#Procurement Performance assessment

[smithlee1221]

Procurement and Chain Supply Management | Skills Gap Analysis

Skills Gap Analysis specialises in Capability Gap Analysis for procurement and supply chain management. Their services include Procurement Assessments Australia and purchase skills assessment online to help businesses stay competitive.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Why is this Canadian university scared of you seeing its Privacy Impact Assessment?

I'm coming to DEFCON! On Aug 9, I'm emceeing the EFF POKER TOURNAMENT (noon at the Horseshoe Poker Room), and appearing on the BRICKED AND ABANDONED panel (5PM, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01). On Aug 10, I'm giving a keynote called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE! How hackers can seize the means of computation and build a new, good internet that is hardened against our asshole bosses' insatiable horniness for enshittification" (noon, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01).

Barbra Streisand is famous for many things: her exciting performances on the big screen, the small screen, and the stage; her Grammy-winning career as a musician (she's a certified EGOT!); and for all the times she's had to correct people who've added an extra vowel to the spelling of her first name (I can relate!).

But a thousand years from now, her legacy is likely to be linguistic, rather than artistic. The "Streisand Effect" – coined by Mike Masnick – describes what happens when someone tries to suppress a piece of information, only to have that act of attempted suppression backfire by inciting vastly more interest in the subject:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect

The term dates to 2003, when Streisand sued the website Pictopia and its proprietors for $50m for reproducing an image from the publicly available California Coastal Records Project (which produces a timeseries of photos of the California coastline in order to track coastal erosion). The image ("Image 3850") incidentally captured the roofs of Streisand's rather amazing coastal compound, which upset Streisand.

But here's the thing: before Streisand's lawsuit, Image 3850 had only been viewed six times. After she filed the case, another 420,000 people downloaded that image. Not only did Streisand lose her suit (disastrously so – she was ordered to pay the defendants' lawyers $177,000 in fees), but she catastrophically failed in her goal of keeping this boring, obscure photo from being seen:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect

Streisand has since called the suit "a mistake." On the one hand, that is very obviously true, but on the other hand, it's still admirable, given how many other failed litigants went to their graves insisting that their foolish and expensive legal gambit was, in fact, very smart and we are all very stupid for failing to understand that.

Which brings me to Ian Linkletter and the Canadian Privacy Library. Linkletter is the librarian and founder of the nonprofit Canadian Privacy Library, a newish online library that collects and organizes privacy-related documents from Canadian public institutions. Linkletter kicked off the project with the goal of collecting the Privacy Impact Assessments from every public university in Canada, starting in his home province of BC.

These PIAs are a legal requirement whenever a public university procures a piece of software, and they're no joke. Ed-tech vendors are pretty goddamned cavalier when it comes to student privacy, as Linkletter knows well. Back in 2020, Linkletter was an ed-tech specialist for the University of British Columbia, where he was called upon to assess Proctorio, a "remote invigilation" tool that monitored remote students while they sat exams.

This is a nightmare category of software, a mix of high-tech phrenology (vendors claim that they can tell when students are cheating by using "AI" to analyze their faces); arrogant techno-sadism (vendors requires students – including those sharing one-room apartments with "essential worker" parents on night shifts who sleep during the day – to pan their cameras around to prove that they are alone); digital racism (products are so bad at recognizing Black faces that some students have had to sit exams with multiple task-lights shining directly onto their faces); and bullshit (vendors routinely lie about their tools' capabilities and efficacy).

Worst: remote invigilation is grounded in the pedagogically bankrupt idea that learning is best (or even plausibly) assessed through high-stakes testing. The kind of person who wants to use these tools generally has no idea how learning works and thinks of students as presumptively guilty cheats. They monitor test-taking students in realtime, and have been known to jiggle test-takers' cursors impatiently when students think too long about their answers. Remote invigilation also captures the eye-movements of test-takers, flagging people who look away from the screen while thinking for potential cheating. No wonder that many students who sit exams under these conditions find themselves so anxious that they vomit or experience diarrhea, carefully staring directly into the camera as they shit themselves or vomit down their shirts, lest they be penalized for looking away or visiting the toilet.

Linkletter quickly realized that Proctorio is a worst-in-class example of a dreadful category. The public-facing materials the company provided about its products were flatly contradicted by the materials they provided to educators, where all the really nasty stuff was buried. The company – whose business exploded during the covid lockdowns – is helmed by CEO Mike Olsen, a nasty piece of work who once doxed a child who criticized him in an online forum:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/01/bossware/#moral-exemplar

Proctorio's products are shrouded in secrecy. In 2020, for reasons never explained, all the (terrible, outraged) reviews of its browser plugin disappeared from the Chrome store:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/09/04/hypervigilance/#radical-transparency

Linkletter tweeted his alarming findings, publishing links to the unlisted, but publicly available Youtube videos where Proctorio explained how its products really worked. Proctorio then sued Linkletter, for copyright infringement.

Proctorio's argument is that by linking to materials that they published on Youtube with permissions that let anyone with the link see them, Linkletter infringed upon their copyright. When Linkletter discovered that these videos already had publicly available links, indexed by Google, in the documentation produced by other Proctorio customers for students and teachers, Proctorio doubled down and argued that by collecting these publicly available links to publicly available videos, Linkletter had still somehow infringed on their copyright.

Luckily for Linkletter, BC has an anti-SLAPP law that is supposed to protect whistleblowers facing legal retaliation for publishing protected speech related to matters of public interest (like whether BC's flagship university has bought a defective and harmful product that its students will be forced to use). Unluckily for Linkletter, the law is brand new, lacks jurisprudence, and the courts have decided that he can't use a SLAPP defense and his case must go to trial:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/20/links-arent-performances/#free-ian-linkletter

Linkletter could have let that experience frighten him away from the kind of principled advocacy that riles up deep-pocketed, thin-skinned bullies. Instead, he doubled down, founding the Canadian Privacy Library, with the goal of using Freedom of Information requests to catalog all of Canada's post-secondary institutions' privacy assessments. Given how many bodies he found buried in Proctorio's back yard, this feels like the kind of thing that should be made more visible to Canadians.

There are 25 public universities in BC, and Linkletter FOI'ed them all. Eleven provided their PIAs. Eight sent him an estimate of what it would cost them (and thus what they would charge) to assemble these docs for him. Six requested extensions.

One of them threatened to sue.

Langara College is a 19,000-student spinout of Vancouver Community College whose motto is Eruditio Libertas Est ("Knowledge is Freedom"). Linkletter got their 2019 PIA for Microsoft's Office 365 when he FOI'ed the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (universities often recycle one another's privacy impact assessments, which is fine).

That's where the trouble started. In June, Langara sent Linkletter a letter demanding that he remove their Office 365 PIA; the letter CC'ed two partners in a law firm, and accused Linkletter of copyright infringement. But that's not how copyright – or public records – work. As Linkletter writes, the PIA is "a public record lawfully obtained through an FOI request" – it is neither exempted from disclosure, nor is it confidential:

https://www.privacylibrary.ca/legal-threat/

Langara claims that in making their mandatory Privacy Impact Assessment for Office 365 available, Linkletter has exposed them to "heightened risks of data breaches and privacy incidents," they provided no evidence to support this assertion.

I think they're full of shit, but you don't have to take my word for it. After initially removing the PIA, Linkletter restored it, and you can read it for yourself:

https://www.privacylibrary.ca/langara-college-privacy-impact-assessments/

I read it. It is pretty goddamned anodyne – about as exciting as looking at the roof of Barbra Streisand's mansion.

Sometimes, where there's smoke, there's only Streisand – a person who has foolishly decided to use the law to bully a weaker stranger out of disclosing some innocuous and publicly available fact about themselves. But sometimes, where there's smoke, there's fire. A lot of people who read my work are much more familiar with ed-tech, privacy, and pedagogy than I am. If that's you, maybe you want to peruse the Langara PIA to see if they are hiding something because they're exposing their students to privacy risks and don't want that fact to get out.

There are plenty of potential privacy risks in Office 365! The cloud version of Microsoft Office contains a "bossware" mode that allows bosses to monitor their workers' keystrokes for spelling, content, and accuracy, and produce neat charts of which employees are least "productive." The joke's on the boss, though: Office 365 also has a tool that lets you compare your department's usage of Office 365 to your competitors, which is another way of saying that Microsoft is gathering your trade secrets and handing it out to your direct competitors:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/24/gwb-rumsfeld-monsters/#bossware

So, yeah, there are lots of "features" in Office 365 that could give rise to privacy threats when it is used at a university. One hopes that Langara correctly assessed these risks and accounted for them in its PIA, which would mean that they are bullying Linkletter out of reflex, rather than to cover up wrongdoing. But there's only one way to find out: go through the doc that Linkletter has restored to public view.

