Marketing is more than selling and promotion Essay

The primary concern or objective of marketing is to identify and satisfy, or exceed the changing needs of customers. In view of this broad concern of marketing, it can be seen that the concept of marketing summarizes many activities in a business. Marketing, in fact, refers to any activity undertaken by a firm that has been designed to plan, price, promote and distribute ideas, goods and services to target markets. These marketing activities were executed in order to create an exchange and sales that will result in the achievement of the proprietors’ individual goals and the firm’s goals, both in the short-term and the long-term. It is then obvious that marketing forms an integral component of any business’s operations. In particular marketing activities attempt to increase a firms’ revenue base, by showing the importance of attracting potential customers in target markets to purchase the firms’ products in order to satisfy their wants, rather than those of firm’s competitors. Consequently, the marketing directly contributes to the attainment of the financial goals of the firm. Hence, the success of a firm is reliant upon the extent to which it is able to identify, and satisfy the customer’s needs more effectively. Marketing as an activity that involves several features, all of which are presented during the course of the marketing process. Such features include, firstly and most importantly, that marketing is a long process that begins with the creation of an idea and ends up as product that will be sold to satisfy a customer’s needs. Secondly, marketing is seen as a managerial process as it involves making managerial decisions about the particular mix of product, price, place and promotion in a firm. Furthermore, marketing involves managers planning and ensuring that particular arranged activities are carried out, in order for the marketing plan to be successful. Finally, marketing is perceived as a way in which firms are able to satisfy the needs of customers, and in turn achieve their own business goals. Marketing provides the business with the ability to satisfy the changing wants of customers. In light of this, and the fact that businesses have  become increasingly aware of the role that marketing plays in achieving success in the business, several approaches or philosophies to marketing have developed. There are different approaches to marketing, to help to define marketing and to show, how a specific marketing approach/s depends upon particular business’s marketing strategy and the type of product being marketed. Starting with a Marketing Concept, which believes that a customer’s need for satisfaction, is the economic and social reason for an organisation’s existence. This approach requires, that all of the business’s activities should be targeted towards meeting consumer wants, while at the same time meeting the organisation’s goals. In effect, this approach needs the firm to find out what the customer wants, and subsequently develops a product to meet these requirements and then sell it at a profit. Then the Production Concept should be considered. This approach states that the business will sell its product if it is both well made and affordable. Businesses utilising this method require management to focus on improving production techniques and cost structures of the business The Product Concept focuses on the quality, features, and performance of the product. Believing that if the product has more features or is of a better quality and performance compared to competitors, it will then gain greater sales it is defiantly less customer orientated. The Selling Concept concentrates on developing sales techniques and promotional activities in order to entice customers into buying an organisation’s product, whether they want it or not. Therefore this approach places direct emphasis on customers, but possibly not on their want-satisfaction. After all the Societal Marketing Concept which is the latest marketing approach, combines the main ideas of the marketing approach, that is, determining customer needs and satisfying the business’s goals, but also integrates social responsibility into the business. This social responsibility includes increasing environmental awareness, which may include tackling the problems of pollution and the exploitation of  non-renewable resources. Modern day businesses are under pressure to adopt this marketing approach, in order to become more socially responsible. This approach not only focuses on fulfilling the customer’s want-satisfaction, but also satisfying society. These four approaches in particular show, that marketing is more than promoting and selling a product. They could be compared with the four P?s (product, place, promotion and price), which are normally used to describe the process of marketing. But the concepts of marketing, production, product, selling and society marketing give another view into the difficult and never ending process of marketing.

The Advantages and the Disadvantages of Being Female

The advantages and the disadvantages of being female. Today ,be female could be advantageous yet could command some disadvantages ranging from the way one thinks , talk , the way people appreciate and consider you . The pains one may feel physically , spiritually and emotionally. Being female in a world which is continuously changing and demanding could be very difficult at times and very easy in some cases . The advantage of being female includes a lot of things. Females have a wonderful self support system .There are a number of things female do to pick them selves up again that men don ‘t have the privilege of doing. Also exists a number of pampering techniques that women use in putting themselves back together especially those who like to be spoilt could simply pick themselves up again by making a call to several close friends who will be at the door fully armed with sympathy , chocolate and even more quicker than you say so what your evening like. Women are more tuned to e motions than men and find it easier to express themselves .While most men wouldn ‘t be caught dead crying in public , let alone in front of their partners. Women will find a number reasons to burst into tears be it out of frustrations or for emotional reasons . But one aspect of crying men haven ‘t discovered or mastered is that in an argumentative situation , it can be used as a tool to get your way out or to prove a point but case that all effect fails try turning out the water works. A definite advantage of been female is the option to wear make up which really comes in handy.When you are having an off day ,Make up can serve two purposes:It can enhance a woman ‘s natural beauty or it can disguise those occasional flaws in the skin or the after effects of last nights partying. Women unfortunately have to suffer and endure the uncomfortable and often painful experience of having periods and with that ,there are associated emotions and mood swings . A clear disadva ntage over males some may say,but I think it could be also perceived as an advantage. Women unlike men have an excuse to be cranky,unreasonable or even impossible at times an occasionally they milk it for its worth.Just by being female she automatically has a reason for being irritable. Disadvantages are too numerous,frequently you hear men say it ‘s a mans world ‘ really it is a world dominated by men. Even when women get married the men seem to dominate all activities of the family. Even in the larger society men dominate in working sectors and so on. Most frequently women are sexually blackmailed for favors especially for employment purposes. While the men never receive such harassments. Despite the appearances that women are gaining in their options, their status has remained unchanged.This is because society still clings to traditional conventions in which women are supposed to stay inside the home. Furthermore, young women are expected to maintain harmony among the ir group at home or in the office by suppressing their individual personalities. To get out of this setup is difficult because daily life is so deeply immersed in such conventions. It is not as if men do not have they own disadvantages or advantages it is just that women constitute the greatest part of attraction on earth They simply make life interesting. Joana Nano III C

Foundation S N Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foundation S N - Essay Example Eating and drinking are integral parts of human existence, and this is a very important part of activities of daily living in Roper et als model of living. I was given to understand that as a nurse, I have a primary role within the multidisciplinary team to ensure that my patient receive food, fluids, and adequate nutrition when he is under my care. My plan also involved educating him regarding a healthy diet (Mentes, Chang, and Morris, 2006, 392-406). This patient had difficulty in eating and drinking due to stroke and resultant paralysis. Being fully aware that it was primarily my responsibility to feed him and ensure that he meets his nutritional requirements, I first assessed his clinical situation (Fowles and Feucht, 2004, 429-433). Assistance would be necessary, but my goal would be to set a goal of achieving independence in terms of eating and drinking. I knew that the thought of having to be fed is a threat to the patients individual integrity and self-esteem. Similar feelings were happening in the patient, and I demonstrated considerable care and sensitivity to handle the whole affair of feeding and drinking and made every effort to minimise the negative aspects (Wilson, 2006, 413-416). Before preparing and serving the meal, this patient was offered a bedpan followed by facilities for hand washing. Eating would have been easier if the patient could have been able to sit out of bed, but this was next to impossible in this case, since he was bedfast and had no balance to maintain a straight posture. As a result, support was arranged to make him sit upright on the bed, and a suitable table was arranged and placed in front of him where the food and drink can be kept. This would allow him to see his food and indicate preferences. I offered the patient also the opportunity to clean his teeth and use a mouthwash. To ensure a relaxed social atmosphere, I sat at the same level as him. Prior to this, I identified

Software Process Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Software Process Models - Essay Example With the invention of digital signals in the early 2000’s more television stations are moving toward it (Buyya, R. et al. 2008). The current television network methodology used by Maarly M Ltd does not fully meet the needs of the viewers who need to have clear images displayed on their screens (Buyya, R. et al. 2008). Any system or methodology used by any company is bound to pose some challenges to the company. What matters how the company copes with the issues the system exposes (Buyya et al, 2008). In order to fully understand the problems in the current system, it is very important to troubleshoot the whole systems to not only find the problems but to also find out why such problems exist. For Maarly M Ltd, the main problem the current systems have is its inability to display clear images as they appear. Television viewers are therefore not able to get a real picture of the events on the screen. There exist so many methodologies to improve television networks. Experts have developed various systems that can help television networks improve their receptions (Hau, T. et al. 2011). Despite all systems developed following the same steps such as communication, planning, modeling, construction and deployment, each company can choose the methodology it deems fit for its operations. For Maarly M, the spiral methodology is most suitable to solve the issues experienced from the current system. The main reason for choosing the spiral methodology over the others is because of the digital nature that the television industry is gradually adopting and the developers can develop carious prototypes and test them so as to achieve the desired signal (Buyya et al, 2008). People are buying satellite dishes to get a better reception of the television signals, and we at Maarly M can only do better by helping them get a much clearer digital reception. With the popularity of satellite dishes among television

Has Kuwait Prospered with Western Relations Essay

Has Kuwait Prospered with Western Relations - Essay Example Surrounded by warring neighbors Kuwait is well noted for its wealth and stability (Crystal). Long time a bulwark for the West and the United States against many of the more radical regimes of the day, the United States had very close ties both politically and economically with the affluent rulers in Kuwait (Sharp). It was by using these relations to first put themselves into a position of prosperity, then reclaim their nation from Iraq, followed by the remarkable accomplishment of not only rebuilding but improving their position in the world society, that Kuwait managed to remain intact. Working with the vast resources of the West, the clever rulers of Kuwait have turned tragedy into fortune. By first examining the state of the Kuwaiti – United States/Western relations before the Gulf War and then researching the effects that the war itself had on the country, followed by the method that the Kuwaitis have used these results to its advantage to recover, we will answer the question: Is Kuwait better off because of Western Relations? This paper will seek to prove if indeed sometimes war can be good for a country and that if in the long term, security and economic concerns, for both countries, were and continue to be to this day, the driving factor behind the United States – Kuwaiti relations. ... , security and economic concerns, for both countries, were and continue to be to this day, the driving factor behind the United States – Kuwaiti relations. The country of Kuwait Kuwait, in a region prone to chaos and unrest is a remarkable example of exactly the opposite. Founded in the eighteenth century, with aid from the British, Kuwait has been ruled continuously by one family, the Sabah clan (Crystal). This style of government has produced a positive and growing economy which easily transitioned to the oil industry with the discovery of large reserves within the country’s borders Continuing after the death of ruler Mubarak the Great, the Sabah family has accomplished a rare feat in holding power and satisfying their population. This has been made substantially easier by the amount of foreign interest money that is consistently pumped in their economy (Bennet). United States foreign policy has long focused on offering assistance and influence in the Middle East in a reas that would help produce stability for the United States National Interests (Sharp). Long a top priority, the oil Fields of Kuwait were among the first assets protected by the United States under their defense agreement with the Sabah rulers. Although terrorism in the Kuwaiti area has remained low, the continued threat made by various terrorist organizations, both in the past and today made it imperative that workable defense treaties exist. By allowing other countries to provide a major portion of the defensive forces in the country, Kuwait was able to focus their wealth and influence on other issues. It was the aggression of Saddam and Iraq that tipped the balance of power in the region to one that required a response by the western powers (Hassan). The actions caused by the overreaching

