Internet and Digital Marketing Communications Essay

Internet and Digital Marketing Communications - Essay Example Dropbox Company is a company that designs a service to share and sync files over the internet between personal computers. It is a downloadable application. Through it, the users can easily share and synchronize files across smart phones and personal computers. The company is located in San Francisco, United States. The company further offers the customers with specific tasks, which include collaboration on office documents, running a startup and backing up photos. Despite the success of the company, the past few years has proven challenging to the management and the entire company. During this time, the company experienced a crisis management problem and lost many of its customers, making the image of the company to be tarnished. The company has since then taken a major step to win back the customers improve the image of the company as well as attracting perspective customers. Despite these great services to the users, users have been asking for new features. Most of these features violate the commitment of the company to offer a simple product that is also easy-to-use. Therefore, Dropbox needs to go beyond syncing and file sharing so that it targets the customer needs. This is the only way it can stay the course. This situation has raised the need for the company to take the company back to its previous performance or to even high heights. The marketing department of this company has been pointed to have the most significant role in this activity. This is because this department has a major responsibility in guiding. and leading the other departments of the company in the development, production, fulfilling the products and the services to the customers. Marketing communication Marketing communication is a strategy that refers to the process of creating awareness, reminding or/and persuading customers of a product or a service (Yeshin, 2002). Marketing communication is significant in influencing a buyer’s purchasing decision. Integrated marketing communication (IMC), on the other hand, refers to judicious and the effective use of promotional tools of a product in passing a message across to the customers or potential customers (Yeshin, 2002). The effect of IMC to the existing and prospective customers is often noticeable. This is because the framework of IMC involves the interaction of different marketing communication elements, which have potential to improve or trigger other communication media to contribute (Belch and Belch, 2003). A marketing plan is important in attaining success in marketing. This is because it enables a company and its marketing team to focus on the marketing process. A marketing plan can be prepared using different approaches. However, there are key stages to these different approaches. These key stages are contained in an acronym SOSTC, that is, situation analysis, objectives, strategies, tactics, and control (Reid, 2003). Integrated marketing communication is an aggressive marketing strategy that aims to capture and use extensive amount of information about customers to set and track marketing strategy

Government Effects on Global Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Government Effects on Global Trade - Essay Example Currently the two arrangements do not exist. The STA only lasted for a period of one year which was from October 1961 to September 1962 (Kar 2015). The LTA which substituted STA managed to last for five years from October 1962 under continuous re-establishments. Its prime role was to prevent rapid penetration of textile imports into markets that were already developed (Kar 2015).   That way any domestic producer would never be threatened. Despites all the efforts made by Kennedy’s government on the arrangements, the importation of textile into the US never stopped, in fact, it grew more serous (Rivoli 2015). This further led to other arrangements as the Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA). Since several bodies were established by different global leaders to control the global trade and yet no encouraging results were obtained, there are doubts in progress in resolving the issues. This can further be attributed to the fact that almost all of these leaders speak out different messag es to the public from the actions they take during private phone calls. This can be summarized by the free trade rhetoric expressed by Rivoli (2015). Censoring Rivoli (2015), the global leaders make promises about controlling the textile and apparel import issues then fail during their reign. Apparently this is a routine insinuating failure to handle the issue at hand. For better leadership to come from the leaders in this particular industry, the authorities must stop deceiving the public in front of cameras then acting contradictorily during their private phone calls.

