Sustainability Practices And Corporate Performance: A Case Of Malaysia Companies

Kajian ini dijalankan adalah bagi mengkaji tahap dan faktor yang mendorong kepada amalan kelestarian yang dijalankan oleh syarikat-syarikat senaraian awam di Bursa Malaysia serta melihat perhubungan amalan tersebut dengan prestasi syarikat. This study investigates the extent of sustainability disclosure and also the factors of sustainable practices among Malaysian Public Listed companies on Bursa Malaysia as well as the relationship between sustainability practices and company performance

Height determination using GPS data, local geoid and global geopotential models

Orthometric heights are normally derived using the spirit levelling. This requires the spirit level equipment to be set up from point 10 point along a levelling line which is a time consuming and tedious task. GPS offers a new altematiV)O in orthometric height determination very accurately over a comparatively short period. The ellipsoidal height derived from GPS technique can be transformed into orthometric height if we know the geoidal height normally derived from a gravimetric geoid of the area. Unfortunately, we have yet to compute an accurate gravimetric geoid for such purpose, largely due to nonexistence of gravity data for a larger part of the Country. As an alternative, a study was undertaken to look into the feasibility of using a simple local geoid solution and a global geopotential geoid model solution The data used in this study consist of GPS data and known orthometric height ofseveral GPS points. This paper present some of the results obtained so far in estimating orthometric height from GPS data in local en,ironment

Improving Geoidal Height Estimates from Global Geopotential Model Using Regression Model and GPS Data

Conventionally, for most application, position of a point is often referred to the geoid as the reference surface. Thus there is an important need for the knowledge of the geoid undulation in the area where positioning tasks is performed, This requirement is made more apparent with the advent of high precision using GPS where the resulting ellipsoid height must be converted to orthometric height. An ideal solution is to use a precise gravimetric solution where the geoidal height at each GPS point is computed and applied. Unfortunately, at the moment there is no such solution available in Malaysia. However. efforts are currently being made to develop a precise gravimetric geoid, For the time being, an alternative method would have to be use and the global geopotential model is one of them. [n order to increase the accuracy of computed geoid height from the geopotential model. a regression model is used in conjunction with the GPS data. The resulting accuracy estimates of the geoid height determination increases from around 60 cm 'to about 10 cm leve1

Interfacial reaction between SAC305 and SAC405 lead-free solders and electroless nickel/immersion silver (ENImAg) surface finish

The different surface finish and solder size on printed circuit board strongly affect the formation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) and solder joint reliability. Among of various surface finish in the electronic industry, electroless nickel/immersion gold is the most popular at the moment. However, because their black pad issues, electroless nickel/immersion silver (ENImAg) was developed as an alternative surface finish. Therefore, the effect on an interfacial reaction between lead-free solder and ENImAg surface finish using different solder ball size (Ø300μm, Ø500μm and Ø700μm) was investigated. All samples were subjected to an aging process with different aging times. The characterizations of IMC formation were examined by image analyzer, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray. The results showed that ENImAg finish was free from the black pad nickel. Subsequently, the solder ball size has a significant effect on the IMC formation and fracture surface of as-reflowed and aged solder joint. The IMC thickness of larger solder balls was found to be thicker (1.74 μm) than smaller solder balls (1.32 μm) during soldering. In contrast to aged solder joints, the smaller solder ball produced thicker (3.51 μm) IMC compared to bigger solder balls (2.47 μm). Furthermore, the fracture surface of smaller solder ball size showed ductile mode for both reflowed and aged solder joints. In addition, the solder joint on ENImAg surface finish displayed a thinner layer and smaller grain sizes compared to solder joint on bare copper

Adoption of particular capital investment appraisal techniques for advanced manufacturing technologies: Malaysian manufacturing firms

The industry plays an important role in the economic growth of a country and for Malaysia the expansion of this sector continues to provide the main stimulus to the growth of the economy. however, growth cannot solely be based on traditional means of production. in order for a country to gain a competitive advantage, investment in new and high technology has become mandatory. Malaysia has moved towards capital-intensive and high technology industries in the 1990s. the Malaysian government needs to encourage the development of high-technology industries so that they can produce better products more efficiently due to the emergence of cheaper production bases in other countries, such as thailand, indonesia and China. in order for Malaysian industries to survive, Malaysia has to sustain its competitiveness by having a higher productivity and efficiency level.. Emphasis has been given to technology development and implementation in the Seventh Malaysian Plan. Various measures were implemented by the Malaysian Government to consolidate and strengthen the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector. among the initiatives undertaken were enhancing productivity and quality systems, along with utilising advanced technologies. these initiatives were supported by promotional activities and information diffusion undertaken by the national Productivity Corporation (nPC) and SiriM Berhad to educate enterprises on the latest techniques in productivity and quality improvements (Malaysia, 2001). the eight Malaysian Plan has also stressed the development of competitive advantage and productivity to enable the manufacturing sector to advance further. Firms are expected to intensify efforts in technology upgrading and developing indigenous technological capabilities in an environment of increasingly competitive markets and an accelerating pace of scientific and technological change (Malaysia, 2001). Recent concerns have been expressed that many firms are failing to invest in advanced manufacturing technology as fully as they should (hayes and Garvin, 1982; Primrose, 1991). a major reason for under-investment in new manufacturing technologies centres on the limitations of financial appraisal techniques (aggarwal, 1991; Cheung and Mason, 1993; drury and tayles, 1997; ashford et. al., 1998). Lefley (1996a; 1996b) suggested that these traditional approaches used in selecting investment failed to capture the full benefits from advanced manufacturing technology projects. These benefits are often intangible and traditional approaches are particularly incapable of capturing the value of options. Boquist et. al. (1998) stated that firms have lost millions of dollars through incorrect investment decisions, most probably as firms have been using the discounted cash flow (DCF) techniques to evaluate high technology investments based on the same criteria of acceptance as traditional capital budgeting (Wilner et. al., 1992)

Comparison of compressive strength in mud bricks with shred tires and concrete particles as sustainable materials

Mud bricks consist of clay, water and different materials. Comparing mud bricks to concrete blocks, an evolution in reducing the cost and also in increasing the compressive strength, can be made. A weakness in mud block was shown during the experiments in the absence of additional materials. In consequence, a number of testing took place in mud bricks with different additional materials consisting of shred tires and particles waste concrete. Concrete particles are recycling materials as solid waste that is exported by concrete. To make the mud bricks, in this research different materials were used and concrete particles and shred tires were added in two layers in test boxes. This paper presents the role of different materials in mud brick strength that came as a result of our survey to their effect. The materials used are cheap one because we took them from solid waste and only a little part of them is used in the automotive industry. In this paper has been shown the change in compressive strength under additives materials in mud bricks. As a conclusion performances of mud bricks with shred tires were better than concrete particles