Speech Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Speech - Term Paper Example It will also suggest that the skillful audience analysis employed by President Kennedy shows why audience analysis is important to public speaking in general. The Cuban Missile Crisis Speech: The Right Words at the Last Minute President John F. Kennedy’s speech at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most important speeches in American history. The Soviet Union was building bases in Cuba for nuclear missiles that could reach the United States. Kennedy had to inform the public of the possibility of a Soviet nuclear strike against the United States and simultaneously calm the people’s fears and assure them that everything possible was being done to remedy the situation. He also had to use the opportunity to send a message to Nikita Khrushchev and the leaders of Soviet Union that nuclear bases in Cuba would not be tolerated (Long & Swett, 2010). By closely analyzing this speech, it is possible to see the techniques that Kennedy used to deliver two separate messages to two different audiences at once. In doing this, Kennedy showed the importance of audience analysis in public speaking. Kennedy spoke to two audiences in his speech. The first and most important audience was the American public. The people of the United States had already been worried about the possibility of nuclear war since the end of the Second World War and the start of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Kennedy had to deliver accurate news about what was taking place in Cuba and what it meant for America without panicking people. Upon hearing the news, Americans would want to look to a strong leader who had the crisis under control and who would stop the conflict before it spiraled into unthinkable disaster. Because the missiles would be able to reach most of the Western hemisphere, Kennedy’s address held implications for an international audience, as well. The President’s speech also had a secondary purpose. He could also us e the opportunity to make a show of strength to America’s Cold War enemies in the Soviet Union and Cuba. While much of the information delivered in the speech was being exchanged between the powers involved via intelligence, letters, and phone calls, seeing the President proclaim to the American people what strategies would be used against Cuba and the Soviet Union in a speech held more intimidation for the Soviet and Cuban leaders (Bostdorff 1994). A good speech is a powerful emotional tool that can convey the deeper meaning of a message more effectively than a conversation or a written declaration can. Kennedy knew this, and he used the opportunity as a defensive strategy just as much as an informative address. One of the most striking aspects of the speech is the direct and businesslike manner in which Kennedy addresses the American people. To start off, he does not simplify or â€Å"dumb down† the information he conveys, nor does he sugar coat it to make it more pa lletable. Kennedy treats the American people like adults who are capable of understanding the situation. By doing this, he shows the audience that what he’s saying is extremely serious. He then goes on to detail what the Soviet government said about their involvement in the building of the Cuban missile bases and the purpose of these bases, and states emphatically that these assurances were false. Kennedy shows some anger here, but his anger is tightly controlled. By doing this, he

Hucksters in the Classroom Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hucksters in the Classroom - Case Study Example In drawing a one to one relationship between education and business, a number of moral issues arise. Chief among these and as pointed out by Saddler (2011) is the treatment of school going children as a means to an end. This means that the purpose of commercial activities in schools is not to better education but to boost profits for corporations. Commercial intrusion in schools alters the purpose and nature of education, which is meant to empower an individual in making the sound judgment (Sharma, 2012). Sharma further notes that education is meant to bring out qualities that are locked within an individual and not impress values upon them. Contrary to this, commercial intrusion in schools aims at creating brand loyalty in the children, and not to empower them to exercise the power of choice. It would only be right to conclude that students do have a â€Å"moral right† to receive an education that is free from commercial indoctrination. This is more so the case considering that promotion of commercial indoctrination undermines the sole aim of education, which is to empower an individual to practice independently of making choices (Sharma, 2012). If I was a parent of school-aged children I would be concerned about their exposure to commercial and corporate propaganda. This is because as a parent I would have enough reasons to be concerned over the welfare of my child. Having held the school as an environment where my children will be free from the reach of such exploitative activities, as a parent I would feel uneasy with the position which my school going child is put by being exposed to commercial and corporate propaganda. In the event that I take on the role of a board member in a school, I would be faced with the task of making a decision regarding the type of promotional method to be used in the school. As per the options, of either taking on industry-sponsored materials or channel one, I would opt for the industry-sponsored materials. This method does not employ  activities that are farfetched from the school curriculum.   

Participative Management - A Study of John Lewis Partnership Case

Participative Management - A of John Lewis Partnership - Case Study Example Competitors find it difficult to replicate the competitive edge acquired by such a firm over a period of time. The objective of this report is to analyze HRM principles and theoretical observations applicable to John Lewis Partnership. The report will also examine whether and where the HRM policies adopted by the company fulfill or fall short in strengthening its efforts to achieve organizational goals and attempts at suggesting remedial measures. Human Resource Management-Participative Management: The central theme of human resource management is to enhance employee performance through employee commitment (Armstrong, 1987, Storey 1995 cited in McGunnigle 2000). The right human resource management system attracts and retains the right talent, develops workforce skills, resolves or avoids conflicts and motivates workforce into a culture of commitment to achieve organizational goals (Storey 1995 cited in McGunnigle 2000). Watson et al. suggest that a culture of commitment may be induced by the application of specific practices within HRM areas such as recruitment and selection, training and development, reward systems, employee participation, involvement and empowerment (Watson et al. 1996 cited in McGunnigle 2000). Kinnie et al. ... Involvement in decision making Performance appraisal with tight links to contingent pay (Holbeche 2001 p.13) Kinnie et al. sound a word of caution when they argue that the application of specific HR policies may not have a uniformly desirable effect on all employees working in an organization. They argue that the extant debate on the links between HR policy and organizational performance has been based on the distinction between the 'best practice' and 'best fit' perspectives, both of which assume that HR policies have the same effect on all employees working in an organization. The best practice view put forth by Pfeffer (1994, 1998 cited in Kinnie et al. 2005) identifies a set of policies associated with performance improvement applicable to all industries and by implication to all employees. On the other hand the best-fit strategy proposed by Schuler and Jackson (1987 cited in Kinnie et al. 2005) and Miles and Snow (1984 cited in Kinnie et al. 2005) suggests that HR policies consistent with business strategy maximize performance. (Kinnie et al. 2005). There have been a number of references to 'participative management' within the literature on human resource management, which however must not be confused with permissiveness. According to Frohman, it is a "practical approach to solving problems and achieving performance targets by utilizing people as resources." As against the human resource approach which "aims to generate compliance and employee morale" participative management is a "quest for improved performance and quality." (Frohman 1988) John Lewis Partnership (JLP): JLP is an employees' co-operative, wholly owned by its 64,000 employee-partners. This unique democratic management model imbues the company with a corporate

HRM Current Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

HRM Current Issues - Essay Example In this globalised world, an economic problem in one country will not get restricted to that country, but gets spread to other countries. This is what happening today, with the economic recession starting in United States of America, is having a very negative effect all over the world. Many companies are suffering losses and as a result, many employees are losing their jobs. Also, many organizations have quietly cut the salaries and other fringe benefits to their employees. So, the fear that their jobs and salary are at stake and to continue working, the employees are forced to work pushing their limits, leading to stress. With stressed mind, the employees will be hard-pressed to use his/hers physical and mental part, to work effectively for the organization. Stressed mind in the sense, due to the poor match between work load and the capabilities, resources, etc of the worker, the mind of the worker could be become disoriented leading to the damaging of workers biological, psychologi cal or social systems.. Stress is something which can happen to an individual both due to a positive action or change as well as negative action or change. That is, stress can be felt by the employees, if positive actions or changes like promotion, new assignments, new responsibilities, etc happen in his/hers professional life. Also in the same but different way, the employees will become stressed, if he/she faces negative actions or changes both in his/hers professional as well as personal life. The negative events or issues that could trigger stress are unemployment, suspension, failure to meet the targets, pressure, intimidation, abuse, etc from the superior as well as co-workers, divorce, deaths, etc, etc. When the above mentioned negative changes or actions occurs, they will be least expecting it and so they will be unable to handle it. That is, those

Khatami Presidency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Khatami Presidency - Essay Example Practical wisdom can be observed in every activities of Mohammad Khatami as Iranian President. He was responsible for laying foundations for economic reforms and liberalizations in Iran. While Ahmadinejad tried to make Iran as a military power, Khatami was keen in the economic development of Iran. He has contested two elections and won both. In fact, he has secured more than 70% of the total votes poled in his first election. During his president ship, Khatami tried to respect all types of human rights such as freedom of expression and tolerance to other religions. Moreover, he worked hard to strengthen Iran’s diplomatic relations with other states including United States, Asia and European Union. He did everything possible to enhance the free market concept and also for the enhancement of foreign direct investments in Iran. In short, Khatami’s president ship helped Iran immensely in political, economic and cultural circles. This paper critically analyses Khatamiâ€℠¢s political life in general and his economic reformation policies in particular. How Khatami came to power? Iran was a constitutional monarchy (Afkhami 171), until the 1979 revolution. Until 1979, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was in power. Even though Shah allowed parliamentary democracy in Iran, he was not ready to leave the legal and executive powers. Even though Shah initially enjoyed a ceremonial position, he had slowly increased his executive power and started to implement autocracy in Iran. But, Iranian people under the Supreme Leadership of Ruhollah Khomeini captured power in 1979. Since then, parliamentary democracy was implemented in Iran. Even though democracy was established in Iran in 1979, religious leaders started to control Iranian politics since 1979. They were keen in promoting their factional interests than trying to make room for all groups and perspectives (Mirsepassi 99). As a result of that Iranian people started to lose faith in the abilities of religious leade rs. They were keen in avoiding religious fundamentalism from politics. In Mohammad Khatami, Iranian people started to see a leader they were looking for. Until the 1997 parliament elections, Khatami assumed many critical ministerial posts in Iran. While working as a minister of Iran, Khatami revealed his liberal attitudes many times. It should be noted that Khatami has resigned in 1997 from the post of Minister of Islamic guidance in support for freedom of press and freedom of art and culture (Mirsepassi 120). Even though majority of the Iranian politicians worked for the betterment of the community which they belong, Khatami was different. He worked hard to protect the interests of all Iranians rather than the community he represents. Khatami’s base of support cut across regional and class lines with its core consisting of the modern middle class, college students, women and urban workers. His campaign was based in theory on the rule of law, democracy and the inclusion of al l Iranian in the political decision making process (Mirsepassi 113). In Mohammad Khatami, Iranian people found a true democratic leader. Khatami began as a Khomeinist (Keddie 267). However, later he shaped his own visions about the future of Iran. He advocated greater freedom to women, Sunnis and other minorities and emphasized the importance of civil society during his tenure as the president of Iran. His call for greater freedom, civil rights, rule of law and

