Malaysia Airlines Essay Example for Free

Malaysia Airlines Essay Malaysia airlines:   what they did in real life and outcome performance after their adjustment and solution? Malaysia Airlines reduces fuel costs Malaysia Airlines reduces fuel costs on 40 aircrafts, including their A380 fleet, with SITA’s FMS Wind Uplink service. Flight Management System (FMS) calculations are constantly updated by the new service, therefore the airline can adjust flight plans easily owing to adjusting wind and weather conditions. The system also let the aircraft using fuel more cost effectively. From trials results, Wind Uplink saved of up to 600 kilograms of fuel within one flight. Captain Izham Ismail, Director of Operations for Malaysia Airlines, said: â€Å"This new service from SITA delivers savings straight away. We have already trialed SITA Wind Uplink with great success in reducing our fuel costs. It has also helped improve our final fuel on board predictions and made our estimated time of arrival predictions more accurate. We are experiencing real business benefits following introduction of this service at Malaysia Airlines.† Katrina Korzenowski, Director, Aircraft Services, Asia Pacific, SITA, said: â€Å"Wind Uplink enables airlines to take advantage of beneficial changes in weather so crews can bring flights in on time and on budget, reducing fuel costs whenever possible. Due to high fuel prices, we anticipate increased demand for Wind Uplink in the future and are already in discussions with many other potential customers. In addition, because Wind Uplink is packaged as a single service, it can be up and running in just a few hours for SITA Flight Briefing Service and AIRCOM Datalink customers—without any capital expenses.† Resources http://www.sita.aero/content/malaysia-airlines-reduce-fuel-costs-with-sita-s-wind-and-weather-service Etihad presents solution to MAS Etihad developed a track record of partnership and investing with MAS. The reason is MAS would provide Etihad a stronger offline network in Southeast Asia. Etihad put its code on Garuda-operated flights in five offline Indonesian destinations from Jakarta to Singapore. MAS can also provide Etihad connection to Indonesia. Indonesia is the second largest international market for MAS. During the limited code share, Kuala Lumpur-Bali is also one of seven MAS-operated routes covered. http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/malaysia-airlines-considers-tie-up-with-etihad-as-restructuring-process-slowly-begins-172934

Customer Value Management: Advantages and Disadvantages

Customer Value Management: Advantages and Disadvantages Executive Summary What is this report about? This report aims to identify the importance and long term benefits from adopting a customer value management (CVM) strategy for a life insurance company (â€Å"insurer†) in Singapore. It highlights the reasons why insurers need to adopt a CVM strategy and showcases the various means by which the strategies facilitate customer satisfaction which in turn results in profitability for the insurer. By following a well planned CVM Framework, an insurer will be able to analyze customer data, calculate profitability per customer, identify key customer drivers, and segment customers, thus targeting the right customer with the right product at the right time using the right channel of distribution. The report will benefit an insurer already based in Singapore as it highlights best practices and case studies of existing players in Asia and what they are doing to acquire and retain new customers in this region. The insurer can also focus on the key drivers and specific needs of the insurance customer in Singapore and position itself accordingly. Along with the CVM Framework, the analysis and recommendations from our research will benefit a life insurer in determining whether or not it is aptly positioned to penetrate the life insurance industry in Singapore and to a large extent the Asia Pacific market. Research Methodology For the purpose of this report we performed both primary and secondary research which assisted us in refining our objectives as described in Figure 1: Customer Value Management (CVM) Framework Based on our secondary research we described the process flow for a CVM framework for a life insurance company. The successful implementation of a CVM based strategy involved understanding and performing the following key processes: Best Practices of CVM in the Life Insurance Industry Highlights of the best practices followed by insurers, brokers and advisors in the Asia Pacific region are depicted. Introduction What is CVM? In industries where products, marketing promotions and channels are transitory, organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of customer relationships. Today customer relationships play a very important role in increasing the profits of any organization. There are reports which suggest that customer retention of 5% may increase the profits of a company by 25% or more[1]. An organization experiences increase in profits primarily when the customer makes more purchases thereby offsetting the acquisition cost. Efficient customers over a period of time tend to be more cost effective to service as they are well versed to dealing with the organization. Loyal customers are a source of value for an organization but are scarce in nature and managers must maximize customer value and formulate strategies to successfully measure and align it with the organizations goals. As we evolve from product centric to customer centric marketing, a set of best practices are emerging to measure and increase the lifetime of the customer. These practices are defined as Customer Value Management[2]. CVM in the Life Insurance Industry The life insurance industry, long considered a pillar of stability, is now facing major challenges stemming from various internal and external factors: With increased competition as a result of globalization and the de-regulation of markets worldwide, several new entrants have entered the playing field making customer acquisition and retention all the more challenging. These new entrants include financial institutions such as banks and security firms. Advent of new technologies is challenging the effectiveness of previously established product distribution channels and has given the customer access to shop for life insurance products from multiple web based platforms such as www.policybazaar.com in India and www.compuquotes.com in the United States, with each offering different quotes for the same product offered by various organizations (life insurance companies)[3]. Rising costs as a result of high number of fraudulent activities is declining the life insurance industrys profitability. The strategies deployed by organizations to tackle these challenges will have a profound effect on both short and long term profitability. One such strategy that can make a positive impact on the profitability of an organization is Customer Value Management. Customer Value Management (CVM) from a life insurers perspective revolves around the identification of each profitable customer. Upon identifying this customer, CVM techniques can be used to measure the return on investment made by the organization in acquisition, growth and retention of the profitable customer. If the return on investment from the profitable customer is positive then the insurer should further implement strategies to maximize the lifetime value of its relationship. At the same time CVM solutions also facilitate an organization in: Segmenting customers by similar risk profiles Improving cross selling and up-selling programs Improving the effectiveness of the marketing campaign Maximizing profitability The successful implementation of a CVM strategy also involves the identification of the following: Right Customer Objective Identifying profitable customers and reducing customer acquisition costs. Traditional Practice Acquire competitors customers irrespective of profitability from each customer. Current Practice Acquisition of only profitable customers likely to generate repeat business. Example Consider two life insurance companies, one that focuses on providing life insurance products to â€Å"safe customers† and the other serves customers that fall in the high risk category; individuals engaged in adventure sports and activities such as mountaineering, cliff diving, cave exploration etc. The â€Å"safe customer† company would be acquiring the wrong customers by advertising in adventure sports magazines. Advantages Lower customer acquisition costs Higher profitability per customer Right Product Objective Providing the right customer with the right product thereby increasing customer retention and reducing costs. Traditional Practice Providing an array of life products irrespective of the customers preference and