoever. It must be

Effictive team and performance management Essay

Effictive team and performance management - Essay Example Challenges such as unsuccessful problem solving, non-functioning team diversities and most common, motivation among the team members are inevitable in a team (Keyes, 2004; p. 1282). In this group, group problems were tackled and embraced accordingly by all responsible team members. A leader or a manager must moderate problem solving. In this respect, the team decided anonymously that I should be their leader. In the entire exercise, the team passed through all phases of team formation inclusive of forming, norming and storming phases (Tuckman, 1965; p. 385). Being a leader is never an easy experience. It becomes even more difficult when one is dealing with a dynamic group. Therefore, I had to use my interpersonal skills such creativity, flexibility, passion and self-competence as put forward by Goleman (2002; p. 251). Concerning passion, I had a feeling that emotional intelligence was instrumental in uniting the team members towards our mission. Concurrently, there are areas where I felt I lacked the necessary knowledge to offer guidance to the team. Hence, I learnt admitting the lack of knowledge or expertise was very significant. Some of the skills I thought I did not possess at all came handy to my surprise. For example, timely arrival and staying patient to the end of a discussion was fundamental during the field exercise. I have known by friends as a poor listener but my team experience gave me a limelight to be the best and active listener. Though there were members who felt they were entitled to dominate the discussion, I was quite equipped in this area. First, I studied their personality and eventually learnt ways of managing them. In fact according to Richard & Lynn (2007; p. 187), studying every group member within the shortest time possible is very essential. Following my experience in this group, I learnt that working towards building trust among team members was significant in managing the group. Taking responsibility for actions is vital in buildi ng trust among the members. To err is human and mistakes committed must be admitted to ensure an amicable solution is achieved. I learnt member’s involvement in different tasks was significant in achieving a formidable solution to the tasks. Likewise, allowing the group to make rules during the lifetime of the group is also very important (Monge & Contractor, 2003; p. 57). In this manner, the group will not feel dictated upon when certain decisions concerning them are to be made. At the time of making the rules, expectations of every team member must be noted with transparency it requires. In addition, it came to my grasp that my expectations of the team members were to be made clear to help build a cohesive team. Most importantly, I felt it was important for my connection with the group. Satisfying the group’s self-interest was a major force in creating strong interpersonal relationships (Laura, 2008; p. 387). I had an obligation to empathize with certain emotional is sues experienced by some of the group members. Ignoring some of the issues, which one may term as ‘petty’, was no constructive at all. Behaving in this manner was liable to the downfall of the team and the whole mission. Driving the mission to success must be the ultimate goal. However, a mission cannot be driven to success when other members are completely lost from the group. I was aware that every member had a right to express his or her plight during

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks MANET

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks MANET Abstract Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) is a wireless network capable of autonomous operation. MANET routing has no fixed base station and hence nodes in the network are mobile and self configuring. A MANET is characterized by multi hop routing so that nodes are not connected to layer 2 but can communicate through layer 3 routing. In MANET every node is a potential router and the topologies are dynamic due to node mobility. This paper presents a comprehensive study of four MANET routing protocols ADOV (Ad Hoc On demand Distance Vector), DSR (Dynamic Source Routing), OLSR (Optimized Link State Routing) and TORA (Temporally Ordered Routing Algorithm). For experimental purpose six scenarios have been considered. These 6 scenarios are generated with 3 different traffic parameters namely high resolution video, light HTTP and high FTP load. This traffic was passed individually on to each scenario on 2 different node setup (20, 100 nodes). 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The results of the simulations and experiments performed are explained in chapter 4, Performance Evaluation and Design. The results are taken graphically which helps in comparing the results for routing protocols against the pe rformance metrics used to investigate the performance. The graphs are explained briefly in chapter 4. The results gathered with the help of scenarios in chapter 3 are concluded with the future work on the routing protocols in chapter 5, Conclusion and Future Work. Finally the supported documents for the project which helped in making the simulation and project start up is kept in Appendix A. And finally chapter 6 shows all the sources and references used for the thesis to help in achieving all the supported information and work. 1.2 Objective of Work The main objective of this work is to study the different routing protocols, which are developed for Mobile Ad hoc networks (MANETs), and to compare the different routing protocols by using simulation tool OPNET Modeler 14.5. As a part of the work four major routing protocols OLSR, AODV, DSR and TORA have been selected and carried out the simulations for comparing the performance of these protocols. Three performance metrics delay; Network Load and Throughput are used to compare the performance of the routing protocols. Objective 1 To get a clear understanding and functioning of different routing protocols for Mobile Ad hoc networks. This objective could be achieved by reading and understanding the various papers available on routing protocols of Mobile Ad hoc networks. Objective 2 To do a literature survey of previous work done on MANET Routing Protocols so that something different and efficient simulation could be introduced. For this objective different articles and papers published has been studied thoroughly and analysed from websites, books and all relevant resources available. By going through literature survey on routing protocols, the desired simulation environment and setup have been introduced with different simulation parameters. Literature Survey is explained in chapter 2. Objective 3 Conducting an experiment and collecting the output data: This objective has been achieved by designing the appropriate networks with the appropriate simulation parameters and running a simulation for different protocols for different performance metrics. After conducting the simulation the output data have been collected graphically. The results are shown graphically and explained in the project in chapter 4. Objective 4 Analyzing the output data and ending up with summary and the conclusion: The results have been studied and explained in chapter 4. After studying the simulation results conclusion has been made with some future work which can be done further. Conclusion of the project and future work is explained in chapter 5. Chapter 2: Literature Survey 2.1 Introduction This chapter gives a brief introduction about the work done in previous related papers and reports related to this project. In addition, the introduction to the routing protocols and their classification with respect to routing is demonstrated. This chapter is a short review of the previous work done and the additional objectives regarding routing protocols. The four MANET routing protocols are selected to evaluate the performances; they are OLSR, AODV, DSR and TORA. The further implementations of these protocols are explained later in this thesis (Chapter 3). MANET is an infrastructure less network which provides the freedom to the nodes to be free to move anywhere in the network (Stefano Basagni, 2004). 2.2 Related Work on Routing Protocols: As we see from (Mahmoud), analysis of two reactive protocols DSR and TORA were done using OPNET Modeller. In their simulation scenario, they used 50 wireless devices in each scenario with constant traffic parameters and protocol specification settings. They have passed FTP traffic of 1000 bytes making it constant throughout the simulation. Evaluation of these protocols was done based on the performance metrics used which are: Delay, Data dropped, Throughput and media access delay. Their simulation results shows that DSR performance was better than TORA in terms of throughput as TORA produces less throughput due to additional overhead used for path creation and path maintenance. At the same time TORA minimizes communication overhead by localization which results in less delay when compared to DSR as there is no such mechanism in DSR. Similarly, from (Zukarnain, 2009) they have done evaluation of MANET routing protocol AODV in order to establish the connection between the nodes since the mobile node can change their topology frequently. So their study was carried on different mobile node movement pattern which are: Random Waypoint Mobility Model, Random Walk Mobility Model and Random Direction Mobility Model. In order to evaluate the performance of the protocol with these node movement patterns, performance metrics used were Routing overhead, Throughput and Packet delivery ratio. They used 2 simulation scenarios where in the first scenario comparison was made on different mobility model varying different number of nodes 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 with fixed speed of 15m/s and in other case comparison was made to evaluate the protocol on different mobility models with varying speeds 5, 10, 15, 20 m/s and 50 nodes as constant all through. They concluded that Random waypoint model is best for AODV compared to other mobility m odels as the protocol produces highest throughput than compared to others. Other related work from (Nyirenda, 2009) gives the similar working of MANET routing protocols AODV, OLSR, DSR and TORA on OPNET 14.5. Their work carried out for study the performance of the four protocols by different performance metrics which are: Network load, Packet delivery ratio, Packet end-to-end delay and Throughput. The simulation setup which was implemented on 6 different scenarios where the traffic passing on to the network was ranging from low to high network load, nodes changing from 5, 20, 50 and with speed ranging from 10 m/s to 28 m/s. Mobility model used in this was Random waypoint model for mobility pattern. They conclusions included in their work showed that OLSR performed better compared to the other protocols as it has a bad routing overhead and hence it is well suited for large and complex networks. So apart from routing overhead OLSR performed better but with routing overhead DSR is better. But when in small network AODV is much better compared to other protocol s. So finally, proactive protocols perform well in high capacity links whereas reactive protocols perform better in low capacity networks. From another paper (Maltz, 2001), we see that working on demand routing protocols in MANET was done where DSR protocol was compared to other on demand protocols like AODV, TORA and DSDV. Simulation setup carried is represented in tables below: With the above simulation setup the protocols were evaluated based on the performance metrics used which was Packet delivery ratio, Routing overhead, Path optimality and lower speed of nodes. The conclusions showed that DSR performed well when referred to packet loss rate and routing over head is concerned. Of all careful implementation done with all the above parameters tested on the experiment test beds DSR out performed in every case scenario used when compared all the other protocols used in this setup. 