Riordan Manufacturing Security Essay Example for Free

Riordan Manufacturing Security Essay Team â€Å"C† was hired by Riordan Manufacturing management to overhaul the security features currently employed by the company. Management outlined a comprehensive plan that included a complete hardware refresh, security best practices and end user training. Team â€Å"C† will devote resources to assess the physical and network security issues and concerns at each Riordan plant. Once those have been identified, Team â€Å"C† will identify the data security issues and concerns present at each Riordan plant. Finally, Team â€Å"C† will address web security issues and concerns present at each Riordan plant and recommend a way forward for the company. Riordan Manufacturing Background Riordan Manufacturing is a global plastics manufacturer employing 550 people with projected annual earnings of $46 million. The company is wholly owned by Riordan Industries, a Fortune 1000 enterprise with revenues in excess of $1 billion. Its products include plastic beverage containers produced at its plant in Albany, Georgia, custom plastic parts produced at its plant in Pontiac, Michigan, and plastic fan parts produced at its facilities in Hangzhou, China. The companys research and development is done at the corporate headquarters in San Jose. Riordans major customers are automotive parts manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, the Department of Defense, beverage makers and bottlers, and appliance manufacturers (Riordan Manufacturing, 2013). Each site manages their network that communicates directly with the corporate office in San Jose. The three outlying sites do not communicate with each other without going directly through the corporate office. This is the biggest change Team â€Å"C† will propose. Communications between the four networks should be real time and should be linked. Physical Security Concerns  The initial review of the physical security of the Riordan Manufacturing Network identified some major concerns: * Single point of failure The three outlining networks run through the corporate office in order to share information. If the corporate office is down, then the information from the other three offices cannot be shared. * Lack of Redundancy The networks currently only have one path out. For instance, if the gateway/switch at the Hangzhou, China plant goes down, the various departments running off that switch will be isolated from the rest of the network. Communication Barrier Communication between the three US bases sites with the Hangzhou site could pose some challenges. Ensure the physical security policies employed in the United States are also allowed in China. * Facility Security There was not much mention of the physical security aspects that are employed at each site. Recommend doing a comprehensive review of the physical security of each complex and recommend security features to each distinct location. Highly recommend the corporate office shift to a common access card (CAC) entry to the facility. Backups – Did not see a backup plan. Ensure backups are conducted daily and the off-site copies are maintained. Network Security Concerns The Network security aspects of our review are aligned with most of what was identified with the physical concerns. There are additionally items that identified that need to be addressed: * Language. The three US site networks will have to be able to receive data through the Chinese network (Compatibility issue). Ensure that the US based networks are able to receive and process Chinese code/language. Security Policy – Ensure that the strict policies enforced on the three US based networks will be compliant in China. The Chinese government has strict restrictions on information access. Need to ensure Chinese security policies are followed and that company information is not compromised. * Single point of failure – As addressed in the physical security, the networks as constructed have various single points of failure. If a switch or router goes down, the whole network is isolated from conducting business. Different Operating Environments Most of the company is running on Windows 7 environment, however, MAC PRO’s are being used at the corporate office and this could lead to some compatibility issues between Windows and MAC environments. * Obsolete equipment – Many of the sites are using old network equipment. Recommend investing in new switches and routers to enhance the processing and network speed. Conclusion Team â€Å"C† has identified numerous areas of concern with the Riordan networks. Those items will be address individually at each location and be submitted in a comprehensive review.

Cause and Effect Analysis of Information Data

Cause and Effect Analysis of Information Data Cause and Effect Analysis System Improvement Objectives Problem or Opportunity Causes and Effects System Objective System Constraint 1. Information contained in quarterly publish employee directory becomes out of date quickly 1. Companys rapid growth with new employees make quarterly publish directory constantly out of date. Lessen the impact on the administrator from 12 hours weekly to 1 or 2 hours Delete the micro system Enable e-mail system accessibility Dispose of hardcopy directory savings of $27,000 Engage employees to enter data in real time Maintain security of the system to prevent unauthorized access from all locations All computer desktops from all locations must be independently accessible to the system Reduce the redundancy of keying in employee information into the mirco and System Improvement Objectives Problem or Opportunity Causes and Effects System Objective System Constraint 2. Duplicate employee information in the micro and mainframe systems 1. Automation is non existent between the micro and mainframe systems user interface 2. Employees information is not centrally stored in one location Eliminate the need for the micro system Develop single source of entering employee information to eliminate duplicate keying information Maintain security of the system to prevent unauthorized access from all locations All computer desktops from all locations must be independently accessible to the system Cause and Effect Analysis System Improvement Objectives Problem or Opportunity Causes and Effects System Objective System Constraint 3. Maintaining and operating Mainframe system cost are high Out of date technology of the system increases costs to maintain Transactions are source of high cost with constant reprocessing to correct discrepancies 1. Decrease operating cost to a more manageable   level goal of 50% reduction 1. None   noted Cause and Effect Analysis System Improvement Objectives Problem or Opportunity Causes and Effects System Objective System Constraint 4. Employee data not current throughout current system Administrator has to key in information on each employee submitted form causing a delay in system accuracy Employee data is not available in real time Allow employees to enter their own information into the system Develop single point of entry to ensure employee data is in real time and made available to other legacy systems 1. Interfaces need to meet legacy specifications Cause and Effect Analysis System Improvement Objectives Problem or Opportunity Causes and Effects System Objective System Constraint 5. Employee information processing done by HR department is costly 1. HR staff labor is very extensive thus driving cost upward because of having to interface with each employee to fix discrepancies and input their data into the system Eliminate the need for the micro system Allow employees to enter their own information into the system Develop single point of entry to ensure employee data is in real time and made available to other legacy systems Maintain security of the system to prevent unauthorized access from all locations All computer desktops from all locations must be independently accessible to the system Cause and Effect Analysis System Improvement Objectives Problem or Opportunity Causes and Effects System Objective System Constraint 6. Employees information is stored in different databases across the system Employee data is not being stored in a single repository Databases for storing employee data are application specific 1. Develop a database that is single source for employee information storage Single source employee database will exceed the $225,000 budget when modifying the legacy application. Provide the appropriate interfaces in lieu of modifying legacy applications Cause and Effect Analysis System Improvement Objectives Problem or Opportunity Causes and Effects System Objective System Constraint 7. Reports are not accessible when users need them Current system does not have the capability to submit a query or ad-hoc function Backlogs and priorities prohibit IS from responding on reporting requests 1. Provide a feature to enable the ad-hoc and query function to the users Maintain security of the system to prevent unauthorized access from all locations Cause and Effect Analysis System Improvement Objectives Problem or Opportunity Causes and Effects System Objective System Constraint 8. United Way lacking employee participation 1. No means to track employee contributions Provide management the means to monitor contributions and status by the use inquiries and reports Enable each employee the ability to make contributions online Maintain security of the system to prevent unauthorized access from all locations All computer desktops from all locations must be independently accessible to the system

