Tgif Case

TGIF Case Problems: Macro – Quantum Software is experiencing problems in regard to their liabilities due to their TGIF beer bust parties. Quantum is also facing the issue of continuing success in sales. Micro – Quantum over works their employees and is using the beer bust parties to keep morale high. Some employees however are taking advantage of the free beer every Friday and are consuming too much. Causes: {draw:frame} Quantum has had much success in the past three years of its existence. While that is a huge positive it comes with some responsibilities. One is keeping up on staffing issues. Quantum seems to be highly under staffed and is asking employees to work 16 hour days 6 days a week. The over worked employee gave Erin, one of the owners an idea as these individuals need to blow off some steam after these horribly long weeks Quantum is asking them to work. Another cause for their current situation concerning the beer bust Friday is Erin was its convincer. She now has a vested and seems to be bias interest in keeping beer bust Fridays despite the risk it lends to the organization. It seems that the problem would not have even come to pass if the first issue of under-staffing would have been addressed. Instead now a chain reaction of causes has taken place: Alternatives: Quantum has several options to mitigate the issue of too much liability which could affect their profits. First Quantum could ask every employee to do a breathalyzer test and sign a waiver before driving home, leaving no liability to Quantum. Another alternative to their current state is hiring more people. Obviously the work to employee ratio is too high. Quantum could move beer bash Fridays to a bar, giving the liability of when to stop serving the employees beer to the bar and its owners. The last alternative to discuss in this forum is instead of having beer bashes to just give the employees every Friday afternoon off to do with what they please. Recommendations: First, Quantum owners, Erin and Stan need to sit down with the attorney Bill and review exactly their liabilities and the kinds of suites they would be up against if something went wrong. Instead of beer bash Friday, Quantum should have a monthly happy hour at a local bar, and reassess the work load they have and hire the appropriate amount of people so that the employees have normal working hours of 40 hours a week. Also, take the opportunity with the current employees and create a psychological contract to bring out any underlying expectations both the employees have about Quantum and what Quantum has towards the employees. Both changes still provide Quantum the corporate climate they seem to be trying to attain with beer bash Fridays, however they mitigate the need for employees to ‘blow off steam’ and helps boost moral through comfortable workloads and social happy hours monthly. Lastly, by putting into place a planned change control process for future issues as Quantum grows they will be able to mitigate these types of liabilities in the future. OD Practioner Behavior Profile One â€Å"Self-Assessment Exercises† will help you gain insight into yourself and your preferences. This understanding is directly applicable to your development as an O. D. practitioner. You are expected to share the results and to discuss their implications for practitioner effectiveness with the instructor. You are encouraged to share them with your classmates online. Weekly reflection Recently at DST Systems, DST has experienced changes in the business environment. DST saw these changes when the organization started utilizing strategies such as restructuring, de-layering, downsizing, merging and acquiring. This has left the organization faced with great challenges in managing associates retention. While reading this week’s chapters I saw DST in several of the key terms, specifically during the NOGO case and describing their management style as Sluggish. DST is a great example of a Sluggish management organization. Seniority and hangers (people who just hung around and grabbed a paycheck) were the individuals rewarded. Three weeks ago I left DST after 5 years of service. I did so because of that mentality. They have operated for the last 30 months in the red. Change is upon them now as it is a cost concern. Instead of going about change in a positive and forward way, DST instead is laying off people without doing a re-organization to utilize their untapped human potential. I stayed during the layoffs and fortunately did not lose my job from it being cut. When I saw however their lack in communication about the layoffs and there was no change process communicated as no additional changes were going to be made, I decided that this corporation wasn’t moving in a direction that was positive and got out. My fear is one day DST Systems, who was once quite an innovative and inspiring corporation with a phenomenal background, will be a case in a text book for another MBA student to learn what not to do and asses where they stepped incorrectly.

Time Talk and Walk

In his article â€Å" Time Talk, with an Accent† Robert Levine discusses about culture shock when he lived in Brazil and understand Brazilian people’s habit about time. When he began his scientific journey in his early career as a professor of psychology at Federal University in Niteroi, Brazil and he found the hardest part of his life about punctual time rather than different language, his own privacy, and standards of cleanliness issues.As it described in article Robert Levine was a young American, that always cling on with timing in every hours, every minutes, and every seconds. He was taught to move fast in every way he did. In fact, Brazil has another thought of time, to slow down and do it later. It started when he lessons began in 10 o’clock, only a few students showed up, and another came late with smiled and relaxed, some of them greeted him with innocent, some of them apologized, some of them just came a minute when class came to end.At that time, he re alized that brazilian timepieces are inaccurate, and it seemed nobody care beside him. Furthermore, time made him to wait about one and half hour when he wanted to see his chefe. Until his chefe called him to come in and chatted for a few minutes because she had to run for another appointment at the same time. Robert Levine learned that she is a type person who like to make a lots of appointment for the same time and to be late for all of them.Another time case, he had to wait for his appointment with his landlord, he planned to came back after twenty minutes. In fact, he found out the landlord gotten tired of waiting for him. Angry, frustrated, bewildered, and fascinated made him understand about how Brazilians’ beliefs and rules about punctuality. In the end, there are drastic differences from culture to culture, city to city, and neighbor to neighbor. He explained only time can tell those differences.

Human Behavior in Organization Essay

The Traditional Approach – it is assumed that employees are economically motivated and work to earn as much money as they can. * Frederick Taylor developed a method of structuring jobs that he called scientific management. The Human Relations Approach –This approach assumes that employees want to feel useful and important, that employees have strong social needs, and that these needs are more important than money in motivating employees. The Human Resource Approach – the human relationists believed that illusions of contribution and participation would enhance motivation; that the contributions themselves are valuable to both individuals and organizations. Need-Based Perspectives on Motivation The Hierarchy of Needs Theory – developed by Abraham Maslow 1. Physiological needs – the most basic needs which includes food, sex , water, and air 2. Security needs – scrod thing that offers safety and security such as adequate housing, clothes, and freedom from worry and anxiety. 3. Love and belongingness needs – are primarily social that includes the need for love and affection and the need to be accepted by groups or peers. 4. Self esteem needs – the need for self-image and self-respect and the need to be respected by others. 5. Self-Actualization needs – the top of the hierarchy that involves a person’s realizing his or her full potential and becoming all that he or she can be. ERG Theory – developed by Clayton Aldelfer E – existence needs R – relatedness needs G – growth needs Dual Structure Theory – developed by Frederick Herzberg * it was originally called the â€Å"two-factor theory† Other important needs The need for achievement – it is most frequently associated with the work of David McClelland. This need arises from an individual’s desire to accomplish a goal or task more effectively than in the past. The need for Affiliation – the need for human companionship where individual tends to want reassurance and approval from others and usually is genuinely concerned about others’ feelings. The need for power – the desire to control one’s environment, including financial, material, informational, and human resources. Process-Based Perspectives on Motivation The equity theory of motivation – this type of motivation is based on the simple assumption that people in the organizations want to be treated fairly. The theory defines equity as the belief that we are being treated fairly in relation to others, and inequity as the belief that we are being treated unfairly compared with others. When a person feels equitably treated, and then she is motivated to maintain her status quo. When a person is experiencing inequity whether it is real or imagined, she is motivated to reduce it. Six common methods to reduce inequity: 1. Change the inputs – we may put more or less effort into the job, depending on which way the inequity lies. 2. Change the outcomes – we may change our own outcomes like demand a pay raise or seek additional revenues for growth and development. 3. Change our perceptions and behavior – change the original assessment and decide that we are contributing less but receiving more than we originally believed. 4. Change our perception of the comparison-other’s inputs or outcomes – our perception of other people is based on perceptions and perceptions can be changed. 5. Change comparison – we may change the object of comparison like we may conclude for instance, the current comparison-other is the boss’s personal favorite, whether unusually lucky or has special skills and abilities. 6. Leave the situation – the last resort that might decide the only way to feel better is about things is to be in a different situation altogether. The expectancy theory of motivation Victor Vroom – is generally credited with first applying the theory to motivation in the work place. Expectancy theory – the theory attempts to determine how individuals choose among alternative behaviors. This motivation depends on how much we want something and how likely we think we are to get it. 1. Effort-to-Performance Expectancy – a person’s perception of the probability that effort will lead to successful performance. 2. Performance-to-Outcome Expectancy – person’s perception of the probability that performance will lead to a certain other outcomes. 3. Outcomes and Valances – An outcome is anything that might potentially result from performance. The Valence of an outcome is the attractiveness or unattractiveness (the value) of that outcome to a person. The Porter-Lawler Model – Performance results in two rewards: intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. 1. Intrinsic rewards – tangible rewards 2. Extrinsic rewards – intangible rewards LEARNING-BASED PERSPECTIVES Learning – is a relatively permanent change in behavior or behavior potential that results from direct or indirect experience 1. Traditional view: Classical Conditioning – developed by Ivan Pavlov in his famous experiments with dogs. 2. The contemporary view: Learning is a Cognitive Process – it assumes that people are conscious, active participants in how they learn. Reinforcements Theory and Learning Reinforcement theory – is also called â€Å"operant conditioning† which is associated with the work of B. F. Skinner * it assumes that behavior is a function of its consequences. Types of Reinforcements In Organization Reinforcement – it is the consequences of behavior. 1. Positive reinforcement – it is a reward or other desirable consequences that follows behavior which motivates an individual. 2. Avoidance – also known as negative reinforcement, is another means of increasing the frequency of desirable behavior. Instead of receiving a reward following a desirable behavior, the person is given the opportunity to avoid an unpleasant consequence. 3. Extinction – it decreases the frequency of behavior, especially behavior that was previously rewarded. If rewards are withdrawn for behaviors that were previously reinforced, the behavors will probably become less frequent and eventually die out. 4. Punishment – like extinction, also tends to decrease the frequency of undesirable behaviors. SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENTS IN ORGANIZATION 1. Continuous – rewards behavior every time it occurs. It is very effective in motivating desirable behaviors, especially in early stages of learning. 2. Fixed-Interval – is reinforcement provided on a predetermined, constant schedule. 3. Variable-Interval – also uses time as the basis for applying reinforcement, but it varies the interval between reinforcements. 4. Fixed-Ratio – the number of behaviors needed to obtain reinforcement is constant. 5. Variable-Ratio – the numbers of behaviors required for reinforcement varies over time. COMMUNICATION Communication – is a social process in which two or more parties exchange information and share meaning. PURPOSES OF COMMUNICATION 1. Achieve coordinated action – the primary purpose of communication is to coordinate responses by sending a message to different parts of the organization. 2. Information sharing – most important information relates to organizational goal, which give a member a sense of purpose and direction and also to give specific task direction to individuals. 3. Express feelings and emotions – people in the organization often needs to communicate emotions such as happiness, confidence, anger, displeasure, and fear. COMMUNICATION ACROSS CULTURE Language – differences in language are compounded by fact that the same word can mean different things in different cultures. Coordination – international communication is closely related to issues of coordination. METHODS OF COMMUNICATION 1. Written – written communication is typically used or produced by organization when communicating with an individual, generally someone outside the organization. 2. Oral – most prevalent form of organizational communication is oral. It takes place everywhere, whether it is formal or informal conversation, in meeting, speeches, and presentation etc. 3. Non-verbal – it includes all elements associated with human communication that are not expressed orally or in writing. THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS 1. Source – it is the individual, group, or organization interested in communicating something to another party. 2. Encoding – it is the process by which the message is translated from an idea or thought into symbols that can be transmitted. 3. Transmission – it is the process through which the symbols that carry the message are sent to the receiver. 4. Decoding – it is the process by which the receiver of the message interprets the meaning. 5. Receiver – it may be an individual, group, or organization, or an individual acting as a representative of a group. 6. Feedback – it is the receiver’s response to the message. 7. Noise – this refers to any disturbance in the communication process that interferes with or distorts communication. COMMUNICATION NETWORKS 1. Wheel – it is a pattern in which information flows between the person at the end of each spoke and person in the middle. 2. Chain – each member communicate with the person above and below, except for the individual on each end. It is a typical communication in vertical position which communication travels up and down the chain of command. 3. Circle – each person communicates with the people on both sides but not with anyone else. The circle network if often found in task forces and committees. 4. All-channel – it is often found in informal groups that have no formal structure, leader, or task to accomplish. Communication fidelity – it is the degree of correspondence between the message intended by the source and the message understood by the receiver. Semantics – it is the study of language forms IMPROVING ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS IN COMMUNICATION Reduce noise – noise is the primary barrier to effective organizational communication. * Grapevine (rumor) – a common form of noise, an informal system of communication that coexists with the formal system. Foster informal communication – informal communication fosters mutual trust, which minimizes the effects of status differences. Open communication can also contribute to better understanding between diverse groups in an organization. Develop a Balanced information Network – organizations need to balance information load and information-processing capabilities.

