Energy Consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Energy Consumption - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that peak load values will be obtained when there is more demand on the electricity due to use of appliances. In this case peak load values in the student halls will be recorded during the early morning when the students will be preparing to go to class or any other activities they are involved in. The use of the instant heating showers, blow dryers, iron box coupled with the demand to ensure that the room is warm enough due to the morning cold, the amount of electricity in use instantaneously shoots up. Peak load can also be noticed in the evenings just when the students are coming back from their classes and other activities they have been engaging in during the day. The use of electrical appliances in use throughout the hall increases so does the demand for the energy to drive them, these appliances are mostly for entertainment purposes such as gaming console, television and stereo systems.This paper highlights that  base load is the lowest avera ge in energy consumption at a particular period when the consumption is steady. Base load values will be obtained when there is less demand on the electricity.  The best time to do this is at night when the students are preparing to sleep through to the time they are about to wake up.  The results show a gradual decrease in base load from the month of January to the month of August after which it gradually increases.  ... Base load values will be obtained when there is less demand on the electricity. In the students halls Base load values will be recorded during the day while most of the students will be away, because this brings down the overall consumption of energy although the values during the day might not be very reliable because of the students left in the halls since the will still be consuming the electricity this may take out the steady aspect in the calculation of base load values. The best time to do this is at night when the students are preparing to sleep through to the time they are about to wake up. This allows for consumption to go low and maintain a steady flow thus making it a more appropriate time to calculate the base load values. For this assignment the base load was calculated by averaging the consumption between 00:00 hours and 06:00 hours when the consumption was low and steady. The results were averaged again to find the base load for the month from January through to Octobe r. Also calculated was the difference in base load values to determine the change in base load values between months. The results were found and represented as follows: Monthly Base load Month Base load value Base load difference January 288411.8 0 February 314269.3 25857.5 March 338548.9 24279.6 April 361666.5 23117.6 May 384706.7 23040.2 June 407179.9 22473.2 July 425351.1 18171.2 August 441813.4 16462.3 September 458685.6 16872.2 October 477464.7 18779.1 The results show a gradual decrease in base load from the month of January to the month of August after which it gradually increases. This could probably be attributed to the change in weather since it gets cold around late August and beginning of

Blacks Leisure Group Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Blacks Leisure Group Board - Essay Example Hence, for the development and sustenance of a competitive advantage the marketing planner of a company needs to recognize that the advantage an organisation or brand possesses that is meaningful will be copied or improved upon by competitors sooner rather than later (Wilson R. and Gilligan C., 2005, p 405). Established a century and a half earlier in 1863, by Thomas Black, the Blacks Leisure Group has come a long way from being a humble sails manufacturing company to a camping, outdoor and sporting goods retail empire. Today, for millions of those out-door loving enthusiasts, the company is more of an institution that a mere retail store. Presently, the Black Leisure Group holds a powerful presence within two of the exclusive markets in which the company operates: Broadwear and Outdoor. Currently the management team of the group is focusing on restoring and, developing and sustaining its competitive advantage. The management is also concentrating on building upon the disciplines of operational improvements that was achieved in the current financial year (Black Leisure Group plc, 2008). However, to in order to return to its past performance levels and to develop and sustain its competitive advantage an innovative business strategy with further radical changes will be required. To be able to lock horns with other competitors and to come on top in the present era of fasted paced innovation and ruthless competition, the sustainability and competitive advantage of companies are defined by innovative strategies.Henceforth, in order to conceive of a corporate strategy through the company will successfully be to develop and sustain its competitive advantage, first a better understanding of the link between strategy and competitive advantage is a must.   Strategy and Competitive Advantage According to the definition of competitive advantage, it as an advantage gained over competitors by offering the consumers a greater value for their investments either by means of low prices or by the provision of greater benefits that does justice to higher prices. For a company to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors Michael E. Porter has identified four "generic" business strategies (Porter E.M, 1980). These "generic' strategies relate to the extent to which the scopes of a business' activities are narrow against the extent to which a business seeks to differentiate its products. The four strategies are as follows: Differentiation Strategy: This strategy is based on studying the different criteria used by consumers while buying products and selecting one or more of these criteria and then positioning the business to meet the chosen criteria. This differentiation strategy is all about charging a premium price for a product that covers the added production costs, ensuring profit and as well as giving the consumers obvious reasons to choose the product over the other less or not differentiated products. The examples of differentiation strategy can be better understood with case studies of Mercedes cars and Bang & Olufsen Company (Porter E.M, 1980).