Liquid Phase Surface Nitriding of Al-5052

Liquid Phase Surface Nitriding of Al-5052 Abstract: Liquid phase surface nitriding of Al-5052 was performed using the heat of a TIG (tungsten inert gas) torch in a gas shielding which was a mixture of argon and nitrogen. The feasibility of obtaining nitride compounds at various TIG processing parameters and nitrogen contents in the shielding gas were studied. The presence of AlN phase being formed during surface nitriding was proved by X-ray diffraction analysis. Scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyzer was carried out to study the morphology and chemical composition of the nitride phase. The microhardness test was also performed on cross sections of treated layers. This measurement demonstrated that the surface hardness increased from 52 HV for the untreated aluminum alloy to as high as 1411 HV for the nitrided sample due to the formation of AlN phase in the treated layer. It was also found that, variation of nitrogen contents in the shielding gas has little effect on th e formation of AlN phase and its properties. It was also noticed that liquid phase surface nitriding reduced the wear rate to less than quarter of that of the untreated substrate. Introduction Liquid phase surface engineering including surface melting, alloying, and formation of composite layers on aluminum alloys have been studied and applied for more than three decades. High-energy sources such as laser and electron beam, as well as other heat sources like tungsten inert gas (TIG) process have been used for these treatments [1–3]. In order to improve the wear resistance, formation of hard nitride layers via liquid phase surface engineering on nitride former alloys like titanium and iron in atmospheres containing nitrogen have also been studied by a number of researchers [4–11]. Aluminum alloys like titanium are strong nitride former. Attempts have been made to form nitride compounds on aluminum and its alloys to enhance their wear resistant [12–16]. The majority of researchers have used plasma nitriding technique. The main disadvantage of plasma nitriding is formation of rather thin AlN layers, which are not suitable, and useful while high load bearing ability is required [12,13,17–19]. Some researchers have tried to form aluminum nitride via liquid phase surface engineering of aluminum using laser beam [14,20–24]. Sicard et al. [22] obtained thin nitride layers on aluminum based substrate by liquid phase laser nitriding. Carpene et al. [23] studied laser nitriding of pure iron and aluminum in nitrogen atmosphere using a pulsed nanosecond Excimer laser. Their study revealed that approximately all the phases predicted by the Fe-N phase diagram was observed in the case of liquid phase iron nitriding, while in aluminum, only AlN was formed . There are only a couple of works on liquid phase surface nitriding of aluminum using electric arc in atmospheres of argon and nitrogen [15,16]. Hioki et al. [15] introduced an aluminum nitriding method by heating aluminum in a mixture gas of argon and nitrogen using the heat of a TIG torch. By this treatment, a dense layer of aluminum nitride was formed on the surface of aluminum so that it improved the wear resistance of aluminum. Zheng et al. [16] reported an improvement in the microhardness and wear resistance of 1050 aluminum by nitrogen arc discharge at atmospheric pressure. The nitride formation mechanism via liquid phase surface treatment has not been completely realized. According to some researches [16,20,21], the plasma formation by the electric arc or laser irradiation on the substrate surface under nitrogen atmosphere allows ionization of nitrogen and penetration to some depth and then according to Al+N → AlN reaction, nitride layers grow in the melt pool. It has been reported that if the proportion of nitrogen gas exceeds 50% by weight, the paucity of argon gas might result in unfavorable effects on generation and stability of the electric arc [15]. Therefore, it is preferred that the shielding gas to be diluted by argon gas. In this study, TIG surface nitriding of Al-5052 in ambient nitrogen atmosphere will be carried out to investigate the effects of various TIG processing parameters such as current and travel speed as well as nitrogen contents on the formation of AlN on Al-5052 alloy. Subsequently, the hardness and wear resistance of the treated surfaces were studied. Experimental AA5052 aluminum plates with dimensions of 100 mm Ãâ€" 80 mm Ãâ€" 10 mm were used as the substrate. Prior to surface nitriding, their surfaces were sandpapered with 120 paper grit SiC and then cleaned with acetone. TIG surface treatment was carried out using a MERKLE TIG 200 AC/DC unit in alternative-current (AC) mode as a heat-generator. A coaxial argon gas flow was adjusted at a fixed amount of 9 l/min and high purity nitrogen gas (at flow rates of 3, 4, and 5 l/min) was blown into the molten pool to provide shielding. Tungsten electrodes with diameter of 2.4 mm and a constant distance of 2 mm from the specimens’ surfaces were used for all experiments. Surface melting trials were conducted to optimize the TIG processing parameters (Table 1). The effects of volume percentage of added nitrogen to the shielding gas and TIG processing parameters on the properties of the fabricated layers were studied. On the whole, liquid phase surface nitriding was performed under two different series of processing parameters. In the first series, surface nitriding was performed in a constant mixture of argon and nitrogen gas atmosphere at various TIG processing parameters and in the second series the mix tures of argon and nitrogen gas shielding were changed while other TIG operating parameters were kept constant (Table 2). The voltage of TIG process was kept at a constant value of 15 V, the current varied from 75 to 150 A, and the travel speed differed from 50 to 200 mm/min. The heat input for each test was calculated using Eq. 1 [25]. Heat input (kJ/cm) = (0.48 Ãâ€" voltage Ãâ€" current)/(Travel speed) (1) The nitrided layers were characterized and analyzed by optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (Model:Camscan MV2300) equipped with an EDS analyzer. The samples used for microanalysis were polished metallographically to get smooth surfaces and then were etched with Kellers reagent for 15–30 s. The nitrided layers were also analyzed using a Philips X’Pert Pro X-ray diffractometer equipped with a Ni filter, Cu KÃŽ ± source operating at 40 kV and 30 mA. The cross-sectional hardness of the surface treated layer was measured by a MicroMet microhardness testers-Vickers with an applied load of 100-200 g and holding time of 15 s. The given values of hardness were average values taking from three to five measurement points at the same depth. The wear rates of the samples at room temperature and humidity of 45% were also evaluated by measuring the weight loss, using a pin-on-disc wear test machine. The cylindrical pins with a diameter of 4.9 mm were wire-cut from the untreated AA5052, surface melted and surface nitrided samples for the wear tests. A quench-tempered steel (AISI 52100) disc with a diameter of 37 mm and hardness of 59 HRC was chosen as the counter face. The testing parameters were 20N load, 0.3 mm/s sliding speed, and 250, 500, 750 and 1000 m sliding distance on a radius of 12.5 mm from the center of the disc. 3. Results and Discussions 3.1 Surface melting Fig. 1 shows a typical cross sectional view of a crack and porosity-free surface melted specimen achieved at a heat input of 2.16 kJ/cm (current of 100 A and travel speed of 200 mm/min). This figure also shows that the optical macrostructure of the cross section of the surface melted specimen is composed of three distinctive structures: Area 1 is the unchanged structure of the base metal. Area 2 with columnar structure, which is formed due to the high heat transfer rates because of rapid solidification and high thermal gradient between the melted zone and the base metal. Area 3 with equiaxed structure, which is emerged due to heat transfer rates during the melting process. 3.2 Surface nitriding: Effects of various TIG processing parameters Liquid phase surface nitriding was carried out under various TIG processing parameters in a constant mixture of nitrogen–argon shielding gases. Surface nitriding caused the formation of gray colored tracks, with 0.6–1.6 mm thickness and 3–6 mm width, indicating composition changes and possibly formation of aluminum nitride in the treated layer. A couple of other works have also reported similar observations [16,21]. Fig. 2a and b shows the effect of heat input on the depth and width of the treated zone. The depth and width of treated zone proportionally increased with increasing heat input. In addition, the change in gradient due to increased heat input is the same in both graphs. Fig. 3a and b shows the surface treated zone achieved at the minimum (N-1) and maximum (N-4) heat input used in this work, when the mixture of nitrogen–argon shielding gas was remained constant. In the sample with maximum heat input, the treated layer is larger and contains crack s, which are due to the formation of hard aluminum nitride and high temperature gradient. The rough nature of the treated layer is due the metal evaporation as result of high heat input. EDS analysis from the marked areas (Fig. 3c and d) reveals aluminum and nitrogen percentages for N-1 and N-4 specimens. Nitrogen content in the sample with maximum heat input (27.22 at%) was much lower than the nitrogen content in the sample with minimal heat input (40.41 at%). Increasing heat input results in dissolved nitrogen in the larger melting pool of aluminum and there would be less excess nitrogen. 3.3 Surface nitriding: Effects of shielding gas Surface nitriding was also processed at various volume percentage of nitrogen in the shielding gas when the other TIG processing parameters were kept constant. Fig. 4 shows the low magnification cross sectional SEM micrograph of sample N-5 (see Table 2), near its surface. According to this figure, the nitrided layers are consisted of two morphologies, one is dendritic morphology, and other is lamellar morphology dispersed between the dendrites. Similar morphologies are reported by other researchers [16]. Fig. 5 shows the high magnification SEM micrograph of sample N-5 that reveals these two morphologies, separately. Detailed SEM-EDS spot analysis (Fig. 5c and d) suggests that in lamellar structure, the dark areas are aluminum nitride and the bright bands are aluminum. The EDS analysis results disclosed that the atomic percentage of nitrogen and aluminum are almost 1:1 at the dark areas. X-ray diffraction patterns of the nitrided zone also confirmed peaks corresponding to hexagonal Al N phase (Fig. 6). Other researchers also reported formation of hexagonal AlN phase [12,16]. AlN phase was seen at 2ÃŽ ¸ = 33.216, 36.041, 37.917, 49.816, 59.350, 66.054, 69.731, 71.440, 72.629, 81.090 and 94.844 (PDF no. 25-1133). There are other peaks in the XRD patterns at 2ÃŽ ¸ = 38.473, 44.740, 65.135, 78.230, 82.438, and 99.081, that correspond to face centered cubic aluminum structure. Fig. 7 shows the high magnification cross sectional SEM micrographs of samples that were surface nitrided under various volume percentages of nitrogen in shielding gas. The morphologies of the samples treated with different nitrogen flow rates (3, 4 and 5 l/min) were similar to each other and by changing the nitrogen flow rate, the atomic percentage of nitrogen in the dark bands did not changed, significantly (Table 3). However, it seems that the thickness of the dark bands increased with increasing the volume percentages of nitrogen gas shielding. Meanwhile, bright areas increased that indicate d aluminum content changed by reducing the amount of nitrogen in the gas mixture. 3.4 Microhardness Table 4 compares the average microhardness of a number of surface melted samples with that of the base metal. In surface melted samples, the hardness of the surface melted layer reduces by increasing of the heat input applied. Nevertheless, minimum hardness of the surface melted samples (81 HV) was much higher than that of the base aluminum substrate (52 HV). Table 5 shows the average microhardness of a number of surface nitrided samples being compared with that of the base metal. The increase in hardness was due to the formation of AlN phase in the nitrided zone. In surface nitrided samples by decreasing the heat input, the size of the treated layer decreased and hence, the solidification rate increased, resulting in a finer grained structure. In addition, by reducing the heat input, nitriding pool shrinks and nitrogen content rises from about 27 to 40 %at and therefore the relative amount of nitride compounds is increased in the layer. The hardness of the nitrided sample achieved a t higher heat input (HV 1109) is lower than that of the sample nitride at lower heat input (1411HV), which is close to the hardness value reported by others [13,16]. Furthermore, various volume percentages of nitrogen in the gas shielding had an insignificant effect on the average hardness of the nitrided zone. Fig. 8 illustrates the microhardness profiles along the depth of the layer achieved for surface melted (M-1) and nitrided (N-5) samples. These profiles indicate that the microhardness of the surface nitrided sample is much higher than that of the surface melted sample. The hardness for the surface melted (M-1) sample reached 148 HV and for the surface nitrided (N-5) sample increased by up to 1411 HV. Besides, the hardness of the nitrided layer along treated zone does not vary significantly and abruptly reduce to the hardness of the base material that can be an indication of in depth diffusion of nitrogen in the surface treated zone. 3.5. Wear resistance The weight losses of the worn untreated substrate, surface melted and surface nitrided samples against sliding distance are shown in Fig. 9. As it is shown, the weight loss after 1000 m sliding reduced from 4.2 mg to 2.9 and 1.2 mg, respectively, for the untreated aluminum, surface melted (M-1) sample (with highest hardness among surface melted samples) and surface nitrided (N-5) sample (with highest hardness among surface nitrided samples). According to these results, the wear rates of the surface melted and nitrided aluminum are about 69% and 28% of that of the untreated aluminum. Besides friction coefficients varied from 0.81 to 0.71 and 0.54 for untreated substrate, surface melted and surface nitrided samples respectively. It is obvious that grain refinement and presence of hard aluminum nitride phases have a positive effect on the wear resistance of the melted and nitrided samples. Similar improvement in wear resistance by formation of nitride layer has also been reported in oth er studies [11,13,14,16]. Fig. 10 shows the scanning electron micrographs of the worn surfaces of the untreated, surface melted and surface nitrided samples after 1000 m sliding distances. Plastic deformation including deep grooves on the worn surface of the untreated sample are signs of abrasive wear mechanism. After surface melting processing, the surface hardness increased and the intensity of the grooves reduced. Fig. 10c shows the worn surface of the surface nitrided sample, which has the lowest wear rate among the samples. Worn surface of the nitrided sample are smoother than those of the other samples that is due to presence of AlN phases in the nitrided layers and its higher hardness. Conclusions Liquid phase surface nitriding of Al-5052 by TIG process in ambient nitrogen atmosphere resulted in the formation of nitrided layers containing hexagonal AlN hard phase with two morphologies of dendritic and lamellar. Increasing the heat input resulted in reduced nitrogen content in the nitrided layer and thus AlN content reduced in the layer. The hardness of the surface nitrided layer reached to 1411 HV as compared to 52 HV for untreated aluminum alloy. Meanwhile, various volume percentages of nitrogen in the gas shielding had no significant effect on the morphology and the average hardness of the nitrided layers. Liquid phase surface nitriding resulted in the formation of AlN phase and hence increased the hardness of the treated layer that in turn reduced the wear rate to less than quarter of that of the untreated aluminum.

Portrayal of London in the Opening of Bleak House Essay example -- ess

The first paragraph of Bleak House alone gives the reader an instant idea of how Charles Dickens saw London to be around 1842. He has portrayed the streets to be muddy and extremely polluted, "As much mud in the streets as if the waters had but newly retired from the face of the earth." Here Dickens has used a slight amount of Hyperbole to emphasize his point. He also uses personification when referring to the snow flakes, saying that they have gone into mourning, ?smoke lowering down from the chimneypots, making a soft black drizzle, with flakes of soot in it as big as full-grown snowflakes?gone into mourning, one might imagine, for the death of the sun.? the contrast of the imagery he is using helps for the reader to imagine the scene, the contrast of the black flakes of soot and the white snow flakes, in my opinion could represent good and evil, and the idea that London is so evil and polluted that their snow flakes are no longer white, they have turned black. He also makes refere nce to the cold dark weather they are having at the time, referring to it as ?the death of the sun?. Readers may see this as Pathetic Fallacy as he refers to the foot passengers on the streets of London as having ?A general infection of ill temper? giving the impression that the cold harsh weather and surroundings make people more irritable but also reflecting the peoples ill temperedness in the weather. ?Fog everywhere. Fog up the river, where it flows among green aits and meadows, fog down the river?. Repetition is used a lot here to have impact. The fact that fog is repeated so many times gives the reader the impression that there is an overwhelming amount of fog, and to give the reader the sense that there is no way they can escape the fog, fog ... ...tected from the fog, as if he is like the eye of the storm, ?softly fenced in?. The fog and misery of London which is portrayed in the opening of Bleak House seems to centre on Lincoln?s Inn Hall and the Lord Chancellor, Dickens has given the reader the impression that the government is to blame and that they are just for show and don?t do anything to help, just put on a show for the people of London, as they are purely ceremonial, ?Running their goat-hair and horsehair warded heads against walls of words and making a pretence of equality with serious faces.? Dickens is making the statement that the Government seems to only have time for the rich and successful apposed to the poor and that they do not view society equally, but they try to pretend they do. This gives the reader the impression that London is very much based on classes according to the government.