need resulting in customer dissatisfaction and attrition. Current Practice Providing only those products as desired by the right customer by segregating them on the basis of demographics, purchasing habits, lifestyle and risk factors. Example In Europe, life and health insurance companies determined that majority of their customers wanted to be fit and live a healthier lifestyle. Insurers provided their customers with a product which included incentives such as discounts on health club memberships and seminars on nutrition and healthy eating. Advantages Increase in customer retention Increase in cross and up selling opportunities Decrease in the number of claims filed Right Channel Objective Having identified the right customer and the right product for that customer, approaching the customer using a preferred channel of distribution. Traditional Practice Direct-response[4] marketing such as direct-mail and telemarketing targeted towards all customer segments including those that preferred a face-to-face meeting. Before the advent of Web 2.0 organizations relied on marketing intermediaries such as agents and brokers. Current Practice Besides using traditional direct-response marketing media and intermediaries, organizations have also launched web portals, comparison websites, and formed distribution alliances with financial institutions to sell products. Examples A study conducted by a British firm, Datamonitor in 2007, revealed that aggregators and comparison websites account for instigating 22% of individuals seeking motor insurance[5]. Likewise websites such as www.policybazar.com in India target price conscious customers seeking better deals online. Another study by Datamonitor revealed that in 2007, 37% of those individuals that purchased insurance online changed their provider upon renewal as compared to 17% that purchased through call centers[6]. The recent bank assurance alliance between Prudential Corporation Asia and UOB Life Insurance Limited will give Prudential the opportunity to sell its products to UOB customers in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. Advantages Offer more comprehensive life insurance products through direct-response marketing methods. High response rates from personalized direct-response methods Well informed customers and higher customer retention Right Timing Objective To make the sale and to win a customer for life by marketing the right product at the right time. Traditional Practice Organizations either marketed the right product at the wrong time or were unable to identify the right time to promote a product. In either case the customer was not acquired and/or retained. Current Practice With the use of sophisticated data analytic tools, organizations are able to predict customers future purchasing habits with the passing of each life stage. They then target the customer whose life insurance needs change due to: Marriage Birth of child Schooling of child Marriage of child Retirement Example Customer A bought a life insurance policy a couple of years ago and declined coverage for her immediate family citing lack of disposable income. However, Customer As preferences may have changed now and assuming her experience with the product, customer service, and the insurer has been satisfactory thus far and she has a higher disposable income than she did earlier, she can be contacted again for buying life insurance for her family. Advantages Increased cross and up selling opportunities Increased customer retention Decreased customer defection Customer Perception of the Life Insurance Industry Life insurance products are considered by many as complex yet much needed to minimize risk. Organizations have come up with products that meet the needs of the individual customer, however because the insurance contracts are fraught with complex legal terms, the customer ends up perceiving the life insurance industry as one that is not transparent and â€Å"user-friendly†. Furthermore, customers consider insurers as organizations that are only interested in ensuring that their customers pay their policy premiums on time; however when its time for the insurer to resolve a claim or a dispute the turnaround time is slow resulting in frustration and anxiety for the customer. To cite an example of customer perception towards the insurance industry, an insurance survey by IBM and University of St. Gallen in Switzerland revealed that roughly 60% of the participants[7] did not completely trust their insurance company. Because of such negative perceptions the insurer faces a high rate of customer defection. As the cost of acquiring a new customer are much more than the cost involved in retaining an existing one, insurers are coming up with innovative methods to build and foster a long term relationship with their valuable customers: Creating trust and reliability: More than 80% of the participants in the IBM and University of St. Gallen insurance survey placed a high value to honesty and trustworthiness and building a solid reputation in the market has become ever so more important for an insurer. Organizations are taking actions to build trust and credibility by: Modifying the legal jargon in insurance contracts to simple, brief and layman terms. Remodeling the direct selling agents compensation package to include commissions based on parameters such as repeat sales and customer retention, thereby encouraging them to act more customer oriented. Establishing social communities such as interactive web portals, blogs and chat forums, thereby fostering communication with the customer. This strategy has also given insurers with invaluable information about the customers evolving needs. Creating an ensemble of touch-points: This strategy involves personalizing the approach to customers and making meaningful touch points available to generate a positive and rewarding experience for customers and the organization. For instance, price sensitive customers rely on the Internet when shopping for a life insurance policy, whereas relationship oriented customers seek advice from insurance agents / brokers and banks. Various touch-points available for customers of a life insurer can be bucketed as depicted in Figure 6. Therefore, it is essential for an organization to plan carefully before deploying or cutting back on any of the above touch points. For instance, in the first quarter of 2009 tied agency channels contributed to 59%[8] of total new business generated in Singapore. If an insurer were to downsize its tied agency channel it could result in a high rate of customer defection for a customer segment that seeks a personal relationship based on reliability, sound advice, and competence. Being flexible to the customers needs: The insurer should make room to tailor the offerings to the specific requirement of the profitable customer. Furthermore, in the life insurance industry, multiple insurers offer similar products but the ones that offer flexibility are the ones that are able to hold their market position as well as attract the competitors customers. In North America and Europe, customers have identified various aspects of flexibility from their insurance providers. These aspects are covered in Figure 7. As customers in the Asia Pacific region become more and more sophisticated for their life insurance needs they will require similar levels of flexibility (as noted above). Need for CVM in the Life Insurance Industry Based on the challenges faced by players in the global life insurance industry, we have identified the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) typical to the industry and the impact of such on the insurer as well as the customer. The objective of the exercise is three-fold: Firstly, identify the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the life insurance industry. Secondly, identify the impact of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats on the insurers and their customers. Thirdly, to justify how an insurer can implement strategies and solutions to mitigate the weaknesses and threats and capitalize on strengths and opportunities. STRENGTH KEY STRENGTHS IMPACT ON INSURER IMPACT ON CUSTOMER STRATEGY Consolidated customer and marketing databases. More accurate prediction of changing customer needs Faster turnaround time in resolving claims and disputes. Customer has products that meet insurance/investment needs. The systems and customer data should be shared across the organization to promote innovation in business solutions. Multiple products offerings Targeting and acquiring various customer segments Increases customer retention by cross selling and up selling Customers have multiple products to meet their changing needs and circumstances. Identify the most profitable customer segment and retain them by offering innovative products and quality service. Multiple