What Success Means and How College Will Contribute to the Academic, Scholarship Essay

What Success Means and How College Will Contribute to the Academic, Personal, and Professional Success - Scholarship Essay Example The researcher states that being successful can be said to be, an accomplishment that a person has been longing for and working for it for a very long time. For instance, when one is in high school or any other field of their specialty they work hard to reach their goals when these are achieved a person can say that they have succeeded through one stage of their life and they are ready for the other. Success can also mean that one is happy with the choices they have made in their life, and they are comfortable with themselves for those choices. Endicott College will enable gain the academic success. The author wants to major in accounting and finance. He knows that the school of business is going to enable him to achieve this since there is a serene environment to study where the classrooms are well configured therefore encouraging a lot of concentration. The teachers in the school are friendly in that they provide small groups that encourage the students to study together. They also guide them through the learning process through interacting with them face to face making learning easier. The college also encourages internship through the learning process which will enable the author put into practice what he has learned theoretically. Endicott College is going to enable the researcher successes not only academically but in his personal life. The author is a football player, if given a scholarship or a chance to join the college, he will a productive person in the community as a college, he will be a team player and encourage another student to be more participating and he will also help the community by doing social work through raising funds by playing football as the author is good at it. Through playing football the researcher will be a successful person because he will have a chance to grow in mind and in the way of his thinking. These will give the author an opportunity to play professional football in future which will in return help him make better choi ces through the good teamwork that is encouraged in the school through the coaches, students, and teachers.

Week 5 Discussion and Participation Questions Essay - 1

Week 5 Discussion and Participation Questions - Essay Example The fast food industry is an example of an industry that is facing a red ocean. There are over 160,000 fast food restaurants in the United States serving over 50 million people daily in an industry generates approximately $165 billion in revenues each year (Numberof, 2011). The red ocean characteristics of the industry mean that the industry is every saturated. A way to create a blue ocean within this industry is by formulating a niche strategy. A good niche strategy would be to form a pizza fast food chain that specializes in Neapolitan pizza. Neapolitan pizza is an Italian pizza style that cooks pizza at high temperature which enables the pizza to be ready in three minutes. I see how your specialized talents could help a person in a niche within a marketplace. I have a family member that recently graduated from psychiatric school. She has on offer on the table to work in Laredo Texas. She is trilingual. She speaks fluent English, Spanish, and French. In Laredo Texas there is a high population of Latino people especially a lot of Mexicans because Laredo is located near the border of Mexico. Looking back at history Texas used to be a part of Mexico. My cousin has a great chance in the future to create her own niche psychiatric practice based on the fact that she speaks three languages. I respect the fact that you might not be interested in pursuing a niche strategy for yourself as far as not wanting to start your own business, but as a future MBA graduate it is in your best interest to study and learn how niche markets work. As a future manager you might be faced with a scenario in which you might have to perform a product launch for the company you are going to work in the future based on a product positioned in a niche market. In the educational field you might be able in the future to formulate a niche market strategy. For instance you could start a business that provides

America's Media Contribution to Anorexia and bulimia Research Paper

America's Media Contribution to Anorexia and bulimia - Research Paper Example Although mass media is said to be the underlying source for increased incidence of eating disorders, from unhealthy weight loss and perception to obesity, the innate cultural influence of ideal weight and body shape are already well-embedded in the social system of American nations, especially in United States. The prevalence of â€Å"smoke-screened body type† incidence seemed to impact regions in the western culture. Admittedly, Jones et al. revealed the realistic situations plaguing most citizens in Western countries, where weight and shape dissatisfaction concerns had actually yielded to a number of remedy measures to correct the supposed â€Å"inappropriate† body that the media devised (247). As earlier discussed, media coverage had precluded how people should project themselves in society, to the point where their physiological and psychological well-being are affected in the process. Two main groups are said to be affected most by the challenge of attaining an ide al model-like look, the adolescents and the female groups. Adolescents are in a stage where they are in two opposing sides, the innocence of a child and the near maturity of a young adult. In the brink of such confusing state, adolescents are easily influenced for a number of factors. They are vulnerable to nonconstructive events, as this group experience more pressure from their peers (Dines and Humez 260). As their social circle tend to consume large amounts of media information, it may also shape their ideas on what a great social circle must be--one in which teenagers are ideal in both looks and style. Moreover, women of varying age are also prone to implicit media attacks, as the society they live in had long ago constructed and deeply embedded idea on what women should look like--as skinny individuals who are good to look at. It is where they base their attraction to the opposite sex, by striving to attain physical attributes that media wants them to project--a well-made perso n using beauty products and weight-loss services (Brown, Steele, and Walsh-Childers 126). The revelations show that physical beauty must be worked on, and not a natural thing, where those who fail to do so have little chance of getting a life time partners, or be accepted in a society that highly values the concept of beauty. In the Western regions, the rampant cases of bodily dissatisfaction had threaded towards pathological conditions as result of mass media obsession to what is considered the standard look of attractiveness. In failing to do so, individuals develop cases of conscious behavioral patterns in the hopes of gaining the ideal weight in the future. The rising rate of anorexia nervosa, a condition of inability to be content with extreme weight loss, and bulimia nervosa, the state of normal weight but with further attempts at weight loss methods, is pointed to be caused by the burgeoning mass media influence. Such intensive restrictions in dietary consumption may lead to â€Å"repetitive pattern self-deprivation (which) result in bingeing...and worsening self-image† (Derenne and Beresin 257). The high value placed on attaining the too-ideal to be true body projected by media may result in further damage to the health of deprived individuals. In a study to prove the

Food Labelling Constitutes Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Food Labelling Constitutes - Term Paper Example The potential impact of GM foods on human health is a source of serious ethical concerns.   In two independent reports, Eubanks (2002) and Cherry (2007) contend that the very nature of their production positions GM foods as a potential risk to the health and well-being of consumers.   GM foods are foods which contain herbicides, transgress the species barriers and involve such genetic modifications as which alter taste, texture and nutrient composition.   The implication here is, as both Eubanks (2002) and Cherry (2007) emphasize, is that genetic alterations imply that these foods contain composites which may produce severe allergic reactions among some consumers but, to the extent that they are largely untested, or novel, their effect is unknown.   Added to that, the long-term consequences of consuming GM foods is unknown and, indeed, scientists have not been able to conclude absolute long-term safety, beyond the shadow of a doubt (Eubanks, 2002; Cherry, 2007).   The impli cation here is that consumers are being offered biotechnical foods whose long-term health effects have not been fully studied. While conceding to the fact that GM foods are genetically altered, its proponents/producers maintain that alterations are, not only benign but, ultimately beneficial for consumers.   As West and Larue (2005) report, producers contend that these benefits include the means and technologies by which to improve production efficiency and maximize output, even while lowering costs and hence, price to consumers.   They further include the altering of the nutritional balance of foods in order to skew the said balance in favor of health-beneficial nutrients (West and Larue, 2005).   In other words, from the perspective of GM food producers, there should be no ethical controversies surrounding GM foods as they are produced with the welfare of the consumer in mind. Even while conceding to the fact that GM foods may very well be safe, the fact remains that legal and ethical principles dictate that such foods must be labeled, thereby allowing consumers to exercise their right to choose.  

