Robots have become a common sight in Japanese factories. It is estimated that as many as sixty percent of Japanese manufacturing firms now have industrial robots or other computer equipment. According to the Japan Industrial Robot Association, at least 100,000 robots have been placed on production lines in Japan. There are more robots in Japan than in the rest of the world.
The robots in Japanese factories are mostly of one-faceless, bodiless, one- arm robots. Most do the work of the shoulder, elbow, wrist and finger of a human.
Although the simple industrial robot was invented and first developed in the United States, American factories have been slow to use them. However, American scientists have been busy developing more human-like robots which can work in homes and offices.
What are the effects of using so many faceless, bodiless, one-arm robots in Japanese factories? It is clear that there are many advantages. Robots have taken over many of the hot, dirty, dangerous, tiring ang boring jobs on the production line, especially in car factories. Secondly, robots are small, strong and easy to use and look after and are quite cheap. They also work faster and better than humans. They make fewer mistakes and the quality of their work is better. It is easy to see, therefore, the advantages of using industrial robots. But, when about the disadvantages? The main one is unemployment. It is estimated that at least 50,000 workers in Japan have been replacedby robots. MOst of these workers are old and middle-aged men and young women. Although some workers have moved into other jobs in the factory such as sales or computer programming, many workers now spend their time in unimportant positions on the production line, like pushing buttons on robots.
Eventhough the unemployment problem will grow, it is clear that robots will continue to be used, not only in large car factories but also in the smaller factories and workshopsall over Japan. As Professor Ichiro Kato of Waseda University says, ''Now robots are working out of sight, in factories, but by the year 2000s they will be everywhere, in shops, in homes, working in full view. By the year 2005 we can expect the robot population of Japan to be something like ten million-about one robot for every ten human beings.''
Taken from : The Jakarta Post
Kamis, 30 September 2010
Franchise Asing Masih Mendominasi
Franchising (pewaralabaan) pada hakekatnya adalah sebuah konsep pemasaran dalam rangka memperluas jaringan usaha secara cepat. Dengan demikian, franchising bukanlah sebuah alternatif melainkan salah satu cara yang sama kuatnya, sama strategsinya dengan cara konvensional dalam mengembangkan usaha. Bahklan sistem franchise dianggap memiliki banyak kelebihan terutama menyangkut pendanaan, SDM dan managemen, keculai kerelaan pemilik merek untuk berbagi dengan pihak lain. Franchising juga dikenal sebagai jalur distribusi yang sangat efektif untuk mendekatkan produk kepada konsumennya melalui tangan-tangan franchisee.
Di Indonesia franchise dikenal sejak era 70an ketika masuknya Shakey Pisa, KFC, Swensen dan Burger King. Perkembangannya terlihat sangat pesat dimulai sekitar 1995. Data Deperindag pada 1997 mencatat sekitar 259 perusahaan penerima waralaba di Indonesia. Setelah itu, usaha franchise mengalami kemerosotan karena terjadi krisis moneter. Para penerima waralaba asing terpaksa menutup usahanya karena nilai rupiah yang terperosok sangat dalam. Hingga 2000, franchise asing masih menunggu untuk masuk ke Indonesia. Hal itu disebabkan kondisi ekonomi dan politik yang belum stabili ditandai dengan perseteruan para elit politik. Barulah pada 2003, usaha franchise di tanah air mengalami perkembangan yang sangat pesat.
Franchise pertama kali dimulai di Amerika oleh Singer Sewing Machine Company, produsen mesin jahit Singer pada 1851. Pola itu kemudian diikuti oleh perusahaan otomotif General Motor Industry yang melakukan penjualan kendaraan bermotor dengan menunjuk distributor franchise pada tahun 1898. Selanjutnya, diikuti pula oleh perusahaan-perusahaan soft drink di Amerika sebagai saluran distribusi di AS dan negara-negara lain. Sedangkan di Inggris waralaba dirintis oleh J Lyons melalui usahanya Wimpy and Golden Egg pada dekade 60an.