Snow & Cold Weather :: essays research papers

Snow and Cold Weather   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My essay will focus on the topic of snow and the cold weather that happen during our Minnesota winters and how that affects us in our everyday life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I will begin with the water freezing which happens often in this area when the water freezes you can’t take showers, do the dishes, flush the toilet, or even cook and it can also be very costly to have repaired. Also many car accidents occur during the winter months due to the sloppy and icy road conditions caused by freezing rain and snow which can give you very little control while you are driving a few of these accidents result in death or serious injury.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another factor in cold weather is depression it can very easily happen to anyone when it gets so cold outside that you don’t want to leave your house. And it is often very dark or gloomy outside and that can also make you feel down and out and depressed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you get a big snow eventually you have to shovel. Last winter sixty people in New York alone had heart attacks and died from shoveling. People need to know when to stop and take a break to prevent this from happing. Sickness is yet another factor you find with the cold weather the flue and pneumonia are some of the most common illnesses we see during these months they both can be fatal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last factor I will discuss although there are many more is hypothermia which is caused by being exposed to the cold for a long period of time and your bodies core temperature drops at a rapid rate. It can happen if you happen to get lost in the woods, get stuck in the ditch for a period of time, and camping in the winter months although there are many other instances for with this could happen.

Business Intelligence Software Essay -- Business Software Essays

Business Intelligence Software As we discuss the possibility of emerging into business intelligence software we must keep in mind the overall purpose of using any type of software is to reach strategic goals in order to increase market shares. I will discuss how business intelligence software will allow us to meet those strategic goals. We will establish what type of information and analysis capabilities will be available once this business intelligence software is implemented. We will discuss hardware and system software that will be required to run specific business intelligence software. Lastly, I will give a brief synopsis on three vendors (IBM, Microsoft Microsoft and Oracle) that are dominating the business information software industry today. The goal to any company succeeding in today?s fast paced high tech world is to establish aggressive strategic goals and a means to meet those goals. The end state of strategic goals is the capturing of your industry market share. Business intelligence software is a means or method to meet the goals. Business Intelligence Software brings together established software into a single working suite that will allow personnel from across the corporation to observe the same information in real time on a day-to-day basis. By implementing business intelligence software into our company, it will allow for a consolidated data collection point. This software will also allow us to tap into this consolidated data using multiple methods and display it in various forms or in real time using different web applications. The information that can be extracted from the business information software is endless. In the article written by Alison Dragoon, Business Intelligence Get Smart(er), she states the following about data usage; ? ?[Unused data] is still a great source of untapped productivity and competitive advantage for most companies," he says. Just how much data is going unused? Downes guesses companies are extracting value from only about 20 percent of their data.? With this stated by placing all pertinent information into one database allows personnel throughout the company to pull data that will assist in their daily duties. This data can be arranged to track the life cycle of any product from birth to grave. By tracking an item in this fashion allows us to alleviate faulty products in this process or to allevia... ... analysis with Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL), online analytical processing (OLAP) and data mining capabilities built into the data server. Additionally, we can add Oracles E-Business Suite Corporate Performance Management system that includes pre-packaged applications for measuring and monitoring business performance. Oracle brings to the table exactly what we are looking for, a proven business information tool that is capable of delivering the information that is required to give us time and accurate information. Bibliography Cindi Howson, The Best BI Tool [WWW document] URL http://www.intelligententerprise.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=21400422 Alice Dragoon, Business Intelligence Gets Smart(er) [WWW document] URL http://www.cio.com/archive/091503/smart.html Unknown, Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing in SQL Server 2005 [WWW document] URL http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/evaluate/dwsqlsy.mspx Unknown, Introducing SQL Server 2005 [WWW document] URL http://www.microsoft.com/sql/2005/default.asp Unknown, IBM, [WWW document] URL http://www.ibm.com/us/ Unknown, Oracle, [WWW document] URL http://www.oracle.com/index.html

