Management Control Systems Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management Control Systems - Case Study Example The monetary measure becomes a common measure that is understood by all functions of the organisation. Also, profitability measure is essential to the success of all organisations. Thus, management monitors performance in terms of monetary value. Most especially, financial results provide a mechanism to suggest whether the business strategies implemented by an organisation benefited them. (Kimmel, Weygandt, & Kisco, 2000) This paper focuses on the management control systems established and implemented by a banking institution - Grameen Bank. Grameen Bank is a non-traditional bank that surpasses conventional banking practices of its contemporaries. In view of this, the paper will illustrate the different performance measurements that the organisation established as well as create a performance evaluation of the organisation. Grameen Bank is a micro-credit organisation that had initiated lending to the rural poor and was very successful that they rise above the normal banking conventions. Muhammad Yunus founded the bank in order to help the poor people in his country. He envisioned create an organisation that would alleviate the poor from poverty. He created the bank because no other banks shared his vision. In his speech as a Nobel Peace Prize Awardee, Yunus started the bank as a home-grown project that was run with the help of his students. Now, the Grameen Bank has increased in multitudes and the Grameen idea has spread around the world. Grameen-type programs are being implemented in almost every country. (Yunus, 2006) The target market of Grameen is the poorest of the poor in Bangladesh and most of their customers are responsible women of the poor families. Yunus developed a lending methodology where loans are paid in miniature weekly payments. The purpose of micro-credit lending is to detect problems early and increase borrowers' confidence. The objectives of the Grameen Bank are to extend the banking facilities to the poor people without collaterals but instead of mutual trust, accountability, participation and creativity. The organisation aims to become an enabler for the unutilized and underutilized manpower to create opportunities for self-employment. (Grameen Bank, 2009) Management control systems According to Kaplan & Norton (1996), what an organisation cannot measure, the organisation cannot manage. In order for an organisation to be successful in its business, they must know what to look at or the indicators that show the health of the organisation. It is part of the role of management to create strategies for the organisation in order sustain their existence as well as grow in their business environment. It is the nature of management to have control over the organisation. It is the function of management to define various measures to safeguard its assets; check the reliability and accuracy of accounting information; ensure compliance with management policies; and evaluate operating performance and efficiency. Without control, the people in the organisation will be functioning in chaos and without direction. Management control is one of the reasons that an organisation would look professional, systematic and trustworthy, inside and out. A management control

Visual Aids for Language Teaching Essay Example for Free

Visual Aids for Language Teaching Essay The use of visual aids is important if a teacher really wants to do a great job, have more attractive classes and get better results from their students. Those aids are: the television which is entertaining and a good way for teaching, the radio a powerful appliance for improving the listening area, computers as a useful tool to study, and the video bins that make classes different, softly and let students to play and review the knowledge acquired. The television is a good way for teaching, the use of it makes the class more entertaining and it has different choices that teachers have successful classes. Teachers can use the television to watch t. v programs when they need to teach vocabulary. Films are also a good option especially because you can use the subtitles, so the students will listen and read everything in the movie. Teachers also have the choice to watch news and soap operas with them, in this way they will bolster listening, vocabulary, idioms, and so on. Television offers many channels and things we as teachers have the opportunity to include in our classes making it different. Another significant item teacher use in class is the radio. This appliance is very powerful if you want to see your students learn faster and improve their listening area. Playing music during classes make students to have a better hearing condition for English. Most teachers use their cd’s or USB where they have listening activities and some songs in order to help students learn songs, vocabulary and also analyze lyrics. In addition, we can use the radio programs to work on listening converting it in a dynamic method for the lesson. This aid allows teachers take advantage from it so as to create a garish environment. Nowadays, technology is very important because it is part of our life; computers have become a useful tool for students as they are perfect for study wherever you want and at any time. Students can prepare documents like homework, extra class works, essays, and many others papers for their classes at the same time they step up their written skills. By using the computer they have the chance to use internet; here they can work on their listening, speaking and reading skills. The internet provides multiple web sites, in which they can study, do exercises, read books, practice the pronunciation, and watch online movies and series where learners must listen to understand. Documentaries are also part of internet but they can rent it as well and watch it on the computer; in this form they will learn about a specific topic and listen to new vocabulary. Moreover, they can prepare power point presentations for expositions to make them more striking and cool. This equipment has facilitated people life and it is part of our daily routine; so that’s why teenagers love it and use it as many time as they can without omitting how helpful it is for them when they need to study. Furthermore, we have the famous video bins, which are very useful in our classes. It is now a great aid that teachers like to use because it makes your class different and softly. In addition to that, video bin is a good option if you want your students to play and review knowledge. Professors can present diagrams to explain new subjects, ppt presentations, videos related with those topics, and also photos that help students memorize the new words. Additionally, in those ppt presentations you as a teacher may include some games for your class, for example: who wants to be millionaire, jeopardy, educational torch, trivia, sing the song (karaoke), etc. Video bins are the latest visual aid use in class by teachers for the purpose of increase the quality of the lessons, given them another way to show/ explain students what they need to learn according to their plan. The use of aids such as television, radio, computer and video bin transforms our classes in an amusement place where students raise their knowledge and teachers get better outcomes from them. These items help to teach, learn, study, play and review awareness in a different and successful manner. Students will find the lessons enjoyable, funny, easier, dynamic, more relaxing and meaningful. Teachers are going to see the excellent grades from the learners and the desires from students to learn everyday more and more.