Critically assess what, according to Richard Rorty, the pragmatist Essay

Critically assess what, according to Richard Rorty, the pragmatist says about truth - Essay Example In epistemology he opposes foundationalism, the view that all knowledge can be grounded, or justified, in a set of basic statements that do not themselves require justification. According to his â€Å"epistemological behaviorism,† Rorty holds that no statement is epistemologically more basic than any other, and no statement is ever justified â€Å"finally† but only relative to some circumscribed and contextually determined set of additional statements. In the philosophy of language Rorty rejects the idea that sentences or beliefs are â€Å"true† or â€Å"false† in any interesting sense other than being useful or successful within a broad social practice. He also opposes representationism, the view that the main function of language is to represent or picture pieces of an objectively existing reality. Finally, in metaphysics he rejects both realism and antirealism, or idealism, as products of mistaken representationalist assumptions about language. Richard Rorty was born in 1931 in New York City. He graduated from the Chicago of Rudolf Carnap in 1949, and has taught at Princeton, as well as the University of Virginia and Stanford. But he left the cautious world of analytical philosophy to go over to the enemy, thereby perfectly fitting the bill as lord of the dance to the subversives. He is also an example of a phenomenon common in France and Germany, but which exported to America better than to England, namely the public intellectual. In his case, it is a family tradition. Rorty, an only child, is the grandson of Walter Rauschenbusch, one of the founders of Americas social gospel movement, and both his parents were writers and active Trotskyites. "My parents were part of the anti-Stalinist left which centered on John Dewey," Rorty has said. Despite his own hostility to Marxism, he continues to place himself "wholeheartedly on the

SEMCO Company Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

SEMCO Company Strategy - Essay Example Therefore, this paper will bank on a critical explanation of the applications of schools of strategy that are exploited in SEMCO. Different companies use different strategies to record their preferred results. In many instances, companies have to advocate for development and deploy skills that will be used in recording positive growth. This is done by ensuring the people that are employed are competent in their work and use their skills accordingly.. This is due to the ever evolving market. As such, the market needs to be encountered with different strategies. This is also heightened by developing and deploying strategic flexibility, which is directly reflected towards technological advancement. For instance, with the improvement in technology, many companies have to improve. This is by using technological advancement in their service provision. In recent times, many companies have been noted to invest heavily in acquisition of new machinery and equipment (Furrer, 2010:34). This is n ot a point to brag, but it is an advancement to make service provision even better. Purchase of new technology ensures a company’s production is improved in quality and quantity. Similarly, the goods that are produced will be of increased value (Semler, 2000:54). This will prompt customers and clients to use more of the goods. With such a drill, a company is most likely to record positive results, which increases its financial muscle. As a matter of fact, SEMCO decided that its environment was a core factor that could lead to its grater performance. As such, changing the environment would be a prudent idea in increasing its performance. This is garnered from the learning school of view, which banks on making a positive environment in business (Kazmi, 2008:56). In making this a reality, the firm encouraged the staff and management to exchange idea oh=n how the firm could make an improvement. This is an opportunity where all the staff members are given an opportunity to express their views on how performance of the organisation could improve. As such, the organisation has a pool of ideas to choose from. With such a large pool of ideas, the organisation has a better position of implementing the best. This is a position that many organisations do not have but they will never try such a manoeuvre, minding the risks that are involved (Jansson, 2008:23). This was followed by the practical part of experimenting ideas that cropped up in the organisation. Since organisations do not engage in risky activities, they have to study and evaluate the viability of the activities. This was heightened by research and exchange of ideas to ensure the best routine was designed (D'Angelo, 2009:52). With time, SEMCO had obtained competent skills and had competent personnel that could direct the investments. As such, they were prepared to exploit all the available loopholes in businesses. As such, the business was growing at a steady rate. SEMCO Company has been recording succe ssful results in the market, yet it does not have a written strategy or plan. However, it has deployed the prescriptive school strategy, which is about planning, designing and positioning. It is in the market and making a positive accrual due to its activities that are concentrated on the customer market. With such a drill, the company is on the verge of making lucrative profits that are not linked to any strategy that is in writing or planned (Suneja, 2002:13). SEMCO Company planned that its businesses should be increasing in each financial year. However, it did not strategise on its expansion rate to a particular point. In such a drill, it ensured that transformation would continue in every year (Semler, 2000:55). For

Project 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Project 3 - Essay Example The steps in action research are sequential in nature. One first identifies a problem, gathers data, interprets the data, action based on the data, reflects, and plans on the data after which he or she writes, shares or publicizes the obtained information. Teachers, students alongside co-researchers who are prepared to challenge the status quo usually conduct this systematic process. Therefore, action research is an important tool and parcel that enlightens the teachers in diverse education settings on ways of improving operations at their educational centers, how they ought to teach, and ways with which the students can learn and gain information with ease. Furthermore, action research seeks to bring together action and reflection, theory and practice, in participatory with others in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern to people and more generally to the flourishing of individual persons in their communities. This paper gives a summary of scientific and action research theory that is great significance to researchers including students. In summary, the scientific-technical view of problem solving is one of the most vital teaching strategies that employ the scientific and action research methods in searching for information. In simpler terms, various individuals including teachers have conceptualized problem solving as a systematic approach of defining the problem and creating a vast number of possible scientific or technological solutions without judging them. This primarily involves the students and hones their skills as it enables them to become active participants in the learning process. Five basic steps need to be followed in order to come up with a myriad of stellar scientific solutions to the depicted problems as required under action research. The technique enables students to be taught and trained to be sensitive to

The Importance of Being on Time Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Being on Time Essay Time is a reality of life that is utterly inescapable. Like God, it is omnipresent as no matter what a person does; time will always run out for things to be done and tasks to be finished. The factory worker in a tire factory will always have to make sure that he reaches the production quota set by management, lest he be fired from the company. The lawyer will have to ensure that he finishes the entire research of the pleading in a civil rights case, lest he be scolded by the judge and compromise the case of his client. The student will have to wake up early, lest he be late for school and earn the ire of the school administrators for tardiness. The investment banker of Morgan Stanley will lose his clients to other investment banks if he misses the train for canoodling with his wife before leaving home. In all of these examples, a major contributing factor for all of their actions is being on time. However, like God, time is also one of the most underestimated things in life, taken for granted as though it is never important. This paper aims to justify the importance of being on time as part of the daily life of persons and even society. There are three reasons why being on time is important – efficiency and productivity, (missed) opportunities, and cordial respect to peers and superiors. Efficiency and Productivity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Being on time is actually an economic decision which is based on the concept of maximization of scarce resources in the least possible amount of time. In a given time frame for production, an hour for example, being late for a few minutes is already tantamount to a lessening of the production output for an entire hour because those few minutes of lateness were spent on idle work unrelated to the production at hand, such as being in transit. For example, if a female textile worker in China arrived five minutes late as production of Ralph Lauren shirts starts factory-wide, her lateness may delay the entire assembly line of production, especially when the female worker occupies a specialized and indispensable function in the assembly line, such a quality control officer that inspects each and every shirt that is produced by the factory. As a result of the delay in the operations due to a single person’s lateness, the profits and production for the day of the company might decrease in comparison to days when the factory worker arrives on time or prior to the start of production. In this example, the simple lateness of a person compromised the operations of the entire company, resulting to less efficiency and productivity leading to fewer profits. Another example of such lack of efficiency and productivity is in the classroom setting, especially in the universities when professors can invoke academic freedom on the way they choose to teach, to the extent that such freedom is used as the paramount excuse for their lateness or even absence in lectures. If the lecture on constitutional law, for instance, aims to cover the entire concept and jurisprudence of the due process clause for the day, the lateness of the professor of around fifteen minutes for a two-hour class already short-changes the students of his class because instead of covering the entire planned lecture, the professor might either reschedule the latter part on another day, or lecture so fast to finish everything to the prejudice of the full comprehension of students of the lecture. More so, such lateness also takes its toll on the resources of the university as a good fifteen minutes is devoted not for academic learning but idly waiting for the professor to arrive. Multiply this to the number of professors who are frequently late and the number of times that these professors are actually late, it could stretch on for hours on end that the school’s resources are wasted. In both cases, lateness instead of being on time lessens efficiency and productivity not only of the single late person but the other interacting parties as well. (Missed) Opportunities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On a lighter note, being on time can determine the making or unmaking of a person, a group and even a people. The best example for this would be meeting deadlines for term papers and thesis in all academic levels. Many brilliant men and women have failed to graduate with honors or even failed to graduate at all for the simple reason that they failed to submit their papers on time. This does not speak simply of the final deadline but includes the submission of piece-meal parts of researches for the assessment of the professors and teachers as a delay even of the first part of a research or its draft can lead to cumulative consequences in the end, to the extent that many students would resort to procrastination through plagiarism, among many other things. On the other hand, being on time does not simply including arriving at the expected time but also pertains to being at the exact historical moment when destiny knocks on one’s door, as lateness and even early birds can jeopardize the seizing of opportunities for a person, a group or a people. Had the American liberation forces been late or too early when they set foot on Normandy, the history of the world might have been entirely different. Crudely too, if the geeky boy-next-door in a physics class delayed for another day the admission of love to his pretty classmate, the girl of his dreams might have soon gone steady with the high school jock. The point of this part is very fundamental – being on time, in the ways enumerated above, presents people with opportunities which they might soon miss or lose if they came even just a bit late or came a little too early. Cordial Respect to Peers and Superiors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, being on time gives the impression of cordial respect to peers and superiors to the extent that their time spent with the person on time is laden with trust, confidence and respect. It includes not only personal relationships but professional relationships as well, especially in sealing contracts and negotiating better terms for the company one represents. For example, the other party to a multi-billion dollar contract would more likely have better rapport and confidence to a person who comes flawlessly on time with all the documents prepared rather than a person late for the same corporate meeting because a person on time tacitly accords good faith and cordial relations to the other party by simply being on time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In all of these, the three reasons above suffice to convincingly prove the importance of being on time, not only in simple social-anecdotal terms but also insofar as presenting the economic side of being on time. In the ultimate analysis, there actually no need to problematize and even embark on such a discourse on the importance of being on time. Such a trait should already be inherent in men and women who value people other than themselves. While lateness per se is really hard to eradicate especially when excuses are valid, lateness should be more of a very strict exception rather than a general rule, especially among young people who usually do otherwise. Be on time, and things will definitely get better in the long run, in all aspect of a person’s life.

