Northern Rock Plc free essay sample

Plc Contents Page 1Report2 1. 1Audit Committee and Auditors2 1. 2Experience:4 2Comparison5 2. 1Chief Executive and Chairman5 2. 2Audit Committee5 2. 3Risk Management Committee6 2. 4Remuneration amp; Nominations Committee6 3Chance of another failure6 4Conclusion:8 5References8 Report In this report I am going to highlight the weaknesses in the corporate governance code of Northern Rock that lead to its downfall. Audit Committee and Auditors According to the UK Corporate governance code the board should set up formal and obvious arrangements bearing in mind how to apply the corporate reporting internal control, and risk management rules for keeping the right relationship with the company`s auditors. The board should make up an audit committee of at least three non executive directors in the case of smaller companies at least two NEDs. The chairman can be a member in smaller companies but cannot chair the committee unless he or she was considered independent on appointment as chairman. The board should make sure that at least one the member should have recent and relevant experience in the audit committee. We will write a custom essay sample on Northern Rock Plc or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The board’s responsibilities are to lay out all the terms in writing and monitor the financial statement of the company, to review the financial performance and reporting. It should also review internal financial control, risk management system if not in place separately to check the effectiveness and internal function of internal audit. The board should also be review and monitor the external auditors work their appointments and re appointments, their remunerations, and more importantly the non audit services should be checked very closely. In the case of Northern rock the board and the audit committee failed to implement the above mentioned guidelines. In July 2007 the chief executive published on the website that operationally Northern rock’s first half of 2007 was a good one. He mentioned that mortgage lending in particular was strong. If that was the case then how did Northern Rock end up being nationalised in just over 7 months? Was someone checking and verifying the statements of the chief executive. The external auditor’s complacency was another issue. In their report of 2006 they gave a clean bill of health. This was later investigated by the House of Lords economic affairs committee which found that the auditors had performed their job carelessly. An effective audit committee could have spotted these problems well in advance. The reason for PWC’s complacency might either be because of the presence of Rosemary Radcliffe on the audit committee who was previously a partner of PWC or maybe they were providing other non audit services to the company and did not want to upset the board. As per the corporate governance code the number of audit committee’s members was according to the code but none of the NEDs had any financial experience. Nichola Pease had experience of fund management but not in the banking industry even that experience was not a recent one as required by the code. It seems that at Northern Rock the audit and risk committees were not taken very seriously as Rosemary Radcliffe only attended two out of four audit committee and one out of three risk committee meetings. Experience: Northern Rock appointed a Senior Independent Director with over half the board being non-executive directors- following the combined code 2 and Basel 2 recommendations. However none of the directors were experienced enough in the field of banking not even building society. This in fact does not support the idea of having good corporate governance as it does not ensure failure or success. The above factors raised questions as to why the company’s shareholders did not question the risky business model or was it because of outstanding profits seen as the reward for taking such risk. The remuneration committee can also be held responsible for the failure as both the chief executive and the company took on the gamble for the high risks which in turn questions the values of the shareholder and executive. As mentioned above there were so many factors involved . i. e. he lack of experience, the chairman of the board and nominations committee Dr Ridley had no prior financial experience and even the subject that he has studied is far different to the role he was responsible for. The other four non executive directors Fenwick, Gibson, Pease and Queen also did not have recent relevant experience. Sir Derek Wanless with a good education background but unfort unately with some negative history while working in NatWest where he got paid ? 3M having lead a disastrous acquisition strategy. If the company was aware of the history then why was he appointed as a chairman of the Audit and risk committee? All of the above points indicate that it was really poor corporate governance in place which neither of the committee paid attention or lack their experience in the case of chief executive`s appointment cannot be said that much as he was internally promoted it is sometimes good so he knew about the company from scratch to the top but in some case it is better to have an experience person from a different companies so that they can bring new ideas and innovation. The audit committee had to review what they have been there for the monitoring of the internal financial control, the services, remuneration, re appointments of the external auditors. If the corporate governance were strong in the company there would not be any mis representation of the financial reporting neither by the chief executive nor by the external auditors and also they would have known the consequence of the failure before it had happened. Comparison In this question I am going to compare the governance arrangements noted in the case study with the current version of the UK corporate Governance code. Northern rock had applied most of the governance code but there were some weaknesses in some of the areas. Chief Executive and Chairman As per the UK governance code the chief executive and the chairman should be separate, their re-appointment and remuneration will have to be approved by the board. In Northern Rock the above codes were applied properly. Chief executive and chairman were two different individuals and their appointment and re appointment were also approved by the board. Audit Committee As mentioned above Northern Rock’s audit committee failed to comply with the UK Corporate Governance code on more than one count which led to the auditors not performing their job properly. Audit committee should act as a watch dog in an organisation. Risk Management Committee UK corporate governance says that the board should conduct a review of the risk management committee’s effectiveness at least on a yearly basis. The review should cover almost everything including financial, operational and compliance controls and should be presented to the shareholders. Looking at the timeline of collapse of Northern Rock it