DOMMINO PIZZA MARKETING STRATEGY Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

DOMMINO PIZZA MARKETING STRATEGY - Coursework Example The paper tells that in recent decades, there has been need to improve the safety of food supply in Europe and other countries in the west and Domino company has not been left out. The laws governing public food safety have been reviewed and firms at various levels of the supply chain have come up with means of improving safety of food supply. As a result, there has been an improved standard of food safety rules at national, regional and international levels. A number of regulations have been put in place such as standards regarding the nature of the final product, the techniques of production in the food supply chain and the legal compliance of the supply chain. At the multinational level, there have been proposals on how the standards of food supply can be improved by the domino company or corrected in areas of weakness. Some of the issues that have been discussed include improvement of infrastructure, facilities and techniques of production, modes of processing as well as modes of quality assurance. There has been a great deal of competition in the pizza industry from pizza huts, papa john’s who are also distributors of pizza in different regions. This has reduced the profits in the business and has reduced the number of customers that are available for this company to deal with. Most of these customers have been shifting from one company to another and Domino Company has had a great deal of losses emanating from the high costs of operation and production visa reduced market share. There are other markets which are yet to be explored like those of china which are yet to be explored. ... As a result, there has been an improved standard of food safety rules at national, regional and international levels. A number of regulations have been put in place such as standards regarding the nature of the final product, the techniques of production in the food supply chain and the legal compliance of the supply chain. At the multinational level, there have been proposals on how the standards of food supply can be improved by the domino company or corrected in areas of weakness. Some of the issues that have been discussed include improvement of infrastructure, facilities and techniques of production, modes of processing as well as modes of quality assurance. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM There has been a great deal of competition in the pizza industry from pizza huts, papa john’s who are also distributors of pizza in different regions (Blythman, 2005). This has reduced the profits in the business and has reduced the number of customers that are available for this company to de al with. Most of these customers have been shifting from one company to another and Domino Company has had a great deal of losses emanating from the high costs of operation and production visa reduced market share. There are other markets which are yet to be explored like those of china which are yet to be explored. Te problem has been that the Chinese require places they can take pizzas while relaxing like in restaurants (Baldwin, 2009). This is not in line with what the company has been used to and therefore has to try and deal with that before the other companies establish themselves in such places. The company is developing marketing strategies that will ensure that this is dealt with including opening new businesses

Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Essay - 1

Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information - Essay Example The knowledge sharing benefits offered by the use of ICTs have encouraged local companies to explore global markets. It has also helped multi-national companies to enter new markets worldwide. The paper analyses the information, knowledge and communication needs of Tesco to achieve its objective. The identified objective for this case is ‘To provide help and support to those who are in need through Tesco’s charity trust’. Tesco was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen. In 1929, the company opened its first store in Burnt Oak. After 75 years of experience, Tesco is the third largest retailing company in the world (Tesco, 2011). In 1988, the company started the charity of the year partnership through which it supports a different charity every year. In 2009, Tesco entered into a partnership with the British Red Cross. Recent research studies have shown that by 2021, nearly half a million people would be living with undiagnosed dementia. Tesco along with the Alzheimerâ€⠄¢s society and Alzheimer Scotland have planned to raise ?5million to create awareness of the disease. The main objective is to help raise diagnosis levels from 40% by 2014 (Press Releases, 2010). In the aftermath of the massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Tesco has come forward to help the victims of the calamity by garnering support through their sales, employees and customers. Tesco has donated ?50,000 through a disaster relief partnership with British Red Cross. The company has encouraged customers to donate their club card vouchers for this cause. Identifying data and information requirements A business requires different types of data from different sources. These include structured/unstructured data, data from different sources (internal and external) and different quality of data (Ranjan, 2009). Internal data is data gathered from internal sources within the company from employees. External data is information and knowledge collected from external stakeholders, such as vendors, suppliers, customers and shareholders. Data obtained from external sources cannot be directly used in decision making. It needs to be further analyzed for developing appropriate knowledge for use within the business processes. For example, data collected from customers by employees needs to be further analyzed and then used by the executive team in decision making (Ranjan, 2009). In the present information age, companies require access to information, knowledge, people and expertise in order to make informed decisions. As a result, organizations invest a lot of capital, time and effort in ensuring they have the right information to communicate, at the right time to the right person. Tesco’s objective relates to recognizing the need for charity funding and defining strategies to ensure that the funding needs of specific causes like the Japanese earthquake and tsunami are met. Since the strategies are based on identifying the funding needs and accessing funds from diff erent sources, Tesco needs to focus on collecting data on charity requirements that can benefit from such funds. The specific data and information required can be identified as below: Charity causes that require funding – in this case the devastation created by the recent Japanese tsunami and earthquake has been identified for collecting funds from company stakeholders and donating it to the Japanese relief