Crisis in Movies Assignment Essay Example for Free

Crisis in Movies Assignment Essay 1. Identify precipitating event(s). (10 pts.) The movie I chose to watch is Courageous. The precipitating event in this movie is the car accident that takes the life of Emily Mitchell. Her father, Adam Mitchell, and the rest of her family are traumatized by the sudden death of their 9 year old daughter/sister. In thinking about information that would be gained in the first contact with Adam Mitchell, one thing that stands out about his previous state of mind/functioning is that he was somewhat uninvolved with his children, taking them for granted. This fact can also be a trigger for how he processes this event, causing a crisis for him as he realized his young daughter is now gone. In another scene, Emily’s brother, Dylan Mitchell, shares that he feels guilty that he wasn’t a better brother. Both of these relational states prior to Emily’s death can be a precipitating factor in how they process this trauma – influencing whether they get stuck in crisis of guilt, depression over lost time, etc. or whether they see this as an opportunity for change in the way they handle relationships from now on. 2. Identify the type of crisis (Situational, Developmental, Existential). (10 pts.) This crisis is a situational crisis, in that it is brought about by the sudden death of Emily. However, it can also produce developmental and existential crises in the lives of this family, as they process their loss. A traumatic event is known to potentially create problems in the future development of the individual or family, and it is certainly known to create existential crises, as the individual’s core beliefs about self, others, and the world are extremely challenged during crisis. Beliefs about meaning, purpose, and the existence of God are often questioned after major tragedy. 3. Identify the material, personal, and social resources available to the individual. (10 pts.) The material resources available to this family were that they were a middle class family, with a stable home, and no financial worries that were evident to complicate their loss. The personal resources of the family were that they seemed to be a fairly strong, intact family prior to the crisis. They were clearly a family of great faith in God, and this personal resource literally becomes what carries them through the crisis. As a result of their involvement in church and community, they had the social support of their friends/church members in the early days following the loss. Adam Mitchell also has the ongoing counsel of his pastor, who walks through the process with him, comforting him yet challenging him to grow and not get stuck. 4. What were the differing perceptions of the crisis? (the client, family, community, friends, legal perspectives) (10 pts.) The perspectives within the family are the most obvious. Adam led his family to accept the tragedy as God’s will for their lives and to trust Him with their pain and healing. He seemed to grieve for a while and then dive right in to trying to be a better dad. The mother is shown grieving, and then l ater supporting him as he sought to change his parenting; therefore, her perception seemed to be a fairly healthy one. The brother, Dylan, did not seem to do as well at first. He isolated for a while, but the reason came out one night at the dinner table when he cried, saying he should have been a better brother. The guilt had obviously been causing him to withdraw, but when he finally talked about his real feelings, he is seen making improvements. 5. Briefly, how was the crisis handled by the protagonist? (10 pts.) The protagonist in this movie was Adam Mitchell, the father of Emily who died in the car crash. Adam handled this crisis very well, as it became a catalyst for growth for him. In one session, he is talking with his pastor after a few scenes that have shown him grieving, his wife grieving, and his son beginning to isolate from the family. It is at this time that Adam has a choice in how he handles his opportunity to move forward or stay stuck. He tells his pastor that he does not want to get stuck and bitter, that he wants to heal and he wants his family to heal. It is at this point in the movie that Adam begins to pour himself into studying what God’s word has to say about being a father. After discovering that he was only doing a small portion of what God required of him as a dad, he makes a resolution to change that. Indeed, he does so and brings several other men along with him as well. By choosing to grieve in a healthy way, Adam allowed his crisis to make him a better father and to develop his relationship with his wife and son to a stronger place than it had been even before his daughter’s death. 6. Suggest several steps for your client that could be used to handle the crisis. (10 pts.) Since this crisis did not put Adam, or anyone else in his family, in direct danger, I would take on the role of a facilitator. As a facilitator, I would collaborate with Adam to set some goals for himself. An important thing to remember would be to help him survive and rebuild. This ultimate goal can be accomplished through smaller goals that center on bridging the past, accepting and living with the present, and finding a new path for the future. Practical steps for Adam in processing his loss would be to suggest that he remain connected to his support system, gently guide him to face his pain versus repress it, and have him identify secondary losses and unfinished business due to his daughter’s death. One poignant example of resolving unfinished business in the movie is when Adam goes and pretends to dance with his daughter in the place where he had rejected her invitation a few days before she died. While we can’t always recover secondary losses, we can allow the secondary losses to teach us about how to handle relationships differently in the future. This information can be used in finding a new path. Lastly, if my client was a Christian and I could talk openly about God, I would help to reframe their understanding based on a biblical perception of how God promises to use crises for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Lastly, considering that this was a sudden and traumatic death, I would likely suggest a grief support group for the family. 7. Suggest steps for teaching coping skills and developing resiliency (preventing the crisis from reoccurring). (10 pts.) It’s hard to keep a death from reoccurring, but a client can be strengthened so that they do not move into active crisis each time they fear a new loss. In the case of sudden death of a loved one, a sense of fear over a new loss can almost cripple a client. I have had personal experience with this myself after losing my son in a drowning accident. Therefore, I would immediately want to help the client frame healthy perceptions about the event so that fear patterns do not get locked into the brain. Therefore, when it comes to re-traumatization after an initial trauma, early intervention is critical. Crisis debriefing can help to prevent trauma loops from being formed in the brain, which would contribute to possible crisis reoccurrence. As far as resiliency is concerned, I would suggest that the client remain connected to social support and remain connected to God. Trusting Him in crisis can help tremendously toward a healthy outcome. 8. What referral sources would be available to the client if he/she lived in your area? (specific names of organizations in your area to which you might refer your client. You might have to research your area for this.) (10 pts.) Grief Share groups at several churches in the area (i.e. Hebron Baptist), Cornerstone Counseling (provides trauma recovery services), Paraclete Counseling Center, Robbie Sherrill, LCC 9. Discuss a Biblical worldview or principal related to the crisis. (10 pts.) Anytime there is a tragedy or loss, one might be tempted to question the goodness of God, or even the reality of God. However, God is in control and never surprised by tragedy. A good principle to remember when God does allow suffering is to trust that God works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Also, Scripture makes it clear that God uses suffering to refine us. Therefore, processing tragedy by asking â€Å"what can I learn from this† is healthier and more biblical than seeking to know why. God knows the end from the beginning, and even though we may not know why while on earth, we can know the peace that comes from trusting Him to bring good from our suffering.

