Reflection 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection 9 - Essay Example Such companies as Walmart, Walgreens and others are proving that healthy and fresh food sales can bring even higher revenue than those of fast or junk one (Obama 116). Gradually, companies start to sell more healthy products, which, as a result, become more affordable to people and the demand grows. Consequently, manufacturers also receive more money. As such, â€Å"healthier food options make good business sense† (Obama 116). On the other hand, the idea of healthy eating and lifestyle should be actively promoted among ordinary people, especially children. The latter should understand its benefits and effects on their general well-being and even future life and success. The idea of cooperation, or as I decided to call it – â€Å"joint efforts†, is related to original complexity of the obesity problem which has nationwide dimensions nowadays. Instead of, for instance, investing into curing diseases caused by obesity (diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, risks of heart stroke, etc.), big companies could monetarily support production and spread of healthy food items so it became cheaper and more available for people â€Å"living in low-income areas† (Khullar 126). Thus, step by step â€Å"good† food could replace â€Å"high-fat, high-calorie, low-nutrient† (Khullar 126) menus of shops and restaurants in preference to fresh and useful meals. Additionally, the reduction of junk and fast food advertising would contribute to the promotion of healthy lifestyle. Hence, in the essay I described the ideas of healthy eating awareness and joint efforts needed to promote it - two most capturing thoughts expressed in Michelle Obamas and Dhruv Khullars articles – directed at resolving not only physical but social problem of

Training Effectiveness in the UAE Essay Example for Free

Training Effectiveness in the UAE Essay The United Arab Emirates is a small federation of seven independent states and is located in the Persian Gulf. It is one of the world’s leading producers and suppliers of oil. After the formation of the Federation in 1972 the nation has evolved to become a major business and financial hub of the Middle East. The official religion is Islam and the official language is Arabic. 87% of the country’s workforce is composed of foreigners known and referred to as the expatriate population. Since a larger number of UAE nationals are now entering the wok force there is a growing demand in the UAE for training programs to effectively train new recruits. Additionally as new technologies and methodologies get introduced in the country the demand to train professionals to utilize these new systems grows. With the surge in the demand for training comes the desire to implement and employ training programs which impart the desired skills in a manner which is both productive and effective. This paper seeks to summarize three articles which deal with effective training programs in the UAE. The majority of these articles deal with online training programs which are gaining popularity in the country and can easily be used to determine effectiveness through reporting capabilities and online learning tests. The first article â€Å"English goes Global via Online Training† is written by Michael Sisk and was published in the periodical Bank Technology News in July 2008. The article deals with the one of the most essential training needs that employers in the UAE face: Improving English Language Skills The article discusses how rapid globalization has increased the requirement for improved English efficiency in the Organization. The crux of the article talks about an e-learning tool to teach business English in Organizations known as Global English. Developed 10 years ago and used by more than 450 clients across the world Global English provides a scalable online solution to companies English training needs. In the UAE this service is being increasingly marketed to Banks as banking acquisitions on a global level often create a multicultural workforce and the need to communicate in a common language. The most commonly accepted medium of communication in these circumstances is often English. Global English empowers bank employees to communicate better with the management and their employers. Global English offers a number of advantages to the management of an organization. It is scaleable and cost effective for banks as they no longer have to arrange for formal classroom trainings with expensive English Language instructors. It is also available anywhere as compared to English Language instructors who may be difficult to find in some countries or cities. This online tool is available 24 hours a day and employees can also train from home if they login through an online platform. Also this software provides a more focused one to one interactive learning experience than what can be offered in a classroom setting. The interactive nature of these learning programs enable the students to apply their learning to real life business situations such as apologizing to the customer. Global English has an excellent reporting capability which enables management to monitor how many employees are using the training program; how long they are spending on it; the improvement they have achieved and most importantly how productivity has increased due to improved English proficiency. The increase in productivity as a result of effective training is determined through a series of surveys. The article cites how Emirates Bank a locally owned bank has effectively utilized Global English to improve the English proficiency of its staff. The Bank uses the online training software to train new local recruits. In line with the UAE Governments policy to recruit more UAE nationals