seems that the risk committee was not very effective in identifying risks faced by the organisation and hence failed to perform its duty properly which led to the collapse of UK’s 5th largest lender in within one year. Remuneration amp; Nominations Committee According to the UK corporate governance code the company should have a remuneration and a nomination committee which should determine the salaries of the board members and should nominate suitable individuals for appointment. The nomination committee should be made up of non executive directors who should be independent members of the committee. The chair or non executive director should chair the committee but he or she should not chair the committee when appointing the successor to the chairmanship. The committee should also evaluate the skills, experience and knowledge of the candidate when making recommendations. It seems that northern rock’s nomination committee failed in doing their job properly according to the UK corporate governance code. If they had fulfilled the above requirements in accordance to the UK code then the inexperience of the NEDs would have not been an issue. Chance of another failure Generally, organisations with relatively poor governance don’t succeed as uch as those with high standard corporate governance aided by investors. Northern Rock proved this statement when worries about corporate governance resulted in poor performance. This came about 4 years before it was nationalised when shareholders were concerned in the kind of bonuses which were being paid to executives. This develops another understanding about the theory that governance drives performance rather than performance driving governance. Non-executives improve performance and t he balance between executives and non-executives is very vital. Considering both the internal and external factors affecting the failure of northern rock it was mainly caused due to its internal disability of managing crisis. It was the very flawed legal regulation and the poor corporate governance of Northern Rock that let itself down during the tough mortgage crisis in the US. The business model of the company worked for a number of years but despite the risk involved the non-executive directors cared less of the actual risks to the company’s model. Lesson can be learnt from the Northern Rock fiasco by other businesses regardless of their size or profitability. If any business does not implement the corporate governance codes properly they are guaranteed to have problems sooner or later. Similar failure happened to the fourth largest American bank Lehman brothers due to poor corporate governance as their systems were very weak. The key areas of the failure were Corporate risk management, Board of directors, remuneration committee and nomination committee. The board of directors included nine retired four of them 75 years old one a theatre producer and another navy admiral with no banking industry experience. In the board of directors the directors were paid well for their work each in the range $325,000 to $397,000 even after getting high return from the company they were not seriously taking care of the company due to having other responsibilities. Their risk management were also a failure because their executive committee the CRO and the CFO meeting were every week but instead they meet only twice in both 2006 and 2007 which was very outrageous. The failure of the remuneration committee was that only $1 billion were paid in cash bonuses in just matter of 8years which is a big failure. Other than that $500 million was paid to the chairman. Out of the ten board member four of them were 75 years old and only one had the recent knowledge of financial sector. If in the future any other bank or business will not make their corporate governance strong I am afraid there will be more cases like in the future. Conclusion: After all I have mentioned above it was a poor corporate governance that led the bank to failure. Northern rock had all sort of weaknesses in their corporate governance code it will be a good lesson for the other banks to learn if they have any sort of weaknesses in their corporate governance they should amend those before it will be too late. References 1. Treanor, J. (2008). Poor governance reduces profits, says ABI. Available: http://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2008/feb/27/executivesalaries. insurance. Last accessed 09 Feb 2013. 2. Roman A. Tomasic . (2009). Corporate Rescue, Governance and Risk Taking Northern Rock and Its International Context. Available: http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=1417953. Last accessed 09 Feb 2013. 3. The Financial Reporting council. (2012). The UK Corporate Governance Code. Available: http://www. frc. org. uk/Our-Work/Publications/Corporate-Governance/UK- Corporate-Governance-Code-September-2012. aspx. Last accessed 09 Feb 2013. 4. Agha, M G and Qatinah, A. (). Lehman Brothers and Corporate Governance Failure. Available: http://www. slideshare. net/adnanqatinah1/lehman-brothers-case-study2. Last accessed 09 Feb 2013.

A Rejection of Capitalism essays

A Rejection of Capitalism essays The basic ingredient of capitalism is the trading of labor for something else of value. This labor is then used to generate profits for the employer. "Labor power is, therefore, a commodity which its possessor, the wage-worker sells to capital. Why does he sell it? In order to live (p. 204)." This is the fundamental recipe for capitalism in today's system. Marx sees this system as a failure of mankind. This is a system that separates those who own, and those who do not. "The proletarian class feels destroyed in this alienation, seeing in it its own impotence and the reality of an inhuman existence. The possessing class feels satisfied and affirmed in this self-alienation, experiencing the alienation as a sign of its own power (p.133)." What Marx is trying to say, (I can sure tell that English was not his first language) is that "most will work for few." There will be a class of ultra-rich and a very large majority of ultra-poor. When you look back through our last 150 years of history, it is not too hard to see that without some kind of government intervention, Marx's predictions would not be too far off of the target. In fact, I would argue that without government intervention, Marx's ideas were correct. When Marx writes about Freedom, Equality, Property, and Bentham, he is laying out the very rights of man. He then puts those rights in a cause-effect relationship with the theory of absolute capitalism. Capitalists view their system as the system which allows the most freedom to date. In a capitalist system one is a free agent on the labor market. Train yourself, promote yourself, and then sell your labor to the highest bidder. This is a major weight-bearing pillar that holds the roof of capitalism. Marx sees this as the beginning of the end. This is a voluntary method of creating a society based on different social classes. Marx sees this system of social classes as a glass globe. Marx demands that ...

