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The general safety measures taken during civil engineering construction.

The following safety measures are taken during civil engineering construction. (i) Suitable scaffolds should be provided for workmen. (ii) When ladder are used, it should be provided with foot holds and hand holds and inclination of one is to four (1 horizontal : 4 vertical) be provided. (iii) The scaffolding should be properly supported and shall have a guard rail property attached to it. (iv) Every opening in floor of a building should be provided with suitable means to prevent the fall of persons or materials. (v) Fencing and lights shall be provided to protect the public from accident. (vi) The excavated material shall not be placed within 1.5m of the edge of the trench or half the depth whichever is more to avoid collapse of sides due to surcharge. (vii) No undermining or undercutting shall be allowed. (viii) All roads and open areas adjacent to any side where demolition is to be carried out, must be closed or suitably protected. (ix) No electrical cable etc. shall remain electric...

Unit Rate Contract

UNIT RATE CONTRACT: Such contracts are drawn from PWD-8. As far as possible all tenders except for small works should be invited on this form. The contractor is required to quote separate individual rates for the different items appearing in the schedule of quantities. The contractor will not be in a position to quote the rate unless he analyses it in detail. The element of inherent uncertainity and guess is ruled out completely. It is possible to compare the rates as per schedule of rates, prevailing market rates and the contractors quoted rates for better appreciation of tender. Thus, the approach is more scientific. The only draw back in this case is 'front loading of tenders' i.e. the rate quoted by the contractor are more for the items to be executed at the start of work. The risk involved in such cases is abounding the work the contractor.  

Master Production Schedule

The Master Production Schedule file contains the master production schedule for each product. The master production schedule (MPS) for a product specifies how much of the end product is needed or is to be produced and when. The MPS is derived from the aggregate production plan based on demand forecast, customer's orders and capacity limitation. The MPS is divided into time periods called time buckets. These time buckets are usually conventional units of time, most frequently weeks, one day, two week and one month time buckets are quite common. The time buckets need not be the same for the entire schedule. The planning horizon for an MPS should be atleast as the cumulative lead time for the product. The cumulative lead time is the amount of time required from when the first procurement or production activity must occur until the end product is produced.  

Classification of bricks. The characteristics of A class bricks.

The bricks are classified as per their compressive strength. Bricks of various strengths are designated as bricks of class designation 'XX' where XX stands for average compressive strength in N/sqmm. The class designation 100 vary from 35 to 3.5 and are available in 35, 30, 25, 20, 17.5, 15, 12.5, 10, 7.5, 5 and 3.5. Characteristics of A class bricks: 1. They should have smooth rectangular faces and sharp corners and uniform in colour and size. 2. They should emit a clear ringing sound when struck with each other. 3. They should not absorb water more than 20% of their dry weight. 4. The efflorescence in the bricks should not be more than 'moderate'. 5. They should have an average compressive strength of 10N/sqmm. 6. They should be free from wrapage, flaws, visible cracks, nodules of free lime and organic matter.  

Policy/ Procedure recommended to improve the inventory operation in a departmental store.

Policy/ Procedure recommended to improve the inventory operation: The various steps are as follows: (i) Items with no issues and receipts in last year should be identified in the beginning of the financial year. (ii) In the cases, where items have been received without any issues, matter should be investigated. These investigation may reveal either of the following: (a) Items are few and new project utilization is expected to be started in near future. (b) Items are received for the production planned a few months later. (c) The item is a replacement for an obsolete item, but will be issued only after existing stock of the obsolete item is exhausted. (d) The item is for a product whose production has been suspended or delayed due to temporary slump in the demand. (e) Items are supplied much ahead of the requirement. (f) The item is not required. The immediate action is called for the case (d) and (e) by rescheduling the deliveries and reducing the total order quantities. In case of (f)...

The process of manufacturing of building bricks.

Manufacture of Bricks: The following distinct operations are required in the process of manufacturing of bricks. 1. Selection of site 2. Preparation of brick clay 3. Moulding of bricks 4. Drying of bricks 5. Burning of bricks 1. Selection of site: Site should be so selected that soil of suitable properties is available in sufficient quantity. The workers employed on the job should have all the facilities nearby. Fuel in abundance should be available as near the site as possible. The water table during burning session is atleast 1m below the floor of the kiln. 2. Preparation of brick clay:   IS 2117 suggest that the brick clay should be prepared in two stages. (a) Weathering: The soil is dug out and exposed to weather for softening or mellowing for a period of about 4 weeks. The soil is turned at least twice during the above period and is kept wet. The big clods under the atmospheric agencies action disintegrate to make a uniform mass. In the process the impurities also get elimina...