distribution channels. Increased profitability. Multiple distribution channels have given access to a wider customer base. Customers obtain product knowledge from their preferred touch points. Increases brand perception and product knowledge. Target specific customer segments through cost effective and customer preferred distribution channels. Flexible payment options (ex. payment in installments, cash, cheques, and credit/debit cards). Increases revenue generation, customer acquisition, and retention. Customer values flexibility and convenience and remains loyal. Marketing strategy to showcase the differentiating factors not provided by competitors. WEAKNESS KEY WEAKNESSES IMPACT ON INSURER IMPACT ON CUSTOMER STRATEGY Important customer data resides in silos resulting in poorly defined customer segments. Customer information resides with different departments preventing a holistic view of the customer. Wrong products sold to the wrong customers resulting in customer dissatisfaction. Consolidate and analyze customer data residing in various systems to identify profitable customer segments likely to do repeat purchases. Lack of information sharing across departments marked with territoriality and fierce internal competition. Results in weak product orientation and ineffective cross selling and up selling opportunities. Results in defection to competitor as insurance needs are not satisfied. Develop a common repository of customer data to provide various departments with the ability to develop products and provide quick response to changing needs. Lack of trust and reliability on the insurer. Negative reputation leads to mass customer defection. Un-satisfied customers pass on the poor experience to prospective customers Promote social computing communities such as blogs, chat forums. Also provides value add information about the customer. Snail paced claims and dispute resolution. Higher costs and time to serve the customer as multiple follow ups are required. Increased customer frustration due to lengthy dispute resolution period. Implement analytical models to predict and quantify the likelihood of claims. Measure and reward employees on time taken to resolve customer disputes. Insurance contracts are loaded with complicated insurance jargon. Increases in cost per customer Customer dissatisfaction and defection Simplify insurance contracts Recruit knowledgeable agents to assist customers. Insurance agents are primarily commission driven and are not customer oriented. Results in tarnishing the insurers reputation. Customer perceives a negative image of the insurer when faced with agents that are solely motivated by profits. Remodel agent compensation to include commissions based on parameters such as repeat sales and customer satisfaction surveys. Make customer centric training programs mandatory for all agents. OPPORTUNITY KEY OPPORTUNITIES IMPACT ON INSURER IMPACT ON CUSTOMER STRATEGY Tie-ups with banks and other FIs will give access to a wider customer base. Lower cost of acquisition of new clients. Lower operational costs. Financial and protection needs are met by a single channel. Develop bancassurance agreements to target a banks customer base. Un-tapped markets such as HNWI and Takaful (Islamic insurance). Access to a wider client base resulting in increase in profitability. Positive brand building exercise.  · Ability to provide protection for themselves and family.  · Diversification of investment strategy for HNWI.  · Launch products to non-mass market segments.  · Organize brand awareness campaigns in locations that are frequented by such segments. Deregulation has opened new markets. Insurers have access to a wider customer base. Competitive premium to the customers. Market entry strategy for de-regulated countries. Since the 3rd quarter of 2009, new business premiums in Singapore have been consistently increasing[9]. Opportunity to re-acquire customers. Multiple product and service offerings at competitive prices. Acquire customers that defaulted during the financial crisis by providing coverage at the same premium or payment in installments. Increased competition from the Internet. High costs involved in changing and/or updating technology platforms. Customers have a clearer idea of product offering and higher bargaining power over insurers. Provide high quality service to convert a one-time online sale by cross selling and up selling. THREAT KEY THREATS IMPACT ON INSURER IMPACT ON CUSTOMER STRATEGY Deregulation of the insurance industry has increased competition from new entrants. Lower profit margins and increased customer acquisition and retention costs. Financial and protection needs are met by a single channel. Joint venture, merger or acquisition with/of a bank and other financial institutions. Increased competition from the Internet. High costs involved in changing and/or updating technology platforms. Customers have a clearer idea of product offering and higher bargaining power over insurers. Provide high quality service to convert a one-time online sale by cross selling and up selling. Develop a powerful and customer friendly web platform. Rising costs due to increase in fraudulent activities. Lower profit margin and increased operational cost. Customer dissatisfaction with high turnaround time for claim resolution. Implement CDI tools to reduce duplication of records and redundant customer data. New government regulations may result in lowering profit margins for the insurer. Inability to serve customer segments resulting in declining profit margins. Customer has limited option of products to choose from or has to pay higher premiums. Develop products that abide by government regulations but at the same time are able to meet customer needs. Implementing a CVM Framework for a Life Insurer Customer Value Management (CVM) provides a systematic methodology of modeling the value proposition relative to competition by putting process improvements into operation and communicating these improvements back to the customer in terms of better service and value add. From a life insurance organizations point of view, customer value management can be structured into the following three components[10]: Analysis Planning Continuous Improvement The three components interact with each other to drive the value proposition of the customer. The components align business operations with the value proposition and create specific action plans to help realize the customer value over a lifetime. CVM components can be further broken down in to a structured process as shown in Figure 8. This is done to deliver the specified objective of implementing a customer value management strategy for a life insurance company (insurer) The phases explained in Figure 8 are summarized in the below section. Analysis The Analysis Phase consists of analyzing data and formulating strategies using data mining techniques to improve the customer profitability. The key processes which are included in this phase are: Data Quality and Single Customer View[11]: To improve profitability from the customers, analysis of the customer data stored in various systems is performed. Thus life insurance companies need to integrate them to understand the customer trends and purchase patterns. Life-time Value Model: Once the data is integrated, it is used to calculate the life time value of existing customers using various available methods. Discounted Cash Flows (DCF) method is one such model. Key Drivers: Key value drivers for a life insurer are determined by analyzing the data from the single customer view and the life time value model. Identifying key drivers that affect the purchasing decisions of a customer and the method by which an organization delivers on those drivers forms an important part of the Analysis Phase. Segmentation: Based on the customer values generated by lifetime value model, the customer segments are segregated into current and future low to high value customers. Further these customers are also segmented based on demographics, customer behavior etc. to capitalize on the current and future trends in the life insurance industry Planning The Planning phase ensures that the information collected after analyzing the data is valid and relevant for improving the customer value. Strategies at product and market level are formulated and implemented in planning phase. The tasks associated with planning phase are: Planning at the Business and Product/Market Level: Campaign planning based on customer segment is associated with planning at product and market level to implement the overall strategy of the organization. Campaign planning may include marketing plans, product development, cross-selling or up-selling of products to existing customers. After the completion of campaign planning, campaigns actions are implemented with intend to improve the