Love and Marriage Between Wickham and Lydia

Love and marriage between Wickham and Lydia Pride and Prejudice is the most successful and popular novel written by Jane Austen. It revolves around the intricacies of courtship and marriage between members of social classes, which, in this case, is her own class – the middle class. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen describes many different loves and marriages. Whereby, she can express her viewpoint that one’s character often reflects his or her marriage and attitudes towards love.In this essay, I want to focus and analyse the sex-oriented marriage between a dissolute Wickham and an empty-minded Lydia. Wickham first appears as a very charming fellow. As an officer in the regiment stationed at Meryton, Wickham is quickly judged to be a perfectly good and amiable man because of his friendliness and the ease of his manners. Initially, his sexual fascination is so great that Elizabeth, who is normally very critical in judging people, sees at first absolutely nothing in him but makes him seem the most charming man she has ever met.Wickham’s constant attention to Elizabeth makes her feel sure that she is in love with him. He even makes Elizabeth to be inclined to believe his made-up story about Darcy. However, his true nature, on the contrary, gradually shows itself to be mean and wicked. â€Å"A curious degree of sexual attraction often goes with a lively, unreliable disposition, which may either be somewhat superficial but perfectly well-meaning, or driven by circumstance which it has not the strength to withstand, become that of a scoundrel. (Douglas Bush, 1956)Wickham’s love was short-lived. After being realized the real person by Elizabeth, he is immediately reported to court another lady, Miss King, who possesses ten thousand pounds. A sharp contrast emerges between his agreeable appearance and mean character. He regards love as nothing but a tool to acquire wealth. His elopement with Lydia is very sudden. It really leaves us some rooms to contemplate his real motivation. Lydia is not rich. It seems that Wickham’s elopement with her was beyond understanding.Nevertheless, further reading clarifies the obscurity and tells us his whole character. There are two motivations behind it. Firstly, he is a dissolute man who never stops seeking sexual passion. Secondly, he availed himself of a chance to flee his creditors. His flight was rendered necessary by distress of circumstances rather than by his affection to Lydia. Lydia is the youngest of the Bennet’s sisters. She is gossip, immature, and self-involved. She is also the favorite of her mother because the two have such similar characters. Mrs.Bennet’s affection has brought her into public at an early age; therefore, makes her become a stout, well-grown girl of fifteen. She has high animal spirits, and a sort of natural self-consequence, which the attentions of the officials, to whom her uncle’s good dinners and her own easy manners rec ommended her, has increased into assurance. Lydia is an empty-minded and uncertain flirt who never ceases seeking her own fun and sexual excitement. The only interests in her life are to flirt with red-coated officials in a militia regiment in the neighborhood.Lydia’s minds are more vacant than their sisters’, and when nothing better offered, a walk to Meryton is necessary to amuse their morning hours and furnish conservation for the evening. And â€Å"Lydia, with perfect indifference, continued to express her admiration of Caption Carter, and her hope of seeing him in the course of the day, as he was going the next morning to London. † She is so temperamental that she cries bitterly when she hears that red-coated officials would leave the local town and rejoices when some new red-coated officials come in. As Lydia is young and empty-minded, she never gives love a serious and proper consideration.Her thirsts for carnal desire and unrestrained life determine her sex-oriented marriage, Wickham is seductive and pleasing outwardly, but mean and dirty inwardly. While Lydia, foolish and dissipated, only enchanted by his glorious appearance, sees nothing of his real intention and personality. Obviously, Lydia and Wickham’s marriage is an example of bad marriage. Their marriage is based on appearances, sensuality, superficiality and youthful vivacity. Once they can no longer see these qualities in each other, their relationship will then fade away.

