Chromium and Selenium Concentration in Cancer

Chromium and Selenium Concentration in Cancer The ratio between chromium and selenium concentration among various age groups of cancer group has also been studied and it shown in table 5.48, and it has been observed that all groups of cancer patients present somewhat similar ratio of chromium and selenium concentration in their blood. Moreover, the concentration balance of chromium and selenium has conspicuously been disturbed as it illustrated in table 5.49. For instance, the breast cancer mortalities in various countries were studied and ascertained a direct correlation with the estimated dietary intake of zinc, chromium and cadmium and inversely proportional to the concentration of selenium (238). The summary of stage wise distribution for chromium and selenium has been illustrated in Table 5.50 and it observed that all four stages of cancer patients present a sort of consistency in chromium and selenium proportion in the blood of cancer patients as shown in Table 5.51. In view of this fact, it may be elucidated that the demarcation among various stages of cancer is arbitrary division and this periphery does not present any association of stages with the distribution-ratio of chromium and selenium in the blood of cancer patients. However, the reduction of 0.064 Â µg ml-1 of selenium concentration in the blood of cancer patients corresponds to more than 52 % decrease as compared to the selenium level in the blood of control group. These variations in concentration may be the result of the disease of cancer however the type of cancer does not influence the levels of selenium in the blood of cancer patients. However, the significant decrease in selenium concentration in whole blood and plasma has been observed in another study where the tannery workers were exposed to chromium compounds and have shown a considerably lower selenium concentration in their blood and they excreted lower amount of selenium in their urine as compared to the worker those were not exposed to the chromium. It may confirm the point of view that chromium and selenium have some kind of interaction and biological selenides are formed with chromium and in due course of time they accumulate in some organs. It was also demonstrated that the tannery workers who were exposed to air with high concentrations of chromium compounds at their workplace exhibited significantly higher erythrocyte and plasma GSH-Px activity than workers of other departments (239). Therefore, higher level of selenium stipulates the main function of selenium is to induce and maintain the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, which prevents cellular damage by catabolizing organic peroxides (240) The enzyme, SeGSH-Px, catalyzes the oxidation-reduction reaction between reduced glutathione and peroxide. Therefore, the pathological lesions lured with selenium deficiency are considered to be caused by peroxidative damage that is the product of depressed SeGSH-Px activity (241-242). However, once chromium absorbed and retained in biological tissue chromium compounds occur as chromium (III). Glutathione and cysteine seem to be the most important cofactors for the intracellular reduction of chromium (VI) (243). The absorption of metal in the human body is a complex process and depends on various factors including dietary components. About 40% of ingested metal is absorbed in the small intestine (244). Furthermore, a variety of neurodegnerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, and neuronal damage caused by stroke and ischemia may be associated with pathological disruption of metal trafficking (245-247). Chromium is potentially toxic and carcinogenic at higher doses. All chromates that exhibit oxidation state (VI) can aggressively enter the cell through channels that are specified for the transfer of isoelectric and isostructural anions, such as SO4-2 and PO4-2. However, the insoluble chromates are engrossed by cells through phagocytosis. As soon as the chromates get inside the cell they are competent enough to generate free radicals immediately. Yet, in the presence of cellular reductants the chromium inside the cell can cause a broad series of DNA lesions such as DNA- protein crosslink, Cr-DNA adducts, DNA-DNA cross links, and oxidative damages. The glutathione quickly reacts with chromium (VI) and forms a complex and generate chromium (V) and chromium (III) through slow reduction of chromium (VI) inside the cell. The chromium (V) and chromium (III) species exhibit the tendency to alter the DNA conformation. The reduction of chromium (VI) can be commenced through GSH, or in the pre sence of other reducing agents. The chromium (V) and chromium (III) can react with H2O2 through Fenton reaction and produce hydroxyl radical (OH) that has the potential to damage DNA. There are evidents that interacellular reduction of chromium (VI) results in extensive formation of Cr-DNA adducts, among which chromium (III) – mediated DNA cross-link of glutathione, cysteine, histidine and ascorbate represent an important group of DNA modifications. Therefore, Cr- DNA adducts are responsible for both the mutagenicity and genotoxicity of chromium. The chromium (VI) is considered as carcinogen for lungs cancer for human (248). Numerous epidemiological studies have been performed for more than 100 years on workers exposed to chromium in order to determine its level of carcinogenicity. Altogether, these studies indicate that exposed individuals have approximately 2- 80 fold increased relative risk of developing lungs cancer (226). On the other hand, an inverse association between serum selenium level and cancer risk is biologically possible. The results of the study indicated that the treatment with selenium improved GPx levels. GPx detoxifies H2O2by reducing it to water. It also protects cytosolic organelles from oxidative damage by preventing lipid peroxidation. Selenium could reduce oxidative stress through antioxidant selenoproteins such as glutathione peroxidase, selenoprotein P, and thioredoxin reductase. (249-250). There are numerous promising possibilities that may be presented as an account for the observed variations for selenium in whole blood levels associated with malignant disease, as compared to healthy and control group (251). It includes chemotherapeutic-induce necrosis, which could release selenium from tissues into the circulation, preferential sequestration by tumor cells (252-253) and alteration of properties of proteins, especially enzymes, at elevated concentration of selenium in tissues (254-255). Furthermore, the possibility of depression in activities of specific enzymes with loss of vital enzyme activity, and impaired tissue function resulting from a selenium-deficient state (256). The depletion of selenium in the blood of cancer patients may suggest its reciprocal accumulation in the malignant tissues in view of the studies (257-261) who have reported higher concentration of selenium in the cancerous and neighboring tissues cells. Availability of excessive selenium in the cancerous cells may be expected to facilitate the synthesis of selenoproteins e.g. Trx, TrxR etc. which are known to provide protection to the tissue cells against the oxidative stress, carcinogens, and help to reduce cancerous cell growth. The results of recent studies (262-264) regarding the diversified multiple functions of selenoproteins has generated tremendous interest in the understanding and elucidation of mechanisms that triggers the role of these proteins from anti-apoptosis in the normal cells to pro-apoptosis in malignant cells. There are numerous studies (265-267), who have proposed different mechanisms to explain the inhibiting effect of selenium on malignant neoplasm; for examp le modulation of cellular division rate, decrease in formation of carcinogenic metabolites or cellular protection by an antioxidant system. It is generally believed that due to the anti oxidative characteristics of selenoproteins, these proteins can protect the cells and DNA from oxidative damage; in addition, these proteins can react with carcinogens directly to save cells and DNA from their lethal actions. It has been suggested (263), that nitrative inactivation of