Usability Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Usability Study - Essay Example Despite the slimness, Ipad 2 has a wide screen that makes it possible to view large images. Interestingly, Ipad 2 has only four press buttons. The touch screen technology makes it possible for users to command the Ipad 2 by touching the screen. Additionally, the machine has an inbuilt accelerometer technology that allows images to be viewed in portrait or landscape view. This means that, when the Ipad is rotated in different orientations, images remain upright. Ipad 2 is one of the quickest and fastest mobile application machines. This is made possible by the dedicated dual-core A5 microchip. Ipad 2 is therefore, able to multitask, provide high performance graphics, surf, and perform other multiple functions with exemplary speeds. Notably, the Ipad has two miniature cameras, one at the front and the other at the back. Although they are small, they are very powerful. The camera at the front is used for face time video calling. This means that the Ipad can be used for real time video conferencing. The other camera is used for taking photos and videos. It is worth noting that the hundreds of applications that are supported by Ipad 2 are made possible by its operating system. Ipad 2 uses the most advanced mobile operating system called iOS. The iOS operating system supports various mobile technologies such as the accelerometer, touch screen technology, iCloud among others. One of the most interesting applications features in Ipad 2 is iCloud. The iCloud technology enables the users to move files and data from the Ipad to other electronic devices without having to use a connecting device. The iCloud is a communication platform in which different electronic devices can communicate wirelessly with the Ipad. The Ipad 2 comes with a Wi-Fi and 3G connection technology, which can support UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA internet connections. This means that the device can connect to high-speed internet connection ports fast and seamlessly.

Internal Curing Concrete Essay Example for Free

Internal Curing Concrete Essay Early-age cracking, autogenous shrinkage and self-desiccation are almost inevitable problems for concrete, especially for mass high performance concrete, for the permeability of which is too low for external curing water to get in and fully hydrate the cement paste inside. The better hydration of the cement paste, the less and smaller cracks the concrete have, and the better durability and reliability the concrete structures do. In order to solve this problem, scientists have consider an unconventional methods to cure the concrete from the inside out so a better hydration can be achieved. As early as 1957, Paul Klieger[1] have mentioned how helpful the saturated lightweight aggregates would be to supply internal curing water and improve the long-term strength in his report. Nowadays, this method as internal curing has been fully developed and widely used to get low-cracking high-performance concrete with better hydration by replacing part of natural fine aggregates with saturated lightweight aggregates. The goal is clear and simple, but the ways to achieve the same purpose is various and have different advantages and disadvantages. In this report, several techniques and materials with different properties that could be used in internal curing, such as expanded shale clay or slate(ESCS)[2] and Superabsorbent polymers(SAP)[3], would be introduced and comment. Internal curing has a good performance especially in fields like mass concrete, or high performance concrete with low permeability. The properties why internal curing is a practical consideration for these instance s would be discussed in this report. 1 Introduction 1.1 Background Concrete has many good properties as modern building material. It has high compression strength, fire proof, and cheap to produce. Since the using of concrete has a long history, the techniques of concrete structure construction may be fully developed. However, there still are some problems that almost inevitable for concrete, such as self-desiccation, autogenous shrinkage and chemical shrinkage. All of these issues may lead to cracking of concrete, and the chloride may penetrate through the cracks easily and cause corrosion of the reinforcement. As we all know, most of the failures of concrete structures are due to the corrosion of the reinforcement. Hence, concrete with less cracks or later to have cracks may contribute to a longer service life of a concrete structure. What’s more, most of these unwanted cracks develop at the early-age of concrete placing. That’s why proper curing, which limits the early shrinkage and lowers the chance of early-age cracking, is so important to ensure the concrete develop the required properties and durability to reach their designed service life. Conventional curing uses methods to provide additional water to keep high relative humidity on the concrete surface, such as ponding and misting, or uses curing compounds, plastic membrane and evaporation retarder to slow evaporation. No matter water adding or moisture loss avoiding work mostly on the upper part of concrete, since the permeability of concrete is limited, the deeper inside concrete, the harder for water to penetrate. On the other hand, self-desiccation (the reduction of the internal relative humidity in the concrete due to hydration reaction) will lead to autogenous shrinkage (concrete volume change occurring without