Stephen Dedalus And Dorian Gray

Stephen Dedalus And Dorian Gray Stephen Dedalus from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man written by James Joyce and Dorian Gray from The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde, go through many life changes. These two stories are in a ways similar to each other. Where the two main characters go though crucial transformation and how they are influence by religion and peers. As well in the way the authors wrote the novels by using symbolisms to develop the characters throughout the novel also play a role in these two stories. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man tells a story of Stephen Dedalus how decides to cast off all his social, family, and religious constraints to live a life devoted to the art of writing. As a young boy he attends a strict religious boarding school called Clongowes Wood College. Stephen is lonely and homesick at the school but as time passes he finds his place among the other boys. He likes is visits home, even though family tensions run high after the death of the Irish political leader Parnell. As they had a Christmas diner the death of Parnell becomes the topic. Simon, Stephens father, is inept with money and the family sinks deeper and deeper into debt. Stephen realizes that his family cannot afford to send him back to Clongowes, and that they will instead move to Dublin. He attended a prestigious day school called Belvedere there is where he grows to do extremely well as a writer and as an actor in the student theater. His first sexual experience with a young Dublin prostit ute unleashes a storm of guilt and shame in Stephen. He ignores his religious education, throwing himself with morally wrong abandon into a variety of sins like masturbation and more visits to prostitutes. Then on a three day religious retreat, Stephen hears a tri of fiery sermons about sin, judgment, and hell. Deeply shaken Stephen resolves to rededicate himself to a life of Christian piety. Stephen begins attending Mass every day became Ming a model of Catholic piety abstinence and self denial. His religious devotion is so pronounced that the director of his school asks him to consider entering the priesthood. After a brief considering the offer Stephen realizes that priestly life is utterly incompatible with his love for sensual beauty. Awaiting news about his acceptance to the university Stephen goes for a walk on the beach, were he observes a young girl wading in the tide. He is struck by her beauty and realizes in a moment of epiphany, that the love and desire of beauty should not be a source of shame. Stephen moves on to the university where he develops a strong friendship with Cranly. In a series of conversation with his companions, Stephen works to formulate his theories about art. While he is dependent on his friends as listeners, he is determined to create an independent existence, liberated from the expectations of friends and family. Stephen becomes more and more determined to free himself from all limiting pressures, and eventually decides to leave Ireland to escape them. In the story The Picture of Dorian Gray tells a story of Dorian Gray a wealthy and beautiful young man who curses his fate and pledges his soul if only he could live without bearing the physical burns of aging and sinning. In the London home of his aunt Lady Brandon the well known artist Basil Hallward meets Dorian Gray. Dorian sits for several portraits and Basil often depicts him as an ancient Greek hero or a mythological figure. Basil painted a portrait of Dorian as he truly is but as he admits to his friend Lord Henry the painting disappoints him because it reveals too much of his feeling for his subject. Lord Henry enjoys scandalizing his friends by celebrating youth, beauty and the selfish pursuit of pleasure; he disagrees claiming that the portrait is Basils masterpiece. Dorian enters the studio and Basil introduces him to Lord Henry and he fears that he will have a damaging influence on the young Dorian. Lord Henry upsets Dorian with a speech about the transient nature of bea uty and youth. Dorian worries that his most impressive characteristics are fading day by day and curses his portrait which he believes will one day remind him of the beauty he will have lost. In distress he pledges his soul if only the painting could bear the burden of ageing allowing him to stay forever young. Lord Henrys influence over Dorian grows stronger. The youth becomes a disciple of the new Hedonism and proposes to live a life dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure. Dorian falls in love with Sibyl Vane a young actress who performs in a theater on Londons slums. Overcome by her emotions for Dorian, Sibyl decides that she can no longer act. She wonders how she can pretend to love on the stage now that she has experienced the real thing. Dorian who loves Sibyl because of her ability to act he cruelly breaks his engagement with her. After he leaves the theater he returns home to notice that his face in Basils portrait of him has changed. It is then when he fears that that his wis h for his likeness in the painting to bear the ill effects of his behavior has come true and that his sins will be recorded on the canvas. The following afternoon Lord Henry brings news that Sibyl has killed herself. At Lord Henrys urging Dorian decides to consider her death a sort of artistic triumph and to put the matter behind him. Meanwhile Dorian hides his portrait in a remote upper room of his house where no one other than he can watch its transformation. Lord Henry gives Dorian a book that describes the wicked exploits of the nineteenth century Frenchman it becomes Dorians bible as he sinks ever deeper into a life of sin and corruption. Dorian lives a life devoted to garnering new experiences and sensations with no regard for conventional standards of morality or the consequences of his actions. His peers nevertheless continue to accept him because he remains young and beautiful. The painting, however, grows increasingly hideous. One night Basil Hallward arrives at Dorians ho me to confront him about the rumors that plague his reputation. They argue and Dorian eventually offers Basil a look at his soul. He shows Basil the now hideous portrait and Basil horrified begs him to repent. Dorian claims it is too late for penance and kills Basil in a fit of rage. To dispose of the body Dorian employs one of his doctor friend how refuses to help Dorian but at the end he helps his because Dorian blackmails him. The night after the murder Dorian makes his way to an opium den where he encounters James Vane the bother of Sibyl and attempts to avenge his sister death. Dorian then escapes to his country state while entertaining guest he notice James Vane peering in through a window and he becomes wracked by fear and guilt. A hunting party accidentally shoots and kills Vane, Dorian feels safe again. He resolves to amend his life but cannot muster the courage to confess his crimes, and the painting now reveals his supposed desire to repent for what it is hypocrisy. He pi cks up the knife he used to stab Basil and attempts to destroy the painting. There is a crash, and Dorians servants enter to find the portrait unharmed showing Dorian as a beautiful young man. On the floor lies the body of their master an old man, horribly wrinkled and disfigured, with a knife plunged into his heart. First over the course of the novels this two characters went through several transformation. Stephen Dedalus first transformation was during his first years as Clongowes, he goes from a sheltered little boy to a bright student who understands social interactions and can begin to make sense of the world around him. The second occurs when Stephen sleeps with the Dublin prostitute he went from innocence to a sinner. The third transformation occurs when Stephen hears Father Arnalls speech on death and hell he went from an unrepentant sinner to a devout Catholic. Finally, Stephens greatest transformation is from near fanatical religiousness to a new devotion to art and beauty. That transformation took place in chapter 4 when he is offered entry to the Jesuit order but refuses it in order to attend university. Stephens refusal and his subsequent epiphany on the beach mark his transition from belief in God to belief in aesthetic beauty. This transformation continues through his college year s. By the end of his time in college, Stephen has become a fully formed artist, and his diary entries reflect the independent individual he has became. In contrast with Dorian Gray, he went through several transformations as well. Dorians first transformation to me was when he was introduce to Lord Henry he went from being this young beautiful boy, close minded person to a selfish person with an obsession towards his beauty. His second transformation was when he breaks Sibyls heart. She being torn it drives her to suicide herself. This is the point where Dorian first notice the portrait that Basil had painted of himself starts to change. Here is where Dorian reveals that his pledge of staying young forever and his portrait taking the side effects of ageing are becoming true. As Dorians sins grow worse over the years, his likeness in Basils portrait grows more hideous. He seems to lack a conscience but the desire to repent that he eventually feels illustrated that he is indeed human. Dorian third transformation would be when he murders his friend Basil. He is unable to distract himself from the dissipation of his soul. Although in th e past he has been able to be sweep infamies from his mind, he cannot shake the thought that he has killed his friend Basil. Dorians guilt tortures him relentlessly until he is forced to go away with his portrait. Throughout this transformation not both of the characters went through a good change. Stephen Dedalus transformation went for a good one, well at least for him. As for Dorians transformation it went all bad from the beginning to the end. Also these two characters have in common that they in their own way were influence and let themselves get influence by others. Stephen Dedalus was influence by his family, his Catholic faith, and Irish nationality. Brought up in a devout Catholic family Stephen initially ascribes to an absolute belief in the morals of the church. As a teenager, this belief leads him to two opposite boundaries. At first, he falls into the extreme of sin, repeatedly sleeping with prostitutes and deliberately turning his back on religion. Though Stephen sins willfully, he is always aware that he acts in violation of the churchs rules. Second, when Father Arnalls speech prompts him to return to Catholicism, he bounces to the other extreme, becoming a perfect, near fanatical model of religious devotion and obedience. Eventually Stephen realizes that both of these lifestyles the completely sinful and the completely devout are extremes that have been false and harmful. Dorian Gray influence are heavily mostly by Lord Henry believes and his yellow book given to Dorian by Lord Henry. The yellow book has a profound effect on Dorian, influencing him to predominantly immoral behavior. Reflecting on Dorians power over Basil and deciding that he would like to seduce Dorian in much the same way Lord Henry points out that there is something terribly enthralling in the exercise of influence. Falling under the wave of such influence is perhaps unavoidable but the novel ultimately censures the sacrifice of ones self to another. Basils worship of Dorian leads to his murder and Dorians devotion to Lord Henrys hedonism and the yellow book precipitate his own downfall. As this two characters go through influences they at a point break apart. Stephen Dedalus does not want to lead a completely debauched life, but also rejects austere Catholicism because he feels that it does not permit him the full experience of being human. He reaches a decision to embrace life and celebrate humanity after seeing a young girl wading at a beach. To Stephen the girl is a symbol of pure goodness and of life lived to the fullest. In comparison to Dorians influences it is little wonder in a novel that prizes individualism the uncompromised expression of self that the sacrifice of ones self, whether it is to another person or to a work of art, leads to ones destruction. The authors way on writing their novels with symbolism enables them to develop their characters. In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, Joyce uses several symbolisms to develop his character Stephen Dedalus. Stephen associates the colors green and maroon with his governess, Dante and with two leaders of Irish resistance, Parnell and Davitt. In a dream after Parnells death, Stephen sees Dante dressed in green and maroon as the Irish people mourn their fallen leader. This vision indicates that Stephen associates the two colors with the way Irish politics are played out among the members of his own family. Another symbolism that Joyce uses is Emma. Emma appears only in glimpses throughout Stephens young life, and he never gets to know her as a person. Instead, she becomes a symbol of pure love, untainted by sexuality or reality. Stephen worships Emma as the ideal of feminine purity. When he goes through his devoutly religious phase he imagines his rewards for his pie ty as a union with Emma is heaven. When he is at the university he finally has a conversation with Emma. Stephens diary entry regarding this conversation portrays Emma as a real, friendly and somewhat ordinary girl, but not as a goddess Stephen earlier makes her out to be. His view if Emma mirrors Stephens abandonment of the extremes of complete sin and complete devotion in favor of a middle path, the devotion to the appreciation of beauty. Joyce also establishes water as a twin symbol of birth and death. Water imagery in the Portrait my point toward pleasure or pain, life or death, or it may be used to suggest both at once. Stephen fears the sea since he views it as an emblem of his own futility but it is the seaside epiphany which awakens him to the demands of life. In chapter five it is where Joyce exploitss the antithetical value of water. Joyce wrote He drained his third cup of watery tea to the dregs and set to chewing the crusts of fried bread that were scattered near him, st aring into the dark pool of the jar. The yellow dripping had backed to his memory the dark turfcoloured water of the bath in Clongowes. Here the tone of the language has been radically changed, the symbolism reversed, and this abrupt reversal emphasizes the change in Stephens state of mine. As for The Picture of Dorian Gray the author Oscar Wilde also uses symbolism in his novel. Wildes uses the color white as Dorians path from figure of innocence to a figure of degradation. White connotes innocence and blankness, as it does when Dorian is first introduced. It was the white purity of Dorians boyhood that Lord Henry finds so captivating. Basil invokes whiteness when he learns that Dorian has sacrificed his innocence and as the artist stares in horror at the ruined portrait he quotes a biblical verse from the book of Isaiah Though your sins be as scarlet, yet I will make them as white as snow those day were over for Dorian innocence. When the color appears again in the form of James Vanes face like a white handkerchief peering in through a window, it has been transformed from the color of innocence to the color of death. It is this threatening pall that makes Dorian long at the end of the novel, for his rose-white boyhood, but the hope is in vain, and he proves unable to wash away the stains of his sins. Wilde also uses the opium dens as a symbol. The opium dens represent the sordid state of Dorians mind. He flees to them at a crucial moment. After killing Basil, Dorian seeks to forget the awfulness of his crime by losing consciousness in a drug-induced stupor. Although he has a canister of opium in his home, he leaves the safety of his neat and proper parlor to travel to the dark dens that reflect the degradation of his soul. Finally, Wilde uses James Vane as a symbol as well. James is less a believable character that an embodiment of Dorians tortured conscience. As Sibyls brother he is rather flat caricature if the avenging relative. Appearing at the dock and later at Dorians country estate, James has an almost ghost spectral quality. James appears with his face like a white handkerchief to goad Dorian into accepting responsibility for the crime he has committed. Overall these two novels A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and The Picture of Dorian Gray the main characters Stephen Dedalus and Dorian Gray undergo through life changes. Stephen Dedalus development throughout the novel went evolving to living a good life as he grow up he shut all his influences and develop his own taking him where he wants to be in life. As for Dorian Gray his development as he grows did not succeed. He was always influence throughout the novel he did not do anything to revel to the people he was being influence by and at the end it end it up in tragedy. Work Cited Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York: Viking, 1916 Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Oxford, 2006 Litz, A. Walton. James Joyce. Boston: Twayne, 1966

