Design and Implementation of a Computer-based Warehousing Information System: A Case Study of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos
Chapter One
PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of this is study is to
- Identify those problems caused by using manual billing clearance
- Finding out the effect of this in Nigeria Ports Authority
- Create computer awareness
- Identify prospects for solution of problems.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
The development of sea port in Nigeria in the early (19th) nineteenth century i.e over a hundred years ago, during the British colonial administration has not given gains to improved processing and information systems. Although limited initially to the opening up of the lagoon, it however resulted in the opening of port in Apapa and Port Harcourt. Thus, this then led to the establishment of the Nigeria customs (N.P.A) in 1955 to maintain the ports as well as load and discharge goods (www.customs.gov.ng).
Today, the custom is a wholly government owned organization under the supervision of the federal ministry of transport with the responsibility of providing specific ports and labour services for the country’s maritime industry. The major functions of the company are provision and operations of import handling, pilotage and wage services, supply of water and fuel for vessel repairs and maintenance, dredging and contra dredging of water ways, navigational light of the ports and other ancillary services (A.K., Ubeku, 1975).
File processing and information management handling in the Nigerian customs systems is archaic and low graded most of their ports and offices i.e of not Nigeria customs as a whole” lack expertise handling and this creates to a very large extent redundancies and inadequacies in this sector of government.
Dynamics of technology have changed the conduct and scope of international trade. As a critical factor in the unfolding development, customs cannot afford to be indifferent. Information dissemination about Nigerian customs operations is therefore considered very vital to trade facilitation in a world that is becoming increasingly technologically driven. This, then seem to be the cause of rapidly, increasing use of automatic data processing equipments often in associations with computers to accomplish routine clerical tasks. Techniques that can be applied in sorting and augmenting records by computer can be used in searching a collection of machine readable records. If the machine can recognize the records its going to be with a particular code, word, phrase or the coincidence of two or more such key terms called for by the search command it can seek out the pertinent records and list them, copy them, compile them or cause them to be physically retrieved or transmitted, by this a stored information or data in the database can be accessed and used. (Akwudike and Ugwu, 2002).
CHAPTER THREE
SYSTEM METHODOLOGY ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE EXISTING SYSTEM
This deals with the critical mode of operation currently utilized at custom and exercise office warehouse. These give an insight at their operation and how they handle their activities on a daily basis.
Here, every importer clearing his goods in custom and exercise office department information about the importer, the document contained in the file are things like the name of the vessel importers name, port of loading, port of discharge, rotation number quantity and description of goods, the porting market etc every importer has unique registration file number with which his file is identified in case he/she is needed to be provided with necessary information cash he/she is needed to be provided with necessary information in case of problem with the client. After this information have been collected, then the agency puts the data in order the coding process, the formal for clearing goods coming into the country. Billing of a customer starts after the customer has consulted customer officer.
However, in case of a new client, billing commence soon after such a customer has been registered as a user of the agency and registration file number has opened in a customer’s name, the staff account clerk does the billing extracting details of the services rendered by custom and exercise office from the file.
The customer is required to pay for the goods that have been delivered to the input wave house, and he is issued a recent after making payment.
CHAPTER FOUR
SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION AND PROGRAMMING
OUTPUT SPECIFICATION AND DESIGN
The deals with the design of this output forms of the system, there are two forms of output this include the bill of export good and the list of all the client of the agency.
CHAPTER FIVE
TEST RUN
This testing was conducted by executing the program on a computer system using visual Basics the programming language the test run is shown above. The purpose of test run in the development of the new system, test data is used for three purposes. The purpose are-
- For the development personnel to satisfy himself that the system is complete and ready for the operators
- For acceptance by the user organization to establish that the system meets user requirements
- To ensure efficient operations and program maintenance.
CHAPTER FIVE
This is the recommendation and conclusion
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation of any project depends largely on the capacity and reliability of the project flexibility must be a key required of a export management system package. It must permit the need adverse export management environment and easily adaptable to problem or difficulties arising. Moreso, interface must be easy and friendly the software and hardware to be used for the fulfillment of the personnel management system must be carefully engineered to avoid unnecessary breakdown or overlaying complicated keying of command prompt.
Moreover, this project is recommended for organizations who intend to buy application package for warehousing management. This project is reliable and easy to use by non-technical personnel, therefore it is recommended to companies, organizations for the implementation so as to achieve a perfect export management in the near future.
CONCLUSION
With the development of computer capabilities and the decrease in its cost computers are now within the reach of practically all interested companies. The computer is simple, it process numbers and words in many way, and yields output, it stores and retrieves large amount of data in almost any form. In addition, there is network system (local or global), people at great distances from each other can communicate and work together with computer by recording data once in the computer we need not write it again. Thus with the several problem of the manual system and the ability of the computer to solve or minimize them, one can safety say that the computerization of custom processing system operation was necessary.
REFERENCES
- Ahan Simpson, Qbase 111 Plus Programmers, Reference”, (USA, Sybex Incorporated, 1987).
- A.K. Ubeku, Personnel Management in Nigeria: (Elhiope Publishing Cooperation, 1975).
- Burch John G. et al; Information System Theory and practices (New York: John Wiley and Sons, (1979). Funk and wagnall’s Derk dictionary vol. 1 on funk and wagnall’s inc 1975).
- Joel E. Ross, Modern Management and information system; (USA; reston publishing company, inc. 1996).J. Radford;Information systems in management, (Reston publishing company inc. 1973).
- Orla, N. Stern and R. Stern, Business Data Processing System;(USA, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1972 S. Fitzeraid and A. fitzeraid, fundamentals of system analysis (USA, John Wiley and Sons, Inc (1973) S.A. Laitan, G. Mangum and R. Manshall; Human Resources and labour markets, (Harper and Row Publishers, 1972). Towel, Schopn and Hilgert, problems and policies in personnel management, A case book, (Houghton Publishing Inc. 1979).