Innerwear Market free essay sample

INNERWEAR MARKET IN INDIA- MARKETERS’ AND CONSUMERS’ PERSPECTIVE Jyoti Aggarwa (lecturer)l and Dr. Charu Gupta(Reader) Department of Textiles and Clothing Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi, India E-mail- [emailprotected] com ABSTRACT The innerwear market in India is currently valued at Rs. 5160 crore in value terms and 80. 16 crore units in volume terms The Indian lingerie industry is poised for a great leap ahead due to the growing domestic demand coupled with huge export potential. There are more than 1000 Indian brands present, but only 200 are active nation wide. The remaining cater to markets in the vicinity of their manufacture. The Last decade has witnessed inflow of many multinational brands in the Indian innerwear market. Many foreign companies have already set up or are in the process of setting up their manufacturing units in India in collaboration with local players. India’s vast resources, skilled manpower and infrastructure attracts a lot of foreign investment in the field of innerwear. We will write a custom essay sample on Innerwear Market or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This paper brings to light the product offerings of Indian manufacturers and their comparison with multinational brands. Leading brands present in Indian lingerie market have been studied under the heads of year of establishment, retail presence, styles of products offered, price range and the best selling categories. The data has been gathered by personal interviews of twenty lingerie manufacturers. Two hundred Indian consumers have also been surveyed to collect information regarding popularity of brands and consumer preferences. Analysis of data brings out comparison of the product mix of Indian and multinational brands. It also highlights consumer preferences and gaps to be filled between demand and supply. The paper would benefit that segment of the industry that plan to set up their business in India, in terms of market segmentation and consumer preferences. INTRODUCTION Many multinational manufacturers offering multitude of products consider India as a destination market. Potential of this huge market is reflected through the demographic picture (as of July 2003 estimates): †¢1. 059 billion population †¢319 million females between 15-64 years †¢30 percent of 95 million of that are considered middle class with enough disposable income to be defined as â€Å"real consumers†. Figure: 1), Source: Images Business of Fashion, August 2005, Vol. VI No. VIII Analysing the growth of Indian apparel market, brings out the fact that innerwear segment is growing at a much faster rate than the other segments (Fig. 1). The innerwear market in the country for the year 2004 is valued at Rs. 5,160 crore in value terms, registering a growth rate of 13. 91% over 2003, when it stood at Rs. 4,530 crore. The volume appreciated about 5. 72% at 80. 16 crore units in 2004 as compared to about 75. 82 crore units sold in 2003. On the overall basis, volume as well as value growth in the innerwear market was marginally higher in 2004 as compared to 2003. However, the (Figure: 2), Source: Images Business of Fashion, August 2005, Vol. VI No. VIII value growth in both men’s undergarments and women’s lingerie segments was more than double the growth in volumes. The growth in volume was 7% while value went up by nearly 17% (Fig. : 2). Market Players The innerwear market is flooded with the best of Indian as well as international brands. The inside story got its first stylish boost when Associated Apparels Pvt. Ltd. akers of Liberty shirts, launched the world famous Maiden Form bras, Jockey men’s underwear and swimwear in 1962 in India. The brands were an instant success with their style and quality. Because of the change in government policies the company gave the overseas tie-up and changed the names to Libertina for lingerie and Liberty for men’s underwear in the late 70s. With the s uccess of Libertina and Liberty other Indian companies moved into lingerie bandwagon. Peter Pan from Dawn Mills in the 70s entered the market. The brand was one of the favorites with the Indian women, but two decades later it vanished from the market. VIP a major player in men’s segment launched Petals, a lycra moulded cup bra with motifs, which was considered ahead of its time and was discontinued. But its Lovable launch in 1996 proved a success when they brought in a foreign brand but made in India. Lovable was followed by Feelings, a domestic offering of VIP along with Daisy Dee. Vanity Fair was launched in 2004 and finally a Korean brand Try for men and women in 2004. Another big brand in the lingerie market is Rupa Co. started in 1985. Its range of men’s, women’s and children’s underwear makes it India’s largest manufacturer and seller of innerwear. Other brands that are making their presence felt in the Indian innerwear market are Amul, Lux Cozi and Dollar catering to a particular segment of men’s innerwear market while the lingerie segment has its own local brands like Neva, Bodycare, Softy, Lady Care, Little Lacy, Red Rose, Sonari and many more. Trickle of foreign brands started in 90s with the advent of Jockey re-entering the Indian market followed by Calida and liberty Blu. Then the very high fashion Gossard came for a limited period. The entry of the Marks and Spencer chain stores created a stir. Another big entry was Triumph. Enamor, another foreign brand entered through Gokaldas Exports and very chic French brand Aubade opened its only outlet in Mumbai. LaSenza and Hanes are other brand in the scene. Though innerwear includes garments for men, women and kids , it’s the women segment called lingerie, that draws the maximum attention. Lingerie is considered an important value added segment. The range of items available as innerwear is enormous. But for an average Indian woman innerwear is limited to just a couple of items, mainly bras and panties. Out of these two, also brassiere is more complex an item to ensure the comfort and fit. A number of styles are available in this basic garment like full cup, push up, sports, strapless and under wired bras. In India, brassieres are constructed using 100 percent cotton fabrics, either knitted or woven. Sometimes, 3-10 percent Lycra is also added to get stretch effect and to provide a better fit. Panties are generally made of 100% cotton sinkers, ribs and interlock fabrics. Polyester cotton jacquard knits are mainly used for achieving comfort and