Support of linear programming in a site selection problem.

Linear Programming Technique :  Linear Programming providing a means of finding optimum solution to practical problems. It can be used in a situation where it is required to maximize or minimize some quantity which is a function of a set of variables, subjected to certain rules or constraints. The quantity to be maximized or minimized is known as the objective function, and takes the form of a linear equation. The constraints can be written as a series of linear equations or inequalities. Every linear programming problem has its original or primial solution and also a dual. If the primal problem in one of maximisation the dual will be one of minimisation and vice versa, so that dual can be thought as the primal problem turned inside out. The formation of location problems in linear programming terms help to reveal something of their general nature, stressing their common structural characteristics. Linear programming can be used for solving plant location problem such as: (i) The l...

Process of underwater concrete construction.

Underwater Consrete Construction: The comcrete should have a slump equivalent of very high degree of workability. The w-c ratio shall not exceed 0.6 and may need to be less depending upon the grade of concrete or type of chemical attack. For aggregate of 40mm maximum particle size, the cement content shall be atleast 350kg/cum of concrete. Coffer dams or forms shall be sufficiently tight to ensure still water if practicable, and in any case to reduce the flow of water to less than 3m/min through the space into which concrete is to be deposited. Coffer-dams or forms in still water shall be sufficiently tight to prevent loss of mortar through the walls. De-watering by pumping shall not be done while concrete is being placed or until 24 hour thereafter. Concrete cast underwater should not fall freely through the water. Otherwise it may be leached and become segregated. Concrete shall be deposited continuously until it is brought to the required height. While depositing, the top surface sh...

The merits and limitations of trait-based and objective based appraisal systems.

  Appraising on the basis of performance against objective has the great advantage of being operational. Appraisals are not apart from the job that managers do but are a review of what they did as managers. There are always questions of how well a person did ; of whether goals were missed or accomplished, and for what reasons; and of how much in the way of goal attainment should be expected. But information about what a  person has done, measured against what that individual agreed was a reasonable target available. This information furnishes strong presumptions of objectivity and reduces the element of pure judgement in appraisal which gives better visibility to managerial needs, development programmes can be better pinpointed. There are certain weaknesses in the implementation of objective based appraisal. One of them is that it is entirely possible for persons to meet a miss goals through no fault of their own luck which often plays a part in performance. For example a new ...

Fibre Reinforced Concrete

Fibre reinforced concrete is a composite material essentially consisting of conventional concrete or mortar reinforced by random dispersal of short, discontinuous and discrete fine fibres of 25-50mm long and 0.25 to 0.50 mm in diameter, consisting of 4 to 5% weight and of specific geometry. The fibres interlock and entangle around aggregate particles and considerably reduce the normal workability while mix becomes more cohesive and less prone to segregation. The fibres suitable for reinforcing the concrete have been produced froom steel, glass and organic polymers. Naturally occuring asbestos and vegetable fibres, such as jute are also used for reinforcement. Steel, carbon and glass have higher elastic moduli than cement mortar matrix and polypropylene and vegetable fibres are low modulus fibres. High modulus fibres improve both flexural and impact resistance simultaneously whereas low modulus fibre improve impact resistance of concrete but do not contribute much to flexural strength. ...

The purpose of staffing. The factors to be incorporated in the staffing system.

The purpose of staffing refers to the following: (i) Recruitment (ii) Training and retraining. (iii) Motivating the people, in order to introduce self control. (iv) To place right persons in right positions. (v) To promote deserving persons on vacant posts. (vi) Develop persons for the better prospects of the individual as well as of organisation.  Process of staffing is affected by several environmental factors. These factors can be grouped into following two categories: (i) External environmental factors: External environmental factors affect staffing to various degrees. these factors can be grouped into educational, socio-cultural, legal political and economical factors. (i.e. economic constrains or opportunities). (ii) Internal environmental factors: Staffing is also affected due to promotion policy i.e. whether the promotion from within the organisation or through open competition. Other main factors that affects the staffing are: Organisational goals, tasks, technology, org...

