Tradition v.s Common Sense

Traditions are a very Important aspect of human life. They are seen as another way of life. Many traditions teach things of value to children, things which parents hope will be passed on to future generations. In many societies however, traditions have taken over the common sense of the people.Nowadays, humans blindly follow traditions, not knowing or even acknowledging what they are really doing. Whether It Is a celebratory tradition or a tradition that has been followed since ancient times, unmans will not question the motives behind it; they will just continue to follow it. In the short story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, villagers blindly follow their annual tradition, one that claims a life every year.All the villagers take part in this event knowing that there will be death yet no one dares to stop and question It, Even when some people do stop and question the reasons that began the tradition, they will not do anything about it because it is a tradition that ha s been followed countless and they do not want to be the only ones to question it or even worse, not follow it. This shows that human beings will tolerate acts of evil and Injustices In traditions, making them unable to step out of that circle and see what is really going on because of their preference of tradition over common sense.It does not matter if the tradition FIFO Traditions have been around for thousands of years, even before civilized human life began. They have been performed all over the world, in all points of time. In the overview by Joyce Moss and George Wilson, it is explained that ancient cultures believed sacrifices were necessary to benefit the community. In fact, during ancient times a tradition similar to â€Å"The Lottery' was such â€Å"a highly regarded mean of decision-making that eventually most civic matters were resolved by. † Joyce Moss & George Wilson) This is because traditions were among the main parts or sections of ancient human life.Even n ow, traditions are still a big part of human life. Many traditions around the world are a huge thing for humans. They will make special foods, decorations, and even rituals. However, many of these traditions are performed without thought. Many traditions are followed because it has been done before, no one has questioned it before, and so there is no reason to stop it now. In â€Å"The Lottery' one can analyze that the original meaning and aspects of the tradition have indeed been lost and that the tradition is followed Just because.The analysis made on study mode suggests that â€Å"Substituting slips of paper for chips of wood, a recital prior to the lottery, and a salute to address each person† are some of the aspects that have changed prior to the original lottery, the first one that began everything. (Analysis of the Tradition in Shirley Jackson's â€Å"The Lottery') It also mentions that the actual tradition has remained a routine. This leads to the conclusion that th e lottery is no longer continued because of the tradition, but because it has been done for so long it Just feels right to continue to follow it.In many societies, rituals are part of the traditions. Many believe these rituals are performed because of religion or a similar idea. What people do not know is that not all rituals are needed or performed because of religion. Many rituals are Just performed because of tradition. It does not matter if the ritual is harmful and has a active impact on society; many societies will still perform them Just to keep the tradition going. The short story, â€Å"The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson, shows a perfect example of this.The people of the town still perform the ritual because of the tradition held every year. They do not care if someone they love or care for dies; they just want to follow the tradition. Even the own family members participate in the ritual, which is stoning one of their own family members to death. These types of rituals are i ncredible acts of evil but humans still participate in them. In the last section of the overview by Jennifer Hicks, she explains very thoroughly the tradition of stoning. In it she explains that it was a standing ritual.She does mention that the â€Å"original paraphernalia for the lottery has been lost long ago. † (Hicks) There is a part in the story where old man Warner stated, â€Å"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. † This refers to human sacrifices benefiting the community with food, which is something that by the time the story takes place, which is around the 1700 to sass, should be known that it is not real. So why do they continue to do this? It is the simple reasons of following a tradition. There are many concerns on why human beings follow traditions that are inhumane instead of using their common sense.Most of the issues are due to the fact that many rituals followed by humans consist of bloodshed or even death. In many societies, traditions play a big r ole, causing more and more people to be a part of them. The main dilemma is why people accept traditions that sense that traditions that involve bloodshed and death can be no good to societies, especially societies filled with children. Traditions like these will only poison the minds of the young with the idea that a tradition must be followed no matter what. The reason people do not stop them is because they do not want to stand out.In the book â€Å"Shirley Jackson† by Friedman Lineman, it explains that Shirley Jackson was new to a small town when she moved. She did not really know anybody so she did not participate in the town's traditions. This caused other towns people to look at her weird, like an outsider. This can reflect on her short story of â€Å"The Lottery', in which the analysis can be made that Mrs.. Hutchinson was an outsider, not so much of Ewing new but the type that does not do what everyone else does, in this case, the tradition of the lottery.It is clea r that these traditions have taken over the common sense of the people. Now, people do not think before acting. They Just follow traditions to the letter. They do no stop to think about their traditions and if they are beneficial or plain out dangerous. They Just do not want to stand out; they want to be the same as everyone else. It is around these thoughts that the main concern revolves around. Humans will argue that traditions are needed when the reality is that they are not. They have gotten surrounded so much by traditions; it is like a second language to them.The short story â€Å"The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson explains how human beings in the village have been blinded by a tradition, which is the lottery. With careful analysis, it is easy to spot all blind actions carried out by the villagers. Everybody seems nice and Joyful throughout the story until the very end. â€Å"It seems as though Jackson is making a statement regarding hypocrisy and human evil. † (Analysis of the Tradition in Shirley Jackson's â€Å"The Lottery') What Shirley Jackson wants us to realize y writing this story is that people are so blinded by traditions; they might kill someone thinking it is alright.Shirley Jackson uses ideas similar to these to suggest that there is an underlying evil and weakness in human beings. The village, having performed such an act for so many years, continues on with it, with no complaints or questions being asked, and the main purpose being to carry on the tradition. In the story, it states, â€Å"There's always been a lottery says Old Man Warner. â€Å"Nothing but trouble in that,† he says of quitting the event. (122) However, almost all the villagers how some type of anxiety or fear toward the tradition.Comments like â€Å"Don't be nervous Jack† (122) and â€Å"Get up there Bill† (123) indicate that the people may not be entirely comfortable with the lottery. Yet everyone still goes along with it. Nobody openly express es or shows their fear toward the lottery. Shirley Jackson may be trying to show the reader that many individuals are not strong enough to go against or stand up to their disapproval for the fear of being rejected by their own society. Instead, the villagers will continue to risk not only their lives, but the lives of their Emily members as well.She makes suggestions that human beings are not always who they seem and can turn their back on you at any time for the sake of their beliefs, or in this case, tradition. Throughout history, humans have made the choice to choose their traditions over their common sense. They do not think of the effects that will be caused because of their actions. Nowadays, people in societies continue to follow traditions or â€Å"trends† side to watch an argument, accident or incident, rather than stepping in and doing something about it.They do not step in because they do not want to stand out in front of everybody else; they do not want the spotli ght on them. They are frightened that they will be rejected later on. It is the same thing with traditions. Human beings do not care if there is death in the tradition, they will continue to follow it as long as they do not stand out and are not rejected or looked down on. This shows that human beings will tolerate acts of evil and injustices in traditions, making them unable to step out of that circle and see what is really going on because of their reference of tradition over common sense.People need to stop and think about the effects caused by traditions instead of Just blindly following the traditions of their ancestors. If this is not stopped, future generations will continue to make blind choices as well, due to the lack of common sense. Works Cited â€Å"Analysis of the Tradition in Shirley Jackson's â€Å"The Lottery†. † Studded. Com. Studded. Com, 2008. Web. 2008.. Friedman, Lineman. Shirley Jackson. Boston: Twenty Publishers, 1975. Print. Hicks, Jennifer. â €Å"Overview of the Lottery. † Short Stories for Students. Detroit: Gale, 2002.