moisture transfer to the environment) even without external moisture loss. Concrete shrinkage over time , will induce cracking that can reduce the service life expectation of concrete structure severely. In short, even proper conventional external concrete curing cannot provide perfect environment for concrete to develop its durability efficiently. Since 1980’s, the production of high-performance concrete(HPC) became more common, and to achieve their much higher strength and durability properties, lower water cement ratio and lower permeability is required. The self-desiccation and autogenous shrinkage problem became even more severe a situation for HPC than for normal portland cement, because external curing water would be more difficult to penetrate deeply into the low permeable concrete to supply the loss water due to hydration and evaporation. When shrinkage happens, cracking is almost inevitable. Concerning a long time situation, internal relative humidity has a strong relationship with free autogenous shrinkage. 1.2 Internal curing Is there any solution that can settle down this problem? Or is there a way that can cure concrete more efficiently so can limit the cracks? The answer is yes. Since curing concrete from outside in has its limit, deeper part inside the concrete cannot be cured properly, how about cure concrete from inside out? As early as 1957, Paul Klieger [1] have mentioned how helpful the saturated lightweight aggregates would be to supply internal curing water and improve the long-term strength in his report. In 1991, Philleo [2] suggested incorporating saturated lightweight fine aggregate into the concrete mixture to provide an internal source of water to replace that consumed by chemical shrinkage during hydration of the paste. Nowadays, this method that use water-containing materials , replacing with normal aggregates to cure concrete, has been well developed and been named as internal curing. Such water-containing material could be saturated lightweight fine aggregates, sup erabsorbent polymers, or saturated wood fibers. Internal curing has been defined by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) as â€Å"supplying water throughout a fleshly placed cementitious mixture using reservoirs, via pre-wetted lightweight aggregates, that readily release water as needed for hydration or to replace moisture lost through evaporation or self-desiccation† 2 Benefits of internal curing Internal curing distributes the extra curing water throughout the 3-D concrete microstructure so that it is more readily available to maintain saturation of the cement paste during hydration, avoiding self-desiccation in the paste and reducing autogenous shrinkage. Along with this process, the main benefits bring about by internal curing may be concluded as below: 2.1 Reducing cracks due to shrinkage Concrete is susceptible to plastic shrinkage cracking at early age, especially when the evaporation rate is high. Right after placing, the concrete paste is still in a fluid state. The aggregates and cement particles tend to settle down due to gravity, while internal water is likely to bleed out onto the surface. Such layer of water will keep the evaporation of the concrete surface in a relatively constant rate. But this situation won’t last for a long time after the cement particles contact each other and start to develop strength. The rate of settlement will highly reduce along with much less water bleeding. During this period, highly tensile stress occur inside the concrete due to surface tension of drying out internal water. Because at this time, concrete is under a plastic state but having develop enough strength to resist this tensile stress, cracks will occur. For internal curing concrete, the pre-wetted aggregates will provide water to replenish the evaporation from the surface of concrete. It makes the pores within the hydrating cement pastes fluid filled and thus helps to reduce the tensile stress. Shrinkage will be much less sever and cracks will less likely to happen. Besides limiting the happening of cracking, internal curing also contributes to delaying the age of cracking. As the volume of pre-wetted aggregates increases, the age of cracking is delayed, until an asymptote appears to be reached when sufficient pre-wetted aggregates has been added according to the research done by Schlitter et al (2010).[3] 2.2 Long-term strength gaining Cement particles inside concrete finish most of hydration in the first 28 days, but the cement particles have not been completely hydrated after 28 days. Some unhydrated cement remain in the concrete and takes time to continue hydration. That’s the reason why as time goes by, the strength of concrete will increase even after a long period of time. For lower water cement ratio concrete, the required time to be fully hydration is longer. As to very low water cement ratio concrete, it may even be impossible for it to be fully hydrated. The hydration will stop when there is no longer capillary water available. In conventional curing, the capillary water inside the concrete will soon run out after early hydration, and the external water is not easy to penetrate into the concrete to hydrate the unhydrated cement particles. By using internal curing method, after most of the capillary water been used, the internal relative humidity drops, and the pre-wet ted aggregates will provide water for cement to keep hydrating steadily for a longer time. As for the using of light-weight aggregates to provide internal curing, the reduction strength due to the light-weight aggregates can be compensate by this long-term strength gaining. 