Innovation Prowess Leadership Strategies for Accelerating Growth Essay

Introduction             Innovative management is a strategy in which a company manager utilizes all the available resources and develops a working community where ingenuity and innovativeness work together with practicality in order to formulate reforms. Today’s fast changing business environment calls for innovation management which will help companies to achieve their long term objectives. Innovation management will help companies to maintain competitive advantage. Long term sustainability of a company may be determined by its ability to expertly direct innovation assets to address a swiftly changing economic and market setting. Innovation management includes the activities, decisions and practices that propel an opinion to realization for the rationale of breeding business worth. This paper is about software development by Samsung Company. The Company has come up with an advanced wireless disk drive that is the champion in the Google industry (Day, 2013). Samsung unlike Apple reveal good consumerist skills in the course of innovativeness. The Company usually manufactures differentiated products that ensure that consumers choose from variety of Samsung devices. For example, Samsung products are of high quality with OS and software thus thriving well especially in OS and android market. Samsung have advanced strategic capacity which enable them hang about as the greatest threat to Apple. For example, their marketing strategies are outstanding. They augmented their cost of advertisement from $78 million to $401 million. In addition Samsung association capability is first-class. They exceedingly believe in providing people with opportunities to excel. They slot in the five hub values in every action taken which enable them to prosper. They are dedicated in ensuring that they are socially and environmentally liable wherever they are operating from (Michell, 2010). Innovation management is very important owing to the fact that Samsung Company have to work under tight budget and the increased demand from the customer who prefer high quality products and services at affordable prices. Innovation management emphasizes on production of new technologies, products and services. Samsung is also known as the giant electronic maker, it is planning to launch the advanced wireless disk drive to the android users. The advanced disk drive Crystal Disk Mark chronological read and writes scores of 300MB/sec and 250MB/sec are around three times as fast as the swiftest hard disks from any other company and the disk’s LaCie’s small-file scores are excellent: its 300KB and 250MB/sec write and read results of 700MB/sec places the advanced disk drive at the front line. The advanced disk drive is expected to be more durable as compared to other disks. Durability is more important than speed and capacity. Identifying and implementing investments repetit ively and effectively make up the vital purpose of innovation management. Various decisions that are prepared in Samsung Company affect the succession and eventual success of superior ideas. New innovative ideas must be aimed at solving an existing business problem or growing an opportunity (Ernst, 2007). Successful innovation management in Samsung Company follows the following guidelines; first, whether the potential innovation is aligned with the company’s strategy. Second, how the proposed change will add value to the customer. That is how the advanced wireless disk drive will add value to the customer, the third guideline is the amount of investment that is required and whether the investment will generate good returns. Whether the advanced disk drive will attract more customers? Forth, the possible impact of innovation to the current business and whether it would affect the existing returns. Also, the time frame for the effect to be realized and the impact to the business, how the innovation will alter or disrupt current markets; whether the new idea will generate additional revenue or reduces operating costs, the other guideline is how the latest innovations improve existing or build up new obstacles to competition and finally whether there is an effortless access to the competencies required to apprehend the new idea. The new strategy that Samsung Company should slip in when launching the advanced wireless disk drive is pricing strategy. They should employ customer-based pricing. Samsung Company is well-known for hasty production of differentiated products thus penetration pricing will work best. The purpose of penetration pricing is to enlarge market share of the product. Samsung Company by the use of penetration pricing will be able to raise prices once they penetrate the market. The new strategy will draw many customers to buy the wireless disk drive and other products. The long term gain is that Samsung will accomplish a higher market share as compared to other rivalry companies in the industry. Samsung products are somewhat differentiated and owing to price inelasticity of demand in the market; this new strategy will work best for Samsung. This will be a very competitive tool for Samsung as they launch the advanced wireless disk drive and other innovative products. Retrieved from HYPERLINK â €Å"http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/aboutsamsung/† http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/aboutsamsung/ Samsung Company is conversant that innovation management requires an innovation framework that will enable effective and repetitive change which will increase the capacity of the company to generate high quality goods and services. Innovation encourages the need for rapid change and rejuvenation, potentially affecting all sectors of a company. Samsung does not engage its workers in long working hours like Apple and Google since they believe in innovativeness. Transform is usually opposed which calls for necessary rewards and incentives to endorse the required innovation. The weekly meetings and workshop with the team of 8 members will be very significant since it will help me to diagnose the hindrances to innovation in the company (ArguÃÅ'ˆden, 2011). The workshop and meetings will be exceptionally useful in understanding how verified framework to make the company more inventive. The workshop and weekly meetings will help us to find out examples of appropriate practice in innovation management and compose an action plan that will boost the innovation performance of the company. The other chief benefits of holding weekly meetings and workshops in Samsung Company include; gain awareness of how to develop excellent ideas that focus on adding value to the customer. For example, Samsung is planning to launch the advanced wireless disk drive and other products such as Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5. Samsung operates under the philosophy of ‘people first.’ Second, help to gain self-assurance to manage the company’s assortment and shield the most innovative ideas. Third, help people to gain capacity to borrow ideas from chief management team for the company’s innovation action plan. Third, help individuals to gain abil ity to endorse an organizational culture that embraces creativity and innovativeness. It also helps to increase the alertness of apposite application of strategies so as to improve company presentation. Finally, help to build up confidence to communicate about the need for innovation and how to achieve it (Chang, 2008). The new idea of advanced wireless disk drive must offer competitive advantage to attract new clients, maintain existing clients and cut-down the production cost with an aim of maximizing profits. Innovation is not hard but it is a complex process which involves change. Change on the other hand necessitates learning. High improbability and likelihood makes innovation management very complex, since it calls for the learning speculation to be concentrated on the areas of alteration that represent the highest possibility or uncertainty for gradual sustainability and intensification of the company. For more than 70 years, Samsung has focused on advancing the world through diversification that has led to advanced technology fashion, skyscraper, hotels, medicine, petrochemicals, semiconductors, finance and plant construction. Samsung Electronics lead takes the top position in the global market in high-tech digital media and electronic manufacturing. Through innovative, reliable services and products, talented personnel, collaboration with customers and other stakeholders, and responsible approach to business and global citizenship, Samsung is moving the world in imaginative new commands (Bessant, 2009). There are several external and internal triggers facing Samsung Company; however, there are many potential solutions to these problems. Three pillars of innovation must also be considered in development of innovation framework. These pillars include strategy, competency and management. Innovative competency of the company will depend on the set of capabilities and the history. Samsung main objective is making a better world through innovation. Powerful framework is based on commitment and competence which will help the company to propel forward. As the company manager it is vital to come up with strategies in the resource allocation. The strategies will also be significant in improving the existing processes and products, finding adjacencies and discovering totally new markets. A competent firm is required to manage its innovation in an appropriate manner. Samsung have to be hasty in its production so that it can cope with competition from Apple and Google. People everywhere, regardl ess of their earnings; desire to use superior and innovative products. Thus Samsung Company has to come up with strategies to make their products more affordable to the customers. People have different tastes, budgets, preferences and lifestyles. Through provision of innovative products that offer value for money, the company will meet different needs of the clients all over (Ghemawat et al, 2011). The diversification strategy should focus on ensuring that the new product gives the customers confidence that the product will deliver on its promise so that they feel their money is spent appropriately. Improving brand quality will make business sense and enhance the company’s capacity to improve the lives of the low-income customers. The Samsung Company has the necessary resources, skills and the will to produce high-quality products at a lower price which meet the customer’s demands. Samsung Company must to come up with innovative strategies such as diversification strategy since the competitors are not willing to move back from breakthrough designs, very responsive and mass customizing variety strategies among other strategies that enhance production of superior products (Kenny, 2009). The innovation team will be of great importance since they will help in generation of a set of innovation activities which amalgamates the activity into a regular cycle of running the company. The following phases in innovation management will assist Samsung to amalgamate the set of innovation activities in order to realize a fruitful end (Trauffler et al, 2007). They include: Setting the objectives for the process             Innovation is all about change and starts with a goal in mind. The major problem is developing a strategy that will ensure provision of quality products at affordable prices which will attract more customers as well as retaining the existing customers. The team of innovation management has come up with diversification strategy that solves this predicament. Once the goal is identified, it will be discussed by all the members in the problem solving team. I am the leader of the team being in charge of other 8 members. These individuals are professional functional areas. The team will have weekly meetings and workshops where they will provide feedback and suggestions regarding their personal experience with the company’s product and services. I will be the leader of the team and I will oversee all the parts of the process from the beginning to the end (Hill, 2012). Cooperation             As an innovation team in Samsung Company we will work together so that rather than raising separate ideas, we can amalgamate them and develop a collaborative solution. This will be achieved through the weekly meetings and workshops. I have great experience as a manager in the company thus there is no need of hiring a trained business coach to facilitate the discussions. In addition, the prosperity of Samsung Company can be attributed to the uphill struggle and proficiency of its employees, whose mutual efforts boost the company’s competitive advantage and speed up innovation. It is also doubtless that the previous success would have been impractical without the intense interest and packed support from all stakeholders. Retrieved from HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung† http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsungCombination of ideas The team highlights the ideas, and then they select the most suitable ones and then evaluate to see whether they can be combined to come up with an excellent idea. In deed, bold ideas will be complementary to each other and will combine to a better result. The whole result is likely to intensify with every member contributing to the process. The success of this combined ideas require representative from every stakeholder in the process. This is because these stakeholders are experts and have crucial information that individuals from other departments could not raise. As the team leader I will ensure that every angle of innovative process is covered. The business idea is to develop an advanced wireless disk drive. Evaluation of Innovation             This is a very crucial aspect of innovation management; however, it is usually ignored. When the most suitable ideas are fine-tuned, combined, and polished they should be subjected to peer review for evaluation. This will ensure the efficacy of the idea of advanced wireless disk drive. Deprived ideas will be identified in the evaluation stage before Samsung commits its funds, time and resources to them. Evaluation stage will also help the team to select idea with great potential from the other ideas that seem to have equal chances of success. This is the stage where the innovation team can alter the strategy of innovation with a lot of ease as compared to later stages. The stages after evaluation stage are more costly and thus require a lot of caution. The advanced wireless disk drive will enable customers to; access their Media Wirelessly, stream media wirelessly to Tablets or Smartphones among others, customers can also stream to up to 4 diverse devices concurre ntly, the drive also can operate the disk drive as a moveable DVD Writer and finally the wireless disk drive can as well be paired with Samsung Smart TV. The advanced disk drive is the quickest of all other wireless disk drives. Testing the ideasOnce the innovation team identifies the potential idea, in this case developing an advanced wireless disk drive, they will test it so that they can identify the weak areas that require development. One of the most common method of testing service delivery or product quality is creation of test group. This will enable the innovation team, the customers, and the investors to familiarize with the new product in terms of its functioning and the necessary changes to be made to improve the product. The strategy is to ensure that the product raise interest as well as generating more orders. Customers will get interested to the high-quality products such that they will order more products from the company. Execution of the innovation implementation             If the idea of advanced wireless disk drive passes through the testing process, it can be further modified and changed until it is ready to be implemented as a component of the company offerings. The execution of implementation is unique for every business. Unless the idea of an advanced wireless disk drive calls for alteration of marketing strategies, then this step for innovation management process should be basic for the company. It will be effortless for Samsung Company to move from testing of the product to the execution if the new product were able to create interest and generate orders in the testing stage (Zacharias, 2011). Assessment of Innovation Life-cycle             This is the step that follows after the execution of the business idea. Implementation should be closely monitored and assessed regarding the targets to be set. If the target is unattainable, the idea will be turned down calling for developments. Customer is always considered in the execution stage, the team will design measuring systems which can measure the value added to the customer through application of new strategies. Samsung work under the philosophy of ‘people first.’ The next step after assessment is starting again, identify new strategies, solutions and inspirations and taking them through the cycle until the company come up with appropriate strategies that ensure value is added to the customers. Over the last two decades, Samsung Electronics utilized a series of turn around strategies that basically altered the approach of managing Samsung Company. The employees will be forced to learn from the new speed. Creativity calls for speed in the processes, inventory turns, functions, data access and market response. The style of management which includes control and command is obsolete and the modern way of business success is accommodating new technologies as well as open leadership styles where leaders consider other people’s opinions. The innovation team has to determine how the problem is defined in order to come up with appropriate strategy. For example, Samsung identified the problem associated to access of media. They decide to solve the problem by developing an advanced wireless disk drive where people can stream at ease. This will help the company to develop and raise ideas based on the need and how to improve the brand while maintaining low prices. Capacity to come up with new ideas should be one of the most crucial priorities in an organization. Retrieved from http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/ Innovation process will also include the Samsung’s internal and external elements. The team of innovation includes eight members who are company employees, customers and other stakeholders in the company. The innovation process will consider the following: Industry and cultural context.             This refers to the environment and culture existing in Samsung Company. Samsung Company main objective is to produce first-rated product and services. The company officials also are very considerate since they respect other people’s opinions. This cultural background has greatly contributed to the expansion of the company since the employees have learnt to work under minimum supervision. The relationship between employees and the supervisors is excellent. The company is also deeply concerned with the future path of the employees and thus provides mentoring, training and essential coursework as well as coaching them. The company is also concerned about the employee’s social life and thus offers flexibility in schedules (Michell, 2010). Employee’s opinions are also taken seriously so as to involve them in decision making. Decision making is very important and everyone should be involved since decision made will affect every individual related to the company operations. This employee relationship enhances engagement thus workers are motivated and thus will be crucial to company’s performance. Samsung Company recognizes that a company is its people, thus they operate under the value of integrity. Operations in Samsung are guided by moral values which ensure respect, complete transparency, fairness, for all employees as well as stakeholders (Mellor, 2003). Organizational context             Samsung’s structure is very distinct because although there are representatives in every sector; respect remain paramount in the company. Employees respect their bosses and works under minimum supervision. Moral ethics is fundamental principle in Samsung Company. Samsung Company believes in use technology and innovation instead of control and command. The main goal is to be the best company in product and service. Customer satisfaction is the main objective since Samsung seeks to produce high-quality products while maintaining low prices. Company culture is very crucial since it can shape or break down the company. Samsung operates under team-based culture where employees participate on all levels. Samsung Company’s culture is adaptive and hence has enabled Samsung to outshine its competitors (Haig, 2004). Adaptive culture accommodates change which is very essential for innovation management. It is very imperative for Samsung Company to understand its culture since it will learn to shape it according to their wish. The company’s culture has experienced changes due to hiring and replacement of employees. New employees bring new values and practices to the company’s culture. Thus it is vital to access the company culture by listening to comments from suppliers, customers and the employees. The common behaviors and noticeable symbols comprise the company culture. The team should also determine the desired company culture before any change is implemented. Samsung innovation team must find out the appropriate culture that suit the company in its desired future situation. The team will also review the company’s mission, values and vision to ensure that the culture being designed will support them effectively. Samsung Company culture is aligned to its strategic goal (Krug , 2009). Aligning company culture to the strategic goals includes; developing a strategy that endorses the good things in the current culture and correcting the unaligned sectors, the team should brainstorm developments in the formal laws and daily duties, the team should develop strategic plan of the desired behaviors and actions, the innovation team should communicate the recent culture to all employees, and finally the innovation team should also over-communicate the recent culture and its practices to every individual. Strategic model of innovationSamsung electronic main focus is strategic innovation endeavors on product improvement which are usually addition and convey diminutive new significance. Though the aim might be to improve the brand quality it is also good to consider company culture, resources and network. Samsung can avoid diminishing returns from increased competition by creating a new model for the product. The more the innovation team will succeed in advancement of unique features in their production, product and marketing the more the innovation will be. Samsung uses four main areas to come up with a successful new business model of innovation for secure competitive advantage. The first chief area is the core strategy which implies how the company will compete. The innovation team will develop core strategy such that it includes the company mission with key objectives such as strategic intent and value proposition. The company can use the strength of the current strategy or consider generating a new one. The core strategy should focus on competitive markets, defining the environment, customers and segment. A strategic core strategy is different from that of the competing firms and builds on the company’s features and strengths. Samsung Launch of advanced wireless disk drive is a significant step that enables customers to enjoy the quickest wireless streaming from SMART hub. Retrieved from http://www.macworld.com/article/1162103/samsung_announces_new_optical_drive_with_wi_fi_connectivity.html The innovation team will also focus on strategic resources. Samsung will also highlight the areas that require reorganization and improvement of the existing staff. The team should understand the company’s patents, brands and infrastructure. The company resources are expensive to imitate as they are associated to high cost and thus scare off competing firms. The company should use its strengths to improve competition. Customer interface is the other key factor to consider, where Samsung considers the market and the existing competition. Samsung should identify the type of service, channels and support involved or that it controls with the available one so that they can add value to the product. Samsung innovation team should also use its client’s insight and use every opportunity to improve market understanding and how the market understands the company. Understanding the information requirements of chief customers and their dynamic interaction with the product or company is very important in strategic innovation. Pricing strategies might also be considered since the new product might alter the company’s practices (Michell, 2010). Value network is another crucial factor to take into consideration. Samsung should consider the value network from the top to bottom of the value chain. The company stabilizes when it attract more finances and better partnership as compared to its competitors. The rapport between company and its suppliers influence opportunities for faster changes, price and quality of a product. The partners of the company can supply critical solutions and mechanism to the product, or create synergies or symmetries to augment sale. If Samsung innovation costs are projected to be high, the innovation team can consider a coalition even with the competing firm to enhance radical change in the market. The framework of meta-innovation is very important strategy to apply since it challenges the firms to think beyond product quality, markets and processes. Innovation does not necessarily have to be a high cost, but it should be an appropriate idea (Chang, 2008). 4. Knowledge deployment             Samsung is committed to inspire people across the world by developing innovative products, new technologies and creative solutions. Samsung is changing rapidly to cope with the changing world. The company is relentless in innovation and pursuit of discovery thus creating possibilities. The launch of the wireless disk drive among other excellent products has enabled Samsung to be a world-class company. Samsung innovation has enabled advancement in technology, skyscraper, medicine, semiconductors, hotels, plant construction, finance and petrochemical among other significant application that help to push industries forward. Through creation of superior product and services, Samsung struggle to augment the lives of people across the world and ensuring positive change to the world. Samsung believe in power to connect people to what they are today with what they aspire to be in future. Samsung Company is the leader in high-tech digital products such as LCD and color tel evision, EMS micro chip and mobile phones (Michell, 2010). 5. Methods of collaboration             Samsung has taken full advantage as a latecomer and outshined various leading companies by employing a powerful engineering of core technology. Samsung does not engage its workers in long working hours, but it believes in innovation management. Samsung work under the philosophy of ‘people first’ thus they are able to develop products that attract more customers. For example, the wireless disk drive is a very advanced tool that will enable customers to enjoy wireless streaming among other uses. Samsung has never thought of quitting transformation and innovation. History reveals how, Kun-Hee Lee, Samsung chairman is excellent in deciding and forecasting. Samsung is also able to be the world leading company because of continuous development and investment. Samsung also changed from massive imitational production to independent product development based on digital technology. Samsung endeavors to make an integrated world through global citizenship and res ponsible approach to business as well as collaboration with their customers and stakeholders (Krug, 2009). 6. Protecting innovation             This paper explains how Samsung internalization in China helps it secure a competitive advantage. Samsung has three lasting forces namely promotion force, force of internal motivation and organization force. Promotion force is the company and entrepreneurship culture which control strategic decision making and approach of development of a company and determine the character of a company. Force of internal motivation is the capacity in engineering of key technology and its application which forms Samsung’s competence. Organizational force is under scientific management which enables Samsung to execute its strategy. Samsung company management involves innovation in reducing transaction cost as well as innovation in utilizing capital. Retrieved from http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/ 7. Managing risks: failure and imitation             Diversification is the key strategy that enables Samsung to cope with risk and uncertainty. Samsung philosophy is ‘people first’ which enable them to develop products that align with customer’s needs. Samsung chairman is also excellent in forecasting and deciding power which has greatly helped the company to develop products that attract more customers. Samsung success is not measured in terms of achievement, but how they have improved the lives of the people. Samsung also manage risks by changing rapidly to cope with the changing world. Samsung is a leading company in production of high-tech digital products which are unique. For example, the launching of wireless disk drive is a significant step where customers will be attracted by the drive unique characteristics. Samsung strive to make a better world through innovation, trustworthy goods and services. Samsung utilizes diversification which helps it to produce differentiated products ranging from LCD and color television, smart phones and EMS memory chip. Customers are able to choose from variety of Samsung products which place the company at a competitive advantage. Samsung also utilizes cost-benefit analysis which helps the company to manage risks and uncertainty. Samsung measure the efficacy of a strategy by testing the ideas mainly through insights from customers, employees or other stakeholders (Kenny, 2009). 8. Commercialization             Samsung products are widely used across the world. Samsung has enhanced the growth of many businesses that use their high-tech products. Samsung strive to make the world integrated through advanced technology, finance, medicine, semiconductors, hotels skyscraper, petrochemicals, and plant construction among others. Samsung is made up of more than 78 distinct companies and joint ventures in an extensive assortment of businesses. Samsung objective is to diversify into medicine, health and biotechnology. Samsung is recognized as the leader in technology and is now ranks as a top 10 global brand. Diversification strategy has also helped Samsung to develop different products of high quality at cheaper prices as compared to products from other companies; for instance, Samsung receive massive sale of smart phones. The company also project that the newly launched advanced wireless disk drive will attract more customers and gain more orders (ArguÃÅ'ˆden, 2011). References About Samsung. (n.d.). – Samsung. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/aboutsamsung/ ArguÃÅ'ˆden, R. Y. (2011). Keys to governance Strategic leadership for quality of life. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Bessant, J. R. (2009). Innovation. London: DK. Chang, S. (2008). Sony vs. Samsung: the inside story of the electronics giants’ battle for global supremacy. Singapore: Wiley. Day, G. S. (2013). Innovation Prowess Leadership Strategies for Accelerating Growth.. New York: Wharton Digital Press. Ernst, H. (2007). Innovation orientation, innovativeness and innovation success. Wiesbaden: Gabler. Ghemawat, P., & Siegel, J. I. (2011). Cases about redefining global strategy. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Pub..Haig, M. (2004). Brand royalty: how the world’s top 100 brands thrive and survive. London: Kogan Page. Hill, K. (2012). International directory of company histories. Detroit, Mich.: St. James Press. Kenny, G. (2009). Diversification strategy how to grow a business by diversifying successfully. London: Kogan Page. Krug, J. A. (2009). Corporate strategy. London: SAGE. Mellor, R. B. (2003). Innovation management (1. ed.). NÃÆ' ¦rum: Globe. Michell, T. (2010). Samsung Electronics and the struggle for leadership of the electronics industry. Singapore: Wiley. Samsung Receives 49 Awards across Multiple Product Categories at CES 2014. (2014, January 15). Health & Beauty Close-Up, 23, 43. (2014). Samsung S5 to feature biometric access control and secure mobile PayPal. Biometric Technology Today, 2014(3), 1.Samsung announces new optical drive with Wi-Fi connectivity. (n.d.). Macworld. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://www.macworld.com/article/1162103/samsung_announces_new_optical_drive_with_wi_fi_connectivity.html (2007). Samsung does six sigma: A case study on supply chain management. Strategic Direction, 23(9), 15-17. Trauffler, G., & Tschirky, H. (2007). Sustained innovation management: assimilating radical and incremental innovation management. Basingstoke [England: Palgrave Macmillan in association with the European Institute for Technology and Innovation Management. Trott, P. (2008). Innovation management and new product development (4th ed.). Harlow, England: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Welcome to Samsung. (n.d.). Samsung. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/ Zacharias, N. (2011). An integrative approach to innovation management patterns of companies’ innovation orientation and customer responses to product program innovativeness. Wiesbaden: Gabler Verlag. Source document