Hartalega Holdings Berhad Strategic Management

1. Introduction Hartalega Holdings Berhad is a gloves manufacturer and began their business with the vision of produce gloves that protect life (Hartalega, 2013). Hartalega has experienced tremendous growth in the market and there are many issues and problems that faced by them. The first issue that faced by Hartalega is fluctuation of US dollar (CIMB Research Report, 2011). USA is a key market for glove industry and has contributing part of the market share of Malaysian industries. Fluctuation on US dollar has affected the margins of the company.Besides, the economic conditions have influence the glove industry will continue to be unstable due to rises in material and production costs. Moreover, high latex price also is one of the issue that faced by Hartalega (CIMB Research Report, 2011). Latex prices continue to be volatile would bring an effect to its margin. Supply of latex may be reduced due to the weather conditions. During the dry season in Thailand and Malaysia, it would dec rease the production of latex. Thus, price of latex during dry season will be slightly higher compare to other season.Furthermore, Hartalega faced the issue about labor. The recent governments policies about foreign labor have cause a great concern for the gloves industry. The gloves industry has voiced out their concerns towards this issue because hired labor would have an impact on the manufacturers’ costs. Besides, more and more glove manufacturers are using automation and it will decrease the reliance on manpower. Next, pollution is one of the most important issues that faced by Hartalega as their company’s reputation has affected by the negative news or rumours.Hartalega was received complaints from the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Dept and a few residents of Taman Suria and claim that they are causing air and water pollution. Hartalega deny all the accusation and declare that they are operating legally according to the Malaysian environment regu latory standard (â€Å"Hartalega: Aggrieved At Accusations†, 2010). This might affect the reputation and the creditworthiness of Hartalega and might cause the market share decrease in this particular time frame. 2. Remote EnvironmentRemote environment is the factors that affect a form of decision making abilities, but are beyond its control. Political, economic, social, technological and ecological factor are the factors that include in the remote environment. The first factor is political factor. Hartalega has exports almost all of their products mainly to the developed countries such as USA, Brazil, Japan, Germany, Europe, Malaysia and others. Hartalega also has expanded its business successfully to China and India. Gloves sales have increase but a little drop in the selling prices. Major output of the company is made up by nitrile gloves.The total costs of the gloves increases due to the high output and increase in labor costs. Besides, the recent governments policies abou t foreign labor have cause a great concern for the industry. Hartalega have to adjust the wage structure of their workers due to the minimum wage ruling that effective from January 2013 that regulate by the government. Stringent government regulatory also is the threat for Hartalega. There are many government regulations and policies need to be follow by the company such as minimum wage legislation, guidelines on buffer zones and more.If companies fail to follow or break the rule that enforce by government, it may bring them into trouble, such as they might receive penalty from the government. Next is economic factor. Fluctuation of US dollar, raw materials prices increase and fuel costs rising has bring an impact towards the gloves industry with challenging economic conditions (Hartalega, 2013). Fluctuation on US dollar has affected the margins of the company. The nitrile gloves have experienced declining its margins due to high raw materials price and face competition with their c ompetitors.Furthermore, demand for nitrile gloves have not affected by economic crisis and slowdown because it is a recession proof products and an essential thing in the healthcare sector. Hartalega expects the demand for nitrile gloves will maintain positive growth in the future and continue export to the other countries such as Europe, China and India. In economic factor, Hartalega might face the threat of high latex price. Latex prices change irregularly would create a threat to its margin. Supply of latex may be reduced due to the weather conditions as well as measures to support rubber prices by Thailand and Malaysia.The dry season in Thailand and Malaysia would decrease the production of latex. Thus, price of latex during dry season will be slightly higher compare to other season. In the social factor, the annual report of Hartalega has show that Hartalega has enjoy the 100% market share in Victoria, Australia because all public hospitals in this state only used Hartalegaâ₠¬â„¢s gloves. Global hospital supplies market also is one of the opportunities for Hartalega. People wearing gloves in the hospital help to prevent spread of germs and help to protect both medical staff and patients from infection.Hence, it also shows that Hartalega has a big opportunity to growth in this area. Hartalega can offer top quality and great selection of gloves to the hospitals or other industry, so that more and more people from all around the world can choose and use Hartalega’s gloves. Opportunity that can be found in this factor is industry recognition. Industry recognition defines as the degree of public awareness for the brand or products. Hartalega has put many efforts in innovation, quality, R&D and good manufacturing.Thus, Hartalega has the opportunity to gain more recognition from all around the world as the company continually expands its business to more nations. Furthermore, technological factor is also one of the factors that affect a decision making abilities of the company. Advancements in technology enables Hartalega placed them with a competitive advantage in the glove industry. High efficiency production lines, automated product handling system, glove removal system, process simulator and biomass heat energy plant are the technologies that used by Hartalega (Hartalega, 2013).High efficiency production lines is the latest high speed production lines in the industry which able to produce 40,000 pieces of gloves per hour. Automated product handling system used to remove defect during transit, packing and storage. RFID tags are tagged in every pallet, so that can monitoring the product movements and make sure the products are on time delivery to the customers. Besides, glove removal system used to decrease the reliance towards the manual workforce. This system also able to remove nitrile and latex gloves quickly from the hand moulds.Process Simulator enable the company test their imagination in a timely manner and ensure quick delivery of a new product to their customers. The opportunity that found in this factor is advancement of technology. Technology advancement enables the company produce more pieces of gloves in a shorter time and better quality. Besides, automated product handling system that used by Hartalega also enable the company can easily track the location of the products and ensures provides an on time delivery to their customers. Last is ecological factor.Hartalega has set up a â€Å"next generation integrated glove manufacturing complex† (NGC) that contains high technology production lines and mainly involved in the production of rubber gloves (Hartalega, 2013). The project location is landscaped to be green and eco-friendly environment. Moreover, Hartalega has used biomass energy plants to avoid emission of Greenhouse Gases (Hartalega, 2013). Biomass energy plant is the only environmental friendly energy plant in the industry where it burn on the plantation waste to generate heat f or the production process.Hartalega also used effluent water treatment plants to ensure the waste that the company discharge is no harm to the environment. Biomass heat energy plant allowed Hartalega to conduct their business in a more effective way. Negative complaint about pollution could a threat for Hartalega. In year 2010, Hartalega has received complaints from Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Dept and some residents of Taman Suria and claim that they are violate the environmental regulations that set by government. Hartalega deny all the accusation and declare that they are operating legally according to the regulations stated.Although Hartalega has state that they have independent inspectors and consultants who regularly test water and air emissions to ensure it is always full compliance with the requirements of government, but this also might happen again if they did not provide sufficient information and training that relates to the green environment to their employees. This also might affect the reputation and the creditworthiness of Hartalega and might caused the market share decrease in this particular time frame. 3. Industry Environment Industry environment is the concept to the foreground for the strategic thought and business planning.This includes Porter 5 Forces that explain the competitiveness of the particular company in the relevant industry. The strategic business manager can use this model or strategy to get a better understanding of the industry context in which the firm involves so that an effective strategy to compete with rival can be developed. There are 5 forces or factors to create the competitiveness of the company which is the threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers and intensity of rivalry.Threat of the new entrants is the seriousness of the barriers occurred or presented by the existing competitors to the new entrants to enter the relevant industry o r market. A high threat of entry means that the new comers are likely to be attracted to the profits of the industry and can enter the market with ease. New entrants enter the market can threaten or decrease the profit gained by the existing competitors which mean high threat of entry will result the industry become more competitive. The glove industry has high threat of entrants as only RM1 million to RM1. millions is needed to start a line (CIMB Research Report, 2007). Cheap labor, low level of technology skills needed and natural gas access as well as the procurement price for latex due to bulk purchase making the barrier of entry high for the new entrants. However, although it is cheap to enter the industry, new comers may not be competitive as they have to differentiate themselves from other existing competitors and need to compete in terms of volume to enjoy the economies of scale. Moreover, threat of substitutes is the availability of product a consumer can purchase instead o f the industry’s product.The availability of close substitute products can make an industry more competitive and decrease the profitability of the particular market. The threat of substitutes for rubber glove industry is relatively low as the industry is dominated by the main 6 players, namely Top Glove, Supermax, Kossan Rubber, Hartalega, Latexx Partners and Adventa. Top Glove is the traditional industry leader but recent research showed that Hartalega has had taking on Top Glove in term of the success on the development of R&D (Research and Design) of Hartalega.The other reason for the low threat of substitutes is low rubber glove cost and making no incentives for the research house to find other alternatives. The bargaining power of suppliers explains the pressure the suppliers can exert on business by raising prices or reducing the quality of purchased goods and services. Powerful suppliers can squeeze the profitability out of an industry to recover cost increases in its own prices. (Pearce, 2012). The main raw material for rubber glove industry is latex.The steady easing in the price of latex since April 2011 and currently stable price appeared to be favorable to the glove manufacturers. Top Glove has ventured upstream into rubber plantations to secure a stable latex supply. Meanwhile, Kossan Rubber is concerning on the niche market that might get better margin, Supermax is putting effort on downstream distribution network and Hartalega is creating more values on its innovation technological of the production lines. So, the bargaining power of suppliers might be low as the results of effort that the glove manufacturers have putted.Furthermore, the bargaining power of buyers refers to the pressure the buyers can exert on business by force down the price, demand higher quality or more services and play competitors off against each other in term of the expense of industry profits. Strong buyers can pressure sellers to lower the prices for the products , improve products’ quality or offer better services. As mentioned just now, the substitutes for the rubber glove is low as the industry is dominated by the main six players. So, the bargaining power of buyer is tentatively low as well.It is because there is not much alternatives the buyers can choose to purchase. The buyers for glove industry are mainly as doctors or laboratory users. Lastly, intensity of rivalry explains to the extent to which firms within an industry put pressure on other competitors and limit their profit potential. High intensity of rivalry means competitors aggressively other competitors’ target and aggressively pricing products. The industry leader for rubber glove industry is always Top Glove where Hartalega is the world’s largest synthetic glove manufacturer.There is a high intensity of rivalry in the rubber glove industry. For instance, on the topic of labor costs with respect to the monthly minimum wages to be RM 900 in Peninsular Mal aysia and RM800 in Sabah and Sarawak, OSK Research Sdn Bhd. analyst Jerry Lee noted that Top Glove Corporation Bhd. might be the most impacted and Hartalega Holdings Bhd. is the least affected due to its innovation in automating its production lines. On this issue, Top Glove might be affected due to the ineffectiveness of handling the labor issue.It may affect its image of industry leader. As a conclusion, the threats of new entrants is high, threat of substitutes is low, bargaining power for both suppliers and buyers are low and there is high intensity of rivalry. So, the rubber glove manufacturing industry is attractive and still can earn good profit the 5 forces can be managed well by the relevant firms in the industry. 4. Operating Environment The operating environment describes the conditions, entities, events, and factors that surrounding the organization that will affect the choices and activities.A firm needs to depend on the operating environment because it will affect the organization in acquiring the needed resources or in term of profitability. The factors are the firm’s competitive position, the composition of its customers, its reputation among suppliers and creditors and its ability to attract qualified employees (Pearce, 2012). A firm’s competitive position explains the position of the particular firm in the relevant industry. It can be the leader industry or just a follower in the industry.By accessing the competitive position of the firm, the organization able to more accurately forecast both its short and long term growth and its profit potential. Hartalega is the world’s largest synthetic glove manufacturer where Top Glove is the industry leader in rubber glove industry. Although Hartalega is not the industry leader but it acquires sufficient resources and technology in generating more high quality gloves with its new automated production lines and glove removal system. And they are expert and have improved in R&D devel opment.The high efficiency production lines enable Hartalega to produce 40,000 pieces of gloves per hour per line, the highest among the industry where the glove removal system is capable of removing not only latex but also nitrile gloves up to a speed of 30,000 pieces of gloves per hour. These technologies make Hartalega to become the world’s largest synthetic glove manufacturer. Customer profile is the firm analyzes and identifies what type of the customers that the company served, what kind of customers they have and etc.The traditional approach of this factor is to segment the customers in term of geographic, demographic, psychographic and buyer behavior information (Pearce, 2012). This can allows the company to know the needs of each segment with ease and then satisfy their needs. The products that Hartalega offer are examination, surgical, laboratory, Clean Room Packed Class 100, Food Grade and so on. They also provide synthetic gloves to latex sensitive users from prot eins that may cause allergic reaction.Basically, the customers that Hartalega served are generally on the international market where Hartalega export their products to overseas to gain high profit. Medline, the largest manufacturer and distributor of healthcare supplies and services in US, is one for the two major customers of Hartalega. The next factor is the firm’s reputation among their suppliers. Firm regularly relies on its suppliers for financial support, services, resources and equipment. It is clearly seen that suppliers play an important role in determining an organization’s success or not.Hartalega has a strong reputation as the highest quality and lowest cost producer of nitrile gloves has enabled the firm to boost their sales every year. The financial support and resources that can be acquired from their suppliers are significant to the organization itself. Although the raw materials for produce the glove have increased which is latex, but Hartalega still c an manage to handle the situation by adjusting the price for the gloves. And the buyers can accept the adjustment in price that Hartalega made.That means the increase of price in raw material by the suppliers still can be acceptable by Hartalega and their buyers. Moreover, the reputation of the company does affect the reliability for their creditors. If the reputation of the organization is low, then the creditworthiness of the firm might be affected. That mean if the company is currently influence by negative rumors or news, probably the firm’s market share will be affected. Hartalega was affected by negative news which state that Hartalega was causing water and air pollution near Taman Suria, Batang Berjuntai in 2010.However, Hartalega has successful dismissed allegations of pollution where The Department of Environment (DOE) has claimed that Hartalega is complied with the Malaysian environment regulatory standard. This might affect the reputation and the creditworthiness o f Hartalega and might caused the market share decrease in this particular time frame. Other than that, Hartalega Chairman, Kuan Kam Hon claimed that Hartalega recorded revenue of RM931. 