2.3 Reduction of permeability The principal contribution of internal curing results in the reduction of permeability due to a significant extension in the time of curing. It was shown that extending the time of curing increased the volume of cementitious products formed which caused the capillaries to become segmented and discontinuous.Reducing permeability leads to less penetration of aggressive agents that accelerate corrosion of embedded reinforcement. This decrease in permeability results from internal curing could obviously enhance the durability of concrete structures. 2.4 Working well with SCM Environment problem have been paid more and more attention by people today. In order to lower carbon footprint for using concrete, replacing cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs i.e., silica fume, fly ash, metokaolin, calcined shales, clays and slates) is suggested as a way to use substantially less clinker. SCMs (except for silica fume) take longer time to hydrate, therefore requiring water to be present for a longer time. While more than one research has shown both internal curing and SCMs improve long term durability performance. Luckily, recent work has shown that internal curing works particularly well with SCMs. Internal curing enables the SCMs in these mixtures to react for a longer time, since the higher water content needed to support the reaction of the SCMs can be maintained. 2.5 Improving behavior of the contact zone Contact Zone refers to two distinctly different phenomena: (1) the mechanical adhesion of the cementitious matrix to the surface of the aggregate; (2) the variation of physical and chemical characteristics of the transition layer of the cementitious matrix close to the aggregate particle (ASTM STP 169 D [2006] Chapter # 46 Holm Ries). In the contact zone, the C-S-H is not evenly distributed in the outer product, and porosity is greater at aggregate surface within 15-50 µm. What’s more, the obvious elastic difference between aggregate and the surrounding cementitious matrix make the transfer of stress from bulk cement paste to stiffer aggregate causes ‘softening’(microcracking) in interfacial transition zone. High incidence of interfacial cracking or aggregate debonding will have a serious effect on durability if these cracks fill with water and subsequently freeze. All of these factors make the contact zone a weaker location in the concrete. By using internal curing, more internal water can be provide around the aggregates and lead to a better hydration at the interfacial transition zone, which decrease the porosity and increase the strength. The lower permeability also contributes to the difficulty for the chloride to penetrate. What’s more, the lower modulus of the light weight aggregate and the improved transition zone around the light weight aggregate particles due to their generally vesicular surface, helped reduce stress concentrations between the paste and the aggregate and those reductions subsequently reduced the amount of early-age cracking in the concrete. 3 Material and methods for internal curing As long as the principle is the same, different ways can be applied to achieve internal curing. Besides of light weight aggregates, the properties of other techniques and materials will be presented in this chapter. And their advantages and disadvantages will be commented. 3.1 Bentonite clay Bentonite is an absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate. It has a high specific surface, most of which more than 100 m2/g, and this property enables them to adsorb several molecular layers of water between their platelet structures [10]. The absorbed water is held by secondary chemical bonds and the bentonite may swell up to 14 times as its original volume as a result of the water absorption. If the relative humidity in the surroundings is lowered, this water is reversibly released. Potentially, bentonite or other layered clay minerals may be used as a water reservoir for internal water curing. However, there still one important problem remain to be solved for the application of bentonite. In high ionic media, such as in cementitious materials, these clays agglomerate and form a compact structure instead of spreading out evenly [11]. And whether inducing same charge into bentonite as water reducer do to make the bentonite particles repel from each other could solve this problem remain to be investigated. Figure 3.2 Superabsorbent polymers A superabsorbent polymer, SAP, is a polymeric material which is able to absorb a significant amount of liquid from the surroundings and to retain the liquid within its structure without dissolving [12], SAPs are principally used for absorbing water and aqueous solutions. With the present polymer types the theoretical maximum water absorption is approx. 