Modelo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Modelo - Essay Example Modelo’s expansion strategy was made possible through its strategic alliance with its two main distributors; Bartisor and grambrinus, experienced, creative and knowledgeable subsidiaries with knowledge about local customers in the US market. This strategy ensured that the risk of increase in taxes is hedged. These distributors were delegated with all the value chain processes of the activities except production which was being carried out the parent firm, Group Modelo back in Mexico. They had autonomous control on decisions regarding the marketing, insurance, transportation and creatively marketing captains, from which a campaign that leapfrogged the Grupo Modelo’s sales emanated from in 1986. As pointed out in the report, wine is more competitive in Italy and Ireland unlike beer. Therefore, it will have an opportunity to attempt to enter these foreign markets by both mergers and acquisition from the local importers and distributors. They ca also adopt other strategic alliances with highly expertise- mature companies in this countries. It can be pointed out that, for the company to stand tall, it needs, a sharper differentiation, identifying and focusing on the key marketing that region and developing a creative Marketing development as a strategy

A Rose for Emily Essay Example for Free

A Rose for Emily Essay The Use of Personality Traits to Foreshadow in Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† In William Faulkner’s short story, â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, Emily’s reclusiveness, arrogance and old-fashioned attitude demonstrate her refusal to adapt to the present. Throughout the plot, glimpses into Emily’s life and behavior foreshadow the conclusion of the story. The author uses third person voice and a series of flashbacks to illustrate examples of her reclusive behavior, the arrogance that being a Grierson has instilled in her and how her thinking has remained in years gone past. Although Emily is referred to affectionately as a â€Å"fallen monument† by the unnamed townspeople, she is scarcely known and rarely leaves her house. In her younger years she was seen occasionally with Homer Barron, a contractor hired to pave the sidewalks. While Homer was courting her, the two took Sunday drives in public, which set the town abuzz. After his mysterious disappearance, however, Emily goes into full reclusivity. The town’s politicians are even forced to pay a visit to Emily at home when they finally decide to press the issue of paying property taxes which a Colonel Sartoris had graciously deemed paid in full for the remainder of her life. The Board of Aldermen are briefly admitted into the house and given only a quick glimpse of the woman Emily Grierson has become in old age. Outside of china painting classes Emily gave to the children of some of â€Å"Colonel Sartoris’s contemporaries† (page 48) ten years earlier, it was the most anyone had seen of her in some time. Consequently, when Emily finally passes on, her funeral is attended by a variety of townspeople who are overly curious â€Å"to see the inside of her house† (page 43). At this point, Faulkner has foreshadowed the fact that something monumental will be found there. Emily’s arrogance was ripe fodder for her contemporaries. She retained a Negro servant, Tobe, throughout her life in the tradition of her family, but apparently he was just as committed to being a recluse as she and was only seen on market shopping days, speaking little. Everyone thought the family had always â€Å"held themselves a little too high for what they really were† (page 44) and seemed to relish anything Emily did that could make her seem more human. When a horrible smell developed in the house and wafted through the neighborhood it was chalked up to bad housekeeping because â€Å"a man†¦[cannot] keep a kitchen properly† (page 45). This, the townspeople declared, created a â€Å"link between the gross, teeming world and the high and mighty Griersons† (page 45). They wanted an opportunity to feel sorry for Emily and rejoice in the fact that even though her last name was Grierson, she was human after all. Even so, family name carries enough respect that former Confederate soldiers â€Å"to whom the past is not a diminishing road† (page 49) feel obliged to attend her funeral service. Emily’s arrogance is what keeps the people of the town interested in the details of her life, and death. Perhaps because of Emily’s old-fashioned attitude and ideals, she was used to taking matters into her hands and this, too, foreshadows Homer’s Barron end. Although motor cars are a normal sight in town, Emily never bought one and preferred, instead, to ride about with Homer using an old-fashioned horse and buggy. When postal service came to town some years earlier, Emily would have none of it, refusing to allow a mailbox and numbers affixed to her old house. Anything she needed could be delivered or Tobe was sent out with his market basket on shopping day to bring it back, bypassing modern convenience. Faulkner uses these vagaries of Emily’s personality to foreshadow the conclusion when the townspeople swarm through the house to reach the upper bedroom which has been closed for 40 years. It is because of her reclusiveness, arrogance and old-fashioned attitude that the strange old lady purchases rat poison, kills her lover and locks him inside a bedroom for many years, not to be discovered until her death.

