History of Energy-saving Vehicles   2 comments

Professor Sibrandus Stratingh from the Netherlands designed the first small-scale electric car in 1835. French physicist Gaston Planté improved the storage battery on the vehicle. Then, in 1881, Camille Faure developed a more efficient and reliable battery which became so successful in the early electric cars. This discovery caused battery electric vehicles to flourish in the late 19th Century. In the early 20th Century, battery electric vehicles were successfully sold as town cars to upper-class customers. Because of the technological limitations, Battery electric vehicles were limited in speed and they were never mass-produced in the history.

Ballard Power Systems presented the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell for automotive applications at the Detroit Auto Show in 2000. In 2004, U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced over $350million devoted to hydrogen research and vehicle demonstration projects. This funding encompasses over 30 lead organizations and more than 100 partners selected through a competitive review process. In the future, water will replace fossil fuels as the primary resource for hydrogen.

The world’s first solar-powered vehicle was designed by William G. Cobb in 1955 and it was demonstrated at the General Motors Powerama in Chicago. Today, solar car competitions are held all over the world. However, a mass-produced solar car has not yet hit the market. Development of solar vehicles today continues on solar cell design and car power supply requirements such as heater or air-conditioning fans.

For more information please visit: http://www.greencar.com/

Posted October 5, 2010 by zakkzzy in History

IBM’s Corporate Social Responsibility   1 comment

IBM’s policy requires employees to follow strictly to its business guidelines at all times. Any uncertainty of guideline violation action must be asked immediately to the related managers before taken place. Violation of any IBM guideline will be strictly punished which also including dismissal employees from the company. The Senior Vice President and General Counsel must be responsible to provide instructions of business ethics and conduct to ensure resignation among the company management. Such instructions included business conduct guideline certification programs, administering certification programs, periodic feedback and operation reviews and so on. These policies ensure that IBM’s business performance maintaining ethically a high degree of conscientious during action which in the same time increasing the customer confident toward the company.

IBM has policies that ensure employees’ safety and health in the working environment. Every employee is properly trained to be workplace environmental responsible. Safety and emergency equipment are required in every workplace. Any actions or conditions that threaten the health or the safety toward the workplace must be reported to the authorities immediately and related managers must take prompt actions.

IBM is also committed to energy conserving and environmental protection. IBM’s natural resources are conserved by using recyclable packaging and other materials.  All products are required to have high efficiency in their use of energy. Therefore, technologies are always developed and updated to minimize waste during production. In 2007, IBM was ranked in the top ten “Best Green Outsourcers” and “Green IT Initiative of the Year”. All materials of the products are required to be safe for intended use and protective of the environment. New technologies are also developed to prevent air, water and any other pollution. IBM is also participate in efforts to improve environmental protection by utilize its products, services and technologies around the world. Progress reports about the new improvement of IBM’s Environmental management system and performance are issued periodically to the public.  IBM was also awarded “Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Award” by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable in 2007 due to the company’s effort.

Today, big organizations are more likely focusing on social responsibility as their long term objective. The public expectation toward IBM’s corporation social responiblity is high due to the size of its scale. IBM believes that companies can actually discover new sales opportunities by asking customers about their CSR concerns. CEMEX is benefited by creating new ways for lower-income consumers to buy its concrete; Starbucks is also benefited by creating “fair trade” coffee. As a result, CSR is more likely to become a business strategy of the company instead of philanthropy.

Big organizations have always played a huge role in Corporation Social responisblity and believed that CSR as company’s acts of philanthropy, however, IBM found that CSR have actually brought a much more strategic view into the business. As a result, the majority of IBM’s business operations are now utilizing CSR as an opportunity and a platform for its business growth. IBM is benefited by CSR strategy by increasing the amount of information they provide about the sourcing and impact of their products and services; Collaborate with consumers and business partners on their CSR proposals by learning their CSR expectations.  For example, IBM works with public and not for-profit organizations to make the World Community Grid available to a volunteer force of more than 210,000 people who donate the idle processing power of their computers to create a “virtual supercomputer” devoted to humanitarian research.In the same time, this program is strategic to IBM because it demonstrates how leading technologies the company is developing can meet major global challenges, and it also provides the company feedback on its performance. As part of IBM’s Corporate Social Responsibility, the company also supported the first tribal theme park in Gujarat in Sasan Gir. IBM has also denoted periodically to the need worldwide.

For more information please visit:http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/policy3.shtml

 

Posted October 5, 2010 by zakkzzy in Article

The Phenomenon   1 comment

 

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima is known as Ronaldo the Phenomenon. He is the one of the biggest stars in Brazilian soccer. In his career, he has achieved great success as a professional soccer player. He is the only man who won the FIFA world player of the year three times. He had also achieved FIFA World Cup Champions in 1994 and 2002 and won the FIFA Golden Boot Award in 2002. Player like Ronaldo comes only once in the generation.

During his career, Ronaldo has scored 62 goals for his country and played the most essential part in his nation team. His contribution to this sport is so tremendous that players today are still copying his moves which he had brought. People now may talk more about young stars in football such as Kaka and C.Ronaldo. However, none of these new star players could bring such an impact to the game in comparison to Ronaldo. He has simply changed the style of this sport. Although his golden days have faded, nevertheless, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima should always be memorized as the best soccer player of all time.

More information from:http://www.ronaldo.com/en/biography.asp

Posted October 5, 2010 by zakkzzy in Sports