5000 times their own weight. However, the absorbency of commercially produced SAPs is around 50 g/g in dilute salt solutions such as urine, and in high ionic solutions such as cement paste pore fluid the absorbency may be below 20 g/g [13]. The absorption of water in the SAP is based on secondary chemical bonds, and the water is so loosely held that all of it essentially can be considered bulk water. Most SAPs are cross-linked polyelectrolytes. Because of their ionic nature and interconnected structure, they absorb large quantities of water and other aqueous solutions without dissolving. SAPs have found a wi despread use as a high-tech material e.g. for contact lenses, breast implants, fire fighting, drug delivery, in baby diapers and as soil conditioners. Today’s world production exceeds 500,000 tons per year of which about 85% is used for baby diapers [14]. Figure 5.1: Superabsorbent polymers are swellable substances which can absorb many times their own weight of liquids by forming a gel. The absorbed liquid is not released even under moderate pressure [12]. The picture shows a dry, collapsed and a swollen suspension polymerized SAP particle. A description of the use of SAP for internal water curing can be found in the literature [2,13,15]. Compared with lightweight aggregate SAP has some peculiarities. SAP can be used as a dry concrete admixture since it takes up water during the mixing process. Furthermore, the use of SAP permits free design of the pore shape and the pore size distribution of the hardening concrete, however, the pores introduced by the SAP in the concrete may preferably be selected in the range 50-300  µm. 3.3 Crushed Returned Concrete Aggregates Recycled aggregate consists of stone particles with mortar from the original concrete attached to them. The volume fraction of this mortar may amount to 20 to 60%, and results in a significantly higher water absorption of recycled concrete aggregates compared to conventional aggregates [8]. The relatively high water absorption of recycled aggregate, however, may be difficult to utilize for internal water curing. The cement paste fraction of recycled aggregate will, typically, have a fine and tight pore structure which cannot supply water to the coarse pore structure of a hydrating cement paste at early ages. For this reason, recycled aggregate may be less useful than normal aggregate for internal water curing. However, some experiments have shown promising results for recycled aggregate. By blending the crushed returned concrete aggregates with an appropriate lightweight aggregate sand, a substantial reduction in autogenous shrinkage will be a chieved, with minimal reduction in long term compressive strength. The mortars based on light weight aggregate sand substitutions alone provided the highest compressive strengths and the greatest reductions in autogenous shrinkage. But, blending the crushed returned concrete aggregates with the light weight aggregate sand may provide the optimum mixture in terms of material costs and sustainable development.[ICwCCA] 3.4 Artificial LWA Expanded Shale, Clay and Slate Lightweight Aggregate The Earth has been producing LWA from volcanoes since the beginning of time. This natural material, however, is inconsistent and very little is suitable for making concrete. ESCS is specially made for concrete and has been manufactured from surface†mined raw shale, clay or slate for nearly 100 years. (ESCS raw materials typically do not have any other conventional purpose in the construction industry because they are too soft.) The raw materials for ESCS production are placed into a rotary kiln at approx. 1200 °C until it turns into a strong consistent material which is called expanded shale, clay or lightweight aggregate or just ESCS for short. ESCS is a uniform, high quality, ceramic aggregate that’s about 1/2 the weight of natural aggregates. Pores are created in ESCS during the manufacturing process as gases escape due to the application of heat. The newly created pores are ideally suited to accommodate the absorption of water, much like a sponge. ESCS’s greatest contribution is its ability to desorb water. Unlike a sponge, it does not have to be squeezed for the water to be released. This characteristic naturally permits water to egress or be desorbed from the pores of pre-wetted ESCS when the cement demands more water during the hydration process. The physical ability of the pores to manage water movement is the key to internal curing. However, the manufacturing heating process of ESCS is relatively expensive. Moreover, compared with other lightweight aggregate, ESCS has a relatively fine and less continuous pore system, a large part of the pores are closed. Some of the pore water is held down to at least RH=70%. Consequently only a part of the water held in ESCS will be useful for internal curing [6]. 3.5 Natural LWA – Perlite and Pumice Perlite is a naturally occurring silicious, glassy rock which contains 2-6% combined water. When quickly heated to above 900 °C, the crude rock expands 4-20 times its original volume as the combined water vaporizes and creates countless tiny bubbles. This results in a bulk density in the range 30-400 kg/m3, and a water absorption of 200-600%. Perlite has found multiple uses such as for filtration, as an abrasive and within horticulture to provide aeration and moisture retention. However, perlite is primarily used within the construction area for example as concrete aggregate and as a cavity-filling insulation. Disintegration of perlite particles has been observed during mixing due to their high porosity and consequently low strength [18]. This may have adverse effects on the concrete. Fully saturated, the water content of perlite may be 4.5 kg/kg [18]. Pumice is a porous volcanic rock which resembles a sponge, see Figure 5.2. The porous s tructure is formed by dissolved gases which are precipitated during the cooling as the lava hurtles through the air. All types of magma may form pumice. The connectivity of the pore structure may range from completely closed to completely open. A representative value for the absorption of pumice is 0.27 kg/kg [18].