aesthetics. Other components include range of elastics for different areas of the garment, underwires for support, eye hooks and ring fastners. Laces are also used extensively, with both knit and woven fabrics. Linings are used in the cup area for support and strength, while pipings are used at the cup and side seems to give fullness and strength. As inner wear comes in direct contact with the skin, primary requirement for users is comfort, followed by elegance. There is a need for a good combination of technology and quality components as raw materials, to succeed in producing a standard product. Export Scenario Despite the domestic growth, the roughly $ 400-million Indian industry contributes a small percentage to the global lingerie, hosiery and innerwear market. India gets only a small share of the export manufacturing pie. However the situation has improved in the last decade. Leading buyers are planning to start sourcing from India in the near future. The Bagalore based Gokaldas Images is one of the oldest manufacturer that has tied up with Sara Lee Courtaulds for manufacturing foundation garments. MAS Holdings Sri Lanka has set up a 50:50 joint venture arrangement called Intimate Clothing Private Ltd. n Bagalore to produce Lingerie. The unit is a 100% export oriented unit. Leading international buyers like V F Corporation, selling under the brand name Vanity Fair also plans to start sourcing from India in coming times. Triumph International, the German company selling foundation wear in India plans to set up its own manufacturing unit in Chennai within a year for both export to Europe and selling in the Indian market. At present Triumph is a one third partner in Intimate Fashion India Private Ltd. , Chennai, a manufacturing unit also supplying to Victoria’s Secret, U. S. Primero Intimates, a newly launched venture of premier Group in Coimbatore is supplying fashion lingerie to high-end brands in Europe. Other leading buyers are Jockey International, Warnaco, Eveden, Shirley of Hollywood, Victoria’s Secret, Etam Way, La Serza, Harrogate Lingerie and swimwear, La Perla with ‘Black Label’ brand, Wacoal, Palmers and Panache lingerie to name a few. Celebrity brands like Jennifer Lopez and Pamela Anderson are also sourcing from India. RATIONALE OF THE STUDY This work has been undertaken to study the innerwear market in India. An in-depth information has been gathered regarding its size, current scenario, prevalent practices and potential with special reference to lingerie segment. Efforts have also been made to collect first hand data from the leading innerwear manufacturers to study their product offerings. Indian consumers have also been studied to gather information about their preferences. METHODOLOGY Secondary data regarding the structure of Indian lingerie industry has been collected from various magazines, journals, Newspaper articles, Internet sites etc. Primary data has been obtained from manufacturers and consumers of lingerie in India. Sample Selection: leading manufacturers of innerwear had been contacted to gather information about the product line offered by them in terms of style, designs, fit, colours, etc. Out of the total of twenty manufacturers surveyed, six manufacturers based at Delhi were contacted at their offices. Manufacturers having their units outside Delhi, mainly in Mumbai, Tirupur and Bangalore were contacted at annual lingerie fair, â€Å"Bodywear†. The sample of consumers comprises women from high or upper middle class socio-economic strata, as the group is better informed. 200 consumers were surveyed to gather information regarding their preferences for lingerie. Consumers were contacted mainly at lingerie outlets to study their complete buying process. Leading lingerie stores of Delhi were selected for this purpose. Composite manufacturing units situated in and around Delhi have also been surveyed to study the raw materials used, manufacturing procedures, assembly line operations and the quality control systems followed. Tools for Data Collection: Data has been collected through questionnaire and observation techniques. Separate questionnaires have been formulated for manufacturers and consumers. The questionnaires have been personally administered to the respondents in order to clarify doubts if any. Observations have been made simultaneously to collect intricate details. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Innerwear today has achieved new dimensions. An unending list of brands present in the Indian lingerie market is the proof of the great potential of the market in India. The strong Indian middle class is still growing and attracts even the foreign lingerie manufacturers to latch on the Indian bandwagon. Women in developed nations have less and less time to shop, so the industry is spending more time looking for new markets such as China and India. Where women have more time on their hands as well as growing disposable income. In the present scenario it is important to analyse the innerwear market in India. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths †¢A market with large hidden strength. †¢Current growth rate of 14%. †¢Industry with never declining demand. Also the class of its consumers will always grow with the growing population and specific consumer preferences and awareness. †¢Product has unsubstitutable demand. Weaknesses †¢A large segment of the market is in the unorganized sector. †¢Lack of awareness in society. †¢Low degree of brand loyalty. †¢High degree of price-sensitiveness. †¢Poor perception of quality of Indian lingerie. Opportunities †¢Changing perceptions about the product from a marginal item of clothing it is now slowly being perceived as a part of one’s wardrobe. †¢Projected future growth rate of about 15% for the Rs. ,500 crore industry. †¢Explosion potential for the unorganiz sector to grow by making inroads into the share of the unorganized sector. †¢The impact of better educating advertisements are making the consumers, look at factors like comfort, quality and brand name and not only price. Threats More and more players entering the market competing sever ely with each other but sharing the same small pie instead of battling against the unorgainsed sector. The future of the Indian lingerie industry is not very grim. The Indian consumer is gradually opening up. Factors like quality of the material, durability are also given due importance now a days by the customers. The customers are becoming more and more selective and specific about