Trx plays a proapoptotic role if the reactive nitrogen species are increased; and antinitrating treatment may have therapeutic value in those diseases, such as myocardial ischemia/ reperfusion, in which pathological apoptosis is increased. The situation is reversed in malignant tissue cells where apoptosis is beneficial for the inhibition of the cell growth. Therefore, in view of the aforementioned studies, it is possible that the pathological conditions in which production of nitrogen species is increased that may favo r the inactivation of Trx and therefore enhance the apoptotic role of this selenoprotein. A kinetic study of the reaction of NO and O2 in aqueous solutions, based on pH indicator, has been performed by using stopped-flow spectrometry. The results of these studies have shown that at physiological concentrations of O2 and NO, the auto- oxidation of NO does not limit its diffusion from the site of production in endothelial cells to a spatially removed target molecule such as guanylate cyclase in myocytes and platelets. A Trx interacting protein Txnip has been reported (31), which inhibit the antiapoptotic activity of Trx where as NO suppresses the expression of Trxnip and enhances the Trx activity, therefore perhaps the oxidative character of Trx in malignant cells as reported in the above mentioned studies may well be interpreted as the inhibition of its antioxidant activity. In different studies (267-268) it has been suggested on the basis of their results that selenite induces apopt osis by producing superoxide ions which activate p53, a well known protein involved in carcinogenesis, which in turn support apoptosis. A key role has been assigned (269), to Trx-2, located in mitochondria, in interaction with electron transport chain, determining tumor necrosis ROS generation, NF- kB activation and apoptosis. Intestines are the main sits where selenium absorption is measured at maximum. In liver selenium joins many other amino acids and generate selenocysteine and selenoproteins. Selenoproteins consist of active form of selenium and are transferred to all over the body. Kidney and liver, however, have higher concentration of selenoproteins. It is reported that a small quantity of selenoproteins are also exist in blood and serum. Furthermore, being a part of selenoproteins the selenium is an essential part of glutathione peroxidae as well that is the reason selenium is believed to be an antioxidant (36). Glutathione plays a role of a protector in the body of an organism and ensnare the balance of free radicals, peroxides and preserves the redox status of the cell (270). In addition, glutathione perxidase provides defense mechanism against free radicals that may cause destruction of cell membrane. The free radicals are generated when hydrogen peroxide produced in the mitochondria of the cell during the regular metabolism. The stress is a foremost cause of excessive production of hydrogen peroxide that sequentially create a disproportion in free radicals inside the cells. Chemical structure of cell membrane comes under the attack of free radicals and gives away their loosely bounded electrons to the free radicals. Consequently, a chemical structure of cell membrane turns into a reactive entity and begins to instigate an electron from adjacent structure and this chain reaction serves to damage the cell membrane causing the cell to die. Proactive role as a safeguard of glutathione peroxidase quickly transform hydrogen peroxide into water a way before it could generate harmful reactive species called free radicals. Another study highlights defense mechanism of vitamin E in which glutathione peroxidase and vitamin E follow a similar pathway in order to discontinue the chain reaction by engaging the free radicals within the cell membrane. Therefore, it is an effective combination of selenium and vitamin E that can control the production of free radicals and prevent the damage of cell membranes as well as DNA and other cellular structures (270).

Child Abuse and Neglect Essay -- Violence Against Children

Child Abuse Child abuse and neglect is frightfully high. As a country this is unacceptable. We need to come up with better ways to fight this â€Å"disease† before we destroy our children, our future. An estimated 903,000 children across the country were victims of abuse or neglect in 2001, according to national data released by the Department of Health and Human Services. The statistics indicate that about 12.4 out of every 1,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect, a rate comparable to the previous year's victimization rate of 12.2 out of 1,000 children. "A nation as compassionate as ours should ensure that no child is a victim of abuse or neglect. The number of children that are being abused and neglected this country is an unacceptable daily tragedy," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. "We must do more to protect our most vulnerable children. That's why President Bush has proposed an important new approach to give states the tools and resources they need to prevent abuse and care for these young victims." As part of HHS' fiscal year 2004 budget request, the Bush Administration is proposing a new approach to protect children in the child welfare system. Under the plan, states would have the option of using some money now designated solely for foster care to support a range of abuse-preventive services and programs. The proposal provides the flexibility and sustained financial support necessary to build innovative programs for children and families...

The United States in the Vietnam War Essay -- Essays Papers

The United States in the Vietnam War Many soldiers have been lost in the different wars that the United States has been involved. Although there have been many wars only one is unique from the others, it is known as the war that was never won or lost. The Vietnam War started out as a conflict but soon escalated into a full-fledged war. Many soldiers have been lost in the Vietnam War. The United States sent many soldiers into the jungles of Indochina trying to stop the spread of communism from the North Vietnamese. It all seems clear-cut, with the motives and sides easily seen but as the war lagged on, it seemed that the United States became involved, and essentially needed a draft. The United States involvement in the Vietnam War became greater as the drudgery of the war progressed. With more increased support it seemed as though the United States was making a difference, but many thought it was a lost cause. The United States became involved in the Vietnam War as early as the Geneva Accords in 1953. The Geneva accords basically stated that Vietnam was to hold elections to unify the country. These were drawn just after the Korean War. The French were initially involved and requested the support of the U.S. When the conflict began the U.S. sent in mostly ground troops and officers, it was a limited amount. "According to the terms of the Geneva Accords, Vietnam would hold national elections in 1956 to reunify the country"-Brigham, 1. The French and the British were both ready for the treaty to be signed and the conflict finally ended -Hess, 47. The Eisenhower administration used SEATO only as a way of stalling. They had basically, through the work on SEATO, created a whole new country out of the remains of the old Vietnam -Br... ...sed his popularity in office -Hess, 117. The United States had many fallen soldiers in the Vietnam War. Many people think that it was not the United States’ place to go into Vietnam and prevent the spread of communism from the North to South. Many French troops were stationed in the Jungles of Indochina and it was believed that they could take care of the crisis that was growing in Asia. What started out as a relief campaign, only sending minimal forces to Vietnam turned into a war with over 550,000 United States troops. The gradual introduction of troops to Vietnam, the Tet offensive, and Vietnamization were all major aspects of the war that the United States was drawn into. It is still considered by many as the war that no one has won, and maybe if the Eisenhower administration had not sent troops in initially, a lot of American soldier’s lives would be saved.