in the financial sector the bank uses this online tool to improve English capabilities of Arabic speaking UAE national recruits in an attempt to enable them to communicate better with expat employees and help in transition of from expat employees in the future. The bank reports that prior to the implementation of these programs it could only train 90 employees in a classroom setting but after the implementation it can train 500 students for the same amount of money because classroom time and teaching cost has reduced. (Sisk 2008) The Bank also reports that 85 percent of its new recruits successfully pass the program and that there has been a 50 percent improvement in the English level skills than there was using the old classroom setting approach. The second article â€Å"Emirates Group selects Plateau Systems for enterprise-wide learning management† by Moussa Ahmad was published in Business Intelligence Middle East News in July 2007. The article deals with Emirates Airline one of the biggest entities in the country adopting a Learning Management system known as Plateau to achieve training effectiveness in the learning and development functions of its globally based workforce. The Plateau system achieves greater effectiveness as a learning tool because it adopts a learner centric approach to training which enables employees to take responsibility of their own learning and development. This leaves the learning development professionals to focus more on enhancing performance and facilitating training. Some of the capabilities of the software include scheduling registration course delivery tracking scalability and ability to integrate with other tools. All these capabilities will be used to track and improve the companies training effectiveness and enhance performance of the employees. One of the chief reasons that the company has given for the selection of this software is its strong customer satisfaction ratings as well as compliance with important industry standards such as SCORM and AICC. (Ahmad 2007) Plateau’s award winning training program has been implemented very successfully and with achieved significant training effectiveness in global organizations such as the American Red Cross, General Electric, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) The third article â€Å"Online Learning in the Arab World† by Nidhal Guessoum was published in the e-Learn Magazine in 2006. The article deals with factors that determine the growth and effectiveness of online training in the Arab World including the UAE. Some of the main factors that the article cites as having effected the growth and effectiveness of online training in the Arab world include the regions reliance on Arabic based learning language. In order for online learning to grow more rampant online training programs must operate in Arabic as opposed to English which many of them use at the moment. The second factor is the reliance of these training programs on a digital infrastructure which is well developed in some Arab countries particularly the in the Persian Gulf Region but needs to be more rapidly employed in workplaces and schools. The article discuss the growing demand for online training and estimates the e-learning market in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at $14 million in 2006 with an estimated increase to$56 million by 2008. It also estimates that online education spending in the Arab Gulf region will reach $240 million by the end of 2009 (Guessoum 2006), with Saudi Arabia and the UAE representing about 80 percent of the total. Population. The article also states that while Saudi Arabia leads in academic e-learning, the UAE leads in business e-learning services. The articles goes on to discuss how Government initiative has helped improve e-learning in the region and how UAE educational institutes such as the Zayed University and the American University of Sharjah have implemented it in its teaching methodology. The article ends by citing two new hurdles to effective online training in the Arab World in general and the UAE in particular. One is the fear and ambiguity surrounding online examinations and how effective they are in gauging learning. The second is the distrust surrounding e-learning and sceptical attitude that learning electronically through online communication and interface will not yield the same results as face to face interaction. Works Cited Sisk Michael (July 2008): English goes Global via Online Training Bank.Technology News Retrieved May 5 2010 from the Website www. americanbanker. com/btn_issues/21_7/-357013-1. html Ahmad Moussa (July 2007): Emirates Group selects Plateau Systems for enterprise-wide learning management. Business Intelligence Middle East Retrieved May 5 2010 from the website www. bi-me. com/main. php? id=11292t=1 Guessoum Nidhal (2006): Online Learning in the Arab World E-Learn Magazine Retrieved May 5 2010 online from the website http://www. elearnmag. org/subpage. cfm? section=articlesarticle=40-1

An Overview Of The Digital Divide