Evaluating Life Cycle of Pavements

Evaluating Life Cycle of Pavements Case Study from Nevada Department of Transportations Perspective Nowadays increasing number of agencies and companies have started to shift to the principles of sustainability in conducting business and activities. These principles also make good business sense as we try to improve the environmental, social and economic value of a product. The transportation industry is no different and many Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have already shifted to this by incorporating Life Cycle Analysis of pavements. Life cycle analysis of pavements is a comprehensive approach where economic costs of different alternatives during the life of a pavement are evaluated and the best one is chosen to be implemented. It is a complex process and varies from one DOT to another but usually there are some guidelines laid down by the Federal Highway Administration that are followed. For our case study, we have selected the Nevada Department of Transportation, also known as NDOT. This report presents a brief overview of the various components and strategies used in pavement analysis, maintenance and rehabilitation are discussed in detail. NDOT has a defined Pavement Management System to collect data and the application of LCA for construction of pavements has already been started. The various parameters considered in LCA as well as the limitations are discussed in this report. Keywords: Pavement, Life Cycle Analysis, NDOT, Maintenance, Rehabilitation Pavements, like any other thing, have a definite life cycle. They are constructed by keeping a certain period of utility in mind. The continuous use of roadways often leads to their degradation in their serviceability. The rate of this deterioration is dependent on many factors both environmental and load related. Using appropriate maintenance and rehabilitation techniques at the right time also can impact the life of a pavement drastically. The life cycle of pavements can be very broadly described as Stage 1: New Pavement Newly constructed pavements fall into this category. They require almost no repairs while in use. Stage 2: Minor Repairs After some initial time, the utility of the roads begins to decrease. Some maintenance work is favored. Stage 3: Major Repairs After long time in service the roads become deficient structurally and continuous use of roads in this state is not recommended. Stage 4: Complete Reconstruction Roads in this state of disarray are not be used except under extreme circumstances and require a complete overhaul and construction of new pavements. However, some agencies have been lagging in their effort to properly preserve their roadways. This has led to one third of the roads in United States being in poor or weak condition. Annually an estimated of 70 billion dollars to maintain the highway network in USA. This considerable sum has led people to try and manage pavements more efficiently. Constant evaluation of pavements has been adopted by many state DOTs to try and limit pavement deterioration once it is in use. There are two major categories for repairs of pavements in general terms are Maintenance Rehabilitation Maintenance is the process of repair of roads is done on a small scale as the pavements contain only minor faults and are fixed relatively easily. Some common maintenance techniques include fog seals and crack sealing and mainly slow down the deterioration rate of the pavements [1]. Rehabilitation is the procedure where existing portions of damaged pavements are completely redone as the damage is of significance. Rehabilitation techniques include in-place recycling and overlays and reset the whole process of deterioration [1]. The cost of either maintenance or rehabilitation of pavement is substantive and continuous to rise even today. This has lead highway agencies to use tools that can help combine economics and operations research to achieve pavements that are both cost effective without compromising their long-term properties. The most common method in use is the Life Cycle Cost Analysis or the LCCA [2]. It is a process where the value of the total project is calculated using the initial cost and discounted future costs over the life of the pavement. The components of LCCA is defined by different DOTs independently. For this report the case of Nevada DOT is chosen and LCCA used by NDOT will be explained later. The Nevada DOT was founded in 1917 and has since built and maintained almost 5,400 miles of road. There is an additional of more than 46,000 miles of public road mostly maintained by local agencies. The roads maintained by NDOT account only for 20% of roads in Nevada but these roads account for 52% of all traffic and 82% of heavy truck traffic of the state [3]. In the fiscal years of 2013 and 2014, NDOT spend around 270 