customer profitability. [12] Key performance indicators: Based on the overall strategy, key performance indicators are identified based on financials, marketing performance, customer satisfaction, customer retention. These indicators allow insurers to measure the outcome of various actions on a periodic basis. Continuous Improvement Continuous improvement phase includes updating of action plans and strategies to make it more efficient and effective to achieve the organizational objectives. Objectives of continuous improvement are achieved by: Continuous performance measurement: The performance indicators established in the planning phase should be reviewed on a periodic basis to avoid any deviations from the stated objectives of each business unit. Process Improvement: Based on the outputs generated from the actions plans and performance indicators implemented in the planning phase, associated processes and action plans are updated to make it more efficient in achieving the stated objectives. Each phase will be dealt separately and in more detail in the following sections of the report. Analysis The Analysis Phase consists of analyzing data to identify the key drivers which affect the value of a customer and segment customers to improve the profitability of the insurer. The analysis of data establishes a relationship and a trend between the internal information and the market value of customers. This phase includes an analysis of the following processes: Data Quality and Single Customer View Over the past decade, insurance companies have gradually started shifting their focus from policy sales, pricing, and claims to understand the needs of the customers and the possibility of repeat purchases of additional products from these customers. Insurance companies have now started servicing and understanding the customers needs from a holistic perspective and further the insurers efficiency to service their customers is dependent on the information provided by the customers on the use of specific products and services. The information solicited from customers is used by insurance companies in developing new and re-modeling old products, by call customer representatives in providing quality service, and by marketing departments in selling new products to segmented customers. To achieve the above, insurance companies have started stressing on the need for customer data integration (CDI). A typical data integration solution (Figure 9) should encompass the following subsystem in the life insurance organization. An insurer needs to integrate various components of an insurance policy management solution into one and use data mining techniques to recognize the current customer trends, purchase patterns and fraudulent activities. Customer data integration in the insurance industry creates growth in the companys top line by: Improving the design of insurance products and pricing; Increasing the success rate of marketing campaigns; and Improving the overall customer experience resulting in maximization of the customers life time value Similarly, customer data integration also makes a positive impact on the bottom line of a life insurance company by: Streamlining the service centers and leading to shorter call times, resulting in increased customer profitability; and Savings in several operational areas such as claims Figure 10 displays the benefits of customer data integration as it applied to the organization. To further elaborate on how insurers can leverage from customer data integration let us demonstrate its effect on the following areas of the company: Product and Service Offerings: A typical product development process at an insurer is described in Figure 11. The figure highlights the data required from various sub-systems for product development. Data integration reduces the time required for product development using improved analytics. In short the insurer can have the first mover advantage by reducing the product development lifecycle. Insurers also spend a significant amount of time in customizing enrolment materials, benefit summaries, and claim submission forms and reports for a major customer. These activities have a high cost as they require the services of sales, underwriting, compliance, and legal and can wipe out the entire cash flows and profit expectations of the insurer. Here, data integration plays a significant role in formally defining, marketing and tracking these services and developing them. Data integration allows the insurer to integrate information about its target customers and their use of high cost services and bundles these services with the product to improve the pricing model. This enables an insurer to recover its costs incurred in designing the product and services while providing high end customers with value added services at the same time. For example, Eurovida[15], a Portuguese life insurer and part of Grupo Banco Popular faced a challenge of providing its customers with the right products in the most cost effective ways while driving growth, profitability and shareholder value. It was only after they deployed an activity-based management system were they able to consolidate customer and product data thereby determining the profitability of products and the costs incurred in delivering the product and service to the target customers. Marketing and Sales: An immediate advantage of customer data integration in the life insurance industry is the ability to detect and consol

Strategies for Welding Aluminium

Strategies for Welding Aluminium CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION OF THE FSW TECHNIQUE In todays modern world there are many different welding techniques to join metals. They range from the conventional oxyacetylene torch welding to laser welding. The two general categories in which all the types of welding can be divided is fusion welding and solid state welding. The fusion welding process involves chemical bonding of the metal in the molten stage and may need a filler material such as a consumable electrode or a spool of wire of the filler material, the process may also need a inert ambience in order to avoid oxidation of the molten metal, this could be achieved by a flux material or a inert gas shield in the weld zone, there could be need for adequate surface preparations, examples of fusion welding are metal inert gas welding (MIG), tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) and laser welding. There are many disadvantages in the welding techniques where the metal is heated to its melting temperatures and let it solidify to form the joint. The melting and solidification causes the mechanical properties of the weld to deteriorate such as low tensile strength, fatigue strength and ductility. The disadvantages also include porosity, oxidation, microsegregation, hot cracking and other microstructural defects in the joint. The process also limits the comb ination of the metals that can be joined because of the different thermal coefficients of conductivity and expansion of different metals. The solid state welding is the process where coalescence is produced at temperatures below the melting temperatures of the base metal with out any need for the filler material or any inert ambience because the metal does not reach its melting temperature for the oxidation to occur, examples of solid state welding are friction welding, explosion welding, forge welding, hot pressure welding and ultrasonic welding. The three important parameters time, temperature and pressure individually or in combinations produce the joint in the base metal. As the metal in solid state welding does not reach its melting temperatures so there are fewer defects caused due to the melting and solidification of the metal. In solid state welding the metals being joined retain their original properties as melting does not occur in the joint and the heat affected zone (HAZ) is also very small compared to fusion welding techniques where most of the deterioration of the strengths and ductility begins. Dissimila r metals can be joined with ease as the thermal expansion coefficients and the thermal conductivity coefficients are less important as compared to fusion welding. Friction stir welding (FSW) is an upgraded version of friction welding. The conventional friction welding is done by moving the parts to be joined relative to each other along a common interface also applying compressive forces across the joint. The frictional heat generated at the interface due to rubbing softens the metal and the soft metal gets extruded due to the compressive forces and the joint forms in the clear material, the relative motion is stopped and compressive forces are increased to form a sound weld before the weld is allowed to cool. Friction stir welding is also a solid state welding processes; this remarkable upgradation of friction welding was invented in 1991 in The Welding Institute (TWI) [4]. The process starts with clamping the plates to be welded to a backing plate so that the plates do not fly away during the welding process. A rotating wear resistant tool is plunged on the interface between the plates to a predetermined depth and moves forward in the interface between the plates to form the weld. The advantages of FSW technique is that it is environment friendly, energy efficient, there is no necessity for gas shielding for welding Al, mechanical properties as proven by fatigue, tensile tests are excellent, there is no fume, no porosity, no spatter and low shrinkage of the metal due to welding in the solid state of the metal and an excellent way of joining dissimilar and previously unweldable metals. 