Rationale of the Study Essay

In our modern time’s computer’s become so usefull and it make our life even more easier than we have before. In fast moving life of the modern world of today computers hold temendous significance. We are prone to different aplications and different business and huge companies estblish in local areas and world wide. We know that managing a business is such a difficult task weather it is big or small. In accordance with this matter, adapting is the most common way to solve this issue.Internet and technology is widely use in making our lives in the simplest way as possible.It provide each individual uses their own intelligence or mind to investigate further. Internet cafà © one those business that are rapidly spreading throughout the Philippines archipelago, so long as they are in demand and up until now they are still in demand. Thus the research is to create and to show the comprehensive description of the Cyberbob Internet Cafà © Monitoring System. This implies what the software will and can do as well as how it will be anticipated to perform in most easiest way. Expanding the small business into a large store or having new branches will give another problem to the owner as well as to the costumers. Growing company means hiring new technical or employee in which they well help to meet the satisfactions of the costumers and their demands What we focused in our study in the Internet Cafà © Monitoring System which deals with the process involved within the system. With this, the user can easily access data or information in just a span of time, the system is manageable, accessible and it is very easy to use thus the user can see the effectiveness and advantages of the computer accessing information just like what this system can do. Like adding new databases and choices for the user like computing all the sales for the day, summary of all the time consumed in every computer and etc. This will enable the user to see the result being asked for. To achieve this, it is necessary to design goals at the  soonest time and fasted pace possible without compromising quality and development cost. And as for the result, your system will be improved into new well developed, easy to manage and organized software that will even more satisfy your needs.

Nursing Recruitment and Retention

Nursing Recruitment and Retention To be a good nurse, you have to be a physically strong and emotionally stable person, and you have to be able to think on your feet. Though nursing is not an easy profession, it is very rewarding. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the nursing shortage and nursing retention and recruitment strategies for facilities. The nursing shortage crisis is caused by nurse burnout, an aging Registered Nurse (RN) population, not enough nurses graduating due to a shortage of nurse faculty, and an increase of patients as â€Å"baby boomers† retire, grow older, and experience age-related illnesses.There are many challenges involved with the nursing shortage, including recruiting RN’s and then being able to retain those RN’s in order to provide adequate, safe staffing, Ensuring appropriate staffing is necessary for safe and competent patient care, as well as a healthy work environment. Once a nurse has been recruited, the challenge becomes how to keep them due to the high cost of nurse turnover. Many facilities offer benefits, such as mentoring programs, tuition reimbursement, and longevity bonuses, to help keep nurses from leaving.Nursing Shortage Defined The nursing shortage poses a significant problem for nurses, especially with job satisfaction and patient care. Most nurses use a holistic approach to patient care, meaning they care for the patient’s mind, body and spirit. This approach, however, takes more time and with the nursing shortage nurses feel like they are not adequately staffed to be able to give good, patient care. According to the American Hospital Association (AHA) there has been a nursing shortage since as early as 1999.In 2010, the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were 2,737,400 registered nurses, with an expected 26% increase of nursing jobs by 2020. So what are some contributing factors that affect the nursing shortage? First, the agi ng baby-boomer population will have a major influence on the health care system and especially nursing. Currently the average age of a baby-boomer is 50-70 years old and will soon demand more age-related healthcare services, which leads to another contribution to the nursing shortage.In 2008, the average age of RN’s was 46, with many nurses expecting to retire between the ages of 60-65. Finally, faculty shortages at nursing schools limit the number of graduating nurses. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing website stated, â€Å"U. S. nursing schools turned away 75,587 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2011 due to insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints. † (para. 3) The nursing shortage cannot be fixed if we do not have enough students to replace those nurses who quit or retire.Effects of Burnout In addition to these causes, burnout often strikes nurses due to the high levels of stress, understaffing, increased workload and mandatory overtime. Burnout is a condition that shows itself as being fatigued all the time, irritability, insomnia and depression. According to the article Nurse Burnout and Patient Satisfaction, employers have an increased cost in personnel due to the fact that burnout leads to employees being absent, late to work, and an increase in the turnover rate.(Vahey, Aiken, Sloane, Clarke, & Vargas, 2010, para. 6) Nursing Retention and Recruitment Strategies In order to ensure safe staffing, hospitals need to focus on recruiting nurses and retaining their current nursing staff. To help build better teams and increase staff satisfaction, management should engage employees in nurse recruitment and nurse retention. The cost of recruiting and retaining nurses, however, can be expensive for facilities, especially high nurse turnover rates.The Online Journal of Nursing reports that the cost of turnover, for each nurse, can range between $22,000 to over $64,000. (Bland & Gates, 2007, para. 3). Factors that contribute to the cost of turnover include orientating and training new staff and covering for loss of staff, either thru travel nurses or overtime with current staff. As it can take years to develop the skill and training needed to work in specialty units, the loss of experienced nurses is especially costly. The retention of employees is dependent on reducing turnover.One positive aspect of the nursing shortage is that it has provided nurses the opportunity to find an employer that will meet their needs. Many things factor into the retention of a single nurse, among other things, nurses want safe workplaces with adequate staffing be able to give quality patient care, the flexibility to manage their work schedule around their home life, and a decent salary. Organizations need to cultivate a work area in which staff want to work in order to promote staff retention. Organizations also cannot afford to simply