Linkletter has excellent pro bono representation from Norton Rose Fulbright, a large and powerful law-firm that is handling his Proctorio case. Linkletter writes, "they have put this public college on notice that any proceeding is liable to be dismissed pursuant to the Protection of Public Participation Act, BC’s anti-SLAPP legislation."

Langara has now found themselves at the bottom of a hole, and if they're smart, they'll stop digging.

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/01/eruditio-libertas-est/#streisand-v-linkletter

Image: Copyright (C) 2002 Kenneth & Gabrielle Adelman, California Coastal Records Project, www.californiacoastline.org (modified) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Streisand_Estate.jpgbr>

CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

--

Langara College (modified) https://langara.ca/

Fair use (parody) https://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1104

Fair dealing (parody) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1468015

[esamastation]

Part fifty-nine of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four, fifty-five, fifty-fix, fifty-seven, fifty-eight

-

By the end of the day Tseng has been left with answers, questions and a whole lot of sections unfelined in his original assessment to be removed as no longer applicable. Sephiroth… neither behaves nor reacts as expected, that much is clear. But that's not the most concerning thing, at all.

Sephiroth's Energy Alignment is. His cultivation is a concern. As is the fact that the man is absolutely certain that it can be taught to anyone.

There is a number of theories about what is happening to Sephiroth. Professor Hojo has one theory, the Science Department as a whole has another. Tseng himself had added a few more theories to the list, which have now been proven wrong.

Sephiroth's cultivation isn't Wutai in origin. It's similar in nature, self-improvement and self-betterment, the cultivation of your self in order to advance in your abilities is certainly part of it. But what Sephiroth is doing is taking all that to a metaphysical - or perhaps magiphysical - level. He is quite literally cultivating the energies inside himself, honing them in manner unheard of, into something no one has ever theorised.

And Tseng can't deny that it does indeed seem like it might be an Ancient doctrine. Sephiroth can already perform magical feats without Materia - and according to the man himself, he's still in the beginner stages.

"What will happen once your cultivation is complete?" Tseng can't help but ask, after the day's training and meditation is over and they're making dinner.

"I will ascend to the heavens as a new god," Sephiroth answers loftily and then laughs softly at the look Tseng gives him. "Cultivation is never complete. It doesn't have an end goal. It is a process and a journey - one you dedicate your whole life to."

"... During which you get more and more advanced in your abilities?" Tseng asks, setting aside the chopped vegetables.

During the day he's noted two things. One, Sephiroth reacts best to direct, unambiguous questions. Two, he can't resist a chance to explain. The man had also relaxed immediately when Tseng began asking those questions - and began imparting information with much greater ease.

Tseng had adjusted his approach accordingly.

"Isn't that the goal of everyone who is in progress of learning anything, to get better?" Sephiroth asks and adds the washed rice into a pot, closing the lid. "Cultivation isn't exactly a sliding scale with set points of improvements, but yes, the more you practise, the better you get."

In other words, there's no such thing as being done with Sephiroth's new practice. If the man was given leeway, he'd stay here indefinitely, training and meditating. Hmm. 

Well, it's good to know that there's definitely a way to remove the man from the volatile equation that is Shinra. 

Tseng makes a mental note to procure a permanent and suitably secluded safehouse for Sephiroth, should the need arise, and then moves onto preparing the rest of the food.

Sephiroth watches him with that smug look of satisfaction he's had on for most of the day, and then asks, "Tell me, Tseng, what do they think of all of this back at Shinra?"

Tseng glances at him. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious," Sephiroth smiles. "I know they have theories. I would like to know what they're saying."

Tseng shakes his head. "So that you can adjust your behaviour accordingly?" he asks pointedly.

Sephiroth huffs. "No, of course not. I just think it would be funny, that's all."

Tseng gives him a look, not believing a word of it. "One of the theories is that you have a case of confabulation."

Sephiroth blinks and then frowns. "What does that mean?"

"You have amnesia, you've forgotten most of your life - but not all," Tseng explains. "You remember some things and are subconsciously leaning more into those things. They take more space in your awareness and have higher importance. Your brain, unbeknownst to you, fabricates memories and knowledge around those few things, giving you a false sense of expertise in matters you probably only perceived peripherally."

Sephiroth looks taken back. "Like what?" he asks, sounding stunned.

"Home decor, fashion, Wutai martial arts, monster knowledge - tea?" Tseng points to the Wutai tea set, Sephiroth's most prized possession here, after his sword. "What little you remember you cling onto and wrap yourself around, to make it seem like you have a past, likes, habits, and preferences."

Sephiroth blinks at that, his brows arching, and Tseng adds, "Though you drank tea before, it was without such ceremony. You've expanded a minor habit into a full on hobby."

"Huh," Sephiroth says, sounding fascinated now. He folds his arms, looking at Tseng in a new light. "You really think that?"

No, not really. Sephiroth's new habits aren't just self-deluding mind-fronting in the face of his amnesia. He's far too well practised and skilled in them. It's not just the tea drinking - everything new he's doing now he does with an unnerving amount of prior knowledge.

His new talent as a teacher is the most damning of it all. It's not just knowledge - it's both expertise and experience. Sephiroth teaches like a man who's been doing it for years, who's had hundreds of students, and who both enjoys what he's doing and is very good at it. It's a mix of qualities that only time and practice can give you.

"I don't know what's going on with you," Tseng admits. "But I know it's not something you got from a simple Mako injection."

Thought he still isn't sure he'd call it necessarily Ancient knowledge. He's seen the things Aerith does without thinking, without effort, as natural as breathing. What Sephiroth is doing definitely takes effort.

Tseng still can't quite reconcile them as somehow being the same, with how fundamentally different they are. Though after today…

He's not so sure anymore.

Sephiroth hums, his expression going serious as he looks away. Then he shakes his head and offers, cheekily, "Tea, while we wait for the rice to cook?"

Tseng hums and joins him at the tea table, tugging at the knees of his trousers to keep them from stretching as he sits down. Sephiroth makes tea like an old Wutai master, pouring the first steep away and then pouring for them both. 

The tea is, of course, perfectly prepared.

For a moment they're quiet, listening to the fire crackling in the stove and how the rice pot start to bubble.

"Are they really trying to recreate what happened?" Sephiroth then asks quietly, somewhat guiltily. "With someone else?"

Tseng considers his mood and then answers honestly. "Yes. With several others. Almost the entirety of the SOLDIER program has been tested for viability, though very few suit Professor Hojo's criteria."

Sephiroth's full bottom lip draws into a line. "How many are…?" he can't seem to bring himself to finish the question.

Tseng fishes out his PHS and pulls up the report. "There have been four casualties - SOLDIER Second Class Laxey Jansen, and SOLDIER cadets Mick Rowley, Dient Wreck, Justus Owley, and Gus Fusel," he lists, watching Sephiroth's reaction closely as the man's face tightens with discomfort. Tseng continues, "There have been a number of candidates in and out of coma, too many to list. And there's one case of brain death, cadet Cloud Strife."

The teacup in Sephiroth's hand shatters to a thousand pieces.

-

>:3c

[tragedycoded]

writing share tag!

Oh shit, @cowboybrunch left an open tag on that beautiful excerpt of babygirl Theo being an asshole. And I'm whittling away at this short story.

Yesterday I posted the first 3.1k words of "Among the Elements," which I am revising.

Today I'm offering up 1,930 words and content warnings for DIY surgery, first-person past-tense body horror, and general Mad Science in the name of self-impregnation. It's explicit. IDK how else to tag this. Be careful.

Week 12 Wednesday Most obvious answer has been in front of me the entire time. , Or, rather, adjacent to the experiment itself--it is within my own corpus.

Incubator biosynthetic for sake of fetus's health and safety--never designed with goal of implanation--odds of rejection significant--lower than odds of discovery if left exposed.

Will need to procure robotic assistance. Unable to perform procedure alone. Will require magnetic nerve block, suction, traction, cauterization, waste management if the procedure is successful…

Uncertain as to best incision site. If transverse, reduced risk of hernia and shorter recovery time--limited exposure to surgical site, challenging closure, risk of nerve damage.

Longitudinal…

Had I known I would be installing through a longitudinal incision I may have made different methodological decisions. Earlier installation for one. Will have to manually extract incubator at conclusion of gestation.

