Proposed Marketing Strategy to Increase Revenue for PT. Pipa Tanpa Kampuh Indonesia in Seamless Steel Pipe Industry

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PT. Pipa Tanpa Kampuh Indonesia (PTKI) is one of the industrial companies for manufacturing seamless steel pipes in Indonesia which has the ability to produce the final product Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) and pipelines (Linepipe), which are used to support operations in the upstream oil and gas industry. The Company currently has an average Local Content of 27.11% for High-Grade products and 21.02% for Low-Grade products. The plant most likely produces products with the High-Grade type, where the market demand for this product gradually decreases every year. It was affecting the Company’s revenue which decreased in recent years; moreover, the utilization of the installed production capacity has also decreased. Therefore, the Company is attempting to penetrate the market for Low-Grade products, which requires developing an effective marketing strategy to compete in this highly competitive market segment. This research conducts internal & external analysis of the Company using PESTEL analysis, Porter’s 5 Forces, competitor analysis, and customer analysis with interviews are used to conduct external analysis. Meanwhile, Porter’s Value Chain analysis, Segmentation-Targeting-Positioning (STP), Marketing mix 7P, and internal management interviews are used to conduct internal analysis. Further analysis was carried out using the SWOT, TOWS matrix and Root-cause analysis (RCA) with the Five Why’s method. According to the analysis, it can be concluded that PTKI’s customers respect the existing regulations, particularly those regulating the use of domestic products, and they expect a fast delivery time for Low-Grade products. Therefore, it may be recommended to the Company that product differentiation be considered to increase local content and do strategic stocking of materials commonly used in Indonesia.

The Effect of Variations Concentration of Chloramphenicol on the Imprinting Factor of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer

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This research aimed is to determine the effect of chloramphenicol concentration on the imprinting factor (IF) value of the Molecular Imprinted Polymer (MIP). Imprinting Factor is a standard of the interaction power between printed polymer and template molecule. The IF value was calculated based on the adsorption capacity value between MIP and blank polymer (BP). MIP was synthesized from non-imprinted polymer (NIP) using the precipitation method with chloramphenicol as a template, methacrylic acid (MAA) as a monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a crosslinker. The results showed that the optimum concentration was at 10 ppm with the IF value of 5,005. The isothermal adsorption result of Chloramphenicol using MIP can best be described by the Langmuir model. The limit of detection (LOD) value was 0.098 and the limit of quantification (LOQ) value was 0.327.

Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Perceptions of Secondary School Heads of Departments on Teacher Trainees’ Pedagogical Practices in Three Districts of Zambia

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Preparing a 21st-century classroom teacher has become necessary in teacher training and practice if considerable retains in education could be realized. While some content knowledge awareness efforts have materialized in the teachers’ movement, the pedagogical aspect of training needs much to be desired. This study aimed to establish the secondary school heads of departments’ perceptions of teacher trainees’ pedagogical Practices. The study design used was a quantitative exploratory factor analysis to examine an eight-factor structure of the instrument and analyze the association between variables. The study population constituted of all secondary schools’ heads of departments in three districts of Zambia. A total sample of (n=120) participants comprising heads of departments from 20 secondary schools participated in the study. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling to identify respondents since the study depended on researchers’ sense of judgment in selecting participants from the population. The 20 schools provided all the standard criteria for the choice of participants needed for the study. The instrument used in the study was a survey questionnaire adapted from Barron (2015). A pilot study on (n=43) heads of departments conducted on heads of departments who were not part of the study. The reliability of the instrument was deemed reliable after subjecting it to SPSS and gave reliability of .930. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 26. The study’s significant findings showed evidence of acquisition of content knowledge among trainee teachers, implying the emphasis on training, and showed a severe lack of professional ethics among trainee teachers. However, the findings showed that the various factors extracted are near related; hence, there is a close relationship between teacher training curriculum and the pedagogical skills that trainee teachers use in classrooms. Given the nature of the 21st-century learners that teachers come in contact with, the pedagogical predicament becomes paramount for emphasis in teacher training institutions.

Vermicomposting in Silver Oak Plantation Areas for Sustainable Waste Management and Enhanced Livelihood: A Case Study of Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu, India

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Silver Oak plantation on farmlands growing coffee and black pepper has gained importance in recent times in the areas surrounding the Kolli hills in the Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu, India. The Silver Oak trees shed significant quantities of dry leaves during the summer season which the local Malayali tribal community burns and/or leaves on ground. The current case study is based on an experiment of vermicomposting using local Silver Oak leaf litter, cow dung and earthworms. The results show that joint production of manure from agroforestry practices is an option in self-sufficiency for the rural communities and has the potential for a business model. Moreover, this ensures environmental sustainability by avoiding green-house gas emissions that are caused by the practice of burning leaves and/or leaving the mulch to rot. The present paper attempts to develop a sustainable model of vermicomposting in the Kolli hills region that can offer triple solutions encompassing organic manure production, environmental quality improvement and livelihood opportunity enhancement. Based on field surveys and physiochemical experiments in the Perungiraipatti village of the Kolli hills, the study presents a sustainable model of vermicomposting with specifications on nutritional quality, environmental sustainability and economic development. 