react to the workforce shortage.Attracting qualified nurses is one of the most important steps that can be taken to ensure a high standard of care. There are many different ways that organizations can utilize to recruit those qualified nurses. An online article for the American Organization of Nurse Executive’s publication Nurse Leader listed the top sources of new hires, and the top three included employee referral, organization’s website and general job boards. If staff satisfaction were made a priority from organizations, referrals from current employees could attract qualified, seasoned nurses.Other recruitment strategies include offering incentives, like salary, flexible schedules, education incentives and tuition reimbursement. (Brooks & Caffey, 2008) Conclusion Today’s society of aging baby boomers and nurses, faculty shortage due to low enrollment in nursing schools and the higher expectations of medical care are all helping cause today’s environment of nursing crisis. By ensuring that the needs of the hospital and nurses are met this leads to better patient care and better patient care leads to better patient satisfaction scores. Nursing Recruitment and Retention Nursing Recruitment and RetentionTo be a good nurse, you have to be a physically strong and emotionally stable person, and you have to be able to think on your feet. Though nursing is not an easy profession, it is very rewarding. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the nursing shortage and nursing retention and recruitment strategies for facilities. The nursing shortage crisis is caused by nurse burnout, an aging Registered Nurse (RN) population, not enough nurses graduating due to a shortage of nurse faculty, and an increase of patients as â€Å"baby boomers† retire, grow older, and experience age-related illnesses.There are many challenges involved with the nursing shortage, including recruiting RN’s and then being able to retain those RN’s in order to provide adequate, safe staffing, Ensuring appropriate staffing is necessary for safe and competent patient care, as well as a healthy work environment. Once a nurse has been recruited, the challenge becomes h ow to keep them due to the high cost of nurse turnover. Many facilities offer benefits, such as mentoring programs, tuition reimbursement, and longevity bonuses, to help keep nurses from leaving.Nursing Shortage DefinedThe nursing shortage poses a significant problem for nurses, especially with job satisfaction and patient care. Most nurses use a holistic approach to patient care, meaning they care for the patient’s mind, body and spirit. This approach, however, takes more time and with the nursing shortage nurses feel like they are not adequately staffed to be able to give good, patient care. According to the American Hospital Association (AHA) there has been a nursing shortage since as early as 1999. In 2010, the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were 2,737,400 registered nurses, with an expected 26% increase of nursing jobs by 2020.So what are some contributing factors that affect the nursing shortage? First, the aging baby-boomer population will have a major influence on the health care system and especially nursing. Currently the average age of a  baby-boomer is 50-70 years old and will soon demand more age-related healthcare services, which leads to another contribution to the nursing shortage. In 2008, the average age of RN’s was 46, with many nurses expecting to retire between the ages of 60-65. Finally, faculty shortages at nursing schools limit the number of graduating nurses.The American Association of Colleges of Nursing website stated, â€Å"U.S. nursing schools turned away 75,587 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2011 due to insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints.† (para. 3) The nursing shortage cannot be fixed if we do not have enough students to replace those nurses who quit or retire.Effects of BurnoutIn addition to these causes, burnout often strikes nurses d ue to the high levels of stress, understaffing, increased workload and mandatory overtime. Burnout is a condition that shows itself as being fatigued all the time, irritability, insomnia and depression. According to the article Nurse Burnout and Patient Satisfaction, employers have an increased cost in personnel due to the fact that burnout leads to employees being absent, late to work, and an increase in the turnover rate. (Vahey, Aiken, Sloane, Clarke, & Vargas, 2010, para. 6)Nursing Retention and Recruitment StrategiesIn order to ensure safe staffing, hospitals need to focus on recruiting nurses and retaining their current nursing staff. To help build better teams and increase staff satisfaction, management should engage employees in nurse recruitment and nurse retention. The cost of recruiting and retaining nurses, however, can be expensive for facilities, especially high nurse turnover rates. The Online Journal of Nursing reports that the cost of turnover, for each nurse, can r ange between $22,000 to over $64,000. (Bland & Gates, 2007, para. 3).Factors that contribute to the cost of turnover include orientating and training new staff and covering for loss of staff, either thru travel nurses or overtime with current staff. As it can take  years to develop the skill and training needed to work in specialty units, the loss of experienced nurses is especially costly.The retention of employees is dependent on reducing turnover. One positive aspect of the nursing shortage is that it has provided nurses the opportunity to find an employer that will meet their needs. Many things factor into the retention of a single nurse, among other things, nurses want safe workplaces with adequate staffing be able to give quality patient care, the flexibility to manage their work schedule around their home life, and a decent salary. Organizations need to cultivate a work area in which staff want to work in order to promote staff retention.Organizations also cannot afford to simply react to the workforce shortage. Attracting qualified nurses is one of the most important steps that can be taken to ensure a high standard of care. There are many different ways that organizations can utilize to recruit those qualified nurses. An online article for the American Organization of Nurse Executive’s publication Nurse Leader listed the top sources of new hires, and the top three included employee referral, organization’s website and general job boards. If staff satisfaction were made a priority from organizations, referrals from current employees could attract qualified, seasoned nurses. Other recruitment strategies include offering incentives, like salary, flexible schedules, education incentives and tuition reimbursement. (Brooks & Caffey, 2008)ConclusionToday’s society of aging baby boomers and nurses, faculty shortage due to low enrollment in nursing schools and the higher expectations of medical care are all helping cause today’s e nvironment of nursing crisis. By ensuring that the needs of the hospital and nurses are met this leads to better patient care and better patient care leads to better patient satisfaction scores.