Worry about that later.

//

Completed risk assessment.

Incubator 49.5cm in length. Able to accommodate utilizing space in abdominal cavity.

Circumference presents concern. Material somewhat inflexible. Will have to rearrange cavity interior. Possible organ removal necessary.

//

Must be longitudinal incision. Large scar, slower recovery; fewer surgical complications due to open site, will be able to visualize organ migration.

Nothing more to consider. Prepping now. Will update after.

Thursday Glad I'm not two centimeters shorter.

//

Anti-rejectants performing admirably. No redness at site of incision. Pain persistent but tolerable--pharmaceutical intervention will cause unwanted mutations at this stage of gestation even if our systems are not enmeshed.

Acclimating to persistent feeling of fullness and the effect it is having on the gastrointestinal and urogenital systems. Unable to rest supinated--incubator weight occludes the inferior vena cava. Pressure on diaphragm also an unforeseen concern. Several pre-surgical consideration for future application of this prototype.

//

Awakened with realization that THIS IS A PROTOTYPE.

If this doesn't kill either myself or the fetus the implication of successful implantation is phenomenal.

Of course the probability of our both expiring is significant. Compared to this afternoon the fetus's vitals are stable and strong while father vitals are stable and show hypotension and hypoxemia. Lower limb elevation with compression and oxygen adjunct resolved.

I must proceed with caution.

Friday Limited space in hollow organs.

Have learned to vomit without use of abdominal muscles.

Longitudinal incision a terrible idea. That robot was a terrible idea. This was all a terrible idea. I am the king of terrible ideas.

//

Terrible Idea That Wasn't Terrible After All #18: program robot to feed cat in morning. Stay in bed.

She did join me, which was unforeseen. Cleaned her face for roughly an hour and then--purring--laid on my side. Desires the heat of the incubator, doubtless. Considered kicking her out of bed but felt unwell. Feel less unwell, now.

Saturday Fetal heartrate elevated today.

Corpus temperature 38.1C.

This may be how I die. I'd always hoped it would be an explosion that did it. Or an electrical mishap.

Adjusting anti-rejectant dosage.

Sunday Fetal heartrate returned to 110bpm. Corpus temperature reduced to 37.8C. All other systems nominal.

Would say it is easier to breathe but that would be both a colloquialism and a lie. Am however much improved compared to yesterday. Damned cat purred and refused to leave my side until I was able to remove her myself. Robot shuttled broth from the nutrient synthesizer to the bed--I've not taken in nutrients since Wednesday evening.

Thus far the onboard biometrics have reported no issues with the fetus's metabolism or gestation. Incubator nutrient system is unaffected by change in environmental conditions.

Too soon to celebrate.

Monday Cat insists on running in front of me as I'm walking.

Blood loss within acceptable limits--stitches holding--some internal shifting that resolved with external binding. Incubator switching from internal nutrition and filtration to transplacental--connecting its vascular system to mine--a strange sensation I'm unable to put into words, knowing how like and unalike a plumbing system, it can be.

Thinking of my body as a house. Must still be delirious. Back to bed.

Week 13 Wednesday Condition improving--post-operative pain and swelling have subsided significantly--am able to walk from one side of the apartment to the other and have attempted stairs--the incubator appears settled in the abdominal cavity.

One benefit of this arrangement is the incubator will not grow. It is sized for a 12-week-old infant. If I am careful I believe I will be able to keep the incubator hidden for the duration--either in my person, which is less than ideal, or upon returning to a secure laboratory where I can work uninterrupted to perform an extraction. Until such time, I suppose the fetus--

Continuing to refer to the experiment as "the fetus" is unideal. Will have to decide upon a more appropriate name.

Week 18 Friday Initial consideration of healing factor accelerant not entirely baseless--however, I've decided to allow the installation site to close on its own without interfering with placental growth factor. Elastic bandage ensured the incubator did not exert excess pressure on--quite a bit of in and ex in those two sentences for there being not a lot of either, until this stage of the experiment.

Five weeks to complete closure--I should say that's nominal healing, under the circumstances. My own biology may be resistant to the experiment but it continues to perform its essential functions. Equilibrium is returning.

Final and admittedly unthought-through stage of phase I complete.

The experiment is safe.

Week 19 Monday The temptation--the need, I would say, if I were inclined to enter hyperbole into scientific record at some point in the future. I don't need. I want to run scans on this experiment, and the frequency of that want is… overwhelming. Until this point, it would have been too early to scan. Yet that want reared its head near every week for the past month.

Today I was able to measure the fetus's development, and observed continued healthy growth and functionality. Fetus is in the 25th percentile for height and weight with no abnormalities. All vital organs and systems functioning within normal parameters. The incubator is effectively supporting fetal growth and well-being.

While the incubator itself is completely self-contained and able to produce its own hormones, mine has now joined the lymphatic and vascular systems in reducing the incubator's energy consumption.

Am uncertain what to make of this, and look forward to postpartum dissection of the incubator to determine what caused spontaneous integration.

[See supplemental data log for biometric data for week 19 fetal growth.]

//

The biometric scanner is capable of producing imagery of the fetus based on soundwaves.

I saw them. I saw them tonight. They're alive.

//

For the sake of transparency--yes. I was overcome with emotion. It would appear as though the incubator's presence within my abdominal cavity is also exerting bottom-up control over the corpus's endocrine system. I am drawn to think of abstract concepts such as embodiment and caregiving. Of how my corpus had not changed in the milliseconds before the biometric scanner produced an image of the experiment's face, but the experiment became the baby upon subjection to the observer effect. Whether that meant I, by extension, was changed. Whether I had inherited personhood with the death of my ignorance.

I was overcome. I now know everything there is to know about the baby.

I saw my child tonight.

Week 21 Monday The temptation to perform a scan more frequently than every four weeks is maddening. I have the incubator set to alert me if anything changes--not even to suboptimal levels; any change at all--I know when the heartbeat increases, when not enough nutrients are moving through the exchange--when the baby puts their thumb in their mouth.

The only metric I have not gathered concerns their sex. All I know is they are healthy, and I have to be patient.

That sad, I am finding it increasingly difficult to focus on other projects with earlier deadlines. This requires patience, and I keep daydreaming. Knowing months are left between myself and the conclusion of this experiment--for which I was unable to gather consent from the most important participant! Not quite six months, and the difference in how I think of this baby today compared to a series of CRISPR instructions… it may be the literal internalization of my role in the infant's development, or knowing that soon they could survive outside the incubator--so much time has passed, and yet it is not near soon enough to extract the unit.

Nothing to do between here and then but gather data--and, I suppose, as the child has ears, to read to them. Or sing.

Unable to recall if my parents sang to me, when I was only a possibility. Before they sent me away. I was an agreeable child, is my recollection. The Society came for me, and appealed to my parents. They could not give me the sort of education the Society was offering to pay for, and my parents wanted to give me everything. They did not want me to have to work the way they worked.

I wish I would have argued with them. It would have made no difference. But I wish I had told them I didn't want to go.

This child deserves a promise--not to be sent away, and not to be made to be agreeable, if we are not in agreement.

Now I understand why strangers ask if other strangers want to see pictures of their babies, the new ones, all the way up to teenagerhood. I want to show everyone I pass on the street that printout of the impression of this child, the unformed features of their face, and I want to tell them, I made this. This is the only important thing I'll ever do in my life.

Week 23 Neighborhood hot when I returned from the metro. Counted no fewer than four MIB per square kilometer. Uncertain whether they're looking for me--no reason why they ought to be. Simplest and most obvious answer is someone else in the area is drawing attention to themselves. See prev entry re: Omens. Foolish to think ignoring the presence of Technocrats reduces their interest in me, should their interest be above zero. Will proceed with caution.

Week 24 Weight increased substantially, though the incubator has not changed in size. Baby has been gaining 29 grams per week, and the placenta is keeping pace with their development. Anticipate accelerated growth as the trimester continues.

Plenty to discuss, and nothing at all of note. My impatience rears when I acknowledge it; and, in acknowledging it, I have to wonder if impatience doesn't serve as this child's mother, rather than Scientific inquiry.

Week 25 I'm certain other events occurred yesterday that are worth noting. Every other day I make a new discovery, or experience a breakthrough. Were I not frightened of it being entered into evidence, I would record much more of the child's development than I have been.

I am afraid--paranoid, even--and yet.