Choices and Responsibility in Londons To Build a Fire and Cranes The

Choices and Responsibility in London's To Build a Fire and Crane's The Open Boat Naturalism portrays humans' control over their actions and fate as limited and determined by the natural world, including their very humanity. The freedom described by Jean-Paul Sartre results in all individuals having the ability to make present choices independently. Despite the fatalism illustrated in naturalism, the characters in London's 'To Build a Fire' and Crane's 'The Open Boat' are ultimately responsible for their choices and consequences of their choices. In 'To Build a Fire,' the man's antagonist is nature: London displays the man's journey as restricted by external forces. First, the temperature of the tundra is seventy-five-below zero (978), which naturally exposes the man?s ?frailty as a creature of temperature? (977). Obviously the man is subject to the forces of winter, and can not change his homeostasis as a warm-blooded animal. Similarly, London employs the ?traps? (979) of snow-covered pools of water to show that while humans may presume we are invincible, nature will stealthily remind us of our vulnerability (through invisible germs, for example). Just as the man does not see the ?trap? (981) that soaks his legs, he fails to notice the dog?s apprehension regarding their journey (981). Here London shows man's self-proclaimed superiority is falsely assumed, as he lacks the ?instinct? (978) that the dog possess; later, the man can not kill the dog (985), which signifies the dog is not subordinate regarding survival. After the m an steps in the water, London notes, ?He was angry, and cursed his luck aloud? (981). By attributing his misfortune to ?luck,? the man relieves himself of responsibility, recognizing himself as a victi... ...ependent of anything, including fellow humans, that would influence his decision regarding survival. Sartre would explain that this man dies stuck in a mode of pre-reflective consciousness because of his solitude: the man can not see his mortality until he imagines himself looking at his frozen body with his children (987). A similar irony is seen when Crane's men curse the vision of those attending the fictitious life-saving station; saying, ?They must have seen us by now,? (909) the men do not see that they alone are responsible for their survival. Works Cited Crane, Stephen. "The Open Boat." The Harper American Literature. Ed. Donald McQuade et al. 2nd ed. 2 Vols. New York: Longman, 1993. London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 7th edition. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York, NY: Longman, 1999.

In what ways is the environment of your country threatened?

Our survival depends on how well we handle our environment. The term environment refers to mountains, land, seas, oceans, forests and rivers. It also includes men, animals and plants. Mauritius, being a small country, is prone to many environmental hazards. Environmental pollution has become a great menace to man. Our environment is threatened in many ways including modernization, industrialization, deforestation, urbanization, agriculture, transport and travel and tourism. Measures and solutions are being taken to reduce them as eliminating them is impossible. The rapid growth of population is the most important cause in the imbalance of our environment. The larger the population, the greater the facilities and resources are required. Mauritius, being on of the small islands developing state is limited in size and resources. The demands of the population are increasing day by day and this is causing harm to our surroundings. There is not much space available for agriculture. If the growth is not checked, the pollution will get worsened. Modernization and industrialization in a tiny country like ours are having harmful effects on the environment. There is no proper zoning system in the country. The setting up of industries anywhere is giving rise to all types of pollution. The factories owners do not abide by the laws and run their factories as per their wish without thinking about what would happen to the environment. Land, noise and air pollutions are very common things nowadays. Aquatic lives have to suffer also because of factories which throw dyes in water. Moreover, in the name of road networks and residential areas, we are affecting our physical environment. The large scale destruction of forests is a great threat to mankind. People are cutting down trees to make buildings and the beauty of nature is thus disappearing. We depend a lot on our forests. Even animals depend on forests for food and shelter. Our cities provide for their inhabitants all the material comforts that modern science has bestowed upon man. They do not have the time to observe nature and appreciate its beauty. They are more interested in having big shopping complexes, houses and restaurants. Coromandel, which once used to be an agricultural land has now turned into a residential one. There is no control over population in urban areas and therefore over-crowding and environmental pollution have increased. The overuse and use of chemicals in agriculture affect our land our food. The insecticides used by farmers on the plants are washed away by rain and absorbed by the soil which caused the plants to die. These chemicals have proved to be very bad for health. Pesticides also form part in killing harmful pests and harmful wild lives. Chlorinated hydrocarbons are estimated to stay in the soil that contains those chemicals can accumulate them into their tissues. Human beings, very often unaware of these facts, are victims of all types of illnesses. Atmospheric pollution is being caused by the increasing fleet of vehicles and industries. Vehicles use fuels such as kerosene, diesel and oil. There is no control of the number of vehicles running our roads and motorways. The exhaust fumes from vehicles contribute a lot on our environmental imbalance. Noise pollution is another drawback of overuse of cars. Moreover, the industrial machines also contribute to noise pollution. The expansion of tourism is an opportunity for Mauritius but there are many environmental challenges. Sea activities mean a lot to tourists. They come to our island especially because of our beautiful beaches and lagoons. Due to marine pollution, the tourism can be very much affected. Many tourists will refuse to choose Mauritius as destination for holidays and will rather turn to the neighborhood islands like Seychelles and Reunion. Also, in Mauritius, many hotels have been built for tourists. At times there are no clients at all in those hotels. Then why is the need of having so many hotels? We are working according to a wrong planning and management. Several measures can be taken to diminish the risks of environmental hazards. A forestation will prove to be very beneficial. If ever we are cutting one tree, it will be good to plant another two trees. By doing this, there will be a balance in nature. The government must put a tax on fertilizers which will discourage those making excessive use of them and they will be more careful. Furthermore, catalytic converters or even unleaded petrol should be used. This will be helpful to decrease the level of pollution. Also environment education must be taught in schools. This will create awareness among the children and they will therefore know how to maintain their surroundings. Bins must be placed everywhere so as to have a clean and perfect environment. No work is done correctly without motivation. If awards for best villages, best cities and gardens are given, then the environment might become much more pleasant. Let us conclude the essay quoting the two famous sentences used by Mrs Indira Gandhi when she inaugurated the 12th World Energy Congress- â€Å"We should be good guests on earth, neither too demanding nor disturbing its delicate balance. We should allow it to renew itself for those who are to follow.†

Youth in Germany essays

Youth in Germany essays What is it like, to be young in Germany today? Many kids and young adults seem to be without any perspective for their future. They are disillusioned and frustrated. But is it really that bad? I dont think so. Of course, in some cases things are worse and therefore I am going to have a look on some general problems of our generation in this essay. It may be that I am not always able to hide my very personal view of being young in Germany, but as I am a part of this generation it might be all right. To start off with a topic, adolescents of all generations and countries are confronted with I am going to talk of kids and their place in society. When kids are in puberty, they just dont know where they belong to. As even Britney Spears articulates young females dilemma with singing Im not a girl, but not a woman yet we can imagine that this is a quite central problem for young people (why else should Britneys song be that popular?). But maybe it is really harder for young people to find their place, today. Everybody has to be like everyone unless s/he doesnt want to be an outsider. This starts with wearing the right clothes and goes on with other materialistic things. Unfortunately, this is no Playstation-game we stick in, this is reality. In this consume-orientated culture only few kids and young adults seem to be interested in real concerning topics like politics or their environment. As I get more and more interested in the politics of the 1960s and 70s I start to miss this thought of making things better, today. For sure, we can be satisfied with the society we are living in, but arent there still things which are worth fighting for? Dont we have the obligation to speak for the people who are not able to? What is about the people in the so-called Least Developed Countries? We have to see to it that the globalizati...

Tribalism in Iraq Essays

Tribalism in Iraq Essays Tribalism in Iraq Essay Tribalism in Iraq Essay Read the following article â€Å"Tribalism is the real enemy in Iraq† Answer the following questions 1. The author argues that Islam is not the real foe in the war in iraq. Who does he say is? The author argues that Islam is not the real barrier between the Western forces and the people of Iraq, but merely our differences in values and daily life, with the center of our differing ideologies being tribalism. 2. What does the author identify as the major differences between East and West? The author identifies the differences between East and West being our inherent basic ideologies. He describes Iraqi ideology as being post apocalyptic. 3. What are the five main attributes of tribalism as the author says sociology has taught us? Explain each. The tribe needs a boss. The tribe needs a leader to direct its people. The tribe is a warrior; its foundation is warrior pride. These are people who see themselves as knights of the Islamic crusade. The demand the respect of their people. The tribe respects power. The tribe respects those who display their might, not those who cower behind treaties and passive communication. You cant sell freedom to tribesmen any more than you can sell democracy. He doesnt want it. It violates his code. It threatens everything he stands for. They believe that the land IS theirs, and that is was given to them by god. The tribe has no honor except within its own sphere, deriving justice for its own people. Its code is Us versus Them. The outsider is a gentile, an infidel, a devil. If you came from the outside, you will never assimilate. 4. What then, from the author’s perspective, is the solution to this distinctively different approach to social organization between the East and the West? Do you agree? Explain. Though I believe he has a great point about our basic ideologies being different and Iraq in need of strong leader (or preferably a Stalin-esque dictator), he seems to be making almost archaic generalizations about the Iraqi people. Being a Caucasian Canadian living in the region I know how different they are from westerners like me, but I can tell you that the Iraqi people care nothing of tribes, leaders and marrying daughter,   and more about getting their water turned back on and feeling safe in their own homes. More than anything though, these people resent that we came in the first place. They may have had a dictator with secret police, but it was not taken out on the majority of citizens. Their standard of living is set to improve after the public development of their oil, but there is a long way to go before the bottom starts seeing any of that. Cite all your sources.