Hum 176 Wk 2 Media Convergence Worksheet

University of Phoenix Material Media Convergence Worksheet Write brief 250- to 300-word answers to each of the following: QuestionsAnswers What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology, and how has it affected everyday life? The term media convergence with regards to technology is defined as a process of combining together the telecommunications and computers and turning them into one electronic or digital form.The media convergence has affected our everyday life as we know it in many ways, you can now watch television shows, listen to music and shop online using your computer all without leaving the privacy of your home. Using the computer you can also communicate using the email, or chat option on the computer, eliminating the need to call from your phone. Facebook is another option that allows you to keep up with friends and family, while knowing where they are at all times.The internet is a multitasking piece of equipment that has replaced many forms of co mmunications. Hard back books have been replaced with e-books, which can be electronically downloaded from your computer. The way we watch television has also changed, there are so many things that we can do through the television. You can program your home lights and alarms from you cell phone through the television. You can also communicate through you television to others, replacing the need for a telephone.The television and the internet are just two examples of media convergence, that has changed the way we shop, communicate, listen to music, watch the news and educate ourselves, it can all be done using the computer and connecting to the internet. People actually live on the internet and are becoming less social, because there is no need to leave their home for anything. What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to business, and how has it affected everyday life?The term media convergence in regards to business is the combination of computing and information proc essing with telecommunication networks provided from magazines, music, and entertainment programs. This converging links computing, communications and content. An example would be content that has been changed through different forms of delivery, digital forms are transmitted through broadband or wireless for viewing on computer s or similar equipment, cell phones, personal digital assistants, to video recorders that connected to television (technology).Business industries (media, technology, and telecommunication) have combined and developed new ideas that can increase profit from the consumers’ growing need for â€Å"on demand content†. Many analysts view media convergence as ending of the old media and rise of the new media (industry). Some of the many changes that have affected our lives as a result of media convergences in the business industry are the way we view information, the way we do everyday tasks and our value system.As a result we now have PDA or persona l digital assistants this device is a portable electronic notebook/computer that store information, keeps notes, addresses, reminders, and has a calendar. It is a mini computer that allows you to everything that you can do with a computer using a stylus rather than the keyboard. It fits in your pocket or purse and people rely on this device in order to function in everyday life. The smartphone is also a device that people rely on and they could not perform simple duties without it.You can text, email, chat, shop, watch movies, play games, use face book and twitter all from the smart phone. This eliminates a one on one discussion with a friend or family member and takes away the personal touch of body language and having face to face conversation. What are some of the issues that result from dependency on modern media? Describe at least three issues. Some of the issues that result from dependency on modern media are the increase of becoming withdrawn from society, the loss of social skills and personal relationships with friends, family and other loved ones.Another issue that can arise as a result of dependency is the chance of becoming what is known as a â€Å"media junkie† where the modern media takes preference over anything else (losing touch with reality). The cell phone has taken away our ability to properly communicate with each other by using slang and abbreviations in place of proper English. People are becoming less active, less visible, and trusting with each other. Studies have shown that â€Å"gamers† or people who play games (game tournaments) over the internet for hours and hours without stopping are likely to lose social skills.People with addictions or dependency on modern media are similar to those of a drug addict. It has been shown to produce distress and isolation in many people who are deprived from these devices. I think that this a major concern for parents of students and this younger generation. Dependency on modern media has caused up to depend on smartphones to tell time rather than wearing a watch. We text each other to communicate rather than using the phone to talk, and as opposed to watching the new we go to face book for the latest information, replacing the family time together watching television.These are just a few examples of the issues that results from the dependency on modern media. How does media literacy help with responsible media consumption? Media literacy helps individuals develop an informed understanding the nature of mass media. This awareness will prepare you to make wiser decision concerning issues that are facing our society, results of dependency, promotion of unacceptable behavior and exploiting personal problems for profit and other serious problems that can arise as a result of media consumption.The amount of available information is overwhelming and media purposely promotes dangerous stunts, violence, even pornography. The media impacts our society through this inform ation and degrades our moral values, social values, and integrity. Media has shaped the way we live, think, communicate and our life styles. We have cars that can park themselves, we speed date, we date online, from relationships online, and the media has played a role in all of it. Media consumption is important to prevent us from falling into the snare of becoming isolated and less social.

How Humanitarian Logistics Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Supply Chains

Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics How Humanitarian Logistics Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Supply Chains: A View from the Field Michael Howden Humanitarian Consultant michael. [email  protected] com ABSTRACT Humanitarian logistics represents a broad range of activities taking place within humanitarian organizations, the bulk of these activities are also components of a broader humanitarian supply chain – the network involved with providing physical aid to beneficiaries.Humanitarian logistics information systems improve information flows, which integrates logistics units more efficiently with non-logistics units within the humanitarian supply chains and provides better feedback to donors, ensuring more effective operations. Humanitarian logistics activities occur across the disaster management cycle. Humanitarian logistics information systems not only improve logistics activities in each phase, but can improve the continuity of h umanitarian operations by sharing information throughout the transition of different disaster management cycle phases.Through collaboration between organizations, humanitarian logistics information systems also have the potential to reduce corruption and the market distortion which can occur during humanitarian operations. Keywords Humanitarian Operations, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Information Systems, Disasters, Disaster Management AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY Michael Howden completed a Bachelor of Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Auckland and originally worked as a software engineer in New Zealand.He has worked for International Rescue Committee in Indonesia, Pakistan and Uganda developing and implementing their global logistics database ProLogs and for Save the Children US in Indonesia, developing logistics software and systems which were components of a broader supply chain management system. INTRODUCTION Within humanitarian operations logistics is requ ired to procure, store and distribute supplies for the assistance of beneficiaries. In order to function effectively humanitarian logistics must coordinate with other actors and be considered throughout the lifespan of humanitarian operations.This paper will explore how humanitarian logistics information systems can: 1. Integrate logistics units into the broader humanitarian supply chain throughout the organization. 2. Enhance logistics activities and provide continuous support across the preparedness, response, transition, recovery and mitigation phases of disaster management cycle. 