Definisi
Masing-masing negara memiliki definisi sendiri tentang waralaba. Amerika melalui International Franchise Association (IFA) mendefinisikan franchise sebagai hubungan kontraktual antara franchisor dengan franchise, dimana franchisor berkewajiban menjaga kepentingan secara kontinyu pada bidang usaha yang dijalankan oleh franchisee misalnya lewat pelatihan, di bawah merek dagang yang sama, format dan standar operasional atau kontrol pemilik (franchisor), dimana franchisee menamankan investasi pada usaha tersebut dari sumber dananya sendiri.
Sedangkan menurut British Franchise Association sebagai garansi lisensi kontraktual oleh satu orang (franchisor) ke pihak lain (franchisee) dengan:
David J.Kaufmann memberi definisi franchising sebagai sebuah sistem pemasaran dan distribusi yang dijalankan oleh institusi bisnis kecil (franchisee) yang digaransi dengan membayar sejumlah fee, hak terhadap akses pasar oleh franchisor dengan standar operasi yang mapan dibawah asistensi franchisor.
Sedangkan menurut Reitzel, Lyden, Roberts & Severance, franchise definisikan sebagai sebuah kontrak atas barang yang intangible yang dimiliki oleh seseorang (franchisor) seperti merek yang diberikan kepada orang lain (franchisee) untuk menggunakan barang (merek) tersebut pada usahanya sesuai dengan teritori yang disepakati.
Selain definisi menurut kacamata asing, di Indonesia juga berkembang definisi franchise. Salah satunya seperti yang diberikan oleh LPPM (Lembaga Pendidikan dan Pembinaan Manajemen), yang mengadopsi dari terjemahan kata franchise. IPPM mengartikannya sebagai usaha yang memberikan laba atau keuntungan sangat istimewa sesuai dengan kata tersebut yang berasal dari wara yang berarti istimewa dan laba yang berarti keuntungan.
Sementara itu, menurut PP No.16/1997 waralaba diartikan sebagai perikatan dimana salah satu pihak diberikan hak untuk memanfaatkan dan atau menggunakan hak atas kekayaan intelektual atau penemuan atau ciri khas usaha yang dimiliki pihak lain dengan suatu imbalan berdasarkan persyaratan yang ditetapkan pihak lain tersebut, dalam rangka penyediaan dan atau penjualan barang dan atau jasa. Definisi inilah yang berlaku baku secara yuridis formal di Indonesia.
Sumber: Majalah Info
Di Indonesia franchise dikenal sejak era 70an ketika masuknya Shakey Pisa, KFC, Swensen dan Burger King. Perkembangannya terlihat sangat pesat dimulai sekitar 1995. Data Deperindag pada 1997 mencatat sekitar 259 perusahaan penerima waralaba di Indonesia. Setelah itu, usaha franchise mengalami kemerosotan karena terjadi krisis moneter. Para penerima waralaba asing terpaksa menutup usahanya karena nilai rupiah yang terperosok sangat dalam. Hingga 2000, franchise asing masih menunggu untuk masuk ke Indonesia. Hal itu disebabkan kondisi ekonomi dan politik yang belum stabili ditandai dengan perseteruan para elit politik. Barulah pada 2003, usaha franchise di tanah air mengalami perkembangan yang sangat pesat.
Franchise pertama kali dimulai di Amerika oleh Singer Sewing Machine Company, produsen mesin jahit Singer pada 1851. Pola itu kemudian diikuti oleh perusahaan otomotif General Motor Industry yang melakukan penjualan kendaraan bermotor dengan menunjuk distributor franchise pada tahun 1898. Selanjutnya, diikuti pula oleh perusahaan-perusahaan soft drink di Amerika sebagai saluran distribusi di AS dan negara-negara lain. Sedangkan di Inggris waralaba dirintis oleh J Lyons melalui usahanya Wimpy and Golden Egg pada dekade 60an.
Definisi
Masing-masing negara memiliki definisi sendiri tentang waralaba. Amerika melalui International Franchise Association (IFA) mendefinisikan franchise sebagai hubungan kontraktual antara franchisor dengan franchise, dimana franchisor berkewajiban menjaga kepentingan secara kontinyu pada bidang usaha yang dijalankan oleh franchisee misalnya lewat pelatihan, di bawah merek dagang yang sama, format dan standar operasional atau kontrol pemilik (franchisor), dimana franchisee menamankan investasi pada usaha tersebut dari sumber dananya sendiri.