Very brief summary of Vietnam War essays

Very brief summary of Vietnam War essays After World War II, conflict arose between the French and Communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh and his established group the League for Independence of Vietnam (Viet Minh). In August 1945, Viet Minh guerillas captured the capital city of Hanoi in Indochina. Bao Dai, the emperor of Indochina was renounced and that region of Indochina changed into the independent nation of North Vietnam led by President Ho Chi Minh. On July 1, 1949, Bao Dai, with the help of the French founded South Vietnam and named the new capital of that country Saigon. In spring of 1954, the Viet Minh attacked the French fortification of Dien Bien Phu. After fighting for fifty-five days the French surrendered. On October 24, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower offered North Vietnam direct economic aid for their loss to the North. Within a couple months, U.S. military advisers were called to train South Vietnamese Army Forces. The Saigon government was continually helped by the Americans even after Bao Dai was overthrown and on October 23, 1955, South Vietnam was a republic headed by the president Ngo Dinh Diem. Saying that his government would turn down to hold reunification elections was one of his first actions. This was based on the people of North Vietnam not being able to express their own free will, which led to many falsified ballots. As a result of this war more than 2 million Vietnamese were killed, 3 million wounded, and hundreds of thousands of children orphaned. Shortly after that over 12 million Indochinese people became refugees. By boat around 500,000 tried to leave Vietnam but about 10 to 15 percent of the people died. Over 55,000 Americans were killed in the eight years of warfare and over 150,000 were wounded. During the agreement of ending the war there were 587 U.S. military and civilian prisoners of war. Not too long ago the number jumped up to 2500 POWs. The total cost of the Vietnam War up t...

Seminar unit 5 public health Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seminar unit 5 public health - Term Paper Example The examples of non-communicable diseases are obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer which can be modified through lifestyle change (Kotecki, McKenzie & Pinger, 2011, 98). Identification and treatment of multiple risk factors will help in addressing the burden of communicable diseases. Non-communicable diseases can be prevented by reducing or totally eliminating the risk factors that contribute to the illness. Multiple risk factor reduction is a special form of intervention that aims in helping in the reduction in a series of risk factors that contribute in a particular disease, such as cardiovascular and respiratory illness. The strategy is most effective if the sequences of risk factors are cluster together in a certain group of people or population (Riegelman, 2010, p. 90). For instance, in asthma cases the different factors involved are air pollution, cockroaches, allergies, and non-compliance to medication tend to occur together and effectively to address at the same time. In addition, health teaching, screening and the multiple risk factor reduction are the key approaches and are part of the intervention of preventing non-communicable diseases and other illnesses (Riegelman, 2010, p. 91). Clinicians, physicians and even researchers had several interventions and approaches in treating the disease, but the question is: Are the methods and interventions cost effective and net effective? Multiple risk factor reduction techniques has advantages and benefits and with less financial costs in dealing with non-communicable diseases. For instance, increase exercise and diet modifications are the key interventions to solve obesity. Similarly, mammography, childhood vaccinations and immunizations, cigarette cessation program and other public health programs are found out to be cost effective (Riegelman, 2010, p. 93). Kotecki, J.E. McKenzi, J.F. & Pinger, R.R. (2011).

The Lady with the Pet Dog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Lady with the Pet Dog - Essay Example The meetings between Anna and Gurov had initially started without any inkling of love, but their feelings were soon transformed into infatuation and finally into passionate love which brought the two different personalities together. They way Chekov has developed the character of Dmitri is indeed commendable. At the start of the novel he is portrayed as a typical detestable male chauvinist but by the end of the story, he is greatly changed by love and the readers start to feel for him. It is the power of love which forces Gurov to be dissatisfied by his life and routine. The love compels a married woman to have an affair out of her marriage. However accompanying love is the guilt that is pinching the conscience of both the characters. Despite being in love with Gurov, Anna feels happy and relieved to return back to his husband. The separation however does not last for long. Driven madly by the desire to meet Anna, Gurov leaves his city to find her so that he could confess his love fo r her. Even though Anna knows she is married, she yearns to break away from his husband and return to the love of her life. Love strengthens her conviction to meet Gurov and at the end of the story she sets out a plan to go away from her husband to meet him. To make the theme so vivid and so interesting, setting of the story plays an important role. The most essential element of the story is its dual setting. The dual setting plays an important role in shaping up the story. Yalta has been depicted as a state which is famous for its ‘stories of immorality’. Gurov is tempted by the beauty of the city to find a partner to spend time with. Then the city itself creates an atmosphere of romance by its ‘heat’, ‘the chirrup of the grasshoppers’ and the ‘smell of the sea’. The atmosphere has a direct effect on Gurov and Anna by setting a romantic mood for them. The setting is comparable to the moods of the lovers. Both the characters are su rrounded by the beauty and serenity of the city which brings them very close to each other. After Anna departs, it starts to get ‘cold’ symbolizing the onset of autumn in the city as well as in the life of Gurov. Then we see the city of Moscow, where Gurov returned. Moscow has been shown as a busy city with everything in perfect routine. The mornings are ‘dark’ which compliments Gurov’s mood. He feels gloomy and disgruntled by his life and yearns to meet Anna again. Chekhov has indeed remarkably created the setting of the story to match the mood of its characters. The Author Antonio Chekhov has written a number of short stories, all of which have been very popular among the readers. I find this story very interesting and appealing. They way Chekhov has narrated the story and the shown the connection between the two major characters is truly remarkable. The story proceeds smoothly without any glitches with the same theme of love circulating around the characters which maintains the readers’ attention. The literary devices and symbolism used in the story further increases the curiosity of the readers. This could very well be seen by the ‘silence’ of Anna which she maintains after most of the questions asked by Gurov. Moreover the author has connected the element of uncertainty and reluctance with every major character. Gurov is uncertain about continuing his relationship with Anna, Anna’

Presptus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Presptus - Essay Example With these improvements, many developed nations in the West have tapped into the Third World market because of the cheaper labor cost. In some Middle East nations, especially the OECD member countries, there have been increased rates in migration due to â€Å"regional conflict, the restrictions placed on other immigration channels, asylum seekers and family reunion† (Chalamwong, 2004, p. 3). In order to meet the work demands in these nations, some of these OECD nations have opened their doors to the entry of skilled and the highly skilled laborers, most especially those who have expertise in information and communication technology. With the contribution of these workers, the competitiveness of the nations in the world market has been maintained. As more nations have also taken advantage of this cheap labor market, the inevitability of a multi-cultural work place has come into fruition. In these labor markets, many opposing and essentially different cultures can often be found in the same workplace. The challenge that this workplace has created is on how management can merge various cultures into one cohesive and dynamic work force. In order to achieve a productive, dynamic, and even peaceful work environment, the manager has to come up with ways to blend these cultures while still maintaining perspective and while respecting each culture’s unique attributes. The changes that the manager has to implement will eventually decide the success of any project or any business in the current global economy. Despite the trends in globalization, unemployment has still been persistent in many parts of the world. The pressures of migration have increased because of these unemployment ratings. Moreover, most developing countries suffer from high unemployment rates and these rates are continuing to climb. For the OECD member nations, there is a

Is Rim Destined to eventually Fail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is Rim Destined to eventually Fail - Essay Example The factors can still support the argument otherwise. As a manufacturer of the Blackberry phones and products, RIM has shown a significant growth record in the recent past. The growth is witnessed in terms of output, staffing and the manufacturing infrastructure. The consistent increase in volume of the company’s products ensures its competitiveness in the marketplace by confirming that the products it supplies are market-friendly and adequate to the ever-increasing number of customers. The increase in production is fueled by the adequacy of staff. Adequate staff ensures that work is concluded on time, hence, meeting the company deadlines. Manufacturing infrastructure, on the other hand, facilitates invention and innovation resulting in originality of the company products (Palmatier & Crum, 2003). Externally, there is the ever-rising pressure from the rapidly expanding consumer base; RIM products experience a short lifecycle. Therefore, they have extended manufacturing contrac ts to likeminded firms to help them in production to meet the ever-rising customer demands. This has extended the decision making chain resulting in complexity when it comes to market efficiency and decision-making in terms of enhancing supply chains. The software makeup of the organization is also not up to the task, prompting the implementation of a decision support system for the company to ensure it continues its operations successfully (Chopra & Meindl, 2001). In the recent past, RIM has been quite successful and because of this success, a crop of challenges has come up threatening the success of the corporation. The company introduced seven new models of their products within the last 18 months. The challenge with these products is their shortened lifecycle that has reduced further from 2 years to a mere 1 year. Reports show that the company’s product portfolio has become very complex ranging from 18 to 100 possible end combinations of the models with only seven lines o f products. This has the challenge of easily creating what we call an excess inventory calling for an appropriate plan. Such are the introductions of the product lines without which the overall costs of the firm would rapidly escalate cutting down on profits resulting in reduced returns (Palmatier & Crum, 2003). The growth of the output of the handheld phones invented and launched within the last two years has risen by 310%. This has presented a challenge of keeping up with such growth as the supply chains have risen from just one to six suites worldwide (Klein, 2003). The ramp rates are also severe as they are executed from multiple manufacturing points within different countries. Therefore, RIM through its management has to be extra careful on how it introduces its products to the customer base that is wide both in size and in the expectation. Decision-making has become increasingly difficult in the ever-rising complex environment. As a result, the corporation has lost track of wh ich products to produce, at what time and to which audience (Chopra & Meindl, 2001). This is despite the fact that the decisions made at the head office cuts across all the supply chains making the company to always honor its commitment to its clients. A company is able to succeed if it is in the position of responding appropriately to the demand of its staff. In addition, there would be a delay in the production due