An Overview Of The Digital Divide This essay defines and addresses the significance of the digital divide providing evidence to support its existence in the United States. It analyzes findings from various research reports and case studies identifying factors that cause the divide. The digital divide is a technology gap between the haves and the have-nots. As a result of these gaps, 21st century learners will fall further behind and will not be able to reap the full benefits of our fast-growing technology driven society. The digital divide is the technology gap between people with access to digital and information technology and those with limited or no access (NTIS, 1998). The digital divide is often referred to as the technology gap between the haves and the have-nots. There are many factors that inhibit student access to computers and the internet. There is a digital divide among computer and internet access by race, income, education and location, as well as physical disabilities (Fourie Bothma, 2006). Research shows that Caucasian Americans access to digital and information technology at 46.1% nearly doubles that of African Americans at 23.5% and Hispanic Americans at 23.6%. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders exceed all racial/ethnic groups at 56.8% (Athena Alliance, 2001). Minority groups are at a disadvantage when it comes to having access to computers and the internet but it is not because they are minorities. Their limited access is because they are at a socio-economic disadvantage due to lower education levels and poorer incomes (Solomon, 2002). The technology gap by race seems to be closing significantly. This is due to the availability of computers and internet access at schools, libraries and community centers. Yet, there is still a technology gap in low-income and rural communities. Socio-economic factors play a major role in the technology gap between students. Poverty remains a major factor that limits students access to technology. Only 35% of households in lower socio-economic groups have internet access while 59% of middle income groups, 73% of upper middle income groups, and 83% of those in top income groups have access to the internet (Gartner Group, 2000). Now more than ever, unequal adoption of technology excludes many from reaping the fruits of the economy. Sectors of the population are excluded from the power and the economical benefits offered (Fourie Bothma, 2006). Divisions among the population are not just due to income but also location. There is a digital divide by geographical location. For students in high-poverty and rural areas, libraries can be the only way to get online (Barack, 2005). A digital divide separates rural America from the rest of the nation when it comes to broadband internet use and access. Only 24% of adults in rural America have high-speed internet access, compared to 38% of urban Americans and 40% of suburban Americans who have access (Perkins, 2006). Efforts are being made by the government and the private sector to increase connectivity in rural America. People with disabilities face a significant digital divide as well. Despite regular increases, both metro and non-metro people with disabilities have lower rates of internet use than their geographic counterparts with no disability (Dobransky, 2006). Surveys consistently report that people with disabilities have only half the rate of internet access of people without a disability (RTC, 2006). Obstacles that Americans with disabilities face include how costly adapted hardware and software can be, limited locations for internet access, workplace internet access maybe unavailable because of unemployment, and internet content may be frustrating because sites are not accessible to people using assistive technology (NTIS, 2000). Educators at all levels must keep up with the digital world inhabited by a new type of learner whose worldview is often developed through surfing the web, instant-messaging, and online activities like video games or social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace (Menard, 2008). To level the playing field for these 21st century learners or digital natives, we must bridge the technology gap that exists among these students by racial/ethnic, socio-economic, educational and geographical factors, as well as limited accessibility due to physical disabilities. According to Menard (2008), todays young people were born into the Internet era and face a life saturated by digital media. Their interaction with technology will deeply affect the way these learners interact with their environment. To be successful in todays technology driven society, students must have equal access to computers and information technology. References Barack, L. (2005). Gauging the digital divide. School Library Journal, 51(8), 21. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 882387801). Dobranksky, K. Hargittai, E. (2006). The disability divide in Internet access and use. Information, Communication Society, 9, 3, 313-334. Fourie, I. Bothma, T. (2006). Addressing the digital divide in teaching information retrieval: A theoretical view on taking students from ICT access to knowledge sharing. The Electronic Library, 24(4), 469-489. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1142659581). Gartner Group (2000). The digital divide and American society. Available: http://www.3gartner.com Menard, J. (2008). Higher ed responds to the digital generation. The New England Journal of Higher Education, 23(1), 13. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1529959711). NTIA (1998). Falling through the net: Defining the digital divide. NTIA No. PB99156614 Available: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ NTIA (2000). Falling through the net: Toward digital inclusion. A report on Americans access to technology tools. NTIA No. PB99144487. Available: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ NTIA (2000). Falling through the net: A survey of the have nots in rural and urban America. Available: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/net2/falling.html Perkins, B. (2006). Location spawned digital divide can cost you. Realty Times. Available: http://realtytimes.com RTC (2006). Disability and the Digital Divide: Comparing Surveys with Disability Data. Available: http://rtc.ruralinstitute.umt.edu Solomon, G. (2002). Digital equity. Its not just about access anymore. Technology Learning, 22(9), 18-26. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from ProQuest Computing. (Document ID: 115857641).