Summary and Assessment

Lesson 04. 07: Summary and Assessment using the Four Steps to Gang a Great Speech, write and deliver a speech presenting your Personal Brand Statement to a City Council. 1 . Complete the Speech Planning Gulled 2. Write a two- to three-minute speech using the notes you organized In the Speech Planning Guide. 3. Submit your notes and your written speech (two to three paragraphs) to your instructor. 4. Rehearse your speech. Speech Planning Guide Your local city council wants a student to share something he or she has learned in school.They want you to give them a two- to three minute speech about your Personal Brand Statement. Use the Brand Guide you created In Lesson 04. 04 as a reference when organizing your speech. Know your audience. To learn about your audience, you created a short questionnaire they filled out. Here are their responses: Length of speech: 2?3 minutes Location of speech: City Council Meeting, City Hall, Room 305 Number of people in audience: 10 What topics should I address?We are interested in what you have learned in your leadership class. Please address the following topics: How have you used your Personal Brand and open communication skills In your daily life? You created three targeted brand statements. Which of the three brand targets Is the most challenging for you, and why? (For example, your family, teachers, or friends could be some of your targets. ) What recommendations would you give to those who want to improve their PersonalBrand? Outline Your Presentation. Outline your entire presentation, from start to finish. This means that you should be clear about what your primary message is and create a plan to present your argument, or point of view, step by step. What topics should I address? Introduction Stories or examples to support your point Evidence to support your point A call to action, or an appeal to the audience to do something new or different as a result of your presentation. Conclusion