Efficiency Rise in PCDTBT:PC70BM Organic Solar Cell

Efficiency Rise in PCDTBT:PC70BM Organic Solar Cell Efficiency Rise in PCDTBT:PC70BM Organic Solar Cell Using Interface Additive Rashmi Swami, Rajesh Awasthi, Sanjay Tiwari Abstract Solar cell can be designed with photoactive layer of organic and inorganic materials. Organic materials, particularly polymers, are a promising alternative to traditional semiconductors as the active material for solar cell because of their low cost, low temperature energy processing, low material requirement, can be used on flexible substrate, can be shaped to suit architectural application. Low efficiency is one of the biggest problem with organic solar cell. In order to increase the efficiency of bulk hetero-junction organic solar cell we are using interface surfactant additive poly(oxyethylene tridecyl ether) (PTE) with blend photoactive layer. Here we are reporting on the enhanced photovoltaic (PV) effects by means of a polymer bulk-hetero-junction (BHJ) layer having PCDTBT which is poly(N-9-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4,7-di-2-thienyl-2,1,3†²-benzothiadiazole)) as a low-band gap e’ donor/HTL polymer and PC70BM which is [6,6]-phenyl C70 butyric acid methyl e ster as an acceptor/ETL, doped with poly(oxyethylene tridecyl ether) (PTE) which is an interface surfactant additive. For PCDTBT:PC70BM organic solar cell , we recorded 0.886 V open-circuit voltage (VOC), 11.7 mA/cm2 short-circuit current density (JSC), and 47.3% fill factor (FF) and PCE of 4.9%. For PCDTBT:PCBM70:PTE organic solar cell, we recorded VOC of 0.904 V, higher values of JSC of 13.8 mA/cm2, FF of 48.2% and improved PCE of 6.0% for a PTE concentration of ca. 0.164 wt%. Power conversion efficiency (PCE) reaches to 6.0%, by the addition of PTE to a PCDTBT:PC70BM system which is much higher than a reference device not including the additive (4.9%). Increase in efficiency is because of the increase in lifetime of charge carrier, which is due to the existence of PTE molecules at the interfaces sandwiched between the BHJ photovoltaic active layer and the anode and cathode, in addition to the phase-separated BHJ domains interfaces. Keywords – Organic Solar Cell, PCDTBT, PCBM, PTE, IPCE, Bulk hetero-junction. Introduction The global rising demand for low-priced electricity has triggered deep research on solar cells comprising organic semiconductors. Organic solar cell (OSC) technology has received significant attention over the past decade due to the simple, flexible nature of polymer photovoltaics and the potential to develop a clean, cost-efficient renewable energy source. The key development of organic solar cells has been made with the pioneering concept of ‘‘bulk hetero-junction (BHJ)’’ photoactive layers [1-2].The bulk hetero-junction (BHJ) PSC [1][3] is of particular interest, due to the efficient photo-induced generation of charge in its blended photovoltaic (PV) layer, that is consisted of interpenetrating, channel-like domains of separated fullerene and polymer. Following the annealing of the BHJ structure at elevated temperatures, PSCs with PV layers of P3HT which is poly(3-hexylthiophene) and PCBM60 which is phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester have shown high pow er conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 3-5%. Efficiency of P3HT:PCBM organic solar cell is upto 5% because of the limitations of conventional P3HT, whose bandgap lies at around 1.9 eV, which limits absorbance to wavelengths below 650 nm [4]. To improve the efficiency of PSC we need new active materials having lower bandgap to harvest more solar photons. More recently, a PCE of 5-6% was reported for a BHJ PSC that used a blend of PCBM70 and PCDTBT having a bandgap of 1.88 eV [5,6]. Using ‘processing additives’ PCE of organic solar cell can be increased [7-9]. To increase carrier lifetimes (reduce recombination loss) we modify the BHJ interfaces between the phase-separated domains of the donor-conjugated polymer and the acceptor fullerene, and added a non-ionic surfactant poly(oxyethylene tridecyl ether) (PTE) as an additive to the PV layer. In this paper we investigated J-V characteristic and IPCE spectra of PCDTBT:PC70BM organic solar cell with and without PTE. 1.1 Donor molecule Next generation HTL/donor material for organic photovoltaics is Poly[[9-(1-octylnonyl)-9H-carbazole-2.7-diyl]-2.5-thiophenediyl-2.1.3 benzothiadiazole-4.7-diyl-2.5-thiophenediyl] (PCDTBT) shown in Fig. (1) which can produce better efficiencies and lifetimes. The main qualities of PCDTBT are lower HOMO and LUMO levels narrow band gap Increased open circuit voltage Longer wavelength absorption Lower concentration and material usage Improved stability under ambient conditions High electron and hole generation rate and high mobility of electron and hole. Fig. 1. Molecular structure of PCDTBT. 1.2 Acceptor molecule Extremely symmetrical cage-shaped molecules of carbon atoms is Fullerenes as shown in Fig. (2). For the separation of photoexcited exciton into free charge carriers blending of conjugated polymers (electron donor) with fullerenes (electron acceptors), is extremely efficient way. Fig. 2. Molecular structure of PC70BM. 1.3 PTE additive Poly(oxyethylene tridecyl ether) (PTE) shown in Fig. (3) as an additive have low (- 8.1 eV) highest- occupied-molecular-orbital (HOMO) and high (à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­2.1 eV) lowest-unoccupied-molecular- orbital (LUMO) [10–12]. Fig. 3. Molecular structure of PTE. Experimental Details The sample BHJ PSCs were fabricated in a sandwich structure with an anode of indium tin oxide (ITO) and an Al:Li/Al cathode. Patterned 80-nm-thick ITO glass was cleaned by sequential ultrasonic treatment in detergent, deionized water, acetone, and isopropanol, and then treated in an ultraviolet-ozone chamber for 15 min. Then, a ca. 40-nm-thick hole-collecting PEDOT:PSS buffer layer was spin-coated onto the ITO electrode. On the top of the PEDOT:PSS layer spin coat the blended solution of PCDTBT (0.456 wt%), PCBM70 (1.824 wt%), and PTE additive in dichlorobenzene. The PV layer was about 85 nm thick. Finally, for the cathode, a ca. 1-nmthick Al:Li alloy (Li: 0.1 wt%) layer and a pure Al (ca. 50-nm-thick) layer were created on the photovoliaic layer through thermal deposition (0.5 nm/s), at a foundation pressure below 2Ãâ€"10-4 Pa. The sample device structure studied was therefore [ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PCDTBT:PC70BM:PTE/Al:Li/Al] as shown in Fig. (4). The active area of the fabricated device was 3Ãâ€"3 mm2. For comparison, a reference PSC was fabricated with the structure [ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PCDTBT:PC70BM/Al:Li/Al] as shown in Fig. (5). In 100 mW/cm2 illumination intensity produced by an AM 1.5G light resource, the performance of the PSCs was measured,. With the help of a source meter (Keithley 2400) the photocurrent-versus-voltage (J-V) characteristics were measured. The IPCE (incident photon-to-current collection efficiency) spectrum were measured for the PSCs studied using an IPCE measurement system. Fig. 4. ITO/PEDOT:PSS/ PCDTBT:PC70BM:PTE /Al:Li/Al Organic Solar Cell. Fig. 5. ITO/PEDOT:PSS/ PCDTBT:PC70BM /Al:Li/Al Organic Solar Cell. Results And Discussion As shown in Fig. (6) for PCDTBT:PC70BM organic solar cell , under an illumination of AM 1.5G and 100 mW/cm2, we recorded 0.886 V open-circuit voltage (VOC), 11.7 mA/cm2 short-circuit current density (JSC) and 47.3% of fill factor (FF) and PCE of 4.9% a value comparable with those reported by others [6]. For PCDTBT:PC70BM:PTE organic solar cell, we recorded VOC of 0.904 V, higher values of JSC of 13.8 mA/cm2, FF of 48.2% and improved PCE of 6.0% for a PTE concentration of ca. 0.164 wt%. These increased values resulted in an improved efficiency of 6.0%, which led to a PCE that was up to 22% higher than that of PCDTBT:PC70BM based organic solar cell. Fig. 6. The current-voltage characteristics of BHJ OSCs with and without the PTE additive. We further investigated the PV performance of the OSCs that incorporated the PTE additive by studying the IPCE spectra. Fig. (7) shows the observed IPCE spectrum of the PSC devices. It can be seen that the IPCE values are consistent with the variations in JSC for the OSCs with and without the PTE additive. The maximum IPCE was 73.0% at 470 nm for the sample device with the PTE additive, which corresponded to the highest JSC (13.8 mA/cm2 ), while the IPCE value was about 60.9% for the reference device without the additive, which had the lowest JSC (11.7 mA/cm2 ). Fig. 7. IPCE spectra of PCDTBT:PC70 BM OSCs with and without the PTE additive. Conclusions In conclusion, we have reported on the use of a low-bandgap PCDTBT:PC70BM-based PV layer that incorporates a PTE surfactant, which was used to the BHJ interfaces in OSCs. We have shown that BHJ OSCs that contain the interface PTE additive are more efficient than conventional OSCs. A high PCE (6.0%) was obtained for our PCDTBT:PC70BM (1:4 w/w) OSC device using 0.164 wt% of the PTE additive, which yielded improvements in PCE of up to 22%. This improvement may be attributed to the increased selective flow of dissociated charge carriers, not only at the interfaces of the PV layer and the electrodes, but also at the BHJ interfaces between the PCDTBT and PC70BM domains. Our findings show that a combination of PTE interface additives and high-performance low-band gap PV materials holds great potential for the development of a new generation of highly efficient OSCs. References [1] G. Yu, J. Gao, J.C. Hummelen, F. Wudl, A.J. Heeger. Polymer Photovoltaic Cells:Enhanced Efficiencies via a Network of Internal Donor-Acceptor Heterojunctions. Science, New Series, 1995, 270(5243): 1789-1791. [2] J.J.M. Halls, C.A. Walsh, N.C. Greenham, E.A. Marseglia, R.H. Friend, S.C. Moratti, A.B. Holmes. Efficient photodiodes from interpenetrating polymer networks. Nature, 1995, 376: 498–500. [3] C. J. Brabec, N. S. Sariciftci, and J. C. Hummelen. Plastic solar cells. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2001, 11(1): 15–26. [4] K. M. Coakley and M. D. McGehee. Conjugated polymer photovoltaic cells. Chem. Mater., 2004, 16(23): 4533–4542. [5] S. H. Park, A. Roy, S. Beauprà ©, S. Cho, N. Coates, J. S. Moon, D. Moses, M. Leclerc, K. Lee, and A. J. Heeger. Bulk heterojunction solar cells with internal quantum efficiency approaching 100%. Nat. Photonics, 2009, 3(5): 297–302. [6] J. Zhou, X. Wan, Y. Liu, F. Wang, G. Long, C. Li, and Y. Chen. Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of a poly(2,7-carbazole) derivative based on dithienosilole and benzothiadiazole. Macromol. Chem. Phys., 2011, 212(11): 1109–1114. [7] J. Peet, J. Y. Kim, N. E. Coates, W. L. Ma, D. Moses, A. J. Heeger, and G. C. Bazan. Efficiency enhancement in low-bandgap polymer solar cells by processing with alkane dithiols. Nat. Mater., 2007, 6(7): 497–500. [8] G. Garcia-Belmonte and J. Bisquert. Open-circuit voltage limit caused by recombination through tail states in bulk heterojuction polymer-fullerene solar cells. Appl. Phys. Lett., 2010, 96(11): 113301. [9] Y. Liang, Z. Xu, J. Xia, S.-T. Tsai, Y. Wu, G. Li, C. Ray, and L. Yu. For the bright future-bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells with power conversion efficiency of 7.4%. Adv. Mater. (Deerfield Beach Fla.), 2010, 22(20): E135–E138. [10] Y. I. Lee, M. Kim, Y. Ho Huh, J. S. Lim, S. Cheol Yoon, and B. Park. Improved photovoltaic effect of polymer solar cells with nanoscale interfacial layers. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells, 2010, 94(6): 1152–1156. [11] B. Park, Y. H. Huh, and M. Kim. Surfactant additives for improved photovoltaic effect of polymer solar cells. J. Mater. Chem., 2010, 20(48): 10862–10868. [12] J. H. Park, S. S. Oh, S. W. Kim, E. H. Choi, B. H. Hong, Y. H. Seo, G. S. Cho, B. Park, J. Lim, S. C. Yoon, and C. Lee. Double interfacial layers for highly efficient organic light-emitting devices. Appl. Phys. Lett., 2007, 90(15): 153508.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Essay -- farm, tractors, land own

The bright colors and nice shirts all grab your attention at the store, but how did the cotton, grain, or wheat in the products come to be? In Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, mechanization brings capitalism and other unintended consequences, leads to the decision for land owners of whether to run a business using greed or virtue, and separates the working class. Steinbeck starts The Grapes of Wrath by showing the Joad family who had just been removed from their farm. The Joads are one family of a monstrous number of families to be removed from their farms. They were raised on the land, some died on the land, and they were with approximately seven million families that lived on farms in the same day (â€Å"U.S. AGRICULTURAL POLICY,† 10). The banks told the Farmers’ Association to lower the overhead of all agricultural products by employing possibly one or two men to take the place of sixteen other men. The owner of the land had the choice to both get rich and be extremely wealthy by profiting off the loss and pain of others or to become one who is taken advantage of and becoming hungry and poor. One of the main unintended consequences of employing one man to drive the tractor was a loss of contact to the land. The land owners became completely separated from their land. The people who farmed in the same way as the Joads lived for the land, and they lived because of the land. This relationship between farmer and land was destroyed due to the introduction of the tractor to the land. Land owners no longer knew when they needed to give the land a break, and for this reason many pieces of land became totally dust and truly became unformidable to any type of farming. This overuse of the land led to what we know as the Dust B... ...reed which totally annihilated the working class’s bond of unity. If the working class had united maybe they would not have been so very miserable for such a long time. Maybe the Dustbowl would have never happened. Works Cited â€Å"Article III.† The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road to the Grapes of Wrath. Charles Wollenberg, ed. Berkeley: Heyday Books, 1988. â€Å"Article IV.† The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road to the Grapes of Wrath. Charles Wollenberg, ed. Berkeley: Heyday Books, 1988. Harvey, John, John Crowley, and Jack Hayes. U.S. Government. Department of Agriculture. Face of Rural America. 1975. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. 1939. Eds. Peter Lisca with Kevin Hearle. New York: Viking,1997. Rasmussen, Wayne D.. "The Challenge of Change." Trans. Array U.S. Agriculture in a Global Economy. 1985. "U.S. AGRICULTURAL POLICY." The Reference Shelf. 38. New York: 1966.