Renewable Energy Sources In Malaysia

Renewable Energy Sources In Malaysia Today, energy challenge turned out to be a grave threat to sustainable development in developing countries since their energy needs is increasing more quickly than advanced countries. On the other side, fossil fuel combustion cannot maintain longer in the foreseeable future because of the environmental impact and the reduction of resources. Malaysia is experiencing dramatic growth of population and the economy and need to search for options energy sources in support of its inhabitants and business energy needs. Fourth-largest energy source in the world is biomass and was rich in the countries. Malaysia blessed with the tropical forests and moist climate all the year round which is a wonderful opportunity for full exploitation of agricultural and tropical rain forests possible. Term of waste-to-wealth has been started at the end of 1990, and it has become common. This idea is based on undesirable waste that is converted into useful energy while minimizing waste generation and to increase the economic-impact used primarily for cooking, for heating and electricity. Presently, coordinated attempts and different biomass energy plans are persuaded by the government for growth, commercialization and demonstration. This studys purpose to this present state and perspectives of the biomass use and strategy promoted to the future development of Malaysia. Keywords: Renewable Energy biomass potential Policy Sustainable Malaysia Introduction Malaysia covers a landmass of 329,847 square kilometers which consist of two regions; Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo which are separated by the South China Sea [1]. With its population growth of 1.7% 1.6% per annum [2], Malaysia is heading to its governments vision to become a humane industrialized country by year 2020 and with such ambitious vision, the growth of Science and Technology is continuously developing hence contributing to increase need of energy [3]. Malaysia relies on non-renewable energy and is currently venturing into renewable energy. There are a number of identified renewable energy sources ; for example solar power, hydro power, oil palm biomass and waste materials [4] which are being used and further studies are being conducted to improve its quality and performance. The usage of renewable energy has contributed to reduced pollutions to the environment, cost saving cheaper source of energy [5], and does not reduce the natural sources [6]. As a developing country, Malaysias population continues to grow and live increasingly energy dependent lives the future of energy supply is growing. This paper is revised the present potentials of energy resources especially biomass and then the future contributions to the national energy generation in Malaysia. Information Analysis Energy crisis is becoming a serious threat to sustainability mainly in developing countries and communities of the last decades. Between 1990 and 2000, the Asia Pacifics developing countries met 27% increase in conventional energy consumption whereas the consumption of world energy was 11% [7]. Growing in the energy demand is predicted to continue in the future. Fossil fuels have been the main source of energy since first sparks of technology appeared in mankind lives, however, depletion of fossil fuel reserves as well as significant environmental impacts, leads the governments and authorities to focus on renewable energy resources. In most recent years, demand for petroleum-derived fuels is increasing as a result of grow in population and economy [8]. The contemporary Malaysian economy is a net energy exporter with 11% of export income in 2004 derived from crude oil, LNG and petroleum products [9]. The final energy demand of Malaysia is expected to grow at 2.9% per year, reaching 69.39 MTOEÂ  [1]Â   in 2020, nearly double the 2002 level. The industry sector will have the highest growth rate of energy demand at 3.38%, followed by transport at 2.74%, residential at 1.86% and commercial at 1.14%, as shown in Fig.1 [10]. Fig.1. Predictions of Malaysian energy demand by sector (1980-2020) [11] Energy position in Malaysia Malaysia produces and utilizes both conventional and renewable sources of energy. The largest conventional energy resource found in Malaysia is petroleum (i.e. oil and gas). According to the Oil Gas Journal (OGJ), Malaysia held proven oil reserves of 4 billion barrels as of January 2010, and its oil reserves are reported to be the third highest in the Asia-Pacific region. Malaysia was the worlds tenth largest holder of natural gas reserves in 2010 and the second largest exporter of liquefied natural gas after Qatar in 2009. OGJ states that Malaysia held 83 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven natural gas reserves as of January 2010. Coal deposits can also be found in Malaysia. However, only a small percentage is being mined [12]. Malaysia is a significant oil and natural gas producer and is strategically located amid important routes for the seaborne energy trade. Malaysias oil reserves are the third highest in the Asia-Pacific region after China and India. Fig.2. The electric power generated by different sectors in Malaysia (in 2009) (Source: trading economics) [13] It is evident that Malaysia is still very much dependent on fossil fuels in all its commercial energy demand and electricity generation (Table 2). Table2. Percentage of electricity generation based on fuel types [14] Year Coal (%) Petroleum (%) Gas (%) Hydro (%) 1994 9.30 22.30 51.70 16.70 2000 15.00 5.00 70.00 10.00 2010 18.00 2.00 50.00 30.00 2020 29.00 1.00 40.00 30.00 The most important sources supplies were crude oil and petroleum products and then followed by the natural gas. It can be stated that the total supply of energy is increased gradually from 1978 to 2013 (Fig.3). In 2013, the percentage of crude oil and petroleum products descending to under 10 % but the percentage of natural gas is ascending to just over 62 %. Although crude oil and petroleum had contributed the largest percentage of total amount supply, an increase in the usage of coal and coke had reduced the annual growth rate of oil supply. The contribution of the other sources whereas had remained the same. The cost effective, quality, reliability, and security supply need to be considered to produce optimal energy mix from domestic sources. The international market price of crude oil is projected to remain high so that alternative approaches need to be make to reduce the dependency on petroleum products. Fig.3. Fuel mix trend in power generation in Malaysia [15] Renewable energy resources The most important sources of renewable energy in Malaysia are biomass and solar and sustainable use of energy has been emphasized in the countrys development plans and supported by Government initiatives. Under the 10th Malaysia Plan, the Government will be introducing the feed-in tariff (FiT) of 1% to be incorporated into the electricity tariffs of consumers to support the development of renewable energy (Fig.4). 330 MW Biomass Biogas Mini-hydro Solar PV Solid Waste 100 MW 290 MW 65 MW 200 MW 41.5 23 X 2015 2009 5.5 % % of total electricity generated Planned increase in renewable energy capacity Fig.4. Moving towards renewable energy replaces the need for fossil-fuel power plants [16] Solar power The RE sector is fast gaining ground as a new growth area for many countries with the potential it presents environmentally and economically. It plays a major role in meeting energy needs, making it possible for businesses to reap energy cost savings while combating global warming. Currently, Malaysia is world the third largest producer of solar cells after China and Germany (Fig.5). Malaysia already has companies across the entire value chain, from silicon production to solar cell manufacturing and module assembly. With the committed amount of fund for the rolling out of the first FiT incentive for 2012 2014, Malaysia is on the right direction to achieve a targeted revenue of at least RM70 billion from the private sector by 2020. Fig.5. Predicted solar manufacturing from 2006 to 2020 by different regions [17] Predicted to be a clean energy of the future, solar energy has been at the forefront of power development in the developed countries and a possible source of energy for developing countries similar to Malaysia. This paper introduces Malaysias solar energy or solar photovoltaic development prospects. The study was carried out by first searching in the countrys energy policy linked to solar power. Key players in solar power development as government organizations are presented. Initial solar energy programs and key projects entitled Malaysia Building Integrated Photovoltaic (MBIPV) and the successful initiatives will be submitted. Measures that adopted by the government of Malaysia include appealing incentives to promote solar photovoltaic development, solar energy potentials of the country, foreign investment and the future direction and the feed-in tariff plan will be submitted with a length provide a wide range of solar power development in Malaysia. The prospects were positive and the country was actively promoting solar as alternative energy sources and aware of the benefits it bring for economy development in future [18]. Hydropower Hydropower is the only renewable energy technology that is presently commercially viable on a large scale. It has four major advantages, namely it is renewable, it produces negligible amounts of greenhouse gases, it is the least costly way of storing large amounts of electricity, and it can easily adjust the amount of electricity produced to the amount demanded by consumers. Hydropower accounts for about 17% of global generation capacity and about 20% of the energy produced each year [19]. Malaysia has a total land mass of 332,000 km2 and its mean elevation is about 300m. The average rainfall is slightly more than 2,600mm per year. The total gross hydro potential is 414,000 GWh/year, of which about 85,000 GWh/year is available in Peninsular Malaysia. Hence, whilst Peninsular Malaysia has 39% of the land area, its share of hydropower resources is only slightly more than 20% [20]. Tenaga Nasional Berhad operates three hydroelectric schemes in the peninsular with an installed generating capacity of 1,911 megawatts (MW). They are the Sungai Perak (1249 MW), Terengganu (400 MW) and Cameron Highlands (262 MW) hydroelectric schemes with 21 dams in operation. A number