Sedangkan menurut British Franchise Association sebagai garansi lisensi kontraktual oleh satu orang (franchisor) ke pihak lain (franchisee) dengan:
1. Mengijinkan atau meminta franchisee menjalankan usaha dalam periode tertentu pada bisnis yang menggunakan merek yang dimiliki oleh franchisor.
2. Mengharuskan franchisor untuk melatih kontrol secara kontinyu selama periode perjanjian.
3. Mengharuskan franchisor untuk menyediakan asistensi terhadap franchisee pada subjek bisnis yang dijalankan—di dalam hubungan terhadap organisasi usaha franchisee seperti training terhadap staf, merchandising, manajemen atau yang lainnya.
Meminta kepada franchise secara periodik selama masa kerjasama waralaba untuk membayarkan sejumlah fee franchisee atau royalti untuk produk atau service yang disediakan oleh franchisor kepada franchisee.
David J.Kaufmann memberi definisi franchising sebagai sebuah sistem pemasaran dan distribusi yang dijalankan oleh institusi bisnis kecil (franchisee) yang digaransi dengan membayar sejumlah fee, hak terhadap akses pasar oleh franchisor dengan standar operasi yang mapan dibawah asistensi franchisor.
Sedangkan menurut Reitzel, Lyden, Roberts & Severance, franchise definisikan sebagai sebuah kontrak atas barang yang intangible yang dimiliki oleh seseorang (franchisor) seperti merek yang diberikan kepada orang lain (franchisee) untuk menggunakan barang (merek) tersebut pada usahanya sesuai dengan teritori yang disepakati.
Selain definisi menurut kacamata asing, di Indonesia juga berkembang definisi franchise. Salah satunya seperti yang diberikan oleh LPPM (Lembaga Pendidikan dan Pembinaan Manajemen), yang mengadopsi dari terjemahan kata franchise. IPPM mengartikannya sebagai usaha yang memberikan laba atau keuntungan sangat istimewa sesuai dengan kata tersebut yang berasal dari wara yang berarti istimewa dan laba yang berarti keuntungan.
Sementara itu, menurut PP No.16/1997 waralaba diartikan sebagai perikatan dimana salah satu pihak diberikan hak untuk memanfaatkan dan atau menggunakan hak atas kekayaan intelektual atau penemuan atau ciri khas usaha yang dimiliki pihak lain dengan suatu imbalan berdasarkan persyaratan yang ditetapkan pihak lain tersebut, dalam rangka penyediaan dan atau penjualan barang dan atau jasa. Definisi inilah yang berlaku baku secara yuridis formal di Indonesia.
Sumber: Majalah Info
Kamis, 23 September 2010
Enter the Microchip
The first computer was designed in 1830s. It was called an Analytical Engine. The designer was Charles Babbage, an English mathematician. Unfortunately, his computer was never built.It needed thousands of mechanical parts. In the 1830s, no one knew how to make these parts so that they worked together perfectly. The first working computers were built in the 1940s, using mo electronic parts.
Fantastic progress has been made since the 1940s. A modern microcomputer is 10,000 times cheaper than a 1940s computer. It is much more reliable. It works much faster. Itr can handle much more information. Can you imagine what cars would be like if that technology had made the same kind of progress? A Rolls Royce would be as cheap as this book. It would be more powerful than a train. And you could go around the world 2,500 times on a tank of gas.
