Nursing Theory Analysis Essay

Introduction As nurses, it is important to have a basic understanding of the nursing practice by reflecting on various nursing theories and principles used across a variety of clinical settings. Nursing theories serve as the foundation or the guiding principle of the nursing profession. In this paper, I am going to discuss two theories – the Health Belief Model and the Social Cognitive Theory – and their relevance to the nursing practice. Health Belief Model The Health Belief Model, commonly abbreviated as HBM, is a psychological model that predicts and explains health behaviors of individuals based on their beliefs and attitudes towards a particular health-related issue. This theory explains that an individual’s beliefs and attitudes about certain health problems, self-efficacy, barriers, and benefits to perceived action help create health-promoting behavior. It was created in the 1950s by US social psychologists Kegels, Rosenstock & Hochbaum in response to the unsuccessful nationwide tuberculosis screening program (Thurmond & Popkess-Vawter, 2003). The core statements and assumptions of the Health Belief Model is that a health-related action should be adhered because it could help prevent the likelihood of negative health conditions, such as chronic illnesses and infectious conditions. Once individuals acquire positive expectations over a specific health-promoting action, they can then avoid the occurrence of negative health con ditions (Potter & Perry, 2006). Application of the Health Belief Model into practice It is believed that the Health Belief Model is the main model used in the nursing process associated with health promotion and education, as well as illness prevention and protection. It has been utilized to describe various health protective activities within the primary, secondary, and tertiary level of health care. This framework serves as the basis for helping individuals engage in primary and secondary illness prevention. For instance, when nurses provide specific instructions to educate individuals that diseases could be prevented, this is part of the primary prevention that is associated with increasing the health-promoting activities of the population. If the nurse, on the other hand, educates an ill patient about how a certain disease should be treated, and the things to be avoided to prevent the disease from getting worse, this is part of the secondary level of prevention that is associated with preventing negative health conditions (Thurmond & Popkess-Vawter, 2003). Accordingly, by providing primary and secondary prevention, the patients’ perceived benefits will likely increase their anticipatory actions and lessen health risks associated with their conditions (Bandura, 2009). Another good example of a Health Belief Model applied into nursing practice, is when a nurse creates a discharge planning education for a patient diagnosed with heart illness. By letting the patient know before discharge the importance of undergoing regular monitoring and follow-up, as well as teaching the patient to reduce risk-taking behaviors, it could help increase a patient’s health awareness and possibly reduce readmissions in the future. But most importantly, the nurse must help the patient become accepting of the belief that discharge health educations could increase self-efficacy and improve the overall quality of life. It is important to note that the Health Belief Model is entirely reliant on the ability of the nurse to produce meaningful interventions to stimulate the cognitive sphere of the patients in terms of their health beliefs and culture (Potter & Perry, 2006). By understanding the patient’s personal values, culture, and family history the nurse could tentatively formulate how the patient views or accepts a disease condition. Finally, nurses must learn to create questions that could help identify or explore the patient’s perception about the illness or disease, so that they could have a more concrete idea about the beliefs and attitudes surrounding health-associated  matters of the patient. With the help of the Health Belief Model, nurses could positively and effectively engage in health education with proper understanding of individual perceptions, values, and attitudes toward a specific disease being addressed. Social Cognitive Theory The Social Cognitive Theory is a learning theory based on the perception that individuals could learn new behaviors or skills by observing others (Sandoval, 2008). These newly learned behaviors can be central to the development of one’s personality or set of skills necessary for his or her profession. While it is believed that the environment in which a person grows up or becomes affiliated to may contribute to the development of learning and behavior, the cognition or the actual learning process is also important for the acquisition of new behaviors and attitudes. Proponents of the Social Cognitive Theory state that people could learn by observing other people, with the help of the environment, and through behaviors as the main factors for influencing human development (Miller, 2005). Application of Social Cognitive Theory into nursing practice In this theory, there are five core concepts including modeling/learning, outcome expectations, development of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and goal setting. Among these five factors, the most important factor for behavior acquisition is the modeling/learning process. That is very important for the nursing profession. According to the Social Cognitive Theory, effective modeling educates strategies and general rules necessary for dealing with various life situations (Bandura, 2009). This is similar to how the student nurses learn nursing skills during their college years. When student nurses started working with their clinical instructors, who are registered and practicing nurses, they are being taught new nursing methods so that they could learn how to deal with different nursing roles and practices in a wide range of health care settings and patient populations (Miller, 2005). The Social Cognitive Theory serves as a guide for student nurses to acquire new nursing skills they could use in their profession. For example, student nurses learn the importance of hand washing and sterile gloving technique before engaging in surgeries from their nurse instructors.  