Writing For The Instant Messaging And Text Messaging...

Another reason it is essential to place an emphasis on creative writing in the classroom is because of today’s rapidly developing society. As the world has become so technologically advanced, there have become more and more ways for people to use written communication to express their thoughts. Where there was once snail mail and emails, now things have become as instantaneous as a text message or Tweet. Since people seem to write with such haste and almost carelessness today, it is important for students to be provided with slower paced writing exploration in the classroom. In â€Å"Writing for the Instant Messaging and Text Messaging Generation: Using New Literacies to Support Writing Instruction,† Sheelah M. Sweeney states, â€Å"Teachers may be concerned about the way some students write [†¦] imagining the potential negative impact on their students’ academic writing, but this interest can be an instructional advantage† (Sweeney, 2010, p. 121) . While naturally there may be cause for concern with the way students can erroneously communicate so quickly through the written word, the unease teachers may have will actually be a good thing for students if these educators move forward with awareness instead of ignorance. Technology is one aspect of society that will not be regressing in the future, and the best way educators can adapt to this is by incorporating these advancements into the education of students in years to come. This article states that instead of shunningShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Digital Technology On Children And Adults1402 Words   |  6 Pagesadverse impact that text messaging and â€Å"text speak† have had on literacy in youths and adults alike (Turner, 2009). While various empirical studies have explored the connections between text speak usage and low literacy levels, none have demonstrated conclusively that those who use text speak on a regular basis suffer from more spelling errors and lower literacy levels on standardized tests than those who do not. A general consensus has been reached amongst college-aged text speak users that theirRead MorePersonal Interaction Takes a Back Seat to Technology1400 Words   |  6 Pagesconnection in order to thrive socially, emotionally and intimately. However, advancement in technology, especially over the last ten years, has created a significant adverse effect on how we communicate with one another. Social media, email, text messag ing, instant messaging and videoconferencing have become increasingly popular venues of communication particularly among young adults. As a result, this generations interpersonal skills are rapidly diminishing with the influx of gadgets. Although some believeRead MoreImpact of the Technology on Each Individual’s Behavior1129 Words   |  5 PagesLee observed from several high schools and colleges’ students have been using instant messaging from daily life to schoolwork and report. Some teachers take the abbreviations as an offence on formal English writing, but others recognize that it is a language evolution. And when it comes to cultures and lack of technology in the early days, Charles McGrath’s â€Å"The Pleasures of the Text† talk about the limitation of texts and the cultural reasons, so the abbreviations have start been using. The CampusRead MoreThe Effects of Texting on Literacy: Is It Corrupting Language?3736 Words   |  15 Pagesworld, he or she would tell it is form of talking to another person(s), with a cell phone using letters and not words. SMS means â€Å"short messaging service†. Meaning sending and receiving short, most of the time very short messages, to and fro one another. Texting also refer to the art and skills of using abbreviations and other techniques to create SMS and instant messages. Texting does not always follow the standard rules of English grammar, nor usual word spellings. Texting has become so widely usedRead MoreText Messaging : An Integral Part Of Society918 Words   |  4 Pagesphones. This is, in part, due to the invention of text messaging and its continued increase in usage over the past decade or so. The creation of all these different texting apps, such as WhatsApp, Viber, etc., has made texting very easily accessible, even to those who can’t afford cell phones. For instance, some of these apps, such as iMessage and textPlus, are free and can be downloaded through any Appl e device, including iPads and iPods. Text messaging is now an integral part of society, as it hasRead MoreIs Technology Always Beneficial?1561 Words   |  7 Pagesthis improper use of slang show us? The younger generation of today is known as the New Boomers (Carlson, 2008) beginning with people born in the early 1980’s and ending with people born in the early 2000’s. These New Boomers rely heavily on texting, social networking, and email as main forms of communication, as opposed to writing letters, speaking on the phone, and communicating face-to-face. Because of these new networking tools, the younger generation is losing its ability to properly and effectivelyRead MoreThe Texting Revolution Essay1387 Words   |  6 Pages Many people today will agree that communication has vastly increased on a global scale. People can send messages instantly through - what one could easily guess - instant messaging, schedule a meeting with a simple tweet or text, or even hold t heir own conference discussions simply from their cellular phones. This can be simply stated as this: communication methods are constantly changing, and with these changing communication methods also comes language changes. There are people who will go withRead MoreEssay on Text Messaging and the Negative Effects on Teens2750 Words   |  11 Pagesdesigned to output individual letters of the alphabet, Neil Papworth, a 22-year old engineer from Finland sent the first text message from his computers keyboard to his friend Richard Jarvis, who was attending a Christmas party in England, the message simply said â€Å"Merry Christmas.