million dollars on maintenance rehabilitation repair works. As one can infer from the figures the process of maintaining the roadways is costly and therefore NDOT uses various tools that can help to minimize this cost in the long run. Some of these tools are discussed in this report. Connecting the empirical data collected from the field and theoretical data calculated by an engineer in the lab has been one of the most difficult task in pavement engineering. Long term pavement performance has gained importance as it is a major component of any cost analyses that is conducted on the pavements. Therefore, predicting long term performance of pavements with good accuracy can provide valuable data for pavement modeling. Field data collected from various sites can also be used to verify whether the materials possesses required qualities or the design was sufficient. This can in their turn help in altering future pavement designs to better perform in the field. This has led to the creation of a Pavement Management System by pavement engineers. Data collected from various sites in the field is collected in the PMS and stored for further analysis by engineers. This collected data can be utilized to develop and verify pavement performance models The PMS used by NDOT was established in 1980 and is accordance with ISTEA guidelines. It monitors various pavement characteristics with time on a mile-by-mile basis for the entire NDOT system. The data collected includes cracking, rut depth, patching, surface condition, and ride with data on traffic and accidents are collected for informational purposes only. Using the data collected from the field seven performance indicators are calculated to classify pavements into four repair categories. The performance indicators calculated are Ride Rut Depth Cracking Patching Bleeding Raveling Present Serviceability Index (PSI) The PSI used by NDOT is calculated by the following formula PSI = 5*e-0.0041*IRI 1.38RD2 0.01(C+P)0.5 Where IRI = International Roughness Index (in/mile) RD = Rut Depth (in) C = Cracking Area (ft2/1000 ft2) P = Patching Area (ft2/1000 ft2) For the considered pavement points are assigned for the severity and extent of each of the distress indicators. The total summation of the points is used to assign the pavement into one of four repair categories which are Do Nothing Maintenance Overlay Reconstruction For details refer to Development of Pavement Performance, Analyses and Procedures [4]. The PSI of pavements is kept in check by performing routine maintenance and rehabilitation activities. As explained maintenance as a process only slows down the rate of deterioration while on the other hand rehabilitation will show an initial change in PSI and may also change the rate of deterioration of pavement. Generally, one observes that the cost of maintenance of pavement tends to be lower than the cost of rehabilitation. Therefore, if one has to be cost effective there needs to be a balance between the maintenance and rehabilitation of pavements. That is using only one type of repair work will be more economically inefficient. NDOT has chosen specific repair activities to catalog in the state of Nevada based on availability of previous data. If a technique was chosen without sufficient performance data, then the model would be of limited use only. The techniques thus used by NDOT include Maintenance Techniques: Rehabilitation Techniques: Sand Seals, Chips Seals. Flexible Overlays, Roadbed Modification, Mill and Overlays Sand Seals Sand seal is the application of an asphalt emulsion being sprayed on with a layer of clean sand or fine aggregate being embedded in the emulsion either by spreading immediately or using a pneumatic tire roller. After application of the tire-roller excess particles are removed from the pavement. The sand seals are useful for improving the surface properties of pavements and can also help in filling up any fine cracks of pavement surface. In addition, the sand can also improve the skid resistant properties of the road while reducing the chances of raveling. [5]. Chip Seals Chip seals have become one of the most used surface treatment technique for roads with less traffic. Similar to a sand seal, a chip seal is the process of spraying asphalt and applying a layer of aggregate over it. The asphalt applied could be in form of hot asphalt cement, cutback or emulsified asphalt. After the application of any of the listed types of asphalt aggregate layer is administers onto the surface, before the asphalt either cools down or the emulsion breaks so as to maximize adhesion. The aggregates in the asphalt matrix are further seated and reoriented using a pneumatic roller. Afterwards the excess aggregates are removed from the surface by use of brooming. Chip seals are used as a protection from further raveling as well as seal