3. Create new possibilities for collaboration between humanitarian organizations. In these ways humanitarian logistics information systems can also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian operations.HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE HUMANIATARIAN SUPPLY CHAIN Humanitarian Logistics Humanitarian organizations can include government agencies such as United States Agency fo r International Development (USAID) and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), multilateral agencies such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Program (WFP), non-government organizations (NGOs) such as Save the Children and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and members of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.Many humanitarian Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics organizations will engage in long term development activities as well as disaster management activities supporting people affected by disasters. This paper will only discuss humanitarian logistics as it is applied in disaster management. Humanitarian organizations usually include logistic units which can have different functions depending on the organizations or even the disaster and can include: Procurement †¢ Warehousing †¢ Fleet Management †¢ Transportation (of both supplies and people) †¢ Asset Management †¢ Building Management †¢ Security †¢ Information Technology (IT) †¢ Radio Communications Humanitarian operations consist of a diverse range of activities, therefore logistics in this context can have a broader scope than in the commercial sector. Areas such as security and IT may be considered under logistics due to respective military or technical experience of logisticians, either currently or historically within an organization.Humanitarian Supply Chains In this paper a humanitarian supply chain refers to the network created through the flow of supplies, services, finances and information between donors, beneficiaries, suppliers and different units of humanitarian organizations for the purpose of providing physical aid to beneficiaries (Mentzer et al. 2001). Humanitarian supply chains include functionalities whic h do not typically fall into the field of humanitarian logistics.Managing relationships with donors, performing needs assessments, planning for supplies required and monitoring and evaluating the impact of distributed supplies, are usually the responsibility of non-logistics program units. Figure 1 presents a summary of the major flows within both humanitarian supply chains and humanitarian logistics. Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics Figure 1.Humanitarian Logistics and Humanitarian Supply Chain Flows This paper will focus on the value of information systems for logistic units of NGOs within the humanitarian supply chain. Integrating Logistics into Supply Chain Management With the exception of organizations which specialize in disaster response or distribution, such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and World Food Program (WFP) res pectively, the core business of humanitarian organizations tend towards health, education, protection and economic development.Logistics units are only considered as a function to support these activities of humanitarian organizations. Logistics units have traditionally been marginalized within organizations (Rickard, 2003) and logisticians have been â€Å"pigeonholed† in the field, making it hard to move into management positions (Chaikin, 2003). This has contributed to a silo mentality in regards to logistics within humanitarian organizations. Better integrating logistics with other units within the organization will form stronger humanitarian supply chains.In order to integrate logistics into broader humanitarian supply chains, a clear distinction is required between the two. In Indonesia, one major NGO moved all logistics functionality into a supply chain management unit. In the terms logistics and supply chain management are used interchangeably (Rickard, 2006) and perso nal discussions with humanitarian professional have revealed the there is not a clear distinction between the terms logistics and supply change management, and some have regarded any differences are semantics.In literature on humanitarian organizations there is a shift from logistics to supply chain management (Thomas and Kopczak, 2005) Humanitarian supply chains include units implementing programs, managing grants with donors, controlling budgets and monitoring activities which must coordinate with logistics units. Humanitarian supply chains cannot be built by solely increasing the capacity or responsibility of individual units, but are formed by Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. HowdenHow Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics the creation of stronger links between units within the supply chain. Humanitarian logistics information systems can improve the flow of information with other units, in a mutually constructive manner, improving the effectiveness of the humanitarian supply chain. Humanitarian logistics information systems can: †¢ Enhance needs assessments by ensuring that field staff know what supplies are available for beneficiaries, either in local warehouses, pre-positioned emergency stocks or from local and international markets. Share lists of supplies available in both local and international markets, including prices and lead times, logisticians to empower program staff to better plan their procurement activities. †¢ Keep program staff informed of procurement activities will help to develop an understanding of the constraints within logistics and create trust. †¢ Provide budget holder more accurate financial information regarding funds which are committed within the procurement process, to avoid the over or under spending of budgets. †¢Provide warehouse inventory reports to program staff to allow them to take more responsib ility for their supplies, and ensure that they are utilized effectively. †¢ Share information on the distribution of supplies to allow program staff to better monitor and evaluate activities and avoid the need for duplicate record keeping between logistics and programs. †¢ More accurately divide logistics overhead costs such as warehouse rental, transportation and logistic staff wages into program budgets according to the activities logistics is supporting.Information empowers program units to become more engaged consumers of logistic services. In this way information systems can integrate logistics into humanitarian supply chains and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian operations. The improved information flow from humanitarian logistics information systems will also contribute to the overall effectiveness of the humanitarian operation. The Value of Information in the Humanitarian Supply Chain Information plays a significant role in humanitarian suppl y chains.In humanitarian supply chains is that the end recipient of aid (the beneficiary) is decoupled from the commercial transaction and has no direct influence over what supplies they receive (Gray and Oloruntob, 2006). The key decision makers within the humanitarian supply chain are the donors who are funding the operation and many NGOs regard the donor as the customer in the humanitarian supply chain (Beamon and Balcik, 2006). In commercial supply chains, the end recipient decides what supplies they require, and fulfillment can be easily evaluated by monitoring the receipt of these supplies.In humanitarian operations as supplies are determined by external assessments of the needs of the beneficiary, evaluating fulfillment become more difficult, as additional analysis must be done to determine if these needs have been met by the supplies. Figure 2. Donors, Humanitarian Organizations and Beneficiaries within the Humanitarian Supply Chain Humanitarian logistics information systems can provide accurate and timely information on what supplies are required, what supplies have been delivered to beneficiaries and in which locations.With this information Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics evaluation units should be able to determine if those supplies have met the needs of the beneficiary. This feedback ensures that donors and humanitarian organizations are engaged and responsive to the beneficiaries, and supporting aid according to the beneficiaries needs.HUMANITARIAN LOGISITCS IN THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE Response, Transition, Recovery, Mitigation and Preparedness The operations of humanitarian organizations in disaster management can be separated into four major phases: response, recovery, mitigation and preparedness (Haddow and Bullock, 2004). During humanitarian operations there will be overlap between act ivities from different phases, and a separate transition phase can be considered between the response and recovery phase (Asian Development Bank, 2004).Humanitarian supply chains must provide supplies to beneficiaries in each of these phases (Kovacs and Spens, 2007) and these activities require logistic support (Perry, 2007), although the volume, variety of supplies and urgency will change according to the phase. Humanitarian logistics information systems improve the effectiveness of logistics units throughout the disaster management cycle and can provide continuity throughout the phases. Figure 3. Disaster Management Cycle (Haddow and Bullock, 2004). PreparednessThe preparedness phase involves building the capacity to respond to a disaster, such as working with communities to ensure they know evacuation options, pre-positioning emergency response supplies and building organizational capacity to respond to disasters. These activities are ongoing and are implemented prior to the onse t of a crisis. Pre-positioned emergency response supplies tend to be less varied, as they are specific life supporting items, such as food, medical supplies, water and sanitation equipment, shelter, household kits, etc.The necessities of life are less dependent on the social, cultural or economic context of the disaster, therefore it is easier to standardize the supplies required. Also, because it is not known if these supplies will be available in local markets, or if markets may be disrupted by the disasters, they will need to be procured internationally. Both Medecins Sans Frontieres and the Red Cross have standard catalogues of items for emergency response. These items can be procured internationally, with pre-existing arrangements with vendors, and are also pre-positioned in warehouses globally, ready to be deployed. Chomilier, Samii van Wassenhove, 2003; Coyne, 2006). Organizationally NGOs need to ensure that they not only have staff trained to respond to emergencies, but that they have the systems and process in place to support these staff. 