Another Holiday for the Prince Essay -- Literary Analysis, Elizabeth

In â€Å"Another Holiday for the Prince† by Elizabeth Jolley the author draws upon many themes, one in particular that Jolley illustrates is how poverty influences changes in the individual lives within one family. To begin with the head of the family; a father is never mentioned in the story, not even once. But by not having a father figure in the story the reader can understand a lot. In society the man is the one who earns the money and provides all the essentials for his family, however this story is presented in a society were the mother has to be the man of the family. Ones self-esteem can be diminished as a result of poverty, alienation; destructive effects of a week personality or society on the individual. The author effectively conveys this theme through the use of characterization, symbolism and contrast. Jolley uses characterization to individualize each character in a poverty stricken family. The son is referred to as a prince by his mother several times throughout the story even though he is a high school dropout. â€Å"Mother always called him Prince; she worried about him all the time. I couldn’t think why. He was only my brother and a drop out at that† (117). The author portrays the son to be someone with low self-esteem because he is poor and a drop out he lives a miserable life. His mother tries to provide him with as much, but is unable to do this because of her social status is society. â€Å"‘Sleeps the best thing he can have. I wish he’d eat!’ She watched me as I took bread and spread the butter thick, she was never mean about butter, when we didn’t have other things we always had plenty of butter† (117). Through this passage the author convincingly demonstrates that they are poor and cannot afford an assortment of thing... ...eral topic of school. The sister strives to graduate and go to school even though she is poor while her brother blames the school for him dropping out and not graduating. â€Å"I got out my social studies. Hot legs has this idea of a test every Wednesday† (118). This demonstrates that she is driven to study for class and get good grades while her brother tries to convince her that school is worth nothing and that there is no point in attending. â€Å"‘Why don’t you get out before they chuck you out. That’s all crap,’ he said, knocking the books across the floor. ‘You’ll only fail your exam and they don’t want failures, spoils their bloody numbers. They’ll ask you to leave, see if they don’t’† (118). The brother tries to convince his sister that school is not a necessity and that living the way he does, being a drop out living in a poverty stricken family is the best thing.

Fasting: Body Cleansing or Starving Essay -- Health Religion Papers

Fasting: Body Cleansing or Starving The Purpose of Fasting Fasting is a body cleansing procedure during which food is restricted and only liquids are consumed. Strictly water fasts are the most brutal; herbal teas and juices made from fresh fruits and vegetables are consumed during a more liberal fast. Juice fasting is the preferred method amongst many doctors and European fasting clinics, perhaps because it is less harsh than other treatment plans. Today in the Western Hemisphere, many chronic health problems result from bad eating habits. There are a mix of people who are over-nourished, malnourished, or both. We eat chemically altered, high-fat toxic foods that do not provide a sufficient amount of essential vitamins and minerals to our bodies. Clogging of the eliminative systems with excess mucous is thought to sustain congestive diseases. Ineffective digestion and poor nourishment result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies. A well-balanced diet can overcome this health crisis. A diet of raw foods and fluids helps cleanse the body, and fasting takes the cleansing a step further. Every fasting method, suited individually to a person’s needs, cleanses toxins from the person’s body. The nutrients in fresh juice provide energy and support to the body while stimulating the detoxification process by clearing waste from its systems. This detoxification process is an important corrective process in our nutritional cycle. We allow our body to breathe and naturally cleanse itself. (Haas) The Ancient Practice of Fasting The history of fasting goes back thousands of years. Many religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Eastern religions used and still use fasting as a healing process for spiritual purifica... ...an Anti-Aging Strategy- Is it Still Safe? Found at www.healthy.net/library/articles/chaitow/fasting.htm. Chaitow, L. Fasting, Mono-diets and Raw Food Days.Found at www.healthy.net/library/books/chaitow/chap13.htm. Haas, E. Fasting. Found at www.healthy.net/hwlibrarybooks/haas/detox/fasting.htm. Kernt, P. et al, ‘Fasting: the history, pathophysiology, and complications" Western Journal of Medicine (1982) 137:379-99 Kjeldsen-Kragh, J. et al, ‘Controlled trial of fasting and one-year vegetarian diet in Rheumatoid Arthritis’ Lancet (1991) 899-904. NaturalDoc: Fasting and Health Vacations. Found at www.naturaldoc.com/. Protein and Nitrogen Homeostasis. Found at http://medtstgo.ucdavis.edu/endo/lecture/metProNit.htm True, G.N. How Fasting Can Slow You Down. Found at www.netasia.net/users/truehealth/Fasting.htm.