Communication project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Communication project - Essay Example Besides communication, this research also focused on employee relationships within the organization, and required the respondents to state their expectations from both management and colleagues. This paper therefore, will access the exposure level of intercommunication in the business community, and identify with the real impact of the business communication attitudes in 2 Sisters Food Group. Based on the literature review and groups, a self-constructed five-item structured questionnaire became imperative. The questionnaire was prepared to use 5- point Likert scale. Employees and employers expressed a broad range of opinions in the focus groups on the key issues, in discussion. The use of the structured questionnaire was inspired by cost effectiveness and relative convince of the method. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to increase the quality of date and findings, and the respondents were required to show to what measure or extent they agreed with the statements in the scale. The responses ranged from: agreeing strongly, disagreeing strongly. In addition, respondents had to respond to items such as; internal organizational politics can escalate communication barriers within the organization. This was followed by; inadequate skills in English language hinder effective communication in 2 sisters Food Group. The last section dealt much of the demographic fact ors and information of the employees and employers. The questionnaire was subjected to a pilot test to increase its reliability and appropriateness. To minimize the on the above weakness, the questionnaire design should; use a simple language that is easily understood by both parties. In addition, time for completion should be reasonable and one should identify the target population so as to yield useful data for the research (Gillham, 2004). Thank you

CMG301 MOD 3 CA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CMG301 MOD 3 CA - Essay Example On receipt of the customers’ notice of dissatisfaction, the contractor will first attempt to resolve any outstanding issues directly with the customer. If this does not resolve the customers’ complaints, the matter will be referred to the State of Washington Contractors’ Association for mediation. Only if this does not resolve the matter are the parties free to litigate their differences. Unless otherwise agreed to by the contractor, the remaining $750 must be paid within 30 days of the customers’ acceptance of the work. 2) The remaining $500 still owing must then be paid in 5 consecutive monthly installments, with the first one due within 60 days of work completion and receipt of a final invoice. These deferred payments are subject to a 10% interest charge payable with the first installment. Therefore the deferred payments will be $100 each, with the exception of the first one which will be $150. The deferred payments including interest will be $550 and under this plan the total cost of the contract will be $1050. If this option is accepted by the contractor, this will be confirmed by an amendment to the contract signed by both

Building Effective Networks Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 24

Building Effective Networks - Assignment Example The success stories of networks by the Japanese Keiretsus and Korean Chaebols, international cooperative agreements, regional and economic integration, new organizational forms and structures, international collaboration and uncommon associations. Findings: The findings of the study reveal that the various â€Å"forms and patterns of networks and their impact on societal and organizational functioning† have enhanced the role played by various networks in today’s world (Tung, 2002, p. 99). Practical Implications: The practical implications of the study point out that no world nations can escape itself from the spread and influence of global networks. Similarly, nations that fail to implement or be part of effective organizational and social networks are most likely to lag behind in terms of economic and organizational growth and development. Value to the Reader: The paper offers a number of useful insights to the reader. The reader gets a thorough understanding as to how organizational functioning and behavior are being influenced by global or international networks. Networks also act as effective means in determining organizational change. Globalization has facilitated collaboration between various networks and multinational organizations can benefit the most out of global patterns of networks. However, one should also be aware of the dark sides of networks as they have the potential cause destruction and disruptions. Similarly, the success of effective networks calls for the need to have effective global strategies and trans-national collaborations. Design/Methodology/Approach: The methodology for the study has consisted of interviews and surveys. The researchers â€Å"interviewed HR executives from over 30 companies and collected surveys from executives attending several sessions at the University of Michigan Senior Human Resource Executive Program† (Mendenhall, Black, Jensen, & Gregerson, 2003, p. 20).

Air Quality and Environmental Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Air Quality and Environmental Health - Essay Example Indoor smoke from solid fuels and unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene are main causes of 580,000 deaths per year. Urban air pollution and exposure to lead and other pollutants are responsible for 405, 000 deaths (World Health Organization, 2005). Studies from the United States and Europe show that persons in an industrialized nation spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors. The indoors however cannot be rendered safer than outdoors since concentration of airborne substances indoors exceed those outdoors. Individuals exposed to it develop chronic diseases more so for those living in the urban areas. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is the major source of indoor contaminants and it cannot be avoided by nonsmokers who live in the same house. Since the chemicals found in ETS are toxic and carcinogenic, exposure can lead to lung and other cancers, emphysema and other chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and cardiovascular diseases. Everyone gets a share of the effects of harmf ul ETS but children are particularly susceptible (Environmental Protection Agency, 2007). Aside from environmental tobacco smoke, combustion pollutants can also be found at high levels inside homes. This is normally coming from malfunctioning heating devices and motor vehicle emissions. The combustion sources usually contain gaseous pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Carbon monoxide is an asphyxiant. It can readily combine with hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) which disrupts oxygen transport. The highest with the highest oxygen needs are affected first. CO poisoning symptoms is almost similar to influenza. Nitrogen dioxide is an irritant which mainly affects the mucosa of the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract. . Acute S02-related bronchial constriction may also occur in people with asthma or as a hypersensitivity reaction. Pulmonary edema and diffuse lung injury can result form extremely high dose exposure to N02. Acute or chronic bronchitis can result from continued exposure to high N02 levels (Env ironmental Protection Agency, 2007). In addition, airborne lead, mercury vapor, asbestos and radon have its own contribution as health hazards. The microscopic fibers of damaged asbestos-containing material may disperse into the air and inhaled. Its presence within the lungs results to asbestosis, lung cancer and pleural or peritoneal cancer or mesothelioma. The second leading cause of lung cancer is radon. Lead toxicity may alternatively present as acute illness. In children signs and symptoms may include irritability, abdominal pain, emesis, marked ataxia and seizures or loss of consciousness. In adults signs and symptoms include headache, nausea, anorexia, constipation, fatigue, personality changes and hearing loss. Mercury present in paints can be the main source of mercury poisoning (Environmental Protection Agency, 2007). Diesel exhaust particulate is also a primary concern of many communities since it is responsible for 70 percent of the known cancer risk. It also contributes to other respiratory diseases (Air R esources Board, 2005) and pre-existing respiratory diseases can be exacerbated by air pollution. Children who are particularly susceptible to diseases, the Clean Air Coalition claims that children living in more polluted air have

The Changing Composition of Workforce and Values Essay

The Changing Composition of Workforce and Values - Essay Example Technological inventions have over time become a daily affair. In as much as it is aimed at simplifying operations, it is not an easy task for employees trying to keep up with the pace as refresher courses come in handy so as to acquaint them with the technology nature of the workforce. Work in current times is thus based more on practical skills so as to handle the digital operations. Unlike in the past, there is more emphasize on team work in the current workforce making social skills essential. Again resulting from technological advances, the world has become a small place as business connecting the entire world can be carried out from a central time hence making work flexible and itinerant. This eventually results in a more time conscious setting as locations of both client and service providers do not matter. The workforce is flooded with more learned employees resulting from advancements in education unlike in the past. Due to increasing service demands, the workforce is a rather competitive with customer satisfaction being the priority of operations. Technological advances have over time led to a decrease in labor due to the digital migration of the workforce operations. consequently, unlike in the past when employees were guaranteed of life-long career opportunities as well as secure jobs, employees in the current workforce risk losing their jobs to technology. Competition, the rapid rise in meeting client, often demands lead to frequent changes and aligning operations to suit demands and beat the competition. Values at the workforce are those guiding ideologies that are vital in governing how operations are carried out. They help in guiding the company in making ultimate decisions for their business and knowing what is best for pushing up profits as well as maintaining solid clientele basis. They are a mere reflection of the workforce and an easy point out of the company profile (Glickman, 1982). A

Short essay answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short essay answers - Assignment Example He also posits that once technology is universal, rational changes would be initiated and implemented. Surely, technology, if rationally used, does make processes move easier and quicker, thus supporting change and progress. According to Volti, society will only benefit from technology if it is considered in its larger social context. In fact, technology, as defined by Volti, is humans’ ability to design and develop the systems by which they survive by the use of organizational forms, knowledge, and physical objects to realize specific objectives (Volti, P. 8). Progress is connected to technology because technology is primarily cumulative, optimistic, and progressive and requires incessant perfection in its internal mechanisms. Rational world view of technology is thus important in establishing the interactions between technology and society. This rational view is that the assumption that the world can be controlled, more so by addressing problems with technological solutions. There is also a causative connection between technology and economic progress. The connection between technology and economic progress has its consequences, some positive and others negative. In fact, some of the benefits of technology could be harmful to others (Volti, P. 19). The interrelationship between scientific and industrial revolution is a rather apparent one. In fact, the Industrial Revolution was caused by the many scientific inventions of the 16th and 17th century. The industrial revolution refers to the 1750-1850 period during which many changes occurred in the agriculture, technology manufacturing, mining, and transportation sectors, leading to far-reaching improvements on the social, economic and cultural conditions of life during this period (Henderson & Yount, P. 142). In fact, every aspect of life changed during the industrial revolution, which begun in the United Kingdom and spread

Rising Income Does Not Necessarily Determine a Rise in Happiness Essay Example for Free