1.2 ALUMINUM ALLOYS AND WELDING OF ALUMINUM ALLOYS Aluminum is the most abundant metal available in the earths crust, steel was the most used metal in 19th century but Aluminium has become a strong competitor for steel in engineering applications. Aluminium has many attractive properties compared to steel it is economical and versatile to use that is the reason it is used a lot in the aerospace, automobile and other industries. The most attractive properties of aluminum and its alloys which make them suitable for a wide variety of applications are their light weight, appearance, frabricability, strength and corrosion resistance. The most important property of aluminum is its ability to change its properties in a very versatile manner; it is amazing how much the properties can change from the pure aluminum metal to its most complicate alloys. There are more then a couple of hundreds alloys of aluminum alloys and many are being modified form them internationally. Aluminium alloys have very low density compared to steel it has almost on e thirds the density of steel. Properly treated alloys of aluminum can resist the oxidation process which steel can not resist; it can also resist corrosion by water, salt and other factors. There are many different methods available for joining aluminum and its alloys. The selection of the method depends on many factors such as geometry and the material of the parts to be joined, required strength of the joint, permanent or dismountable joint, number of parts to be joined, the aesthetic appeal of the joint and the service conditions such as moisture, temperature, inert atmosphere and corrosion. Welding is one of the most used methods for aluminum. Most alloys of aluminum are easily weldable. MIG and TIG are the welding processes which are used the most, but there are some problems associated with this welding process like porosity, lack of fusion due to oxide layers, incomplete penetration, cracks, inclusions and undercut, but they can be joined by other methods such as resistance welding, friction welding, stud welding and laser welding. When welding many physical and chemical changes occur such as oxide formation, dissolution of hydrogen in molten aluminum and lack of color change when heated. The formation of oxides of aluminum is because of its strong affinity to oxygen, aluminum oxidizes very quickly after it has been exposed to oxygen. Aluminum oxide forms if the metal is joined using fusion welding processes, and aluminum oxide has a high melting point temperature than the metal and its alloys it self so it results in incomplete fusion if present when joined by fusion welding processes. Aluminum oxide is a electrical insulator if it is thick enough it is capable of preventing the arc which starts the welding process, so special methods such as inert gas welding, or use of fluxes is necessary if aluminum has to be welded using the fusion welding processes. Hydrogen has high solubility in liquid aluminum when the weld pool is at high temperature and the metal is still in liquid state the metal absorbs lots of hydrogen which has very low solubility in the solid state of the metal. The trapped hydrogen can not escape and forms porosity in the weld. All the sources of hydrogen has to be eliminated in order to get sound welds such as lubricants on base metal or the filler material, moisture on the surface of base metal or condensations inside the welding equipment if it uses water cooling and moisture in the shielding inert gases. These precautions require considerable pretreatment of the workpiece to be welded and the welding equipment. Hot cracking is also a problem of major concern when welding aluminum, it occurs due to the high thermal expansion of aluminum, large change in the volume of the metal upon melting and solidification and its wide range of solidification temperatures. The heat treatable alloys have greater amounts of alloying elements so the weld crack sensitivity is of concern. The thermal expansion of aluminum is twice that of steel, in fusion welding process the melting and cooling occurs very fast which is the reason for residual stress concentrations. Weldability of some aluminum alloys is an issue with the fusion welding processes. The 2000 series, 5000 series, 6000 series and 7000 series of aluminum alloys have different weldabilities. The 2000 series of aluminum alloys have poor weldability generally because of the cooper content which causes hot cracking and poor solidification microstructure and porosity in the fusion zone so the fusion welding processes are not very suitable for these alloys. The 5000 series of aluminum alloys with more than 3% of Mg content is susceptible to cracking due to stress concentration in corrosive environments, so high Mg alloys of 5000 series of aluminum should not be exposed to corrosive environments at high temperatures to avoid stress corrosion cracking. All the 6000 series of aluminum are readily weldable but are some times susceptible to hot cracking under certain conditions. The 7000 series of aluminum are both weldable and non-weldable depending on the chemical composition of the alloy. Alloys with low Zn-Mg and Cu content are readily weldable and they have the special ability of recovering the strength lost in the HAZ after some weeks of storage after the weld. Alloys with high Zn-Mg and Cu content have a high tendency to hot crack after welding. All the 7000 series of aluminum have the sensitivity to stress concentration cracking. All these problems associated with the welding of these different alloys of aluminum has lead to the development of solid state welding processes like Friction Stir Welding technique which is an upgraded version of the friction welding processes. This process has many advantages associated with it, and it can weld many aluminum alloys such as 2000 and 7000 series which are difficult to weld by fusion welding processes. The advantages of the Friction Stir Welding processes are low distortion even in long welds, no fuse, no porosity, no spatter, low shrinkage, can operate in all positions, very energy efficient and excellent mechanical properties as proven by the fatigue, tension and bend tests. 1.3 Conventional Welding Processes of Aluminum A brief description of the most common processes, their applications on aluminum and limitations are given below. 1.3.1 Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW): In gas tungsten arc welding process the heat generated by an arc, which is maintained between the workpiece and a non-consumable tungsten, electrode is used to fuse the joint area. The arc is sustained in an inert gas, which serves to protect the weld pool and the electrode from atmospheric contamination as shown in Figure 2.3. The process has the following features: It is conducted in a chemically inert atmosphere; The arc energy density is relatively high; The process is very controllable; Joint quality is usually high; Deposition rates and joint completion rates are low. The process may be applied to the joining of a wide range of engineering materials including stainless steel, aluminum alloys and reactive metals such as titanium. These features of the process lead to its widespread application in aerospace, nuclear reprocessing and power generation industries as well as in the fabrication of chemical process plant, food processing and brewing equipment. 1.3.2 Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW): Shielded metal arc welding has for many years been one of the most common techniques applied to the fabrication of steels. The process uses an arc as the heat source but shielding is provided by gases generated by the decomposition of the electrode coating material and by the slag produced by the melting of mineral constituents of the coating. In addition to heating and melting the parent material the arc also melts the core of the electrode and thereby provides filler material for the joint. The electrode coating may also be used as source of alloying elements and additional filler material. The flux and electrode chemistry may be formulated to deposit wear- and corrosion-resistant layers for surface protection as shown in Figure 2.4. Significant features of the process are: Equipment requirement are simple; A large range of consumables are available; The process is extremely portable; The operating efficiency is low; It is labor intensive. For these reasons the process has been traditionally used in structural steel fabrication, shipbuilding and heavy engineering as well as for small batch production and maintenance. 