1 million, representing a significant 27% jump from RM734. million in the previous financial year while profit after tax increased to RM201. 4 million compared with RM190. 3 million for the last fiscal year. That means the company are currently gaining profit and they are able to implement a dividend policy which pay out minimum of 45% of the Group’s annual net profit as dividends to their shareholers. These few conditions showed that Hartalega are doing well in their business and able to earn profit in the industry. Lastly, the ability of the firm to attract capable employees is one of the components for the operating environment.The management for the human capital within the organization is vital for the organization to develop competitive advantage so that the organization can compete with their competitors. The organization needs to determine whether their workers or staffs are capable, skillful and experience or not. The more effective the management of human capital, the more easier the firm to achieve success in the industry. Hartalega has implemented a competitive remuneration package to their employees in order to recruit and retain performance centric individuals.They adopted several training programmes to encourage professional development and develop leadership skills among their employees such as Supervisor Development Programme and Group Leader Apprentice Programme. This programme is to invite talented students to learn the necessary skills and knowledge in manufacturing rubber gloves. The qualified students are able to become permanent workers for Hartalega. 5. Internal Analysis Value chain analysis is to understand how a business creates customer value by examining the contributions of different activities within the business to that value (Pearce II, J. A. , & Robinson, R. B. , Jr. , 2013). The value chain includes the primary activities and support activities. Primary activities involve inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service. Support activities involve general administration, human resource management, research, technology, and systems development, and procurement. First is inbound logistics. Hartalega adopted the global supply chain management for their company with the raw materials, components, and parts from all over the world. Latex plays an important in the Hartalega Company.Research analyst said the latex price rise soon. This situation will affect the Hartalega’s profit decrease. In the operations, Hartalega has high efficiency production lines. Hartalega from a beginning of a one line operation grow into a sizeable company of 43 production lines. They produce over 8 billion gloves annually. Hartalega is the highest speed production line in the industry. They can produce 40,000 pieces of gloves per hour per line. They never decrease the quality of gloves even though they produce the gloves at such high speed.Their programmable logic controls measured and acquired every critical parameter. It is communicated to the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system and later fed to the Data Management System for trending and other analytical auditing. Third is outbound logistics. Customer can buy the product through the internet. Customers can order their products, make request and register to receive materials on some pages. Customers need to fill in their name, address email address and phone number only and submit to the Hartalega, and then Hartalega will deliver the product which is already order by customer to the ustomer. If the customer orders a gift online and they want Hartalega sent it directly to the recipient, customer need to submit the recipient’s address. In the marketing and sales, Hartalega is the largest producer of premium qual ity nitrile gloves in the world. They have good reputation as produce the nitrile gloves at the highest quality and lowest cost. It helped the Hartalega Company increase their sales during the year under review. Nowadays, many companies do their business in China and India. Hartalega also do their business in China and India.It is because these countries have high population figures. Demand from existing customers grows and Hartalega also try to attract new customers. Next is service. Hartalega receive some complaint about ammonia gas and chemical waste pollution. The Department of Environment (DOE) already checks the Hartalega’s factory and cleared glove manufacturer Hartalega Holdings of allegation pollution. Selangor DOE director Che Asmah Ibrahim said that Hartalega Holdings has compliance with the rule and regulation and they no need close the factory. General administration or management is one of the supportive activities.Profit margin of Hartalega has decrease compare d with the previous financial year. Although their profit margin decreases, they also maintain the highest margins in the sector globally. Although margins narrowed slightly, it is because of this foresight that we still achieved an absolute increase in our bottom line on year on year basis. Second supportive activity is procurement. Procurement is a part of inbound logistics or purchasing activities. Hartalega adopted the global supply chain management for their company with the raw materials, components, and parts from all over the world.Global supply chain management help the company compete all over the world and give company a competitive advantage. Company also can lower the supply chain cost if adopt the global supply chain management. Next is human resource management. Hartalega has implemented a competitive remuneration package to their employees in order to recruit and retain performance centric individuals. They also become the number one company for talent, they not only in the glove manufacturing sector but in the manufacturing sector large.Hartalega has provided several training programmes to encourage professional development and develop leadership skills among their employees such as Supervisor Development Programme and Group Leader Apprentice Programme. This programme is to invite talented students to learn the necessary skills and knowledge in manufacturing rubber gloves. The qualified students are able to become permanent workers for Hartalega. Last is research and development. Hartalega Company is focused on research and development (R&D). They highly focused on research and development because they want to ensure continuous product innovation.Research and development helps the Hartalega increase the barrier to entry. It is because the characteristics of synthetic nitrile, which needs careful R&D to ensure similar consistency to natural rubber gloves in terms of softness and elasticity. Besides that, R&D also helps the Hartalega successfull y reduced raw material usage per unit and do not decrease the product quality. They also have raised the bar with their various inventions and have far surpassed the industry due to their engineering capabilities in their manufacturing processes.Therefore, Hartalega highly focused on research and development because R&D helps Hartalega to benefit from maintaining the product quality at lower unit production costs, increases the barrier to entry, and the ability to reduce prices without affecting margins. Value chain analysis can helps Hartalega found the strength and weaknesses. First strength from Hartalega is company adopt the global supply chain management and it help the company lower the supply chain cost and give company a competitive advantage. Second is high efficiency production line.Third is customer can buy the product through the internet. Fourth is good reputation at the highest quality and lowest cost and it helping the Hartalega increase their sales. Next is Hartalega has provided several training programmes to encourage professional development and develop leadership skills among their employees. It helps Hartalega attract new employee and help their existing employee become more talented. Superior success in R&D activities leading to product innovative is strength from Hartalega. On the other hand, Hartalega also have some weaknesses.First is Hartalega receiving some complaint about ammonia gas and chemical waste pollution. Although Department of Environment said that Hartalega Holdings has compliance with the rule and regulation and they no need close the factory but it also influence the reputation of Hartalega. Another weakness is profit margin of Hartalega has decrease compared with the previous financial year. 6. Strategy Formulation TOWS Martix | Strengths 1. Global supply chain management 2. High efficiency production line 3.Online purchasing 4. Good reputation 5. Training programmes 6. Strongly R&D| Weaknesses 1. Receive compliant infl uence reputation 2. Profit margin decrease | Opportunities 1. Industry recognition 2. Global hospital suppliers and industrial laboratory 3. Synthetic glove | a) Strengths- Opportunities (SO) 1. Market development (S3, S4, O2) 2. Product development (S6, O2)| b) Weaknesses-Opportunities (WO) 1. Concentrated growth (W2, O2, O3)| Threats 1.High latex price 2. Government regulatory 3. High intensity of rivalry | c) Strengths – Threats (ST) 1. Innovation (S6,T3)| d) Weaknesses- Threats (WT) 1. Vertical Integration (W2, T1, T3)| a) Strengths-Opportunities Strategy (SO) SO strategy is using the firm’s internal strengths to take advantage of external opportunities. It is the most favourable situation which allows the firm to faces several environment opportunities and has numerous strengths that encourage pursuit of those opportunities (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). 1.Market development (S3, S4, O2) Hartalega have a good reputation as produce the nitrile at the highest quality an d lowest cost in the world and online purchasing. The main buyers for Hartalega are doctors or laboratory users. Therefore, Hartalega can use their main buyers as one of their company strengths to take advantage to global hospital supplies and industrial laboratory market. Hartalega able to offer the highest quality, lowest cost and at the same time they can provide variety types of gloves to hospitals and industrial laboratory.Besides that, customers around the world also can easily and convenience to make an order directly for the company website, this is because Hartalega had prepared the online purchasing method for their customer and business partners. These will make more and more hospitals and industrial laboratory around the world recognize and use Hartalega’s gloves. On the other hand, this method can help Hartalega to increase their sales and profit as well. 2. Product development (S6, O2) Hartalega is expert on their research and development (R&D).Therefore, Hartal ega can use this strength to develop more different types of gloves to attract more customers from global hospital supplier and industrial laboratory market. In addition, due to them expert in R&D, they not only focus the needs of the hospital and industrial laboratory, but also can try to satisfy the need for other different customer in order to help Hartalega to increase their market share also. So, they can come out different types of qualities of the product to fulfil different groups of the customers’ need. ) Weaknesses-Opportunity Strategy (WO) WO strategy is to improve company internal weaknesses by taking advantage of external opportunities. A firm faces an impressive market opportunity but is constrained by weak internal resources (Pearce & Robinson. 2013) 1. Concentrated growth (W2, O2, O3) Hartalega can increase their production of synthetic gloves and expand more into global hospital supplier and industrial laboratory market. This is because the costs of raw mater ial to produce synthetic glove is cheaper than latex (Hartalega, 2012).Therefore, Hartalega can major expansion of synthetic gloves to global hospital supplier and industrial laboratory market will help them substantial cost savings to counter price competition and overcome the profit margin (Hartalega, 2012). So, Hartalega can avoid the high rises of latex price. By avoiding fluctuation of latex price, their profit earned will be more stable and able to increase the profit too. c) Strengths-Threats Strategy (ST) ST strategy is using the firm’s strengths to avoid or reduce the impact of external threats.A firm that has identified several key strengths faces an unfavorable environment (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). 1. Innovation (S6, T3) As mention on above, R&D is the strength for Hartalega. Therefore, Hartalega can use this strength to create the barrier to entry. R&D can help Hartalega successfully to reduce raw material usage per unit and maintain the product quality and incre ase the barrier to entry. So, Hartalega can offer the cheaper price to their customer compare with their competitors such as Top Glove.Hartalega also keep on focusing on their R&D in order to develop more different types of innovation product and try to beat down their competitors and become the leader in the rubber glove industry. d) Weaknesses-Threats Strategy (WT) WT strategy is a defensive tactics aimed at reducing internal weakness and avoid external threats. This is the least favorable situation, with the firm facing major environment threats from a weak resource position (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). 1. Vertical Integration (W2, T1, T3) Nowadays, the price for one of the raw material to produce glove which is latex is keep on rising.This situation was affected Hartalega’s profit to decrease. Therefore, Hartalega can benchmark other companies’ product and make a comparison on how other competitors performs their product activity effectively. This is useful to Hartal ega to improve the management control. The objective of benchmarking is to identify the best practices in performing an activity and learn how to down the costs of the raw material, less defects, or other outcomes related to excellence achieved (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Hartalega can apply backward vertical integration to control their raw material price.For example, Hartalega can follow its competitor which is Top gloves has ventured upstream into the rubber plantation to secure a stable latex supply. 7. Recommendation A competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices. (Riley, 2012) Differentiation is one of the most practical ways in which Hartalega can gain advantage over other competitors in the rubber gloves industry.Differentiation can be achieved by Hartalega through high quality, efficient low cost manufacturing of glov es. Hartalega is recommend to continuously enhance their flexibility and efficiency in their production process scheduling, saving more time, employees efforts and the company’s money. Besides that, Hartalega needs to ensure all operations from the top to bottom must run efficiently by adopting programmable logic controller able to the monitoring of the operation automatically and promote continuous production that help in increase production and minimize cost.Hartalega should focus on customers’ satisfaction because it had placed a lot of emphasis in R&D to produce a wide and diversified range of high quality and value-added glove products in order to fulfil the expectation of their customers. The company also collaborates closely with related government agencies and Ministries to keep itself abreast of the latest development in rubber research technology. Hartalega also can uses state-of-art technology and efficient automatic glove manufacturing machine to obtain the highest yield and to remain as one of the most cost-effective and highest quality producer in the industry.With all these advantages and strategies, Hartalega is able to compete and stand out in the industry. For the Goods and Service Design, Hartalega can print instructions and methods of wearing gloves on the packaging. Besides, Hartalega can focus on detailed product design such as creating innovative glove with functions and amenity features for all type range of gloves use in surgical and clinical practice and operation.In addition, Hartalega products packaging must provide with its product outlook and description that meet the preferences of their customer across different countries and cultures. Concerning fluctuation price on raw material, Hartalega needs to find multiple sources of raw materials to avoid high fluctuation of cost on raw materials. Therefore, Hartalega is recommended to invest more and expand their own rubber plantation acreage, this would reduce their depen dence on raw rubber from other suppliers.Hartalega has to maintain and enhance its products and operation quality endlessly, therefore, Hartalega always needs to audit their operation and the product quality control to ensure low / no defects in their production based on the Six Sigma and Total Quality Management procedure. On the other hand, Hartalega needs to review foreign countries’ Acceptable Quality Level to improve in their company’s quality management system (Bheda, 2010) Perhaps, Hartalega needs to adopt total quality management or R&D on high quality latex to ensure producing high quality products that meet their customer expectation.In conclusion, each key analysis and discussion on Hartalega manufacturing operation will help in understanding and makes improvement from each operation processes based on the studies of latest operation management system. With this, Hartalega will be able to maintain or strengthen each of its manufacture’s operation and its products positioning in the world market.