But they could not learn the proper technique of hand washing and gloving if their instructors would not imitate or demonstrate the step-by-step method of doing it (Bandura, 2009). This is a good example of learned behavior through direction observation of another individual, which is one of the core concepts of the Social Cognitive Theory. According to Sandoval (2008), the use of Social Cognitive Theory could effectively help student nurses develop certain skills they need throughout their nursing career. Conclusion The Health Belief Model and the Social Cognitive Theory both play an important role for the professional nursing practice. From the discussions above, we have learned that the Health Belief Model focuses on the ability of nurses to educate patients about health attitudes to help promote quality of life while the Social Cognitive Theory centers on learning or acquiring new skills. Student nurses may learn new nursing skills by observing their clinical instructors about the proper way of doing things (Potter & Perry, 2006). Both of the theories have their respective importance and functions for the nursing profession, and they could be considered as two of the main guiding principles of the nursing practice – one focuses on health promotion and illness prevention and the other focuses on learning skills needed by nurses to address patient needs. When both of these theories are effectively utilized, nurses could have increased confidence and level of education to support patients and become competent in their practice. References Bandura, A. (2009). SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY: An Agentic Perspective. Annual Review of Psychology. 52(1): 3–26. Miller, K. (2005). Communication Theories: Perspectives, Processes, and Contexts. NY: McGraw-Hill. Potter, P. & Perry, G. (2006). Fundamentals of nursing. St. Louis, MI: Elsevier Mosby. Sandoval, J. (2008). â€Å"Social Cognitive Theory: A Framework for Understanding Learning in a Nursing Student-preceptor Relationship how nursing students learn by doing In the Presence of a practicing nurse. Southern Nursing Research Society. 19(21): 22-29. Thurmond, V. & Popkess-Vawter, K. (2003). Examination of a middle range theory: Applying Astin’s input-environment-outcome (I-E-O) model to web-based education. Online Journal of Nursing Inf. 7(2).

Potential Of Educational Standards Education Essay

The grounds for the survey were outlined in the prologue. In this subdivision the purposes thereof are explained and a motive for the research is provided. This stage expounds the research methodological analysiss adopted and provides the motive and justification for the pick of research methodological analysis every bit good as a description of the nature and character of action research. The research doctrine is explored and the methods of roll uping informations discussed. I was fortunate to be presented with an chance to develop an educational programme which would ensue in the publicity of four black supervisors to direction places. This led to an exploratory and experimental procedure that addressed the research job: How to plan and present a direction instruction and development programme for people who did non hold the needed educational makings to inscribe for formal direction programmes at a third establishment. This, in bend, translated into the undermentioned research inquiries? Do people without the necessary educational criterions have the possible and the ability to go effectual directors? What cognition, accomplishments and attitudes are necessary to be an effectual director and how are these cognition, accomplishments and attitudes best acquired in a workplace?Research purposeThe purpose was to better my pattern through the design and execution of a non-traditional direction instruction programme. While at the same clip, righting some of the instabilities ensuing from historical political prejudice that had deprived many black people of the chance to carry through their managerial potency and in so making do a meaningful part to four people ‘s lives. It was besides intended to do a part to direction development, concern betterment and socio-economic transmutation.Research aimsIn trying a undertaking of this nature, there were many obstructions and jobs to confront that were both complex and sensitive and I needed a clear apprehension of what I planned to accomplish through carry oning the research survey. These aims would besides hopefully separate this researc h undertaking from â€Å" masqueraded consulting † ( Eriksson & A ; Kovalainen, 2008:204 ) After careful consideration, the undermentioned list of aims were identified for the survey: Investigate premises and patterns that I thought needed to be challenged ; Develop an apprehension of the construct of instruction and in peculiar grownup instruction and how it relates to larning in a workplace ; Explore and experiment with course of study design for a non-traditional emancipatory direction instruction procedure in a workplace ; Implement the procedure and happen possible barriers to implementation in order to better and alter the bing state of affairs ; Bringing approximately positive transmutation ; and Gain professional cognition.Aim of the surveyThe motive to accept the challenge was based on the premise that direction accomplishments and leading behavior can be developed through relevant preparation