Life in the Digital Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Life in the Digital Age - Essay Example The development resulted in data transmission methods that had significantly faster speeds than the pre-existent methods of data transmission. In the end, the technology provided a fast and reliable method of communication that served as an alternative to the analogue communication tools of the day. Its pros facilitated its application in most of the communication of the world today. Telecommunications, television broadcasts, digital printing, and other major communication methods rely on digital methods in message transmission. In the last two decades, the development has been fast tracked with new communication methods such as the internet, social media, and online sharing coming into being. These have enabled worldwide connectivity with unrestricted sharing of all kinds of information. This has yielded a lot of benefits that have helped significantly in the covering of major milestones in the goal of global development and security. However, according to Cathy Davidson in Now You See It, the use of digital technology has also resulted in the social phenomenon of the generation having a paradoxical obsession with implications associated with living in the digital age. This raises the question â€Å"do we need to rethink and restructure the organization of our institutions so as to maximize the results because of the situation of the digital era?† Technology availability In the United States, investments into the technology industry has seen the availability of technology increase many folds as the population wants to access information and utility sites like social media. A PISA survey in 2006 showed that among pupils in the 15-year age bracket, over 95% frequently used a computer at home (Gros 26). The projections of this survey show that in 2013 this is a universal feature. The survey found that most of the children prefer the internet to all other media. The universal access has increased the overall time spent on screens with most teenagers spendin g a large portion of their time on social networks and texting using various gadgets. Television and video games are also a huge part of the lives of the young generation of today. This extends to young children under the age of six who are also accustomed to dealing with technologies. This shows that the young generation is accustomed to and views technology as a necessity in their lives. The development and use of the forms of digital technology has therefore succeeded in influencing the society in viewing it as a necessary part of life with some in the young generation relying heavily on it. This means it is necessary to have institutions of learning that consider this aspect of the young generation (Davidson 12). In comparison, the organization of institutions of learning tends to uphold teaching and assessment models that do not serve the new generation of students facing challenges in learning to think critically in the information overload era. In response, Davidson proposes that changes be made to the systems of learning to embrace digital technology in a fluid and participatory manner. One way of achieving this is the use of digital game-based learning technologies. Digital game based learning Digital game based learning (DGBL) is a method of instruction that applies principles of learning or content that is educational in digital technology in the form of video games aiming at engaging the student ("Digital game-based

Identifying complication of drinking cinnamon to induce labor Essay - 1

Identifying complication of drinking cinnamon to induce labor - Essay Example Being a secondary data collection method, it will involve access to articles with related literature and also establishing a strong understanding of the relationship between the use of the cinnamon sticks and the success rate of child birth. Therefore, the major source of the information will be secondary references which will have a strong focus on the development of the literature. Secondary information sources make reference to articles, books, hospital maternal reports and any other related source of information. Matan, et al (2006) argues that cinnamon sticks can be quite risky for pregnant women who use them to induce labor because they create a situation of toxicity from accumulation. This is especially the case when it is used for an extended period without attaining the intended results which might lead to the women developing some serious health problems. These problems might lead to the baby also being put at risk (Shields, P. & Rangarjan, 2013). The risk occurs when high toxicity levels in the mother as a result of high consumption of cinnamon reaches the baby. From the study design, information is collected through a collection of methods which are all secondary sources. In essence, information is collected from as many secondary sources as possible so that what different authors think about the situation is shared. This is a situation, which has to be avoided at all costs, and it requires that expectant mothers desist from using large amounts of cinnamon sticks in trying to induce labor. This study is useful because it shows that despite the common assumption that the use of cinnamon induces labor, there are instances where it does not. An increase in the amount consumed will not therefore help in any way. In fact, it might make the mother to put her baby at risk as acknowledged. When such cases occur, very little that can be done to save it. However, this study fails to show for how long a mother can take cinnamon sticks before it

Is Rim Destined to eventually Fail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is Rim Destined to eventually Fail - Essay Example The factors can still support the argument otherwise. As a manufacturer of the Blackberry phones and products, RIM has shown a significant growth record in the recent past. The growth is witnessed in terms of output, staffing and the manufacturing infrastructure. The consistent increase in volume of the company’s products ensures its competitiveness in the marketplace by confirming that the products it supplies are market-friendly and adequate to the ever-increasing number of customers. The increase in production is fueled by the adequacy of staff. Adequate staff ensures that work is concluded on time, hence, meeting the company deadlines. Manufacturing infrastructure, on the other hand, facilitates invention and innovation resulting in originality of the company products (Palmatier & Crum, 2003). Externally, there is the ever-rising pressure from the rapidly expanding consumer base; RIM products experience a short lifecycle. Therefore, they have extended manufacturing contrac ts to likeminded firms to help them in production to meet the ever-rising customer demands. This has extended the decision making chain resulting in complexity when it comes to market efficiency and decision-making in terms of enhancing supply chains. The software makeup of the organization is also not up to the task, prompting the implementation of a decision support system for the company to ensure it continues its operations successfully (Chopra & Meindl, 2001). In the recent past, RIM has been quite successful and because of this success, a crop of challenges has come up threatening the success of the corporation. The company introduced seven new models of their products within the last 18 months. The challenge with these products is their shortened lifecycle that has reduced further from 2 years to a mere 1 year. Reports show that the company’s product portfolio has become very complex ranging from 18 to 100 possible end combinations of the models with only seven lines o f products. This has the challenge of easily creating what we call an excess inventory calling for an appropriate plan. Such are the introductions of the product lines without which the overall costs of the firm would rapidly escalate cutting down on profits resulting in reduced returns (Palmatier & Crum, 2003). The growth of the output of the handheld phones invented and launched within the last two years has risen by 310%. This has presented a challenge of keeping up with such growth as the supply chains have risen from just one to six suites worldwide (Klein, 2003). The ramp rates are also severe as they are executed from multiple manufacturing points within different countries. Therefore, RIM through its management has to be extra careful on how it introduces its products to the customer base that is wide both in size and in the expectation. Decision-making has become increasingly difficult in the ever-rising complex environment. As a result, the corporation has lost track of wh ich products to produce, at what time and to which audience (Chopra & Meindl, 2001). This is despite the fact that the decisions made at the head office cuts across all the supply chains making the company to always honor its commitment to its clients. A company is able to succeed if it is in the position of responding appropriately to the demand of its staff. In addition, there would be a delay in the production due

Identifying complication of drinking cinnamon to induce labor Essay - 1

Identifying complication of drinking cinnamon to induce labor - Essay Example Being a secondary data collection method, it will involve access to articles with related literature and also establishing a strong understanding of the relationship between the use of the cinnamon sticks and the success rate of child birth. Therefore, the major source of the information will be secondary references which will have a strong focus on the development of the literature. Secondary information sources make reference to articles, books, hospital maternal reports and any other related source of information. Matan, et al (2006) argues that cinnamon sticks can be quite risky for pregnant women who use them to induce labor because they create a situation of toxicity from accumulation. This is especially the case when it is used for an extended period without attaining the intended results which might lead to the women developing some serious health problems. These problems might lead to the baby also being put at risk (Shields, P. & Rangarjan, 2013). The risk occurs when high toxicity levels in the mother as a result of high consumption of cinnamon reaches the baby. From the study design, information is collected through a collection of methods which are all secondary sources. In essence, information is collected from as many secondary sources as possible so that what different authors think about the situation is shared. This is a situation, which has to be avoided at all costs, and it requires that expectant mothers desist from using large amounts of cinnamon sticks in trying to induce labor. This study is useful because it shows that despite the common assumption that the use of cinnamon induces labor, there are instances where it does not. An increase in the amount consumed will not therefore help in any way. In fact, it might make the mother to put her baby at risk as acknowledged. When such cases occur, very little that can be done to save it. However, this study fails to show for how long a mother can take cinnamon sticks before it