their requirements. A certain amount of openness has been exhibited by the customers. As the consumer awareness is increasing, buying practices are changing dramatically forcing the manufactures to gear up and improve their product to compete in the Indian innerwear market. Survey done for innerwear manufactures and consumers has highlighted some very interesting points, summarized here. Survey of Innerwear Manufacturers Twenty lingerie manufacturers based in various parts of India were contacted to collect information regarding the products offered by them. Information regarding lingerie was collected in detail and following results were obtained: Price Range:- Price range of the products offered by various manufacturers varies from Rs. 50- Rs. 1000 depending on the fabric used, style and also brand equity. Basic styles are sold at a lower price as compared to the fancy styles. Development of Styles:- For development of new styles of bras generally latest fabric and lace designs are used as inspiration. The designers develop designs in accordance of latest fabrics. Many a times owners of the firm themselves act as designers and develop new design from their experience. A team of experts scrutinizes various designs thus made. Samples of selected designs are developed thereafter. The samples are evaluated by trials on dummies and very rarely on human models. After the trials required changes are made in the original designs and finally the product is produced on mass scale. Final designs are generally 10% of the original line in number. Product Categorization: It was noted that none of the manufacturers is offering special product line for different age groups. Generally fancy and low cut designs are constructed in smaller sizes, meant for teenagers. Designs with fuller cups are constructed in bigger sizes meant for older women. Very few manufacturers offer fancy and comfortable styles for women with bigger sizes. No specific product is offered even for varying seasons. Value Addition: No special finishing is given to the fabric used or the final product before marketing. Finishes meant for innerwear like antibacterial and perfume finish etc. are also not used on an average as it increases the cost and also lack demand. Very few brands use these special finishes for premium range. Research and Development: It was found during the course of study that there is no direct system of consumer feedback followed by manufacturers to improve upon their product. 90% of manufacturers depend upon the comments of retailers to work upon their future product range (Fig. :3). Figure: 3 Styles Of Brassieres: Full cup bra is the most popular style offered by most of the manufacturers. Strapless and Padded bras are second in popularity offered by 80% of manufacturers each. Only 50% of manufacturers are making under wired bras while sports bra (vest, not technically a sports bra) used by beginners or at the time of exercising are offered by 55% of manufacturers (Fig. : 4). Sizes offered: Brassieres are available in the sizes ranging from 28-46 inches. But majority of products are offered in the size range of 30-38 inches. Very few sizes are offered in extreme sizes. It also emerged out of the survey that only 30% of the manufacturers are offering their products in various cup sizes i. . A, B, C, D. Majority of them i. e. 70% are offering their products only in one cup size, generally B. For the product to fit well on the body it is very important to make various cup sizes available. Figure: 4 Colour Range Offered: White colour is found to be an important part of the product basket of manufacturers, offered by all the respondents. 90% of manufacturers offer Black b ras while Beige colour in bras is offered by 75% of manufacturers. Lingerie manufacturers offering more of bra-panty sets use colours like Plum, Pink, Peach, Grey, etc (Fig. : 5). Figure: 5 Raw Materials Used Fabric: Pure cotton is used by 90% of manufacturers to construct bras. The cotton fabric used is mainly knitted fabric. Woven cotton fabrics generally used are voile and terycot. Poplin and cambric is used to line the main fabric. After pure cotton, cotton lycra is most sought after fabric used by 80% of manufacturers. Lace lycra used by 65% of manufacturers finds its use in fancy designs (Fig. : 6). Figure: 6 Trims and Accessories: When enquired about various accessories used for construction of bras it was found that all the manufacturers are offering their products with narrow elastic bands as shoulder straps. 0% manufacturers offer string straps and only 25% of them are offering transparent straps for support at shoulder (Fig. : 7). For back strap elastic band with double hook is used most widely as offered by all the manufacturers, while narrow elastic band with single hook is offered by only half of them. Front opening is generally provided in lactation bras and very rarely o therwise. Edges of the bras are finished with ordinary cotton bindings and elastic is used to provide a snug fit. Only one or two manufacturers are using latest technology mobilon tapes to finish edges and provide good fit at the same time. Plastic, as well as metallic ring adjusters and sliders are used in the industry (Fig. : 8). Thus it has been seen that lot of work needs to be done in the direction of improving product quality so that consumers can get value for the money paid. Efforts should also be made to tap the different segments of market with product differentiation. But at the same time it is also very important to educate the consumer so that she can specify her requirements and demand a quality product that is worth its price. Survey done on consumers has helped to understand the consumer psyche and her awareness level. Figure: 7 Figure: 8

5 Halloween Party Ideas for Students - EssaySupply.com