2.3 Background Work A network can be said as association of different systems or organizations where sharing the information can be done collectively. Whereas in computing terms it can be simply defined as a group of computers connected together logically to share information like printing, faxing, etc The network can be divided into 2 types based on their working behaviour. They are: Infrastructure network: These networks are used where the topology is said to be limited and there is a fixed point like base station (generally referred as router) to transmit signals and the end points which are connected to base station communicate with each other devices on the network switching from one base station to another. When a node moves out of range within its network, then it is said to be connected to another base station range where this process is referred as handoff. We can often see this type of mechanisms in infrastructure and fixed or wired networks. Infrastructure less network: These networks are a typical type of networks where there are no such fixed nodes or topologies on the network and the end pints or devices on the network are free to communicate with each other devices on the network as each device on the network behave themselves as routers and encourages communication process all over the network. By this we can say that wireless technology is a promising technology that can tolerate the information exchange worldwide. In the last decade we can also see the constant increase in the growth wireless technology issues, one of which being mobile devices such as laptops, cell phones, PDAs etc Ad hoc networks are also the part of this type of network. Mobile Ad hoc network is a new technology emerged with the hypothesis of wireless networks. These networks are very typical and do not use any fixed infrastructure for communication process. The nodes connected in these networks are wireless links which are mobile in nature and communicate with each other mobile node in the network with radio transmission and topology is said to establish by the intermediate nodes on the network which are helpful for communication process. As there are no fixed infrastructure and limited topology constraints the nodes on the network are free to join and leave the network and this is possible as the nodes on the network are mobile. Due to this random movement of the nodes in the network the topology of the network changes dynamically. Due to this change protocol must be able to acclimatize with these movements and are also responsible to maintain the routes of the information travelled without disturbing network connectivity. This concept of ad hoc network allows each node on its network to act like router, resulting in the flow of information exchange with multi hop routing. These types of networks are widely used in military and other rescue applications. (Saadawi, 2003) 2.4 Routing: Routing is the process of moving the data from one place of the network to another. The one end should be the source which intends to transfer the data to the destination (other end). The concept of routing has been there since 1970s but it has caught the move in 1980s. In 1970s networks were simple and today there are large scale networks in existence. To move the data from one host to another at least one router is required in the network. Router has all the information regarding hosts in the network and it can manipulate the best possible route as well. (Javvin, 2004) Routing takes place at Layer 3 in OSI 7 layer Model. Some of the protocols at layer 3 are IP and IS-IS. These protocols carry the data between source and destination along with their addresses in the data packet. Routing involves two basic activities; Path Determination and Switching. These two activities are capable to determine the optical routing path and to transfer the data packets through internetworking. This is called Switching. Switching can still be easy where as determining the reliable path is difficult. Path Determination: Routing make use of the different routing protocols to determine the best possible path to deliver the data. Routing protocols use the metric to calculate which the best possible path to accomplish the task is. The metric used could be path bandwidth, path length, delay etc. to determine the optimal path. To determine the path in the network, routing algorithms maintains the routing tables which are used to store the routing information about the network. Routers communicate with each other in order to maintain their routing tables which make communication easier and faster. Routing information can vary according to the routing algorithm used for the process. (Cisco, 2010) Switching: Apart from path determination, router shows one more activity; Packet Switching. Switching simply means forwarding the required data from one interface to the another in order to reach the destination. In this case, the data to be forwarded is packet. The next interface address is decided by using the destination address present in the packet. Though the nodes know the next hop address, they still need to know how to use it. So for that reason they use routing tables. The routing table throws the packet away when the destination is unknown. But when the destination is known routing table posses all the interface information forming the route to the destination. (2006) The next hop address could be another host or either it could be a router. According to ISO developed hierarchical terminology, the systems which have the capability to forward the data from the source to the destination are called Intermediate Systems (IS) and the systems which fails to do so are called as End systems (ES). When it is a router it follows the same procedure as this one, and if it is a host it simply forwards the packet. In packet switching, the Layer 3 address of the source and the destination remains the same to authenticate the original sender and the receiver. However the Layer 2 address (MAC) changes from router to router and from router to host which at last determines the destination host. (Cisco, 2010) 2.5 Ad hoc Networks An ad hoc network is a collection of many autonomous nodes connected together by radio waves and maintain the connectivity in decentralised manner. Wireless ad hoc networks are connected through wireless links so there is no need of any physical medium and hence contend of the medium is always there such as noise, interference and fading. On ad hoc networks each node functions as a node and a router itself. It simply means there is no need of an additional switch or a router to route the data and the control is given to the nodes themselves. (Yang Li, 2010) 2.6 Mobile Ad hoc Networks: A Mobile Ad hoc Network is an autonomous network formed by hundreds or thousands of nodes. These networks dont need any infrastructure as they can act as a node and router itself. They are free to move anywhere in the network and are connected through radio links. The only limitation with the MANETs is that they can communicate in a particular rage of the radio waves and outside the network they need some additional arrangements to communicate. To overcome this limitation the Intermediate Node or sometimes called as Relays are brought into picture. Intermediate nodes help in forwarding the packets to the destination. In MANET nodes are free to travel anywhere in the network, hence network topology cannot be fixed for such networks and it keeps changing depending on the current location of the nodes. (ANTDS, 2001) The fundamental differences between the wired networks and MANET are: Asymmetric Links Redundant Link Interference Dynamic Topology 2.7 Characteristics of MANETs There are several MANET routing protocols which should handle the several inherent characteristics of MANETs as follows as mentioned in (Subbarao)(Jain, 2005): Dynamic Topologies: Since the MANET is infrastructure less ad hoc networks, the nodes are free to move arbitrarily. The mobility of nodes may be random and so unpredictable. So the links between the nodes may be unidirectional or bidirectional at times. Bandwidth Constrained, Variable Capacity Wireless Links: Wireless links generally are bandwidth constrained. Since there is a lower capacity in wireless links as compared to the wired links, the traffic congestion is typical rather than different. Energy/Power Constrained Operation: Energy consumption is vital in MANETs as these nodes operate typically off power limited sources. Some or all nodes in MANETs rely on batteries. Limited Physical Security: Wireless networks like MANETs are more vulnerable with the security issues available with them. Issues like eavesdropping, jammer attack, spoofing and denial of service attacks must be carefully considered. 2.8 Need of MANET Routing Protocols A mobile ad hoc routing protocol is used to discover new routes and maintain the existing routes between the nodes in the network. MANET (Mobile Ad Hoc Network) is the collecting of mobile nodes which are present in random manner in the network has the capacity to communicate and exchange information effectively over the network by facilitating the intermediate nodes for their communication. The essential task of a MANET protocol is to create or discover the correct and efficient routes between the nodes so that information can be delivered accurately with respect to time. Route construction should be done with less overhead and minimal bandwidth consumption for effective communication. 