Mauritius - The Scope of Ict Essay Example for Free

Mauritius The Scope of Ict Essay 1. INTRODUCTION Mauritius is a small beautiful island in the Indian Ocean, which locates 800 kilometers east of Madagascar and some 2000 kilometers off the southeast African coast. Mauritius had been served as a colony of Dutch, French and British for long. The Dutch rule started in the late sixteenth century. They named the island Mauritius after prince Maurice Van Nassau, Governor of Holland and introduced sugar cane and domestic animals in the country. The Dutch abandoned the island in 1710, and France took possession. Renamed Isle de France, Mauritius was a strategically important location in the colonial drive for dominance and used as a base for the French to attack British ships. The British captured the island in 1810 and gave it back its name Mauritius. After slavery was abolished under the British rule in 1835, Indian immigrants began arriving to work in the sugar cane fields. A small group of Chinese traders followed later. Mauritius obtained independence on 12 March 1968 and became a republic in 1992. The Republic of Mauritius consists of four islands namely Mauritius (the largest at 1’865 square kilometers), Rodrigues (104 square kilometers), the Agalega Islands (70 square kilometers), and the Cargados Carajos Shoals (1.3 square kilometers). The country is divided into municipalities and villages. It has five municipal councils in the urban areas and 126 village councils in the rural areas. The economy of Mauritius was mainly dependent on sugar and textiles. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. In the last few decades, Mauritius had undergone through massive developments in both its economical and social arena. From a monocrop economy, depending mainly on sugar, it diversified its economic activities into, textile and apparel industry, tourism and financial services during this period. But the island-nations new vision is to become a regional IT or dotcom hub and kick start its flagging economy, hit hard by fierce international competition and the removal of preferential access to European markets for sugar and textiles. The government has identified the potential and scope of their country in the IT outsourcing business and has set frontline priority for this sector in the economy of the nation. 2. Environmental appraisal analysis and evaluation of IT Outsourcing for Mauritius. Mauritius as a new entrant in the IT outsourcing industry, has to ensure that its micro and macro-environments are supporting to its optimum for the development of industry in the country. The PLEEST and SWOT analysis will help to understand the country’s potential to become an active player in the world IT outsourcing industry by 2010. 2.1 PLEEST analysis This analysis takes into consideration the political, economical, legal, socio-cultural, technological and environmental factors that affect the operation of the industry in the country. To create a better market for the IT out sourcing activities, these factors should be supportive to the industry and encouraging for future developments. Political: Mauritius is a republic where elections are held on a democratic style. The present MLP (Mauritian Labour Party) government led by Prime Minister Navin Chandra Ramgoolam has strong majority in the parliament. The Ramgoolam government is taking keen attention in continuing the efforts of their predecessors to make their country an outsourcing hub. The previous government has initiated strong commitment to develop the ICT industry. Three Ministerial task forces have been set up to look into the establishment of a Cyber City, the implementation of the e-Education and the e-Government projects. The government had already secured a line of credit of US$100 million from the Government of India for the implementation of these projects. Setting up of Ebene Cyber City fits in with this strong Government commitment. Economical: Mauritius has a strong economy with no foreign direct investment (FDI) control; double taxation avoidance and treaties with many other countries. Mauritius enjoys the status of a developed country in many aspects of development, which will encourage the growth of ICT industry. The Mauritian economy is dominated by five or six families, most of whose business have major operations in the IT sector. And the importance of computer in the day-to-day business operations has increased spontaneously. A 2001 survey by the National Computer Board (NCB) showed that over 80% of businesses posses at least one computer. Socio-cultural: The use of computer and Internet among the Mauritian society is steadily increasing. According to the results of a survey by NCB both home computer ownership and Internet connection of Mauritian households having telephone connectivity increased to attain 29.4% and 23.8% respectively. Today around 80% of population have telephone connection. But only 13% have own PC. All primary and secondary schools have computers. Several hundred teachers have taken computer training, which they are now applying in the classroom. There are plans to use ICT as a pedagogical tool across the curriculum from 2006, by when all teachers will have received necessary ICT training. But computerization in the tertiary level of education is less than adequate. Mauritius has a vast pool of English and French speaking population. Technological: Mauritius has very good telecom infrastructure especially with the SAFE project that places the country on the super highway. It has widespread access to both landline and mobile telephony. Preferential and highly competitive rates are proposed: the tariff for a 512 Kbps downstream / 128 Kbps upstream ADSL link is only Rs.5,500 per month. Furthermore, good redundancy is assured through both cable and satellite. Legal: The Data Protection Act was introduced in June 2004.Its main objective is to protect the individual’s rights to privacy while ensuring that personal information is lawfully and fairly obtained, processed, protected and disclosed. It also provides a framework to govern the use of customer data, hence preventing any misuse. It will give greater confidence to investors and foreign companies to invest in Mauritius. Mauritius is a signatory of the WIPO convention and it has introduced The Computer Misuse and Cyber crime Act recently. Previous laws enacted in this field were: Information and Communication Technologies Act 2001 (December 2001), Electronic Transactions Act (July 2000) and Copyright Act (September 1997). Environmental: Mauritius has a modern banking system, courier services, major brands representation and easy acquisition of equipment. Regular air and sea transport facilities are available to and from major destinations. An Incubator Centre is already operational for start-ups to encourage entrepreneurship. The NCB Incubator Centre provides facilities such as furnished office space, telecommunication facilities, etc to start-ups in the ICT sector. The country provides high quality of infrastructure with relatively lower cost than many of its competitors. 2.2 SWOT analysis Strengths: Mauritius locates in a strategic place with a unique time zone (GMT +4), so that they can work with Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa conveniently on a single day. A Bi-lingual population that speaks English and French is an advantage in doing business with countries that speaks the same language. As far as the political willingness and infrastructure is concerned Mauritius has a well defined national vision and strategy to develop the ICT industry and enhance a high quality infrastructure with relatively low cost of operation. The other features of Mauritius in favour of IT outsourcing are: †¢IT penetration †¢Special incentive packages †¢Business-friendly environment †¢Telecommunication †¢Availability of modern office space †¢Labour–related issues †¢Quality of labour †¢Low labour turnover †¢Training †¢Appropriate legal framework †¢Strong support services †¢Incubator Centre †¢Close relationship with India Weaknesses: Low scalability is the major weakness of the country. As a small Island with only1.2 million populations it lags far behind of the industry giants like India, China and Philippines in the number of skilled manpower. Training in this regard is also poor. Poor marketing skill and absence of adequate recruitment agencies are another area of weakness. Without getting proper career guidance the right candidates are seeking other shelters than IT. High cost of financing and telecommunication create hindrance for new ventures to come and existing one to survive. Labour related issues are another problem to be rectified. Opportunities: Connection to the South Africa-Far East (SAFE) fibre optic submarine cable, which connects 40 countries, provides Mauritius a great opportunity to link with the global digital economy. Having a population with expertise in English and French, they have opportunity in the UK and France. Low labour turnover in Mauritius is another attraction. Decision of leading global financial institutions to outsource their activities gives abundant opportunity to Mauritius. As Mauritius follows the same accounting standards as UK, it can benefit from this opportunity by outsourcing financial activities to this country. Proper training to its accountants should be given in French accounting standards also to target French market. Many outsourcer countries, when they seek offshore outsourcing, rely on quality rather than cost. This will be an opportunity for Mauritius. Threats: There are severe threats to Mauritius from new potential competitors like Czech Republic and Hungary for both English and French segment. Legislations against offshore outsourcing causes another threat to its goal of becoming a frontline outsourcing destination. 2.3. The world Out Sourcing market The worldwide IT Outsourcing market is rapidly growing, which is estimated to grow around $400bn in 2010. The US remains the leader in the outsourcers list with around 60% of the world market while India stood first in the recipients list. But the picture is changing rapidly. The outsourcing countries are increasing both in terms of number and revenue stream. Europe has now been turned as a potential outsourcer. Studies shows that outsourcing spending of Europe is growing faster than the US. In which UK register a dramatic rise in growth with a amazing 45% growth in 2002 and the trend is continuing. Another trend in the market is that the increasing number of countries which strives to become potential outsourcing destinations and achieving success in this field. For instance Maghreb countries like Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria are emerging as strong outsourcing destinations and Czech Republic and Hungary proved potential from Europe. 