Ethical dilmma Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical dilmma - Assignment Example Let us take an example to clarify the importance of ethics in marketing. Classic Technologies is a firm, which manufactures electric products, such as, washing machines, microwave ovens, and juicers. The company is based in Philadelphia and for the time being carries out its business operations only in Philadelphia. A few months ago, the company launched its marketing campaign for a comparatively low priced newly manufactured washing machine. To attract the customers, the managers of the company introduced a one get one free scheme. The scheme was that if a customer buys a washing machine, the company would provide the customer with a free juicer machine of the same quality. A large number of customers opted to buy the washing machines. However, the company could not live up to the expectations of the customers because the juicer machines, which the company used to provide to the customers, were of very low and compromising quality. The customers trusted the company’s words, b ut they were hurt badly because of the quality, which the company provided to the customers. The ethical issue involved in this example was that the company should have provided the customers with excellent quality as promised but the company went against marketing ethics, which not only resulted in customer dissatisfaction but also affected the image of the company. Works Cited Smith, Scott.

The Boeing 757-200 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Boeing 757-200 - Research Paper Example Changes included wing design and engines. Aim This essay will discuss the unique aerodynamic characteristics of the Boeing 757-200. Boeing 757-200 The Boeing 757-200 entered operational service in 1983 and featured numerous design enhancements in the areas of propulsion, aerodynamics, avionics and materials, aimed at meeting its medium haul clients requirements of increased fuel efficiency, decreased noise and increased operational performance (Boeing). The aircraft was available in passenger and freighter configurations, with a maximum takeoff weight of 255,000 pounds (lbs) providing increased payload or range (Boeing). To achieve these enhancements, modified or new design features included; Wing design, Engines, Improved light weight materials, and Modified flight station instrumentation. Wing Design The 757-200’s wing is swept at 250, has a longer span, higher upper surface camber and lower under surface camber, combined with sharper leading edges (Boeing). Relating these f eatures to the lift equation: Lift= CL x (? p V2) x wing area (s), where CL is the coefficient of lift and p (rho) is density, (Dole and Lewis, 2000), as the wing area has increased, this, along with the increase in camber (increasing CL), means that lift is improved. Additionally, as wingspan increases, wingtips are farther apart which reduces the impact of trailing vortices on the wing and decreases induced drag (aerospaceweb). The 757-200 wing shape is a supercritical airfoil (Figure 1) (aerospaceweb). This is commonly used on aircraft that cruise at transonic (less than Mach 1 (Dole and Lewis, 2000)) speeds and is designed to reduce drag through delaying the speed at which the compressibility effect becomes significant (Aerospaceweb). Compressibility effect is the increase in density at an aerofoil due to forward motion (FAA, 2001). Figure 1: Boeing 757 wing airfoil section The differences in pressure distribution over the supercritical airfoil can be seen in comparing between t he conventional and supercritical sections, as seen at Figures 2 and 3 (aerospaceweb). Figure 2: Pressure distribution over a conventional airfoil Figure 3: Pressure distribution over a supercritical airfoil Figure 4 (aerospaceweb) shows the coefficient of lift versus angle of attak for the 757-200 wing section. Figure 2: Boeing 757 wing airfoil section lift coefficient The aerodynamic benefits of a supercritical airfoil is related to critical Mach number. Accelerated airflow over an upper airfoil section due to wing camber can reach Mach 1 where the aircraft Mach number (speed) is lower. The speed at which the flow over the wing surface reaches Mach 1 is called the critical Mach number (FAA, 2001). As speed increases above the critical Mach number, areas of supersonic flow are created over the airfoil surfaces. This is accompanied by a shock wave which varies pressure and density. An adverse pressure gradient is created by slowed airflow, inducing higher pressure, which may result in a rapid separation of the airflow from the surface of the airfoil. This separation creates an area of turbulent wake resulting in rapid increases in drag. The Mach number at which this begins to occur is known as the drag divergence Mach number (FAA, 2001). The benefits of a super critical airfoil in combination with swept wings are that the critical Mach number is close to one thereby delaying and reducing the large increase in drag due to wave drag (aerospaceweb). In addition to the above, modified wing sweep enables the optimal combination between required cruising speed, CL and drag divergence (FAA, 2001), whilst the sharper leading edge reduces parasitic drag (Applied Aerodynamics, 2007). It is considered the sharper leadi

Official Crime Statistics Essay Example for Free

Official Crime Statistics Essay What are the main strengths and weaknesses of official crime statistics and victimization surveys? In this essay I will be discussing the main strengths and weaknesses of official crime statistics and victimization surveys. I have done tremendous research to back up my work, I have also used famous criminologists and other bodies who understand criminalization to help re-enforce my points. Most experts and successful authors, such as Tim Newburn, Brent E. Turvey and Clive Coleman have attempted, through their literature to show how crime has evolved and how surveys have influenced the public’s views about it. The first ever national crime statistics were published in France, 1827. Adolphe Quetelet, a scholar and previous astronomer was the first individual to take a serious approach and interest in criminal statistics. He then went on to become a leading body in criminology and social sciences for his work. Official crime statistics are placed under the ideology of crime rates in the UK and Wales. Numbers that the BCS, police and other law aboding bodies can gather together from the public, their research and other sources to help give the most accurate rate of crime they can. Victimisation surveys are generally random samples of the population asked whether they have been a victim to crime within a specific period of time. The reasons why these two different types of surveys must be taken are so that crime statistics can attempt to be more solid, although the argument is always made that there will never be an accurate percentage of crime and I will also be touching on why this statement has and always will be made. Crime statistics and Victimisation