Suicide Protests :: Suicidal Drugs Pills Papers

Suicide Protests An eager young activist with a thick cinnamon beard shouted at his fellow Brown students who whisked hurriedly past his table and into the post office in the spring of 1984. Few, if any, had time to listen to a lunatic raging about the end of the world and nuclear disarmament. An older woman stopped to listen to his angry litany "Do you know that the government expects you to survive a nuclear war in your dorm basement?" he asked. The woman paused, contemplating. Finally, she answered, "Why don't you start a club, Students for Suicide Pills?" since, she said, suicide pills seem a better option than any fallout shelter. Jason Salzman did not take the proposal as a joke as it was intended. Instead, he immediately visualized Students for Suicide Tablets (SST). Justifying the existence of such an odd, morbid group of students caused a major logistical problem: how to find members who would consider joining. Salzman had a group of activist friends, but he was tired of long meetings and the apathy of his peers about the seriousness of nuclear war. Many were diligent in 1981 and 1982 about circulating anti-nuclear weapons petitions around campus and attending in 1982 the nation's largest peaceful protest in New York City to support a nuclear freeze. The idea seemed to have lost its novelty, however, and instead was replaced by a pervasive Reagan-esque attitude that nuclear war was an inevitable and winnable showdown. The decade of the 1980s was filled with patriotic rhetoric about staying ahead in the nuclear arms race, with the heads of both superpowers insistent on playing a game of nuclear chess, instead of engaging in earnest discussion about disarmament. The US was both on the offensive and defensive, demonstrated by Reagan's paranoid, expensive and useless "Star Wars" defense system in 1983. Around the world, protestors in Rome, Bonn, and London demanded Soviet-American negotiations, yet Reagan de-prioritized arms reductions talks during the early 1980s. In the midst of the largest peacetime arms buildup, military spending was upwards of $28 million an hour while Reagan spewed forth his "devil theory" about the Soviet Union being an "evil empire" willing to "lie and cheat" to struggle for a communist world. Indeed, the idea of nuclear war became so commonplace that comments about the frivolity of credit cards and the high desirability of the common shovel after a nuclear attack became the stale jokes of a cynical conversation.

Teaching Critical Reflection :: Education Educational Essays

Teaching Critical Reflection The ability to reflect critically on one’s experience, integrate knowledge gained from experience with knowledge possessed, and take action on insights is considered by some adult educators to be a distinguishing feature of the adult learner (Brookfield 1998; Ecclestone 1996; Mezirow 1991). Critical reflection is the process by which adults identify the assumptions governing their actions, locate the historical and cultural origins of the assumptions, question the meaning of the assumptions, and develop alternative ways of acting (Cranton 1996). Brookfield (1995) adds that part of the critical reflective process is to challenge the prevailing social, political, cultural, or professional ways of acting. Through the process of critical reflection, adults come to interpret and create new knowledge and actions from their ordinary and sometimes extraordinary experiences. Critical reflection blends learning through experience with theoretical and technical learning to form new knowl edge constructions and new behaviors or insights. Learning by critical reflection creates new understandings by making conscious the social, political, professional, economic, and ethical assumptions constraining or supporting one’s action in a specific context (Ecclestone 1996; Mackintosh 1998). Critical reflection’s appeal as an adult learning strategy lies in the claim of intellectual growth and improvement in one’s ability to see the need for and effect personal and system change. Reflection can be a learning tool for directing and informing practice, choosing among alternatives in a practice setting, or transforming and reconstructing the social environment (Williamson 1997). Can critical reflection be taught in a classroom? Does the new knowledge created foster change? This Myths and Realities investigates the extent to which critical reflection can be taught to adult learners. How Do Adults Learn to Be Critically Reflective? Without agreement on what reflective practice is, it is difficult to decide on teaching‑learning strategies. Reflective practice may be a developmental learning process (Williamson 1997), may have different levels of attainment (Wellington 1996), and may be affected by a learner’s cognitive ability (James and Clarke 1994), willingness to engage in the process (Bright 1996; Haddock 1997), and orientation to change (Wellington 1996). However, there does seem to be some agreement that critical reflection consists of a process that can be taught to adults. Brookfield (1988) identified four processes central to learning how to be critically reflective: assumption analysis, contextual awareness, imaginative speculation, and reflective skepticism. Assumption analysis describes the activity adults engage in to bring to awareness beliefs, values, cultural practices, and social structures regulating behavior and to assess their impact on daily activities.

Harvard business school case Essay

1)Airborne’s performance from 1986-1997 can be described as dismal. Throughout the period the company managed to remain profitable every year, but they underperformed the McGahan averages. Airborne averaged 1.72% ROS (including 1997, which was an outlier for this set), 2.46% ROA, and 9.34% ROE. This was compared to the ROS, ROA, and ROE of 4.7%, 5.9%, and 12.6%, respectively. Airborne also had lower margins than its competitors, FedEx and UPS, so it can be inferred that Airborne’s performance is poor not just in general but also considering the industry. It should be noted that the industry leader, FedEx, could not consistently beat the averages either, so the industry is not earning large margins to begin with. However, UPS does consistently beat the averages, so Airborne should not be entirely excused due to its industry. The strategy seems to be low-cost, broad based. Based on Exhibits 1 and 8, it is obvious that Airborne is charging lower prices than the competition. This is only half of the low-cost strategy. It would at first appear that Airborne is simply charging lower prices, but has not developed a lower cost structure because its margins are so low. However, there is evidence to support a lower cost structure as well. First of all, it would be quite difficult to have a similar cost structure and even turn a profit if one looks at the FedEx comparison in Exhibit 1. This is not the only evidence of a low cost strategy. At first glance, it appears that Airborne may not have a lower cost structure because of the size of their Depreciation cost versus revenue. Because Depreciation was the only cost that was present in the Financial Results Exhibits for all three companies, it has to serve as the number for comparison. Versus revenue size, Airborne actually was much higher than UPS, and barely lowe r than FedEx. It is important to consider what the cost means though. Most likely, the depreciation costs are based on depreciation of the aircraft, the major asset purchases that these companies make. If the depreciation cost is divided by the number of planes in the fleet, then Airborne appears to be paying less per plane, this could be supported by the statement that they use planes from the 60s and 70s. It would seem that the cost structure is lower in this case. Also the case mentions that Airborne is able to fill its planes to a higher capacity, meaning less costs incurred per item because the flight cost is spread out  over more revenue generating packages. Also, Airborne does not invest in the technology that the others do, such as tracking, that would add to costs and also be the mark of differentiation. Airborne also uses the cheaper ground method over air to save money, another low cost method. Airborne does not engage in costly advertising campaigns. Airborne is definitely pursuing a low cost strategy, they just seem to be doing a poor job of it as far as earning similar margins. In terms of the broad versus narrow based, there may be an argument for Airborne positioning themselves for urban markets because the customers they serve tend to be in the major 50 areas of the US. The fact remains that Airborne does not specifically serve only these urban areas according to the case, so they would most likely serve any part of the country. They do seem to be focusing on domestic shipments because they do not operate their own aircraft on international shipments, but the still do have international shipments, lending more weight to the broad argument. 2)Substitution: this is a major threat. The specific service that Airborne provides is easy to find from competitors, not to mention that there is no proprietary characteristic of the Airborne service that would necessarily encourage a customer not to switch with the exception of price. Imitation: The threat of imitation is not as high. If a competitor were to imitate, they would have to develop a separate cost structure, and the Airborne way does not really fit into their business models. If a startup were to attempt to imitate, then there would be many costs that would be quite prohibitive. It would be expensive to buy all the planes, at over $5m each, the airport, and spend the money on getting customers. Hold Up: This threat appears to be quite low. The customers will most likely not ask for lower prices, and the company owns a lot of the planes and inputs. The only conceivable threat is from employees. Pilots typically have unions (the case does not mention a union of Airborne pilots), so they could use that union clout to ask for more money. The only clue to the likelihood of holdup was the employee description of â€Å"frugal† and â€Å"strait-laced†. These are not words that usually have positive connotations, so this could be a hint that employees are unhappy. Slack: Slack is harder to gauge than the others, but it appears that the threat is low. It appears that company is cutting costs in all areas where they can. This bare bones setup would definitely not be indicative of a management that could produce slack. They could conceivably get slack because they do not work as hard via advertising and promotion, so potential customers do not know about their price advantages. The only really pertinent piece of information I found was that the capacity was listed at 80%. That leaves extra capacity that they could be using, indicating slack. This observation is offset by the fact that this capacity is still higher than the competitors. All in all, there is more evidence to support a low threat of slack. 3)I think that Airborne should adopt a distance based pricing structure. While it may present a threat to the cost edge that they currently have over competition, it also could lead to higher revenues. The company already has a cost advantage, so it should be able to still outprice the competition. The distance based pricing model could let the company gain some of the revenue that they are missing. If the company uses more trucks anyway, over a larger distance, the cost savings should add up, and Airborne will still earn a profit. The only major threat that a pricing change presents is lost volume because of losing customers. However, customers are used to a distance based system, as it is the industry standard. Also, if they have the lower price compared to UPS and FedEx, the main selling point is still in place. I would not recommend this change only in the event that Airborne would cease to be the cost leader after adjustments, because that would destroy their edge and model. There is no evidence to indicate that this could be the case, so I stick by my recommendation. 4)The relationship with RPS looks like it can be quite valuable. I would have to say that I do recommend a change in terms of service offered, and that in turn could be a slight modification of strategy. I think that, with main competitors offering tracking and other information services, Airborne needs to offer some kind of tracking service as well. The tracking service might have moved from being a differentiated service that customers pay a premium  for into an industry standard. Part of the low cost strategy is at least giving the consumer what would be considered a typical service. If differentiation increases the willingness to pay, I think that not offering a key service that the customer expects could substantially decrease willingness to pay. Airborne should forge a stronger alliance with RPS and take advantage of the opportunities. If they can take market share away from UPS and offer a higher quality service, that should mean more revenues. Airborne is currently outpricing the competition substantially; in Exhibit 1 they have almost half the per package revenue of Federal Express, and in Exhibit 8 they charge almost 20% less per package. The extra service could justify a higher price but keep them in the low-cost position as there is plenty of room to raise prices. This should make a difference in terms of more revenue. I am unaware as to the elasticity of the price of shipping packages, but it would seem to me that, as long as they have the lowest price, the volume should not decline. Another reason to join forces with RPS is the large amount of ground shipments. This is where they get the higher margins, and RPS can increase the volume. It would seem that a company should jump at the opportunity to increase the volume of higher margin activity. There is little discussion as to the costs associated with the relationship, but it seems to be implied that Airborne does make money from the activities conducted together. This would mean looking a lot more like UPS than FedEx, and UPS is the only one of the three companies with acceptable performance indicators. All in all, I recommend that Airborne stay with a low-cost strategy, but they should use the relationship with RPS to get some more customers and raise their poor margins. As it stands the company is not doing well, and this could be what they need to finally get the company to earning a decent profit.