2.4 Market segmentation: French and English speaking countries As a nation which strives to become an IT outsourcing destination for other countries, Mauritius should adopt macro- segmentation i.e. segment their markets on the basis of geographical location, industry and organisational size. Being a bilingual society that can speak both English and French and with close cultural tie up with these two societies, Mauritius should concentrate on French speaking countries as well as countries which use English. In the case of Mauritius, it is difficult for them to concentrate on large organisation as they are a novice in the field of outsourcing and has been treated as less experienced and expertise in relation to the outsourcing giants like India, Philippines and China etc. Another common macro-segmentation variable is industry sector. Different industries may have unique requirements from products. In the context of IT outsourcing, Mauritius can provide outsourcing service to various industries like banking, manufacturing, healthcare, education an d so on. By understanding each industries needs in depth, a more effective marketing mix can be designed. In the case of IT outsourcing, it is very common that countries adopt geographical segmentation because the geographical location of the outsourcer country vis-à  -vis that of the outsourcing country plays a vital role in getting order. For example, India has a unique geographical location with US. Both these countries locate in the opposites on the globe. By outsourcing business to India, the US companies can do business 24 hours without any interruption. Mauritius has got a convenient geographical location with a favourable time zone (+4 GMT), which helps them to provide service to Europe, Asia and Americas. As the US and Europe contributes the lions share of outsourcing activities, there is harsh competition prevails between the major outsourcing recipient countries. Most of the American MNC giants prefer outsourcing their activities in India because of its high skilled and low cost characteristics and unique time gap it has with India. The trend in the US is that, majority of their outsourcers prefer leaders like India, China, Philippines, Russia and Malayasia. So, it will be difficult for Mauritius to succeed in this market. 3. Target Markets A target market consists of a set of buyers who share common needs or characteristics that the company decides to serve Kotler,P. et. al (1996).Having man power strength that is expertise in both English and French, Mauritius can set France and UK as their target markets. The details of each target markets are given below: Most of the existing outsourcing companies in Mauritius have as origin France and UK. In 2003, out of 20 outsourcing companies in Mauritius, 3 were UK based company and 7 were French. There were another 5 companies with capital of Mauritius and France/ UK. Mauritius has then already a good relationship with these two countries. Mauritius has got a strategic advantage over their competitors in terms of linguistic skill when working with these two countries. As Mauritius had been a colony of both Britain and France for long, they have inherited from these countries many aspects of their culture including language. A bi-lingual population who can speak both English and French is an asset if they work with these countries. Mauritius’s unique time zone with these two countries, the existing good relationship with those industries and the growing outsourcing market in UK and France are extending huge opportunity to Mauritius to operate in those markets. 3.1 UK 3.1.1 Profile UK is a rapidly growing market of IT outsourcing. Studies have proved that the number of companies in UK that outsourcing its operations are increasing. Both the private and public sector industries in the country are now giving preference to outsource their activities to offshore. It is the UK which stood second after the US in the worlds largest outsourcers list and this trend will continue because of the more liberal employment and labour laws (McKinsey, 2004).As a result of which competition is becoming aggressive in the UK market. A study conducted by kable Market Intelligence Services reveals that the IT and business processing outsourcing market is to grow by a staggering 78% by 2007 with annual spend reaching  £6bn. According to this study report, It is the public sector like local government, criminal justice and education, which will grow faster during this period. There is a rapidly increasing trend among the businesses in the UK for outsourcing their activities offshore. The management of many companies believe outsourcing their business will add their corporate value. The report conducted by the Centre for Economic and Business Research shows that companies that outsource business will outperform their peers and could create additional shareholder value. As a result, new and new companies join the group of outsourcers each day. One economic forecast shows that outsourcing has the potential to be worth $648 billion by 2010up 52 per cent on 2004.It shows that UK will be one of the biggest outsourcer countries in the next decade also. 3.1.2Financial and Public sector services Recent Studies show that there would be an amazing hike in the outsourcing activities of UK’s public sector and financial service industry in the coming years. According to them these two industries are planning invest millions of pounds for outsourcing activities by 2010. Financial service sector: Financial services sector is the second largest outsourcer in the UK after the manufacturing industry. With the expansion of globalisation and aggressive competition followed by it, the leading banking and investment companies plans to outsource their primary activities in order to reduce cost and concentrate on their core activities (Logica CMG report, 2004). Most of the companies think outsourcing is an essential tool of their success and without it they may ultimately loose in the industry. Mauritius has a good pool of skilled chartered accountants, who have experience and expertise in UK accounting standards. India’s patronage to Mauritius is an advantage to them to enter in to this segment. Mauritius should use its connection with India for getting training to its workforce and get entry to the UK market. Public sector services: A study conducted by Kable, an organisation that provides technology research and analysis on the UK government and public services sector, suggests that almost one fifth of public sector services ( £60bn) could be delivered through outsourcing to private and voluntary bodies. Principle sectors targeted for this treatment appear to be the health and education sectors, which are subject to frequent reforms with very uncertain success to date. Here, quality is more concerned than cost Mauritius can make use of this situation by extending highly accurate and good quality service at an industry competent price. 3.1.3 PESTLE analysis of UK Political: Government and political parties have high concern for liberalisation process. They encourage the outsourcing activities because they believe it will bring prosperity to their nation. Economical: The economy of UK is the most liberalised on in Europe. High competition existing in the market demands more and more ways of cost reduction from the part of businesses. As a result, outsourcing jobs to other countries continues its growth. Social: British society is highly concerned about profit and better performance. They are not much worried about job security and protection. This gives confidence to companies to go ahead with outsourcing activities. Technological: Almost 100% of businesses in the UK use computers and Internet. They are very fond of new technologies. As a result more and more companies come to the list of outsourcers. Legal: UK enjoys a liberal employment and labour laws, which in turn result in the high performance of businesses. They have more freedom to choose their strategy of operation and so, companies are exempted from legal barriers to offshore business. 3.1.4 Competitor analysis Potential new entrants: Threat from new entrants will be very high in the UK market, because unlike France UK deals with industry giants like India, china, Philippines and other European countries. It is not very tough for a potential new entrant to enter into British market, as the language skill is not a barrier for these countries. But surviving in the market is very tough because of the presence of India and China; they can provide high quality of services with amazingly low cost. Bargaining power of buyer: UK has high bargaining power over Mauritius because they have so many suppliers to provide excellent services with low cost. But in the case of Mauritius they have not many suppliers, so that they will force to take stringent measures to improve the quality of service in each time. Industry competitors: Competition in the UK industry is tough with the presence of almost all the leading out sourcing countries in the world. Still the opportunity there is increasing for potential new countries as a result of increased liberalisation and competition followed by it. Out sourcing recipients are competing in reducing cost While maintaining the high quality of their service. But studies in this regard reveals that they can’t go beyond a certain level because the bargaining power of their suppliers (Skilled labour) increasing. Competitive differentiation: Mauritius can use their high skilled accountants to give services to financial sector companies in the UK. As the country uses the UK accounting standard, it will be an advantage to them. Studies have proved that the global financial giants are going to offshore their activities by 2007. 3.1.5 Positioning: Cost is a concern for many outsourcers in the UK. As cutting operational cost is one of the prominent aim behind outsourcing, companies that go for outsourcing their activities will turn to clients who provides quality services with low cost. In the present situation Mauritius is far behind other competitors in the industry in terms of cost and size. It cannot compete with leaders in the industry on cost in the near future. In this context, Mauritius has to provide high quality service in order to attain business from UK. Leading companies in UK is following a multi-country strategy for outsourcing their operations after the terrorist attack on Sept.2001. In such a circumstance they are avoiding the cost concept and giving much attention to quality and safety. This gives opportunity to Mauritius to position themselves in UK by offering high quality service.