Rising Income Does Not Necessarily Determine a Rise in Happiness Essay Many people say that money can buy anything including happiness. If one possesses a huge sum of money then they will be able to acquire the necessities of life that brings great satisfaction and significantly increases the happiness in people. Happiness comes from within and is an intangible asset. Happiness is a common term with a vast concept. One of the most conventional definitions refers to happiness as an attitude towards ones own life, the degree to which a person judges the overall quality of his or her life as a whole in a favourable way (Bruni Stanca, 2007 ). Others believe that true happiness is not obtained through material possession but divine paths. They deem that the aim of human way of life is not restricted to money as it is regarded as only a kind of survival in this world and doesn’t have any relationship with happiness. Money versus happiness What is crucial in a human being’s existence? Money will, in all likelihood, be the answer in most people’s life. The current society endorses the objective of making as much money as one can without considering what the cost is. People lie, cheat, and steal to gain another dollar at the loss of others happiness, but do they acquire the happiness from others? Vice versa, there are people who take home more money in a day than others in a year but yet they are still contemplating suicides. According to Bruni and Stanca (2007), when a person income rises, they need to pursue a higher level of pleasure so as to achieve the same level of happiness. A very vital question often asked is Does money buy happiness? Money does buy happiness if it is a material need. According to Diener, Harter and Arora (2010), â€Å"the Gallup World Poll included measures of not having enough money for food and shelter and therefore allowed people to examine the path from income through basic needs to the various forms of subjective well-being† (p. 269. ). However, using money on a want more than a need, for example, a nicer car or fancier bag, is unlikely to buy happiness which is long lasting. Money is directly related to happiness only to a certain extent but after a certain amount, it does not necessarily determine a rise in happiness. These three various effects help to explain these paradoxes are different perspectives, comparison of incomes and the doubling effect of incomes. Different Perspectives of the Rich and Poor The impact of rising income depends on the different social status an individual holds. The two social statuses that will be discussed here are the rich and the poor. The poor is defined as having insufficient means to afford needs and many a time requires struggle to attain those means; while the rich is defined as having more than enough means to afford needs and luxury wants. These are the two extremes in a society. Those experiencing poverty view having an increase in income as being a luxury, allowing them to afford even more necessities to support themselves and their family which builds a perspective in them that having more money means having an increased level of happiness. However, the increase in income only brings happiness till it allows the individual to escape poverty and after which, the rise in income no longer contributes much to an individual’s happiness level (Martin, 2008; Myers and Diener, 1997). On the other hand, many rich individuals do not feel any happier with rising incomes. According to Martin (2008), the doubling of average incomes in the west for the past 50 years did not invoke any significant rise in the level of happiness. It is true that with higher incomes, an individual’s spending power will increase but that will also mean an increase in aspirations (Easterlin, 2001). With this consistent rise in income and aspirations, each factor is dependent on one another, the level of happiness will remain the same and in some cases when the aspirations are beyond what the income can fulfill, depression may follow. Many tend to spend their extra rise of income haphazardly which eventually creates a vicious cycle of getting and spending rather than using that sum to increase freedom and peace of mind (Martin, 2007). In addition, having more income means having a wider spectrum of options to choose from in life. However, with more options it will mean choices become more difficult (Binswanger, 2006). With more options, it means choosing any one will incur a larger opportunity cost when all options seem attractive but only one can be chosen, hence forgoing the remaining options. Therefore, the status of rich or poor determines the significance of increasing happiness. Comparison of Incomes Humans have a natural tendency to compare what they have with everyone around them, including the comparison of incomes (Binswanger, 2006) where people choose to earn more than others, hence resulting in happiness. This can be well explained by the saying â€Å"keeping up with the Joneses† where people tend to keep upgrading themselves and become better than others hence making them feel they are of a higher status. When this happens, people begin to desire for branded cars, larger houses, expensive clothes and luxury holiday trips. This raises the self-esteem together with their social status (Martin, 2007) where people begin to feel good about themselves and being seen as admirable in a society’s viewpoint. As stated in a research by Martin (2007), some people were asked if they prefer earning an income of $50,000 as opposed to others having $25,000, or an income of $100,000 while others get $200,000, they chose the former. This clearly shows that even if every individual has one’s income increased, the level of happiness will not increase because of the need to have high self-esteem with high social status. The rise of income of everyone in the society does not equate to the rise of relative income where relative income means having earned a certain amount of income as compared to others’. Having a higher status than others may bring happiness but for the status of an individual to rise, others will have to be in a lower status and to some extent this can only be achieved at the expense of others’ happiness. Furthermore, if an individual decides to pursue a higher relative income, one will have to do that on the expense of one’s personal leisure time, striving to advance in one’s career to earn more money. Assuming that this thirst for status remains unquenched, the individual will be giving up a lot of one’s leisure time just to reach that temporary moment of high status and eventually a ‘snowball’ effect is created where more time, which can be spent on being happy, is being eroded at the end of the day. The Doubling Effect of Incomes Due to the high tendency of people adapting to higher income with higher aspirations (Binswanger, 2006), the desire for more income will never stop. In addition, when an individual earns a certain level of income, one will easily get used to it and soon becomes dissatisfied again. To satisfy that individual again, it will mean having to increase one’s income with a significant percentage. A study was done to further explain how an individual can only be satisfied when one’s income is doubled instead of raising by a percentage smaller than 100%. People tend to be happier when their initial income of $10,000 is increased to $20,000 as opposed to those who earns an initial $80,000 and getting an increase to $90,000. For that to feel an equal impact, the initial income of $80,000 should rise to $160,000 instead (Diener, Ng, Harter and Arora, 2010). In terms of percentage, the increase is required to be at least 100% increase for the impact to be significant enough to make an individual happier. In other words, the doubling of an income will give rise to a higher satisfaction level as compared to a relatively smaller increase. Table 1 Percent Distribution of Population by Happiness at Various Levels of Income, United States, 1994 Table 1 depicts the various income groups and shows how the doubling of each income group rises the mean happiness rating. As shown, the mean happiness rating for those earning $10,000 is 2. 1 while those earning $20,000 has their rating rising by 0. 2 and as the earnings doubled each time, the rating increases steadily. Counter-argument: Money Bring More Opportunity to Happiness Money has a direct correlation to happiness to a certain extent. According to Tatzel (2003), happiness rises when we experience self-esteem, control and optimism, and it decreases when those factors fall. Rise of income increases these personalities, allowing one to attain a higher level of happiness. Self-esteem is the beliefs, thoughts and feelings people have about themselves. It motivates one’s attitude and behavior. People use their money to boost their ego while some use money on retail or food to mask pain or deal with emotional issues. These help them to feel better and contribute to their happiness. Research conduct by Becker (1965), stated quite a few examples of how money indirectly bring happiness through time-saving inventions. For example, shopping in supermarkets help to save shopping time, vehicles help to cut down time spend on traveling to our destination and communication deceive such as telephones help us to get our message across faster. The key focus here is monetary affluence resulted in more opportunity leading to happiness Being financially stable, one has control the nature of their daily activities. This brought about spiritual joy as one can go to the movies every weekend, or lavish on gifts for the people he/she love. For the rich, money helps them have pure happiness because they can help bring relief to the suffering millions and the victims of the disasters. Money can also give us experiences and opportunities that we would otherwise never be able to have Money not only provides a shelter over one’s head but also provides assurance, leading to optimism. For example, when faced with illness, stress and fear of death will be relieved due to the security that money promises. A man in fear of death ceases to be afraid when he has the needed money, even before he actually cures the illness. Thus, money took away the fear and helps one to be optimistic. There are so many more things that money could be used in exchange for our desires thus, it resulted in a raise in happiness index. Money is one of things that contribute in the process of being happy. Rebuttal: Money cannot buy happiness Money enables the opportunity for happiness, but people more often than not squander away on things that will make them happy but never does so. It only buys illusions of happiness. As such, people have a tendency to shift towards money and material pleasure. According to Binswanger (2006), all time-saving innovations mentioned by Becker (1965) did not result in time-savings. For instance, e-mails are more convenient than sending letters thus prompting individuals to send more messages through mail as compared to letter than they ever would. Instead of having to read only one letter, there will be an increase in the exchange of information resulting in failure of time-saving improvements. Very often, people mentioned that money can increase one’s sense of well-being as it does not restrain one from spending more time in leisurely pursuits. For example, watching a musical show or going for a vacation. However in reality, time was wasted on work and traveling, less time was engaged in experienced happiness. Psychologists of Harvard University concluded that wealth increases human happiness when it brings people out of poverty but it does little to increase happiness thereafter. There are people who are wealthy but lonely, while others are poor but happy because they have their close friends, good health and family. Happiness is not just set by one single factor but many others; it does not always increase in direct proportion to the amount of money. Conclusion In conclusion, money is necessary but not the obligatory prerequisite for happiness. Individuals may be more satisfied with their life if they have more money, but this does not necessarily mean they will be happier. Money does provide basic needs which leads to happiness as it satisfies one’s desire, however this feeling does not prolong when there are more money. In addition, there must be a balance between earning morning and leading a healthy lifestyle. Being absorbed in earning money can easily cause one to forget their actual meaningful tasks such as caring for their families, having time with their friends†¦etc. They trap themselves in the materialized ambition and lose what are important to their life. Happiness and contentment are simply poles apart. Being in the upper social status distribution will not ensure a placing in the upper rank of the happiness distribution. However being contented and getting involved in meaningful accomplishments such as help to pave a way to the top of happiness index.