5 Halloween Party Ideas for Students 5 Halloween Party Ideas for Students Halloween is the best time of year! Wouldn't it be great if we could turn Thanksgiving into Halloween 2.0? What better idea is there than to throw a great Halloween party for your friends. That's right! We aren't just here to help students who ask 'help me write my paper'. We're also here to help students have as much fun as possible. Check out these great Halloween Party Ideas for students! 1. Throw a Geeky Theme Party Are you and your friends part of any fun yet geeky fandoms? Embrace your inner nerd and throw a themed Halloween party. All you have to do is pick something you love and build a party around it. Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Minions, My Little Pony, Steven Universe, Orange is the New Black, The Walking Dead, and Supernatural are all sure to be popular themes this year. 2. Send Your Friends Out on a Halloween Scavenger Hunt Have fun creating a list of Halloween themed items for your friends to find and spooky tasks for them to complete. Just be sure to keep things on the right side of the law. If you aren't sure about what to add to your list, here are few suggestions: Take a selfie in a grave yard Buy a can of pumpkin flavored beer Call a local radio station and get them to play a fun Halloween song Find the most elaborately decorated yard in town Get your picture taken with somebody in a costume Another option is to turn your scavenger hunt into a treasure hunt. In this version, you give party goers a list of clues and puzzles. As they solve each one, it gets them closer and closer to the grand prize. 3. Murder Mystery Dinner You'll need a few friends to serve as actors in order to pull this off, but if you plan things right, your guests will never forget the great party that you threw. You'll need to think of   a crime, and assign roles to victims, perpetrators, and witnesses. Throw together a great meal, and then see which of your friends is the best detective. 4. Movie Marathon The beauty of this party idea is that it is so versatile. If you are looking for a last minute Haloween party idea, this is perfect. All you need is a decent TV set, some DVDs, and a few snacks. You can get your party going in just a couple of hours. If you want to put together something a bit more elaborate, you can fix some Haloween themed snacks, decorate your place, and carefully select movies based on a theme. Maybe a marathon of zombie movies, some foreign horror films, or some campy monster movies from the 1950s? 5. Have a Costume Contest Have a costume contest, but don't make it too easy for your guests. After all, anybody can buy a great costume. Consider instituting a rule that all costumes must be homemade. If you want to make sure that everybody is a winner, why not create a few categories... Strangest Costume Best Costume Based on an Internet Meme Best Literary Character Geekiest Costume Sexiest Costume Spookiest Costume Costume that was   Most Likely Designed by an Engineering Student The Clearly Last Minute Costume Award

4 mistakes bosses make when hiring new employees

4 mistakes bosses make when hiring new employees By the time you’re ready to hire a new employee, it can feel like the end of a long and exhausting process. You’ve talked to lots of people, you’ve read countless resumes, and you could be under a time crunch just to get someone in and working. There’s probably pressure to wrap things up. Even so, as you get ready to hire and onboard new employees, it’s important to make sure you’re avoiding some of the oh-so-common mistakes.Mistake: Over-reliance on first impressionsWhen hiring, many people like to go with gut instinct when they meet a candidate. But are you hiring this person because you like them, or because they’re truly the best person for the job? Before making an offer, do a careful review of how the person meets your needs for the job. If they fall short in some areas (but your instinct is that they can learn or grow to adapt), make sure that potential is grounded in reality- not just wishful thinking. So don’t discount your first impression completely, but do several gut checks along the way to make sure you really believe they’re the right person for the role.Mistake: Not preparing everyone for the new arrivalIt’s not quite the same as sitting a kid down and explaining that he’s going to have a new brother or sister, but the dynamics don’t necessarily change all that much from childhood to adulthood. Your team probably knows you’ve been looking to hire a new person, but the â€Å"okay, it’s done, here’s your new coworker† approach can feel jarring.If you can, involve team members in the hiring process, even if they don’t have any final say in the decision. You can still have them meet with the candidate during the interview process and ask for feedback. Before the new person starts, make sure everyone’s got a basic idea of who the new team member is. A â€Å"get ready to welcome X! He will be working on these projects, and I h ear he plays a mean cello† email can help break the ice and prepare people for their new colleague.This goes for the new person as well- he or she should get a brief overview of the team, who does what, and what the group expectations are. Starting in a new job can feel overwhelming enough, but knowing a bit about what the person is walking into can help ease the transition.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});Mistake: Not defining expectations for the job and boss-employee relationshipJob interviews can be so focused on the on-paper requirements for the job that some of the interpersonal parts can get lost. When you’re interviewing someone and it’s likely to progress to a job offer, make sure they understand what your role as the boss is, as well as your priorities and expectations for the job. Again, the more you can let them know up front, the easier it will be to transition the right person into the role. Or at least identify po tential red flags or conflicts before it’s too late.Mistake: Expecting perfection from Day OneYou’re hiring someone qualified for the job, as determined from the thorough vetting of the hiring process. So this person should be ready to rock it on day one, right? Yes†¦ and no. While you shouldn’t lower expectations for the person in the role, it’s important to remember that there’s a learning curve in any new position. Even if the person held a very similar job at a different company, there’s still the potential roadblock of new systems, new workplace dynamics and politics, and different priorities.Having a new employee onboarding plan can help this. By anticipating the things that the new person will need to learn and master over a certain amount of time (like processes, systems, software, etc.), you can help manage expectations- your own and theirs.Putting a little extra thought and planning into your new hire now will help you avoid s ome headaches and misunderstandings down the line. And look at it this way: the better this transition goes, the more likely it is that you’ll have thriving, satisfied employees, and less likely that you’ll be going through the same process again sooner than you’d hope.