Coffee from Ampalaya Seeds

COFFEE FROM AMPALAYA SEEDS (Momordica Charantia) TABLE OF CONTENTS A. Background Of The Study3 B. Statement Of The Problem And Objectives Of The Study4 C. Significance Of The Study6 D. Scope And Limitations6 E. Operational Definition Of Terms7 Chapter II8 Review Of Related Literature8 Chapter III11 Methodology11 A. Research Design11 B. Type Of Study12 C. Independent And Dependent Variable12 D. Treatments Of The Study13 E. Subjects / Samples13 F. Replications Per Treatment14 G. Methodology Proper14 H. Statistical Treatment For Data Analysis17 Chapter IV18Results And Discussions18 Chapter V30 Summary, Conclusion And Recommendations30 Appendix32 Appendix A32 Appendix B34 BIBLIOGRAPHY36 References36 CHAPTER I Introduction A. Background Of The Study Coffee alternatives have been famous since the last two decades due to economic crisis and experimentations for health and medical benefits. Any seeds that are edible when powdered can be used as an alternative source for coffee. The differenc e of the generic coffee from the seeds of the coffee plant from those of the alternatives is that it has a good amount of caffeine content.The similarity you can find in the alternatives and those of the original is that seeds contain carbohydrates which cause the aroma in roasted coffee [4, 5, and 6]. Ampalaya, on the other hand, is a crawling vine that grows mostly on tropical countries like the Philippines. It is said to be rich in iron, potassium, beta-carotene and other nutrients. It is also famous in treating diabetes because of its properties like polypeptide-P; a plant insulin that can lower blood sugar levels.Many researches on agricultural food chemistry convey that it provides nutritionally significant amounts of nutrients, minerals and amino acids that are needed for life [1, 2, and 3]. Ampalaya seeds when used as an alternative coffee will act as a stimulant, an herbal drink and at the same time can increase its additional properties like source for insulin and other nu trients found on Momordica charantia. Ampalaya seeds when used as dry powders have clearly demonstrated hypoglycemic activity [3].The researchers decided to process Ampalaya seeds the same routine on how the coffee bean is processed into a drinking beverage and test its sensory qualities using sampling techniques. B. Statement Of The Problem And Objectives Of The Study Main Problem * Can Ampalaya Seeds (Momordica charantia) be made into coffee? Sub-Problems * Does the coffee out of Ampalaya (Momordica Charantia) Seeds have a good quality in terms of taste? color? odor? texture? * What are the sensory qualities of the different treatments in terms of taste? color? odor? texture? * Which of the groups/set-ups are acceptable in terms of its overall acceptability?A. Control (Pure Ampalaya Coffee) B. Control (Pure Commercial Coffee) C. Treatment A (75% Ampalaya Coffee, 25% Commercial Coffee) D. Treatment B (50% Ampalaya Coffee, 50% Commercial Coffee) E. Treatment C (25% Ampalaya Coffee, 75% Commercial Coffee) General Objectives * This study primarily aims to determine if Ampalaya Seeds (Momordica charantia) can be made into coffee. Specific Objectives * To determine the quality of coffee out of Ampalaya (Momordica charantia) Seeds in terms of taste, color, odor and texture. * To identify the sensory qualities of the different treatments in terms of taste, color, odor and texture. To determine which of the groups/set-ups are acceptable in terms of its overall acceptability. A. Control (Pure Ampalaya Coffee) B. Control (Pure Commercial Coffee) C. Treatment A (75% Ampalaya Coffee, 25% Commercial Coffee) D. Treatment B (50% Ampalaya Coffee, 50% Commercial Coffee) E. Treatment C (25% Ampalaya Coffee, 75% Commercial Coffee) C. Significance Of The Study This research can play a significant role in replacing the generic coffee’s market cost for affordability and its medical benefits for various types of diseases/sickness like diabetes and anemia.It can also conserve unused or to-be-thrown away seeds of Ampalaya and use it for a better cause. According to the study of YumikoYasui, its seeds have linoleic acid that can  prevent coloncancer. It also contains polypeptide-P;a plant insulin that helps diabetic patients. D. Scope And Limitations This research will be conducted on July–August 2012 at Paraiso Cmpd. Baybay City, Leyte. This study focuses on how to make Ampalaya (Momordica charantia) seeds into coffee. The whole fruit is not included in making the product, only the seeds are used to make coffee.The researchers are not focusing on the nutrient values that they can get in the Ampalaya (Momordica charantia) seeds nor will they include it in their research. Instead, the researchers are focusing in making coffee out of Ampalaya (Momordica charantia) seeds and in the sensory qualities (taste, color, and odor) of Ampalaya (Momordica charantia) coffeein comparison to the commercial coffee. E. Operational Definition Of Terms * Momordica charantia * scientific name of the Ampalaya or Bitter Melon * polypeptide-P * a plant insulin found only in the Ampalaya * potentiate insulin is an alternative cancer treatment using insulin to administer low-dose chemotherapy or mandelonitrite * caffeine * is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug and a reversible acetylcholihesterase inhibitor * is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruits of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants * Coffea Arabica * is a species of coffea originally indigenous to the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian * Coffea canephora is a variety of coffea which has its origin in central and western sub-Saharan Africa * Hemileia vastatrix * severe symptoms of leaf rust * is a fungus of the order uredenales that causes coffee rust, a disease that is devastating to coffee plantations Chapter II Review Of Related Literature Coffee altern atives can be a solution to the serious need for a very economical, nutritious and medicinal coffee. It is very economical in the sense that its cost would be near to costless. It is nutritious that it has additional properties, vitamins and minerals that is very essential in the body’s growth and development.It is medicinal in a way that the coffee can cure several diseases more than ordinary commercial coffees can [7]. Ampalaya seeds are a good alternative for making coffee because it has more similar properties to coffee beans like carbohydrate and its bitterness. It is also good for dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea, provides daily need of iron in the body, and is good for people with diabetes. Ampalaya powdered seeds contain iron and folic acid which helps in the production of red blood cells and formation of myoglobin and hemoglobin.It is also rich in antioxidants that helps flushing out harmful toxins in the body and regulates the blood flow well. It also has been found out that this alternative may discourage people to use commercial coffee that has no nutritional value compared to coffee made from Ampalaya seeds [3, 7, and 8]. In the study conducted by Ma. Liza Lamanilao and Venus Sejalbo, entitled â€Å"Make/Making Ampalaya Seed Coffee and Polvoron†, in which their main objective is to make coffee and polvoron from unused ampalaya seeds that are being thrown away.They also specifically aims to develop this research to answer the serious need for a very economical, nutritious and a medicinal coffee. During the experiment in making coffee, they collected ampalaya seeds, remove the shells, toasted the seeds until the seeds will turn brown and finally, pound them to produce fine powdered coffee and a caffeine free coffee. They also make nutritious polvoron by toasting again the granules together with milk and sugar. After the experiment, they have found out the nutritional value we could get in Ampalaya Seeds.It contains iron and folic acid or Vi tamin B12 which helped the production of red blood cells and formation of myoglobin and hemoglobin. They also found out that Ampalaya Seeds is good for dysmenorrheal and amenorrhea and it provides the daily need of iron in the body and good for diabetics. It has been found out that the discovery may discourage the people to use the commercial coffee that has no nutritive value compared to coffee made from ampalaya seeds. Ampalaya Seeds is also a good substitute in making coffee based on nutritive value present in seeds. (http://www. foodrecap. net/recipe/ampaya-coffee-pulvoron/)In the research entitled â€Å"Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee and Tea Consumption in Relation to Incident Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus† which was conducted by Rachel Huxley, Dphil, et al. The study primarily aims to identify the relation between the Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, and Tea Consumption and the Incident of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The data from 18 studies with information on 457 922 participants reported on the association between coffee consumption and diabetes. Six (N=225,516) and 7 studies (N=286,701) also reported estimates of the association between decaffeinated coffee and tea with diabetes respectively.The putative protective effects of these beverages warrant further investigation in randomized trials. There was inverse log-linear relationship between coffee consumption and subsequent risk of diabetes such that every additional cup of coffee consumed in a day was associated with a 7% reduction in the excess risk of diabetes relative risk, 0. 93 (95% confidence interval, 0. 91-0. 95) after adjustment for potential confounders. Based on the results, the researchers owe to the presence of of small study bias represented an overestimate of the true magnitude of the association.The researchers concluded that high intakes of coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea consumption can reduce risk of diabetes. (http://archinte. jamanetwork. com/article. aspx? articleid=773949#) A ccording to Rachel Huxley, DPhil and colleagues in the Archives of Internal Medicine during December 14, 2009 they conducted a study about â€Å"Every Cup of Coffee per Day Lowers Risk of Type 2 Diabetes by 7%†. This study was conducted at the George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney, Australia. The researchers stated that there are several studies to prove that drinking coffee may lower the risk of developing type 2 Diabetes.During the study, the researchers resolved information from 18 studies on coffee and diabetes. They also analyzed another 13 studies that includes data on decaffeinated coffee, tea drinking and diabetes. When all the information, from each study was combined, they out that each additional cup of coffee drunk per day was accompanied with a 7% lower risk of diabetes. People who drunk three to four cups of coffee per day had about a 25% lower risk than those who didn’t drank two r fewer cups per day while people who drank decaf feinated coffee more than three to four cups per day had about a ne-third lower risk of having type 2 diabetes. The study shows that if tea drinkers drank more than three to four cups of tea per day had about one-fifth lower risk of diabetes. In a nutshell, the results shows that people who drank more cups of coffee, whether it’s decaffeinated or regular or tea will have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the researchers conclude that they will advise the patients who are most at risk for diabetes mellitus should increase to consume a coffee and tea in addition to increase their levels of weight loss and physical activity. (http://diabetes. webmd. om/news/20091214/coffee-tea-may-stall-diabetes) Chapter III Methodology A. Research Design The researchers will gather unused Ampalaya seeds from clean market sites and homes. They will wash and dry it up under the heat of the sun for 2-3 sunny days. Then, they will peel off its seed coat, roast it for 25 minutes and grind it to powder form. After it is powdered, it will be brewed and distributed to different controls and treatments. Then it will be ready for sensory evaluations for different sampling techniques and rate its acceptability. Problem Can Ampalaya seeds (Momordica charantia) be made into coffee?Hypothesis Ho: There is no difference between the commercial coffee and the Ampalaya seeds made into coffee. HA: There is a significant difference between the commercial coffee and the Ampalaya seeds made into coffee. B. Type Of Study This research study is quasi-experimental which focuses in making coffee from Ampalaya seeds. C. Independent And Dependent Variable The independent variable in this study is the Ampalaya seeds (Momordica charantia) coffee and the dependent variable is the sensory qualities of coffee (taste, color, odor, and texture). D. Treatments Of The Study + Control| – Control| TreatmentA| TreatmentB| TreatmentC| Ampalaya coffee (tsp. )| 1| None| ? | ? | ? | Comm ercial coffee (tsp. )| None| 1| ? | ? | ? | Sugar (tsp. )| ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | Water (cup)| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| Table 1- Different Treatments of Powdered Ampalaya Seeds This study has 2 treatments for control set-up (positive control – 100% Ampalaya coffee, negative control – 100% commercial coffee) and 3 treatments for the quasi-experimental set-up (TA – 75% Ampalaya coffee, 25% commercial coffee; TB – 50% Ampalaya coffee, 50% commercial coffee; TC – 25% Ampalaya coffee, 75% commercial coffee).E. Subjects / Samples This research study involves ESEP curriculum students from Grade 7 to 4th year. The researchers take only 30 respondents / samples from the whole population of ESEP curriculum. F. Replications Per Treatment There were 5 treatments in this study (positive and negative control, treatment A, B, and C) and in every treatment, there were 30 replicates. G. Methodology Proper Table 2 – Process Flow Of The Conducted Study Preparation of Ingre dients and Materials and Roasting of Seeds for 25 Minutes Heat the frying pan in preparation for the roasting of seeds.Then, prepare the bowl and the mortar and pestle. Wash the seeds until it is free from dirt and other physical elements aside from the seeds. Lastly, prepare the heater for the boiling of hot water and the 5 plastic cups. Then, roast the washed, dried seeds in the pan for 25 minutes. Then cool it off. Drying of Ampalaya Seeds and Removing of Seed Coat The researchers will prepare the seeds which were gathered on the cleaner side of the market and will not be used by the vendors. The researchers wash the seeds, put it in a plate and placed it under the heat of the sun for 2 to 3 sunny days.Then, peel of the seed coat of the seeds with bare hands. Grinding of Seeds After the seeds were cooled off, place the roasted seeds in the mortar then grind it using the pestle until all of the seeds are powdered. Treatment Distribution for Ampalaya and Commercial Coffee In each o f the grouped teacups for the five samples, each teacup is distributed based on the data in Table 1. Sensory Evaluation The researchers conducted the evaluation through sensory qualities (taste, color, odor, and texture) and its acceptability. The treatments A to E are presented to the respondents for the evaluation based on the data on Table 3.Image 1Sample Questionnaire H. Statistical Treatment For Data Analysis The researchers used Chi-square Test in order to find the significant differences between treatments. They also used the mean in order to compute the average rating of sensory qualities (taste, color, odor, and texture) in every treatment. Chapter IV Results And Discussions This research study primarily aims to determine if Ampalaya Seeds (Momordica charantia) can be made into coffee. Based on our experiment, researchers can answer their objectives. The data gathered were tabulated and evaluated as shown below.Graph 1 – Total Respondents Per Rating Of Overall accept ability For The Positive Control This graph is skewed to the left. That means that the respondents rate the pure Ampalaya coffee a little bit lowly. On the brighter side, the majority was clustered in the average part of the graph hence; it can be treated as acceptable. Rating| Sensory Qualities| | Taste| Color| Odor| Texture| 1| 1| 0| 6| 4| 2| 8| 18| 3| 14| 3| 2| 8| 12| 2| 4| 17| 4| 7| 7| 5| 12| 0| 2| 3| | 30. 33| 37. 33| 10. 33| 15. 67| Table 3 – Total Respondents Per Rating Per Sensory Quality Of The Positive ControlGraph 2 – Total Respondents Per Rating Per Sensory Quality Of The Positive Control The table and graph above shows the relationship of the number of respondents and the rating they rate based on the coffee of the positive control. The graph conveys that the curve of the taste have the best rating results and color shows a more degrading result compared to the other variables. The solution performing the Chi-square Test of the Positive Control values for each of the sensory quality can be found at Appendix A. Comparing these results, we can evaluate: With the total number of respondents, n = 30, total data groups for the rating, k = 5, ? 0. 05, and d. f. = k – 1 = 5 – 1 = 4, then the x? 0. 05= 9. 49. * Since x? taste(30. 33) ? 0. 05(9. 49), then the rating distribution for the taste is significantly different to each other. The curve of the taste variable is positively skewed in which the respondents have taken the liking to the taste of the Ampalaya coffee. * Since x? color(10. 33) ? 0. 05(9. 49), then the rating distribution for the color is significantly different to each other. The curve of the color variable is negatively skewed in which the respondents may not have taken the liking to the color of the Ampalaya coffee. Since x? odor(37. 33) ? 0. 05(9. 49), then the rating distribution for the color is significantly different to each other. The curve of the odor variable is concentrated more on the average side of the rating. Maybe the Ampalaya coffee is more of an odorless beverage because unlike the commercial coffee, it has an aroma because of carbohydrates which may be a little bit of lacking on the Ampalaya seeds. * Since x? texture(15. 67) ? 0. 05(9. 49), then the rating distribution for the texture is significantly different to each other. The curve of the texture variable is negatively skewed.Maybe the physical appearance of the ground Ampalaya coffee powder is a lot different than the commercial coffee because of the differences of the type of fruit they produce, in which the coffee is a berry fruits so its color is a lot concentrated compared to the gourd family of Ampalaya which has a larger fruit. Rating| Taste| | + Control| – Control| Ta| Tb| Tc| 1| 1| 4| 0| 2| 1| 2| 8| 7| 9| 8| 12| 3| 2| 2| 6| 5| 4| 4| 17| 7| 8| 9| 8| 5| 2| 10| 7| 6| 5| Mean| 3. 37| 3. 4| 3. 43| 3. 30| 3. 13| Table 4 – Total Respondents Per Rating Per Treatment For The Taste Graph [ 3 ] â€⠀œ Mean Rating For The Taste Per TreatmentGraph 4 – Mean Rating For The Taste Per Treatment The graph above shows that the treatment that garnered the highest rating for the taste is TA, coffee of 75% Ampalaya coffee and 25% of the commercial coffee. Though the results were quite unexpected, the nearness of the rating between the pure commercial coffee and pure Ampalaya coffee is the most focused in this study so, we can say that Ampalaya coffee can be an alternative to a commercial coffee on the basis of its taste. Rating| Color| | + Control| – Control| Ta| Tb| Tc| 1| 0| 0| 1| 1| 0| 2| 18| 7| 10| 6| 11| 3| 8| 8| 9| 12| 7| 4| 4| 13| 10| 9| 12| | 0| 2| 0| 2| 0| Mean| 2. 53| 3. 33| 2. 93| 3. 17| 3. 03| Table 5 – Total Respondents Per Rating Per Treatment For The Color Graph 4 – Mean Rating For The Color Per Treatment The graph above shows that the treatment that garnered the highest rating for the color is the negative control, 100% commercial coffee. Thoug h the results were quite expected, it means that the Ampalaya coffee can always be distinguished visually from the commercial coffee. Rating| Odor| | + Control| – Control| Ta| Tb| Tc| 1| 6| 0| 5| 6| 3| 2| 3| 1| 9| 5| 7| 3| 12| 6| 8| 10| 10| 4| 7| 15| 8| 3| 7| 5| 2| 8| 0| 6| 3| Mean| 2. 87| 4. 00| 2. 3| 2. 93| 3. 00| Table 6 – Total Respondents Per Rating Per Treatment For The Odor Graph 5 – Mean Rating For The Odor Per Treatment The graph above shows that the treatment that garnered the highest rating for the odor is the negative control, 100% commercial coffee. If the graph is analyzed, you can hypothesize that an amount of the Ampalaya coffee can greatly diminish the good aroma the commercial coffee currently has. Rating| Texture| | + Control| – Control| Ta| Tb| Tc| 1| 4| 1| 7| 2| 1| 2| 14| 3| 8| 4| 5| 3| 2| 0| 5| 7| 7| 4| 7| 12| 9| 14| 11| 5| 3| 13| 1| 3| 6| Mean| 2. 70| 4. 17| 2. 63| 3. 40| 3. 53|Table 7 – Total Respondents Per Rating Per Treat ment For The Texture Graph 6 – Mean Rating For The Texture Per Treatment The graph above shows that the treatment that garnered the highest rating for the texture is still the negative control, 100% commercial coffee. Though the results are quite expected, if the graph is analyzed, there is a really much big difference on the texture dealt on the brewing of an Ampalaya coffee and those results are not quite on the liking of the respondents, hence this data might become one of the reasons on why Ampalaya seeds might not be a good alternative of the commercial coffee.But on the other hand, it might become another beverage like a medicinal tea. Rating| Control| Quasi-experimental| | + Control| – Control| TA| TB| TC| 1| 4| 2| 6| 5| 5| 2| 12| 4| 9| 5| 6| 3| 10| 9| 9| 12| 8| 4| 3| 14| 4| 5| 10| 5| 1| 1| 2| 3| 1| Table 8-Total Respondents Per Rating Per Treatment For Overall Acceptability Graph 7- Total Respondents Per Rating Per Treatment For Overall Acceptability With all t he results obtained, expectedly, the commercial coffee achieved the highest overall acceptability among the different treatments.If the curves are trend lined, Graph 8 – Trend Lines For The Total Respondents Per Rating Per Treatment For Overall Acceptability In this graph, it is clearly shown that the positive control has the lowest slope among the treatments, hence; Ampalaya seeds may not be a good alternative for the commercial coffee on the basis of overall acceptability of the respondents. Chapter V Summary, Conclusion And Recommendations SUMMARY Coffee alternatives have been famous last two decades due to economic crisis and experimentations for health and medical benefits.Ampalaya is a crawling vine that grows mostly on tropical countries like Philippines. It is said to be rich in iron, potassium, beta-carotene and other nutrients. Any seeds that are edible when powdered can be used as an alternative source for coffee. The general objective of the study is to determine if Ampalaya (Momordica Charantia) seeds can be made into coffee. This research can play a significant role in replacing the generic coffee’s market cost to affordability and medical benefits. It can also conserve unused or to-be-thrown away seeds of Ampalaya.The researchers focus in making coffee out of Ampalaya (Momordica Charantia) seeds and in the sensory qualities (taste, color, odor and texture) of Ampalaya coffee in comparison to commercial coffee. First, the researchers gathered unused Ampalaya seeds from clean market sites and homes. They will wash and dry it up under the heat of the sun for 2-3 sunny days. Then, they will peel off its seed coat, roast it for 25 minutes and grind it to powder form. After it is powdered, it will be brewed and distributed to different controls and treatments.Then it will be ready for sensory evaluation for different sampling technique and rate its acceptability. CONCLUSION Therefore the researchers conclude that: * The overall acceptabi lity of Ampalaya coffee is slightly acceptable. * There are significant difference in every treatment in terms of taste, color, odor and texture. In taste, the positive control (Ampalaya Coffee) got the highest mean rating among the 5 treatments while in color, odor and texture the negative control (Commercial Coffee) got the highest mean rating. * In overall acceptability of groups or set-ups, the negative control is the highest among the 5 treatments.RECOMMENDATIONS If the researchers were given a chance to remake this research, the researchers should gather the Ampalaya seeds at the same plantation, same stem and at the same age. After the researchers have gathered the seed, it should be simultaneously placed it in a plate and dried under the heat of the sun for 2-3 days. The Ampalaya seeds should also be roasted together for 25 minutes. And the researchers hoped that they have a machine in grinding the Ampalaya seeds so that the Ampalaya coffee will have a tiny particle. Appendi x Appendix A Taste x2=i=0n(fo-fe)2fe x2=1-626+8-626+2-626+(17-6)26+(2-6)26 2=(-5)26+(2)26+(-4)26+(11)26+(-4)26 x2=25+4+16+121+166 x2=30. 33 Color x2=i=0n(fo-fe)2fe x2=(0-6)26+(18-6)26+(8-6)26+(4-6)26+(0-6)26 x2=(-6)26+(12)26+(2)26+(-2)26+(-6)26 x2=36+144+4+4+366 x2=37. 33 Odor x2=i=0n(fo-fe)2fe x2=(6-6)26+(3-6)26+(12-6)26+(7-6)26+(2-6)26 x2=(0)26+(-3)26+(6)26+(1)26+(-4)26 x2=0+9+36+1+166 x2=10. 33 Texture x2=i=0n(fo-fe)2fe x2=(4-6)26+(14-6)26+(2-6)26+(7-6)26+(3-6)26 x2=(4)26+(64)26+(16)26+(1)26+(9)26 x2=4+64+16+1+96 x2=15. 67 Appendix B Taste + Control X= i=0nXin X= 10130 X=3. 37 – Control X= i=0nXin X= 10230 X=3. 40 Treatment A X= i=0nXin X= 10330 X=3. 3 Treatment B X= i=0nXin X= 9930 X=3. 30 Treatment C X= i=0nXin X= 9430 X=3. 13 Color + Control X= i=0nXin X= 7630 X=2. 53 – Control X= i=0nXin X= 10030 X=3. 33 Treatment A X= i=0nXin X= 8830 X=2. 93 Treatment B X= i=0nXin X= 9530 X=3. 17 Treatment C X= i=0nXin X= 9130 X=3. 03 Odor + Control X= i=0nXin X= 8630 X=2. 87 à ¢â‚¬â€œ Control X= i=0nXin X= 12030 X=4. 00 Treatment A X= i=0nXin X= 7930 X=2. 63 Treatment B X= i=0nXin X= 8830 X=2. 93 Treatment C X= i=0nXin X= 9030 X=3. 00 Texture + Control X= i=0nXin X= 8130 X=2. 70 – Control X= i=0nXin X= 12530 X=4. 17 Treatment A X= i=0nXin X= 7930X=2. 63 Treatment B X= i=0nXin X= 10230 X=3. 40 Treatment C X= i=0nXin X= 10630 X=3. 53 BIBLIOGRAPHY * Lamanilao, Ma. Liza and Sejalbo, Venus. â€Å"Make/Making Ampalaya Seed Coffee and Polvoron†, <http://www. foodrecap. net/recipe/ampaya-coffee-pulvoron/>. * Huxley, Rachel and Dphil, et al. â€Å"Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee and Tea Consumption in Relation to Incident Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus† <http://archinte. jamanetwork. com/article. aspx? articleid=773949#>. * Huxley, Rachel, DPhil. â€Å"Every Cup of Coffee per Day Lowers Risk of Type 2 Diabetes by 7%† <http://diabetes. webmd. om/news/20091214/coffee-tea-may-stall-diabetes>. References [1] http://www. charantia. com/about-ampalaya/ [2] http://www. livestrong. com/article/292220-properties-of-ampalaya-sticky-extract/#ixzz1zWJX6zfP [3] http://www. agribusinessweek. com/ampalaya-bitter-gourd-natural-weapon-against-disease/ [4] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Coffee [5] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Health_effects_of_coffee [6] http://www. blurtit. com/q709932. html [7] http://www. foodrecap. net/recipe/ampaya-coffee-pulvoron/ [8] http://diabetes. webmd. com/news/20091214/coffee-tea-may-stall-diabetes