Every ounce of fear I've felt thus far was erased by a sensation I'd never felt before--never would have felt before--replaced by what can only be described as enlightenment.

I felt like a mortal man stealing fire from the divine. One who went up the mountain sightless and returned with fire. I was, for a moment, a god.

And in that moment I was aware of the presence of life growing within my own, housed within a structure that defies reason or sanity, and I was aware because I felt. I ought not to have been able to feel--I never programmed the biopolymers to transmit information--yet they have.

This is not referred mechanoreception.

I can feel my child move.

[texasdreamer01]

Atlantis Expedition - Science Division: Chief Science Officer

So I've gone through all of my proposed headcanons on how the Science Division would break down into different departments, the roles of each departments, and the personnel composition (original post here, which contains links to posts on individual departments). But what is a division without its division leader? Thus, a post on the Chief Science Officer (AKA Rodney McKay).

Below is a brief list, in the same style as the department posts, which I will articulate further under the read-more:

> Head: Rodney McKay, Radek Zelenka (extra-canonical) > Contains: 1 person > Function: Implements department policies, decides upon division and department priorities, disseminates tasks according to expedition needs, reviews employee performances, manages employment of each department, secures and approves all procurement requirements for operations, reviews ethical and legal boundaries on research and resource requests, prepares documentation for review on research progress and results, estimates research project requirements and demands, gives/receives recommendations and feedback to expedition leader and military commander according to mission parameters > Examples of function: Hiring and firing of employees, dispute arbitration between employees, disciplinary measures, creating purchase orders for equipment and department supplies, reviewing research proposals and giving feedback on proposals > Personnel quantity: 1 person > A/N: Technically speaking, the department heads fall under this "department" as sub-administrators (and produce the paperwork that will give Rodney headaches)

Radek being the CSO is part of the Legacy book series, which is a pseduo season six (I don't listen to it, for various reasons), but he's mentioned here as a nod to the books.

As for that big block of text about a CSO's function, it helps to separate things into a few categories. Below is that, with commentary:

> IOA/SGC requirements  » Prepares documentation for review on research progress and results  » Reviews ethical and legal boundaries on research and resource requests  » Maintains documentation of projects for auditing purposes   ⇛ Such as project results, allocation and defense thereof of resources, pertinent stopping and starting points  » Maintains documentation of division personnel usage and other important events   ⇛ Such as field assignments, project assignments, etc  » Maintains documentation of field science research   ⇛ Such as first contact missions, cultural research, etc > Expedition administration  » Gives/receives recommendations and feedback to expedition leader according to mission parameters   ⇛ Such as resource allocation in terms of division personnel, technology, and physical resources (i.e. consumable lab resources, such as testing equipment, reagents, medical resources, etc) > Military relations  » Gives military commander feedback and advice on mixed-context situations   ⇛ Such as situations when expedition leader is unable to perform duties, or when needing to defend critical components, spaces, or personnel    ⟹ i.e. When personally in the field (AR-1, other field assignments), attacks on Atlantis, non-military critical situations on Atlantis  » Gives assessments on non-expedition personnel in regards to permissions on division resources   ⇛ i.e. lab access, database access, critical systems access, etc   ⇛ Functionally makes the CSO a super-user and systems administrator of the digital architecture that comprise the expedition    ⟹ The head administrator and military commander will have their own logins with similar, but not identical, privileges > Division administration  » Implements department policies   ⇛ Such as safety protocols, proposal formats, project documentation formats, etc  » Decides upon division and department priorities   ⇛ Based upon IOA/SGC, expedition leader, and military commander priorities (in that order, unless under a military context)  » Disseminates tasks according to expedition needs   ⇛ May contain separate categories of priorities, according to the needs of varying timelines (i.e. long term, short term, etc)  » Reviews employee performances   ⇛ Ideally according to a rubric of IOA/SGC requirements, department policies, and expedition needs   ⇛ Can mark an employee for a review period, limit access based on negative incidents, recommend merit-based pay increases and pay bonuses, etc  » Manages employment of each department   ⇛ Hiring, firing, inter-department reassignments  » Estimates research project requirements   ⇛ Based upon proposals submitted, expedition mission parameters, resources available for allocation, and IOA/SGC requirements  » Secures and approves all procurement requirements for operations   ⇛ Creates, reviews, and submits documentation to expedition head   ⇛ Items such as equipment (i.e. computers), consumable materials (i.e. pens, cotton swabs), and miscellaneous (i.e. lab coats, uniforms, chocolate for morale)

These main categories, as you can see, are IOA/SGC requirements of the CSO, expedition administration, military relations, and division administration. They are, to the best of my assumptions, listed in order of importance - division administration is necessarily at the bottom because the CSO, ideally, ought to be able to trust the department heads to make sure the division runs well. The main job of the CSO is to liase between the division and the overlords people who make the expedition run.

A lot of this ends up rather convoluted due to competing priorities. The IOA pays the expeditions bills and supports its somewhat dubious legality on the international stage, but the SGC does as well, and to boot is also the group that creates and maintains the supplies and supply lines (see: the Daedalus, primarily, and also the Apollo). As this is a civilian expedition, more weight will be put on the CSO than the Military Officer for a return on investment.

What this results in is a lot of paperwork. Every employee, petri dish, and scribble on a whiteboard must be recorded, accounted for, and justified. This would then be forwarded to the expedition leader, who collates it nicely and gives it to the SGC and IOA for a general accounting, but it's up to the CSO to prepare this documentation.

Accordingly, this means that if there's a request from either side (top-down or bottom-up), the CSO must process the paperwork for that. Requests to perform experiments, usage of employees on things like field assignments, requests for materials to perform the experiments within adequate parameters are the work du jour. And, crucially, it must be legal (as much as one can with something like a Stargate program, at any rate). There's a lot more wiggle room for the expedition, given its project background, but not very much with the introduction of international oversight.

In a practical, daily sense, department requests for experiment/research and expedition leader and military commander requests for the same or for personnel must be balanced by the CSO. If, say, Carson Beckett wants to work with the Life Sciences department to develop a hydrogel infused with Pegasus plant extracts for IFAK use that requires many iterations of testing but would then require less supplies procured from the SGC, and Elizabeth Weir wants Carson Beckett to join an away team to help some recently-culled village with their injuries or a persistent illness that had left them originally vulnerable to a culling, Rodney McKay will be the one to weigh in on priorities for the division and devise a compromise on his employee's time based upon what can be done and what ought to be done. (Elizabeth will likely already think of this conundrum, but as she was not the only expedition leader, the ability to say no is a critical tool in Rodney's arsenal for properly fulfilling his duties.)

Likewise, the CSO has obligations to the military contingent of the expedition. While the Wraith were not an expected enemy, the SGC probably assumed something of the Goa'uld caliber was statistically likely, and thus the CSO is there to also offer technical advice to the military commander.  This is important because nobody had any confirmation on what they would find regarding Atlantis, only that the Ancients had abandoned their city and didn't seem to pack much up with them. Mixed-context situations like a technical emergency on Atlantis, or field missions, will require CSO input on technological expertise and personnel assignments from the Science Division.

A working relationship with the military commander will also mean some back and forth, particularly for instances of assessing who ought to have access to critical systems, and whether such previously-given permissions ought to be revoked. Teyla, the Athosians, and Ronon are popular examples, but also situations like Doppelganger where members of the expedition might be compromised and require a change, however temporary or permanent, in security.

In order for the CSO to assist in maintaining expedition security, being a super-user and systems administrator is a pre-requisite of the position. This means such things as inherent back-door access to all expedition systems, ability to manage user login profiles for all systems, screening of technologies that are inputted as peripherals or adoptions of infrastructure, and the design of the infrastructure systems that make up the overall architecture. As the military commander would be in charge of the physical security of the expedition, the CSO would be in charge of its digital security.

Management of the division itself rests upon the above listed duties, and will influence how the division and its various departments are handled. This is very much a daily, intensive part of the job, but if things with the departments are set up well, typically they would be the least worrisome of the duties.

Based upon the various institutional and situational demands upon the expedition, personnel movement and research projects will be delegated accordingly, with the CSO creating the division policies on things like research parameters, experiment ethics, and the minutiae of funding and resource allocations.

Long-term projects, such as the inherent reasons why the expedition exists at all (figuring out Atlantis and developing technologies and knowledge bases from the information they prise from Atlantis), will generally receive priority outside of some form of emergency, and will get the most resources.  Short-term projects, which might run for a few months or a year at a time of active experimentation, are dependent upon spare resources, time, and personnel that aren't already assigned to work of a higher priority.