2.9 Applications of MANETs Applications of MANETs can be used in many critical situations today and are increasing widely. There are many applications of MANETs today and some of them are mentioned here. An ideal application is for search and rescue operations. Such kind of operations is characterized by the networks without having an infrastructure present. One of the reasons for this may be because all of the equipment was destroyed or may be the region is too remote. Rescuer must be capable of communicating to use their energy fairly and also they must maintain the security. Carrying the equipments for communication that the rescuers are already using makes the job easier. The commercial application for MANETs includes computing everywhere which means the mobile devices are free to move anywhere in the network and yet it is possible to be in communication with the devices. The computers are allowed to forward the data to another computer or data networks may be extended far beyond the considered reach. Such networks may be more widely available and much easier in use. Another important application of MANETs is Sensor Networks. Sensor networks are composed of very large number of small sensors which are able to detect number of properties of the area, for example; temperature, pressure, toxins, pollutions etc. In this case, the capability of sensor network is much limited. So there is always need to forward data to the central computer and for this purpose they have to rely upon others in order to forward data to the central computer. The sensor networks individually are limited in their computing capabilities but together can be very effective and the key to future homeland security. But individual sensors because of their limited computing capabilities can prove prone to failure and loss. There are many other applications of MANETs like personal area networking where the communicating nodes may be mobile phones, laptops etc. Also this has a potential in military operations with the nodes of the network as soldiers, tanks and airplanes. Many more areas includes civilian environment to diverse taxi cab networks, conference rooms, boats and ships. (Bluetronix, 2006) 2.10 Classification of Routing Protocols According to (Jain, 2005), ad hoc routing protocols can be classified mainly into two categories: Table driven (proactive) Routing 2.10.1 Proactive (Table-Driven) Routing Protocols These routing protocols are similar to and come as a natural extension of those for the wired networks. In proactive routing, each node has one or more tables that contain the latest information of the routes to any node in the network. Each row has the next hop for reaching a node/subnet and the cost of this route. Various table-driven protocols differ in the way the information about a change in topology is propagated through all nodes in the network. (LinuxOnly) In proactive routing protocol each node maintains the up to date routing information of all nodes in the network. Here each node maintains the routing table and broadcast it when there is a change in network topology. As soon as source needs the route to the destination it can select from the routing table. The routing table is exchanged periodically by broadcasting to all nodes in the network to keep track of the new message even though the topology is not changed. Each nodes has the routing information of all nodes in the network though most of it undesired. Advantages of proactive protocols are that the communication experiences a minimal delay and routes are up to date. Disadvantage is that the routes are broken as a result of mobility of nodes. (Chang) Following are the examples of table driven protocols: GSR and OLSR and some other proactive routing protocols are FSR, HSR, ZHLSR, CGSR and WRP etc. 2.10.1.1 OLSR (Optimized Link State Routing) OLSR Protocol is based on traditional link state algorithm which supports point to point routing strategy. In this strategy the nodes keeps exchanging the information periodically in order to maintain the network topology within the network. OLSR is an optimization version of link state protocols. That means it keeps flooding the topological changes information to all the hosts across the network when happens. OLSR is also proved beneficial for the reason that it minimizes the size of each control message exchanged and also it avoids each node to rebroadcast during the updating of the routes. It uses the Multi Point Replaying (MPR) strategy to do the above task. For MPR strategy each node creates a set of all of its neighbouring nodes, generally called multipoint relays of the node, in the network to transmit the packet once again. Each node in the particular set can receive and process the packet but only cannot retransmit it. To use MRPs, each node has to keep broadcasting periodic ally to all one hop neighbours using hello messages. Another method to reduce the overhead is to provide the shortest path. When the time interval is reduced for the control messages transmission, it can prove more reactive to the topological changes (Kuosmanen). The implementation of OLSR protocol basically uses two control messages; Hello message and Topology Control (TC). The hello messages are to be sent only one hop away from the host and are used for finding the link state information and hosts neighbours. MPR selector sets are constructed with Hello messages which explain which host in the network has chosen this host to act as MPR and using the information the host can select its own set of MPRs. The Topology control (TC) messages are to be broadcasted across entire network about the advertised neighbours and it includes at least the MPR selector list. As OLSR is proactive approach and it keeps updating the routing table periodically, the TC messages are also broadcasted periodically and the hosts with MPR selector set can only forward the TC messages. There can also be MID message which is Multiple Interface Declaration message to declare that the announcing hosts can have multiple OLSR interface addresses. And again MID message are broadcasted throughout entire network and only by MPRs. 2.10.2 Reactive (Source Initiated) Routing Protocols These protocols take a lazy approach to routing. They do not maintain or constantly update their route tables with the latest route topology. Reactive routing is also known as on-demand routing. The Reactive Routing Protocols are also called as Source initiated Demand Driven protocols. They are called so because the routes are discovered only when needed by source. Source initiated on demand networks cerates routing only when desired by the source node. When source wants to communicate with destination then it invokes the route discovery mechanism to find the path to the destination. The route discovery process is completed once a route is found or all possible are identified. Once the rout is formed between source and destination it is maintained by a route maintenance procedure until the destination becomes inaccessible or the route is no longer desired. (Chang) These Examples of reactive routing protocols are dynamic Source Routing (DSR), Ad hoc on-demand distance vector routing AODV, ABR, SSA, CBRP, and RDMAR. 2.10.2.1 AODV (Ad hoc On Demand Distance Vector) Ad hoc On Demand Distance Vector protocol as the name implies it is an On Demand that is, Reactive Protocol. AODV is capable of both unicast and multicast routing. It is an on demand algorithm, it means that it builds routes between nodes only as desired by source nodes. It uses the concepts of DSR routing for route discovery and route maintenance and DSDV protocol for the concept of sequence number. It uses sequence number concept to ensure the freshness of routes. The ad hoc on-demand Distance vector algorithm facilitates the self-starting, multi hop and dynamic routing between participating nodes to establish and maintain an ad hoc network. AODV algorithm enables the nodes to find the routes for new destinations as and when they are needed and the nodes are not required to maintain the routes to the destination that are not in the part of active communication. It also enables the nodes in the formation of multicast groups and enables the nodes to respond quickly to link breakages and topological changes in the network thus the operation of AODV is loop free and thus avoids the Balham Ford count to infinity problem. AODV routing protocol is a simple and effective routing protocol for Ad hoc networks. It also uses the concept of hop by hope routing and sequence numbers from DSDV protocol. The following are the message types defined by AODV they are: Route request (RREQ), Route replies (RREP), Route error (RERR) and group hellos (GRPH) this message types are handled by UDP and IP header. The route request message format contains the following fields: Source address: the address of the node which originates the route request Source Sequence number: the current sequence number to be used in deciding the route for the source request Destination address: the address of the target node for which the route is initialized. Destination Sequence numbers: the sequence number received by source for route towards the destination. Broadcast ID: The sequence number by which a RREQ route request can be uniquely identified. Hop counts: the number of the hops to be taken from the source node to reach the destination node that handles the Route request. The Route Reply message format contains the following fields Destination address: the address of the destination node for which the route is abounded Destination sequence number: the destination sequence number related to the route Source address: the address of the source node that originates the route request Lifetime: the time for which nodes receiving the route reply considers the route to be valid. Hop counts: the number of hops to be taken from source to destination. The route error message format contains the following fields: Unreachable destination address: The address of the destination that has become unreachable due to link failure. (Arbia, 2008) In AODV the only nodes that take active participation in routing process are the nodes that sit in direct path between source and destination. The nodes which do not lie on active path do not take participate or maintain the routing table, thus AODV minimize the number of control messages sent between two nodes. As long as there is a valid routes between the source and destination for communication, AODV does not play any role and when a new route to a new destination is required and if the route to the destination does not exist only then the source node initialize the route discovery process by broadcasting the RREQ message to find the route to destination. The Mobile Ad Hoc Networks MANET Mobile Ad Hoc Networks MANET Abstract Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) is a wireless network capable of autonomous operation. MANET routing has no fixed base station and hence nodes in the network are mobile and self configuring. A MANET is characterized by multi hop routing so that nodes are not connected to layer 2 but can communicate through layer 3 routing. In MANET every node is a potential router and the topologies are dynamic due to node mobility. This paper presents a comprehensive study of four MANET routing protocols ADOV (Ad Hoc On demand Distance Vector), DSR (Dynamic Source Routing), OLSR (Optimized Link State Routing) and TORA (Temporally Ordered Routing Algorithm). For experimental purpose six scenarios have been considered. These 6 scenarios are generated with 3 different traffic parameters namely high resolution video, light HTTP and high FTP load. This traffic was passed individually on to each scenario on 2 different node setup (20, 100 nodes). Finally, graphical evaluation of each protocol was based on t heir performances which are calculated on the basis of performance metrics used which are End to end delay, Network load and Throughput. Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter demonstrates a brief overview of the project. Now days in our day to day life we see so many changes around the world accelerating with respect to technology. In this technical world Internet has brought revolution in communication media. Communication is said to the method of information exchange either between two people or between two end users (in terms of computers). Communication is said to be done when a file or a message is passed over the medium among two people. Here the usage of internet comes into existence. Internet can be used as shared medium for information interchange between users around the globe. This information can be of any type: Short Message Mail File transfers Video Audio etc When these types of information are passed among internet, it uses either the wired media (for connecting users locally) or wireless media (for connecting locally or globally). When this information exchange is done the packets carry that information through the protocols available for the respective media to deliver the packet to the destination. This is the process of information exchange. In this paper, similar work is experimented over MANET (Mobile Ad Hoc Networks) [chapter 2] for information exchange using four different protocols. This setup was done internally over a virtual setup of networks using OPNET modeller 14.5. So the investigation of protocols is done based on the performance of each protocol. In the scenarios, each protocol is passed with 3 different types of traffics namely: High FTP load, High Resolution Video and Light HTTP Browsing. This thesis concludes the performance of four routing protocols towards through the end. Keywords: MANET, AODV, OLSR, TORA, DSR, OPNET Modeler 14.5. 1.1 Organisation of Thesis: This thesis gives an overview of how the project is organised with respect to each chapter. The very first chapter is Introduction of the Thesis, which shows a project idea and the tasks to achieve the goals. Second chapter Literature Survey which contains the studies and work which has been done previously by other authors on the related topics with the parameters used by them for their work. The scenarios used for my work are related somewhere by overall different results are taken with different parameters used. Again the classification and the background work of MANETs are explained following the comparison of MANET routing protocols. The parameters and scenarios used for my work are explained briefly with the simulation setup in chapter 3, Implementation. The results of the simulations and experiments performed are explained in chapter 4, Performance Evaluation and Design. The results are taken graphically which helps in comparing the results for routing protocols against the pe rformance metrics used to investigate the performance. The graphs are explained briefly in chapter 4. The results gathered with the help of scenarios in chapter 3 are concluded with the future work on the routing protocols in chapter 5, Conclusion and Future Work. Finally the supported documents for the project which helped in making the simulation and project start up is kept in Appendix A. And finally chapter 6 shows all the sources and references used for the thesis to help in achieving all the supported information and work. 1.2 Objective of Work The main objective of this work is to study the different routing protocols, which are developed for Mobile Ad hoc networks (MANETs), and to compare the different routing protocols by using simulation tool OPNET Modeler 14.5. As a part of the work four major routing protocols OLSR, AODV, DSR and TORA have been selected and carried out the simulations for comparing the performance of these protocols. Three performance metrics delay; Network Load and Throughput are used to compare the performance of the routing protocols. Objective 1 To get a clear understanding and functioning of different routing protocols for Mobile Ad hoc networks. This objective could be achieved by reading and understanding the various papers available on routing protocols of Mobile Ad hoc networks. Objective 2 To do a literature survey of previous work done on MANET Routing Protocols so that something different and efficient simulation could be introduced. For this objective different articles and papers published has been studied thoroughly and analysed from websites, books and all relevant resources available. By going through literature survey on routing protocols, the desired simulation environment and setup have been introduced with different simulation parameters. Literature Survey is explained in chapter 2. Objective 3 Conducting an experiment and collecting the output data: This objective has been achieved by designing the appropriate networks with the appropriate simulation parameters and running a simulation for different protocols for different performance metrics. After conducting the simulation the output data have been collected graphically. The results are shown graphically and explained in the project in chapter 4. Objective 4 Analyzing the output data and ending up with summary and the conclusion: The results have been studied and explained in chapter 4. After studying the simulation results conclusion has been made with some future work which can be done further. Conclusion of the project and future work is explained in chapter 5. Chapter 2: Literature Survey 2.1 Introduction This chapter gives a brief introduction about the work done in previous related papers and reports related to this project. In addition, the introduction to the routing protocols and their classification with respect to routing is demonstrated. This chapter is a short review of the previous work done and the additional objectives regarding routing protocols. The four MANET routing protocols are selected to evaluate the performances; they are OLSR, AODV, DSR and TORA. The further implementations of these protocols are explained later in this thesis (Chapter 3). MANET is an infrastructure less network which provides the freedom to the nodes to be free to move anywhere in the network (Stefano Basagni, 2004). 2.2 Related Work on Routing Protocols: As we see from (Mahmoud), analysis of two reactive protocols DSR and TORA were done using OPNET Modeller. In their simulation scenario, they used 50 wireless devices in each scenario with constant traffic parameters and protocol specification settings. They have passed FTP traffic of 1000 bytes making it constant throughout the simulation. Evaluation of these protocols was done based on the performance metrics used which are: Delay, Data dropped, Throughput and media access delay. Their simulation results shows that DSR performance was better than TORA in terms of throughput as TORA produces less throughput due to additional overhead used for path creation and path maintenance. At the same time TORA minimizes communication overhead by localization which results in less delay when compared to DSR as there is no such mechanism in DSR. Similarly, from (Zukarnain, 2009) they have done evaluation of MANET routing protocol AODV in order to establish the connection between the nodes since the mobile node can change their topology frequently. So their study was carried on different mobile node movement pattern which are: Random Waypoint Mobility Model, Random Walk Mobility Model and Random Direction Mobility Model. In order to evaluate the performance of the protocol with these node movement patterns, performance metrics used were Routing overhead, Throughput and Packet delivery ratio. They used 2 simulation scenarios where in the first scenario comparison was made on different mobility model varying different number of nodes 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 with fixed speed of 15m/s and in other case comparison was made to evaluate the protocol on different mobility models with varying speeds 5, 10, 15, 20 m/s and 50 nodes as constant all through. They concluded that Random waypoint model is best for AODV compared to other mobility m odels as the protocol produces highest throughput than compared to others. Other related work from (Nyirenda, 2009) gives the similar working of MANET routing protocols AODV, OLSR, DSR and TORA on OPNET 14.5. Their work carried out for study the performance of the four protocols by different performance metrics which are: Network load, Packet delivery ratio, Packet end-to-end delay and Throughput. The simulation setup which was implemented on 6 different scenarios where the traffic passing on to the network was ranging from low to high network load, nodes changing from 5, 20, 50 and with speed ranging from 10 m/s to 28 m/s. Mobility model used in this was Random waypoint model for mobility pattern. They conclusions included in their work showed that OLSR performed better compared to the other protocols as it has a bad routing overhead and hence it is well suited for large and complex networks. So apart from routing overhead OLSR performed better but with routing overhead DSR is better. But when in small network AODV is much better compared to other protocol s. So finally, proactive protocols perform well in high capacity links whereas reactive protocols perform better in low capacity networks. From another paper (Maltz, 2001), we see that working on demand routing protocols in MANET was done where DSR protocol was compared to other on demand protocols like AODV, TORA and DSDV. Simulation setup carried is represented in tables below: With the above simulation setup the protocols were evaluated based on the performance metrics used which was Packet delivery ratio, Routing overhead, Path optimality and lower speed of nodes. The conclusions showed that DSR performed well when referred to packet loss rate and routing over head is concerned. Of all careful implementation done with all the above parameters tested on the experiment test beds DSR out performed in every case scenario used when compared all the other protocols used in this setup. 