Non-Malignanat Palliative Care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Non-Malignanat Palliative Care - Assignment Example Introduction Certain incurable conditions like advanced malignancy and end-stage organ diseases are a challenge to health professionals like nurses for several reasons. Besides instituting treatments to manage their symptoms like pain, the nurses also need to take care of other aspects like emotional support, spiritual care and psychosocial interventions (Arolker and Johson, 2007). Patients who are in terminal stages of life need to be managed in a holistic manner keeping in mind the emotional distress they are going through. Such a care is known as palliative care. Extension of palliative care services to all patients, including those suffering from non-malignant conditions is a much discussed topic in many countries all over the world. Infact, there is a lot of pressure among health service circles for the provision of palliative care to patients based on their need rather than diagnosis. However, at the same time, there is paucity of practical skills and information as to how supp ort must be provided to patients with non-malignant diseases (Cochrane et al, 2008). In this essay, a critical analysis of provision of palliative care services by those specialists providing palliative care for cancer patients will be done. 2. Overview of the needs of people with non-malignant conditions for palliative care According to the World Health Organization (2009), palliative care is â€Å"an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual." Historically, palliative care services by specialists were provided to only cancer patients (Addington-Hall et al, 1998). But, actually, even non-malignant patients in terminally ill stages require palliative care services and pressure to service these patients is mou nting enormously (Cochrane et al, 2008). According to Addington-Hall (1995), palliative care must be provided to patients based on the need rather than on the diagnosis. This means that even non-malignant patients who quantify for palliative services will need palliative care services. Palliative services for those with non-malignant conditions are sparse when compared with those with malignant conditions (Cochrane et al, 2008). Several needs assessments have proven that those with certain non-malignant conditions in the the long term develop some physical symptoms which burden the patients and their family members along with certain psychosocial needs that are unmet. Some such conditions include certain chronic neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis, end-stage renal disease, chronic respiratory problems like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart problems like dilated cardiomyopathy (Cochrane et al, 2008). The end-stage of life, when the patient and his/he r family members know about the proximity to death, evokes certain feelings and emotions like rage, denial, bargaining, envy, depression and acceptance (Aranda, 2008). According to DOH (2008), "the challenge for the NHS and social care services now, is to extend this quality of care from the minority of patients (mainly those with cancer) who currently come into contact with hospices and specialist palliative care s

E-service Web Portal Accounting Software Assignment

E-service Web Portal Accounting Software - Assignment Example The objective of the participants such as the Lockheed Martin is to solve similar problems. In this case, the market is usually competitive, however within a defined market niche. For the case of Lockheed Martin Company, which contracts with various governments across the world, the accounting package should have distinctive features such as the foreign currency translation due to the issue of diverse currencies in each country. Moreover, features such as an integrated CRM, and bulky marketing abilities are fundamental considerations when selecting an accounting package for a government contracting company. This follows that this investigation focuses on the eService Web Portal accounting package and its integration within the Lockheed Martin system to ensure smooth contracting processes (findaccountingsoftware.com). This refers to web-based portal software that offers and performs enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM). It helps in strengthening associations with larger customers who include national and international contractors. For our case, the system is critical in making its contract correspondence with governments. The eService system is an online system that performs automated work orders, subcontractors, invoice services and approvals among others. This software has an ability to translate multiple currencies. The following are the services that this accounting package software offers to the clients, subcontractors and contracting company (findaccountingsoftware.com). The most fundamental aspect of eService is the ability for customization. The eService can be customized to include both the company and clients’ logos. In addition, the eService offers an extension of creating an interface that indicates the brand of the company.  Other applications that can be integrated with the eService Web Portal include Accounts payable and receivables, Inventory and equipment Job costing, Payroll, Mobile Field Service which are essential in carrying out operations that pertains a government contracting company (findaccountingsoftware.com).     