any small cracks that are in the pavement. Sometimes use of lightweight aggregates is justified in chip seals in cases where heavier aggregates might become a cause for windshield cracking. LWA are manufactured mainly from light minerals like shale, slate or clay and are usually more expensive and less durable than normal aggregates but these are much lighter in weight. This light weight prevents these aggregates from being able to crack windshields in the case they become projectiles. The cracking of windshields can also be prevented by use of polymer modified emulsion [5]. Flexible Overlays Flexible overlay is a method of rehabilitation wherein on top of the old structure a new intermediate layer is constructed. The major purpose of this new layer is to both add an additional structure to the pavement and to prevent the proliferation of reflective cracks from the structure underneath. The old structure can still provide a uniform support. The design and planning of the overlay should be done keeping into consideration the expected traffic loading that the pavement will be under. As such this technique usually causes an increase in the highway profile. Care also has to be taken to prevent moisture from getting between the overlay and old structure. To prevent this the materials uses in the overlay should be tested for both moisture susceptibility and durability [6]. Roadbed Modification Asphalt roads are also reclaimed using roadbed modification. This technique is usually applied to pavements where the PSI has fallen way below desired level. Pulverization of existing pavement is done to a depth depending upon the structure of the old pavement. The pulverization process sometimes also includes base materials sometimes if the depth of pulverization is greater than the bituminous layer. On the other hand, if the depth is lower than that of existing structure then use of cold milling can be beneficial as this will lead to minimal disturbance to the materials underneath. The materials pulverized is then mixed with cement and water, where it acts basically as aggregates. This concrete is spread out and compacted according to the design intended. Pavements with very weak or uneven foundations can benefit from this technique [7]. Mill and Overlays The mill and overlay method is a method of rehabilitation where the top surface of the damaged pavement is removed, usually up to 2 inches. This removal is done by the use of a milling machine capable to perform the task. The removal of the top layer comprises of the milling portion of the method and usually takes around a couple of days. Afterwards a new layer of bituminous layer is constructed on top of the structure, in place of the removed surface. The surface of the milled pavement is coated with liquid asphalt that acts as a tack coat between the old structure and the new bituminous layer. The construction of the overlay can take around one to two days depending upon the width of pavement and the traffic. The asphalt overlay to be placed on pavement is usually embedded to a depth of 1ÂÂ ½ using a paver [8]. When developing NDOTs pavement performance model three categories of data were considered Structural, Environmental and PMS. A list of factors from these categories was created that could possibly affect pavement performance was compiled into standard data collection form. Analyzing all the standardized data the following data sets were finally used when developing the model- Materials data of activity being modeled: These data include the types and percentages of asphalt binder and aggregates used in the maintenance or rehabilitation activity for which the performance model is being developed. Materials data of existing pavement layers: These data include the types and percentages of asphalt binder and aggregates used in the layers underlaying the maintenance or rehabilitation activity for which the performance model is being developed. Structural data: These data include the thickness of the various layers in the pavement structure including the thickness of the maintenance or rehabilitation activity that is being modeled. The structural number (SN) as defined by the AASHTO design guide was used to normalize the structural data among all of the pavement section. Reference 3 describes the method used to convert the layer thicknesses into SN values. Pavement performance data: These data include the PSI, percent cracking, and average rut depth values as obtained from the NDOT PMS data base. Traffic data: The equivalent single axle load (ESAL) was used as the traffic element. The average daily ESAL figures were obtained from the PMS data base and used to obtain the cumulative ESALs over the life of the maintenance or rehabilitation activity. Environmental data: These data include maximum and minimum temperatures, number of freeze/thaw