of Independent Power Producers also own and operate several small hydro plants. At present, hydro power is the only renewable energy source in Malaysia that is considered to be economically viable on a large scale. As for future hydro development in Peninsular Malaysia, several projects have been identified and studied at feasibility and pre-feasibility levels. These potential projects have to compete with alternative energy sources such as coal and gas in terms of economic viability. Wind The potential for wind energy generation in Malaysia depend on the availability of wind resource that varies with location. Understanding the site specific nature of wind is a crucial step in planning wind energy project. Detailed knowledge of wind on site is needed to estimate the performance of wind energy project. Average wind speeds are low in Malaysia and harnessing wind energy is only practical on remote islands or east coast states of peninsular Malaysia where the wind may reach 30 knots or more during periods of strong surges of cold air from the north. 30 knots is equivalent to about 15.4 m/s, which is about 55 km/h. However, application of wind energy at Malaysia can be used widely if the turbine can operate in country average wind speed which is 3-5 m/s. There was some study [21] done successfully to produce the electricity that suitable with wind condition of Malaysia, classified as low wind speed wind turbine. The northwest coast of Sabah and Sarawak region also potential to application of wind energy due to strength wind that reach 20 knot or more [22]. Due to maximum wind can be obtained during monsoon season which is between Octobers to March, the hybrid system of wind energy is feasible to compliment electricity supply during monsoon season. The first wind farm in Malaysia was set up on Terumbu Layang-Layang Island, Sabah. A Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia study in 2005 has shown that the use of 150 kW turbine on the island has shown a good degree of success [23]. This study mentioned that Terumbu Layang-Layang Island has the largest wind energy potential compared to other places in Malaysia. Tidal energy is also promising renewable energy source available in Malaysia. Until recently, a preliminary study was carried out to explore the potential of ocean energy for electricity generation in Malaysia [24]. Study by Ref. [25], identified that Pulau Jambangan, Kota Belud and Sibu are the locations with great potential for tidal energy extraction. The total amount of electricity that can be generated on those locations is about 14.5 GWh/year. Biomass Nowadays, biomass is regarded as one of the primary sources of energy in the developing and developed countries. Malaysia with a large quantity of biomass waste as a source of power generation is considered as one of the possible countries in this area [26]. Oil palm is one of the main economic plants in the large number of countries. Malaysia alone generates about 47% of the global palm-oil supplies and can be regarded as the worlds leading manufacturer and exporter of oil palm. Malaysia also produces great quantities the oil palm biomass as oil coconut stems, oil palm leaves, blank product bundles, shells and fibres as waste from palm-oil product harvesting and oil extraction treatment. At now there is a constantly growing interest in the use the oil palm biomass of the source of cleaner energy. One of the main interests is hydrogen fuel from oil palm biomass. Hydrogen from biomass is clean and effective source of energy and is expected to make a major role in the future energy needs because of the raw material availability [27]. There are different types of thermo-chemical processing to convert the oil palm biomass to hydrogen wealthy petrol. Fig. 6 shows the cultivated area for oil palm in Malaysia (divided into three categories, i.e. Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak) within 34 years. The total oil palm planted area in the country increased by 4.5% to 4.69 million ha in 2009 [28]. In Sabah and Sarawak, the drastic increase in the 1990s can be attributed to the government policy in the intensification of palm oil industries in East Malaysia [29]. Malaysia produces about 15 million metric tonnes of palm oil per year. One tonne produces about 414 kg of biodiesel. With a caloric value of about 40,000 kJ/kg, this results in a total energy supply of about 7.8 GW/year from palm oil. Cultivated areas for oil palm in Malaysia.jpg Fig.6. Cultivated areas for oil palm in Malaysia, 1975-2009 [22] While the total energy available from residues and landfill gas has been estimated as 3.1 GW [30]. Major agriculture crop in Malaysia are oil palm (43.67%), rubber (30.56%), rice (12.68%), cocoa (6.75%) and coconut (6.34%). These provide Malaysia huge of biomass resources. In fact, government of Malaysia has announced the 5th Fuel Policy that states To supplement the conventional supply of energy, new sources such as renewable energy will be encouraged and biomass resources such as oil palm and wood waste as well as rice husks, will be used on a wider basis mainly for electricity generation [31]. Currently, residue from agriculture crops like paddy, rubber and sugar are use as fuel for generation of