AMUL – A case study on IT in SCM

AMUL – A case study on IT in SCM A live case of Use of IT Amul is a leading food brand in India. It offers a wide range of products like milk, milk powder, butter, ghee, cheese, chocolates, Shrikhand, ice cream and many more. The brand name AMUL is derived from the Sanskrit word â€Å"Amoolya†, meaning priceless. The first products with the Amul brand name were launched in 1955. Since then, they have been in use in millions of homes in all parts of India, and beyond.Today Amul is a symbol of many things: Of high quality products sold at reasonable prices, of availability, of service. Amul has been accredited with ISO 9001 and HACCP Certification by QAS, Australia-the first food company in Asia to receive the HACCP Certification â€Å"Amul† is a well-acknowledged and live example of making a strong use of IT Formed in the year 1946, Amul initiated the dairy co-operative movement in India and formed an apex co-operative organization called the Gujarat Cooperative M ilk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).Today, this movement is being replicated in 70,000 villages in over 200 districts in India, transforming the rural landscape. This co-operative revolution has made India the largest producer of milk in the world today. Amul is also one of the largest and most celebrated food brands in India. GCMMF markets its products through 50 sales offices throughout India; and distribution is done through a network of 4,000 stockists who, in turn, supply 500,000 retail outlets.The complexity of logistics can be visualized in terms of: millions of litres of milk to be collected from millions of village members. Interestingly, milk is a perishable commodity; hence a strong coordination function is required in storing, processing and distributing the milk in required time. The case of Amul's supply chain is noteworthy simply because the movement has not only lead to efficient collection of milk but, more importantly, has used IT to create higher profits for milk pro ducers. Role of Information Technology IT has played a critical role in the development of the Amul brand.The logistics behind the coordination of approximately six million liters of milk per day from numerous village co-operative societies throughout Gujarat, and storing, processing and producing of milk products at various district dairy societies, is carried out with clock-precision. In these, IT plays a critical role. The installation of over 3,000 Automatic Milk Collection System Units (AMCUS) at village societies to capture member information, milk fat content volume collected, and amount payable to each member, has proved invaluable in ensuring fairness and transparency throughout the entire organization.GCMMF is an apex co-operative organization that comprises affiliated member dairies/district milk unions, each having its own manufacturing unit. These member dairies in turn collect milk from members who supply milk twice a day to the respective village co-operative societie s. To meet the challenge of growing business, IT was decided as the thrust area that would streamline the production and collection process and the processing of milk products. This is where the installation of AMCUS made the entire operation look simple.As milk is a highly perishable commodity in the supply chain, the AMCUS initiative is vital for the operations. More importantly, this initiative has increased the trust and transparency for IT in rural areas'. On an average, around thousand farmers come to sell milk at their local cooperative milk collection center. Each farmer is given a plastic card for identification, at the milk collection counter, the farmer drops the card into a box and the identification number is transmitted to a personal computer attached to the machine.The milk is then weighed and the fat content of the milk measured by an electronic fat testing machine. Both these details are recorded in the PC. The computer then calculates the amount 1 AMUL – A c ase study on IT in SCM due to the farmer on the basis of the fat content. The value of the milk is then printed out on a slip and handed over to the farmer, who collects the payment at the adjacent window. With the help of IT the farmers receive their payments within a matter of minutes.Each member preserves the milk in the cold storage, processing it and producing several products, sold under the Amul brand name. As all products have a limited shelf life, the organization's ability to conduct its operations in a smooth way is much more praiseworthy-especially when one considers the scale of the operations. Amul makes about 10 million payment transactions daily. On the logistics side, more than 5,000 trucks move the milk from the villages to 200 dairy processing plants twice a day, according to a carefully planned schedule.Amul took a strategic decision to redesign and re-organize the existing software applications in 1994 to meet the challenges of growing business. Accordingly, Amu l assigned the ERP software development project named as Enterprise wide integrated application system (EIAS) which covers a plethora of operations like market planning, advertising and promotion, distribution network planning, stock control, sales and accounting, budgetary control, quality control management and co-operative service management.Each of Amul's offices is connected by e-mail and all of them send a daily report on sales and inventory to the main system at Anand. Also, sales offices, C&F points and wholesale distributors of GCMMF have been connected through the Internet for timely exchange of information. Amul is also in the process of Web-enabling the entire supply chain so that it can capture key information at the source and use the same for decision-making. This would include the likes of transporters, member manufacturing units, oil packing stations, suppliers, depots and the ntire field force. A web site (http://www. amul. com) has been constructed featuring sport s information, recipes and quizzes (to stimulate buyer interest and to establish national brand recognition) and business-to- consumer order placement. Amul has a customer feedback channel which uses e-mail addresses like [email  protected] com for cheese products and [email  protected] com for butter products. E-competency has been established at the supply and distribution ends of AMUL's business.At the supply