Essay on Star Wars

Essay on Star Wars â€Å"Aren’t you a little short for a storm trooper? † (Lucas New Hope 40). Rings a bell, doesn't it? This is one of the many quotes and a memorable one from Princess Leia in George Lucas’s saga Star Wars. Lucas had created an all American myth and was the first to do it. His movie saga used every archetype known to man and was inspired by the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Campbell’s book also had every archetype known to man in it. It affected an innumerable amount of people around the world.Lucas’s Star Wars saga even went further than the big screen by inspiring comics, video games, toys, and other merchandise making Lucas a billionaire. His first three movies he made in the saga are New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of The Jedi. In this Star Wars trilogy, George Lucas illustrates that the hero must be wounded either physically or emotionally to be open to spiritual knowledge and transformation . Leia’s wounds open her to love, Luke’s wounds open him to becoming a Jedi Knight, and Anakin Skywalker’s wounds open him to redemption.These transformations are marked by physical and emotional wounds. In George Lucas’s Star Wars, Leia’s physical and emotional wounds open her up to love. First, Leia is wounded emotionally by the Death Star destroying her home planet of Alderaan. â€Å"A button is pressed which switches on a panel of lights. A hooded imperial soldier reaches overhead and pulls a lever. Another lever is pulled. Vader reaches for still another lever and a back of lights on a panel and wall light up. A huge beam of light emanates from within a cone-shaped area and converges into a single laser beam out toward Alderaan.The small green planet of Alderaan is blown into space dust† (Lucas New Hope 44). Princess Leia has been captured from the consoler’s ship and is being interrogated by General Tarkin. He is asking her abou t the whereabouts of the rebel base and if she doesn't comply he will destroy her home planet of Alderaan. She finally decides to lie so her home planet will be spared except they thank her for her cooperation, throw her in the detention level, and destroy Alderaan anyway. Leia is wounded emotionally by this because that was her home planet the Empire just destroyed using the Death Star.That means her family and all her friends and loved ones were on Alderaan and they all got completely destroyed. Everything that was her past and childhood memories was just destroyed right before her eyes. Lucas included this wounding because it is a very strong one. Leia just basically lost everything in one quick moment. He uses it also to show her strength in being able to control her emotions. Next, Leia is wounded emotionally by watching Han get frozen in the carbon freezing chamber. â€Å"Tears roll down Leia’s face as she watches the dashing pirate walk to the hydraulic platform† (Lucas Empire Strikes Back 70).Darth Vader uses Han as a sort of test dummy to test the carbon-freezing chamber on. He is testing to see if it will keep the person inside alive because Vader plans to use it on Luke later on. It is also a trap to attract Luke to Cloud City so Vader can capture him. This shows that Leia’s heart is completely open to love because she tells Han she loves him and even gets emotional when he gets ready to be frozen. Han responds with â€Å"I know† (Lucas Empire Strikes Back 70) showing the love between the two and without a doubt proving that Leia is now balanced between head and heart.Lucas has Han get frozen in carbon to reveal Leia’s true emotions and show that her heart is finally open to love. She shows it by telling him she loves him and tearing up about it. It shows that she does care and truly does love Han. Last, Leia is wounded physically by becoming a slave to Jabba the Hut. â€Å"Threepio is standing behind the grotesqu e gangster as he strokes Leia like a pet cat. Several of the guards, including Lando bring Luke from the other side of the room. Boba is standing behind Jabba† (Lucas Return of the Jedi 18).After trying to rescue Han from Jabba’s palace, Leia gets captured by Jabba and he uses her as his personal slave. He keeps her by him held by a chain. By becoming a slave to Jabba it opens Leia’s heart to even more emotions of love because her lover, Han, rescues her. Lucas has Leia get captured because it will drive Han even more to rescue her. This proves his love for Leia because he risks his own life by protecting her. By the end of all of these experiences, Leia’s heart is completely open to love showing her full emotions. In George Lucas’s trilogy Star Wars, Luke’s wounds open him to becoming a Jedi Knight.First, Luke is wounded emotionally by having his known family killed. â€Å"Luke stumbles around in a daze looking for his aunt and uncle. Sudde nly he comes upon their smoldering remains. He is stunned, and cannot speak. Hate replaces fear and a new resolve comes over him† (Lucas New Hope 19). Luke sees that the Imperial Troops have slaughtered the Jawas and then realized that they probably traced them back to Luke’s aunt and uncle’s house. He then speeds back to his house in his speeder and finds their remains and the remains of their dwelling.This greatly wounds Luke emotionally because the Empire has just destroyed his family and all he's ever had and known. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru was the only family he thought he had left so this just devastated him emotionally. His fear is replaced by hate for the Empire. This also helps him make his decision on following Obi-Wan and training to become a Jedi Knight because he has no other options now that he has lost everything. Lucas had Luke's known family destroyed to place anger in him making him follow in his father’s footsteps unconsciously.It also h elps him make the decision to travel with Obi-Wan and train to be a Jedi Knight because now there is nothing left for him on Tatooine. Next, Luke is wounded physically by having his right hand cut off by Darth Vader. â€Å"Luke glances at the instrument complex floating away. At that instant, Vader's sword comes down across Luke's right forearm, cutting off his hand and sending his sword flying. In great pain, Luke squeezes his forearm under his left armpit and moves back along the gantry to its extreme end. Vader follows. The wind subsides. Luke holds on.There is nowhere else to go† (Lucas Empire Strikes Back 77). Luke is in Cloud City fighting Darth Vader after he escapes his carbon-freezing trap. Vader finally beats him down and cuts off Luke's right hand with his light saber. Luke is driven by anger and hate which in the end ultimately causes him to lose this battle. Vader cuts off Luke's right hand. That is the hand in which he wields his light saber. This represents his power hand and now he has no power because he has lost his right hand. This weakens Luke greatly. During this wounding he has the epiphany that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker, his father.During this wounding he is wounded both physically and emotionally. Physically because he loses his hand and emotionally because he learns that this evil man is indeed his father. Lucas had Vader cut off Luke's power hand showing now that Luke is weak and vulnerable. At this point Vader also tells Luke that he is his father because Luke cannot escape from the truth being physically wounded and defeated. Last, Luke is wounded emotionally by having his father die. â€Å"Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker†¦Luke's father, dies† (Lucas Empire Strikes Back 88). Luke is on the Death Star to defeat the Emperor butDarth Vader gets in his way and starts fighting with Luke instead. Luke keeps backing down saying, â€Å"I will not fight you, father† (Lucas Empire Strikes Back 81). Luke then fina lly beats down Vader and cuts his hand off, just like Vader had done to him. The Emperor walks over to Luke and asks him to join the Dark Side but Luke refuses so the Emperor starts to electrocute him with his hands showing no mercy. â€Å"Vader grabs the Emperor from behind, fighting for control of the robed figure despite the Dark Lord’s weakened body and gravely weakened arm.The Emperor struggles in his embrace, his bolt-shooting hands now lifted high, away from Luke. Now the white lightning arcs back to strike at Vader. He stumbles with his load as the sparks rain off his helmet and flow down over his black cape. He holds his evil master high over his head and walks to the edge of the abyss at the central core of the throne room. With one final burst of his once awesome strength, Darth Vader hurls the Emperor’s body into the bottomless shaft† (Lucas Return of the Jedi 86). This emotionally wounds Luke because he finally has feelings of love towards his fathe r.His father, Anakin, just sacrificed himself for his son overcoming the evil within him letting his good side show. Luke feels sad and does not want to leave his father. His mother has already died so that was the last adult in his family and he finally felt that father to son connection. Sadly it only lasted a little bit because Anakin quickly dies. Lucas shows this as the final state of Luke becoming a true Jedi knight. This is shown by Luke saying, â€Å"Never! I’ll never turn to the dark side. You’ve failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me† (Lucas Empire Strikes Back 84).In the trilogy Star Wars, by George Lucas, Anakin Skywalker’s wounds open him up to redemption. First, Anakin Skywalker gets emotionally wounded by the Sand People kill his mother. After the Sand People kill Shmi, Anakin's mother, he goes on a rage and kills an entire village of Tusken people including women and children. He does this out of anger. Anakin's mothe r Shmi gets captured by the Sand people. He then goes to free her and help her escape because of the love he has for his mother. As Anakin is walking her out of the village a Tusken raider shoots and kills Shmi.This puts Anakin in an outrage and he then massacres the entire village out of anger and hate with his light saber. This emotionally wounds Anakin greatly because the Sand people just killed his mother. Shmi was the woman he loved and cared about the most. He had always taken care of her and supported for her. Now that they just murdered her, it sent him on an unstoppable rage. Lucas has this happen to set Anakin on his course to becoming Darth Vader. All the hate and anger that came into him after this event turned him evil therefore setting him up for later redemption.Next, Anakin is physically wounded by falling into a burning lava pit. â€Å"Anakin's clothing blows into the lava river and ignites. Suddenly Anakin bursts into flames and starts screaming† (Lucas Reve nge of the Sith 89). Obi-Wan and Anakin are fighting on the volcanic planet of Mustafar. Obi-Wan cuts off Anakin's arm and greatly wounds him sending him falling close to the lava river in which his clothes ignite and his body is badly burned almost to the point of death. This greatly wounds Anakin and sets him on his way to being the mechanical more-machine-than-human Darth Vader.After he lies injured for a while he is finally spotted by Darth Sidious and what is left of him is put in a medical capsule. They then turn him into Darth Vader by replacing his injured parts with robotic parts making him more machine than human. Last, Anakin is wounded physically by saving his son Luke. â€Å"Vader grabs the Emperor from behind, fighting for control of the robed figure despite the Dark Lord’s weakened body and gravely weakened arm. The Emperor struggles in his embrace, his bolt-shooting hands now lifted high, away from Luke.Now the white lightning arcs back to strike at Vader. He stumbles with his load as the sparks rain off his helmet and flow down over his black cape. He holds his evil master high over his head and walks to the edge of the abyss at the central core of the throne room. With one final burst of his once awesome strength, Darth Vader hurls the Emperor’s body into the bottomless shaft† (Lucas Return of the Jedi 86). Then, â€Å"Vader's cape is whipped by the wind and he staggers, and collapses toward the bottomless hole.Luke crawls to his father’s side and pulls him away from the edge of the abyss to safety. Both the young Jedi and the giant warrior are too weak to move† (Lucas Return of the Jedi 86). In the Death Star, Anakin watches his son dying and then the good in him kicks in as Luke begs his father for help. Anakin steps in and sacrifices himself for his son. Anakin redeems himself here for all the evil he has done by sacrificing himself for the love of his son Luke. He just can’t bare it anymore to wat ch his son suffer so he acts on love and aves his son from the Emperor killing himself in the process. Lucas shows Anakin redeeming himself by sacrifice. He obtains redemption by giving into love and finding the good in him to save his son. In this Star Wars trilogy, George Lucas illustrates that the hero must be wounded either physically or emotionally to be open to spiritual knowledge and transformation. Leia’s wounds open her to love, Luke’s wounds open him to becoming a Jedi Knight, and Anakin Skywalker’s wounds open him to redemption. These transformations are marked by physical and emotional wounds.