1.3.3 Plasma welding: Plasma welding uses the heat generated by a constricted arc to fuse the joint area; the arc is formed between the tip of a non-consumable electrode and either the work piece or the constricting nozzle as shown in Figure 2.5. A wide range of shielding and cutting gases is used depending on the mode of operation and the application. In the normal transferred arc mode the arc is maintained between the electrode and the work piece; the electrode is usually the cathode and the work piece is connected to the positive side of the power supply. In this mode a high energy density is achieved and the process may be used effectively for welding and cutting. The features of the process depend on the operating mode and the current, but in summary the plasma process has the following characteristics: Good low-current arc stability Improved directionality compared with GTAW Improved melting efficiency compared with GTAW Possibility of keyhole welding The keyhole technique is the high heat concentration can penetrate completely through the joint. These features of the process make it suitable for a range of applications including the joining of very thin materials, the encapsulation of electronic components and sensors, and high- speed longitudinal welds on strip and pipe. 1.3.4 Laser welding The laser may be used as an alternative heat source for fusion welding. The focused power density of the laser can reach 1010 or 1012 Wm-2 and welding is often carried out using the keyhole technique. Significant features of laser welding are: Very confined heat source at low power Deep penetration at high power Reduced distortion and thermal damage Out-of-vacuum technique High equipment cost These features have led to the application of leaders for micro joining of electronic components, but the process is also being applied to the fabrication of automotive components and precision machine tool parts in heavy section steel. 1.4 Weld Defects using Conventional Processes Because of a history of thermal cycling and attendant micro structural changes, a welded joint may develop certain discontinuities. Welding discontinuities can also be caused by inadequate or careless application of established welding technologies or substandard operator training. The major discontinuities that affect weld quality are described below. 1.4.1 Porosity: Trapped gases released during melting of the weld area and trapped during solidification, chemical reactions during welding, or contaminants, cause porosity in welds. Most welded joints contain some porosity, which is generally spherical in shape or in the form of elongated pockets. The distribution of porosity in the weld zone may be random, or it may be concentrated in a certain region. Porosity in welds can be reduced by the following methods: Proper selection of electrodes and filler metals. Improving welding techniques, such as preheating the weld area or increasing the rate of heat input. Proper cleaning and preventing contaminants from entering the weld zone. Slowing the welding speed to allow time for gas to escape.8 1.4.2 Slag inclusions: Slag inclusions are compounds such as oxides, fluxes, and electrode-coating materials that are trapped in the weld zone. If shielding gases are not effective during welding, contamination from the environment may also contribute to such inclusions. Welding conditions are important, and with proper techniques the molten slag will float to the surface of the molten weld metal and not be entrapped. Slag inclusions may be prevented by: Cleaning the weld-bead surface before the next layer is deposited by using a hand or power wire brush. Providing adequate shielding gas. Redesigning the joint to permit sufficient space for proper manipulation of the puddle of molten weld metal. 1.4.3. Incomplete fusion and penetration: A better weld can be obtained by: Raising the temperature of the base metal. Cleaning the weld area prior to welding. Changing the joint design and type of electrode. Providing adequate shielding gas. Incomplete occurs when the depth of the welded joint is insufficient. Penetration can be improved by: Increasing the heat input. Lowering travel speed during welding. Changing the joint design. Ensuring that surfaces to be joined fit properly.8 1.4.4 Weld profile: Weld profile is important not only because of its effects on the strength and appearance of the weld, but also because it can indicate incomplete fusion or the presence of slag inclusions in multiple-layer welds. Under filling results when the joint is not filled with the proper amount of weld metal Figure 2.7. Undercutting results from melting away the base metal and subsequently generating a groove in the shape of recess or notch. Unless it is not deep or sharp, an undercut can act as a stress raiser and reduce the fatigue strength of the joint and may lead to premature failure. Overlap is a surface discontinuity generally caused by poor welding practice and selection of the wrong materials. A proper weld is shown in Figure 2.7c.5 1.4.5 Cracks: Cracks may occur in various locations and direction in the weld area. The types of cracks are typically longitudinal, transverse, crater, and toe cracks Figure 2.8. These cracks generally result from a combination of the following factors: Temperature gradients that cause thermal stresses in the weld zone. Variations in the composition of the weld zone that cause different contractions. Embitterment of grain boundaries by segregation of elements, such as sulfur, to the grain boundaries as the solid-liquid boundary moves when the weld metal begins to solidify. Hydrogen embitterment. Inability of the weld metal to contract during cooling is a situation similar to hot tears that develops in castings and related to excessive restraint of the work piece. (a) crater cracks. (b)Various types of cracks in butt and T joints.8 Cracks are classified as hot or cold cracks. Hot cracks occur while the joint is still at elevated temperatures. Cold cracks develop after the weld metal has solidified. Some crack prevention measures are: Change the joint design to minimize stresses from shrinkage during cooling. Change welding-process parameters, procedures, and sequence. Preheat components being welded. Avoid rapid cooling of the components after welding.8 1.4.6 Lameller tears: In describing the anisotropy of plastically deformed metals, we stated that because of the alignment of nonmetallic impurities and inclusions (stringers), the work piece is weaker when tested in its thickness direction. This condition is particularly evident in rolled plates and structural shapes. In welding such components, lamellar tears may develop because of shrinkage of the members in the members or by changing the joint design to make the weld bead penetrate the wearer member more deeply.8 1.4.7 Surface damage: During welding, some of the metal may spatter and be deposited as small droplets on adjacent surfaces. In arc welding possess, the electrode may inadvertently contact the parts being welded at places not in the weld zone (arc strikes). Such surface discontinuities may be objectionable for reasons of appearance or subsequent use of the welded part. If severe, these discontinuities may adversely affect the properties of the welded structure, particularly for notch-sensitive metals. Using proper welding techniques and procedures is important in avoiding surface damage.8 1.5 Skill and Training requirements: Many of the traditional welding processes required high levels of operator skill and dexterity, this can involve costly training programs, particularly when the procedural requirement described above need to be met. The newer processes can offer some reduction in the overall skill requirement but this unfortunately been replaced in some cases by more complex equipment and the time involved in establishing the process parameters has brought about a reduction in operating factor. Developments, which seek to simplify the operation of the equipment, will be described below but effective use of even the most advanced processes and equipment requires appropriate levels of operator and support staff training. The cost of this training will usually be recovered very quickly in improved productivity and quality. 