2.3 Background Work A network can be said as association of different systems or organizations where sharing the information can be done collectively. Whereas in computing terms it can be simply defined as a group of computers connected together logically to share information like printing, faxing, etc The network can be divided into 2 types based on their working behaviour. They are: Infrastructure network: These networks are used where the topology is said to be limited and there is a fixed point like base station (generally referred as router) to transmit signals and the end points which are connected to base station communicate with each other devices on the network switching from one base station to another. When a node moves out of range within its network, then it is said to be connected to another base station range where this process is referred as handoff. We can often see this type of mechanisms in infrastructure and fixed or wired networks. Infrastructure less network: These networks are a typical type of networks where there are no such fixed nodes or topologies on the network and the end pints or devices on the network are free to communicate with each other devices on the network as each device on the network behave themselves as routers and encourages communication process all over the network. By this we can say that wireless technology is a promising technology that can tolerate the information exchange worldwide. In the last decade we can also see the constant increase in the growth wireless technology issues, one of which being mobile devices such as laptops, cell phones, PDAs etc Ad hoc networks are also the part of this type of network. Mobile Ad hoc network is a new technology emerged with the hypothesis of wireless networks. These networks are very typical and do not use any fixed infrastructure for communication process. The nodes connected in these networks are wireless links which are mobile in nature and communicate with each other mobile node in the network with radio transmission and topology is said to establish by the intermediate nodes on the network which are helpful for communication process. As there are no fixed infrastructure and limited topology constraints the nodes on the network are free to join and leave the network and this is possible as the nodes on the network are mobile. Due to this random movement of the nodes in the network the topology of the network changes dynamically. Due to this change protocol must be able to acclimatize with these movements and are also responsible to maintain the routes of the information travelled without disturbing network connectivity. This concept of ad hoc network allows each node on its network to act like router, resulting in the flow of information exchange with multi hop routing. These types of networks are widely used in military and other rescue applications. (Saadawi, 2003) 2.4 Routing: Routing is the process of moving the data from one place of the network to another. The one end should be the source which intends to transfer the data to the destination (other end). The concept of routing has been there since 1970s but it has caught the move in 1980s. In 1970s networks were simple and today there are large scale networks in existence. To move the data from one host to another at least one router is required in the network. Router has all the information regarding hosts in the network and it can manipulate the best possible route as well. (Javvin, 2004) Routing takes place at Layer 3 in OSI 7 layer Model. Some of the protocols at layer 3 are IP and IS-IS. These protocols carry the data between source and destination along with their addresses in the data packet. Routing involves two basic activities; Path Determination and Switching. These two activities are capable to determine the optical routing path and to transfer the data packets through internetworking. This is called Switching. Switching can still be easy where as determining the reliable path is difficult. Path Determination: Routing make use of the different routing protocols to determine the best possible path to deliver the data. Routing protocols use the metric to calculate which the best possible path to accomplish the task is. The metric used could be path bandwidth, path length, delay etc. to determine the optimal path. To determine the path in the network, routing algorithms maintains the routing tables which are used to store the routing information about the network. Routers communicate with each other in order to maintain their routing tables which make communication easier and faster. Routing information can vary according to the routing algorithm used for the process. (Cisco, 2010) Switching: Apart from path determination, router shows one more activity; Packet Switching. Switching simply means forwarding the required data from one interface to the another in order to reach the destination. In this case, the data to be forwarded is packet. The next interface address is decided by using the destination address present in the packet. Though the nodes know the next hop address, they still need to know how to use it. So for that reason they use routing tables. The routing table throws the packet away when the destination is unknown. But when the destination is known routing table posses all the interface information forming the route to the destination. (2006) The next hop address could be another host or either it could be a router. According to ISO developed hierarchical terminology, the systems which have the capability to forward the data from the source to the destination are called Intermediate Systems (IS) and the systems which fails to do so are called as End systems (ES). When it is a router it follows the same procedure as this one, and if it is a host it simply forwards the packet. In packet switching, the Layer 3 address of the source and the destination remains the same to authenticate the original sender and the receiver. However the Layer 2 address (MAC) changes from router to router and from router to host which at last determines the destination host. (Cisco, 2010) 2.5 Ad hoc Networks An ad hoc network is a collection of many autonomous nodes connected together by radio waves and maintain the connectivity in decentralised manner. Wireless ad hoc networks are connected through wireless links so there is no need of any physical medium and hence contend of the medium is always there such as noise, interference and fading. On ad hoc networks each node functions as a node and a router itself. It simply means there is no need of an additional switch or a router to route the data and the control is given to the nodes themselves. (Yang Li, 2010) 2.6 Mobile Ad hoc Networks: A Mobile Ad hoc Network is an autonomous network formed by hundreds or thousands of nodes. These networks dont need any infrastructure as they can act as a node and router itself. They are free to move anywhere in the network and are connected through radio links. The only limitation with the MANETs is that they can communicate in a particular rage of the radio waves and outside the network they need some additional arrangements to communicate. To overcome this limitation the Intermediate Node or sometimes called as Relays are brought into picture. Intermediate nodes help in forwarding the packets to the destination. In MANET nodes are free to travel anywhere in the network, hence network topology cannot be fixed for such networks and it keeps changing depending on the current location of the nodes. (ANTDS, 2001) The fundamental differences between the wired networks and MANET are: Asymmetric Links Redundant Link Interference Dynamic Topology 2.7 Characteristics of MANETs There are several MANET routing protocols which should handle the several inherent characteristics of MANETs as follows as mentioned in (Subbarao)(Jain, 2005): Dynamic Topologies: Since the MANET is infrastructure less ad hoc networks, the nodes are free to move arbitrarily. The mobility of nodes may be random and so unpredictable. So the links between the nodes may be unidirectional or bidirectional at times. Bandwidth Constrained, Variable Capacity Wireless Links: Wireless links generally are bandwidth constrained. Since there is a lower capacity in wireless links as compared to the wired links, the traffic congestion is typical rather than different. Energy/Power Constrained Operation: Energy consumption is vital in MANETs as these nodes operate typically off power limited sources. Some or all nodes in MANETs rely on batteries. Limited Physical Security: Wireless networks like MANETs are more vulnerable with the security issues available with them. Issues like eavesdropping, jammer attack, spoofing and denial of service attacks must be carefully considered. 2.8 Need of MANET Routing Protocols A mobile ad hoc routing protocol is used to discover new routes and maintain the existing routes between the nodes in the network. MANET (Mobile Ad Hoc Network) is the collecting of mobile nodes which are present in random manner in the network has the capacity to communicate and exchange information effectively over the network by facilitating the intermediate nodes for their communication. The essential task of a MANET protocol is to create or discover the correct and efficient routes between the nodes so that information can be delivered accurately with respect to time. Route construction should be done with less overhead and minimal bandwidth consumption for effective communication. 