Comparative Study Between Pizza Hut And Dominos Business Essay

Comparative Study Between Pizza Hut And Dominos Business Essay This research is based on service comparison of pizza hut and dominos. Delivering quality service is of utmost important. This research is based to test the quality of service and comparison between two pizza Houses. The fast food industry of India is experiencing phenomenal growth and is one of the fastest growing sectors in the country, with the compounded annual growth rates of the market crossing 25%. Further, on the back of changing and busy lifestyle, fast emerging middle class population and surging disposable income, the industry will continue to grow at a pace in coming years. It now accounts for roughly half of all restaurant revenues in the developed countries and continues to expand there and in many other industrial countries in the coming years. But some of the most rapid growth is occurring in the developing world; where its radically changing the way people eat. People buy fast food because its cheap, easy to prepare, and heavily promoted. This paper aims at providing information about fast food industry, its trend, reason for its emergence and several other factors that are responsible for its growth. This report provides extensive research and rational analysis on the Indian fast food industry and tracks the changing dynamics of the market. It features market performance, key related sectors and competitive landscape of the market. The research study looks into the market condition and future forecasts, and outlines current trends and analyses. It has been made to help clients in analyzing the opportunities, challenges and drivers vital to the growth of fast food industry in India. For the purpose of this report, Fast Food Industry includes fast food restaurants, teahouses, coffee shops and juice bars in India. Consumers will be feeling the impact of the crisis far more over the coming months and will have to adjust their daily habits and attitudes accordingly. There are already clear signs pointing in this direction, which are not necessarily detrimental to food retail. In times of economic crisis, the cocooning effect tends to emerge and this involves consumers focusing increasingly on activities within their own homes. For example, they will go out less in favor of enjoying evenings in. These behaviors will impact primarily on the restaurant industry, with the lack of consumption outside the home made up for by the purchase of food products to be eaten at home, the research group noted something which has already been seen in a number of countries. Although only around half of consumers will actually be affected by the crisis, the situation will have a major impact on food retail. The various sectors, industries and retail will all be affected by the economic crisis to varying degrees. There will be losers, but also winners in this downturn. The 6000 corer fast food retail industry is mainly dominated by the multinational players and the key players which are active in the research of the food retailing include: Pizza hut Pizza Hut is one of the flagship brands of Yum! Brands, Inc., which also has KFC, Taco Bell, AW and Long John Silvers under its umbrella. Pizza Hut is the worlds largest pizza chain with over 12,500 restaurants across 91 countries. In India, Pizza Hut has 137 restaurants across 36 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune , and Chandigarh amongst others. Yum! Is in the process of opening Pizza Hut restaurants at many more locations to service a larger customer base across the country. Dominos Dominos vision is focused on Exceptional people on a mission to be the best pizza delivery company in the world! . Dominos is committed to bringing fun and excitement to the lives of our customers by delivering delicious pizzas to their doorstep in 30 minutes or less, and all its strategies are aimed at fulfilling this commitment towards its large and ever-growing customer base. Dominos constantly strives to develop products that suit the tastes of its customers, thereby bringing out the Wow effect (the feel good factor). Dominos believes strongly in the strategy of Think local and act regional. Thus, time and again Dominos has been innovating toppings suitable to the taste buds of the local populace and the Indian market has very well accepted these. Problem statement Why do people prefer Pizza-Hut over Dominos pizza (In respect of service, quality, price, location)? Research Objective To find out the comparative analysis between Pizza-hut and dominos-pizza. To check out the preferences of the people / or the customers. To find out which factors are more preferred by the customers. BACKGROUND OF THE PIZZA-HOUSES Dominos Story The Dominos Pizza story is one of passion, determination, the ability to overcome adversity and most importantly, a single-minded dream of becoming number one in the pizza home-dining industry. Four Decades Of Experience The 60s Dominos Pizza began with one store in Ypsilanti, Michigan on December 9, 1960. Its owner, Thomas S. Monaghan, was a 23-year-old student at the University Of Michigan School Of Architecture who was looking for a business venture to sponsor his studies. With his brother James, he bought an existing pizza store called Dominicks Pizza. He soon found himself absorbed in the pizza business and immediately began to make improvements. Although a novice in terms of pizza making skills and knowledge of the industry, Monaghan had the self-determination to get the job done and to do it better than anyone else. What was needed was to consistently make great pizzas fast and safely deliver them to the customers door. His partnership with his brother was dissolved in 1961, by 1965, Monaghan own three stores and officially changed the company name to Dominos Pizza, Inc. A pioneer and innovator in the pizza delivery industry, Monaghan continuously looked for better and faster ways to handle the rush. He developed a fast pizza-making method and an efficient order taking system. From the moment the phone rang to the time the pizza was delivered to the customers door, Monaghan stressed the need for hustle. Never get behind was the operating motto. Even though delivery drivers were instructed to abide by the traffic laws at all times, once they got out of their delivery vehicles they were to run to the customers house, ensuring a piping hot pizza. Capitalizing on the success he had found in his three stores servicing college campuses, Monaghan adapted the same successful system at Michigan State University in 1967. A massive pizza craving population of 20,000 students living on one campus, offering one size of pizza with only six toppings to choose from and introducing the companys 30 minute pledge soon made this store the companys biggest money maker. This store is also notable because it solidified in Monaghans mind the need to expand. Monaghan sold his first franchise to Charles Gray on April 1, 1967, after personally training Gray for the job himself. The company suffered its first serious setback when on February 8, 1968 the companys central office and commissary were destroyed by fire. The company was inadequately insured and Monaghan was only able to recoup $13,600 in losses. Nevertheless, Monaghans belief in his dream drove him to push the company forward once again. By the end of 1969, Dominos Pizza, Inc., consisted of 42 stores reporting an estimated $8.1 million in total sales. The 70s Despite its high turnover, Dominos was $1.5 million in debt. By 1970, its creditors took action and 200 lawsuits were filed against it. Monaghan lost control of the company to the banks, only to have it returned to him 10 months later in worse condition than when they had taken it over. Monaghan and his wife managed to salvage what was left of the company and once again took off in pursuit of their dreams. Monaghan focused on rebuilding the trust of his creditors and the companys reputation and spent much of his time visiting his stores, talking with store managers and team members, and observing them in action. He continued to emphasis the Dominos system of simplicity and speed. Passing on his enthusiasm for the nature of the business and creating a friendly, competitive environment, Monaghan also implemented the Manager of the Year award, a national honor presented to the companys best store crew chief. Knowing what made Dominos different; primarily its unparalleled successful system of promoting from within, pizza makers, delivery drivers and order takers all knew they had the opportunity to advance through the ranks to become a store manager or even a franchisee. This not only encouraged a spirit of entrepreneurship, but also ensured a dedicated, industrious workforce. Ten years later Monaghans vision of promoting from within to build the best company with the best people paid off as 92% of Dominos Pizza franchisees had started their careers in the company at entry level jobs. Maintaining his persistence on making training a top priority, a week-long new employee orientation program was developed as Monaghan toured the country visiting stores. After a decade and a half of sixteen hour shifts and endless obstacles to overcome, Monaghan and Dominos Pizza were finally running smoothly. By the end of 1974, there were nearly 100 stores amassing $20.4 million in sales. Late in 1974, Monaghan received a letter from Amstar Corporation which had been using the trademark Domino since 1900. It demanded that he change his companys name. With nearly 100 stores nationwide and growing public recognition and acceptance, Dominos Pizza was being told to return to the starting gate. On September 30, 1975, Amstar filed suit against Dominos Pizza for trademark infringement. Dominos lost the case and was forced to operate all new store openings under the name Pizza Dispatch. But 1980 brought a positive conclusion to the lawsuit, with the company being permitted once again to operate under its long-established identity of Dominos Pizza. The company ended that year with 398 stores recording $98 million in sales. Franchising also continued to grow. In fact, by this time, most of the companys growth came from its strong franchise base, and the majority of the franchisees were from the internal ranks. Opportunity kept the Dominos Pizza team motivated and highly productive. There was something big waiting for everybody who was willing to work for it. Monaghan often referred to his franchisees as the very heart of the company and time and time again they have proven this to be true. With their energy, dedication and financial investment, they would help bring Dominos Pizza to a level of success beyond what Monaghan had ever imagined possible. The 80s In 1983 the company celebrated the opening of its first international store in Winnipeg, Canada. Dominos Pizza International, which Monaghan called the companys hope for the future, became in part responsible for much of the companys later movement and growth. 1983 also saw the opening of the companys 1000th store in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After a quarter of a century of honing its pizza making and delivery systems, Dominos Pizza knew the pizza delivery business. In 1985 tens of thousands of customers around the world showed their confidence in the company by ordering 135 million pizzas during that year, an astonishing 69% increase over the previous years sales. By 1989 Dominos had opened its 5000th store. The 90s By 1992 the international division had opened its 500th store outside the United States. The domestic market continued to grow with the introduction of innovative variations to the original pizza recipe as well as creative up-sell items. 1993 was shaping up as another major year for Dominos until December brought one more crisis: a $79 million judgment against the company in a lawsuit alleging the 30 minute guarantee was at fault in a St Louis traffic accident. After days of soul-searching, Monaghan decided to withdraw the guarantee permanently, a move that made headlines worldwide such was Dominos renown. Not only is Monaghan credited with pioneering the multi-billion dollar pizza delivery industry, but also with numerous inventions. He is responsible for the corrugated pizza box, conveyor ovens, and Doug mixers, insulated bags to transport pizzas in, the pizza screen, Doug trays and, most important to the success of his own business, a unique franchising system enabling managers a nd supervisors to become independent business owners. In 1999 Monaghan, a deeply spiritual man, decided it was time to give back to the community much of the wealth he had accumulated as a result of his 39 years at the helm of this great company. So he sold Dominos Pizza to Bain Capital, an organization with a proven track record of identifying companies with significant growth potential, and steering them to achieve that potential. The Future Many changes have been made since Dominos was sold to Bain Capital, and a new spirit of excitement has paved the way for the future. Despite encountering setbacks and obstacles along the way, the story of Tom Monaghans 39 years at the helm of Dominos Pizza is one of never giving up on your dreams. What began as one mans vision evolved into a thriving worldwide industry? Dominos Pizza India Limited Dominos Pizza India Limited (DPIL) is the master franchisee for India, Srilanka , Bangladesh and Nepal from Dominos Pizza International Inc., USA. The company had been promoted by Mr. Shyam S. Bhartia and Mr. Hari S.Bhartia of the Jubilant Organosys Group (Formally Vam Organic Group). The Company was incorporated in March 1995. The First Dominos Pizza store in India was opened in January 1996, at New Delhi and today after nine years Dominos Pizza India has grown into a countrywide network of over 100 outlets in 27 cities, which includes:- North Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jallandhar, Dehradun, Shimla, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Noida, Faridabad, Mussoorie South Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbotore, Mangalore, Cochin, Secundrabad, Manipal, East Kolkatta West Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Goa Dominos intends to penetrate completely within these markets by opening up 20-25 outlets per year in these cities. Dominos has a young and enthusiastic team of over 2,100 employees. Today, Dominos has emerged as the leader in the fast food segment with about 65% of market share of pizza delivery in India and have outlets more than any other corporation in the business of food, not just the pizza business. All the Company outlets are corporate outlets invested by the company and also managed by the company. Over a period since 1996, Dominos Pizza India has established a reputation for being a home delivery specialist capable of delivering its pizzas within 30 minutes to its community of loyal customers from its entire stores around the country. Customers can order their pizzas by calling the single countrywide Hunger Helpline 1600-111-123 and Dominos was the first one to start this facility for its customers. Dominos vision is Exceptional people on a mission, to be the best pizza delivery company in the world!. Dominos is committed to bringing fun and excitement to the lives of our customers by delivering delicious pizzas to their doorstep in 30 minutes or less, and all our strategies work for fulfilling this commitment towards our large and ever-growing customer base. Dominos constantly strives to develop the product that suits the taste of its customers to bring out the WOW effect (i.e. the feel good factor). Dominos believes in the strategy of Think local and act regional that is blended with a playful image personified by our Hungry Kya? positioning. Thus, time and again Dominos has been innovating toppings, suitable to the tastebuds of the locals and these have been very well accepted by the Indian market, are doing extensively well in the market. We are constantly in the process of innovating further; we introduce new topping every 3 -4 months Dominos understands customers demand and is constantly developing local flavors understanding the local sentiments. Also, the ingredients, sauces etc. are made keeping in mind the taste buds of Indian consumers while retaining the international flavor. Dominos constantly strive to make the company an integral part of the lives of the target audiences by getting involved with the clientele at the emotional level and building long-term relationship with them. Thus, Dominos concentrate more on carrying out below-the-line activities in the area it serves. Dominos believe in bringing fun and excitement into the lives of our clientele. We take our delivery proposition very seriously and our entire corporate ethic is based on it. Dominos is the recognized world leader in Pizza delivery. But it isnt just about delivering; its also about giving back to the community. Dominos believes that an essential component of corporate responsibility is to provide support to charitable organizations that benefit the communities where its employees and customers work and live. Dominos worldwide is known for its commitment toward social causes and believes in adding fun to the lives of our customers and communities it serves. In India, Dominos has been associated with the NGOs devoted to the cause of underprivileged Childrens. Dominos conducts Store Educational Tour (SET) for the underprivileged children time-to-time. Recently this was done in the one of the Dominos outlet in Delhi and Mumbai with the underprivileged children from CRY (Child Relief and You) where Dominos took the pledge to provide part-time employment to the eligible wards from CRY who are above 18 years, reiterating its commitment towards social causes. Also, fifty- percent of that days first 20 deliveries of the store were given to CRY toward the cause of the underprivileged children. The children had a gala time while they learned to make and bake pizzas at the store and finally tasted the sumptuous offerings made by them during the Store Educational Tour. Dominos Pizza India also boasts about its commitment to serve its customers on time by implementing the 30 MINUTES OR FREE service commitment, they have been able to achieve this as a result of continuous efforts and dedication of the entire team in improving operating efficiencies. Dominos Pizza India has been consistently rated amongst the top 2 pizza chains worldwide in the Dominos family by Dominos International, in terms of quality of operations. Our pizza delivery times have also been judged as the best delivery times in the world across all Dominos. PIZZA HUT INDIA Background Pizza Hut entered India in 1996, and opened its first restaurant in Bangalore. Since then it has captured a dominant and significant share of the pizza market and has maintained an impressive growth rate of over 40 per cent per annum. Pizza Hut now has 95 outlets across 24 cities in India; and employed nearly 4,000 people by end of 2004. Yum! has invested about US$ 25 million in India so far; this is over and above investments made by franchisees. Yum! Brands Inc is the owner of the Pizza Hut chain worldwide. A Fortune 300 company, Yum! Brands own Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, AW and Long John Silvers restaurants worldwide. Yum! Generated more than US$ 25.9 billion in worldwide sales in the year 2003, and has more than 33,000 restaurants in over 100 countries. A major player in the Indian fast food and beverage sector Market share Pizza Hut is believed to have close to 50 per cent market share of the organized pizza-retailing segment in India. Financial performance According to an article in Financial Express, the market size of the pizza segment is around US$ 87 million and currently growing at the rate of 15 per cent to 17 per cent per annum. According to Pizza Hut sources, most of their outlets are financially successful, encouraging further expansion. In India, the average investment for each outlet is US$ 275,000-335,000 and is borne by the franchisee. Factors for Success Offering value food Employing economies of scale, Pizza Hut has made its offerings more affordable. Its delivery offer of US$ 4.4 for four personal pan pizzas has been very successful; helping it grows the business by 25 per cent. They have recently introduced a range of vegetarian personal pan pizzas for US$ 1.1. Most Pizza Hut restaurants are located in the metros and smaller metros. In taking long strides across the country, Pizza Hut is consolidating its position by opening more restaurants in the metros where it already has a presence as well as opening outlets in new markets. Moving beyond metros According to company sources, Pizza Hut is moving beyond the metros and foraying into 12 to 13 new markets including Trichy, Nagpur, Bhubhaneswar, Thiruvananthapuram and Pondicherry to increase penetration. Aggressive marketing and tie-ups with local and popular brands Pizza Hut has increased its visibility by launching a well-received TV campaign aimed at the young crowd. It has formed partnerships with recognized brands such as Nestle and Pepsi. It also holds regular promotional campaigns targeted at children and uses these alliances to offer packages during these campaigns. Developing the local supply chain The local supply chain for Pizza Hut was developed by Yum! and currently 95 per cent of the ingredients they use are locally produced. They now import very few specialty items like pepperoni. Leveraging the India Advantage : International brand with an Indian heart Pizza Hut is one of the first international pizza chains with purely vegetarian dine-ins at Chowpatty (Mumbai), Ahmedabad and Surat, which also serve Jain menus. Pizza Hut has even opened two all-vegetarian restaurants in the western state of Gujarat to cater to the Jain religious community, whose members prefer not to eat at places where meat is served. Offering more than the international menu International food chains typically offer only a few localised products in other parts of the world. However, Pizza Huts local menu is as large as the international one. According to Pizza Hut, the Indian food heritage is very rich, and hence Indians like local flavours. The Tandoori range of pizzas, which was developed locally, has a menu mix of over 20 per cent. Indigenous sourcing of raw materials Pizza Hut has reduced costs through indigenous sourcing of raw material. It has tied up with a local company Dynamix Dairy Industries Ltd (DDIL) for sourcing mozzarella cheese. The landed cost of imported mozzarella comes to US$ 3.3 3.5 per kilogram. The domestic price, however, works out to US$ 2.99 3.1 per kilogram. Pizza Hut is adding to the bottom line by localising equipment as well as by paying attention to inventory replenishment, which has been reduced from 60 to 30 days. Future plans According to Yum! Restaurants International, India is amongst the top five growth markets for Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut is also experiencing double-digit growth in India and hence is confident about expanding its operations in India. Pizza Hut hopes to increase the number of Pizza Hut outlets in India to 180 by the end of 2008 from the present figure of 130. The expansion programmed will make Pizza Hut the fastest growing western restaurant chain in India. In addition, Yum! plans Pizza Hut to be in 42 cities by end of 2007, and 55 cities by end of 2008. Conclusions: Keeping up the sentiments of Indian customers and services offered by Pizza-houses and Keeping our study focused on some of the key -areas of sensitivity of customers preferences (analysis of factors which affects the preferences). We come to a conclusion that : Pizza -hut is preferred() over dominos in terms of Varity of Pizzas Good ambience Services offered Quality of pizzas Location of the Outlet Waiting time in the outlet Dominos is being preferred over pizza-hut in terms of: Door step services Low pricing So we can say that due to these qualities Pizza-hut dominates Dominos -pizza In different areas and capture the market share and gain rapidly. Recommendations For Dominos Increase varieties in Pizzas. Focus on location of the outlets. Increase the quality of Pizzas Make good ambiance in outlets Should focus more on market zing itself confidently. For Pizza-Hut Try to attract more number of Ladies customers. Should focus on Low price customers. Make the door step services better