80% of the disaster response phase consists of Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics logistics activities (Kovacs and Spens, 2007) therefore in the preparedness phase organizations should focus on building the capacity of logistics units. ResponseThe response phase occurs immediately after the disaster, and activities are focused primarily on saving lives and preventing further damage. Humanitarian operations are most reliant on logistics during the response phase as they distribute food, medical supplies and other necessities of life to affected populations, and lives will be dependent on the speed of logistics activities. The response phase may last from days to months, depending on the scale of the disaster. While the humanitarian logistics is most significant durin g the response phase, it is important to consider its role throughout the entire disaster management phase.Transition During the transition phase NGOs begin to look at providing ongoing assistance, such as temporary shelter and revitalizing basic social services (ref ADB). NGOs will also plan strategically to transition from implementing response activities to longer term recovery and mitigation programs. Logistics activities, such as identifying suppliers to in either local or international markets to provide supplies for longer term programs, ensure a smooth transition. Recovery The recovery phase involves aiding communities to return to their conditions prior to the disaster.These activities may include training people and distributing supplies for livelihood building, reconstructing houses, buildings and infrastructure and may be carried out over a period of months to years. Across both the recovery and following mitigation phases the supplies are no longer essential for the liv es of affected population and are therefore no longer required at such a high rate or with such short lead times. The activities across these phases are largely dependent on the social, cultural, economic and geographical conditions of the affected communities. These may vary hugely between different disasters.Humanitarian organizations supported fishermen affected by 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami by distributing new boats and fishing equipment whereas the needs of landlocked communities recovering from 2005 Kashmir Earthquake were quite different. Humanitarian organizations will also attempt to procure supplies locally in order to support local communities and avoid flooding local markets through the influx of external supplies. The recovery phase represents a significant proportion of the duration and funding of a humanitarian operation and may last from 5-10 years (ADB reference).In April 2005 the Government of Indonesia established a 5 year time frame for reconstruction after the In dian Ocean Tsunami, and activities are still ongoing at the start of 2009, indicating the long duration of the recovery phase. Recovery phase activities such as reconstruction and distributing supplies are essential for restoring the lives of affected people and require significant logistic support. Mitigation Mitigation involves increasing the resilience of communities to natural hazards to reduce the impact of disasters they cause. According to the specific vulnerability of the community these activities may include lanting mangroves to protect coastlines against cyclones, constructing dams and reinforcing buildings. Humanitarian organizations implementing these activities will require logistics support, although not typically at as large a scale as in the other phases. Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics Summary Phase Preparedness Response Transition Recovery Mitigation Period Long Term Continuous Days – Months Months – Years Long Term Continuous Logistics Volume Low High Medium Low SuppliesRequired Specific standard supplies prepositioned for disaster response Specific standard supplies: Food, medical supplies, water and sanitation equipment, shelter, household kits, etc. Varied supplies depending on the context of the disaster: reconstruction material, livelihoods equipment Varied supplies Urgency Low High: Lead times for supplies can make the difference between life and death. Medium: There may be government and donor pressure to complete recovery activities Low Procurement of Supplies Local International Local-International Local Table 1. Humanitarian Logistics Throughout the Disaster Management CycleHumanitarian organizations are required to provide physical aid to beneficiary throughout the disaster management cycle. Although these activities differ in volume, variety of supplies and urge ncy, there is enough commonality that standard processes and systems can be used by logistics units throughout the disaster management cycle. This avoids the overhead of developing multiple standards and implementing new systems when transitioning between phases. It is therefore important to consider humanitarian logistics as operating in each of the phases of the disaster management cycle. Humanitarian Logistics beyond the Response PhaseA large amount of literature on humanitarian logistics and supply chain management focuses on the response phase of a disaster and pre-positioning of supplies done in the preparedness phase (Beamon, 2004; Beamon and Balcik, 2008; Maspero and Ittman, 2008; Oloruntoba, 2007; Rodman, 2004; Thomas, 2003; Thomas et al, 2005). This could be influenced by a number of factors: †¢ This is the phase in which logistics plays the largest role in proportion to the humanitarian operation. †¢ The key focus of the response phase is the preservation of liv es therefore improved logistics can be directly linked to lives saved.During other phases of disaster management, the outputs become more varied, such as providing trainings to teachers and medical professionals. Therefore impacts, such as better education levels and healthcare in communities harder to measure. †¢ The disaster response is the phase that creates the most media coverage, therefore may be the phase which experts outside of the humanitarian domain get the most exposure to and are most familiar with. Media coverage could also create a perception of more status with disaster response. This paper has shown that the field of humanitarian logistics is more broadly focused than just disaster response.More focus needs to be placed on the role of humanitarian logistics in the transition, recovery and mitigation phases of disaster management. It could be argued that humanitarian organizations already have a higher capacity for disaster response than for disaster recovery. I n Indonesia the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR) claimed that in the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: â€Å"No one died of starvation, there were no deaths due to a lack of medical care or disease, law and order was maintained and major infrastructure—including telecommunications and electricity—was restored within a few weeks time. In contrast during the recovery phase there have been delays, underperformance and corruption. Humanitarian logistics information systems can improve logistics activities in each of the phases of disaster management and also help to provide continuity to logistics operations throughout the disaster management cycle. Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian LogisticsHumanitarian Logistics Information Systems across the Disaster Management Cycle Humanitarian logistics information sys tems must be able to operate across the entire disaster management cycle. In order to be applicable for all phases, they must be scalable to manage the large volumes of supplies during the response phase, as well as the high diversity of supplies across the recovery and mitigation phases and manage the flow of information from the preparedness phase to the response phase, and during the transition phase.A single humanitarian logistics information system which integrates information from all phases within the disaster management cycle will assist an organization in the complex task of transitioning their activities between the different phases. Preparedness NGOs prepare for disasters by pre-positioning emergency response supplies. It is equally important to implement humanitarian logistics information systems which can be utilized by logisticians responding to disasters.Logisticians must be trained to use these information systems and simulations should be run in preparation for thei r use in disaster response. Humanitarian logistics information systems should also be used to record what emergency response supplies are available at the onset of the disaster. In response to Cyclone Nagris in Myanmar one major NGO was better able to more efficiently send air shipment of emergency prepositioned supplies by having maintained records of the their volume and weight.This allowed the logistician to arrange the optimal charter flights required to transport the supplies. Response Humanitarian logistics information systems can eliminate the need for duplicate data entry and offer more timely and accurate information during the response phase (Lee and Zbinden, 2003). This not only increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the disaster response, but also assists in later phases of the disaster management cycle. After the response to the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake one NGO had a number of emergency response supplies remaining.However, due to a lack of proper information syste ms, it was unknown which donor funded the items, and what the donor’s regulations were regarding their use. As a result, they were unable to be distributed in response to flooding in Pakistan the following year. Where warehouse inventory reports are not maintained, it is common for surplus stock from emergency response not to be utilized and to go to waste. Transition Once the response phase is complete, humanitarian logistics information systems will enable organizations to know what supplies have been distributed, and what supplies are remaining.This will allow them to utilize surplus supplies in recovery activities or return them to pre-positioned stock and know what supplies were required, to better plan for the next disaster response. The transition phase will also typically involve the replacement of short term emergency response teams with longer term staff. If information regarding what supplies are currently stored in warehouses is not recorded, it may be forgotten a s staff leave, and the supplies may remain unutilized.Humanitarian logistics information systems can ensure that new staff are aware of what supplies are currently available, so they are able to utilize them. Recovery The recovery phase takes place over a period of years, which offers enough time for conditions to stabilize, and also the availability of funding, for humanitarian organizations to plan strategically and develop information systems. During disaster response humanitarian logistics operate in a realm of uncertainties and rapidly changing conditions. This is not an appropriate environment to develop, test or implement new systems.There are already enough unknown variables present, without introducing new systems or software, which may contain bugs or functionality which needs refining. Implementing new systems requires the investment of time and resources, and doing this during a disaster response will detract from the primary goal of the humanitarian operation – s aving lives. Developing humanitarian logistics information systems during the recovery phase provides the opportunity to involve the staff of the organization, which is essential, as the solution will be more appropriate to their needs and they will have ownership over it.New systems can be implemented through trainings and simulations, however it is more effective as having systems which have implemented within the operations of the organization and socialized with staff in the field. In this respect the recovery phase can offer a suitable environment to develop and test new information systems for humanitarian logistics which can then be applied to disaster response activities. In 2007 one major NGO developed a warehouse database in Indonesia to support their recovery activities following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.In September 2007, they were able to deploy the same database in Proceedings of the 6th International ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Land gren and S. Jul, eds. Howden How Information Systems Can Improve Humanitarian Logistics response to an earthquake in Indonesia. A staff member who was already using the database to manage supplies for the tsunami recovery effort was then easily able to use it to manage the distribution of emergency supplies in the area due to their familiarity with the system. MitigationAlthough logistics activities occur at a lower scale during the mitigation phase such as the procurement of supplies to reinforce buildings, it is important to ensure that humanitarian logistics information systems are still utilized by organizations, to ensure that they become standard practice with logistics units. This continuous use will institutionalize the systems within the organization and ensure the sustainability of their use across the disaster management cycle. HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS INFORMATION SYSTEMS BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONSHumanitarian supply chains could be viewed more widely to include the multiple org anizations providing physical aid to beneficiaries in the same region. Humanitarian logistics information systems have the potential to enable better information sharing between organizations which can enhance the overall humanitarian operation (King, 2005). One area which could be improved by information systems is local procurement. Procurement is vulnerable to corruption through collusion between organization staff and vendors and the payment of bribes to choose specific vendors.Analysis of procurement data is capable of revealing trends and irregularities, indicative of corruption, such as consistently purchasing from specific vendors or certain purchasers always receiving higher than average quotes. This analysis would be more effective using procurement data from different humanitarian organizations in the same region, as comparisons could be made between prices, to monitor if one organization is paying significant more for similar items, which could indicate corruption within that organization.Humanitarian organizations often rely on local markets to provide supplies, however the large amount of purchasing activity following a disaster can often lead to inflation over supply and stock-outs. Complex analysis of purchasing trends from multiple humanitarian organizations, and improved information sharing with local vendors, could mitigate this, by spreading requirements over multiple vendors and informing them of expected demand. This could also allow humanitarian organizations to sustainably support and stimulate local markets.Although there are many challenges in encouraging collaboration between humanitarian organizations, better humanitarian logistics information systems could facilitate collaboration by creating more incentives to do so. CONCLUSION Humanitarian logistics units are actors in a broader humanitarian supply chain and information systems can help to build logistics capacity of while also building better links with other units, better integ rating logistics in the humanitarian supply chain.Humanitarian logistics information systems can improve the effectiveness of humanitarian supply chains by providing timely and accurate information regarding what supplies are required and have been delivered, enabling donors to be more responsive to the needs of beneficiaries. Humanitarian logistics operates across the disaster management cycle. Humanitarian logistics information systems can improve logistics activities in each of the phases and also help to provide continuity to humanitarian operations throughout the entire cycle.Humanitarian logistics information systems could also provide opportunities for better corruption prevention and market control through collaboration between different humanitarian organizations. Humanitarian logistics information systems can strengthen logistics units and integrate them with other units and across to the disaster management cycle to create more efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian supply chains REFERENCES 1. Asian Development Bank (2004) Disaster and Emergency Assistance Policy, At: http://www. adb. rg/Documents/Policies/Disaster_Emergency/Disaster_Emergency. pdf, accessed 20 February 2009 2. Beamon, B. M. (2004), Humanitarian relief chains: issues and challenges, Proceedings of the 34th International Conference on Computers and Industrial Engineering, San Francisco, CA. 3. 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Rickard, J. (2006) Humanitarian Logistics: Musing Aloud, Monday Developments, 24, 20, 6-7. 6. Rodman, W. K. (2004) Supply Chain Management in Humanitarian Relief Logistics, Thesis, Department of Operational Sciences, Air Force Institute of Technology, Air University 17. Thomas, A. (2003). Humanitarian Logistics: Enabling Disaster Response, The Fritz Institute. 18. Thomas, A. and Kopczak, L. (2005) From Logistics to Supply Chain Management: The path forward in the humanitarian sector, Technical Report, Fritz Institute, San Francisco, CA, USA. Proceedings of the 6th Internati onal ISCRAM Conference – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2009 J. Landgren and S. Jul, eds.