For example, documenting the plants of a particular planet in the Pegasus galaxy would rank lower than decoding and documenting extant examples of Wraith language, based upon the multiple variables of military commander demands on the safety of the expedition, diplomatic demands from the expedition leader for the safety of the expedition, and if there are similar plants already being studied that were cultivated from other planets.

An inherent part of the management of a division is the personnel, which includes performance reviews, hiring of employees, firing of employees, disciplining of employees (if the department head requires CSO assistance or it is the department head which requires disciplining), and re-assignment of employees based upon expedition or other needs. Part of the personnel is the work the personnel do, which wraps back around to paperwork - if someone wants to do research on attempting to duplicate a particular alloy, then those materials need to be purchased or otherwise required, which means the CSO must fill out all the purchase request forms and other pertinent documentation (even if it only amounts to "found on the ground because AR-1 crashed the Wraith Dart, put alloy samples into backpack").

I imagine a CSO in this sort of position would probably be running a rough calculation in the background of how many cups of coffee to substitute for hours of sleep, because there will not be a lot of sleep to be had, even without all the various emergencies happening because Atlantis is Atlantis. A little bit of stress-induced yelling from time to time is to be expected, I think.

Total Overall Science Division Personnel

> Chief Science Officer: 1 > Medical Department: 23 > Life Sciences: 13 > Field Sciences: 12 > Applied Sciences: 16 > Total total: 65

Due to the revisions made in some of the department headcanon posts, the personnel estimations rose from the original post's 58 to the current 65, a difference of 7 people and also a nice, easy to calculate number. If we keep to the assumption of 200 expedition members, this would make for 135 leftover for the rest of the expedition, and the Science Division at 32.5% of the expedition.

A CMO post will be written and posted at some point, as I forgot about it, and additionally canonical character headcanon posts will also be posted at some point in the future in an undetermined order. After this will be headcanons on the Military Division, Gate Teams, and the Expedition Leader/Civilian Division (currently undecided what that will be).

[chloroformcurry]

Chanel’s ECT helmet, or her “metal bonnet”

The first drawing is from 2023. The second drawing was made recently.

(Updated information and added secondary image on 5/28/24)

Despite her considerable physical strength, Chanel becomes entirely incapacitated during catatonic episodes. Her biggest vulnerability lies in bouts of catatonic stupor, likely originating from an inherited condition passed down from her mother. Catatonia is usually a comorbid disorder, so it exists along a main cognitive or neurological disorder. However, it is unknown which mental disorder Chanel may have given her upbringing. This psychomotor disorder is believed to result from disruptions or imbalances in neurotransmitter pathways, manifesting as symptoms like stupor, mutism, rigidity, waxy flexibility, posturing, and negativism. In extreme instances, it can lead to death, either due to internal complications, known as malignant catatonia, or the inability to meet essential needs because of immobility.

To ensure Chanel's effectiveness in her duties, Sibyl built Chanel a specialized “metal bonnet”, or ECT helmet, which was designed to automatically execute ECT when neurological chemical imbalances were detected ahead of time. She considered the fact that ECT has an 80% to 100% success rate in addressing catatonia and related conditions. This treatment works by inducing minor seizures to recalibrate the brain's chemistry. The helmet emits low-frequency electrical currents to regulate her brain chemistry, preventing such episodes. (ECT is typically given under anesthesia and professional oversight, but, in this fictional instance, Chanel's insensitivity to pain meant one concern was taken off the list) Given its electrical nature, it requires consistent power sources. Sibyl developed this helmet, which is powered by blood as part of their arrangement. In exchange for sustenance, Chanel aids Sibyl by procuring intelligence and bodies from her encounters with traffickers. The helmet is securely bolted into her neck and, although removable, should not be taken off for long periods because the bolts and metal sockets in her neck enable the auto-moderated procedure. These bolts serve as both anchors and receivers, processing signals from electrodes attached to the sockets that contact her neck. These synaptic transmissions occur at the junction where the bolts connect to the sockets, similar to neurons.

The electrodes detect abnormal brain activity, similar to an EEG, and send a small electrical impulse to the bolts. These bolts then relay the information to the control panel at the back of the helmet, which assesses whether conditions are optimal for the procedure. It checks parameters such as the presence of sufficient amounts of non-converted blood, insufficient amounts of non-converted blood, sufficient amounts of fuel-converted blood, or insufficient amounts of fuel-converted blood.

If conditions are safe and the helmet has enough fuel, the control unit sends a signal back to the bolts, which then reaches the metal neck guard near the voice box. This triggers the voice box to alert Chanel of its needs in Morse code. If blood or blood fuel is lacking, the helmet will notify Chanel that it needs her to collect more blood for conversion into fuel to perform the electrocution. If the blood supply is ample but fuel is insufficient, it will inform Chanel that it will begin the conversion process and to station herself somewhere secure so that any neural impulses don’t interfere with the helmet's processes. The remainder of the fuel will be used to catalyze the conversion of blood into fuel.

If conditions are optimal, the voice box gives Chanel a heads-up in Morse code about the number of minutes before a cycle starts, allowing her to find a secure location before a seizure occurs. The helmet can be powered by various fuels, including coagula blood, which can generate electricity through a bioelectrochemical process, or direct contact with an electric outlet. The coagula blood method is preferred due to the mobility it offers compared to stationary electric outlets.

Additionally, her piercings are not merely decorative but are referred to as "modulating electrodes" or "resistive electrodes." Their function is to regulate the electrical signals, preventing excessive current from reaching sensitive areas and ensuring a safe and effective ECT process. These modulating electrodes use materials with specific resistive properties to control the flow of electricity, much like variable resistors in electronic circuits, ensuring precise modulation and safety.

[rockerb0y]

     NOT EVEN  the potent cocktail of chemicals in johnny's bloodstream was immune to terminal dilution, beginning to abate about halfway through the setlist of stentorian songs and eventually deadened to a  numbness  which yearned to be renewed to its former glory. the venue and its effervescent crowd had warmly received the tendentious performance, ardently lauded and extolled the visual backdrop of articles from various smear campaigns against him over the past few years — an  eye-catching  and  provocative  accompaniment to his  idiosyncratic  brand of sound. nevertheless, the fervid feedback didn't automatically merit an encore and his expeditious exit outside wasn't susceptible to further vacillation. the show was over because he said it was over and nobody could overturn the  dictatorial  decision.

     ' the night owl '  had procured his patronage over its surrounding competition with its proximity and diminutive clientele. the business hours were arbitrary and open-ended which catered to his particular ambitions for the evening, opting to occupy a seat at the far end of the bar counter away in self-imposed isolation. the view beyond the sheets of glass surrounding the bar would've enticed any wandering eye, as was expected from its location on the top floor of the bay bridge residential hotel; to him, however, the neon graveyard was a tired sight that failed to inveigle  him into any state of admiration. the inherent exigency of the empty whiskey glass in front of him was far more worthwhile of his notice, second only to the sudden movement on his right side as the adjacent seat was no longer subject to vacancy.

@helldwells: ❝ you look lonely. i can fix that. ❞ ( soooo thinking about silverhand during his prime time while ryker is still a corpo and keeping an eye on him heh )

     twitch of a smile denoted acknowledgement of the stranger ahead of a verbal reply, lidded gaze quick to steal a glance and investigate existing suppositions. the other patron's attire and comportment was of a  certain  caliber, an  eminence  that came married with corporate rancidity; its stench was as familiar as it was distinctively deplorable. despite lacking any tangible evidence or confirmation to his working theory, the once-over alone was decidedly enough to profile his counterpart and make an educated assessment.

     ❝  spoken like a true jig-jig street regular. not all that different from them, actually: corpses and joytoys. both are willin' to bend over and be  fucked raw  by their employer if the price is right.  ❞

     wraithlike whisper from  the hand  goaded him to  glass  the unexpected visitor, to accede and temporarily  tranquilize  the urge to maim. violent fantasy fogged over immediate thought for a moment before it was banished from mind, curbed for the time being as the bartender's attention was beckoned with a  knock  of chrome knuckles against the counter. a refill was sorely needed in addition to a suitable beverage for his  esteemed  company.

     ❝  another double whiskey neat here, and a  jersey turnpike  for this compassionate boy scout. my treat.  ❞

     the bartender's bout of hesitation upon hearing the order was expected but a pointed look subsequently resolved any  doubt  of its sincerity. the recipe was straightforward: all the bar mats' residual liquor collectively wrung into a single shot glass — a mixed shooter perfectly  curated  for any  bottom-feeder.