2.9 Applications of MANETs Applications of MANETs can be used in many critical situations today and are increasing widely. There are many applications of MANETs today and some of them are mentioned here. An ideal application is for search and rescue operations. Such kind of operations is characterized by the networks without having an infrastructure present. One of the reasons for this may be because all of the equipment was destroyed or may be the region is too remote. Rescuer must be capable of communicating to use their energy fairly and also they must maintain the security. Carrying the equipments for communication that the rescuers are already using makes the job easier. The commercial application for MANETs includes computing everywhere which means the mobile devices are free to move anywhere in the network and yet it is possible to be in communication with the devices. The computers are allowed to forward the data to another computer or data networks may be extended far beyond the considered reach. Such networks may be more widely available and much easier in use. Another important application of MANETs is Sensor Networks. Sensor networks are composed of very large number of small sensors which are able to detect number of properties of the area, for example; temperature, pressure, toxins, pollutions etc. In this case, the capability of sensor network is much limited. So there is always need to forward data to the central computer and for this purpose they have to rely upon others in order to forward data to the central computer. The sensor networks individually are limited in their computing capabilities but together can be very effective and the key to future homeland security. But individual sensors because of their limited computing capabilities can prove prone to failure and loss. There are many other applications of MANETs like personal area networking where the communicating nodes may be mobile phones, laptops etc. Also this has a potential in military operations with the nodes of the network as soldiers, tanks and airplanes. Many more areas includes civilian environment to diverse taxi cab networks, conference rooms, boats and ships. (Bluetronix, 2006) 2.10 Classification of Routing Protocols According to (Jain, 2005), ad hoc routing protocols can be classified mainly into two categories: Table driven (proactive) Routing 2.10.1 Proactive (Table-Driven) Routing Protocols These routing protocols are similar to and come as a natural extension of those for the wired networks. In proactive routing, each node has one or more tables that contain the latest information of the routes to any node in the network. Each row has the next hop for reaching a node/subnet and the cost of this route. Various table-driven protocols differ in the way the information about a change in topology is propagated through all nodes in the network. (LinuxOnly) In proactive routing protocol each node maintains the up to date routing information of all nodes in the network. Here each node maintains the routing table and broadcast it when there is a change in network topology. As soon as source needs the route to the destination it can select from the routing table. The routing table is exchanged periodically by broadcasting to all nodes in the network to keep track of the new message even though the topology is not changed. Each nodes has the routing information of all nodes in the network though most of it undesired. Advantages of proactive protocols are that the communication experiences a minimal delay and routes are up to date. Disadvantage is that the routes are broken as a result of mobility of nodes. (Chang) Following are the examples of table driven protocols: GSR and OLSR and some other proactive routing protocols are FSR, HSR, ZHLSR, CGSR and WRP etc. 2.10.1.1 OLSR (Optimized Link State Routing) OLSR Protocol is based on traditional link state algorithm which supports point to point routing strategy. In this strategy the nodes keeps exchanging the information periodically in order to maintain the network topology within the network. OLSR is an optimization version of link state protocols. That means it keeps flooding the topological changes information to all the hosts across the network when happens. OLSR is also proved beneficial for the reason that it minimizes the size of each control message exchanged and also it avoids each node to rebroadcast during the updating of the routes. It uses the Multi Point Replaying (MPR) strategy to do the above task. For MPR strategy each node creates a set of all of its neighbouring nodes, generally called multipoint relays of the node, in the network to transmit the packet once again. Each node in the particular set can receive and process the packet but only cannot retransmit it. To use MRPs, each node has to keep broadcasting periodic ally to all one hop neighbours using hello messages. Another method to reduce the overhead is to provide the shortest path. When the time interval is reduced for the control messages transmission, it can prove more reactive to the topological changes (Kuosmanen). The implementation of OLSR protocol basically uses two control messages; Hello message and Topology Control (TC). The hello messages are to be sent only one hop away from the host and are used for finding the link state information and hosts neighbours. MPR selector sets are constructed with Hello messages which explain which host in the network has chosen this host to act as MPR and using the information the host can select its own set of MPRs. The Topology control (TC) messages are to be broadcasted across entire network about the advertised neighbours and it includes at least the MPR selector list. As OLSR is proactive approach and it keeps updating the routing table periodically, the TC messages are also broadcasted periodically and the hosts with MPR selector set can only forward the TC messages. There can also be MID message which is Multiple Interface Declaration message to declare that the announcing hosts can have multiple OLSR interface addresses. And again MID message are broadcasted throughout entire network and only by MPRs. 2.10.2 Reactive (Source Initiated) Routing Protocols These protocols take a lazy approach to routing. They do not maintain or constantly update their route tables with the latest route topology. Reactive routing is also known as on-demand routing. The Reactive Routing Protocols are also called as Source initiated Demand Driven protocols. They are called so because the routes are discovered only when needed by source. Source initiated on demand networks cerates routing only when desired by the source node. When source wants to communicate with destination then it invokes the route discovery mechanism to find the path to the destination. The route discovery process is completed once a route is found or all possible are identified. Once the rout is formed between source and destination it is maintained by a route maintenance procedure until the destination becomes inaccessible or the route is no longer desired. (Chang) These Examples of reactive routing protocols are dynamic Source Routing (DSR), Ad hoc on-demand distance vector routing AODV, ABR, SSA, CBRP, and RDMAR. 2.10.2.1 AODV (Ad hoc On Demand Distance Vector) Ad hoc On Demand Distance Vector protocol as the name implies it is an On Demand that is, Reactive Protocol. AODV is capable of both unicast and multicast routing. It is an on demand algorithm, it means that it builds routes between nodes only as desired by source nodes. It uses the concepts of DSR routing for route discovery and route maintenance and DSDV protocol for the concept of sequence number. It uses sequence number concept to ensure the freshness of routes. The ad hoc on-demand Distance vector algorithm facilitates the self-starting, multi hop and dynamic routing between participating nodes to establish and maintain an ad hoc network. AODV algorithm enables the nodes to find the routes for new destinations as and when they are needed and the nodes are not required to maintain the routes to the destination that are not in the part of active communication. It also enables the nodes in the formation of multicast groups and enables the nodes to respond quickly to link breakages and topological changes in the network thus the operation of AODV is loop free and thus avoids the Balham Ford count to infinity problem. AODV routing protocol is a simple and effective routing protocol for Ad hoc networks. It also uses the concept of hop by hope routing and sequence numbers from DSDV protocol. The following are the message types defined by AODV they are: Route request (RREQ), Route replies (RREP), Route error (RERR) and group hellos (GRPH) this message types are handled by UDP and IP header. The route request message format contains the following fields: Source address: the address of the node which originates the route request Source Sequence number: the current sequence number to be used in deciding the route for the source request Destination address: the address of the target node for which the route is initialized. Destination Sequence numbers: the sequence number received by source for route towards the destination. Broadcast ID: The sequence number by which a RREQ route request can be uniquely identified. Hop counts: the number of the hops to be taken from the source node to reach the destination node that handles the Route request. The Route Reply message format contains the following fields Destination address: the address of the destination node for which the route is abounded Destination sequence number: the destination sequence number related to the route Source address: the address of the source node that originates the route request Lifetime: the time for which nodes receiving the route reply considers the route to be valid. Hop counts: the number of hops to be taken from source to destination. The route error message format contains the following fields: Unreachable destination address: The address of the destination that has become unreachable due to link failure. (Arbia, 2008) In AODV the only nodes that take active participation in routing process are the nodes that sit in direct path between source and destination. The nodes which do not lie on active path do not take participate or maintain the routing table, thus AODV minimize the number of control messages sent between two nodes. As long as there is a valid routes between the source and destination for communication, AODV does not play any role and when a new route to a new destination is required and if the route to the destination does not exist only then the source node initialize the route discovery process by broadcasting the RREQ message to find the route to destination. The

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Com Essay -- essays research papers

In Kenneth Branaghs film Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the director, Kenneth Branagh sticks to the major themes of the original book with minute changes. There are many similarities and differences between the book and Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of the book. I believe Mary Shelley wanted readers to catch the themes of child abandonment, presented in Victor abandoning his creature. She also wanted readers to have compassion and sympathy for the abandoned creature that Victor created out of dead body parts. Shelley wanted the creature to be similar to Victor in many ways. Shelley wanted to show the relation between life and death, and the unbreakable laws of nature. Shelley wanted readers to realize that we need to accept life and death, and not try to control it because life is the “Act of God'; and we cannot change that. She was implying that there are consequences for fooling with these laws of life and death. Even if you can create life out of dead body parts, ju st doing that, may ruin your whole perspective of the world, and throw anyone into a state of depression. This movie “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein'; by Kenneth Branagh is a good representation of the original book overall, except for a few changes in plot, setting, characters,, and the relationships between them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many similarities and differences in the plot between the book and the latest Frankenstein film. Kenneth Branagh w...