surveys are polls taken and received by victims of crime or the criminals and individuals who commit them. There has been much controversy amongst crime statistics of how accurate and precise they really are. I will be discussing these issues, but overall focusing my main points onto the strengths and weaknesses of official crimes statistics and victimisation surveys. Without crime statistics there would be no base grounds on the numbers of crimes averagely committed, by what sex and by what age group. Howeve r, without victimization surveys crimes may stay ‘hidden’ crimes such as domestic violence, burglary and intimidation. Why I mention these three in particular are because statistics show that most common repeat victims of crime are within these types of offences. Other offences also include other household theft and vandalism. One example of a top victimization survey is the British Crime Survey. The British Crime Survey or BCS for short is a nationally represented survey with a successful sample of approximately 47,000 adults living in private households in England and wales every year. The BCS started its survey’s in 1981 and it became a fluent survey database until 2001/2002. This survey is a face to face interview where the respondents or victims are asked about their experiences and feelings of crime that may have happened to them or people they know in the last 12 months, the BCS also ask them about their opinions of crime and crime related topics such as anti-social behaviour. These types of people would also be asked about the effectiveness of the police and how they deal with these is sues of crime. The British crime survey is a very important key piece of information and source of data on the background of respondents and the overall circumstances of victimization. A public, accurate crime statistic is most commonly the police, a more community based, less national and less accurate version as it’s range of scope does not cover the nation; however both sources limit themselves to a set of offences. Making it easier to gain a more accurate percentage. One main difference between the BCS and the police is that the BCS excludes victimless crimes, drug dealing and murder. The reason for this is the victims are no longer available to discuss the events that happened. Other crimes they exclude are sexual offences; this is generally due to the small number reported and the unwillingness of respondents to come forward. Another main difference between the two is that BCS thefts including personal property and other household items, because with the police they would involve everything included in the theft, jewellery, personal belongings, with the BCS it would all fall into a similar category making it a difficult task to achieve. A weakness of official crime statistics and victimisation surveys is that an argument could be bought up are they actually official? Just because they’re published doesn’t make them correct. What about the crimes that aren’t reported, Because of victims being afraid, intimidated or not having trust in the police. These events being called ‘Hidden Crimes’ or as they are often referred to ‘Dark Figures’. In addition to this, modern day statistics are now more enclosed, for example in Tim Newburn’s ‘Criminology’ he discusses how crimes such as violence against the person accounts to events such as murder, assa ult, however not reckless driving which could be considered to focus fully on physical damage. So as statistics are not as open to as many crimes as they wish, some will slip through and possibly go into a much minor category. Obviously a disadvantage being that individual may feel neglected and reluctant to detail the events. Due to the declining of main volume crimes in the recent years, beliefs about crime are still quite high. A third of the population from 2003 still believed that crime was a high rated problem. Advantages of Statistics such as these are that they tend to give the public a clear understanding of what crime rates are at. This table shows beliefs about crime, public fear that possibly the tabloids could have caused. This is discussed a weakness to crime statistics and the public, in a way the media are creating crimes, feeding on crime fear. As I mentioned earlier Crime statistics are never fully accurate and power is always an important factor when determining crime. Smaller crimes such as robbery are associated with the ‘Underclass’ Theory by Charles Murray. These types of offences are more down to the individual rather than a group. Dr Ziggy MacDonald of the University of Leicester wrote a piece in the Economic Journal about ‘Hidden Crimes’, one of the things his research showed was that ‘forecasts of crime trends fail to take proper account of what drives unreported crime. For example, someone who is currently unemployed is 7% less likely to report a burglary than someone who is currently in work, while someone on a relatively high income is 8% more likely to report a burglary than someone on less than average income’ He discussed how the decrease in employment could eventually lead to the higher rate of theft from people’s properties, and resulting in victims not reporti ng it, maybe thinking it won’t matter as their income isn’t high enough to replace the item anyway. Even though the difference between low income individuals and high income individuals is 1% which from my research closely is around 16% burglaries every year as a crime rate, 1% of those victims with a low income are subjected towards not reporting theft of their possessions. Certain individual’s economic status (as shown in from MacDonald’s work) can become a huge factor when determining ‘Hidden Crimes’. People could feel helpless as income is low, or they may live in a deprived area, with no way of being helped their behaviour could become ‘broken’ referring to the ‘broken glass theory’ a single building could have a shattered window for a period of time and the community around that area may feel unwanted, leaving a physical and emotional gap between this community and the open world. Because of this, other buildings may become trashed and broken, people would begin to avoid the area it ‘self, the idea of fear within these ‘Hidden Crimes’. This adds to the statistics the BCS and the police may not know about, smaller areas may not be expected to have high rates of crime and therefore focus is taken away from them. Bigger areas such as Birmingham would be a prime target for crime, the assumption is made. Another theory could that there could possibly be Marxist Criminology, Crime due to class divisions within a society or community, or pe rhaps crimes of the powerful, individuals or groups of people being treated differently in society, expelled from other physical and emotional contact, leaving them no choice but to turn to crime. Transference, to be precise. In August, 2011 the riots in the United Kingdom gave breach to a huge collaboration of crime sprees. Over 1000 people were arrested, yet possibly over 100,000 protested