† Three years later an SMS commercial service was launched in the United Kingdom (â€Å"Text Messaging†), however the start of SMS took off slowly and it wasn’t until about two years later that the number of users started toRead MoreThe Effects Of Texting On Teenagers Lives1623 Words   |  7 PagesTexting Taking on Teenagers’ L ives? The phenomenon of texting has been constantly increasing over the years, a study in 2008 showed that teenagers sent, on average, almost 40 texts a day, a more recent study discovered the average has nearly double within 4 years. With new technology rising and the amount of people using phones to text increasing, many studies have concluded that the effect of texting and the use of â€Å"techspeak† teenagers are using could have a negative effect on their literacy and performanceRead MoreThe Rise Of Internet And Social Media911 Words   |  4 Pagesdays when to speak to someone meant having to write a letter or send a telegram. We use email with such frequency one could argue that postage stamps will soon be obsolete. We are now able to access and share information in a way that previous generations would never have thought possible. Since the unveiling of the World Wide Web in 1991 the rise of the internet and social media have undoubtedly changed the way we communicate and maintain relationships. It is perhaps this advancement in technology

What Are Y All Hoping For - 1585 Words

â€Å"What are y’all hoping for?† inquires a woman of her newly pregnant friend. â€Å"Oh,† replies the expecting mother, â€Å"we don’t care, we will love our child no matter what gender they are!† The child is born in a celebration of pink and leads a fairly normal life for the first few years, but now the toddler is in school and realizes that it is more enjoyable to play sports and have short hair. The tomboy reaches middle school and begins the horrific changes of puberty, praying in vain every night to keep these changes from happening. A secret burdens the child’s heart like the sky weighs down on Atlas. This troubled teen does not feel like the young woman puberty has created in the mirror. Years pass, and the discomfort only grows. This†¦show more content†¦In the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community (LGBT+) labels often have various definitions depending on the understanding and identity of the individual. For this reason, it is simplest to refer to the medical definition for transgender: The experience of a transgender person can travel along a variety of extensive, winding paths especially dependent on when the person begins to tr ansition. Since young children don’t have large physical variances between genders, the changes are less about hormones and body parts, and more involved with gendered social constructs such as hair styles, clothing, hobbies, and how the child is socialized to act in public. Personally, I wasn’t aware of my own experience with being transgender until recently. Since I am past the point of puberty, though, my transition from female to male will entail both physical and biological changes. After puberty it is common for transgender individuals, such as myself, to begin having feelings of gender dysphoria. The best way I have devised to describe gender dysphoria is by explaining that when I look in a mirror in the morning, I won’t be wearing makeup, or have my hair done, but I still don’t recognize my own face; it’s as though a mask is concealing myself. In the past, I only felt like I could identify with being a girl when I wore very feminine outfits or heavy m akeup, but even then I didn’t feel like my true self; I felt like a character on a stage portrayed by a

Managing Human Resources Employers

Question: Discuss about theManaging Human Resources for Employers. Answer: Introduction The report essentially tends to evaluate the practice of the employers and the business managers in using the social networking mediums for gaining access to personal information about the recruits and also other employees operating in the business institution. The employers tend to evaluate the comments generated by the employees on their social networking pages and also studies the interactions made by the employees with their colleagues and friends where they have generated comments about the company. Employers and managers based on the above information tend to take decisions regarding recruitment, retention and retrenchment of employees. The report focuses on evaluating the above practices of employers and managers based on the use of ethical and stakeholder theories and other empirical human resources management models. Use of Ethical and Stakeholder Theories Utilitarian Ethical Theory From the point of view of Utilitarian Theory of Ethics the use of social media networking platforms by the employers for gaining confidential information about the employees contributes in generating potential benefits to the business institutions. The same is reflected as follows. Cost-Effective Medium The social media networking mediums contribute in generating cheaper platforms for generation of recruitment related advertisements by the business institutions. Similarly, the social media platforms also contribute in helping the business managers and employers conduct secondary or cross checks of the individuals that are focused on being recruited in the organisation. The above activity would help the employers in checking the authenticity of the recruits and the information