Analysis of Factors Affecting Poverty Levels in West Nusa Tenggara Province in 2012 – 2021

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The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that influence the level of poverty in the province of West Nusa Tenggara from 2012 to 2021. The research method used in this study is a quantitative method. Analysis of the data used is the multiple regression method. The results of the study show that the unemployment rate, economic growth rate and the Human Development Index in the province of West Nusa Tenggara together have a significant effect on the poverty rate in the province of West Nusa Tenggara in 2012 – 2021. This can be seen in the F Test where the significance value is smaller than 0.05 (0.000 < 0.05). Then the human development index variable and changes in the unemployment rate which have a significant value on changes in poverty in the province of West Nusa Tenggara in 2012-2021. This is due to several things including the provincial government of West Nusa Tenggara for the last 10 years focusing on increasing human resources through education investment. such as increasing free education, providing skills institutions for workers and providing merit scholarships. It aims to create an increase in the quality of human resources in the province of West Nusa Tenggara.

Comparative Analysis of Energy Consumption in Traditional and Modern Buildings in Village Sapni, a Village in Kinnaur District Located in Western Himalayan State of Himachal Pradesh

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High altitude regions of district Kinnaur in western Himalayan State of Himachal Pradesh, due to its high altitude topographical and cold climatic conditions, remains under snow for around six months in a year. Most of these areas receive snowfall around 5 – 7 feet on annual basis. Such extreme climatic conditions have made the life of local habitants difficult. The indigenous people have developed climate responsive architectural styles. Such type of vernacular architecture is based on utilization of locally available resources such as wood, mud and stones etc. The houses have been designed as per set principles of vastu shastra and utilize solar energy to optimum level in attaining a level of thermal comfort. It has been observed that such house based on vernacular techniques of housing are found to be energy efficient and comfortable throughout the year in comparisaon to modern cement concrete buildings. One such study of traditional and modern houses at village Sapni, District Kinnaur has been presented in this paper and it has been concluded that the traditional building is consuming less energy (about 50%) to that of modern building at the same site and location.

 

Theoretical Study of Betalain Compounds from Binahong with a Red Trunk as DSSC (Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell) Material with the DFT (Density Functional Theory) Method

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: Binahong with a red trunk is known to contain betalain which has the potential to be used as DSSC. Therefore, theoretical research was conducted on the potential content of betalain in binahong with a red trunk using computational methods. This research was conducted using density functional theory (DFT) with the B3LYP functional and with a base set of 6-311G(d). The band gap value of HOMO-LUMO was obtained as a reference for the effectiveness of binahong with a red trunk as a DSSC material. The results of this study indicate the band gap of betalain is 3.152685477 eV. The band gap shows how easy it is for betalain to excite electrons, from the band gap it can be concluded that betalain is a material that has a very high potential for effectiveness as a material for making DSSC.

Determination of Geographical and Seasonal Variations of Heavy Metals in Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares)

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Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in marine fish is a major concern worldwide and it leads to some economical burdens for the tropical fish exporters. However, data is yet to be unavailable in Sri Lanka in this regard. Hence this study was conducted to explore geographical variation of heavy metal accumulation in the Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) as they play a predominant role in the export fish market in Sri Lanka. Secondary heavy metal analysis data of Mercury, Led, Arsenic and Cadmium were collected from two major fish export companies in Sri Lanka during the period of 2015 to 2017. Particular points were traced with the aid of log sheets and heavy metal variations were mapped against fish species and heavy metal concentrations by using QGIS software. Heavy metal analysis data were concentrated between 64 to 70 longitudes and 0 to 8 latitudes, 76 to 80 longitudes and 0 to 8 latitudes, 88 to 92 longitudes and 14 to18 latitudes and 82 to 90 longitudes and 6 to 14 latitudes. Heavy metals such as Cd, As and Pb were not detected in the fish samples. Mercury was the major heavy metal accumulated among the tested and high concentration was detected in Swordfish. Mercury accumulation was highest in longitudes between 64 to 70 and latitudes of 0 to 8.This shows serious health issues that are challenging to humans and provides clear evidence on marine pollution. It is recommended to prevent fishing in these particular areas. Proactive measures and techniques need to be applied to fix safe limits of heavy metals in these natural aquatic ecosystems and protect the organisms in the environment.

Community Empowerment in the Time of the Covid-19 Pandemic through Strengthening MSMEs in East Java

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People’s economic empowerment is an effort to create a strong, large, modern, and highly competitive economy in the correct market mechanism. Because the obstacles to people’s economic development are structural constraints, the empowerment of the people’s economy must be carried out through structural changes. The Covid-19 pandemic has hit many countries, including Indonesia. Covid-19 has had an impact on various sectors including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), including the decline in the number of sales.

This research method uses a qualitative descriptive approach. This research uses a case study approach, which is an empirical inquiry that investigates phenomena in real-life contexts, where the boundaries between phenomena and contexts are not clear, and there are multiple sources of evidence. The results of the research are that business actors seek to find marketing and sales alternatives, secure capital and assets, temporarily transfer them to other businesses, and must learn technologies that are considered effective for promotion and sales.

 

How Decreased Level of Plasma Tryptophan Play Role in Diabetic Patients?

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Tryptophan is an essential amino acid found in many protein-based foods and dietary proteins including meats, dairy, fruits, and seeds. High-glycaemic index and -glycaemic load meals also increase the availability of tryptophan. The main objective of the study is to find the role of tryptophan in diabetic patients. Tryptophan metabolism has been reported highly associated with insulin resistance and diabetes risk. The activity of rate-limiting enzyme of tryptophan-kynurenine, indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), was enhanced significantly in T2D patients, thus downstream metabolites such as kynurenine, kynurenic acid, xanthurenic acid and hydroxykynurenine, were higher in T2D than in non-diabetic subjects, although inconsistent observations of tryptophan levels. Returning to the question posed at the beginning of the review, these studies have shown that decreased level of tryptophan plays an important role in diabetic patients. decrease in plasma TRP levels in diabetic patients regardless of their gender and these patients also exhibited a greater incidence of memory dysfunction compared to the controls.