against this Marxist Criminology from politics, student fees and tax increases. Not every individual was caught, making statistics even scarcer. These significant changes within society set alight events that triggered this. This idea of Neo Marxism relating to ‘Dark Figures’ as not every individual in society has the same equal access as other fortunate people, be it financially, emotionally and they lash out because of it. Yet these ‘crimes’ aren’t recorded, they go unnoticed and became a damaging part of a society. In relation to this is the Left Realism theory, a social democratic approach to the analysis of crime and the development of effective policies of crime control. At the heart of all of this is a source of suffering for the poor and the vulnera ble, this links from the ideology of smaller much petty crimes. Bullying for example which as many of 44% of suicides by children from the ages of 10-14 are potentially linked. Data sources of the years have developed and grown onto this topic from the 1900’s as society and trends begin to evolve. Children picked on because of their backgrounds or income, yet data sources still have a less accurate number to this topic than any other. Official crime statistics do not generally show crimes committed by corporations, if any results are shown, they aren’t ever big corporations. An example of corporations is Citibank, high profile data breaches, and even the business Sony. These ‘White Collar Crimes’ are not easily detected, distinguishing them from victimization surveys. They could be breaches of health and safety laws, not identifiable to the easiest detail. Linking to this could be an idea of a corporations being known as ‘Mavericks’ people who are the exceptions rather than the rules, so society and governing bodies refuse to believe that they would commit corporate crimes, allowing them to get off easy. Or even reduc ing the expected costs. One of the biggest corporate crimes was an incident that occurred in 1984 Bhopal. Hundreds of people were killed in a chemical accident, by a company called Union Carbide. They owned a pesticide plant which was around 3 miles from Bhopal. The leading director of that company told the BBC that ‘methyl isocyanate gas (MIC) had escaped when a valve in the plants underground storage tank broke under pressure’ As laws are different from the USA and India, payments have still not been made to the families, who deserve compensation, an American firm that is above the law and have been forced into no legal action whatsoever. Could this have future affects to India, How people live, fear foreign businesses, Should they have to live in fear. In conclusion to my research and the theories I have mentioned. I believe that crime statistics can define the crime rate in the UK every year, both types of surveys have their weaknesses and strengths, society as a whole helps mould the body of crime, they can also be the reliable source to provide it, and stop it. My results and research from numerous sources have given an indication on the levels of crime in the UK. Bibliography http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb1011/ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/627523/victim-survey http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/crime-justice/crime/victims-of-crime/index.html http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110218135832/http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0809.html http://www.res.org.uk/society/mediabriefings/pdfs/2002/february/macdonald1.pdf http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/3/newsid_2698000/2698709.stm http://www.civitas.org.uk/crime/factsheet-YouthOffending.pdf

MS :: essays research papers

Multiple Sclerosis Mission:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The mission of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is to end the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis. Providing accurate, up-to-date information to individuals with MS, their families, and healthcare providers is central to our mission. The organization is to prevent and cure MS, and to improve the lives of all people affected with MS. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society funds research, publishes scientific finding, provides information and other services to people with MS. History:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The coming of the National MS Society emerged from wartime research efforts in many areas. In 1943 new methods of technologies of the actual myelin was determined. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society was founded in 1946. Other info.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚    §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system.  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most people with MS are diagnosed between ages of 20 and 40 but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can be life-long.  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Women develop the disease at a rate almost double that of men.  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  MS is not fatal-with modern medicine and technology; people with MS live 90%-95% of the normal life span.  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cause is a mystery and no cure has been found. Symptoms:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Numbness in body parts may include: slurred speech, blurred or double vision, tremors, loss of balance, and poor coordination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Invisible symptoms include extreme fatigue, mental changes as mood swing, forgetfulness, and confusion. ag;lja'jk'ffjkajgk'jgakj;aj;ljg;lkajsjfadjskgj;kasj;kgjakdsjgk'jMultiple Sclerosis 6560 Fannin, Suite 1224 Houston, TX 77030 (713) 798-7707 infor@mnss.org Mission:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The mission of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is to end the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis. Providing accurate, up-to-date information to individuals with MS, their families, and healthcare providers is central to our mission. The organization is to prevent and cure MS, and to improve the lives of all people affected with MS. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society funds research, publishes scientific finding, provides information and other services to people with MS. History:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The coming of the National MS Society emerged from wartime research efforts in many areas. In 1943 new methods of technologies of the actual myelin was determined. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society was founded in 1946. Other info.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚    §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system.  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most people with MS are diagnosed between ages of 20 and 40 but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can be life-long.