furnished on the resume. Similarly, it also helps the company managers and employers to potentially evaluate whether the applicant would be able to match the cultural parameters of the business institution (Brunori, Malandrin, Rossi, 2012). Generation of Realistic Expectations The social media networking tools act as effective mediums that encourage both the employees and the employers to gain realistic information in a mutual fashion. The same contributes in helping the employees understand the expectations and cultures of the firms while the company gains the potential in evaluating the potential of the individual employee to match the expectations of the different job roles in the business institution (Zafar Lodhi, 2015). Development of Brand Building Opportunities for Employer Social media networking tools also contribute in serving as effective word-of-mouth communication and brand building tools for the employer. The individuals having Facebook accounts tend to share advertisements generated by the business institutions regarding vacancies. The sharing of such vacancy related advertisements and posts by individuals further contribute in helping the company gain an effective pool of manpower resources from the larger market and also build up needed awareness regarding vacancy positions available to the company (Lauer Cohenour, 2014). Deontological Theory of Ethics However, from the point of view of Kantian Ethical Theory or from the viewpoint of Deontological Ethics the practice of the employers and managers for searching private and personal information of the employees from their social media networking pages is considered illegal and immoral in nature. The employers and managers are required to abstain from the practices concerning coercive means for gaining personal information about the employees and thereby in taking decisions concerning recruiting and retaining employees (Zhang, 2015). Stakeholder Theory Instrumental Stakeholder Theory The instrumental stakeholder theory ideally requires the business institutions for engaging the different stakeholders regarding the generation of salient information concerning generation of vacancies and also other information associated with changes in organisational and human resources policies. The involvement of potential stakeholders regarding the generation of effective information potentially contributes in encouraging needed support(Gonzalez-Padron, 2016). Normative Stakeholder Theory The normative stakeholder theory ideally requires the managers and employers to work in an ethical fashion such that they are required to abstain from gaining personal information about the employees from different social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter without generating prior information to the concerned parties. The use of the personal information concerning the employees without informing them for taking of recruitment and retention decisions tends to potentially affect the privacy of the concerned parties (Bowen, 2013). Right of Employers in Gleaning Information Some critics argue that employers do have rights in gaining access to private information about their employees based on using the social media networking tools like Facebook and Twitter. However, some argue that employers do gain rights in retrieving personal information about the employees and staffs from the social media networking platforms only in the case of an effective breach of contractual agreement or in cases of severe issues affecting the goodwill of the firm. Employers focusing on accessing potential information about their employees from the social media platforms are required to effectively inform the employees such that the same contributes in meeting the transparency and ethical objectives of the organisation(Johnson, 2014). The employers and business managers can essentially focus on discouraging the use of social media by employees and staffs within the working hours based on the incorporation of effective monitoring standards. The employers and business managers t hus gain rights for monitoring the activities of employees in the social media network platforms within the working hours. Certain cases have been highlighted from time to time where the employers and managers tend to view and monitor the postings and comments generated by the staffs beyond the working hours. The posts generated by employees in the social networking platforms rebuking or criticising their employers or managers are observed to potentially affect their careers and scope of tenure within the organisation (Yang Jiang, 2014). Employers and managers that came through such posts generated by the employees in the social media platforms had taken resort of the employment law for suing the staffs. The same requires the managers and employers of the business institutions for effectively informing the staffs and employees regarding right kind of conducts along the social networking platforms. The Privacy Act of Australia requires the employers to furnish needed information to the employees and staffs suggesting the rationale for which they have accessed the personal social networking platforms of the staffs. Further, the different types of information gathered by the employers from the social networking pages of the employees are required to be ideally discussed with the concerned employees for reducing the chances of future conflicts (Angle Slote, 2013). The employers and managers are also required by the law for not suggesting friends to the employees and staffs to be added in their social networking pages. Similarly, the employers focusing on gaining needed information about their employees from the social networking platforms are also required to inform