Self Charging Cellphones Using Piezoelectric Zno Nanowires Engineering Essay

Self Charging Cellphones Using Piezoelectric Zno Nanowires Engineering Essay This paper aims at the transformation of mechanical energy, sound energy and various kinds of disturbances to electrical energy using piezoelectric materials. Using piezoelectric materials it is easily possible to convert any kind of mechanical stress to electrical energy and vice versa .Thus the sound produced during the usage of devices like cellphones can be converted to electrical energy and thus can be utilized for recharging the device. This paper presents a model of piezoelectric ZnO nanowire transducer for a gadget like mobile phone prototype of the power scavenging circuit, and the overall circuit for charging the mobile battery using the generated energy. INDEX TERMS : Charge generation, Diaphragm type , PVDF copolymer ,piezoelectric polymer , zinc oxide nanoparticle , Key depressions, Piezoelectric effect. INTRODUCTION A mobile phone (also known as a cellular phone, cell phone and a hand phone) is a device that can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link while moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile phone operator, allowing access to the public telephone network.A mobile phone uses a battery which serves as a power source for phone functions. The battery basically has one of the most important considerations when choosing a mobile phone.The basic cellphone batteries used are Lithium ion batteries which are of pouch format .These batteries are basically soft type with flat body.The talk-time battery time for a basic cellphone is considered to be six hours. Thus this short lifetime causes problem in case of battery rundown when there is no charging point available or during an important phone call. This problem of battery life in a mobile phone can be solved by using the unused power existing in form of sound ,vibration ,human activities, structures and environmental sources. Among these, one of the promising sources of recovering energy is from the vibrations generated by the key depressions of any keypad integrated device such as a mobile phone. Primarily, the selection of energy harvester as compared to other alternatives such as battery depends on two main factors, cost effectiveness and reliability. Conversion of mechanical low frequency stress into electrical energy is obtained through the direct piezoelectric effect, using a rectifier and DC-DC converter circuit to store the generated electrical energy. There are three primary steps in power generation: (a) trapping mechanical AC stress from available source. (b) Converting the mechanical energy to electrical energy using piezoelectric transducer. (c) Processing and storing the generated electrical energy. The mechanical output can be in the form of burst or continuous signal depending on the cyclic mechanical amplifier assembly. Depending on the frequency and amplitude of mechanical stress, one can design the required transducer, its dimensions, vibration mode and desired piezoelectric material. The energy generated is proportional to frequency and strain and higher energy can be obtained by operating at the resonance of the system. PIEZOELECTRIC EFFECT The idea of this paper is to trap the vibrations of sound and other mechanical vibrations in a cellphone and use it to recharge the cellphone. Thus this creates a easier energy harvesting method. A conventional piezoelectric ceramic that is composed of a perovskite ceramic crystals, which consist of a small, tetravalent metal ion, usually of titanium or zirconium mineral, in an arrangement of lattice of larger, divalent lead or barium metal ions, and O2- ions (Figure 1). Under such arrangements they attain tetragonal or rhombohedral symmetry on the crystals. Individual crystal has a dipole moment. Refer Figure 1 b. Preparation of piezoelectric ceramicinvolves the following steps. The required proportions of Fine PZT powders of the component metal oxides are mixed. Then, it is heated to form a uniform powder. Now the piezo powder is mixed with an organic binder to get structural elements of desired shape (discs, rods, plates, etc.). The mixture is exposed to fire for a specific time and temperature program. It shapes the piezo powder particles and attains a dense crystalline structure. Finally the elements are cooled, then shaped or trimmed to various specifications, and electrodes are applied to the appropriate surfaces. Fig (1a) NOTE: Above the Curie point which is the critical temperature, the perovskite crystal in the fired ceramic element acquires a simple cubic symmetry with no dipole moment (Figure 1a).Below the Curie point, each crystal exihibits tetragonal or rhombohedral symmetry with a dipole moment (Figure 1b). Adjacent dipoles that are connected form regions of local alignment are called domains. This gives a net dipole moment to the domain, and thus a net polarization. The direction of polarization among all the adjacent domains is random, so the ceramic element has zero overall polarization (Figure 1a). Figure(1.b) CRYSTAL STRUCRURE PIEZOELECTRIC CERAMIC The alignment of the domains is done by exposing them to a stronger and direct current electric field,at a temperature slightly below the Curie point (Figure:2b). Through this special polarizing treatment, domains that are aligned closer with the electric field expand at the expense of unaligned domains, and the element lengthens in the direction of the field. When the electric field is withdrawn, nearly all the dipoles are locked into a configuration of closer alignment (Figure:2c). The element now is said to have permanent polarization, the permanent polarization, and is permanently elongated. Fig(2) POLARIZING OR POLLING A PIEZO CRYSTAL The tension produced by the mechanical compression on a poled piezoelectric ceramic element alters the dipole moment due to which a voltage is created. voltage of the same polarity as that of the poling voltageis generated by the compression produced along the direction of polarization, or tension perpendicular to the direction of polarization. Tension opposite to the direction of polarization, or compression parallel to the direction of polarization, generates a voltage with polarity opposite that of the poling voltage i.e., Disk is stretched. These actions are called generator actions .The ceramic element converts the mechanical energy (due to compression / tension) into electrical energy. This action is used in fuel-igniting devices, solid state batteries, force-sensing devices, and many other products. Values for compressive stress and the voltage (or field strength) generated by applying stress to a piezoelectric ceramic element are linearly proportional up to a material-specifi c stress. And also true for applied voltage and generated strain. fig (3): The piezoelectric materials are advantageous in that they do