The process of manufacturing of rolled steel sections.

Following stages are involved in the process of manufacture of rolled steel sections. The purpose of giving mechanical treatment to the steel is to give desired shape to the ingots so as to make steel available in market forms. The mechanical treatment of steel may be hot working or cold working. The hot working is very common.  Following are the operations involved in the mechanical treatment of steel: 1. Drawing: This operation is carried out to reduce the cross section and to increase the length proportionately. In this operation, the metal is drawn through dyes or specially shaped tools. The drawin is continued till wire of required diameter or cross section is obtained. This process is used to prepare wires and rods.  2. Forging: This operation is carried out by repeated blows under a power hammer or a press. The metal is heated above the critical temperature range. It is then placed on anvil and subjected to blows of a hammer. This process increases the density and imp...

The function and uses of various admixtures used in concrete.

Admixture is a material other than water, aggregates and hydraulic cement abd additives like pozzolana or slag and fibre reinforcement used as an ingredient of concrete or mortar and added to the batch immediately before or during its mixing to modify one or more of the different types of admixtures are as follows: (a) Accelerating Admixtures or Accelerators: An admixture when added to concrete, mortar or grout. increases the rate of hydration of a hydraulic cement, shortens the time to set, or increase the rate of hardening or strength development. (b) Retarding Admixture or Retarder: An admixture which delays the setting of cement paste, and hence of mixtures, such as mortar or concrete containing cement. (c) Water Reducing Admixture or Workability Aid: An admixture which either increases workability of freshly mixed mortar or concrete without increasing water content or maintain workability with reduced amount of water. (d) Air-Entraining Admixtures: An admixture for concrete or...

How to prepare good quality concrete?

How to prepare good quality concrete? The concrete as such is a hetereogeneous material and hence it would assume a wide range of properties, if produced without exercising any control. For preparing a high quality concrete, the field organisation may broadly be divided into the following three divisions: 1. The engineering division which provides lines and grades and makes the initial inspection of all forms, reinforcement and installation of all embedded parts.  2. The manufacturing division which exercise control over concrete materials, batching and mixing.  3. The placing division which is concerned with the control of concrete placing and of related operations prior and subsequent thereto. The concrete produced at site should be strong, dense, workable and economical for the job for which it is prepared. The amount of cement should be low and that of aggregates should be high. The most economical concrete with the highest possible density is obtained by observing the fol...

Delegation is neither decentralization nor are their purpose the same.

Delegation is a process, while decentralisation is the end result of delegation and dispersal of authority. Delegation mainly refers to the granting of authority and the creation of responsibility as between the individual and superiors whereas decentralisation is the situation which exists as a result of the systematic delegation of authority throughout the organisation. In delegation, a superior continues to be responsible for the work delegated to his subordinates, while in decentralisation the superior is relieved from his responsibility for the work decentralised and the subordinate become liable for that. Delegation is vital and essential to the management process. Only through delegation, subordinates can be involved in the organisation and the management can get things done. Decentralized is optional, in the sense that it may or may not be practised as a systematic policy.  

SWOT analysis and its importance in setting of objectives and planning of strategies in an organisation.

 SWOT Analysis: S stands for strength, W stands for weakness, O for opportunities, T stands for threats. It has been common to suggest that companies identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats in the external environment. The SWOT analysis are based on the analysis of the external environment (threat and opportunities) and the internal environment (weakness and strengths). (i) The WT strategy aims to minimize both weakness or threats and may be called the minimum strategy. It may require that the company, for example, from a joint venture, retrench or even liquidate. (ii) The WO strategy attempts to minimise the weakness and maximize the opportunities. Thus, a firm with certain weakness, in some areas may either develop those areas within the enterprise or acquire the needed competencies from the outside, making it possible to take advantages of opportunities in the external environment. (iii) The ST strategy is based on the organisation's str...

The construction of Cantilever RCC slab from starting up to commissioning.