electricity in Malaysia using the cogeneration system. However, the percentage of using this residue for electricity generation is still low. Biomass residues are the main source of energy input to the mills using cogeneration system. It has been estimated the total biomass energy potential is equivalent to 2-3% of total power production in the country [32]. Report from [33], about 14 mills already used agriculture waste for energy demand, both for steam and electricity wit h total capacity amount 1567.2 MW. The increasing amount of paddy production make highly potential in CHP technology to convert the paddy husk residue for energy purpose. Around 20% of paddy is husk, rice husk in turn contains 16-22% ash, and 90-96% of the ash is composed of silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2). According to [34], by 2020 Malaysia will produce 768,290 tonnes of rice husk. As refer to [35], 1.5 kg of rice husk can generate 1 kWh, this mean by 2020 Malaysia can produce 512 TWh using rice husk residue. Some example of cogeneration project based on rice husk installed in Pendang Kedah Darulaman, which uses a steam boiler, 6.5 tonnes/h, 30 bar, saturated, connected to a 450 kW back pressure turbine and heat exchanger [36]. Electricity produces use for their owned consumption. Other example of rice husk project cogeneration that connected to system grid is installed at Titi Serong Rice Mill [37]. In Malaysia, the annual production of sugarcane bagasse reaches a number of million tonnes [38]. Nearly 30% of that number will turn into bagasse when it is crushed in a sugar factory [39]. Sugarcane baggase is the fibrous waste that remains after recovery of sugar juice via crushing and extraction. A ton of bagasse (50% mill-wet basis) is equal to 1.6 barrels of fuel oil on energy basis. The total of sugarcane energy content on dry basis, excluding ash (around 2-3% of weight) can be divided into three main parts. Malaysia produces 274,620 tonnes of sugarcane for 2009, with a moisture content of 50%. This means we can get 150,000 tonnes of dry bagasse annually. The caloric value for dry bagasse comes to be 17.33 MJ/kg, which make to total energy potential of 0.421 million boe per year. At the time, all the bagasse is being used as boiler fuels in sugar mills operating in the country. Most agriculture crops in Malaysia can be used to generate electricity. If all crops are fully utilize can help reduce the dependency on fossil fuel sources. Conclusion Biomass could be Remarkable as a stable and suitable replacement for fossil energy in Malaysia that cover appropriates 76% of land by thick and compact kind of tropical agricultural and forest. Currently, high motivation of biomass consumption in order to generate energy, sustainability of bio-sources, economic impact and environmental aspects are considered. Therefore, improving technologies related to bio-power and bio-fuel is continued. Recycling and using residues of forest and agriculture are valued in order to convert to useful energy and by product. Establishing biomass projects such as CDM by Malaysian Government is prominent in order to allocate subsidy to this kind of projects. Allocated subsidy is one common way of support biomass project. However, still there are many obstacles such as , knowledge development of biomass in Malaysia, risky situation for applying new technology, cost-benefit with financial indicators in comparison with conventional energy, energy demand in market place, speed of commercialization, feasibility of knowledge transferring, and the policies of government still are not successful to persuade and encourage industries to use biomass and efficient communication and negotiation with suitable strategy including integration, alignment and balancing situation between government and industries concern based on win-win is considered. Outlook of using biomass depends on the total cost of producing biomass energy in compared with fossil fuels. Using biomass instead of fossil energy with the decreasing cost of biomass is achievable and it can respect to environment.

Food Safety in Singapore: Enforcing Hygiene Safety Standards Essay exam

Have you ever found unwanted ingredients that could be carrying harmful bacteria in your food? Hair, flies, worms or maybe even a cockroach leg? How about going in and out of the restroom repeatedly after dinner at a nearby hawker centre? According to statistics from the Ministry of Health Singapore, there were 6947 cases of food poisoning with three deaths in 1998. Also, in the same year, 9125 food premises were shut down for failing to fulfill the standard hygiene requirements. In fact, the World Health Organisation has pointed out that food-borne diseases can be effectively reduced if both commercial and domestic food handlers practice correct, hygienic food practices. Of course, all this relates back to the food poisoning cases from the Rojak Geylang Serai stall, which caused over more than 150 people to fall ill and the deaths of 2 unfortunate people. What exactly were the problems which could have caused all this damage? The first possible problem is that some greedy hawkers value money over the quality of the food they cook, thus resulting in customers going down with fo...