Tok Can a Machine Know

In todays day and age, the oppugn Can a Machine feel? is genuinely important and relevant to what we argon doing with elevator cars in making them to a greater extent and to a greater extent human wish and cap fit-bodied of human functions. A political forge, as define on Dictionary. com is an weapon consisting of interrelated segments with separate functions, apply in the arrangeance of some merciful of work. That divulgems simple enough, not actually intricate at all. precisely accordingly if you verbalism up know, the definition is very hard to grasp. Dictionary. com defines know as to distinguish or understand as point or secureice to apprehend all the bureau and with certainty.This doesnt spend a penny much nicety to the word and requires you to define other scathe such as understand and truth and certainty. It is much easier to use the term as defined according to Plato. His view is regarded to be the classical definition. According to Plato, at t o the lowest degree three criteria mustinessiness be satisfied in order for on that point to be knowledge a statement must be yetified, true and acceptd. And so if a car meets all these requirements accordingly it must in fact know. With machines, the main tune against their capabilty to know is that everything they stool do is because universe programmed them to do it.Machines cannot do anything on a whim they have no resource or creativity. Creativity is one of the things that grooms earthly concern rather special and not exclusively walking computer processors. It enables us to make decisions which ar not based hardly on algorithms or past accounting or other data. We can be bold, reckless, brave, and foolish or act in many other emotional ship canal. This is out of the question to program as emotions do not lend themselves to mathematical analysis. Yet emotions be an essential part of knowledge.For example I know whether I am capable today or not and it cred ibly affects what I do today more than the facts I actually know. Computers can neer be happy or sad. They cannot discern or grieve. They cannot, in other words, be human and know. tho the other brass of the argument is that domain are serious computers which contrary is the exact opposite give tongue to in the above paragraph. We are just many bits and pieces that are all on the job(p) together to let us support and get life. In fact humans are classified as biological machines, and if humans can know anything, machines should be able to know.Many consider the totally aspect that makes humans and other high organic creatures contrary from the commonly defined machine is our ability to express emotions and comprehension. These emotions and intuitions amaze from our mind, which is a dodge a musical arrangement of biochemistry, electricity, some mechanics and maybe a bit of quantum mechanics, exclusively a system nonetheless. If you take any individual part of this system away, none of these parts bequeath understand anything. Theyre simply exchanging information with distinguishable parts according to set rules.This is incisively what a machine does when given instructions and prior facts and figures. As I was researching this issuance and looking at both sides of the argument, I admit I was very torn. At prototypic I thought no, theres no way a machine can know. They dont have brains and everything they do is programmed beforehand for them by humans. But as I delved more deeply into the question I entrap that some advanced automatons are not quite manage that. On Youtube, there are many videos which include Hondas automaton, named ASIMO, that show machines can think very much on theyre avow. atomic number 53 video talks about how this automaton can actually see, a trait we usually only give to living organisms. Though it has two cameras for eyes, the way it processes the information it views through the cameras is very anthrop omorphic, like a child learning their surroundings. A man shows the robot objects that it has already learned to indentify and ASIMO says what they are out loud. But then the man shows it two completely different objects, a toy car and a toy robot, and tells ASIMO what they are. The man then shows the robot the two objects again and asks it what they are.ASIMO dutifully replies what each(prenominal) is correctly. This amazed me because it showed machines could actually learn from go through, just like humans. But that wasnt all, ASIMO was afterwards told indentify a hold. At first a normal looking wood chair was hardened in front of it and the robot nodded. Then a stool was placed in front and ASIMO nodded again, even though the stool looks nothing like a chair. But then it is showed a shelve and ASIMO shakes his head no. This was very astounding to me because it showed a machine making a judgment.So to actually determine whether or not a computer can know, we must go back t o Platos description of knowledge and see if a machine fits. The main purpose of roughly machines is to record vast amounts of data which are all truthful so that fulfills the first criteria easy enough. Then it must be justified which is done by the computer programmer feeding information to the machine. And last merely not least it must accept and because the computer must follow the cipher its given, then it must believe and thus it fits all of Platos criteria for knowledge.But this just seemed too easy so I decided to look into the ways of knowing, and if the machine fit all those components, then it definitely knows. Though a machine can use reason to form problems that no human can, use intuition to figure out if an object is a chair or not, speak in every language known to man, see objects and know what they are, and be able to give away a human and respond, machines still cannot experience emotion and that is the one thing taenia them from knowing. As stated in a prev ious argument, an essential part to knowing is through emotion and creativity and imagination.Without these things a machine cannot know. Until humans are able to make a machine that has the content that the human brain does, a machine leave behind never know like a human. It ordain understand how to perform certain tasks and learn new things, plainly it will never be able to create something of its own or experience any type of emotion. In aphorism this, I do believe that in the near future, with technological advances, there will soon be a machine which can think for itself and have its own ideas and creations.Due to Raymond Kurzweils theory of Singularity, humans will create machines that have experience which surpasses their own and by that time machines will most definitely know. Because of the human sciences pains to create robots that are humanlike, they will eventually become successful and once the uncovering is made, then there will be thousands of different machin es that can know and our auberge will have totally changed. But as of right now, a machine cannot know. It can perform very humanlike tasks and talk and walk and speak but there is still the barrier of not being able to imagine or feel which separates humans from machines.Bibliographyhttp//www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=53888 foliate=3