Size and Speed
First generation computers were made in the 1040s. They took years to build. They cost a small fortune. And they had thousands of parts. One computer weighed many tons. It filled huge rooms. It used great amounts of power, creating a lot of heat-so the rooms had to be air-conditioned. Early computers used vacum tubes. These were a bit like light bulbs. And, like light bulbs, they burned out. So the computer was always breaking down. The transistor was invented in 1948. It replaced the vacuum tube. A transistor is much smaller than a vacuum tube. It uses very little power. And it lasts for a long time. Transistor are made fom silicon, which comes from ordinary sand, so the cost is low. This invention launched the second generation of computers. Transistors made TVs and radios smaller, cheaper and more reliable. They did the same for computers. The silicon chip was invented in the 1960s. This was the real breakthrough. A chip is tiny-just a fraction of an inch across. Yet it can carry thousands of even smaller electronic parts. These parts are imprinted on the chip. The chip, with these printed parts, is called an integrated circuit. Chips made the third generation of computers possible. These computers are incredibly powerful, cheap, and compact compared with earlier ones. For this reason they are called microcomputers. Now, there's fourth generation of computers. In these, a single chip contains a complete computer processor. Imagine what computers of the future will be like !
Chips with Everything
The silicon chip has amazing qualities. It is tiny, but it works fast. It is cheap, but reliable. It was powerful, but uses up little energy. In fact, it uses last than 1/100 of the energy used a light bulb. Because of this, chips can be used in battery-powered devices. A chip is also sturdy, because the wiring is built into it. Mny chips work well even in boiling heat or icy cold. Making chips is complicated. It must be done very carefully. Exact temperatures must be used. The equipment must be kept clean and free of dust. All this costs money. But, the raw material used in chips is very cheap. And huge numbers can be made at one time. Therefore, chips can be made very cheaply. Because chips are very cheap, computing power is now widely used. Chips are used in all kinds of everyday machines. And they are being used to do interesting things. Watches, for example, no longer just tell time. Some now have built-in alarms and musical chimes. Others have stopwatches and calculators. Still others have video games and miniature radios. All of these are controlled by tiny silicon chips.
Fantastic progress has been made since the 1940s. A modern microcomputer is 10,000 times cheaper than a 1940s computer. It is much more reliable. It works much faster. Itr can handle much more information. Can you imagine what cars would be like if that technology had made the same kind of progress? A Rolls Royce would be as cheap as this book. It would be more powerful than a train. And you could go around the world 2,500 times on a tank of gas.
Size and Speed
First generation computers were made in the 1040s. They took years to build. They cost a small fortune. And they had thousands of parts. One computer weighed many tons. It filled huge rooms. It used great amounts of power, creating a lot of heat-so the rooms had to be air-conditioned. Early computers used vacum tubes. These were a bit like light bulbs. And, like light bulbs, they burned out. So the computer was always breaking down. The transistor was invented in 1948. It replaced the vacuum tube. A transistor is much smaller than a vacuum tube. It uses very little power. And it lasts for a long time. Transistor are made fom silicon, which comes from ordinary sand, so the cost is low. This invention launched the second generation of computers. Transistors made TVs and radios smaller, cheaper and more reliable. They did the same for computers. The silicon chip was invented in the 1960s. This was the real breakthrough. A chip is tiny-just a fraction of an inch across. Yet it can carry thousands of even smaller electronic parts. These parts are imprinted on the chip. The chip, with these printed parts, is called an integrated circuit. Chips made the third generation of computers possible. These computers are incredibly powerful, cheap, and compact compared with earlier ones. For this reason they are called microcomputers. Now, there's fourth generation of computers. In these, a single chip contains a complete computer processor. Imagine what computers of the future will be like !
Chips with Everything
The silicon chip has amazing qualities. It is tiny, but it works fast. It is cheap, but reliable. It was powerful, but uses up little energy. In fact, it uses last than 1/100 of the energy used a light bulb. Because of this, chips can be used in battery-powered devices. A chip is also sturdy, because the wiring is built into it. Mny chips work well even in boiling heat or icy cold. Making chips is complicated. It must be done very carefully. Exact temperatures must be used. The equipment must be kept clean and free of dust. All this costs money. But, the raw material used in chips is very cheap. And huge numbers can be made at one time. Therefore, chips can be made very cheaply. Because chips are very cheap, computing power is now widely used. Chips are used in all kinds of everyday machines. And they are being used to do interesting things. Watches, for example, no longer just tell time. Some now have built-in alarms and musical chimes. Others have stopwatches and calculators. Still others have video games and miniature radios. All of these are controlled by tiny silicon chips.
Taken from : Computer World: A Gateway Fact Book
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