Instructional Design Essay

Task analysis is often considered the most critical component of instructional design. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Task analysis is a critical component in the instructional design process because it provides important information about the content and/or tasks that will form the basis for the instruction being developed. Careful consideration must be taken to ensure that there is a clear understanding of what learners are to know or are able to accomplish by participating in instruction. Coming to this understanding requires the identification of the type of content that will make up the instruction and in what sequence this content should be provided (Brown & Green, 2005). I must agree that a task analysis is very critical in the instructional design process. It serves as a guide for teachers and learner of which to lead each to the end product-successful implementation and application. Support your response with examples. The mathematics teacher knows that she needs to conduct a task analysis to determine the steps her students need to take in order to master the skills taught. With following the procedural analysis approach, she analyzed the task of adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators by identifying the various steps required to successfully complete the task. In conducting the procedural analysis, the teacher went through the each step sequentially. Once they had the steps listed, the student performed the task through practice and eventually became more comfortable with the skill. The process helped the teacher identify if there were any missing steps. The result of the procedural analysis was a flowchart that identified the different sub steps that needed to take place in order for the students master the skill when different scenarios occur, such as regrouping when subtracting fractions. The flowchart was compared to the implementation of the skill the previous year. The teacher determined that the previous implementation left out important steps and that new implementation proved that needed to be developed.

Ethical Viewpoints Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical Viewpoints - Essay Example This deprivation imposes the same difficulty faced by children raised by a single parent. True marriage provides normal conditions of a normal atmosphere beneficial for the upbringing of children Most arguments additionally stipulate that, same sex marriage just serves to validate and promote the homosexual lifestyle. Gradually, these arguments have profoundly been modifying everyone’s perception and evaluations of behavior. Eventually, the legal system will completely embrace this type of abominable marriage and thus shadow certain basic moral values and cripple public morality. Morally this union is wrong and legal recognition will simply change this moral wrong to a civil right. Eventually, anti-gay activists state that legalizing same sex marriage will force the whole society to accept and the state will have to form laws that punish people especially state employees that express disapproval. This is because marriage affects the whole of society and this new pigment will compel others to betray their consciences. People attracted with the same sex have gradually been coming out of their closet actively demanding that they have the right to legally get married in same sex unions. Today’s generation is very liberal and they are not afraid to express what they feel. Some of the arguments echo the fact that everyone should be given the chance to form a lifelong bond with the partner they choose. They argue that it is their civil right to be recognized just like the same recognition was given to heterosexual relationships so should it be given to homosexuals. The law is for all and thus should not create a gap between people in a second class who will have lesser rights than others. This will be discriminating and thus not right. Arguments reiterate that Homosexuals are human too hand since everyone is born equal and free there should be no reason that should

The Regina Manifesto Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Regina Manifesto - Essay Example The party was founded in 1932 by socialists, agrarian and labour groups who sought reprieve following the great depression that hit most of the world’s economies. Among the major groups that founded the party, include farmers’ organisations mainly the United Farmers of Alberta, academics from the League for Social Reconstruction and members of parliament allied to farmer and trade union organisations. The Regina manifesto is regarded as the founding document adopted by the cooperative commonwealth federation in 1933 during its initial national convention (Turner 320). The convention was held at Regina in Saskatchewan thus the name and the platform that is the Regina manifesto served as a stamp from the intellectuals who sought change. The document highlighted a new social order that would wipe out the existing capitalist system through economic planning, which would replace the profit motive of democratic control of natural resources and the means of production. It woul d also be achieved using political power to establish economic equality and social justice for all. The manifesto, in essence, aimed at eradicating the capitalist system and establishing a socialist economy. The manifesto laid down a wide variety of goals that it believed were necessary in alleviating the suffering on its citizens caused by the great depression at the time. The goals included public ownership of industries, universal pension and health care services, compensation for workers, unemployment insurance among others. As such, CCF became an alternative to the liberal and conservative parties by offering party policies and hope to Canadians who were struggling to cope with harsh economic times. The manifesto strongly condemned the capitalist system for what was termed as inherent injustice, inhumanity, chaotic waste, and economic instability. The capitalist system was also accused of domination with exploitation of one social class by another based on wealth. The replaceme nt of capitalism with a new social order through the Regina manifesto outlined how life of all Canadians would improve following the establishment of the national planning commission, which would be responsible for leading the socialisation of a variety of industries (â€Å"The Regina Manifesto...†). The document also aimed at acknowledging family farming as the basis of agricultural production and pledged financial support through social control of the financial system. Moreover, the CCF through their manifesto, proposed the establishment of a welfare system, which would ensure protection of industrial workers through collective bargaining and regulation of government wages. This would ensure a uniform code in the labour sector and thus equality. The welfare system would also establish an emergency program to cope with unemployment while coordinating an equitable taxation system throughout Canada. This would be facilitated by an instant review of the federal and provincial p rovenience of revenue. The manifesto also pledged the humanisation of the legal system, which would see the end of discrimination based on sex while according freedom of speech and assembly to all. In order to achieve the above, CCF established itself within the Canadian politics through the election of members to parliament and provincial legislature institutions. The popularity of the new party grew, as did its membership owing to the new lease of life through their policies. However, the CCF was divided following the outbreak of the Second World War due to the conflict between the uncompromising pacifists and supporters of Canada's entry into the war.

Environmental Geology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental Geology - Assignment Example The Disaster yielded both to economic and life loss where fifty-seven people died besides obliteration of 250 homes and the region’s infrastructure. Additionally, the mountain also comprises of crater glacier that has an ice thickness raging amid 1 to 2 meters, thus making it young geologically. The mountain besides having glaciated valleys during eruption incidences, it comprises of three rivers namely Toutle, Kalama and Lewis where their purposes entail recreational and power generation (Samson 17). For illustration, lewis, which feeds three dams mainly for hydropower production, is helpful to the park itself and society. The park has its contribution regarding environmental degradation setbacks that have affected the area besides humanity and wildlife. The frequent eruption incidences witnessed on the mountain comprises production of obnoxious gases like Chlorine and HFCs that contribute to the destruction of ozone (GVP). However, this feature to numerous populaces may not be clear, but scientifically it is evident that volcano eruptions normally comprise of harmful gases that enhance global warming. This is due to the obliteration of the ozone layer that is liable for filtration of harmful solar rays to human. The eruptions besides destroying the surrounding forest cover, it also yields to wildlife destruction that adorns the mountain. The destruction inevitable because no known human efforts or any known remedy can salvage both the forest and wildlife. According to some concerns emanating from environmentalists, they stated that, the augmenting volcanic ash might yield to prolonged negative impacts like freezing, crop destruction or horrific hazards (GVP). This is an indication that, in the future these occurrences may render the region unfruitful because the economic factors that mark the place mighty become extinct. Its eruption yields to burning of numerous insects hence destroying ecosystem that

God In The Jewish Tradition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

God In The Jewish Tradition - Essay Example Clearly, the meaning of God is one that is uniquely personal to each and every person. Only the individual can decide what God means to them which is based to a great degree on the individual's values and personal beliefs. The role that God plays in that individual's life and religion will be strongly based on these subjective assessments, but it will also be strongly influenced by the teachings of the synagogue, the rabbi, and the traditions that the individual experienced as they grew. In many tales of the Jewish faith, it was God who helped keep the Israelites alive throughout all their various persecutions through history, creating a type of human-like heroic identity. It was God who led them out of Israel and slavery and it was God who spoke to them through burning bushes and from mountaintops while they wandered in the desert, giving them help and direction. Mordecai Kaplan, known as the father of Reconstructionism, who pushed this type of identification of God. In his writings , he said that God chose the Jews and determined to help them with their success (Kaplan, 1937). However, Kaplan was not necessarily suggesting that God was a personality. Instead, he was attempting to say that God was something greater than this. He said, â€Å"God is neither a being nor a philosophical abstraction. God is a creative force in the universe. He was an inspiration for the Jews and the voice that gave with both hands" (1937). Even here, though, God seems to be a greater than normal personality.

Healthcare Informatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Healthcare Informatics - Essay Example One critical question that one should reflect on is whether the patients are aware of the privacy risks involved in exposing their personal health data? (Chbeir & Al Bouna, 2013). Or whether there are appropriate policies for these social sites that guarantee the safety of the information to avoid health data security breaches that may turn costly on the part of the information owners? Awareness and education of the users are of paramount importance in mitigating the privacy risks. Li (2013) observes that there policy implications of using the health social networking sites and the stakeholders and the policy makers should elaborate them to protect the privacy of online health data. The health social networking sites are left to decide what information will be kept private and what will be shared. If there existed knowledge about the privacy settings, patients would be able to restrict the health data they want to keep secret. Healthcare Informatics After reading the work by Li (2013), I strongly support the option of privacy by education for mitigating the privacy risks surrounding the health data shared on the social networking sites. It should be noted that the health data collected from the social sites attracted unlimited commercial interests that can be used as business opportunities for medical research companies and partners.