Methanation in Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) Production

Methanation in Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) Production Methanation is the process of producing methane from H2 and CO. Methane (an odourless and colourless gas, composed of four hydrogen molecules attached to one carbon molecule) is found in natural gas that we can use in our homes for energy. Methane found in natural gas is produced by anaerobic bacteria, which break down organic material and the waste product is the natural gas. The natural gas that is sought after by companies such as BP drilling for oil and gas was produced by anaerobic bacteria millions of years ago. Methane is used in many processes some of which are explained below. We will mainly consider methanation in the production of Substitute Natural Gas (SNG) as this can be used instead of natural gas which has limited resources and supply. Methanation is the reverse reaction of steam methane reforming. It is one of the most important steps in ammonia plants as the COx produced in the overall steam reforming process need to be separated from the H2, as the H2 is to be used for ammonia synthesis. This process is also referred to as purification methanation. The content of oxides of carbon in the production of ammonia must be reduced to a very low level to prevent catalyst poisoning2. After the low temperature shift (LTS) reaction and deduction of CO2, the methanation reaction is used to remove any residual COx from the process stream before ammonia synthesis. Trace amounts of CO and CO2 are reacted with hydrogen in the presence of a nickel oxide catalyst to produce a mixture of methane and water. This process removes the residual 0.2-0.5% CO and 0.1%-0.2% CO2 to about 5ppm (it is vital to in the production of ammonia to remove the COx as even a low level significantly reduces the methanation rate) by reduction to methane with hydrogen in a fixed-bed reactor, with a 15-35 wt% Ni/Al2O3 catalyst (2).This catalyst is usually prepared by impregnating high surface area ÃŽÂ ³- Al2O3 with a soluble Ni salt. MgO can be used to impede sintering of the active Ni crystallites. For this process methanation is normally carried out in an adiabatic, fixed-bed reactor at 30 atm, with an inlet temperature of 300 °C and an exit temperature of 365 °C. This reaction is highly exothermic and the temperatures of the bed are kept below 400 °C so that catalyst sintering and carbon deposition is prevented. 3 What is SNG? Substitute/Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) is similar to natural gas but produced from coal or biomass (e.g. wood, straw, waste). It is a manufactured product which is chemically similar to natural gas. Natural gas is the worldwide fuel of choice but there is limited supply, so SNG is one of the options to overcome this. Producing SNG from biomass is also considered to be thought of as green gas as it avoids extra CO2 emissions, because it is carbon neutral. SNG has many advantages some of which are: the already existing gas supply infrastructure (e.g. pipelines) which allow the gas to be distributed throughout a country such as the USA and also worldwide  high conversion efficiency Efficient final use technologies that are well-established e.g. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG cars), Combined Heat and Power (CHP), and Heating. What is the methanation process and how is it used in the production of SNG? CO + 3H2 † Ã¢â‚¬  CH4 + H2O The reaction between H2 and CO can produce a number of different products depending on the reaction conditions, the catalyst used and the stoichiometry of the reactants. The reaction of great interest to us is the one producing methane. This reaction over a nickel catalyst was first reported by Sabatier and Senderens (1902, 1905) and even though a lot of research has gone into which catalyst is the best for methanation, nickel has continued as the key catalyst for methanation because of its selectivity for the production of methane, high activity, and inexpensiveness compared to other catalysts. Catalysts involved in methanation operate for a long time in catalyst beds and for that reason catalyst life and strength are also of major importance. Many problems such as sulphur poisoning are involved with these catalysts; they are mentioned in a later section of this report.5 The above forward reaction is exothermic, releasing heat (the delta H values are negative showing this) and the forward reaction is favoured by low temperature and high pressure, Product gas with a high fraction of CH4 can only be generated at low temperature (300-350 °C) and high pressure > 20 bar.6 We also know from Le Chateliers Principle that pressure favours the side with fewer moles which in this case is the forward reaction producing methane and water, so a high pressure should be used. The production of methane is a fundamental step in the process of manufacturing that gas from coal to produce SNG. The typical methanation process involved in SNG consists of three fixed-bed methanating stages that are used in series with a fixed-bed of catalyst. A single stage process can and has also been used for methanation, such as the IRMA Methanation pilot plant KFA project, the conditions for this single stage were P = 30 bar; T = 250-700 °C (1 stage); Volumetric flow rate = 600m3 (STP)h -1, (synthesis gas); 1100 operating hours since 19817. The three stage methanation process consists of: Total Gasification of the coal in steam, possibly with oxygen, C+H2O† Ã¢â‚¬ H2+ CO Changing the ratio of H2 to CO in the product gas by the water gas shift reaction, and then removing any residual CO2. CO+H2O† Ã¢â‚¬ H2+CO2 The hydrogen and carbon monoxide are converted to methane (following the removal of damaging material to the process such as hydrogen sulphide) using a catalyst (nickel is the most common for this process as explained later in this report.). This final stage is a straight through reactor operating at lower temperature than that of the previous stages as shown in Fig.1 below. This gives methane which contains typically less than 3% H2, 0.1% CO and has a thermal efficiency of approximately 70% for the total process. This methane produced can then be use in the production of SNG. CO + 3H2 † Ã¢â‚¬  CH4 + H2O 8 As the temperature needs to be controlled the product gases are recycled over the first stages with interstage cooling which prevents the temperature from increasing and also means that the process is more efficient as the gases are recycled and you dont have to put extra cooling in to keep the temperature from rising which saves money. The avoiding of high temperatures also protects the catalysts, if the reaction temperature becomes too high not only is the equilibrium state of the hydrogenation reaction adversely affected but the catalyst life is shortened by sintering of the metal particles9. Fig. 1 shows the three-stage process with fixed-bed reactors and the corresponding thermodynamic equilibrium temperatures for the synthesis gas with 10% CH4 at stage one and the desired dry product gas with more than 80% CH4. This diagram also shows that after the first stages the temperature decreases again and this is to avoid high temperatures in order to protect the catalyst but also to reach thermodynamic equilibrium at low temperatures. This is done by product gas recycling cooling as explained before. It is also important to know that when producing SNG by methanation the CO and H2 (i.e. the reactants) will contain a lot more of the monoxide than in the methanation process used for ammonia synthesis. In ammonia synthesis only a small amount of monoxides (less than 1%) are found however in SNG production the methanation process reactants can have 30-50% of the monoxide. It is also important to know that in the purification methanation even a low amount of monoxides can seriously deteriorate the methanation process by catalyst poisoning.8 This picture shows the process of coal gasification, and then the products being cleaned and readied for methanation. Gasification is simply the process of producing coal gas, a mixture of CO and H2 which is known as syngas. This syngas can then be used in the methanation process producing SNG. How methanation is used in industry From the 1970s quite a few methanation processes have been developed which consist of fixed bed and fluidised bed methanation. Most of the methanation processes used in industry use fixed bed reactors (used for the methanation in ammonia production, described before) as they are the most common type of reactor used in industry for many reasons such as having the simplest multi-phase reactor configuration where the solid phase is stationary and complications arising from the second phases mixing mode are not present.10 However, some processes use fluidised bed reactors also as fluidized bed methanation presents the advantage of good heat transfer from the process gas side to the cooling medium and the advantage of particular simplicity when exchanging the catalyst in case of catalyst poisoning or catalyst deactivation.11 The choice of the reactor also depends on the size of the reactor needed and the costs of setup and operating (does it need to be cleaned regularly or not as this cos ts money ad stops production). One of the biggest plants to make SNG from coal-derived syngas was started up in 1984; the Great Plains Synfuels Plant of Dakota Gasification Co. which cost $2.1billion was the only SNG plant of that scale operating in the world. The plant uses Lurgi GmbH gasifiers (a steel construction where around each time 8 tons of coal is fed into a compartment at its top, known as a coal lock, which is then sealed with a gas being fed into it ahead of the bottom of the lock opening to feed coal, in this plant the coal is Lignite which is 60-70%carbon, into the body of the gasifier, this builds up high pressure and the high pressure and temperature feed of steam and oxygen in the gasifier decompose the lignite to produce syngas). The syngas is then converted to SNG using DPT methanation catalysts. This plant produces approximately 153 million ft3/day of SNG which is piped throughout the US. This facility has also implemented CCS (carbon capture and storage) and as of the end of last year (31/12/ 2009) it has captured more than 17.4 million m.t. of CO2.12As you can imagine $2.1billion is a lot of money and was worth even more in 1984 showing that using methanation to produce SNG is not a small venture but a major player in the search for more fuel as the worlds gas and oil reserves are depleting. In 2009 the plant produced $264.7 million worth of SNG out of total revenue of $426.1 million. The operating costs for this plant (including maintenance) were $38,504,111.13This shows that the investment of $2.1billion was a really good decision not only in terms of producing SNG from methane but also a really great business return. FIGURE 3 DPTs methanation process is a refinement and further development of the Catalytic Rich Gas (CRG) process, which was first developed by British Gas Corp. in the late 1960s to convert naphtha into town gas. The process involves several methanator reactors in series, with heat recovered from the exothermic reaction (CO + 3H2 † Ã¢â‚¬  CH4 + H2O) used to raise high pressure superheated steam and to preheat the feed. Each reaction stage consists of a fixed bed of CRG catalyst operating adiabatically.12 However, new and more efficient processes are being implemented in industry, that especially focus on the conversion of biomass, such as the Milena process in the Netherlands. The ECN (Energy Research Center of the Netherlands) has developed a biomass gasification technology with high gas efficiency and a high methane yield which allows it to be used for gas-engine applications. This process has been given the name Milena, and the product gas can be upgraded to SNG and ECN has the ambition to turn this into large scale SNG production with an energy efficiency of 70%. This would be much needed as the Netherlands relies on 50% of its energy from natural gas (which is not renewable) so using SNG for biomass would be a substitute for this and the biomass is available in large quantities and it a lot cleaner and friendlier to the environment than natural gas.14 The biomass has to be converted into SNG by gasification and then methanation (theses processes and their outlines have been mentioned before). This allows it to reach efficiency, say from wood, up to 65% (this efficiency is calculated from the chemical energy output of SNG compared to the chemical energy input of wood). Biomass (e.g. wood and straw) being used to produce SNG has the advantage over coal based SNG of being almost CO2 neutral, without CCS. Production of synthetic natural gas (SNG) from coal and dry biomass.4 Catalyst Used The main catalysts that are used as methanation catalysts are nickel or nickel supported catalysts. This is because the key catalyst properties of nickel are excellent for methanation as it has long life, high activity, selectivity for the formation of methane in preference to other hydrocarbons and the low cost compared to other catalysts. One of the main disadvantages for nickel catalysts is the sensitivity to poisoning by sulphur, other catalysts are available that are sulphur-resistant and also catalyse the methanation reaction but these are much less active than nickel resulting in a slower rate of reaction. For example, one manufacturers catalysts are formulated on Ca aluminate base with the active nickel incorporated in a NiO/MgO solution, this leads to negligible nickel sintering.10In catalytic methanation many promoters for nickel have been studied such as copper, zinc oxide, magnesia, iron, calcium oxide, chromia and alumina. What was found was that alumina, chromia and magnesia were the best promoters in terms of activity and thermal stability. It was also found that for thermal and mechanical stability the best of a number of NiO methanation catalysts on supports of A12O3, a mixture of A12O3 and CaO, MgO, SiO2 and Cr2 O3 was NiO-AI2O3 containing 35% NiO.15 Many other factors are taken into consideration when choosing the catalyst for the methanation process. These are explained below: (i) Sulphur poisoning. Sulphur poisoning causes the methanation catalysts, to become inactive, this is because the reactants have brought in an alien molecule and this sits on the active site, the reactants now have to compete with this poison for the active sites and this results in a loss of the active surface area therefore decreasing the rate of reaction.10 (ii) Thermal stability. This reaction is highly exothermic it is very important to make sure that the reaction temperature does not become too high because it affects the equilibrium state of the reaction unfavourably and the catalyst life decreases due to sintering of the metal particles, where the particles come together, decreasing the surface area compared to when no sintering took place, thus less reaction is obtained. As mentioned previously the reaction temperature for this reaction is 300 °C-400 °Cfor which the nickel based catalysts used are sufficient in terms of longevity and activity. But there are catalysts tat are able to operate at higher temperatures than nickel based catalysts and these would be even more desirable as the higher the temperature at which the heat of methanation is released the more effectively can it contribute to overall thermal efficiency of the conversion process, for example of coal to SNG, it is also worthwhile to notice that at these higher temperatures the problem of sulphur poisoning decreases due to instability of the catalyst metal sulphide9. So why is it that in industry the use of catalysts that are suitable for operation at higher temperatures are not selected and for e.g. nickel catalysts are favoured? This is due to the fact that it is not always feasible to use the best catalyst for the process as it may cost too much to buy. (iii) Coke formation and fouling Carbon in its unreactive form, or as Ni3C produced on the Nickel catalyst, causes a loss of catalyst activity9. The coke formed blocks the reactants from reaching the active sites and the fouling is caused by the reaction forming a by-product which then sits on the active site, masking it. It is possible to avoid the unwanted carbon formation in the manufacture of SNG by controlling the water gas shift reaction. This is the 2nd step shown in figure 2 previously. The cost of nickel catalysts varies as the price of nickel fluctuates. The suppliers of these catalysts do not sell just a few kilograms of the catalyst they have a minimum orders quantity, e.g. 20 tons at the rate of $15000-$30000 per ton. An example of a Methanation catalyst used in industry is the SG-9701 (the name may be fancy but it is mostly nickel as shown in the table) produced by the global leader in catalysis, BASF who have found that although the catalysts operate at low temperature and show good conversion rates in the Methanation process, they eventually begin to age and lose their effectiveness, that is why through their current research they have identified that Methanation Catalyst relies on the mature combination of nickel oxide technology on an alumina matrix. However, through careful control of composition and geometry and the addition of a Rare Earth promoter, a number of performance improvements are achieved, these improvements are temperature resistance and long mechanical life. BASFs methanation catalyst also boasts a superior physical makeup reducing deterioration that can lead to increased pressure drop in the system16 For the future? Another SNG project was decided upon in this April between ConocoPhillips and POSCO (a Korean steel-manufacturing company) in which ConocoPhillips E-Gas technology is being used with POSCOs Gwangyang coal to SNG project. This facility has targeted production of 500,000 m.t. of SNG; I will not go further with this project as the methanation technology to be used has not yet been announced and a new technology to produce SNG using petroleum coke (petcoke) (an advanced technology that captures and sequesters CO2 emissions from an industrial source) is to be implemented with this at a further stage. 12 Hydromethanation-Peabody Energy and GreatPoint Energy Mass recently signed an agreement to produce SNG from coal, H2 from coal and also CCS projects. These are wanted to be developed with Bluegas technology, which uses catalytic Hydromethanation to produce H2 and SNG. The process is more efficient and cost effective than conventional gasification routes to SNG. In the bluegas process a propriety catalyst is dispersed with the feedstock (coal, petcoke, or biomass), and the mixture loaded into the reactor. Pressurized steam is injected from below to fluidize the mixture, which reacts to form CH4, CO2, H2 and CO.12 There is also a German-Austrian project that wants to produce methane from extra electrical energy that has been generated from solar or wind power and a process that combines methanation with electrolysis has been developed at the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, Germany. Conclusion Methanation is a very important process especially in todays environment where we look to reduce CO2 emissions further and producing SNG from biomass using the methanation process does this rather than using natural gas. Methane is used in the gas that provides our homes with energy and heating. We need to find even more efficient processes like the ones described above that use methanation to produce SNG.