Harley Davidson Case Analysis

Case Analysis 2: Harley-davidson MKT 201:001 Long Island University Angel Pagan November 17, 2012 Case Analysis 2: Harley-Davidson This case focuses on the iconic motorcycle brand of Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson is an American motorcycle manufacturing company founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since Harley-Davidson was established in 1903, the manufacturer has experienced its ups and down. It especially encounters struggles like any other automobile industry during economic downturns. On the verge of bankruptcy around 1980, Harley-Davidson made a surprising comeback.This comeback was mainly a result of Harley-Davidson’s incorporation of customer services into its products, product differentiation through quality and design as well as focusing production on a consistently high level of quality. Today, the company’s annual worldwide sales total more than $4 billion worldwide and have an annual output of 200,000 motorcycles along 35 different models in seven product line s. With these results it is safe to say that Harley-Davidson dominates the U. S. motorcycle market and is also strong in Europe and Japan.Harley-Davidson does a very good job at differentiating its product. In fact, product differentiation is the main component of Harley-Davidson’s marketing strategy. They want to offer a motorcycle like no other motorcycle on the market at the highest quality. Harley-Davidson not only stresses its level of quality but its consistency of quality as well. Quality refers to the overall characteristic of a product that allows it to perform as expected in satisfying customer needs. Therefore quality can be used to differentiate products because not all products satisfy the needs of the consumer.Harley-Davidson offers many different lines of motorcycles including limited edition models as well as customization options. If the customer customizes the motorcycle then they should be getting exactly what they want at a high quality. Harley-Davidson em phasizes the consistency of quality as much as the level of quality because no matter how high the level of quality is, if it is not consistent then they will lose customers. For example, if you go to a restaurant that serves food the way you like it to be prepared only half of the time, it is likely that you will no longer go there.Then word spreads to others and they are less likely to go to that restaurant too. The same goes for Harley-Davidson. They want to ensure that every motorcycle has a high quality to keep the customers satisfied and bring forth even more customers. They also offer financing and insurance which helps differentiate them from competitors even more. Harley-Davidson believes that customer service is an important part of the product. They help differentiate their product by offering customers training, warrantees, guarantees, repairs and accessories.They want the customers to be comfortable with the employees and have a positive buying experience. Some dealers even take it a step further by offering a Rider’s Edge course. Since this course was offered at some dealerships, more than 150,000 people have graduated and earned a motorcycles license. This customer service section aims at the population of people who would like to buy a Harley-Davidson but do not know how to ride. They join these step-by-step courses with the employees and are on track to one day having their own Harley.They also offer a line of bikes for women and teach women how to ride bikes, pick them up, and assist them with any information they need in the buying process. They even have founded the Harley Owens Group in order to instill a sense of community amongst riders. There are over 1 million members. They have access to certain benefits, group rides, members only website, exclusive magazines, and a special customer service hotline. They even offer free tours at four of its factories, not to mention the museum.The Harley-Davidson museum is located in its headqu arters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The museum features exhibits from the company’s past products such as sample boats, bikes, snowmobiles and golf carts, to today’s models. They also highlight the company’s latest technologies, and inner workings of its new product development process. This museum may play a role in influencing how customers perceive the company and its products because they are able to see where the company has been, where they are, and where they want to be.It also gives the potential customers a chance to experience what it would be like to be a Harley-Davidson owner. They even offer a virtual ride bike so that people can almost get a first hand glance at what it is like to own a bike. Harley-Davidson has a very wide marketing mix. They have bikes that attract people of different sizes, styles, age, and gender. They offer a very good bike at a price of $6,999 for beginners. They offer a line exclusively for women with smaller bikes and a wide va riety of customizing products. They aim at creating a sense of individuality and freedom for the riders.As a rider gets more experienced they can trade their bike in for a more advanced one if they feel it is necessary. They also offer different styles of bikes for those who are experienced. They range from cruisers to choppers to sports bikes. In total there are seven product lines with 35 different models. Therefore the product depth is 7 and its length is 35. Below is a list going into greater detail about the marketing mix. If I had to invent a brand name for a line of luxury motorcycles I would call it the American Eagle.This brand name would especially appeal to the American market but would also be appealing worldwide. It implies a high American quality, which is luxurious and valuable and is consistent with the American lifestyle. Product †¢ The major product is heavy weight motorcycle of 750 cc for working out on heavy roads. †¢ A number of brands have been introd uced in its century of age, and each one was very integrated, well equipped and up to date with respect to technological advancements (Johnstone, 1995). The hallmark productions of the company assisted it to acquire eagle mark for itself. †¢ An excellent customer service is provided in case of any ambiguity, and customers are thoroughly guided for the upcoming brands. †¢ Deals in branded motor bikes and other limited sector of open market. †¢ Also deal in used bikes, there usable parts being repaired and introduced in the market at lower price range †¢ Spare part market has also got their name at the top of the list. †¢ Twin Cam engine is its major innovatory product. †¢ They also offer services for repairing. Revolution engine is also introduced on their innovation lists. Price †¢ Their prices are mostly maintained around a certain figure. †¢ The major revenue sector is heavy bikes along with spare parts. †¢ The company has been in crisi s for few years as its market share dropped by 43 (%) percent. †¢ The company is planning to eliminate its employees in the coming year for maintaining the company’s financial position (Wilson, 1993). †¢ During the time of crisis the vehicle prices were suddenly increased but now it’s being hoped that they will be regulated. Place The company has acquired 358,000 square foot plant in Kansas City for the production of Dyna Glide, Sportster, and V-Rod models. †¢ For assisting Latin American expansion n Assemly plant is located in Brazil. By establishing manufacturing units, a vast production was achieved (Margie, 2009). †¢ Harley Davidson is also moving forward to export bikes in India as well to increase its production and export sector as well. †¢ Harley Davidson also caters the motor bikes export in most parts of the world but it is not that much economical because of high custom duty for heavy machinery.Promotion †¢ Different marketing p olicies are being applied for the promotion of the company. †¢ Lucky draws are timely introduced, while promoting its political frame. †¢ Certain free services are announced for showing goodwill gestures on the new motor bikes sale. †¢ Some times fares are also arranged for bulk sales, especially when there is low sale time. †¢ Very attractive commercials are placed on different channels. †¢ Most of the magazines in U. S promote the company by its good coverage. References Pride, W. M.. , & Ferrell, O.C. , (2012). Foundations of Marketing. Pg. 77. Australia Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning (2012, ). H-D1â„ ¢ Customization | Custom Motorcycles | Harley-Davidson USA. Retrieved. November 17, 2012, from http://www. harley-davidson. com/en_US/Content/Pages/H-D1_Customization/h-d1_cu stomization. html? locale=en_US&bmLocale=en_US (2011, March 8). Harley Davidson Marketing Mix | Marketing Mixx. Retrieved November 17, 2012, from http://marketingmixx. co m/marketing-basics/marketing-mix/159-harley-davidson-marketing-mix. html