1.6 Areas for development: Advances in welding processes may be justified in: Increased deposition rate; Reduced cycle time; Improved process control; Reduced repair rate; Reduced weld size; Reduced joint preparation time; Improved operating factor; Reduction in post-weld operations; Reduction in potential safety hazards; Removal of the operator from hazardous area; Simplified equipment setting. Some or all these requirement have been met in many of the process developments which have occurred in the ten years; these will be described in detail in the following chapters but the current trends in the of this technology are examined below. 1.7 New processes: The Primary incentive for welding process development is the need to improve the total cost effectiveness of joining operations in requirement for new processes. Recently, concern over the safety of the welding environment and the potential shortage of skilled technicians and operator in many countries have become important considerations. Many of the traditional welding techniques described in this Chapter are regarded as costly and hazardous and it is possible to improve both of these aspects significantly by employing some of the advanced process developments described in the following chapters. The use of new joining techniques such as Friction Stir Welding appears to be increasing since it does not involve melting. The application of these processes has in the past been restricted, but with the increased recognition of the benefits of automation and the requirement for high-integrity joints in newer materials it is envisaged that the use of these techniques will grow. This is a new process originally intended for welding of aerospace alloys, especially aluminum extrusions. Whereas in conventional friction welding, heating of interfaces is achieved through friction by rubbing two surfaces, in the FSW process, a third body is rubbed against the two surfaces to be joined in the form of a small rotating non-consumable tool that is plunged into the joint. The contact pressure causes frictional heating. The probe at the tip of the rotating tool forces heating and mixing or stirring of the material in the joint. 1.8 Research objectives: The objectives of our project are to: Adopt FSW to a milling machine Design the FSW tools, select its material and have it manufactured Design the required clamping system Apply FSW to plates of an alloy that is not readily weldable by conventional methods Investigate FSW parameters (RPM, Feed Rate and Axial force) Analyze conventionally welded and Friction Stir welded sections then compare their properties. The objective of this research is to characterize the mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints and study the micro structure of the base metal and the weld nugget evolved during the friction stir welding of similar and dissimilar alloys of Aluminum. Aluminum 2024 and 7075 are considered for this investigation. The mechanical properties such as ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, formability, ductility and vickers hardness are measured and an effort is made to find out a relation between the process variables and properties of the weld. The optimal process parameters for the Friction-Stir welding of AA2024 and AA7075 will be defined based on the experimental results. Having understood the significance of FSP, the main objective of this thesis is to investigate the effect of process parameters like rotational and translational speeds on the forces generated during FSP of aluminum alloys and relate these forces with the microstructure evolved in order to optimize the process. The specific objectives of the work presented are: Design and conduct FS processing experiments on aluminum alloy for different combinations of rotational and translation speeds. Measuring the generated processing forces during FSP of aluminum alloys Examine the microstructural of the processed sheets using transmission electron microscope (TEM). Attempt to establish a correlation between these measured forces and the resulting microstructure. Chapter 2 Review of Literature 2.1 General Idea of the Friction Stir Technology This section gives an insight into the innovative technology called friction stir technology. The action of rubbing two objects together causing friction to provide heat is one dating back many centuries as stated by Thomas et.al [1]. The principles of this method now form the basis of many traditional and novel friction welding, surfacing and processing techniques. The friction process is an efficient and controllable method of plasticizing a specific area on a material, and thus removing contaminants in preparation for welding, surfacing/cladding or extrusion. The process is environmentally friendly as it does not require consumables (filler wire, flux or gas) and produces no fumes. In friction welding, heat is produced by rubbing components together under load. Once the required temperature and material deformation is reached, the action is terminated and the load is maintained or increased to create a solid phase bond. Friction is ideal for welding dissimilar metals with very different melting temperatures and physical properties. Some of the friction stir technologies ar e shown in the Fig.2-1. Work carried out at TWI by Thomas et.al [2,3] has demonstrated that several alternative techniques exist or are being developed to meet the requirement for consistent and reliable joining of mass production aluminum alloy vehicle bodies. Three of these techniques (mechanical fasteners, lasers and friction stir welding) are likely to make an impact in industrial processing over the next 5 years. FSW could be applied in the manufacture of straight-line welds in sheet and extrusions as a low cost alternative to arc welding (e.g. in the fabrication of truck floors or walls). The development of robotized friction stir welding heads could extend the range of applications into three dimensional components. Mishra et.al [4] extended the FSW innovation to process Al 7075 and Al 5083 in order to render them superplastic. They observed that the grains obtained were recrystallized, equiaxed and homogeneous with average grain sizes

Comparing Choice in One Hundred Years of Solitude and Thousand Cranes :: comparison compare contrast essays

Choice in One Hundred Years of Solitude and Thousand Cranes       The issue of choice arises when comparing Gabriel Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude and Yasunari Kawabata's Thousand Cranes. The men in each novel forever seem to be repeating the lives of their male ancestors. These cycles reveal that man as a being, just like the mythological heros, has no true choice in the ultimate course his life will take. The male characters' personal development is overshadowed by the identity of their ancestors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since the beginning of time, man has clung to the notion that there exists some external force that determines his destiny. In Grecian times, the epic poet Hesoid wrote of a triumvirate of mythological Fates that supposedly gave "to men at birth evil and good to have". In other words, these three granted man his destiny. Clotho "spun the thread of life", Lacheis distributed the lots, and Atropos with his "abhorred shears" would "cut the thread at death"(Hamilton-43). All efforts to avoid the Fates were in vain. In every case their sentence would eventually be delivered. And it appears that once the Fates' ballot had been cast, the characters in Greek myths had no chance for redemption. One must wonder if man, like the Greeks portrayed, has any real choice in determining how he lives. That issue of choice arises when comparing Gabriel Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude and Yasunari Kawabata's Thousand Cranes. The men in Yasunari Kawabata's Thousand Cranes and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude forever seem to be repeating the lives of their male ancestors. These cycles reveal that man as a being, just like the mythological heros, has no true choice in the ultimate course his life will take. The male characters' personal development is overshadowed by the identity of their ancestors. Clotho, it appears, has recycled some of her spinning thread. The new male generations, superficially, are perceived to be woven of like design. Kikuji Mitani and the male Buendia's face communities that remember their ancestors. As a result, their unique communities inadvertently compare the actions of the sons to their respective fathers', having recognized the apparent similarities. Eclipsed by his father's aura, within his village, Kikuji's identity has no separate definition. To most townsfolk, like those at Chikako's tea ceremony, Kikuji exists as "Old Mr. Mitani's son"(16). He and his father are therefore viewed as essentially the same person.