the staffs about other people that would be able to see the same. Thus, it is needed by the employers and managers to act in a transparent fashion and also generate considerable awareness regarding the information retrieved from the social media networking pages of the employees (Athanassoulis, 2013) . Use of Social Networking Sites in a Win-Win Fashion Pluralism and Unitarism The mode of usage of the social networking sites by the employees for interacting in a mutual fashion with friends, colleagues and peers can be converted in a win-win situation by the employers in terms of operating based on the Pluralism aspect. The Unitarism aspect in human resources management requires both the employees and the management to see each other in a unified fashion blended for meeting the objectives of the organisation (Calkins, 2014). The Unitarism aspect thereby requires the managers and employees to follow a single agenda. The managers operating based on a Pluralist policy however honour the different needs and demands of employees. The Pluralists however require that some standards or conducts are needed to be followed by both the managers and employees for the interest and betterment of the organisation. The Pluralists also opine that the powers or authority for voicing and opining are required to be shared in an effective fashion rather than to be concentrated i n the hands of few (Austin, 2013). The above discussion associated with Pluralism and Unitarism can be potentially applied to the case such that the institutional managers based on the aspect of Pluralism firstly need to understand and respect the views and perceptions of the different employees regarding organisational policies and conducts. Secondly, the managers are required to effectively compromise with the employees based on the introduction of such regulations and standards that would encourage them to work mutually for the betterment of the firm (Wheeler, 2013). The managers thus need to make the employees understand the problems regarding their commenting about the organisation, managers and workplaces in social networking mediums like Facebook that can be viewed easily by the public. The generation of needed awareness and understanding would help in easily restraining the people from generating opinions regarding the activities and policies of the organisation (Angle Slote, 2013). Strategic HRM The organisational managers and the employers are required to influence the social networking activity of the employees through the mode of operating based on the tenets of strategic human resources management. The managers are required to focus on the development of mission and vision objectives and statements that would help in developing an enhancing a sense of mutual trust and confidence between different parties in the organisation (Russell, 2013). Further, development of organisational values and cultures enhancing the sharing of information and informal communication practices increasingly contribute in shaping and governing the activities of the employees regarding opining about their managers and the organisational rules and conducts. Generation of incentives related to their performances in meeting of business, customer servicing and organisational objectives further boosts the confidence and loyalty of the organisational members (Frding, 2012). Relational Psychological Contracts Psychological contracts both relational and transactional are operational at the workplace such that the employees that are governed by transactional motives are essentially motivated in fulfilling the objectives of the roles and tasks assigned to them. On the contrary, the employees influenced by relational psychological contracts are essentially influenced by emotions, feelings, sentiments and perceptions they tend to share among others and also for the larger organisation. The employees that are observed to be influenced by psychological contracts tend to protest against the organisational policies requiring them to work for extra hours and also regarding the managerial and employer conducts (Russell, 2013). These employees seek social media platforms like Facebook for openly protesting and opining against the organisational rules and conducts and enjoy discussing the same with their friends and colleagues. The organisational managers and employers are thus required to consult wit h the employees influenced by relational psychological contracts such that the same helps in optimising on their levels of affective commitment in meeting the goals of the organisation with due passion (Boje, 2015). High Commitment HRM In terms of practicing high commitment human resources management the organisational members are required to potentially focus on encouraging increased employee participation and involvement in the organisation. The managers are required to potentially focus on sharing of potential information concerning changes in rules and conducts and also business practices and mission and vision philosophy with the employees (Herring, 2013). Further, the organisational managers are required to continually encourage the employees for generation of their individual and group decisions regarding fulfilment of business and organisational objectives. The above practice would potentially contribute in enhancing the loyalty and commitment of the organisational members and also restrain them from generation of protests regarding decisions taken by the managers and employers. The same would thus reduce the practices of employees in generating negative opinions and protests on social networking sites (Joh nstone, 2015). Human Capital The organisational managers and employers are required to treat the human resources as effective or potential