               ❝  take it, and fuck off.  ❞

BLADE RUNNER 2049 PROMPTS

[scbhagat]

Comprehensive USAID Audit in Delhi India by SC Bhagat & Co.

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[smithlee1221]

Supply Chain Assessments | Supply Chain Strategy Consulting | Skills Gap Analysis

Skills Gap Analysis offers purchase skills assessment online to help businesses identify and address capability gaps. Their expertise in supply chain assessment tools and procurement assessment ensures that organisations stay ahead in the market.

[elsa16744]

What is ESG Controversy, and How Does It Impact Business?

Social media has augmented the power multimedia coverage has over public perception. The positive aspects of this situation include a rising demand for accountability and transparent corporate communication. However, the potential misuse of modern media, third-party firms’ intelligence, and news platforms can threaten the brand you develop through fake news. For instance, an ESG controversy, whether real or not, can impact a business. And this post explains how.

What is an ESG Controversy?

An ESG controversy encompasses all events concerning actual or alleged adverse impact assessments, sustainability non-compliance, data theft, etc. The environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors help analysts create comprehensive reports and financial disclosures, highlighting potentially controversial business aspects.

Controversial events can decrease your company’s reputation, increase legal liabilities, and alienate the stakeholders. Besides, brand-related risks have long-term consequences. Therefore, corporations leverage ESG controversy analysis to identify the activities that can undermine their strategic vision, financial performance, and stakeholder interests.

What Causes an ESG Controversy?

Advanced technology empowers today’s world, empowering researchers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), industry bodies, regional authorities, and consumers. They can quickly investigate if a brand has engaged in ESG non-compliant activities.

Employing child labor, discriminating against employees, polluting the environment, or engaging in corruption can affect your company’s relationships. Sometimes, old norms become obsolete, and new legal frameworks replace them. However, specific organizations might miss such dynamics or willfully postpone compliance.

Through ESG consulting, businesses can acquire thematic insights into sustainability compliance and controversy exposure. Themes include energy transition, labor rights, social good, carbon emissions, and waste disposal. So, investors, authorities, businesses, NGOs, and consumers can decide which brands to support or ignore.

How Does an ESG Controversy Impact a Business?

1| It Can Discourage Investors

Ethical and impact investors want to focus on enterprises working on socio-economically beneficial projects. They also employ exclusion strategies when building portfolios based on sustainable development goals (SDGs). Investors are less likely to include a brand with a controversial background in their portfolios.

2| ESG Controversy Can Lead to Consumer Boycott

Launching a new product or service will become more challenging if a company is part of a controversy. Consumers believe in buying from brands that share their values. Suppose they learn about a brand’s ESG controversy. They will deliberately avoid its products, events, and services. Simultaneously, social media and news platforms can accelerate the brand boycott trends.

3| Legal Processes Will Impact the Business

Addressing non-compliance issues can involve fulfilling legal requirements like account audits, independent inquiries, or financial penalties. These activities can make specific business operations inefficient for a while. Otherwise, the managers might get trade restrictions for an indefinite period.

4| ESG Controversy Makes Supply Chain Management Riskier

Consider a business that procures critical components from a supplier that employs child labor and releases untreated industrial effluent into water bodies. Therefore, the brand is at risk. After all, ESG controversy analysis does not stop at the company level. It inspects whether a few supplier relations can damage your stakeholder goodwill due to questionable practices.

Steps of Controversy Monitoring and Reporting

Recognizing the vulnerable aspects across the environmental, social, and governance pillars helps companies and investors streamline risk assessment. Think of the deforestation risks that will be higher in the case of construction projects. However, water resources will be more vulnerable to pollution from the heavy chemicals industry.

Later, you want to create a consolidated statistical method to rate the adverse impact according to ESG controversy risks. It will allow companies to benchmark their compliance.

Finally, investors must determine whether they want to buy or sell an asset using the final reports. Likewise, business leaders must explore opportunities to make their organizations more resilient to controversies.

Conclusion

Several possibilities affect how everyone essential to your business development perceives you. Their faith in your brand shakes once your organization becomes the focus of global and regional media coverage for the wrong reasons.

Still, every ESG controversy analyst will follow a unique system to evaluate the risks that business leaders must mitigate to have a positive impact. As a result, corporations must select analysts with an established track record of sustainability compliance and risk assessment.

[palvichemical]

Manganese Sulphate:  The Hidden Player in Metal Processing and Industrial Applications

Manganese sulphate, a compound frequently overlooked in metal processing and industrial applications, assumes a pivotal function across diverse industrial sectors.  Palvi Chemicals, a reputable Manganese Sulphate supplier in the USA, recognises the importance of Manganese Sulphate as a versatile component with wide-ranging effects across several industries.

Unveiling Manganese Sulphate:

Manganese Sulphate, denoted as MnSO4, is an inherent compound that serves as a predominant manganese source in metal processing and other industrial contexts.  The substance in question is a water-soluble salt with a pale pink colouration, and it plays a crucial role in various key physiological processes.

Metal Processing and Production:

Manganese sulphate plays a pivotal role in the manufacturing and refinement processes of many metallic substances.  Micronutrients are employed in the iron and steel manufacturing industry to facilitate deoxidisation and desulfurization procedures.  Furthermore, it improves the mechanical characteristics of these metallic materials, thereby guaranteeing superior quality and long-lasting performance.

Agricultural Sector:

Manganese sulphate is an essential constituent in fertilisers.  Zinc is a crucial micronutrient that is necessary for optimal growth and development in plants.  This molecule plays a crucial role in various physiological processes in plants, including photosynthesis, enzyme activation, and nitrogen metabolism.  As a result, it has emerged as a vital component in the agricultural sector.

Animal Feed Additive:

The utilisation of Manganese Sulphate as a dietary supplement in animal feed is prevalent within the domain of animal husbandry.  Calcium plays a crucial role in the promotion and sustenance of optimal bone and cartilage health in animals, hence significantly contributing to their overall physical well-being and productivity.

Palvi Chemicals:  Your Trusted Manganese Sulphate Partner in the USA

Palvi Chemicals, a well-established Manganese Sulphate trader in the USA, is committed to providing superior products to our esteemed clientele.  We possess a comprehensive understanding of the crucial significance of Manganese Sulphate in several industrial sectors and are committed to delivering dependable and high-quality solutions.

Premium Quality Assurance:

The highest level of importance at Palvi Chemicals – an excellent Manganese Sulphate distributor in the USA is placed on ensuring premium quality assurance.  The Manganese Sulphate products undergo rigorous quality assessments to ensure compliance with the most strict industry benchmarks.  Our company procures its items from manufacturers known for their credibility, thereby guaranteeing our customers the highest level of quality without any compromises, in each transaction.

Wide Range of Offerings:

As a prominent provider of Manganese Sulphate in the United States, our company provides an extensive selection of Manganese Sulphate products to meet the varied demands of the industrial sector.  We possess the appropriate grade and formulation to fulfil your specific needs, whether they pertain to metal processing, agricultural, or animal feed applications.

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The adoption of a client-centric approach is a fundamental aspect of our business philosophy.  Our unwavering dedication to ensuring customer happiness serves as the impetus behind our relentless pursuit of delivering great service.  We engage in close collaboration with our clients to gain a comprehensive understanding of their unique requirements and subsequently propose appropriate solutions pertaining to Manganese Sulphate.  Our team of professionals is consistently prepared to provide assistance and address any issues or problems that our esteemed customers may have.

Final Thoughts:

It is worth noting that Manganese Sulphate, despite being frequently disregarded, holds undeniable importance as it exerts a substantial impact on several sectors such as metal production, agriculture, and animal husbandry.  Palvi Chemicals, a reputable supplier, trader, and distributor based in the United States, is committed to providing a dependable supply of Manganese Sulphate to various sectors that heavily depend on its versatile range of applications.  To fulfill your industrial requirements and enhance the efficacy of your operations, Palvi Chemicals is a reliable source of superior Manganese Sulphate goods and outstanding service.

[sylviajack0420]

Is Supply Chain Management the Same as Logistics?

Supply chain management and logistics are sometimes used synonymously. Some claim that there is no distinction between the two concepts and that supply chain management is the “new” logistics.

Logistics

Logistics management is the management process that incorporates the flow of capital, information, services, and goods from the procurement of raw materials till they reach their final customer. The goal of this procedure is to give the final consumer the correct product of the right quality at the proper time, location, and cost. Two major categories can be used to classify the logistical activities.