Rjft Organizational Management Task 2

Organizational Management RJFT2 Task 2 A1. The Utah Symphony was recognized as a Group II orchestra. Group I and Group II are distinguished by the endowment amount and level of annual expenditures. For the year of 2001-2002, the average endowment for Group I orchestras was around $76 million and $8. 8 million for Group II orchestras. The Utah Symphony came in just shy of $12. 2 million in 2000-2001 and was projected to be upwards of $13. 7 million for 2001-2002. That being said, the Utah Symphony was considered to be at the top end of Group II symphony orchestras in the United States (Ager & Delong, 2005).However, even with these strengths within the symphony, prior to the proposed merger of the two organizations, the Utah Symphony’s financial state was declining. There were several factors due to the weak financial state. The musicians were part of a union, which negotiated a contract requiring high salaries, benefits and annual pay increases, which would cause the organizati ons expenses to increase. So, while revenue was projected to increase, this was offset by the increase in expenses. The cash balance was $116,308 in fiscal year 2000-2001 and projected at $2,042 for the following year, yet another financial weakness.In order to ensure a successful start of the merger, Anne would need to would need to come up with a plan. She could start by addressing the musician’s salaries. By referring to the board, as well as union leaders, Anne can learn about the requests specifications of the last negotiation. When presenting a new contract, she can influence the musicians to either take a lower wage or not to take a pay increase by showing them the income statement and explaining that the life of the organization is dependent on cutting costs and increasing revenue.Through this, she can show how the organization will not be able to operate at a surplus if expenses continue to increase, offsetting the revenue earned. Eliminating pay raises could be pres ented as a temporary fix, or worst case scenario (assuming the organization would survive on its own without the merger and the musicians would be able to keep their jobs), wages could be decreased. Through this approach, she can show them that the success of the symphony and them keeping their jobs are dependent upon each other, but changes need to be made. In response to the increasing expenses offsetting he revenues, Anne could research their fundraising opportunities to determine what it is they do well and what could be improved. She can use fundraising ideas that work for her current organization as well as from the past. As there are financial strengths and weaknesses of the Utah Symphony, that applies to leadership as well. The organizations greatest strength in leadership is with Lockhart. Lockhart is known as one of the top rated conductors and his relationship with the musicians is very healthy. They look to him to support the group when decisions are being made.While thi s is strong, the board also appreciates and respects the leader, not wanting to compromise the relationship they have with him. Strength about this group is that Scott Parker, chairman of the board, realizes the difficulties the group is facing and cares enough to do something about it. While the symphony has great leaders, there are also some weaknesses involved. It’s possible that Lockhart’s focus is geared too much on the musicians and not enough on the survival of the organization. Parker is scheduled to move to New York and will be replaced by Peterson mid-merger.This could cause some confusion or instability due to lack of initial involvement on Peterson’s part. Another weakness is that there is no CEO. This organization needs a well defined leader to succeed. Anne will obviously have some leadership obstacles to overcome to ensure the successful start of the merger. Anne will need to convince Lockhart that while it is important to have the relationships h e has with the musicians, it is important that this does not block his vision of the overall organization. He is a leader of the group and should focus on the well being of the organization.She can do this by showing Lockhart that the two (musicians and organization) are dependent upon each other, without musicians, there would be no symphony; likewise, without no symphony, there would be no jobs for the musicians. Also, with Parker moving to New York during the middle of the merger, Peterson will have some catching up to do. Anne should meet with Peterson periodically if possible before he joins the team full-time. She should also provide him updates as the process continues via face to face meetings, emails, phone calls, etc. Once he is full time, the merger should be his primary focus.Anne should also introduce him to Bill Bailey so that he can gather input from someone at the same level. In addition to that, Ewers should request ongoing open communication with Parker as a refere nce to help ensure the start of the merger is secure. A2. Unlike the financial and leadership status of the symphony, the opera appears to be in a much healthier state. Financially, the total revenue and contributions totaling approximately $5 million far outweighs expenses, leaving a surplus of $582,409 in fiscal year 2000-2001 and is projected to continue the same trend in the following year.Not only do they have a solid surplus, the opera is also financially stable in terms of assets. The large costume inventory and 2. 9 acres of land accumulate to roughly $4. 8 million in assets. Due to the strong financial state, no weaknesses were identified. In order to maintain the organization’s current financial state, Anne should be proactive and continue to coordinate fundraising, and seek funding through other areas. If the merger were to take place, the amount of performances would increase, boosting attendance and sales as well as overall revenue. Just as the financial state of the opera is healthy, the leadership is as well.Anne has brought with her many accomplishments throughout her past experiences. While holding the general director position of Boston Lyric Opera, she was able to retire a $450,000 debt that was passed on to her from her predecessor. While there, she also built an endowment fund as well as increasing the number of productions from one to three. Anne also held the role of assistant director of both the San Francisco Opera and Canadian Opera Company. Within the USA and internationally, she has had the opportunity to act as stage director for more than 60 opera productions.During her 11 year tenure at UOC, she grew the organization’s annual budget from $1. 5 million to $5 million. Anne has a record of being successful at fundraising and is admired by both the opera and symphony boards. With this strong leadership, Anne will have lots of insight on how to address situations that come her way, based on her previous experience. The o ne weakness that is displayed is the resignation of Leslie Peterson. Leslie is the daughter of Glade Peterson, founder of the opera and is director of operations.Due to her disagreeing on the direction that the management is taking and her concerns about the merger, she resigned. To ensure a successful start of the merger, Anne has a few options. If the organization values Leslie and doesn’t want to see her go, Anne could meet with her and explain the plans for the merger. She could reassure Peterson that what her father built would remain the foundation of the organization going forward as it is built upon. Another direction Ewers could take would be to promote someone from within or hire a new addition to the team to replace Peterson.By replacing her, someone with a positive, supportive attitude that is excited and eager about the new merger would be a good fit for the combined groups. Anne could even look at replacing her with someone from the symphony to gain further trus t and respect from that group. With very little leadership weakness, this is one less thing Anne has to worry about. A3. The Utah Symphony could be considered as having a combination of two different cultures, create- looking to grow and expand, and collaborative- having an extended family feel.However, the collaborative culture best fits this organization. In organizations like this, employees work closely with one another. Employees can look to their leaders as supportive figures and feel fulfilled and safe with the work they do (Kelly, 2010). An example of this is Keith Lockhart and his relationship between the musicians and the board. Keith’s primary concern is the musicians. The business review also stated that the board would ultimately not move forward with the merger if Keith did not approve (Ager & Delong, 2005).The analysis of the scorecard is as follows: 1. Financial: The goal is to be financially stable and profitable by maintaining the same ticket price but incre asing fundraising to be able to do so and measuring this by profitability. This addresses their financial weakness as listed above (by remaining profitable, the 83 symphony members will be able to keep their jobs). In regards to their organizational culture, this supports collaborative culture, securing and supporting musician positions. 