end, a computerized database has been established of all suppliers and their cattle. Computerized equipment measures and records qualities and quantities collected. Computers have been set up at member unions and village cooperatives. At the distribution end, stockists have been provided with basic training and computers. AMUL experts assist stockists and retailers to build promotional web pages. AMUL cyber stores have been set up at various locations in India, the USA, Singapore and Dubai.Each visit to the Indian cyber store sites results in considerable purchases. A st rong e-mail database of more than 10,000 customers has also been developed. In addition to the EIAS, Amul has also been using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to plot zone/depot boundary as well as a pointer for zone, depot and distributor locations, which are superimposed by product-wise sales data. Going forward, there are plans to introduce features like Internet banking services and ATMs which will enable milk societies to credit payments directly to the seller's bank account.In line with this vision, officials at Amul are looking at upgrading the plastic cards, which are being currently used only for identification purposes, to smart cards which can be used to withdraw cash from ATMs. Amul has radically altered the complexion of the supply chain-by eliminating the middleman and bringing the producer closer to the consumer-resulting in benefits for both. Amul has also linked distributors to the network and also incorporated Web pages of top retailers in their web site (www. amul. com) as part of B2B initiatives.Distributors can place their orders on the website, amulb2b. com, especially meant for accepting orders from stockists and promoting Amul's products via 2 AMUL – A case study on IT in SCM E-commerce. A big achievement of IT in Amul has been the automation of the complex supply and delivery chain. The automated supply chain seamlessly integrates the manufacturing dairy units for production, planning and raw material procurement. It handles distribution of milk from surplus unions to deficit unions.It is a live example of practicing Just in time supply chain management with six sigma accuracy! Amul's success in leveraging IT to its advantage lies in the simple fact that the organization has a clear IT vision and has made full use of the potential of IT for managing its supply chain. In 2003, GCMMF won the prestigious international CIO 100 award from IDG's CIO Magazine, USA. The 2003 CIO 100 award recognizes organizations around the world th at excel in positive business performance through resourceful IT management and best practices.GCMMF, whose IT initiatives have been driven by the philosophy of being an IT company in food business, has inspired all its employees to sustain the challenges as a â€Å"change agent† by excelling their IT skills in order to transform the people around them towards IT integration on both the ends of supply chain (village dairy farmer to end-consumer), GCMMF has also won the prestigious Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award for the year 2003.GCMMF has bagged this award for adopting noteworthy quality management practices for logistics and procurement. Over the years, it has established an efficient supply chain that penetrates even the remotest corners of the country. In summary, Amul has developed world-class expertise in the physical distribution of short-life produce. Already advanced in physical logistics, Amul has innovatively explored ways to use IT to enhance its supply ch ain. (Source: amul. com, ExpressComputers(16 Sept 2002: article by Srikanth R P), and other sources)GCMMF: An Overview Members No. of Producer Members No. of Village Societies Milk collection (Total – 2002-03) Milk collection (Daily Average 2002-03) Milk Drying Capacity Sales Turnover (2002-2003) 12 district cooperative milk producers' Union. 2. 28 million. 11,132. 1. 86 billion litres. 5. 08 million litres. 510 metric Tons per day. Rs 27457 Million. IT Enablers used by Amul †¢ Uses automated milk collection system units for collection of milk. †¢ Implemented a customized ERP system which is used in conjunction with GIS. Uses data analysis software for forecasting milk production and increasing productivity. †¢ Has connected all zonal, regional and member dairies through VSAT. †¢ One of the first five Indian organizations to have a Web presence. †¢ Geographic information system for sales and distribution planning. †¢ Data Information System Kiosk for data analysis and decision support to help in improving milk collection. †¢ Web enabled customer feedback channels. †¢ Strong initiatives in e-commerce. 3

The War On Drugs Essays - Drug Control Law, War On Drugs

The War On Drugs Essays - Drug Control Law, War On Drugs The War On Drugs War On Drugs In todays society, the war on drugs has become a major issue in our cities and the business community. Many cities have started programs to make the situation better, but some have failed and the situation has become worse. The root of all the problems discussed in this case study, can be linked to drugs. There are many organizations and volunteer community groups as well as law enforcement, that are continuously trying to make our cities safe. This struggle is know globally as the War on Drugs. Drugs and Children The war on drugs is a very big part of our society. We face difficult decisions everyday dealing with drugs and how they affect our cities. Our children play a big role in that society, and they are a major factor on the war against drugs. We try to keep children away from the drug situation, but you cannot isolate them forever. Children will have to face the issue as they get older, or even while they are young. We must teach our children about the issues on drugs and make sure they are aware of the dealings that go on. Most children cannot speak to their parents about drugs, and those are the children who are usually doing drugs. If children cannot be open with their parents, they will find some other means of dealing with drug issues. History Nearly thirty years ago, the Nixon administration was the first administration to declare the war on drugs. President Nixon is credited with setting up the first methadone centers and abstinence programs cross the country. At the time these programs received two-thirds of the federal drug budget and the