Construction of Cantilever RCC Slab: The following steps would be involved: (i) Form Work: Staging should be designed and erected. The staging shall be of tubular steel structure with adequate bracing as approved or made of built up structural section made from rolled structural steel sections. Shuttering used shall be of sufficient stiffness to avoid excessive deflection and joints should be tightly butted to avoid leakage of slurry. If required rubberised lining of material shall be provided in the joints. Steel used for concreting should be suitably stiffened. It should be properly repaired before use and it should be ensured that it is properly cleaned to avoid stains, honey combing, seepage of slurry etc. The holes, if any must be plugged.  Suitable camber shall be provided to counteract the effect of deflection. The camber at free ends shall be 1/50th of the projected length.  The shuttering must be coated with mould oil. (ii) Placing of Reinforcement: The reinforcemen...

The main constituents of ordinary portland cement and their respective functions.

The main constituents of OPC and their functions are as under: 1. Lime (CaO) (60% - 70%): This is an important ingredient of cement. Lime in excess makes cement unsound and causes the cement to expand and disintigrate. If there is a deficiency of lime, strength of cement decreases and it causes cement to set quickly. 2. Silica (SiO2): This is also an important ingredient of cement and it imparts strength to cement due to the function of dicalcium and tricalcium silicates. If silica is present in excess quanity, the strength of cement increases but at the same time, its setting time is prolonged. 3. Alumina (Al2O3): This ingredient imparts quick setting property to cement. It acts as a flux and lowers the clinkering temperature. However, high temperature is essential for the formation of a suitable type of cement and hence, alumina should not be present in excess amount as it weakens the cement. 4. Calcium Sulphate (CaSO4): This ingredient is in the form of gypsum and its function is...

Different types of woods and the characteristics considered to find out the suitability of timber for different purposes.

The following are characteristics to find out the suitability of timber: (i) Hardness (ii) Density (iii) Grain (iv) Texture (v) Lustre (vi) Moisture content (vii) Shrinkage (viii) Tensile strength (ix) Compressive strength (x) Shear Strength (xi) Bending strength (xii) Cleavability (xiii) Brittleness (xiv) Torsion strength The timber is put to various uses depending upon the above requirements. Different varieties of timber have different properties & depending upon the use, the same are used. Benteak: Bentak is very close to teak in strength. It is suitable for all constructional purposes and is not prone to fungus attack. It is finished to a fine smooth surface and takes a good polish. It is used for house building, furniture, carriage biulding and general carpentry. Chir: Chir is not a very durable wood unless treated with a preservative. It is easy to saw and is usually popular in workshops. It can be brought to a fine smooth surface, but is more suitable for paint  and en...

The purpose of Planning.

Purpose of Planning: Planning is a main function of management. Planning means deciding in advance as to what is to be done, how and where is to be done, when is to be done, who will do it, and how the results are to be evaluated. Planning means to assess the future and make provisions for it. Planning is necessary to ensure proper utilisation of resources to achieve the objectives of the enterprise. For the purpose of planning, following steps are taken by the planning manager: (i) Recognition of the need of planning: Problem or nesessity must be identified which has necessitated planning.  (ii) Analysis of environment: The analysis of environment helps in identification of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. External environmental factor such as government policies, national economy, competitions, availability of resources etc. are to be analysed. (iii) Statement of mission: This identifies the products/ services, prospective customers, values of products/ servic...

The approach to the 'scientific management principle' of Taylor and its limitations.

Approach to the scientific management principle developed by F. W. Taylor reformed the management through a thoughtful and systematic discipline to its problem. Taylor found that, various type of wastes relating to material, time and efficiency etc. are due to the lack of order and system in the management. He emphasized that usually management was ignoring about the amount of work performed by a worker in a day, and also about the best way of doing a job. Some significant achievement of Taylor are listed below:  (i) Work Study: This technique is used for work measurement and work improvement. Taylor scientifically conducted time and motion studies, method study and fatigue study etc. Work study is also used to determine the standard time to perform each operation to eliminate wastage with less fatigue. (ii) Standardisation of tools and equipment of workmanship and working conditions are very important. Taylor gave his attention to the best size shovel for different types of mater...

Project - The elements of a successful project - Tools available for scheduling & controlling project.