cycles, number of wet days, and annual precipitation. LCCA is a tool that is used by NDOT to evaluate the economic assessment of pavements when considering the entirety of its useful life. It takes into consideration the initial costs as well as maintenance and repair cost that the pavement is likely to undergo in its life. This tool can be used by pavement engineers to optimize their budget to improve the overall useful life of the pavement. Different alternatives for repairs are considered and the one with the most utility or least cost is chosen to be put forward for consideration. LCCA is made from the following steps- All initial treatment alternatives must be identified For each alternative, their analysis period as well as treatment scheme should be determined The price of annual and each alternatives maintenance should be computed The economic assessment calculated for each alternative should be compared The alternative with the best economic assessment should be selected based on LCCA When performing LCCA, NDOT uses the AASHTO prescribed Present Worth method. This method is highly recommended and frequently used by state highway agencies. In this method, any future expense is converted to present value of the dollar. The present value of future expenses is the amount of money which will need to be invested at a particular compound interest rate for the total sum to be equal to the value of the future expense. The formula used in calculation is PW = F(1/(1+i) n) Where F = The future expense after n years i = Discount rate n = Number of years Since the costs of production keeps on changing with time due to inflation and other economic factors, a discount rate is chosen to compare the cost across all time periods. LCCA is performed on the pavement for a specific analyses period. The length of this analyses period has been calculated for various types of roads keeping important factors into consideration. Highway Class Analysis Period (Years) High Volume Urban 30 50 High Volume Rural 20 50 Low Volume Paved 15 25 Low Volume Aggregate Surface 10 20 For newly constructed flexible pavements NDOT recommends an analysis period of 25-40 years while for rehabilitation they recommended a period of 20 years. This data is derived from two major conditions, (a) It represents a realistic life of asphalt mixtures and (b) one or two rehabilitation periods are included in the period. Pavements have a defined life cycle. Regular repair work must be done during the useful life of a pavement to maintain it to a serviceable level. NDOT uses PSI as an indicator to determine the serviceability level of pavement. PSI can range from 0 to 5.0 and repair is done on a pavement when the PSI drops below an unacceptable level. NDOT uses 2.5 as the terminal level of PSI with roads having average daily traffic of more than 750. NDOT also has placed some reality checks in place for calculating the pavement performance period. They are not considered in when in performance models because they can act as an empirical check to the values obtained from theoretical models. These checks include data such as traffic accidents, high maintenance costs, specific site failures, etc. LCAA also include cost factors that encompass all the expenditure that is incurred by the pavement from the design phase till the end of its useful life cycle. These costs have to be properly compared for different alternatives in LCCA to arrive at the most economic pavement. These costs can include First Costs: These include both the expenditure for the initial construction of the pavement and the cost for the operations that occurred to facilitate the construction like surveys, designs and analyses. Annual Maintenance Costs: These include the expenditure that is use to maintain an optimum PSI level of the pavement so as to provide a smooth ride to the drivers. Road User Costs: These are the costs that are associated with driving on the road and include things like increase in travel time, accidents, change in fuel consumption by vehicle etc. Salvage Value: This is the value of the road at the end of its life cycle. These casts can be either positive or negative depending on the condition of the road. 1. Pavement Interactive 2. Evaluation of pavement life cycle cost analysis: Review and analysis 3. State Highway Preservation Report 4. Development of Pavement Performance, Analyses and Procedures 5. https://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/html/99771201/99771201.htm 6.http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/pdm/flexible_base_overlay_and_flexible_base_thickening.htm 7. https://www.nevadadot.com/uploadedFiles/NDOT/About_NDOT/NDOT_Divisions/Operations/Construction/CM%20Section%206%20-%20300.pdf 8. https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/public-works/street-maintenance/mill-overlay