results were: crime rates fell and fewer people died of overdose. The Just Say No movement (led by first lady Nancy Reagan) was coupled with rigorous law enforcement and produced solid results. By 1992, for example, marijuana use by high school students had dropped significantly (http://ehostvgw15.epnet.com). The Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, is the legal foundation of the government's fight against the abuse of drugs and other substances. This law is a consolidation of numerous laws regulating the manufacture and distribution of narcotics, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, anabolic steroids, and chemicals used in the illicit production of controlled substances. (usdoj.gov/dea/briefingbook/page9.htm) Drug Enforcement Agency The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets. (usdoj.gov/dea/briefingbook/page2.htm). The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was formed as a specialized branch of the justice department in 1973. This specialized bureau is on the front lines of the War on Drugs every day. The DEA is not only concerned with assisting local law enforcement, but a global policing as well. Drugs in the Workplace Many chambers of commerce throughout the nation have put Drug-Free Workplace programs into effect. The drug-free workplace program addresses not only issues in the business community, but the society as well. Statistics show that 70 percent of illegal drug users are employed, and 44 percent of drug users sell drugs to co-workers (http://ehostvgw6.epnet.com). The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that drug use in the workplace costs employers $75 billion to $100 billion annually in lost time. Sixty-five percent of all accidents on the job are directly related to drugs. Substance abusers are absent three times more often and use 16 times as many health care benefits as non-abusers (http://ehastvgw6.epnet.com). Many companies are aware of the drug problems within the office and are taking action to fix the situation. There are companies that have drug-screening test to employees to make sure that they are not using drug substances. The company must have a suspicion of that employee of using the drugs before giving the drug test. In the

Free Essays on Globalization Is Not Effective For The US

Globalization is not Effective for the US Globalization, according to the International Monetary Fund, is the â€Å"increasingly close international integration of markets both for goods and services and for capital† (Kegley Jr. and Wittkopf, 2004, p.267). Ten years ago, the U.S. signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which eliminated trade tariffs between Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. The basis for this agreement was to stimulate the status of the economies of all three nations. Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is an extension of NAFTA to create the globe’s largest barrier-free trade zone, extending from Canada to Argentina. With the globalization of technology, anyone with a computer and the World Wide Web (WWW) can access information or buy goods from other countries in a matter of seconds. If the FTAA becomes a reality, businesses would be able to bring their products into more countries at a more affordable rate to the consumer, similar to the person on the WWW buying or selling products globally. With technology improving rapidly and becoming more and more available, globalization follows, becoming a permanent economic concept for countries and businesses to rely on. Globalization may not be a permanent phenomenon because if the U.S. continues to open its borders to free trade with many third-world partners, a U.S. dependent on imports will result. Economically, for the most part, we live in a borderless world with other democratic countries. Globalization is a negative approach for the U.S. to take economically because of the effects it has on the U.S. economy. The scenario is fairly true to the life that most blue collar Americans have been experiencing in the last ten years after the passing of NAFTA. The lives of more than eight-hundred-thousand workers have been affected NAFTA (Iuspa-Abbott, 2003, p.1). That number is of workers in the United States alone who have lost their jobs due to the ... Free Essays on Globalization Is Not Effective For The US Free Essays on Globalization Is Not Effective For The US Globalization is not Effective for the US Globalization, according to the International Monetary Fund, is the â€Å"increasingly close international integration of markets both for goods and services and for capital† (Kegley Jr. and Wittkopf, 2004, p.267). Ten years ago, the U.S. signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which eliminated trade tariffs between Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. The basis for this agreement was to stimulate the status of the economies of all three nations. Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is an extension of NAFTA to create the globe’s largest barrier-free trade zone, extending from Canada to Argentina. With the globalization of technology, anyone with a computer and the World Wide Web (WWW) can access information or buy goods from other countries in a matter of seconds. If the FTAA becomes a reality, businesses would be able to bring their products into more countries at a more affordable rate to the consumer, similar to the person on the WWW buying or selling products globally. With technology improving rapidly and becoming more and more available, globalization follows, becoming a permanent economic concept for countries and businesses to rely on. Globalization may not be a permanent phenomenon because if the U.S. continues to open its borders to free trade with many third-world partners, a U.S. dependent on imports will result. Economically, for the most part, we live in a borderless world with other democratic countries. Globalization is a negative approach for the U.S. to take economically because of the effects it has on the U.S. economy. The scenario is fairly true to the life that most blue collar Americans have been experiencing in the last ten years after the passing of NAFTA. The lives of more than eight-hundred-thousand workers have been affected NAFTA (Iuspa-Abbott, 2003, p.1). That number is of workers in the United States alone who have lost their jobs due to the ...