Ford Motor Company Essay -- Ford Transportation Vehicles Automobiles E

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company, a large United States automotive corporation, strives for success each and every year. The success of Ford Motor Company, as well as other corporations, can be measured by analyzing the two most important goals of management, maintaining adequate liquidity and achieving satisfactory profitability. Liquidity can be defined as having enough money on hand to pay bills when they are due and to take care of unexpected needs for cash, while profitability refers to the ability of business to earn a satisfactory income. To enable investors and creditors to analyze these goals, Ford Motor Company distributes annual financial statements. With these financial statements, liquidity of Ford Motor Company is measured by analyzing factors such as working capitol, current ratio, quick ratio, receivable turnover, average days' sales uncollected, inventory turnover and average days' inventory on hand; whereas profitability analyzes the profit margin, asset turnover, return on assets, debt to equity, and return on equity factors. LIQUIDITY Working Capital Ford Motor Company's working capital fluctuated significantly in the years 1991-1995. This phenomenon is directly attributable to the fact that Financial Services current assets and current liabilities are not included in the total company current asset and current liability accounts. For example, the fluctuation from 1994 ($1.4 billion) to 1995 (-$1.5 billion) of $2.5 billion would suggest that Ford would be unable to pay liabilities during the current period. However, examination of the Financial Services side of the business reveals that surpluses of $13.6 billion existed in both 1994 and 1995, convincingly mitigating the figures indicating negative working capital. Current Ratio & Quick Ratio The current ratio in the years 1991-1995 has remained stable, fluctuating between 0.9 and 1.1. The quick ratio has also remained stable, fluctuating between 0.5 and 0.6. The larger fluctuation in the current ratio versus the quick ratio is caused by inventories being included in the asset side of the equation. Although inventories were significantly higher in both 1994 and 1995, current liabilities were also higher. In addition, marketable securities decreased substantially in 1994 and 1995. These factors resulted in the stability of both the curren... ...company APPENDIX DESCRIPTION PAGE Consolidated Income Statements...................................Appendix 1-2 Spreadsheets..................................................Appendix 1 Graphical Representation......................................Appendix 2 Consolidated Balance Sheets......................................Appendix 3-5 Spreadsheets.................................................Appendix 3-4 Graphical Representation.....................................Appendix 5 Consolidated Retained Earnings Statement.........................Appendix 6-7 Spreadsheets.................................................Appendix 6 Graphical Representation.....................................Appendix 7 Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.............................Appendix 8-9 Spreadsheets.................................................Appendix 8 Graphical Representation.....................................Appendix 9 Evaluation of Liquidity..........................................Appendix 10-11 Evaluation of Profitability......................................Appendix 12-13 Liquidity & Profitability Formulas...............................Appendix 14

Humorous Wedding Roast †The Groom’s Odd Behavior this Evening :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Humorous Wedding Speech – The Groom’s Odd Behavior this Evening Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen - My name is Ron and I am the best man. Now, you may have heard said that being a best man is like being asked to lead the troops into battle - it's a great honour, but nobody really wants to do it. Well, I only agreed on the condition that it wouldn’t interfere too greatly with my own enjoyment of the wedding day, in particular the free food and drink. But as it happens, I’ve not been able to eat a thing all day - I’ve more than made up for it on the drink front though. Apparently, my main duty is to give you all an introduction to the groom. This part of the best man’s speech is usually just an excuse to demolish the groom’s good character. Now I’ve thought about this and don’t see any reason to break with tradition. But it’s actually not that easy because Larry is a nice fellow; he obeys all local ordinances, he pays his taxes and he keeps the city tidy - so there is not much I can embarrass him with. However, he does have a few quirks! And if you know Larry well you will already be familiar with them. But for those of you on Pamela's side who are just getting to know him - be on the look out for the following ‘odd’ behavior this evening: 1. Jumping on people’s feet – of course, Larry calls it dancing and if it is, he’s perfected the non-rhythm method. The head looks one way; the body another and the feet kick out. I can only liken it to a bad version of ‘Riverdance’. 2. Frowning during photographs – although I must admit he did raise a smile when his picture was taken outside the church this morning. Probably because this is the first wedding he’d been to where he could walk out without putting any money on the plate. 3. Sniffing wine - if you are in his company when he starts doing this be prepared for a discussion on the body, roundness, and smoothness of his tipple. When he starts saying things like ‘multi-layered’ finish’ and lingering complexity, it’s time to make your get away. 4. Vanishing into thin air - there could be three reasons for this. He’s snuck off to watch his beloved team’s first home game of the season.