Inbound Logistics:

The tasks involved in material procurement, handling, storage, and transportation

Outbound Logistics:

The processes involved in the collection, maintenance, distribution, or delivery to the final consumer.

Supply chain management

Besides these, other activities include stock control, balancing supply and demand, fulfilling orders, protective packing, and warehousing. High-quality items will be produced, as well as cost and time savings.

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a group of related tasks. W are moved from raw materials to finished items and back again until they are delivered to the customer. Multiple groups worked together to make this chain of activities successful, and that success is the result of their combined efforts.

These organizations could be the businesses that the company now collaborates with as suppliers or partners, as well as producers, distributors, retailers, and customers. Integration, sourcing, procurement, production, testing, logistics, customer services, performance assessment, etc. may be among the activities.

With a focus only on the needs of the customer, supply chain management uses a multi-faceted approach to control the flow of raw materials, works in progress (semi-finished goods), and finished goods both inside and outside the organisation until they are received by the final consumer.

Exactly how similar are supply chain management and logistics?

Even though the two are related ideas, they differ greatly from one another.

Transporting, storing, and delivering commodities are all elements of supply chain management. In other words, logistics is in charge of delivering the appropriate goods to the appropriate customer at the appropriate time.

All activities involved in moving goods and services from production to consumption fall under the umbrella of supply chain management, which is a more general word. It covers every step of the production and distribution of commodities, from sourcing and acquisition to their manufacturing.

Firstly, to make sure that your organisation is operating smoothly and effectively, it is crucial to understand the main distinction between supply chain management and logistics. With this knowledge, you can create customized strategies for each sector and make sure your entire business functions flawlessly.

How does blockchain provide supply chain solutions?

Through the use of blockchain technology, businesses can track all kinds of transactions more securely and openly. On the supply chain function, there might be a huge influence.

Businesses are now able to follow a product’s history from its point of origin to its present location using blockchain technology. A permanent history is create from the point of manufacture. To the point of sale for every time a product is sale by securely documenting the transaction.

The time delays, additional costs, and human error that are usually connect to transactions might be significantly reduce with the use of this potent technology if parties work together on a single shared platform. The absence of middlemen in the supply chain also lowers the possibility of fraud. Furthermore, complete records make it easier for firms to pinpoint the origin of fraud, wherever it may occur.

A shared blockchain ledger provides a trustworthy and uncrackable audit trail of the transfer of information, stock, and money along a supply chain. Businesses may synchronize logistical data, track shipments, and automate payments using a common blockchain. They can share only the most pertinent data while doing so without substantially changing their legacy systems.

Development of supply chain management

The term “logistics” has a long history and was first used in the military. For describe the upkeep, storage, and transit of military personnel and equipment. After the development of the idea of supply chain management, this phrase is now use widely and not just in the military. Additionally, it has been claime that SCM includes logistics in addition to being an addition to logistics management. They couldnt separate. As a result, they are complementary rather than in conflict. SCM enables Logistics to communicate with the team in charge of transportation, storage, and distribution.

Tracefood offers the ideal way to collect data from supply chains. It is simple to subscribe to and donate to tracefood thanks to ready-made blockchain applications. Companies can also restrict users’ access to information using these tools. This allows for the privacy of sensitive information while only sharing essential information with other supply chain participants. The blockchain receives bundled data from IoT sensors, shop floor systems, and other devices via secure cloud gateways.

Improve inventory holdings, reduce trading fees, fraud prevention, and other benefits can all be attain through greater transparency and a higher level of traceability.

With innovative blockchain solutions created by top blockchain developers, Trace Food enables seamless and efficient control of the food supply chain. With the use of our cutting-edge Blockchain deliverables, we aim to create new paradigms for the fresh produce business.

[man-and-atom]

Now this is big news.

A decade ago, Hydro-Québec’s one nuclear unit was approaching 30 years old, and the utility was gearing up to perform major maintenance so that it could continue for another 30. (This type of maintenance has just been finished at Bruce 6.) The government of the day chose instead to shut down the station, even though well over a billion dollars had already been spent toward the refurbishment, including procurement of major components.

Today, it appears that the Provincial Government is beginning to acknowledge that plans for electrification of heat and transport will overtax its available generation ― especially as Québec is supposed to be furnishing power to distant New York City, to make up for the politically-motivated loss of 2 GW of nuclear at Indian Point.

(Gentilly-1 was a prototype CANDU variant cooled by boiling light water, generating power on a direct steam cycle. It never worked satisfactorily.)

[logisticscompany3]

The Benefit of Using a Procurement Company With Logistics and Products Transportation Capabilities

Purchase is the procedure of determining as well as obtaining goods and services. It includes sourcing, acquiring as well as covers all tasks from determining prospective suppliers through to shipment from distributor to the individuals or beneficiary. Procurement is a key activity in the supply chain administration.

Logistics staff involvement in assessments offers logistics info as well as data that supports program/response application. All significant business source preparation (ERP) software application vendors like Oracle and also SAP give products around logistics and also transport monitoring. Arrangement and implementation of these products needs in-depth understanding of the market, neighborhood and also global freight plans, and also fundamental understanding of the business technique. The general price of logistics plays a vital part in product pricing. The organization is after that able to prepare ahead for the provision of the goods as well as solutions. Hence, logistics is the cornerstone of firms which create physical items. Logistics also plays a vital duty in military operations. Logistics shortages can create severe problems to the firm's bottom line.

Several business have been proclaimed to shed their market placement owing to rivals having far better logistics monitoring. Ecommerce vendors like Amazon and also ebay.com depend on state of art logistics to keep ahead of the market. Success of firms is not just a variable of how well they do their core-business (like generate a certain product) but additionally exactly how well they contract out non-core parts of their organization to 3rd parties. shipping logistics near me

Provided the intricacy of logistics as well as transport, this is a vital location for outsourcing. Experienced business understand to collaborate with one-stop stores to define vital solution degree contracts around supply chain and after that leave it to the professionals to overcome the complexity as a black box. This permits the firm to focus on where it matters, their core service. Logistics firms give myriad advantages (over attempting an in-house version):.

Logistics automation. Procurement solutions. International network. Shipping as well as freight services. Market experience as well as Quantity price cuts.

Logistics Automation deals with minimizing labor expenses by integrating wise machinery, progressed software program and dynamic tools and modern technologies. As included advantages, automation additionally reduces power as well as material wastefulness, enhances high quality and precision. By using warehousing innovations like RFID, automated placement and also storage, software program based supply tracking, companies give satisfaction with considerable expense advantage (that features co-location of your items).

Purchase services can vary from consultatory on resources purchase to rate monitoring. Companies with both straight (basic material) purchase and indirect procurement (fixing and also upkeep materials). They help come to a sweet area between amount and frequency while offering sector particular value. It is prevalent expertise that apparently inconsonant sectors make use of comparable product and also equipment. For instance, a manufacturing plant calls for safety and security and also clinical supplies, whereas, a health center needs general upkeep products. Utilizing one stop stores enable one to benefit from the large range of materials in their purview.

Shakespeare's 'all the globe is a stage' quite possibly obtains the current business versions with open market acts in between countries being widespread. The capability to supply to remote countries, while not needing to manage disambiguation of policy, money as well as language subtleties is vital to worldwide success. One stop stores have all the global network and also connections to encourage and perform your international shipping undertakings.

The aim of transport is to physically move products in a reputable and also safe way, promptly, price properly and also effectively to its location. Even if a company owns its cars, there may well be events when a demand develops for additional ability, to satisfy peak task or various other short term requirements. This can be fulfilled by the use lorries supplied by an industrial transport company (third party). Additionally using the 3rd party delivery as well as freight solution is advantageous to the company because:.

of the variable lots and also trips can be provided for. the hauler may have the ability to supply a much more affordable as well as an extra reliable solution. the obligation for administration of cars and drivers is no longer the duty of the company (hence enabling staff to focus on much more productive areas). transport logistics near me there is no need for resources to be purchased transportation. Several on-line logistics firms give consulting solutions whereby the customers can conquer their challenges that they face while trading goods. Market professionals well versed with plans and also laws, audit (like SAS70) as well as compliance requirements (for example hazardous and also ignitable materials), dynamic factors (like weather condition, socio-political events) and vendor staminas (like volume discounts and geographical insurance coverage) are gotten in touch with as well as business companies can create their own time and also cost effective logistical time table while optimizing their spending plan at the same time.