not rely on external power sources (e.g., batteries or alternating current (AC) power) for continued operations, unlike strain gages  ¬Ã‚ ber optics , wireless sensor nodes, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) devices , and other types of sensing systems. Unfortunately, PZT and PVDF suffer from fundamental limitations intrinsic to their material. Although piezo-ceramic PZT transducers possess high piezoelectricity and d33 piezoelectric constants approximately 200-400 pC N-1 , they are extremely brittle, have high loss factors, and are characterized by highly hysteretic behavior . On the other hand, piezoelectric polymers such as PVDF and PVDF-copolymers are  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡exible, conformable, and can be fabricated to different sizes and thicknesses . However, they possess considerably lower piezoelectric constants are compared to PZTs (10 pC N-1) and require intricate mechanical stretching to enhance their bulk  ¬Ã‚ lm piezo-electricity. Furthermore, both PVDF  ¬Ã‚ lms and PZTs require high-voltage poling so as to enhance their piezo-electricity. Thus, in order to use piezoelectric transducers for sensing applications in complex laboratory and  ¬Ã‚ eld environments, it is desirable for them to simultaneously possess high piezoelectricity and excellent mechanical properties. On the other hand, the nanotechnology domain offers a diverse suite of new materials and composite fabrication methodologies for high-performance piezoelectrics . Among the plethora of nanomaterials, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures (e.g., nanowires, nanosprings, and nanoparticles, among others) can be readily synthesized and exhibit inherent piezoelectricity . BLOCK DIAGRAM The basic block diagram of the proposed model is shown in Fig. below. It consists of 3 main blocks, (a) piezoelectric power generation (b) rectification (c) storage of DC voltage. AC voltage is generated from the piezoelectric material which is rectified by the rectification block and then it is stored in a storage device such as a battery. Fig (4):BLOCK DIAGRAM DESCRIPTION (PROTOTYPE MODEL OF PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIAL FOR MOBILE PHONES ) A diaphragm assembly comprises at least two piezoelectric diaphragm members arranged in a stacking direction. An interface layer is situated between adjacent piezoelectric diaphragm members. The interface layer in the stacking direction is displaceable and incompressible or resilient. The interface layer permits lateral movement of the adjacent piezoelectric diaphragm members relative to the interface layer in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. The interface layer can comprise, for example, an incompressible liquid or a semi fluid or a compressible gas. A gasket can be used to seal the substance in the interface layer if necessary. Fig. 5. Basic model of diaphragm type piezoelectricity generation. 1. Electrodes 2. Piezoelectric material (PVDF) 3. SiO2 4. n-Si 5. Hole for the central part of film to deform itself CIRCUITRY The figure illustrates the overall circuit diagram of the entire process. The rectifier shown in the Fig maybe either a full wave rectification circuit or a half wave rectification circuit based on the combination of diodes or a voltage double rectifier. Since a diode is being used in the rectifier, a p-n junction diode or a Schottky diode can be used. The Schottky diode has a threshold voltage which is lesser than that of a p-n junction diode. For example, if the diode is formed on a silicon substrate, a p-n diode may have a threshold voltage of approximately 0.065 volts while the threshold voltage of a Schottky diode is approximately 0.30 volts. Accordingly, the uses of Schottky diode instead of p-n diode will reduce the power consumption required for rectification and will effectively increase the electrical charge available for accumulation by the capacitor. When the electromotive force in the piezoelectricity generation section is small, a Schottky diode having a low rising volt age is more preferable. The bridge rectifier section provides rectification of the AC voltage generated by the piezoelectric section. By arranging the rectification section on a monolithic n-Si substrate, it is possible to form a very compact rectification section. A typical diode can rectify an alternating current-that is, it is able to block part of the current so that it will pass through the diode in only one direction. However, in blocking part of the current, the diode reduces the amount of electric power the current can provide. A full-wave rectifier is able to rectify an alternating current without blocking any part of it. The voltage between two points in an AC circuit regularly changes from positive to negative and back again. In the full-wave rectifier shown in Fig the positive and negative halves of the current are handled by different pairs of diodes. The output signal produced by the full-wave rectifier is a DC voltage, but it pulsates. To be useful, this signal must be smoothed out to produce a constant voltage at the output. A simple circuit for filtering the signal is one in which a capacitor is in parallel with the output. With this arrangement, the capacitor becomes charged as the voltage of the signal produced by the rectifier increases. As soon as the voltage begins to drop, the capacitor begins to discharge, maintaining the current in the output. This discharge continues until the increasing voltage of the next pulse again equals the voltage across the capacitor. The rectified voltage is stored into a storage capacitor as shown in Fig., which gets charged upto a pre-decided value, at which the switch closes and the capacitor discharges through the storage device or the battery. In this way the energy can be stored in the capacitor, and can be discharged when required . Fig 6:Circuit diagram of the whole process. RESULTS The material used for the current application is a PZT with 1.5 Mpa lateral stress operating at 15Hz. The output power produced is 1.2W. The energy/power density is 6mW/cm3.The output voltage is 9V [8]. The volume of the material used is 0.2cm3. This voltage can be used to produce the required amount of charge after being processed. CONCLUSION The design of the proposed energy conservation system for mobile phones and has been presented in this paper. The design helps to provide easy energy harvesting technique for mobile phones.The design presented here will be quite effective in providing an alternate means of power supply for the mentioned devices during emergency.The design is improved by implementing nanowires .The implementation of nanowires reduces the size of the system and also improves the efficiency on the other hand increases the cost of the system.Thus this design converts the vibrartion due to sound and key depression into electrical energy to recharge the mobile phones.