manpower capital which acts as life blood for the business institution. The employers and business managers are required to effectively understand the needs and expectations of its employee groups and thus generate considerable investment for helping in the rendering of training and enhancement of knowhow of the employees (Burkhardt Nathaniel, 2013). Further, the understanding of employees as human capital for the firm also requires the employer and the manager to enhance the level of transparency in the institution such that the same helps in taking decisions in a concerted fashion and reduces restraints. The human resources practices of the organisation are required to be developed for helping the employees earn the benefit of work-life balance policies introduced in the organisation. Further, the employers and managers are required the employees to understand the career g rowth in the organisation which in turn enhances their commitment and performance level of the employees (Morris, 2015). Knowledge Management The employers and organisational managers are also required to potentially focus on the incorporation of the social media platforms like Facebook and also different blogs for sharing of effective knowledge resources between the organisational members working both with regional and overseas frontiers (Peterson, 2013). The use of social media platforms for dissemination of information and knowledge resources to organisational members along different levels and units both operating within domestic and international frontiers also contributes in potentially interacting with the people for understanding their views and feedbacks. The above practice would thereby help in cultivating a win-win framework regarding the usage of social media networking tools by employees for interacting with their peers, colleagues and senior managers for gaining of needed knowledge inputs and information (Suikkanen, 2014). Conclusions The analysis carried out in the report potentially evaluates that the practices of the employers and managers regarding gaining of private and confidential information of employees from their personal Facebook accounts is not ethical in nature. The same tends to potentially affect the privacy of the employees. Facebook is however identified as an effective medium that is used by the employers for not only advertising their vacancies but also in evaluating the culture fit of the employees with the organisational and workplace culture. Similarly, the social media networking platforms ideally help the business institution in not only enhancing their level of transparency concerning the publishing of effective information but also in dissemination of knowledge resources to the different employees in the organisation. The practice of gaining private information about the employees by the employers from the social networking platforms are also observed to be increasingly restrained based o n the use of laws like the Privacy Act in Australia. References Angle, S., Slote, M. (2013). Virtue Ethics and Confucianism. New York : Routledge . Athanassoulis, N. (2013). Virtue Ethics. United States : AC Black. Austin, M. (2013). Virtues in Action: New Essays in Applied Virtue Ethics. United Kingdom : Springer. Boje, D. M. (2015). Organizational Change and Global Standardization: Solutions to Standards and Norms Overwhelming Organizations. New York : Routledge . Bowen, S. A. (2013). Using Classic Social Media Cases to Distill Ethical Guidelines for Digital Engagement. Journal of Mass Media Ethics , 119133. Brunori, G., Malandrin, V., Rossi, A. (2012). Trade-off or convergence? The role of food security in the evolution of food discourse in Italy. Journal of Rural Studies , 1-11. Burkhardt, M. A., Nathaniel, A. (2013). Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing. United States: Cengage Learning. Calkins, M. (2014). Developing a Virtue-Imbued Casuistry for Business Ethics. United Kingdom : Springer Science Business Media. Frding, B. (2012). Virtue Ethics and Human Enhancement. United Kingdom : Springer Science Business Media. Gonzalez-Padron, T. L. (2016). Ethics in the Supply Chain: Follow-Up Processes to Audit Results . Journal of Marketing Channels , 22-33. Herring, J. (2013). QA Medical Law 2013-2014. New York : Routledge . Johnson, B. (2014). Ethical issues in shadowing research. Qualitative Research in Organizations Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal , 9 (1), 21-40. Johnstone, M.-J. (2015). Bioethics: A Nursing Perspective. United Kingdom : Elsevier Health Sciences. Lauer, S., Cohenour, R. (2014). Responding to Increased Regulation of the Food Service Industry: A Practical Analysis of Supply Chain Solutions for Franchisors and Franchisees. Franchise Law Journal , 34 (2), 175-197. Morris, S. (2015). Science and the End of Ethics. United Kingdom : Springer. Peterson, M. (2013). The Dimensions of Consequentialism: Ethics, Equality and Risk. United Kingdom : Cambridge University Press. Russell, D. C. (2013). The Cambridge Companion to Virtue Ethics. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Suikkanen, J. (2014). This Is Ethics: An Introduction. United Kingdom : John Wiley Sons. Wheeler, H. (2013). Law, Ethics and Professional Issues for Nursing: A Reflective and Portfolio-Building Approach. New York : Routledge . Yang, Z., Jiang, L. (. (2014). Managing corporate crisis in China: Sentiment, reason, and law. Business Horizons , 1-9. Zafar, R., Lodhi, S. (2015). The Study Of Ethical Issues In Restaurant Of Karachi, Pakistan. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH , 4 (11), 370-374. Zhang, M. (2015). International Franchising: Food Safety and Vicarious Liability in China. Franchise Law Journal , 35 (1), 93-103.