To Study the Filterability and Quality of Raw Sugar for Refining

To Study the Filterability and Quality of Raw sugar for Refining ABSTRACT This study was particularly designed to evaluate the quality parameters of raw sugar which ultimately affect the filterability of raw sugar. It is a cane sugar which has been minimally processed and product of the first stage of cane sugar refining process which has some very distinctive characteristics. Filterability of raw sugars is one of the primary sugar quality parameters.To the refiner, the filterability of raw melt is important as it directly influences factory throughout. The physico-chemical characteristics of sugar including moisture, polarization, reducing sugar, ash contents, color constituents, microbial examination (Total colony count and yeast) and sensory evaluation such as appearance, odour and texture were determined. The results obtained from physico-chemical analysis showed that these parameters were affected significantly among the samples of raw sugars.The microbial analysis showed that t he total colony count and the yeast were also affected significantly among the samples while in sensory evaluation appearance was affected significantly whereas texture and odour were affected non-significantly among the samples of the raw sugars. It can be concluded from the results that sample four was observed to have a good quality while sample six had the opposite result to that of sample four and was considered to have a very low quality. Keywords: Raw Sugar Refinery, Operational Concept and Quality Perspectives Name: Zia-ud-Din Regd.No: 2006-ag-1861 National Institute of Food Science and Technology University of Agriculture Faisalabad SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE ChairmanDr. Ghulam Rasool MemberDr. M. Atif Randhawa MemberDr. Muhammad Sharif INTRODUCTION Raw sugar is an intermediate product of refining and affination process of sugar manufacturing that consists of pale yellow to brown sugar crystals covered with a film of syrup. This is infact, an intermediate stage in the production of sugar, having sucrose and water contents 95-97 and 0. 25-1. 1%, respectively. It is of yellowish brown colour due to the presence of molasses (3. %) and have burnt flavour with coarsely crystalline (Javaid et al. ,2011). The sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L. ) is a commonly distributed plant and is one of the most significant source of sugar in Pakistan. Current reports have shed light into numerous biological properties of sugarcane and its resulting products. Fresh sugarcane juice is widespread in Pakistan as an inexpensive and sweet beverage. It is becoming a fashion juice and thirst satisfying drink served at roadside stalls, canteens and cafeterias throughout the country during the harvest season (Ali et al. 2001). The sugarcane is a thick, tall perennial grass that is grown in tropical or subtropical region. In the leaves sugar is synthesized that is either used as a energy source for growth of plant or is sent to the stalks for storage. In the stalks the sweet sap is th e source of sugar. The reed accumulates sugar to about 15 percent of its weight. About 2600000 tons of sugar per year is yielded by the sugar cane. Other sugar crops for sugar production involve sweet sorghum, honey, sugar maple and corn sugar (Dalziel et al. ,1999).Sugarcane is grown in Kharif season and is one of the main cash crops of Pakistan. It delivers raw material to sugar industries and sugar associated products. For the rural community of the country, it produces income and services. Vital items for industries like sugar, chipboard and paper, sugarcane helps in their value addition. Its share is 3. 6 percent in agriculture and 0. 8 percent in GDP. For the year 2009-10, an area of 943 thousand hectares is under sugarcane cultivation which is 8. 4 percent less as compared to the previous year (1029 thousand hectares).Production of the sugarcane for the year 2009-10 is assessed to be 49. 4 million tons, in contrast to 50 million tons previous year ultimately the production is reduced to 1. 3 percent. Key factors involved for low productions are canal water scarcity, electricity shortage, area under wheat crop during 2008-09 is maximum ultimately confining the sugarcane acreage, lower prices for the sugarcane crop in the previous year and higher inputs rates also restrict the farming community from growing sugarcane crop (GOP, 2009-2010).The keeping quality of sugar was studied keeping in the view the process of drying played a pivotal role. By keeping the sugar under humid conditions, microbial decomposition along with loss of sugar occurred rendering the quality of sugar impure. After the process of drying, the process of polarization becomes augmented and the notorious effects of microorganisms become less. If the sugar is wet when fed into the dryer, large amount of heat is required for the process of drying the sugar. Sample purity plays a vital role in determination of overall moisture contents of the sugar sample.If the size of the crystals of sug ar becomes enlarge, ultimately increasing the moisture percentage of the sugar sample (Javaid et al. , 2011). An experiment was conducted which showed the presence of iron particle and bagacillo causes the physical hazards and biological contamination in the finished products respectively. Following essential steps should be taken in order to keep the juice clear and free from the particles of bagacillo i. e. pre- juice heating (106 oC or above), required chemical dozing at clarifier, pass the clarified juice from 0. 25 mm rotary screen. They both are ISO (i. . International Standardization Organization) 22000:2005, Critical Control Points (CCP’s) of Food Safety Management System, covers HACCP (i. e. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) (Javaid et al. , 2011). The parameters were studied and an experiment was conducted in which pre-treatments of sugarcane bagasse for the production of fermentable sugar was carried out. They studied the effects of particle size, NaOH conce ntration, temperature and liquid to solid ratio (LSR) on the production of reducing sugars and sonication time on delignification using Placket-Burman design.They concluded that sugarcane bagasse that was pre-treated with ultra-sound assisted alkaline pre-treatments showed superior yield and production of reducing sugars as compared to the commercial pre-treatments. They also concluded that the most striking feature of the ultra-sound assisted alkaline pre-treatments was the improved efficacy during the pre-treatment time and temperature that were kept reduced during the process. They also found that the feasibility and instalment of this process on a larger scale need energy optimization and appropriate reactors design (Velmurugan and Muthukumar 2012).Sugar beet pulp was utilized as a support for immobilization of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae L. ) cells to produce bioethanol. They found the method of immobilization of cells as simple, cheap and easy to carry out. They concluded that even without the supplementation of the nutrient, the production of bioethanol in an efficient manner from thick juice of sugar beet utilizing immobilized yeast cells on sugar beet pulp is possible in repeated batch mode. A maximum ethanol concentration of 52. 26 g/l, yield of 0. 446g/g was achieved in the thick juice substrate of seventh fermentation batch.However, the molasses was found to be less suitable medium for the production of the ethanol fermentation for more than three batches because of the accumulation of the coloured compounds that cause cell leakage from the support ultimately affected the metabolism of the immobilized yeast cells. They also determined that the dry sugar beet pulp plays a significant role during the support of immobilized yeast cell for the production of bioethanol and the dry sugar beet pulp can be used as a protein source in the animal feeds (Vucurovic and Razmovski 2012).MATERIALS AND METHODS Samples of raw sugar were procured from sugarcane industry/local market. The research was conducted at the National Institute of Food Science and Technology in university of agriculture Faisalabad. Ash contents Total ash contents were determined by taking 5 gram sample in the china dish and placed on low flame while the mass is thoroughly charred, then the sample was heated in muffle furnace at 500+500C until white ash was obtained. This ash was cooled in the desiccator and weighed in percentage using the following formula: Total ash = Weight of ash ? 100 Weight of sample Colour Colour value was determined with colour meter ( Nauhaus color test- II, Neotec). It was first calibrated with the standards having lower and upper limits (51-70 respectively). Then the sample were filled in the Petri plate and the surface was made smooth by removing the sample material from the petri plate, to get the optimum reflection of light, emerged by the photo cells of the colour meter, reading was noted from the display. Sample readings were compare d with the standards. Grain size of crystalsAccording to SI specifications, crystals were graded into five sizes. In the grain size analysis, 100 g of sugar was taken on sieves, placed on a nest of sieves with a lid on the top of sieve and received at the bottom and was shaken for five minutes on a mechanical sieve shaker. The weight of each sample in gram was taken in the percentage of the sugar retained in the particular sieve. From the values, the accumulative percentage is calculated and compared. Filterability of the samples Filterability was determined by following the standard method enlisted in AOAC (2000). 5 g raw sugar sample was taken and dissolved in 50 ml water until the brix of the solution was 300. The time was noted during the filtration of each sample. Then the percent filterability was determined using the following formula: % Filterability = amount of the filtered solution ? 100 Total volume of solution Moisture Moisture was determined by taking 10 g of sample and drying it in a hot air oven at 100+50C for about 3 hours as recommended by ICUMSA. The loss in weight was the moisture contents calculated by using the following formula: moisture = loss of weight during drying ? 100 Weight of sample The data thus collected were subjected to statistical analysis using completely randomized design (CRD) and ANOVA techniques as described by Steel et al. , (1997) to check the effect of different parameters on the quality of raw sugar RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Ash contents The results for statistical analysis regarding analysis of variance for the ash contents are presented in table 4. 3a. It is shown by the data that the values are affected highly significant for the ash contents in the samples of raw sugar.The mean values for the ash contents are shown in the table 4. 3b. It can be established from the data presented in the table 4. 3b that the highest value for the ash contents was found for sample six which was 0. 73 percent while the lowest value was recorded for the samples one, two and five. So the value for the ash contents were found to be decreasing for the samples in the order of T6>T1T2T5>T3T4. While it had been established by many sugar technologists that the contents of ash in the samples of sugar should not exceed 0. 5 percent.These results were reviewed by Chauhan et al. , (2011) and after doing further analysis he determined that the ash contents in some of the raw sugar is in high concentration because the raw sugar was affined for purification at different temperatures for the quality improvement. Colour Agudo et al. , (2002) determined that the crystals colour of the sugar is greatly affected by the colour and purity level of the pan feed liquor. Generally the process of crystallization removes 90-96 percent of colour. The feed liquor having low level of colour gave the sugar with better colour.The process of refining in the processing of sugar utilize the phosphatation, carbonation, bone char, affination (mechan ical separation of colour), granular carbon and ion exchange resin for the removal of colour before the process of sugar boiling (crystallization) for the production of sugar. According to ICUMSA (2007) standards, the maximum colour range of the raw sugar should be in the range of 400-600. The statistical analysis results regarding analysis of variance for colour contents in different samples of raw sugar is presented in the table 4. a. The results showed that the colour values were affected highly significant among the samples of raw sugar. The mean values for the colour contents in different raw sugar samples are shown in the table 4. 