OPV Cell Fabrication

OPV Cell Fabrication To fabricate the inverted OPV cells with the structure of ITO/ZnO/P3HT:PCBM/PEDOT:PSS/Ag, the ITO was first coated onto a glass substrate. The ITO coated glass substrate was then cleaned by ultra-sonication in detergent solution, deionized water, acetone and isopropanol sequentially for 10 minutes each. After that, the pre-cleaned and pre-patterned ITO substrate was exposed to a UV-ozone treatment for 10 more minutes. A solution of ZnO was prepared for spin coating onto the ITO coated glass substrate. To prepare the solution, 0.15g of ethanolamine (NH2CH2CH2OH) and 0.6g of zinc acetate dihydrate [Zn(CH3COO)2à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢2H2O] were dissolved in 5 mL of 2-methoxyethanol [CH3OCH2CH2OH] with continuous stirring for 24 hours. After that, 1mL of ammonia (NH3) was added to the solution and stirred for 2 more hours. To remove the inpurities, the solution would need to be filtered through a 0.25mm PVDF filter. With the technique of spin coating at 3500 rpm for 90 s, a ZnO film of about 40 nm would be coated onto the pre-cleaned ITO coated glass substrates. Mild washing would then be performed on the ZnO films with isopropyl alcohol and it was blown dry in air. In the next step, poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) are mixed in the proportion of 10 : 8. The mixture was then dissolved in 1,2-dichlorobenzene solution and to be spin-coated to a thickness of approximately 200nm on the ZnO/ITO layer prepared. Annealing at 120 oC was then carried out to the film for 10 minutes. The hole transport layer of PEDOT:PSS was then spin-coated on the bulk layer of P3HT:PCBM from a commercial solution (Clevios) under the temperature of 120 oC for 10 minutes. In the last step, under a pressure of about 1 milliPascal, the silver electrode of a thickness about 100 nm was coated onto the PEDOT:PSS layer. The devices then needed to be annealed for 10 minutes at around 70 oC under a pressure of about 1 milliPascal. After that, the device was cooled down to room temperature. Using a source meter at AM1.5G illumination with a solar simulator, the photovoltaic characteristics of the cell were measured. The photocurrent measurements were done by using a source meter at AM1.5G illumination. This value of photocurrent was used to calibrate the illuminator for measurements later on. The area of the devices was 0.9 cm2. Intro of OPV, normal and inverted geometry In recent years, there has been great interest in organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) due to various advantages over the conventional silicon solar cells. Some of the prominent advantages include low cost of manufacturing, light cell weight, high power conversion efficiency reaching 10% 1 and being environmentally friendly. The structure of the photoactive layer in these organic photovoltaic cells is usually an amalgamation between a fullerene derivative as an electron acceptor and a p-conjugated polymer as an electron donor. Among different materials, poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) have attracted wide attention for being developed to bulk heterojunction [2]. This is because of their outstanding conductivity for both electrons and holes and good stability in atmospheric conditions [3]. Aside of these advantages, a major challenge in the study of OPV cells is to combine the high power conversion efficiency and operational stability. To tackle this problem, there are two device structure set forth, namely the conventional geometry and inverted geometry. For devices made according to the conventional geometry, as shown in Fig 1, the photoactive layer, which is usually a blend of the P3HT:PCBM, is lodged between two electrodes, such as an aluminum electrode and an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. Upon shining of light, the electrons and holes are photo-excited and then separated to be collected at the two electrodes. Electrons are gathered at the aluminum electrode and holes are collected at the ITO electrode. Devices with such geometry usually have relatively high power conversion efficiency. Nevertheless, the stability of such devices is compromised because these devices are easily affected by oxygen and humidity present in the atmosphere. This is due to the fact that the aluminum electrode has a low work function and it is much susceptible to oxidation [4]. Thus, the stability of devices made with the conventional geometry is restricted. However, the oxidation of aluminum electrode is not the only factor responsible for device degradation. Other factors such as: (1) charge carriers being accumulated at the interface between the photoactive layer and the electrode, (2) metal ions diffusing from the electrodes to the photoactive layer [5], (3) the photoactive layer being unstable and degrade in atmospheric conditions [6], (4) the morphology of the photoactive layer varies in the nanoscale [7]. One of the suggested ways to improve the stability of such OPV cells is to add a layer of encaps ulation to prevent the oxygen and moisture from entering the devices [8]. Nevertheless, the encapsulation cannot prevent the degradation reaction from happening within the OPV cells. Therefore, the intrinsic stability of devices needs to be improved. One achievable way is to use the inverted geometry with reversed charge collection. For OPV cells manufactured with the inverted geometry, as shown in Fig 2, the photoactive layer is middled between an electron transport layer (ETL) and a hole transport layer (HTL) which are in turn lodged between two electrodes, which are usually indium tin oxide electrode and a metal with high work function like silver. Upon photo excitation, the electrons generated will go through the ETL and be collected by the ITO electrode; the holes generated will go through the HTL and be gathered by the metal electrode [9]. The high work function of the metal electrode used makes the electrode unreactive to the oxygen and moisture present in the atmosphere, thus, a higher stability of the OPV cells can be maintained in a relatively long time period. However, the power conversion efficiency of OPV cells with inverted geometry is generally lower than those OPV cells made with conventional geometry [10]. Info on ZnO Several materials are commonly used for constructing ETL, some examples are ZnO, LiF[11], and Ca [12]. Currenly, ZnO is most recognized as a good material for ETL because of its high electron mobility, high photo-stability, low work function and optical transparency [10]. Study done by Krebs et al. [2] has shown that inverted OPV cells with ETL made of ZnO exhibit an extended lifetime. In their study, I–V measurements were performed under illuminated conditions in both presence and absence of UV light. Their results showed that there is increased recombination when the oxygen molecules are desorbed from the surface of ZnO layer due to the photoelectrons when the cell is in operation. In the night time when the cell is not in operation, oxygen molecules are adsorbed onto the ZnO layer again from the atmosphere, thus restoring the OPV cells’ performance. This cycle of desorption and re-adsorption of oxygen molecules causes the inflection point in the I-V measurement to di sappear first and re-appear later. Other than the factors affecting the OPV cells in operation, manufacturing factors exert equally significant influence on the performance of OPV cells. One of such factors is the trap state. In the band gap of ZnO which is a metal oxide semiconductor with nanostructure, there is presence of localized energy states, which are also called trap states. These trap states make the charge transport in ZnO to be different from the bulk material and they exert adverse effect to the charge transport in ZnO [13]. The amount of such trap states increase exponentially from the top of the valence band to the bottom of the conduction band. According to previous research, different amount of trap states can even be present in the band gap of materials which are chemically identical. The different amount of trap states is a result of difference in crystallinity which means the perfectness of the crystal. High electron diffusivity and mobility is usually associated with materials which have higher crystallinity [14]. The crystallinity can be varied by undergone ZnO film through annealing process in different temperature, different density of trap states can thus be achieved. The devices which undergo annealing in higher temperature will have lower depth of trap states, thus consequently exhibiting a better photo-conversion efficiency and greater operational stability. Annealing effect on ZnO, FF, Voc Isc info To further illustrate the effect of annealing on the crystallinity of ZnO layer and consequently the effect on the OPV performance, a study was done by N. K. Elumalai et al.[1] with two devices which have their ZnO thin films annealed at two different temperatures after the ZnO film is coated onto the ITO substrate. As shown in Fig. 3, the current–voltage measurement was done under the illuminated condition of 1 sun for both device A and device B. Device A had its ZnO film annealed at 240 oC, whereas device B had its ZnO film annealed at 160 oC. In the current–voltage measurement, the value of the current when the voltage is zero is called the short circuit current (Isc). In the significance of an OPV cell, Isc is the amount of current going through the cell when the cell is short circuited, which means the voltage across the cell is zero. Hence, the Isc is the maximum current which can be possibly drawn from the OPV cell. The light conversion ability of the OPV cell has a direct influence on the value of Isc. Hence, Isc is useful in characterizing the OPV cell performance. The value of the voltage at the point when the current is zero is called the open circuit voltage (Voc). Voc is the maximum voltage which can be possibly drawn from the OPV cell. In theory, the Voc is dependent either on the work function of the electrodes used or the energy difference between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the electron donor material and the lowest occupied molecular orbital (LOMO) of the electron acceptor material in the OPV cell, depending on whether the contact is non-ohmic or ohmic. With the current–voltage measurement, the fill factor (FF) can be determined. Fill factor is the ratio of maximum power to the product of Voc and Isc. By going through every point on the (I–V) measurement curve, there is such a point with the current (Imax) and voltage (Vmax) values that maximize the fill factor value according to equation, Hence, the fill factor is determined. In addition, the power conversion efficiency (PCE), can be found from the current–voltage measurement. PCE is the ratio of the energy output from the OPV cell to the solar energy the cell received from illumination source. The energy output from the OPV cell is defined as Pcell, the solar energy the cell received is defined as Psun. The PCE can be calculated from the equations shown below. With reference to Fig. 3, it is obviously that device A has a better performance since it shows a higher short circuit current density and a higher open circuit voltage than device B does. With some simple calculation, the fill factor and the power conversion efficiency of both device A and device B can be determined and summarized in Table. 1. From the Isc, Voc and PCE, it is obvious that the device A is superior that device B in terms of photovoltaic performance. Hence, it proved that annealing of ZnO film changes the crystallinity of the nanostructure, reduced trap states density and consequently lead to better photovoltaic performance. In layer ZnO, Voc vs. T in detail examine To examine the effect of trap states of ZnO in more details, the concept of trap depth should be introduced. The trap depth, represented by the symbol , is the depth of the distribution of the trap states in the band gap of ZnO layer. An equation relating the trap depth and Isc is employed [15], as shown below. From this equation, it is obvious that the trap depth is related to the short circuit current which in turn is a function of temperature and illumination intensity. The pre-exponential term Io in the equation summarized factors such as mobility and density of the photo-excited carriers. Researches have been done by N. K. Elumalai et al.[1] to find the effects of different temperature and illumination intensity on the Isc. By a semi-log plot, it is easy to find the trap depth at different condition of temperature and illumination intensity. For this study, it is evident that the trap depth of device A is much lower than device B. This is in line with the theoretical prediction which says that the annealing at higher temperature make the nanostructure have a more perfect crystallinity and thus less trap states distribution. The operational stability of these inverted organic solar cells is influenced by the trap depth and variation of the open circuit voltage. Hence, the effect of temperature and illumination intensity on Voc should be noted. There is on such equation proven to be useful as shown below In this equation, the recombination is assumed to be Langevin type, Eg signifies the effective band gap, which is the energy difference between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the electron donor material and the lowest occupied molecular orbital (LOMO) of the electron acceptor material; the effective density of trap states is represented by Nc; p and n represent the hole density and electron density respectively; e and kB have their usual meaning of elementary electron charge and the Boltzmann constant [16]. From the equation above, when the temperature decreases, the Voc will approach more closely to the effective band gap. Nevertheless, this is only true under the condition that the contacts in the device are all ohmic. When contacts are all ohmic, the barriers for charge carriers are low at the interface. However, in the case which contacts are non-ohmic, charge carriers will stuck and accumulate at the interface due to the higher barrier present. Hence, the Voc will be determined by the difference in the work function of the two electrodes. In Fig 5, the effect of temperature and illumination intensity on the Voc is illustrated. In Fig 5 (a), the ZnO layer in the device is annealed at a higher temperature, the Voc decreases almost linearly when the temperature increases for different illumination intensity. This observation can be explained by an increase in the phonon scattering in the photoactive layer and the ZnO interlayer when the temperature increases. In Fig 5 (b), Voc remains relatively constant when temperature is below 180 K for various illumination intensities, but the linear decrease of Voc is observed again when the temperature increases above 180 K; this may be due to the fact that the resistivity of the ZnO layer decreases at lower temperature. By comparing the two figures, the difference in shape can only be associated to the difference of crystallinity which is a result of annealing at different temperature. Hence, it can be suggested that the Voc is affected by the trap states at low temperature. To va lidate this proposition, the plot of Voc in Fig 5 (a) can be extrapolated to a temperature of 0 K, it will yield a value of 0.8 to 0.9 V. Comparing to the work function difference of the two electrodes which is around 0.7 V, this open circuit voltage is much higher, and it is indeed determined by the effective band gap.