Lego Report Essay Example

Lego Report Essay Table of Contents Title Page1 Cover Letter2 Overview4,5 Outline6 Conceptional Design7,8 Detailed Design9,10,11,12 Durability12 Dimensional Aspect13 Safety14 Refinements15 Reccomendations16 Conclusion16 Appendix17 Appendix A, Picture 1. 1, Winterfell Castle Sketch Appendix A, Picture 1. 1, Winterfell Castle Sketch Overview Lego sets have been around for the past 50 years and have been enjoyed by people from all around the world. Very recently, Lego released a website called â€Å"Lego Cuusoo† through which people can create and submit their own ideas for a Lego project. Following the submission of the project onto the website, a voting process occurs; if enough support is gathered, the project moves into the production stage and is then sold through Lego. The revenue is shared with the developer as well. Accordingly, the objective of the MSCI 100 project consisted of entering our own idea of a Lego Project onto the website. The project began with the splitting of the class into teams of 4, each creating their own original idea. Once the ideas from all the groups were presented, a vote was taken to determine which one the class as a whole favoured. We will write a custom essay sample on Lego Report specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lego Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lego Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The idea that was chosen was â€Å"Winterfell,† an area from the popular television show, Game of Thrones. Each team was then asked to give a rough sketch/design of what the idea could potentially look like, and another vote was conducted. After the final design was chosen, the Lego project was split into different components to work on. Each team designed their own component using the Lego Digital Designer (LDD) software and designed their own special piece on AutoCad Inventor. These special pieces were constructed using a 3D-printer and the project was then put together. Finally, the completed design was submitted onto Lego Cuusoo. Some limiting constraints involved in the process of completing this project included the size and scope of the Lego set. An issue we came across was finding a balance between making a set that was too small and simple; or making a set that was too big and complex consequently making it too costly to produce and purchase. We also had to create a Lego set marketable to a younger generation, as they are the largest consumers of Lego products. In addition, there were also time constraints as we had deadlines at each step of the process. The component that our team worked on was the Great Hall of Winterfell. More specifically, we constructed the outside structure of the Great Hall. This was particularly important to the Lego Project as it was one of the main structures of Winterfell. Our building was not attached to any other building so we didn’t have to consider how it would fit with other components; however, we did have to consider how big the entire project was so that we could create our component to scale, in order for it to fit in perfectly. For our special piece, we designed the gates leading into the Great Hall creating a grand entrance over a simple gate. Lego Cuusoo winner. This idea was the winner of the voting process and thus put into production. Lego Cuusoo winner. This idea was the winner of the voting process and thus put into production. Lego Winterfell Castle Project Outline Structure assigned:| The Great Hall| Structure difficulty:| Moderate| Materials used:| Lego bricks| Structure type:| Framed structure with load bearing walls| Special piece:| The Great Hall Door| Materials used:| ABS plastic| Special piece difficulty:| Demanding, as it required a lot of measurements and thorough knowledge of Auto Cad Inventor| Appendix A Table 1. 1 distances Appendix A Table 1. distances Appendix B Finalized structure Picture 1. 1 Appendix B Finalized structure Picture 1. 1 Finalized Door Picture 1. 2 Finalized Door Picture 1. 2 Conceptual Design Design Alternative: During the conceptual design process, our group had many heated discussions about what the outcome of our hard work would look like. During this time we came up with many interesting ideas that w ere never actually applied to our final product. Some alternatives considered during this process included: 1. Remodeling the door to the Great Hall: The remodeling of the arc on the door allowed for much room for error. The radius of the arc on the door is too big in length, hence giving us problems in putting the whole puzzle together. The remodeling of the door would have allowed for a thinner door, not only reducing the overall production cost but also minimizing the use of materials and increasing production time. 2. Altering the main roof’s support system: Although our structure’s roof looks visually admiring, it does not have a proper support system. A system of beams could be used to support the system to provide stability and load management. This system would provide a good support for our roof, save it from collapsing and prevent major accidents. 3. Shortening the length of the building: By shortening the length of the building, our group could have salvaged valuable time to work on other aspects of the structure. This modification would allow for greater attention to detail and a decrease in the overall cost of production of this component. 4. Eliminating wasted resources: The stacks of Lego brick layers on the roof of the structure waste materials as extra durability could be achieved with a support beam system. It was decided that the roof should be completely remodeled so money and time could be saved. 