Preators in Roman Law vs Equity in English law Essay

Preators in Roman Law vs Equity in English law - Essay Example This essay stresses that English law remains uncodified just like Roman law, but there exists a vast legal framework comprised of records of cases and the legal principles on which decisions have been made. Therefore one of the most important contributions made by both Roman and English law have been in the maintenance of accurate, meticulous and detailed records f the cases in question. This helps to not only elaborate and consolidate established legal principles for the benefit of future legal personnel, but it also serves as a record for historical purposes. The maintenance of such written records have also been the cause for the initiation of reforms as necessary, when the precedents are found to be inapplicable and are overturned by fresh precedents, which was also done in the same manner in Roman law. This paper makes a conclusion that the Preators made a substantial contribution to the development of equitable, time tested principles that would be able to withstand the test of time. In a similar manner, English law has also made a substantial contribution to furthering the cause of law by introducing measures of equity when the medieval judges began to rely too much on precedent. Thereby by a judicious mix of the old and the new, the current legal system is continuing to evolve, retaining those principles that are worthwhile and rejecting those that are outdated by replacing them with new precedents, to further the cause of justice.

Gay Scouts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gay Scouts - Essay Example ive perspective maintaining that its legalization stands for an unholy motive since it goes against religious teachings, the proponents maintained that people should not be prejudiced on the base of sexual orientation or preference. This is mostly because gay people had been denied many opportunities because of their sexual preference. Although the issue is highly controversial, legalizing gay scouts is the best option since older ways of prejudice are outdated and a better way of perception ought to be developed since times are changing. One of the reasons why gay-ism ought to be accepted is that even the gays are people who require the support of the society. Gay activists who have been relentless in ensuring that gay people can interact with other people openly through passage of laws that govern their rights for a long time. This is in spite of the idea that this issue had been ignored for decades. The activists also intended to ensure that organizations that mostly sponsor scouts acknowledge them in the society although a significant number of them were against the move to lift the century ban on gay scouts. Although Americans had been divided on this issue, there have been improvements on perception as the gay individuals are becoming more and more accepted in the contemporary society. This has been the main reason why the lift on the ban was possible. The legalization was justified because it has become widely accepted and even banning them does not solve the problem. Acceptance has been identified even in some of the religious institutions that include the United Methodist Church, which is one of the largest religious sponsors with a sponsor capacity of approximately 363,000 scouts (Richter, 2013). This religious institution had a significant influence on the outcome of the ban lift vote because it has many followers who would follow its views making it easy to lift the ban. The lift was also necessary so as to eliminate discrimination of such

ComLab Inventory Essay Example for Free

ComLab Inventory Essay 2. 1 Introduction This chapter will review all related work and technology used in developing the â€Å"Computer Laboratory Inventory System† This chapter will review on the technologies that relate to the needed research and the current or related projects that have been studied. 2. 2 Definition of Terms/Concepts 2. 2. 1 Barcode Inventory System The term â€Å"barcode inventory system† is generic and encompasses avariety of different applications and industries. The term is commonly used in warehousing, logistics, and distribution; it can also be used in retail point-of-sale, manufacturing, and various service sector implementations. In each case, at its core, a â€Å"barcode inventory system† includes ameasurable list of items or quantities and utilizes barcode technology in some fashion. Barcode technology is a means of interfacing humans to data processing equipment; therefore, barcode technology cannot be utilized independent of data processing equipment. Commonly, the data processing equipmentstores the results of a â€Å"barcode inventory system† in electronic form. 2. 2. 2 Automatic Data Gathering This term refer to the concept of data collection that run on script that will be developed. It is important that the system will automatic, by detection of the computer hardware and software component and then store the data into the database at the same time. The script will be based on JavaScript because it supports the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and Windows Script Host (WSH). Both two components are required to enable the detection of the computer hardware and software function in this system. 2. 2. 3 Windows Script Host (WSH) The Microsoft Windows Script Host (originally called Windows ScriptingHost) is distributed and installed by default on Windows 98 and laterversions of Microsoft Windows. It is also installed if Internet Explorer 5 (ora later version) is installed. It provides scripting capabilities comparable to batch files, but with a greater range of supported features. Beginning with Windows 2000, the Windows Script Host became available for use with user login scripts. It is language-independent in the sense that it can make use of different Active Scripting language engines. By default it interprets and runs plaintext JScript (. JS and . JSE files) and VBScript (. VBS and . VBE files). Users can install different scripting engines to enable them to script in other languages, for instance Perl. The language independent filename extension WSF can also be used. The advantage of the Windows Script File (. WSF) is that it allows the user to use a combination of scripting languages within a single file. The researcher has taken the advantage of the scripting ability by developing a JavaScript file to be used as Automatic Data Gathering engine for Computer Inventory System. 2. 3 Different Types of Inventory System There are a number of different inventory systems starting with the most ancient system to the most advanced system. 2. 3. 1 Physical Counts (Periodic System) The most basic method of inventory tracking is physical counts. A lot of firms relied on physical count to try and figure approximately where they were at. 2. 3. 2 Two-Bin System The two-bin system is only slightly more sophisticated than the physical count system. Using the marvels of modern technology, this system uses two bins of materials. When one bin is empty, its time to re-order. 2. 3. 3 Perpetual Tracking This method of counting is demand driven. Instead of counting how many items are in inventory, we count how many leave inventory. The demand can be tracked by batches of inventory usage, such as demand that is entered once a week or they can enter in real time which provides the ability to continuously monitor inventory levels. If we are already in the practice of counting demand, this is a great way to track inventory because it involves little additional effort. It was ideal because there is little variability in the products that are demanded. For a supermarket, this can be more difficult because of the variety of products sold. Chapter III System Analysis and Design System analysis is the process of understanding and specifying in detail what the information system should do. This involves all the data gathered during the previous interviews with the subject personnel as needed by the researcher. This chapter covers on the presentation, requirements and specification of the proposed system. This also shows if the proposed system is feasible. System Feasibility Feasibility study is a systematic analysis and performed in advance to the project in order to provide some information about the project whether it should be undertaken or not. It involves the analysis of the system to determine whether it is feasible to develop the particular system. The feasibility on this proposed system was foreseen to be feasible to the Institution through the following factors: Operational This system will be operational feasible considering the fact that it will fasten the processing of the computer laboratory inventory system of Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges. The proposed system will have a user friendly environment and the flow of the system can be easily comprehended by the user. Technical The technicality of the proposed computer laboratory inventory system is considered feasible because it was developed to help the staff in managing computer assets,especially when they are going to trace the computers and peripheral and domass upgrade. The purpose of the system is to help the staffs manage the computers inventory more effective and easy way. Using this Computer Laboratory Inventory System, staffs can get information about all computers, monitors and other peripherals that currently exist in the faculty. They also can trace where all the computers are located in the faculty whether in the computer labs, classes, offices, in the lecturer’s room or anywhere in the faculty. In order for the system to perform better, Computers should be placed in a well-ventilated area and should be well protected to avoid electrical problems. Schedule The Researchers was given an enough time frame to comply the proposed system for the Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges – Computer Laboratory Inventory System. They were given one whole semester to finish the entire system and the study. This was very sufficient in conducting his study, performing interviews, designing and creating the proposed system. In designing and creating the system, the researchers was also allowed to use the unit in the computer laboratory of the school even extends his working hours during free time only. Economic Feasibility The proposed system is economically feasible to the Institution for the reason that the school will benefit and save money in purchasing the system. System Requirement Specification The system requirement of the proposed system is needed to run efficiently. If the hardware and the software do not meet the required specification, our system will probably encounter problems. The process of the computer may run slow which may cause delay. Hardware Specification Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer system which is required in the study. Below are the lists of the minimum requirements of hardware components of the computer for the proposed system. Colored monitor Mouse Standard Keyboard System Unit (at least Pentium 3) AVR (Auto-Voltage Regulator) Hard Disk (at least 80 gigabytes) Software Specification Software refers to the needed and required software applications in order for the proposed study to run and be used. Operating System-Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Higher Microsoft Office 2003 Microsoft Visual Basic 6. 0 People The people involved in the proposed system are the direct users. They are categorized as primary users and secondary users. To manage the system the user should be computer literate and able to use and operate a computer so that they will have no difficulties of absorbing the instructions the researcher will have to give during the training period. This is essential so that they will not encounter problems while using the system. These users will also undergo several seminars or training to familiarize the system. This is highly recommended so that they could easily handle the system to avoid delay and errors. System Requirement Checklist During the requirements modeling, the researcher must have to identify and describe all system requirements. The System Requirements Checklist presents the inputs, process, outputs, performance and controls. Input – the data’s that are inputted and stored in the database considered as raw material that are being processed to create the necessary information. Process – are the transactions of an establishment being done on the data in thesystem. Output – the report and visual outcome of the processed data. Performance – trapping of errors and outcome of the processing. Controls – the shortcut keys that are used to manipulate the screen. Future Growth, Cost and Benefits This will discuss the benefits of the proposed system. The implementation of the new system is firmly believed and assured to produce tangible benefits though it has also intangible benefits to the company. Tangible Benefits The proposed system provides assurance to the company that Proposed System will lessen works loads and will provide a better service to the respondents. Aside from that, it can easily generate reports and it will improve the performance of the firm in terms of service. Intangible Benefits Immediate maintenance if there are some necessary technical problems occurs in the System. Scalability This is to test if the new systems will be capable of storing a large capacity of data that can hold information based on the specified needed requirements specifically on the hard disk. In the future growth, the system will reach its discarded period and will not be capable of storing information so the system is recommended to upgrade its program to sustain its operation. The researcher assures that the given hardware and software requirements are reliable and can sustain a large number of information. Enterprise Modeling This presentation contains the sequence in the Computer Laboratory Inventory System of Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges. For the system to be efficient, the researcher develops graphical presentations about the proposed system. The system flowchart indicates the Proposed Computer Laboratory Inventory system that it could minimize errors on the whole operation compared to the existing system. The enterprise model shows how the entities are related to each other and it also widens our understanding on how the researcher designed the program to perform certain transactions. System Flow Chart, or data flow, is used to describe the flow of data through a complete data-processing system. Different graphic symbols represent the clerical operations involved and the different input, storage, and output information required. Although the flow chart may indicate the specific program used, no details are given of how the programs process the data. Context Diagram The above diagram shows the whole process done in the proposed Computer Laboratory Inventory system. This is to identify all the major input and output of the system. Data Flow Diagram of the Proposed Computer Laboratory Inventory System A Data Flow Diagram is a graphical representation of the â€Å"flow† of data through an information system. User User Account 1. 0 Category Info Item Info. Transaction details Category 3. 0 Reports Transaction Summary Report Inventory Report Table 1 File Maintenance Table 1. 1 User Information Input Add new user , Add new password, Process Add, Update, Save, Delete, Close, Refresh Output Display User Account Performance No Errors, user friendly Control Table 1. 2 Unit Information Input Unit Process Add, Edit, Save, Delete, Close, Refresh Output Display Unit Record Performance No Errors, user friendly Control Table 1. 3 Supplier’s Information Input Company name, Company Address, Contact Person, Contact No. Process Add, Update, Save, Delete, Close, Refresh Output Display Supplier Account Performance No Errors, user friendly Control Table 1. 4 Office Information Input Office Name, Office Address, Bldg. No. Process Add, Update, Save, Delete, Close, Refresh Output Display Office Account Performance No Errors, user friendly Control Table 1. 5 Officer Information Input Officer Name, Officer ID No. , Officer Department Process Add, Update, Save, Delete, Close, Refresh Output Display Officer Account Performance No Errors, user- friendly Control Table 1. 6 Category Information Input Category Name Process Add, Update, Save, Delete, Close, Refresh Output Display Category Record Performance No Errors, user- friendly Control Table 1. 7 Brand Information Input Brand Name Process Add, Update, Save, Delete, Close, Refresh Output Display Brand Record Performance No Errors, user- friendly Control Table 2 Transaction Table 2. 1 New Items Input Category, Unit, Brand, Description, Price, Date of Purchase, Supplier, Office, Officer, Process Add, Update, Save, Delete, Close, Refresh Output Display New Item Information Performance No Errors, user friendly Control Table 2. 2 Dispose Items Input Unit to Be Dispose, Reason of Disposal Process Search, Dispose, Refresh Output Display Dispose Item Performance No Errors, user friendly Control Table 2. 3 Repose Items Input Dispose ID, Reason of Repose Process Search, Repose, Refresh Output Display Repose Item Performance No Errors, user friendly Control Table 2. 4 Transfer Items Input Category, Brand, Transfer Office, Transfer Address, Process Search, Transfer, Refresh Output Display Transfer Item Information Performance No Errors, user friendly Control Table 3 Data Report Input None Process Print and Review Output List of All Information for One New Item and All Transaction