2.Customer: The goal is to meet customer wants and demands of seeing world-class performers appear and the organization can make this happen by hiring the top notch talent. To measure if they are successful at this, they will gather reviews and feedback from customers to gauge how well they are meeting demands. Through constructive feedback, the symphony will know if they are reaching their goal and delivering what customers want. Positive feedback will assure the group that their goals are being reached. The Utah Symphony envisions being world class and this is compliant with the vision. . Internal Process: Through the renegotiation of contracts wi th the musicians, their goal is to have some flexibility in decreasing expenses. The organization can measure this through the improvement of profitability. This was addressed earlier as a financial weakness and noted that if Anne is able to renegotiate contracts the organization would benefit financially. 4. Learning and Growth: The goal here is to offer a wider variety of symphonies to appeal to different audiences. This can be done by marketing towards those targeted groups, advertising symphonies of interest.An increase in ticket sales and returning audience is how this will be measured. While this exact scenario wasn’t listed above, it does reflect on the overall financial weakness and addresses the reducing the weakness by increasing profitability. All areas of this scorecard help address the financial weakness of the symphony and how to help alleviate it. In regards to the leadership weaknesses, the scorecard does not directly address them, but in the event they move f orward with the merger, they (leadership weaknesses) will be addressed then.The Utah Opera’s vision is to become a nationally renowned opera house by improving the quality of performances and increasing endowment funds. A complete organizational culture would best describe this organization. Complete cultures bring a results-driven environment and focus on success and reputation (Kelly, 2010). The culture differs from that of the symphony because the performers are not employed full time here, therefore lacking the extended family aspect as seen with the musicians. The analysis of the scorecard is as follows: 1.Financial: Through raising additional funds and realizing endowments, the groups’ goal is to be financially stable and obtain an increasing reserve fund. This goal will be measured by improving the reserve fund amount. As stated earlier, the financial stability of the opera is healthy and this shows one of the strengths of the group. 2. Customer: By excelling in the quality of performances and increasing patron attendance to full capacity or nearly selling-out, the goal of having regionally and nationally acclaimed opera performances will be reached.This will increase ticket sales, resulting in an increase profit. Through this increased attraction, investments will increase, maintaining the organizations’ strength of being financially sound. 3. Internal Process: The goal to maintain financial stability and to attract top talent is dependent on successful negotiations with the top performers. Customer reviews and profitability are measurements of this process. Top talent performances will increase ticket sales and will also allow the organization to grow both nationally and internationally through these popular performers.The boards’ vision will come to fruition in the event that this goal is met. 4. Learning and Growth: Setting this goal of 5 high-quality performances per year relies on measuring the endowment fund growth and increasing ticket sales. This can be measured by covering capital need by revenue from the ticket sales. With the growing group, individuals will be more likely to invest, adding to the groups’ financial strength yet again. In terms of the Utah Opera, all four aspects of this scorecard focus on strengthening their existing financial stability. This will help achieve the goals and vision the group has set.While the financial strengths are established in the scorecard, the leadership weaknesses are not addressed. However, the leadership weakness did not exist in the individual organization until the merger was made public and Peterson resigned, and therefore does not require being addressed. B. Merged Company Balanced Scorecard: The vision of the new company is to attract top performers while providing quality performances, being noted as a successful merged opera/symphony combination following the merger and maintaining a profitable organization while doing so. 1. Financial: Strategic Goal- Secure financial stability throughout the entire organization * Critical Success Factor- Maintain funding through opera patrons and increase the symphony’s through endowments and fundraising * Measure- Recognizing an overall increase in Surplus of the combined groups from one fiscal year to the next 2. Customer: * Strategic Goal- Through combining the opera and symphony, become known nationally (and internationally if possible) as one of the first successful at accomplishing this merger, therefore bringing in top talent that draws a wider range of performance- goers * Critical Success Factor- Recruiting op rated performers that viewers would be interested in seeing and that would bring extra attention to the organization * Measure- The organization would see performance attendees and ticket sales both increase 3. Internal Process: * Strategic Goal- Having revenue far exceed expenses, leaving a much larger surplus * Critical Success Factor- Negotiating new cont racts with the union for the musicians to hold off on pay raises and/or reduce salaries.Also, increasing fundraising and endowments * Measure- Successful increase in funding (endowments and fund-raising) as well as successful contract negotiations, reflected by an increased surplus 4. Learning and Growth: * Strategic Goal- Diversifying performances to attract different genres * Critical Success Factor- Making each performance unique and different from the last to attract different performance- goers * Measure- Gauge first time audience attendee by survey upon exiting performance and gather feedback C.When reviewing the proposed merged company, there will be some strengths and weaknesses of the new organization pertaining to each aspect of the scorecard as follows: 1. Financial: Historically, Anne has been successful in maintaining a healthy financial state of the opera. She exceeds in fundraising and attracting new endowments and is reflected in the surplus shown in Exhibit 3 (Ager & Delong, 2005). However, the weakness of the proposed merged company is the lack of a healthy financial state for the symphony. While their revenue appears much larger than that of the opera, so are expenses.Through the addition of the symphony, the financial state will decrease the strength of the opera, in turn weakening the overall financial state. The contract negotiations and work to increase endowments and fundraising will help alleviate this weakness. 2. Customer: When combining the two groups, they will have a greater ability to bring in more well known special performers. This potentially will bring in new patrons. However, through this strength, also comes a weakness- they would need to figure out how to attract these new customers to get them to the performances.This could be resolved through advertisement and support of community involvement. From being involved with the community, they will have the opportunity to hear what patrons would like to see, and gauge performa nces based on interest. 3. Internal Process: The strength as the combined group is that they will be much more capable of offering a wider variety of arts. With the management team they have and past challenges they have accomplished, the two groups together will be able to succeed in things on a larger scale.The one weakness to having such a strong internal process is not having enough funding to support efforts. As mentioned above, funding issues can be resolved through contract negotiations, increased endowment contributions and fundraising. 4. Learning and Growth: Together, as one organization, they will be able to grow through recruiting top rated talent for performances and learn what it is that their customers want to see. While this is growing, the slight weakness they will encounter is the time it takes for the economy to rebound and for sales to start increasing.D. During the merger process, a few highly probable issues could arise in finance, human resources, and customer satisfaction. Financially, the opera is sound. However they will more than likely become reduced due to the fact that they will have to help make up for the lack of financial stability of the symphony. Eventually, this can be resolved through contract negotiations with the musicians, increased fundraising and endowments, and through the economic rebound, allowing more viewers to attend performances.In regards to human resources, an issue will probably arise when Ewers approaches the union to re-negotiate contracts. While both the organization and the musicians are dependent upon each other, some sort of agreement will have to be worked out and the human resources department will need to be involved. Finally, with all of the skepticism brewing in the community of combining the two groups, there will more than likely be some contributors that will be hesitant to continue donating their normal contributions.While it will be a difficult challenge to overcome, the new organization can r ectify the situation by bringing in top rated performers as soon as possible that support the growth and excitement of the newly combined group. References Ager, David L. & Delong, Thomas J. , â€Å"Utah Symphony and Utah Opera: A Merger Proposal† August 8, 2005, Harvard Business Review Kelly, The Types of Organizational Culture, May 4, 2010 retrieved March 10, 2013 from http://blorgtheory. com/2010/05/04/the-types-of-organizational-culture/