5. One alternative that we came across was the complete different idea for our Special piece. During our initial brainstorming stages, many group members wanted to use regular doors for our structure and use medieval dragon as the unique piece. Although the dragon would have been a great addition to our structure, it made many things much difficult. The dragon required a completely redesigned roof and required much more raw materials then the door. The dragon would’ve increased the production cost and production time greatly. Since the dragon created many problems in our planning stages we decided it was an inefficient choice. 6. One of our group members suggested a completely different structure and complete remodeling of the structure. The structure that was suggested was much more appealing as a whole but did not capture the originality of the Game of Thrones’ Great Hall. As this box set is to attract Game of Thrones fans, this idea would have not attracted as many fans as we would like. The revenue would have dropped while the production cost would be increased. Detailed Design The Great Hall is a significant part of the Winterfell castle and holds special significance due to the importance of its structure. This structure is shown in detail on many occasions during the television series and described with great imagery in the book series as well. Our group tried to manipulate and duplicate the precise details of the Great Hall so this Lego box set would be on every Game of Throne’s fans Christmas wish list. The structure of the hall is designed to show the intrinsic details of the Winterfell castle. The beautiful door of the Great Hall, which is also our special piece, was designed to focus on the beauty and detail of the structure as a whole. The walls of the Lego Great Hall were created using Lego bricks that were chosen to show and duplicate the texture of the original walls of the Great Hall walls shown in the television series. Due to the Great Hall’s significance to the Winterfell castle, we tried to add as much detail as possible to the doors, as they are the first thing a person would visually admire. The door is solid and contains two bars on each side in order to fit in with the hinges designed with the structure. The handles used for the door are two inverted swords which represent the warrior culture of the Winterfell population. It was attempted to keep the theme of the Great Hall as true to the original as possible, but a few changes were made to add extra detail to the Lego structure. In addition to the doors, the roof is also another big component of the beautifully designed Great Hall. Details such as covering it with brown Lego bricks and adding torches to the edges were meant to represent to medieval times and add a mythical touch to the roof of the hall. Overall, there were many changes that were made to the original design that we started with to bring out the real beauty of the Great Hall’s structure. Before: Initial Structure DesignPicture 1. 3 Initial Structure DesignPicture 1. 3 After: As shown in the image above, it can be seen that the initial design had two doors. This idea was changed when we decided to make one door, also becoming our special piece. The special piece would add extra detail to our structure and make it more visually appealing. Originally, the roof was still not completed as we could not decide to do with the roof. At first it wasn’t very visually appealing, so we decided to add a brown roof with torch poles to make the structure a bit more interesting even though these details weren’t included in the original design. There was also another base added to the structure to helps connect Lego blocks and provides a firm, strong base for the whole structure itself. The structure was remodeled because these alterations make the structure seem durable, stronger and less prone to break down. The dimensions were also adjusted a little, as shown in the front part of the structure where it was thinned down and the back part of the structure where it was shortened in width; however the length of the structure was increased. These changes were made for the hall to looks as close to the original Great Hall as possible. Not only was the original Great Hall structurally altered, but there were many arguments that occurred so the unique design of the special design could be finalized. Initial Unique Piece Design Picture 1. 4 Initial Unique Piece Design Picture 1. 4 Before:After: Special piece After much deliberation among our group, the doors were completely redesigned from the original. Because the structure of the building was changed, new dimensions had to be created for the special piece. We added greater detail to the handles of the door, the texture of the door was changed and lines were added to make it more visually appealing. The purpose of adding the doors was to incorporate the warrior culture of Winterfell to the whole castle. The changes made to the door required more raw material, but were extremely useful as it allowed for durability and provided great stability. Special Piece Facts Model Materials Used| Support Materials Used| Production time (in hours)| 1. 82 in3| 0. 25 in3| 1:14| Table 1. 2 Table 1. 2 Results of Tests Many tests were performed on our Lego special piece; the unique piece was tested for durability, safety, and for its dimensional aspects. The results of these tests were recorded and analyzed by our team. Durability After discussion among the group, we decided to test the durability of our unique Lego piece. We tested this by dropping the door from various heights and recorded the results: Distance from the ground (cm)| Observations| 0| The Special piece was in good shape; no visible damage could be seen. | 40| The piece moved further from the initial drop zone but stayed in good condition. | 60| The door Bounced off the ground, and the special piece was chipped slightly. | Table 1. 