Million dollar idea Essay Example for Free

Million dollar idea Essay Marketing an energy juice drink in an environment that is highly-saturated with a lot of excellent power juices is a difficult job since one needs to slug it out with the big well-known brands under giant corporations that have all the power to dominate the scene for years. The big companies possess an advantage in terms of the advertising that enables them to create the best print and television advertisement for their products. The market for energy and stimulant drinks in all trade sectors witnessed an abundance of energy and functional drinks. Most of those who purchase these energy drinks do so to make themselves more energetic. Red Bull remains as the dominant brand. The case for marketing healthy energy juice drinks is a daunting task because it is difficult to come up with an interesting theme and advertisement to catch viewer’s attention and make them shift to one’s product. Even if one has the better product than the ones present in the market, if it is not properly advertised, then all of one’s effort also goes to waste. There are very few energy juices in the market today that can boast of being a healthy juice that can make people healthy when one drinks it. In spite of the vitamin factor, and the other vegetables that may have been included in the drink, juice drink advertisers need to be very conscious about the fact that these juices look all the same to the audience in general so that they need to exert extra effort in thinking of ways to enhance their product and make it stand out amid the other well-accepted juices in the market. Any creative group working behind an advertising campaign is pressed with a serious responsibility of not only promoting the product to produce more sales for the Company, or enjoining the people to patronize the product but most importantly bringing values and points of view to the very consciousness of men. Chivitah can utilise campaign slogans of â€Å"Healthiest and Most Affordable Juice Drink,† it stresses the point that people have to think health and remove the tensions, pressures, tempers. It encourages people not forget to take time out to see the goodness of life†¦ that is to stay connected with people and show that they care for each other even for a moment or two. Chivitah might be that drink that draws people closer to each other and make them realize realise that drinking a bottle of Chivitah will make them bond with people one stays connected with, lightens problems, anxieties and difficulties in life. In designing an effective marketing campaign for Chivitah, it is essential that there will be a creative think tank that will be assigned to conceptualise the product’s assets and begin with some BrainJams on the part of the creative consultants. This is how the company refers to the formal technique of â€Å"brainstorm ing† a topic. The company’s BrainJams are an in informed form of collaboration. In this case, they will set out to pigeonhole the product category defined as an energy drink and then uncover the emotional attachment to Chivitah in particular. The next step is to build on the resulting insights from the BrainJams by bouncing the hypothesis off some consumers and experts from the TalentBank. During the next step in Brain Reserve’s methodology, the Creative Think Tank people for Chivitah energy drink can ask the participating TalentBank members for the most powerful memories, experiences, and emotions they associated with drinking juices. Were there â€Å"juice-enhanced† events in their childhood? Perhaps more than one member reminisced the first time she drank juice gathered from fruits in their yard. There will probably be some experiences about how drinking the juice cured them of their minor ailments. The ultimate conclusion: Drinking energy fruit juices represent a deep-rooted, early seeded symbol of a healthy connection between mothers and children. Chivitah, therefore, can be marketed as built on this foundation and become a conduit for the delivery of wholesome treats. Secondly, they could get involved with the passing on of healthy drinking habits. The very name suggests a healthy and vital relationship to the drink. If one drinks well, one is cleansing one’s system well and not gorging on soft drinks and other sugar-ladened drinks. Thus, the company can decide to pursue this further and narrow the focus even further, to do something specifically about helping mothers and their daughters feel good about themselves. Chivitah can be marketed with the picture of a mother and daughter, having fun in an activity and drinking this juice at the same time, painting a picture of a bonding and friendship. This can be done as they share their Chivitah energy juice drink. Thus, Chivitah can become an integral part of a positive body-image message. The company believes that Chivitah can be launched as one of the nation’s foremost supporters of female self-esteem, built through the mother-daughter connection. This can become a tall order—to strengthen the mother-daughter bond in a Chivitah context. But it will give a big payoff-they could capture a unique positioning with this underlying mission: A rallying point for all customers, mothers and everyone associated with the brand. The shorthand message: â€Å"Chivitah: nourishing a woman’s self-esteem. † Six weeks before Mother’s Day, Chivitah will run ads in major newspapers offering a Mother/Daughter Journal for three proofs-of-purchase. The Journal will be a unique Mom’s Day remembrance. Advertisements for the Journal also laid out details of the more than one hundred Mother/Daughter Workshops to be held in Chivitah markets. The undistinguished point: Chivitah is participating in getting mothers and daughters together, linking them with other mothers and daughters and introducing all participants to tools that nurture self-esteem. Chivitah will also find its way to a Lifetime TV documentary about the first test workshops called â€Å"Mothers and Daughters: A Lifetime Bond. † The market for energy and stimulant drinks will continue to progress and grow as the category steadily matures. The lure of fast-growing profits will eventually go on in order to invite new players into the sector where energy drinks have seen sales double every year since their introduction. Indeed, it is true that one is whatever he eats and drinks. Juices, when taken sensibly can provide an alternative source of energy as lifestyles become more hectic. This is the reason why there are a lot of convenience stores, convenience foods and single serve packaging formats. In this world of consumerism, if a product is disappointing, another option is immediately available. Responding creates marketing that is based on putting together some ideas, then going out and asking consumers what they think and getting a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. Businesses always say that they do long-range planning. In running an advertising campaign, one has to take into consideration two-way benefits for both the Company and the consuming public. The Company sees the value of advertising to promote their product and gain sales from it; the consuming public on the other hand must see to it that with the product they buy from the Company, they get benefited from it not only in terms of satisfying their taste, their appetite, but the totality of their well being. If these aspects are addressed accordingly by the creative minds of those people working behind the advertising campaign, one can say that they have successfully drawn a campaign that truly serves the essence of advertising campaign—that is using it effectively in a holistic and positive manner that improves the values and intellectual being of men across their nation and around the globe. Works cited Gulas, Charles. Humor in Advertising: A Comprehensive Analysis. M. E. Sharpe. July 2006. Defining Marketing. Retrieved Feb. 10, 2009 at: http://media3. bournemouth. ac. uk/marketing/02defining/02defining. html Trend for fruit and milk juice blend grows. Retrieved Feb. 10, 2009 at: http://www. dairyreporter. com/news/ng. asp? id=12510-trend-for-fruit