Feminism of Poverty Essay

The feminism of poverty can be described as a movement in political, economic and social equality for women, and is closely related to Liberalism. Feminism sees discrimination as a distinction of unequal treatment from all social, political and economic access for women. Feminism of poverty reaches all women, Black, White, Asian or English. It has been around since the beginning of time. Women have taken the role of mother, maid, cook and lover. They did not have the right to vote, own property nor work. It was not until 1848, when women demanded the enfranchisement for the ballot (vote), became vociferous. In 1869 2when Black men were given the vote in the 15th Amendment, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton refused to endorse the amendment, because it did not give women the vote and to become equal to their counter parts. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/suffrage/history.htm Even back then women were reduced to mere servants and those that did not have a family or husband lived in poverty both black and white. Women suffrage and poverty did not only exist here in the United States, these social political and economic inequalities were felt around the world; Such as in Great Britain, Europe, Finland and Africa, other third world countries also had social issues pertaining to poverty. Those most likely to live in poverty in the U.S. are women and children. This is referred to as the feminization of poverty; increasingly the poor included unwed mothers, separated and divorced mothers, serving as the head of households (Basirico, et al, 2010). It is Known that women are much more likely to be poor than men, and that the impact of fiscal policy on the distribution of income is the main reason that women in the U.S. are more likely to be poor than women in other countries www.questia.com/search/feminization-poverty In the United States, in many communities there are individuals who live in poverty and cannot take care of themselves and their children especially women. So they become homeless living in shelters, cars, cardboard boxes, live on the streets, sleep on park benches, doorways or in major cities they may sleep in subways, because they have no income to support themselves. For example women have become prostitutes and shoplifters in order to feed themselves and their family/families. Of the adult poor who do not, about forty percent work at jobs that pay so little that they fall below the poverty line and one-third of their children are poor also. Because they do not have viable jobs they cannot support their children or themselves, so they are still under the umbrella of the feminism of poverty. From 1951-2008 of the women who worked in the U.S. their pay gap was 64-71 cents for every dollar earned by men http://www.infoplease.com Women have fought for equal pay & rights since 1848, and as of 2009, 30 percent of women who are heads of families with no husband present have income below the poverty line. Demographics have shown that these individuals are the most likely group to be chronically poor. The U.S. Census, Labor and the Economics Statistics of the Department of commerce shows in a study that the trends and conditions of women( two to three tim es)are still lower than men and the feminism of poverty is still a growing concern today as of March 2011 (Basirico, et al, 2010). With these continued disparities we will continue to be faced with the Feminism of poverty, because society has turned a deaf ear on the issues of women and children, they look the other way when it comes to providing for those within their own country, but they are quick to jump on the band wagon in the plight for other countries. We as a society have our priorities mixed up; if we are rich the attitude is according to Newt Gingrich â€Å"I don’t care about the poor†. If we are middle class we have the mentality that I’m just surviving myself. And if we are already poor we have the tendency to share. The same can be said about the church every Sunday we go to church and take up a benevolence offering to help the poor and when they need help in most cases they are turned away. The church is supposed to help those in need through the giving of food, shelter, clothes and money. But we have become so modernized and have forgotten to obey God’s laws that we ha ve lost sight of the word give. From the many issues that involve the feminism of poverty the best theory that applies to this particular issue is the conflict theory a social theory that views conflict as inevitable and natural and as a significant cause of social change (Basirico, et al, 2012). The feminism of poverty relates to the two classes that Marx saw those who own the means of product (rich) and those who provide the labor (poor), in an economic system that supports inequality, the exploited eventually revolt. Women were submissive for so long that they began to demand equal rights just as their counter part and black’s had. They had a need to become their own person, but throughout history even though they made progress they still were under played, poor and were listed as most likely to remain that way as they are today. In the scope of feminism of poverty it can be said that society is ion a state of constant change. Male against female and workers against employer, those that have power, wealth and prestige will always be in conflict with others (poor) that do not. Because there are limited commodities and demand exceeds the supply, those that are in control of those desirable goods, services and resources will defend and protect their interest. Those who are poor and living in poverty especially (women & children) are a threat to the rich and middle class. So they are suppressed through the lack of jobs, education, money, welfare and healthcare. Women social status of wages disparities, ownership (men) and motherhood result from degradation and exploitation by men and eventually is/was a cause of the feminism of poverty. If our society (government) do not put in place laws that will protect, serve and help our women and children who live in poverty. Though more workforce programs, jobs, healthcare and education we will eventually become as other third world countries. If Canada can do this why can’t we the riches country in the world do so? Reference Basirico, L.A., Cashion, B.J. & Eshleman, J.R. (2012). Introduction to Sociology. (5th ed). Redding, CA http://www.infoplease.com/html http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/suffarge/history.htm www.questia.com/search/feminization-poverty