3 Table 1. 3 From these results, we can conclude that the special piece is very durable. The special piece exceeded the group’s expectatio ns and proved it would stay in good shape for some time. Durability is a key factor in the design of our piece, and will therefore meet the customers’ expectations. Dimensional Aspect Other than durability, we also tested whether the piece fit into our designated structure (which is the Great Hall). We conducted this test by using common Lego pieces to measure to see if our piece fit in the building. The result was perfect and our unique piece fit perfectly, no changed were required. The Great Hall door was exactly 6 Lego bricks wide and 6 Lego bricks tall as it were desired to be. The main problem we came across regarding our Lego piece was that the bars on the door did not fit perfectly with the hinges that were designed. The bar that was designed with the door was too short in length to fit with the conventional Lego brick hinges. Safety The door was tested for safety as many Lego pieces are tested for choking hazards. Our special Lego Piece was made child friendly and cannot be swallowed or bitten. The length, width and the durability of the product ensures that the door cannot harm children in any way. Discussion of Results From the above result, we found out that our unique piece, the main door of the Great Hall, has fulfilled and exceeded all of our expectations; it has proven to be a great addition to the Great Hall. It did well in our durability test, which shows the part won’t break apart when dropped from 50 centimeters above ground. The material that makes up the piece (the ABS plastic) is a major contributing factor towards its durability. In the second test, we also got a satisfied result. This test shows us that the door was made to correct dimensions and fits in the Great Hall. With research on the dimensions of the common Lego piece along with the help of the Autodesk Inventor, we were able to make the door perfect in regards to the dimensions. Autodesk allowed us to experiment with many different creative ideas and still make the piece to exact dimensions. The only result that was unsatisfactory was that that our door did not fit in the hinges that were specifically created to hold the door in place. This was due to improper measurements that were taken during our initial design process. Picture 1. 6 Picture 1. 6 Picture 1. 5 Picture 1. 5 Bad measurements led to the bar seen in the image, failure to fit in the hinge. Left: HingeRight: Bar Bad measurements led to the bar seen in the image, failure to fit in the hinge. Left: HingeRight: Bar Refinements Based on all the testing and detailed analysis, many changes could and need to be made to the special piece and the structure, such as: 1) The bar on the door that was originally supposed to fit in the hinges needs to be completely redesigned to perfectly fit in the hinge. 2) The arc that can be seen in structure, which is required for the doors placement, was designed too short and no wiggle room was left; if the structure of the arc was altered to be made wider, the door could fit in much more easily. ) The door could be made a little more visually attractive; our group mainly focused on the durability and liability of the piece. 4) The roof’s complexity doesn’t allow it to be very durable. In enhancing the visual aspects of the rood, we were left with no choice but to compromise its durability. During the building process our group will try to add reinforcement to the roof, this could be done by adding poles from within the structure to withstand the weight of the roof. Recommendations Despite our satisfaction with the design of the structure and the special piece, there are some suggestions that we recommend. Our first recommendation is increasing the size and thickness of the bars on the door so that it fits the traditional Lego hinges. We also recommend customizing the door to make it more visually appealing; this can be achieved by adding design and colour to the door. In addition to the special piece, we recommend improving the design and structure of the Great Hall. These improvements could include adding more bricks to make it more compact and sturdy, and adding pieces on the inside of the structure. The Great Hall is such an important component of Winterfell and its interior is just as important as its exterior. By adding Lego people as well as other pieces such as tables and chandeliers on the inside, the detail and attractiveness of the Lego set would increase dramatically. In order to allow consumers to view the inside of the Great Hall, the roof of the hall could be made easily detachable. Overall, we believe that our structure and special piece were constructed well, but the recommendations explained above would include and enhance the details and perfect the overall project. Conclusion Through this Project, All members of group 14 have learned many things such as feasibility assessment, establishing the design requirements and brainstorming ideas before starting the preliminary design process. This project taught us the basics of engineering, as this project required brainstorming, calculating error margins and overcoming problems that prevent the next stage building processes. Appendix Appendix A, Picture 1. 1, Winterfell Castle Sketch Picture 1. 1pg 6, 10 Picture 1. 2pg 6, 11 Picture 1. 3pg 6 Picture 1. 4pg 11 Picture 1. 5pg 15 Picture 1. 6pg 16 Lego Cuusoo Picturepg 5 Table 1. 1pg 6 Table 1. 2pg 12 Table 1. 3pg 13