Implementing Alternative Sources of Energy

Implementing Alternative Sources of Energy Chapter 1 Introduction 1.0 Introduction Hotels constitute a key element of the organized chain of activity in the travel and tourism industry, and occupy a crucial place in concerns over environmental protection related to tourism and travel. The hotel industry, because of the nature of its functions, characteristics, and services, consumes substantial quantities of energy, water, and non-durable products. It has been estimated that most environmental impacts created by the hotel industry can be attributed to site planning and facility management; excessive consumption of local and imported non-durable goods, energy, and water; and emissions into the air, water, and soil (APAT 2002; Mensah 2004; Trung and Kumar 2005). 1.1 Problem Statement Integration of renewable energy sources into hotel operations is perceived as the most promising form of crisis mitigation. There are two types of energy: renewable which is infinite and non-renewable which will run out in the future. Alternative energy includes wood or biomass, wind energy, solar energy, fusion and hydropower. Non-renewable energy includes fossil fuels, coal, geothermal power and nuclear fission. Even if with many promising alternative energy sources, hoteliers remember that conservation is the key to efficient energy use, no matter what the source of the energy may be. Energy consumption in hotels is among the highest in the non-residential building sector in absolute values. Available specific information on the energy characteristics, thermal performance, energy losses, electric loads, and comfort conditions play significant role for the sustainable development of hotels systems. During the past years, there has been rising interest, there has been increasing int erest, in the use of the concept of energy. The use of renewable sources in energy production with the need to promote sustainable tourism, provide energy-based amenities for tourists, and ensure environmental protection, and it focuses on solar power, wind power, the power of running water and biomass, the power of biofuel for motor vehicles, and biothermal energy. We are in an alarming situation in Mauritius whereby there is an increase in the arrival of tourist. The hotels sector has expand a lot with new hotels constructed. Moreover, due to that increase of tourist in hotel meaning that there is indirectly and directly an increase in the level of energy consumption. The increase in the energy consumed is having an impact upon the environment, hence hoteliers are now trying to find a solution to prevent environmental degradation. There is a need in using alternative source of energy in order to reduce their consumption and also to reduce their cost. Aims Objective of Study The aim is to analyse the alternative source of energy use in hotels and how it can be implemented with the following objectives: To analyse to which extent hotels are aware of alternative energy Assessing the alternative source of energy of hotels To assess how far the hotels are ready to implement alternative source of energy Evaluate the barriers in implementing alternative energy in hotel CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction In light of global climate change, issues of energy consumption in the international tourism industry have been receiving increased attention. In recent years, the tourism literature has increasingly recognized energy as an important issue. In particular, G à ¶ ssling et al (2005, p. 418) state: ‘ the use of fossil fuels and related emissions of greenhouse gases is, from a global point of view, the most pressing environmental problem related to tourism. The hotel sector has also been recognized as a key contributor of greenhouse gas emissions ( Warnken et al , 2004 ; Becken, 2005 ; Scott et al , 2007 ), research such as that conducted by Becken (2005) suggests that this has not typically been a major environmental concern for   tourism stakeholders. Moreover, a major concern among the hoteliers are to adapt new strategies in implementing alternative sources of energy which will help in reducing their consumption of the actual energy which is relatively high and costly. As su ch, Becken (2005) argues that energy has not been a major environmental concern for tourism stakeholders. 2.1 Consumption of energy by the Hotel Sector Energy has long been considered a component of environmental sustainability in tourism. For example, the environmental sustainability principle of the International Ecotourism Standard specifies that ecotourism products should minimize energy consumption, maximize energy efficiency, and implement procedures to train staff and provide relevant information to guests   ( Green Globe, 2004 ). Hotels are among the most energy-intensive compo ­nents of the tourism industry, representing essential tourist services and an important source of employment. As such In tourisms early stage, most of the energy was used to provide lighting inside and around buildings, and to provide heating. Energy was also used in storing and preserving foodstuffs, preparing and serving food, and for sanitary purposes (for bathroom facilities, laundries). Recently, the consumption of energy used in air-conditioning or for the needs of various auxiliary facilities (swimming pools, saunas, lounges) has grown con siderably. About one third of all energy consumed is used in guest rooms (30 percent of total consumption of electricity, 36 per cent of total energy used in heating, ventilating and air-conditioning, and 34 per cent of total water consumption). In this situation Energy is a key precondition to tourism processes. At a final-product level, electrical energy and heat power are the forms of energy most commonly used, while mechanical energy and solar and wind power are used substantially less. 2.2 Energy sources All other forms of energy belonging to the second group are nonrenewable: fossil fuel (coal, crude oil and natural gas), nuclear power, the Earths internal heat energy released on its surface (hot springs), the Earths internal heat energy that is renewed in its interior through the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium, and light atoms that are needed for fusion to take place. These nonrenewable forms are finite energy sources, and their duration depends upon the intensity with which they are exploited. Coal is the primary energy source of fossil fuels, and its combustion releases great quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. From an ecological viewpoint, this represents the pivotal problem of using fossil fuels, because CO2 and other emissions impact on the environment and pollute the atmosphere through greenhouse gasses. At the same time, the era of cheap fossil fuel has come to an end, and newly awoken concerns about fossil fuel security have further made dependency on them less desirable. In addition, the mean annual temperatures are predicted to rise in the order of 1.20-7.07à ¢Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã‚ ¦C between 2070 and 2099, further exacerbating the problem (Mimura et al. 2007). The prevalence of fossil-fuel generated power and the (still) marginal utilisation of renewable energy resources translate into significant emissions of particulates, nitrogen and sulphur oxides and other air pollutants, both locally and globally. Secondary pollution in the form of acid rain causes the acidification of lakes and soils, with negative effects on flora and fauna, human health and man-made structures and products. The decades of cheap fossil fuel did little to help promote the technology and subsequently it was not until the late 1990s that renewable International Journal of Sustainable Energy 95 energy gained new momen tum in the energy agendas of local governments and international organisations alike. The four principal strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accommodations include: reducing overall energy use, improving energy effi ciency, increasing the use of alternative energy sources and offsetting emissions through the development of renewable energy projects or the planting of trees to act as carbon sinks ( Ãâ€" n à ¼ t and Soner, 2006 ; Becken and Hay, 2007 ; Dalton et al , 2007 ; Scott et al , 2007 ;UNWTO, 2007a ). 2.3 Alternative sources of energy 2.3.1 A solar thermal collector A solar thermal collector is a solar collector considered to bring together heat by absorbing sunlight. The word is useful to solar hot water panels, but can also be used to denote more difficult installations like solar parabolic, solar trough and solar towers or easier installations such as solar air heat. The more multifaceted collectors are normally used in solar power plants where solar heat is used to generate electricity by heating water to fabricate steam which drives a turbine connected to an electrical generator. The simpler collectors are typically used for supplemental room heating in residential and commercial buildings. A collector is a tool for converting the energy in solar radiation into a more functional or storable form. The energy in sunlight is in the form of electromagnetic radiation from the infrared (long) to the ultraviolet (short) wavelengths. The solar power striking the Earths surface depends on weather conditions, as well as location and direction of the surface, but in general it averages about 1,000 watts per square meter under lucid skies with the surface straight perpendicular to the suns rays. 2.3.1.1 About Parabolic Trough Solar Trough solar systems use parabolic rounded trough shaped reflectors center the suns power onto a receiver pipe running at the focus of the reflector. Because of their parabolic shape, troughs can focus the sun at 30-60 times its usual intensity on the receiver pipe. The intense energy heats a heat transfer fluid (HTF), typically oil, flowing through the pipe. This fluid is then used to produce steam which powers a turbine that drives an electric generator. The collectors are united on and east-west axis and the trough is rotated to follow the sun to make best use of the suns energy input to the receiver tube.   Heat transfer fluid (usually oil) runs through the tube to absorb the concentrated sunlight. This rises the temperature of the fluid to some 400 °C. The heat transfer fluid is then used to heat steam in a normal turbine generator. 2.3.2 Biogas Biogas can bring a spotless, effortlessly controlled source of alternative energy from organic waste materials for a small labour input, replacing firewoood or fossil fuels (which are becoming more expensive as supply falls behind demand). During the conversion process pathogen levels are diminished and plant nutrients made more willingly available, so better crops can be grown while accessible resources are preserved. Since small scale units can be moderately simple to build and function biogas should be used openly if possible (for cooking, heating, lighting and absorption refrigeration), since both electricity generation and density of gas (for storage or use in vehicles)use large amounts of energy for a small output of functional energy. This idea is suited to distributed systems where waste is treated close to the source, and mud is also reused locally,to reduce transport and primary capital cost compared to a centralised system. As the distributed system will need a sustain network, biogas contributes to the triple bottom line; benefiting the environment, reducing costs and contributing to the social organization. This kind of biogas consists mainly methane and carbon dioxide. Other types of gas generated by use of biomass are wood gas, which is formed by gasification of wood or biomass. This type of gas consists mainly of nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide, with little amounts of methane. Biogas may be used as a low-cost fuel in the hotel industry for any heating function, such as cooking. It may also be used in present waste management amenities where it can be used to run any type of heat engine, to produce either mechanical or electrical power. Biogas can be compacted, like natural gas, and used to power motor vehicles and in the UK for example is estimated to have the potential to replace around 17% of vehicle fuel.   Biogas is a renewable fuel, so it qualifies for renewable energy subsidies in a few parts of the world. 2.3.3 Biomass Biomass, a renewable energy source, is organic material from living, or freshly living organisms such as wood, waste, hydrogen gas, and alcohol fuels. The biomass- energy- materials technology (Pinatti, 1999)—better known by its BEM acronym—uses acid pre-hydrolysis in a vacuum reactor in order to separate municipal solid wastes into two fractions. Biomass is commonly plant matter grown to generate electricity or generate heat. In this way, organic biomass can be integrated, as plants can also engender electricity while still alive. The most conservative way in which biomass is used however, still relies on direct incineration. However, it is possible to use biogas tapped from existing dumps and resulting in nil fuel costs, and either select or compatibilize technologies for upgrading the use of future municipal solid wastes, also with negative fuel costs, or ‘‘opportunity cost of waste function Vollebergh (1997), based on the amount of garbage that will not disposed in dumps. Forest organic residues for example (such as dead trees, branches and tree stumps), yard clippings, wood chips and rubbish are often used for. Biomass also includes plant or animal matter used for production of chemicals. Biomass may include recyclable wastes that can be use to burn as fuel. However, it excludes such organic materials as fossil fuels, which have been altered by geological processes into substances like petroleum.. 2.3.4 Flat plate collectors Flat plate collectors, developed by Hottel and Whillier in the 1950s, are the most common type known still now. They consist of (1) a dark flat-plate absorber of solar power, (2) a transparent cover that allows solar energy to pass through but reduces heat losses, (3) a heat-transport fluid (air, antifreeze or water) to remove heat from the absorber, and (4) a heat insulating backing. It contain of a slight absorber sheet (of thermally stable polymers, aluminum, steel or copper, to which a black or selective coating is applied) often backed by a grid or coil of fluid tubing placed in an insulated casing with a glass or polycarbonate cover. Most air heat fabricates and some water heat manufacturers have a completely swamped absorber consisting of two sheets of metal which the fluid passes through. The heat exchange part is greater than they may be slightly more efficient than usual absorbers. 2.3.5 Hydro Using water force as a source of energy is not new method. Some countries, such as Canada, are dependent upon on hydro power. Clearly, the availability is restricted to specific region. And to make competent use of hydro power, the scale must be enough. While the contribution of hydro is important, it is not expected to belong to the main flow in terms of aggressive growth of green energy on a global basis (Halldo ´rsson and Stenzel, 2001). 