Project: A project is a specific activity on which money is spent in the expectation of returns. It has a specific objectives, and has a specific geographic location and would serve a group of population while selecting a project, out of various alternatives, the decision is taken after careful consideration of cost and benefits. A successful project manager must simultaneously manage the four basic elements of a project. (i) Resources (ii) Time (iii) Cost (iv) Scope Tools for scheduling and controlling projects are as follows: (a) Gantt chart (b) Critical Path Method (CPM) (c) Programme Evaluation Review Techniques (PERT)  

Cost approach for pricing.

Cost approach for pricing: Cost approach for pricing is mainly depend upon demand orientation. A high price is charged when the demand is strong and a low price when demand is weak, although the unit cost may be the same in both cases. This is referring to customer's perceived value of the product, and this value will include not only the performance of the product itself but psychological factors and service characteristics of the seller's offer. While this approach can be of works to many manufacturers, it has been and will be effective provided that the seller can maintain those perceived values or create new ones. In one case a replacement part was priced at three times as much as exactly the same part when specified for another brand/ company. In sort of a reverse twist on the perception idea, at a product was not selling well at all at what was thought to be a reasonable price. It was removed from the market repacked in a much more attractive manner, and returned to the m...

Factors affecting pricing decision.

Factors affecting pricing decision: Pricing is the process of fixing the price for a product or service. The price means the exchange value of a product or service expressed in terms of money. The price is generally fixed on the basis of three factors namely. (i) Cost of production (ii) Demand for the production (iii) The degree of competition in the market  

Marketing & Marketing Management

Marketing: Marketing mediates the interaction between the firm and its customers. Marketing often facilitates the identification of product opportunities. All the production activities are necessary and worth while, but it must be emphasized that they would all be useless without the ultimate sale of the product to a customer. The customer may be consumer who enjoys and ultimately consume the product. Marketing Management: Marketing management is concerned with planning, organizing, directing and controlling the activities relating to the marketing of goods and services to satisfy the desires of costomers. The functions of marketing management consists of (i) marketing research (ii) product planning (iii) advertising (iv) sales and (v) product service.  

Quality - The cost of poor quality.

Quality:  Quality implies the ability of a product or service to satisfy a stated or implied need on the other hand, a quality product or service is free from defects or deficiencies. Cost of Poor Quality: Four basic costs are associated with poor quality as given below: (i) Prevention Cost: Those costs incurred in planning, implementing and maintaining a quality system. (ii) Appraised Cost: Cost incurred in determining the degree of conformance to the quality requirements. (iii) Internal Failure: Cost incurred when materials, parts, and components fail to meet the quality requirements for shipping to the customers. These parts are either scrapped or reworked. (iv) External Failure: Costs incurred when products fail to meet customer expectation. These results in warranty claims, ill will, or product laibility suits.  

The cost for holding inventories.

Inventory holding cost: The holding cost is the cost actually keeping items in inventory. The primary components of holding costs are: (i) The opportunity cost of capital, (ii) Taxes and insurance, (iii) Breakage, spoilage, pilferage and obsolescence, and  (iv) Handling and storing. An inventory consists of usables but idle resources such as raw materials, component parts, finished assemblies and money etc. According to the need, inventories can be classified as follows: (i) Economic lot size: Since there is a fixed cost in procurement, hence it is economical to order beyond the immediate needs and divide the fixed ordering costs among the large number of units.  (ii) Stabilizing inventories: Some inventories are accumulated due to mismatch of the timing of production and sales on the other hand, demand is not predicted accurately, so some reserve stocks are necessary. These reserves are called fluctuating or stabilizing inventories . (iii) Anticipation inventories: These...

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SWOT analysis and its importance in setting of objectives and planning of strategies in an organisation.

 SWOT Analysis: S stands for strength, W stands for weakness, O for opportunities, T stands for threats. It has been common to suggest that companies identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats in the external environment. The SWOT analysis are based on the analysis of the external environment (threat and opportunities) and the internal environment (weakness and strengths). (i) The WT strategy aims to minimize both weakness or threats and may be called the minimum strategy. It may require that the company, for example, from a joint venture, retrench or even liquidate. (ii) The WO strategy attempts to minimise the weakness and maximize the opportunities. Thus, a firm with certain weakness, in some areas may either develop those areas within the enterprise or acquire the needed competencies from the outside, making it possible to take advantages of opportunities in the external environment. (iii) The ST strategy is based on the organisation's str...