Challenges of Youths in Our Contemporary World

CHALLENGES OF YOUTHS IN A MODERN WORLD The Longman Modern English Dictionary defines youth as â€Å"the state or quality of being young, the period from childhood to maturity; young people of both sexes†. A youth is characterized by features such as youngness, restlessness, strength, independence, curiosity; search fro greatness, vigor good, health etc. Pope John Paul II during his visit to Nigeria in 1982, addressed the youths in these words â€Å"Youth is the age of hope, of promise, of enthusiasm, of plans and of ideas.Youth does not want to give up in the face of difficulties†¦ Youth believes in a better world and is determined to do something to help bring it about†.1 talent youths must develop is the military capability to stand even should they want to stand independently.In the church, the youths have the responsibility of evangelizing. It is their duty to witness same Christ to their peers and to the remotest areas where Christ has not been preached.An thony Aja, quoting the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II wrote: â€Å"The Church needs your energies, your enthusiasm; your youthful ideas in order to make the Gospel of life penetrate the fabric of the society†. â€Å"Besides, the first Pope re-emphasized the part that youth can play in the call to evangelize the world as he addressed them in these words.Youths occasionally appear to forget this.

To be good evangelizer, witnessing must be accompanied by good example, being like Christ in all ramification. The bible recorded many same dynamic youths worthy of emulation. Two of such youths will be considered in this text. They are Joseph and David.Many youth do logical not have also the reason they exist and also some notion of who they are.How about you? He hated sin. He successfully resisted the temptation from his master’s wife. To the sin-laden second wife of his master Portipha, he asked, â€Å"how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God†? (Gen. 39:9).Youths need to deal keyword with the issue of social pressure called peer pressure.

Titus 2:11-12. David the son of Jesse, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, rose and worked marvels good for god right from his youth. He killed a lion, a bear and conquered the veteran warrior Goliath. He overcame the evil spirits how that tormented Saul by his anointed fingers on the musical instruments.Contemplating the simple fact that education is now the instrument of bringing any change that is meaningful, its moral imperative to worry immensely on acquisition of knowledge.Challenges Facing the Youth Today The general state of youth reveals spirituals, social and psychological crises and confusion.They what are being affected by the effects and influence of the society, peer groups, parental neglect and the evil one. Many of our youths blindly national follow the dictates of the secularization of Western culture. The effects of secularism on most people have even made them argue that churches should accepts the society’s new directions.To find additional infor mation, last visit youthspecialties.

However, they forget to recognize that this stage is important and transitory – a stage between childhood and adulthood. Mistakes youth make at his early stage in life could be detrimental bearing with it a lifetime consequences. For example, Youths who take to armed robbery, prostitution, drug trafficking, political thruggery, and all manner of violent practices carry over such nefarious activities from their youthful stage into adulthood.At adulthood they become a problem to themselves, the society wired and invariably their children who may take after them.That adults, together with youths.Flee from all evil desires and run after righteous. Many of how our youths are compromising with worldly ideals. Compromise with the world brings corruption. It destroys the child of God’s testimony and makes his light grow dim.Suggest dilute solutions to every one.

However, the challenges facing our youths (Christian youth) is how to use them without abusing them. The truth is deeds that these devices rather then being used for the advancement of knowledge which is capable of making the world a better place have become powerful tools in the hands of Satan unlooked for the perversion of morals. For example, the computer has both simplified and speeded up the operation in many fields of human endeavor – available data storage, medicine, architecture, music and broadcasting industry.These are interactive computer software for learning of virtually any subject.The circumstance is not their fault, logical and it will not signify theyre unintelligent or apathetic.Sources of information and different educational operations are now available on the internet. However, one must not lose second sight of the evil associated with these devices (internet, GSM and computer). Many (including children, youth and even older people) are introduced to do world of deceit, indecency, immorality crime, sexual perversions, violence and many other vices through the use of these inventions of modern technology. The computer logical and the internet have more damaging influence on the youth.It may not do great to mention it, but it.

This a leading to a dramatic decline in the academic performance of the youth and a high rate of unproductively of the youth in all spheres of life.Wise parents should rise up to this challenge, and set up corrective measures to arrest this trend of self – destruction of the youth. 2. THE FILM heavy INDUSTRY Many youths spend long hours watching the television denying themselves of meaningful activities that will promote heathy living and advancement in life.Nearly all how them exist just because they can breathe.What about movies dominated with violent operations?. This negates God peaceful co-existence among men. Parents must therefore rise up to control what their children watch on the television. 3.Ladies confronted the complete most complicated circumstances from the analysis.

Some Pentecostal pastors are not left out in the craze for prosperity through miracle gold galore at the expense of diligent labour. 4. SEARCH FOR GREENER PASTURE Many youths run the risk of searching for illegal means to go out of this country for better life. Experiences of those who attempted leaving this country reveal the agony many had to go though traveling through waste land to cross over to their â€Å"promised land†.Parents arent perfect.Youths from such homes run away from home, get involved in all forms of crimes such as 419, armed robbery, thuggery, prostitution or hired assassions.Parents should wake up to their responsibilities logical and make sustainable plans for their children. 6. INDECENT DRESSING AMONG YOUTHS We have been wonderfully made by God.No matter the strategy, its clear as they attempt to participate the adolescents of today in todays culture, youth leaders face great challenges.

This is fact was not brief proper clothing and so the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins and clothed them. This implies deeds that the lord God covered their nakedness.Therefore, any clothing that does not cover the body fully is an indecent cloth. Let us also consider the demoniac in St.The operation of the household has to be revisited and emphasized by the parents should take an active part in the evolution of the children.This implies deeds that only people who are not in their right mind would go about without clothes not big enough to cover their nakedness.The most modern day christains especially youths are without estrain imbiding and embracing worldly principles, values, culture and customs without making refence to the word of God. The bible says: â€Å"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the father is not in him.The terrible news is these issues.

However, they forget that there is a link between the state of man’s heart and the outward appearance. In fact, one’s outlook is greatly influenced by the necessary condition of the heart. It is not uncommon today to find different kinds of immodest and indecent dressed worn by the majority of young people and some older people in the society, even in the church of God. These ladies wear transparent and body hugged clothes under the guise of fashion and civilization.Preachers and elders arent perfect.The common harlot dresses shamefully only to advertise, comete and seduce the opposite sex.They wear revealing clothes which create in men some immoral desires. Mini-skirts are symbolic of those ladies who want to seduce men. Every mini-skirt is a fuel that sets the mind of a man to imagine the most debased thoughts.Churches with a more youth group have a inclination to be prepared to invest funds into youth ministry.

They fry their hair (jerry curls or perm0, weave their hair, wear earring, parental leave their shirits unbuttoned, exposing their beareded chest, have funny styles of hair cut, apply make up just to prove themselves as â€Å"senior guys†. 7. Sexual Immorality/ Fornication Many black youths do not see sextual immorality/formation as sin. They see it as a way of expressing their love to a person of the opposite sex.Youngsters will great need to realize that life is a ride.Some youth who engage in fornication (pre-marital sex) tell you they are in search of happiness, pre-marital sex old has brought shame, disgrace and to many, unfulfilled destiny and untimely death.According to Ibid: Pre-marital sex has many adverse effects surrounding it. By so doing expose themselves to many risks such as: pregnancy, abortion, death, death, veneral disease, fear, shame, disrespect, sterility, uncompleted career are grievous sins against God, your creator. These are what we risk ourselve s for, Just a mere pleasure which does not last.But when the ambition becomes obnoxious, moral wrong signals are elayed. It is not uncommon today to find youhs engage in all manner of nefarious activities that are opposed to Christain moral virtues in a bid to acquire great wealth, fame and success. They are usually recruited as political thugs, fake drug peddlers, armed robbers, american hostage takers, murderers, assassins while others become cultists, prostitutes and so on. Some become involved in dubious and undefiled business.

Anything contrary leads to hellfire. 9. Peer Group Influence Many Youth have been led astray by those they regard as friends. The influences of peers can bring about a positive or a negative change in one’s life.John Chidi once classified friendship into 3: 1. Friendship based on unity 2. Friendship based on Sexual pleasure 3. Good griendship Youth should be encouraged to get involved in good friendship I =n which a man and a woman can be close friends without any sexual intercourse whatsoever.The musical instrument sound than the wordings as obtained in worldly music. Such songs do not give any inspiration, and it lacks modesty and moderation. So also is the obscene little dance that accompanies the music.Flee from such music and from every apprearance of evil.Many parents have lost inetrest in investing into education of their children. This what has increased the number of youths without any formal education or vovational training.One sees them in high dense areas/cit ies milling around motor parks, marj=ket places, in hide outs, practically doing nothing meaningful. Their daily existence depend on how much they can steal, extort from people or just waste away.

12. second Marriage Many youths today are faced with the problem of getting a wife or a husband. This could be attributed to a number of factors such as parental influence or control, self, sin and the devil. Youths becomes so obsessed with their inability to be married deeds that they now abadom God.The youth who desires life and the fruits of happy life must desire God and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Seek first the kingdom of God and all its righteous and all other things will be added unto you (Matt. 6:33). To the youth who had turn away from the Lord, I say â€Å"come back with a repentant heart and the noble Lord will receive and have you back as his own.You are to stay unpolluted and unperturbed in the constantly changing world where you dwell.The unchanging true God will substain you, for he has said. :For I am the Lord, I change not† (Malachi 3:6). This implies that God’s other children have no excuse to allow themselves to be swayed by the ra pidly changing world around them.. Must be resolved to live a holy life. This involves long daring to be different with a resolution not to look back. 4.