2.3.5 Geothermal Earth heat source on the 9000 degrees Farenheit inner earth hotness and steadily reduces in temperature closer to the surfaces, but the temperature close to the surface vary greatly. Rainwater that sips in deeper parts of the earth gets hot and is known as geothermal source. In several parts of the world this water finds its means back to the surface via cracks and faults, such as geysers (i.e. in Iceland) and boiling springs. As with solar energy, the matter is how to tap that virtually unlimited spring of green energy. In most cases the trick is to bore to find and get access to the geothermal basis. The hot water can then be used both straight and in geothermal power plants, which consists of three varieties. Steam can directly be used to produce electricity with a dry steam generator. Water among 300-700 degrees Farenheit can be used in a Flash Power Plant, where hot water is flashed into vapor, Water with a warmth as low as 220 degrees Farenheit can be used in a Binary Power Pla nt, where the hot water in some way produces steam from a fluid with a lower boiling peak using warmth exchangers. The used water is fed back into the basis for reheating. It is renewable in a sense, as the obtainable heat capacity has its limits. Currently, the universal capacity of geothermal power plants is over 9000MW. The energy cost of easy access geothermal energy power plants is similar to wind energy. An MIT study showed that it is possible to increase the capability in the US alone to at least 100,000 MW, requiring a speculation of up to US$1 billion. It is analogous to drilling for oil; the more you want, the more hard (expensive) it is to find the sources. Clearly, geothermal energy can become a major provider to the worlds energy needs on the long term. Geothermal power plants can regulate the output to the required requests, which is a important advantage and makes them very suitable for base load power (the amount of energy that is always desired). 2.3.6 Tidal Energy If there is one thing we can safely forecast and be sure of on this planet, it is the coming and disappearing of the tide. While the energy capacity is dependable, converting it into electrical power is not simple. One option is to construct a tidal barrage (contrast to hydro lakes) which are not only complex but also cause radical changes to the currents in the estuary that could have enormous effects on the ecosystem. Nonetheless, tidal barrages have a enormous potential, worthwhile further examination. Another option is to use offshore turbines that work analogous to wind parks, but underwater and using the tides as a basis, This technology brings no environmental issues, but as it is in an early stage, the cost is not yet aggressive (like wind energy in the premature days). 2.4 Energy Audit To determine energy performance of a building, both constructional elements and energy production and consumption systems need to be evaluated. Depending on the purpose of the building aforementioned elements and systems have different contribution and a various methodology is needed for precise energy performance calculation. Energy audit is an analysis of thermal performance and energy systems of building with the purpose to determent its energy efficiency or non-efficiency. Energy audit also helps getting new conclusions and suggestions on how to increase the energy efficiency. Main goal of energy audit is to access and process collected data, and to get as much accurate present energy performance of building, concerning construction characteristics in terms of thermal protection, quality and efficiency of heating, ventilation and cooling systems, quality and efficiency of lighting and household   appliances and building management. .   For example Large-scale tidal energy pro duction has been planned for Passamaquoddy Bay straddling New Brunswick and Maine, and the Bay of Fundy as at least the 1930s. Even the late American President John F. Kennedy, a winner of a large-scale barragestyle tidal power plan at ‘Quoddy, envisioned a â€Å"fossil-fuel-free energy future† on the Atlantic seaboard. Newer tidal current technologies offer much more energy generation possibility, and much less environmental trouble, than the impoundment schemes superior in earlier plans. 2.5 Barriers to implement alternative sources of energy The need for using alternate sources for energy has been progressively rising as the environment is getting worse due to human utilization. For those people who wish to make dissimilarity in their lifestyles, or want to help find better energy sources for everybody, there are government allocations that will provide the financial support to do rising energy costs are finally starting to force global leaders to research alternatives and provide the funding to make changes. 2.5.1 Solar water heating systems (SWHS) Problems such as malfunctioning pumps, leakage from tanks etc. were experienced and maintenance and repairing facilities may not be to the required level. However, individual users in direct contact with manufacturing companies were generally satisfied. But this was true for only new systems. An encouraging response came from the potential users; 90% in the cities were willing to buy if it saved them energy. But current high prices of the system were a deterrent to them. Although solar water heating systems are simple in construction, responses indicated that minor faults could lead to serious problems, especially if not detected early. It was found that many systems did not perform as expected due to reasons such as low level of awareness, technical problems and lack of maintenance. It was also revealed that due to unsatisfactory performance, credibility of SWHS was low and there was an urgent need to restore the confidence of both existing and potential users. SWHS are still not pe rceived as environmentally attractive and potentially economical means of providing hot water to targeted users. Therefore, serious efforts and corrective measures both from industry and government are needed for a sustained growth of SWHS market. The key stakeholders (users, manufacturers and experts) indicated that the economic / financial barriers are the most important barriers for SWHS industry. The SWHS were considered high priced compared to conventional water heating systems and electricity made it further unattractive for the â€Å"low bill† electricity consumers. A lack of credit facilities was another obstacle in this category. Awareness / information barriers were ranked second with stakeholder indicating these as most important. Presence of SWHS industry can hardly be noticed by consumers. Industry on the other hand offers very limited choices due to a lack of significant market. Technical barriers were ranked third with stakeholders indicating these as most important. However, some experts and users were of the opinion that technical barrier would have been ranked first if the SWHS were used more widely. SWHS manufacturers on the other hand argued that the lack of knowledge about the system design and operation, and a lack of maintenance were the root cause of the problem. The quality of the product has improved in the last three years. 2.5.2 Recommended actions to remove SWHS barriers The Following measures were recommended by the stakeholders to remove the barriers. Information and awareness Development of effective public awareness and promotion programs that are prepared based on market surveys and studies. It was proposed that the programs should concentrate on use of media especially TV and newspapers. The concept, the benefits and the required operating conditions for SWHS should be made clear to end-users through these media strategies. Promotion of SWHS could also be done through participation in various exhibitions held in syndicates, hotels, clubs etc. The demonstration systems can be set-up in places like city councils, clubs, big factories, conference halls, and stadiums etc. where the impact can be far reaching. Printed materials (such as leaflets, brochures) containing information on systems, selection criteria, maintenance requirements, and information about suppliers and their after sales services needs to be made available to the consumers. ther modes for awareness building could include seminars and presentation to targetted users in schools, universities and clubs, and awareness among students by setting up of laboratories in these places. Economic and financial Financial support from the governmental, private sectors and donor agencies to the SWHS needs to be put in place. Availability of credit facilities with low interest rates and reduction in SWHS prices to make it competitive with other alternatives is equally important. Encouraging local manufacture of SWHS by reducing taxes and customs duties on solar water heating system components. Financial and technical support to research and development activities for product improvement should also be provided Technical Current manufacturing standards and specifications should be revised to include quality control and assurance components and installation requirements. SWHS and their spare parts could be made available in shops and markets.   This should be accompanied with availability of maintenance centres within easy reach. A program or mechanism to address the problem of the systems already installed in the new cities needs to be prepared and implemented. Relevant government authorities, manufacturers and dealers of SWHS need to co-operate in this programme. The users of the system need to be made aware o f the maintenance requirements of the SWHS through the program. Formulation and enforcement of appropriate quality checks at the factory level, product quality and performance guarantee and mechanism for their enforceability , and setting up maintenance cum marketing centres for SWHS are other measures to increase their penetration. Institutional A federation, union or society, which can bring representatives of users, companies, financing sources, policy makers and researches on one platform can be very useful to co-ordinate efforts in this area. 2.5.3 PV (photo voltaic) systems for electrification There was a consensus that economic and financial barriers are the most important barriers and should be addressed first. This was followed by policy barriers, indicating need for a governmental mechanism to promote PV technology (Ahmad and Shenawy, 2006). Market barriers were considered next in importance, indicating small size of the market and limited access to international market. Private sector involvement was limited due to small size of the market. Some PV manufacturers even suggested the need for obligatory laws for rural electrification using PVs. While experts and users considered technical problems and availability of maintenance as an important barrier, PV manufacturers did not consider this as a barrier. Important barriers within these categories were as follows: Lack of information The awareness on the applications of solar PV systems is very low. High dissemination costs The target group for solar electrification lives in dispersed rural dwellings, and proportion of wealthy households is also low in these areas. Dwellings are far apart, and therefore the transaction costs for commercial dissemination, installation and after-sales services are very high. These costs are estimated to be about 30% of the total costs of PV systems. Unfavorable tariff system The tariff charged by utilities does not reflect the real cost of rural electrification. Tariffs for electricity are identical in rural and urban areas, although the cost of supplying electricity is much higher in the countryside. On the other hand, consumers with low consumption of electricity pay lower tariffs. This makes PV system uncompetitive with the grid electricity. PV system is also not able to offer the range of services that a grid can offer, making it further uncompetitive. The electricity tariffs do not include external costs (environmental costs) due to use of fossil fuels in electricity generation. If these costs are considered in tariff setting, PV systems could be competitive with traditional electricity sources. Taxes and duties As in many other developing countries, PV system is considered a luxury product and charged very high import duty. Sometimes, tax exemptions may be available for equipment imports for a public or NGO project. But this inhibits commercialization. Further, the components that are produced locally (such as charge regulators, and batteries), attract high duties to protect the market for local manufacturers. This can cause problems if technology with the local manufacturer is not reliable. Import of equipment and materials is also a problem due to foreign exchange constraints. 2.5.3.1 Actions to overcome the PV electrification barriers The solar PV systems still have opportunities and potential for contribution to the rural development programs. These include the following: Solar radiation is high in Tropical Island, making solar PV system operation quite reliable and attractive. Technical and technological experiences are available. The actions to overcome the barriers include the following; Awareness campaigns need to be launched on regular basis to bring out the potential merits of PV systems and applications. Financial schemes need to be designed to support buyers. Manufacturers, suppliers, and agents should have their representatives and centres near the consumers. Since the PV programme is in initial stage, government supported market incentives needs to be designed to encourage commercial development and deployment. PV rural electrification projects can be integrated with other development programs. Integration of various PV rural electrification projects can help sharing of experiences in barrier removal. 2.5.4 Large Biogas Plants (LBP) The barriers identified in the case of LBP are: Information and awareness barriers A lack of awareness on LBPà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s positive economic and environmental impacts Absence of governmental support for development, awareness and dissemination of the technology, necessary in the early stages of such programs. Institutional barriers Lack of co-operation and communication between the involved institutions, organisations and other stakeholders. Absence of NGOs role Economic and financial barriers Competing petroleum products and electricity are subsidized and easily available. High capital costs of LB P compared to other organic waste treatment systems. There is no economic evaluation for the positive environmental impact of the LBP. Unavailability of land within the targeted sites. Policy barriers A lack of application of environmental laws. Moreover, due to the high revenue generated by the states upon energy provided by the states electricity central, it is very difficult to implement alternative or renewable energy. 2.5.4.1 Actions to overcome the LBP barriers Since the LBP programme is in initial stages, most of the action needed relates to formulation of a proper plan and setting up implementing agencies, and ensuring co- operation between various agencies involved in the programme. The actions may include; Awareness programmes bringing out benefits of LBP as a source of clean energy and provider of environmental benefits through waste treatment. Reforming energy pricing policy to encourage and make RETs competitive with petroleum fuels and electricity. Setting up financing mechanisms to provide financing at reasonable rates of interest. Carrying out market potential study. Setting up a coordinating committee for planning and implementing the national action plan as suggested above for LBP. Strengthening the co-operation between the concerned ministries, institutions and organisations involved in the programme. Encouraging NGOs role in promoting LBP technology. 2.6 Direct and Indirect Impacts Social and environmental impacts of SWHS Energy saved by renewable energy technologies was estimated to be about 65%.   Estimated annual reduction in CO2 emissions is 190 thousand tons. Since the manufacturing is de- centralised and relatively labour intensive (at present, compared to alternatives; oil and electric heating), it