[smithlee1221]

Mastering Supply Chain Resilience | Key Strategies for Risk Mitigation

Get the power of comprehensive supply chain assessments with Skill Gap Analysis. Our expert team identifies vulnerabilities and optimises your entire network. Protect your business from potential disruptions and stay ahead of the competition.

[8manage]

What is a Supplier Management System?

In modern enterprise supply chain management, the supplier management system plays a crucial role. With the complication of enterprise procurement needs and the trend of globalization, enterprises not only need to quickly find high-quality suppliers but also ensure the quality, price, and delivery capabilities of suppliers to respond to market changes. The emergence of the supplier management system has brought a new management approach to enterprises, helping them optimize the supply chain, reduce procurement costs, and improve the overall efficiency of the business. This article will detail the functions and roles of the supplier management system and how it helps enterprises achieve more efficient supplier management.

 1. What is a Supplier Management System?

A Supplier Management System is a software solution used to centrally manage and optimize the cooperative relationship between an enterprise and its suppliers. Its core purpose is to help enterprises achieve more efficient supplier management during the procurement process and ensure that suppliers meet the enterprises requirements in terms of quality, delivery time, price, etc. The system usually includes management functions for a series of processes from supplier selection, evaluation, assessment, to relationship maintenance, contract management, and performance analysis. Through the supplier management system, enterprises can better achieve transparent, standardized, and data-driven management of the supply chain and effectively reduce supply chain risks.

The core functions of the supplier management system include, but are not limited to, supplier database, supplier qualification verification, supplier performance evaluation, supplier rating and classification, risk management, contract management, and procurement analysis. It can help enterprises build and maintain a stable and high-quality supplier network, provide support for enterprise production and services, and thereby enhance market competitiveness.

 2. Functions of the Supplier Management System

The functions of the supplier management system are rich and diverse, covering the needs of enterprises in all aspects of supplier management. Taking the 8Manage SRM system as an example, the following are the main functions of the supplier management system:

2.1. Supplier Information Management

The supplier management system provides a centralized database for storing detailed information about suppliers. Enterprises can easily query and update supplier information through this database, including basic information, qualification certificates, contract records, historical transaction data, etc. Through the system, enterprises can grasp the latest dynamics of suppliers in real-time and provide data support for decision-making.

2.2. Supplier Qualification Verification

Supplier qualification verification is an important part of supplier management. The supplier management system can help enterprises quickly verify supplier qualifications, including business licenses, product quality certifications, environmental protection certifications, etc. The system will automatically remind enterprises to conduct regular audits to ensure that supplier qualifications meet requirements and reduce supply chain risks.

2.3. Supplier Performance Evaluation

To ensure the service quality of suppliers, enterprises usually need to regularly evaluate supplier performance. The supplier management system supports evaluating supplier performance through multi-dimensional indicators (such as product quality, on-time delivery rate, service response speed, etc.) and automatically generates performance reports. These data can provide a basis for enterprise procurement decisions and ensure cooperation with the best suppliers.

2.4. Supplier Grading and Classification

The supplier management system usually has the function of grading and classification, which can help enterprises manage suppliers hierarchically. Enterprises can divide suppliers into different grades based on factors such as supplier performance, supply capabilities, and risk levels for targeted management and resource allocation. Through hierarchical and classification management, enterprises can more selectively choose strategic partners and support the stability of the supply chain.

2.5. Supplier Risk Management

Supplier risk management is an important part of the supplier management system. The system can monitor the financial status, market performance, legal compliance, and other information of suppliers in real-time, detect potential risks in a timely manner, and provide early warning functions. The risk management function helps enterprises take measures before problems occur, reduce the risk of supply chain interruption, and improve the resilience of the supply chain.

2.6. Procurement Contract Management

The supplier management system also supports contract management functions, which can record and manage all contracts signed with suppliers, including contract effective dates, expiration dates, contract amounts, terms, etc. The system can set up automatic reminders to prevent contracts from expiring or important terms from being overlooked, thereby protecting the interests of the enterprise.

2.7. Procurement Data Analysis

The supplier management system can automatically collect and analyze procurement data to help enterprises identify problems and improvement opportunities in the procurement process. The data analysis function provided by the system can analyze procurement activities from multiple aspects such as procurement costs, supplier performance, and quality control, providing data support for enterprises to optimize the procurement process.

 3. The Role of the Supplier Management System

3.1. Improving Management Efficiency

The supplier management system greatly simplifies the procurement process and improves management efficiency by centrally managing supplier information, qualification verification, performance evaluation, and other links. Enterprises can quickly obtain supplier information, verify qualifications, conduct performance evaluations, etc., saving a lot of manpower and time costs.

3.2. Reducing Procurement Costs

The supplier management system reduces enterprise procurement costs by optimizing the procurement process. The system can help enterprises select cost-effective suppliers through centralized management of suppliers and can also reduce the additional costs caused by unqualified quality or supply chain interruptions through performance evaluation and risk management.

3.3. Improving Supply Chain Transparency

Through the supplier management system, enterprises can clearly grasp the dynamics of each link in the supply chain, including supplier performance, product quality, supply cycle, etc. Transparent supply chain information can help enterprises better respond to market changes and improve the response speed of the supply chain.

3.4. Enhancing Risk Prevention Capability

The risk management function provided by the supplier management system can help enterprises identify and avoid supplier risks early. The system monitors the qualifications, financial status, market performance, and other information of suppliers in real-time and provides early warning functions, allowing enterprises to take countermeasures before risks occur and ensuring the stability of the supply chain.

 4. How to Choose the Right Supplier Management System?

When choosing a supplier management system, enterprises should consider their own needs, budget, and the functional characteristics of the system. The following are some purchasing guidelines:

4.1. Functional Completeness

Enterprises should choose system functions according to actual needs. For example, if an enterprise has a high demand for supplier performance management, it should choose a system that performs well in performance evaluation and data analysis.

4.2. System Flexibility and Scalability

Enterprise needs will change with business development. Therefore, it is particularly important to choose a flexible and scalable system. The system should support the addition of future modules and function expansion to ensure that it can continue to meet the needs when the enterprise expands.

4.3. User-Friendliness

An easy-to-use supplier management system can increase employees willingness to use it and reduce training time after the system goes online. Therefore, a system with a user-friendly interface design and simple operation process is more in line with the needs of enterprises.

4.4. Data Security

Since the supplier management system involves a large amount of sensitive data, the security of the system is crucial. Choosing a system with strict data encryption and access control can effectively protect enterprise information security.

4.5. Supplier Technical Support

High-quality supplier technical support can help enterprises quickly solve problems in using the system and ensure the continuous and stable operation of the system. Enterprises should give priority to choosing system suppliers that provide comprehensive after-sales services.

In summary, the supplier management system is a key tool for modern enterprises to optimize the supply chain and improve procurement efficiency. It not only helps enterprises centrally manage supplier information but also creates value for enterprises and reduces supply chain risks through functions such as data analysis, performance evaluation, and risk management. For any enterprise with supplier management needs, the supplier management system will be an indispensable and powerful assistant. Teams that want to further improve supplier and procurement management levels can use professional tools such as 8Manage SRM to assist in management. For more information, please visit the official website of 8Manage SRM: www.8manage.com/srm_index.html

 Related FAQs

1. Which enterprises is the supplier management system suitable for?

The supplier management system is suitable for all enterprises that need to conduct procurement and supplier management, especially large manufacturing, retail, and logistics companies. These enterprises usually have a large number of suppliers and need to systematically manage supplier information, performance, and contracts. In addition, some rapidly developing small and medium-sized enterprises will also introduce a supplier management system to improve procurement efficiency and supply chain management.

2. How does the supplier management system help enterprises reduce procurement costs?

The supplier management system can make the enterprise procurement process more efficient through standardized and data-driven management. The system can automatically screen and evaluate the price, quality, and delivery capabilities of suppliers, helping enterprises find more cost-effective suppliers. In addition, through performance evaluation and risk management, enterprises can reduce the situation of unqualified quality and untimely delivery and reduce the hidden costs caused by supplier problems.

3. What are the differences between the supplier management system and the traditional supplier management method?

The traditional supplier management method usually relies on manual records and personal experience, with insufficiently transparent information and prone to errors. The supplier management system realizes automated management through data means, with all processes being transparent and traceable, greatly improving management efficiency. The system can also monitor supplier risks in real-time and provide early warnings, enabling enterprises to respond to supply chain problems more quickly. Compared with the traditional method, systematic management is more secure, efficient, and can better support the rapid decision-making of enterprises.