6b. The data showed that the maximum colour was observed for sample six and lowest was recorded for sample one. These results are in line with the above mentioned ICUMSA standards. Gyura et al. , (2007) proposed that some factors played an important role in the determination of colour and these factors affect the colour of the sugar.Some of these fac tors include sugar crystal size, colour types, ash constituents, boiling time, crystal distribution, polysaccharides and colour and purity of pan feed liquor. These factors determine the overall quality of sugar. So it was concluded that the increase value for the colour contents in the sample six was due to the occurrence of these impurities due to improper affination process or other refining process ultimately making it a low quality raw sugar. Size of crystals The results regarding analysis of variance for the size of crystals of different raw sugar samples have been shown in the table 4. a. The statistical analysis showed that the relationship between different raw sugar samples regarding the size of crystals were affected highly significant. The mean values for size of crystals among raw sugar samples had been presented in table 4. 5b. According to Jennings (1967), the size of crystals for the raw sugar should be between 0. 35-0. 60 mm. These research findings are in agreement with the research outcomes of the present study. The size of crystals for different raw sugar samples were in the range of 0. 39-0. 58 mm.The sample three and four had the maximum size of crystal of 0. 56 and 0. 58 mm respectively. While the minimum size of crystal was recorded for sample two which had a size of 0. 39 mm. As the standard size ranges from 0. 35-0. 60 mm, so all the samples fell in the range of standard values. It can be concluded from the review that during the sugar production optimal control is required for the growth of crystals in the crystallization stage is a vital factor for the production of sugar crystals that have the size according to specification. Argaw et al. (2006) stated that the process of growth and size of crystals can be observed by implementing varieties of different methods which involve visual inspections as well as indirect measurements. It was proposed by Beucher (1992) that the sieve method used for the assessment of the size of crystals of the raw sugar samples was well recognized for the quality determination on international scale. He stated that the sieve method is simple, easy to perform and a straight forward method which can be utilized in the production environment and this method require a modest technology.The demerits of this method that was established by the scientist were the large amount of samples and preparations required for the analysis and a more time consuming process making this a laborious method ultimately making this a difficult process to perform. It was also concluded that the size of crystals played a significant role in determining the quality of sugarcane and raw sugar produce. Filterability The results regarding the analysis of variance for the filterability of various raw sugar samples obtained from different sugar industries.The statistical analysis showed that the filterability was affected highly significant for different raw sugar samples. The mean values for the filterability of di fferent raw sugar samples are presented in table 4. 10b. Javaid et al. , (2011) stated that the impurity factor, starch and insoluble suspended matter in raw sugar have impact great influence on filtering quality of processed and unprocessed liquor. The starch has two main components i. e. traight chain amylase and branched chain amylopectin, the amylase: amylopectin ratio, the difference in charge characteristic with pH in solution, an important physico-chemical characteristic with reference to its role in filtration. High starch and low filterability process, therefore, have negative effects on clarification process that leads to the development of ash and colour in sugar. They also stated that the existence of starch in raw sugar influences and has effects on filtration, doubled the viscosity of low grade massecuite and impede the process of crystallization.The filterability of melted raw sugar has great effect on the refinery output however; when it does then it decrease the fil trate brix that leads to decrease the melting rate and viscosity as well. Consumption of excess steam in the evaporator or pan had an influence on the production during which the production suffered. Moisture The analysis for variance for the moisture contents of several raw sugar samples regarding the results have been presented in table 4. 1a. The statistical data narrated that the moisture contents of several raw sugar samples were affected highly significant.The values for the mean of the moisture contents for various raw sugar samples are shown in the table 4. 1b. It had been determined by Javaid et al. , (2011) that the moisture contents of the raw sugar were 40 percent during the examination. These findings of the research are parallel with the results of the present study. The moisture contents of the different raw sugar samples were in the range of 0. 20 to 0. 76 percent. The data also showed that the highest moisture contents were found in sample six followed by sample one while lowest values were recorded for sample four.Chen et al. , (1993) established that the moisture contents of the sugar is adaptable because of the non-reducing sugars during the process of manufacturing and also because of the contribution of the different types of agronomic factors such as storage, moisture, type of irrigation, soil conditions, season of harvesting and variety of cane crop. Such factors are involved during the analysis and study of present research. So the present difference can be attributed to these factors. Table 1: Mean values for Ash Contents, Colour, Size of Crystals, Filterability and Moisture Treatments |Ash Contents |Colour |Size of Crystals |Filterability |Moisture | |T1 |0. 5333ab |418. 33c |0. 4067c |58. 333b |0. 5333ab | |T2 |0. 3000ab |422. 33bc |0. 3933c |56. 133b |0. 4000bc | |T3 |0. 1667b |420. 00c |0. 600a |67. 000a |0. 2333c | |T4 |0. 1333b |447. 00abc |0. 5867a |70. 467a |0. 2000c | |T5 |0. 3000ab |490. 67ab |0. 4667b |38. 000c |0. 3000bc | |T6 |0. 7333a |503. 33a |0. 4733b |33. 000c |0. 7667a | CONCLUSIONThus it can be concluded from the present research that the sample four was the best regarding the sugar quality while sample from one to three were also of desire quality and quite near to the standards and were collected from the sugarcane industries. While sample six was collected from the cottage industry was proved to be of very poor quality. REFERENCES Agudo, J. A. G. , M. T. G. Cubero, G. G. Benito and M. P. Miranda. 2002. 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