Self-discovery in Shakespeares King Lear :: King Lear essays

Self-discovery in King Lear Through the course of the play, King Lear goes through a process of attaining self-knowledge, or true vision of one's self and the world. With this knowledge, he goes through a change of person, much like a caterpillar into a butterfly. In the beginning, King Lear's vanity, and the image and exercise of power dominate his person. But a series of losses (based on his own bad decisions), a "fool" of a conscious, a powerful storm, a "supposed" crazy man, and the death of the one who truly loved him, clear his vision and allow him to see the himself and the world as they truly are. The pain and suffering endured by Lear eventually tears down his strength and sanity. Lear is not as strong, arrogant, and filled with pride as he was in the beginning of the play instead he is weak, scared, and a confused old man. At the end of the play Lear has completely lost his sanity with the loss of his daughter Cordelia and this is the thing that breaks Lear and leads to his death. In the beginning, King Lear shows his need for praise is how he chooses to divide his kingdom among his daughters. The one who praises him with the most "gusto" shall receive the largest area of land. This is even more evident when you consider that he already has divided up the kingdom before the praising even begins. As evident as he gives each daughter her land before hearing the next daughter's praise. Thus the who thing is just a show and an ego boost to himself. It is because of his love for praise that makes him react so strongly to Cordelia and Kent when they do not act as he would like them to. It could be said he is like a child who doesn't remember all that his family has done for them, but only sees them saying no to a piece of candy. In the play, this is shown in his banishment of Cordelia and Kent. Kent is probably one of the most loyal people in the room (not to mention his kingdom), and it is Cordelia that truly does love Lear. But because they choose not to contribute to this "ego trip", they are banished. In fact, he threatens to kill Cordelia if she is found in ten days. Lear says, "Upon our kingdom; if, on the tenth day following, Thy banished trunk be found in our dominions, The moment of thy death.

Basic Principles Of Democracy :: essays research papers

The United States of America has five basic principles which ensure the ability of the country. The basic foundations: fundamental worth, equality of all persons, majority rule minority rights, necessity of compromise, and ividual freedom. This paper reviews three of the five principles: majority rule and minority rights, individual freedom, and necessity of compromise. Two of these cases of individual freedom plus majority rule and minority rights the United States has failed to uphold. The third case on individual freedom is an undecided case at this point. The United States must not ignore these ations’ importance making judicial decision or the stability of the country is at risk.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Majority rule and minority rights is a basic foundation of democracy. A general concept of this foundation is that the popular vote will be the deciding party in most cases. Along with this concept the minority of the people will maintain certain basic human rights that will not be compromised by the popular vote. A challenge to this principle occurred when Asheville City district zoning was voted on many years ago, and unfortunately was passed. The rules and restrictions that are accompanied by zoning are phenomenal. In many cases the taxes rise depending on how property is zoned. For example, if property is zoned as commercial property the taxes are considerably higher than if property was in a residential area. Consequently the minority here is being punished. More permits must be acquired and plans must be approved before anything can be done to ones own land. Zoning was voted in by the majority, however the minority’s rights were not completely maintained. People need to maintain certain basic rights, and these rights pertain to what they may do to their property. Justification of how the government failed to honor this basic foundation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Individual freedom is by far one of the most important foundations to a democracy’s survival. Individual freedom is difficult to define, though a general meaning is illustrated by a quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes, â€Å"The right to swing my fist ends where another man’s nose begins.† Enforcing people to wear their seat belt against their will is an example of how America has failed to secure the one of most important foundation of democracy. People should have the right to choose whether or not they wear their seat belt. The American government and the North Carolina government specifically passed a law which makes all passengers in the front seat, no matter what age, wear their safety belts.

LAN Based Inventory System Essay

1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Problem Nowadays, computerized system is the main tool that will help to lessen the work and improve data integrity. Working in a company that has no system takes a lot of time and effort to retrieve the data that they want because the large part of the process of the business is manual. MIS (Management Information System) Office is divided into three (3) sections: Systems Development and Administration Section, Network and Technical Maintenance Section, and Education and Training Section. The project will only focus on one of the three sections, which is the Network and Technical Maintenance Section. . MISO caters their services and requests to other Local Government Offices and National Agencies within the Pasig City Hall. Some of these departments and offices are the License Office, Treasurer’s Office, Accounting Office, National Statistics Office (NSO), etc. Network and Technical Maintenance is having a hard time in keeping their records since all of it is written down on paper. Whenever they need to look for a specific report, they would have to go through the pile of service records in the office. This consumes too much time. All requests for peripheral devices, such as printers, keyboards, and monitors, are in the form of a letter, and all requests for services like troubleshooting and installation will either be in the form of a letter or a phone call. The Network and Technical Maintenance Section mostly considers the allocation and monitoring of peripheral devices as their major problem in the office. Technicians cannot define clearly whether a specific peripheral device is lost, damaged, for disposal, etc. 1.2 Overview of the Current State of the Technology MIS Office is responsible for research, development, implementation and management of integrated computerized application system of the city government. It is in-charge of providing technical information and education  to the city government employees and its constituents of all barangay through the Computer Literacy Programs. The office is responsible for maintaining the existing data network communication in different offices where the computerized system are installed and used, and updates/coordinates with the contractor of the Network Installation for troubleshooting and preventive maintenance. It is also in-charge of evaluating, monitoring and maintaining all computer equipment and directs the utilization of Information Technology (IT) in the different government operation of Pasig City. The department that needs to request a peripheral device is required to provide a letter of request to the Head of MIS office. If the Head of MIS office approved their request, the technician will check if the devices are available and if so, the technician will record and deploy the devices on the designated office. Network and Technical Maintenance Section is only authorized to do all the technical support. If they are going to deploy a device, they have to record to the inventory the peripheral device that they pulled-out. By recording the device, they have to write on the log book all the information needed like type of peripheral device, serial number, name of office, borrowed date, name of technician in-charge, and remarks. To do technical service, the department that needs technical support will call to MIS office and request a technician. The technician should have the service slip before they go to the other department. If the problem can be fixed within the office, the technician will fill-up the form and indicate what they have done. The employee who requested for support will confirm and sign in the service slip. But if it cannot be fixed within the area, the device will be pulled-out to the designated office and will be brought to the MIS office. After bringing the device to the MIS office, the technician will record or log in the information of the peripheral device on the log book and if the device is already fixed, the technician will log-out or return the device to the office.