and expert guided experience and the strong belief that willing and able non-managerial Black employees can and should be developed to travel into direction places. The purpose of the survey was hence to develop and present a feasible and sustainable method of grownup instruction for the development and promotion of four black female supervisors to direction places, by: Locating the programme in values of equality and justness with regard for human self-respect ; Approaching grownup instruction in such a manner that the participants would be involved in their ain acquisition experience ; Identifying the practical deductions of presenting the invention into a specific workplace and implementing the programme ; and Measuring the programme, with peculiar mention to its relevancy to the participants and their alteration in behavior. From the literature reviews discussed subsequently in the survey, there appeared to be a wide consensus that larning and organizational alteration require a scope of development, preparation and acquisition attacks ; that the traditional external class, while moderately effectual as a briefing device for advancing consciousness, is hapless at advancing behavioral and organizational alteration ; that alteration is more likely to be achieved via techniques specifically aimed at peculiar larning marks related to the person ‘s practical undertakings and experience ; and that development, preparation and coaching should, when appropriate, take topographic point as stopping point to the work state of affairs as possible. This meant that for the invention to win the company had to accommodate and aline itself both structurally and culturally to altering fortunes and new attacks, which resulted in the add-on of the undermentioned standards: Involving the whole administration in the procedure, utilizing a systems attack, and turn toing issues of socialization, civilizations, values, attitudes and perceptual experiences.THE SettingThe survey was conducted in a fabrication company in Gauteng, in South Africa. It is the most advanced metropolitan part in the state and the industrial hub. Although it covers less than two per centum of South Africa ‘s entire land mass it contributes more than 50 per centum of Gross Domestic Product and accommodates about one one-fourth of the entire population ( De Beer, 1990 ) . The town in which the mill was situated was populated by preponderantly Afrikaans talking White people and in 1994 was a Conservative Party fastness. Until the early 90s a curfew bell was still sounded at 9pm every eventide to guarantee that the town remained ‘White by dark ‘ . The direction instruction programme was implemented in a fabrication administration. It is a in private owned company that employed about 80 people and had a turnover in surplus of five million Rand per annum in 1994. The fabrication procedure is complicated and labour intensive with most phases of production necessitating a skilled labor force. The chosen trainees were all Black females with formal instruction degrees runing from class 9 to rate 12. Unfortunately even the two ladies with a matriculation certification were unable to derive entry to third establishments as the topics they had completed were non recognised for higher acquisition, for illustration Bible Studies and Agriculture. All of them were loyal employees who had at least 15 old ages of work experience in the company and all were employed in a supervisory capacity. Their elected wise mans and managers were both White males. The Factory / Production Manager had a sheepskin in Production Management and a figure of old ages of production and direction experience. The General Manager had an undergraduate commercialism grade and many old ages of direction experience, but had non been actively involved in the production procedure and was more concerned with the administrative elements of the company. Unlike many research workers who enter new and unusual research environments, I had ready entree to the site and was fortunate plenty to be familiar with the people involved in the research procedure and the workplace scene. This made my entry into the state of affairs comparatively easy as I did non hold to confront the debatable state of affairs of acquiring to cognize the participants or the workplace environment. However, on contemplation this factor created a new set of complexnesss and jobs.RESEARCH APPROACHChoice of methodological analysisI am of the sentiment that given the research involvements, inquiries, purposes and aims of this qualitative survey together with my theoretical position that action research was an appropriate attack. My multiple and frequently complex functions of adviser, facilitator, instructor and scholar, and ‘objective ‘ research worker in the survey were a possible quandary, nevertheless, this was resolved by following an action research methodological analysis. This determination is substantiated by Eriksson & A ; Kovalainen who province that: It is of import to understand that, in action research, there is no large difference between the research worker and the researched group aˆÂ ¦ Often the differences between the research worker and direction adviser diminish and even disappear, as academic research is geared towards accomplishing apprehension of real-life jobs related to concern activities and bring forthing alteration procedures and solutions for the job ( 2008:194 ) Action research differs from conventional or traditional research because as Coghlan and Brannick assert it focuses upon â€Å" research in action, instead than research about action † ( 2005:4 ) . The other distinguishing characteristic of action research is that it does non put the doctorial pupil as research worker in an â€Å" aˆÂ ¦external ‘objective ‘ function but alternatively locates her within the research puting to research whether the rhythms of intercessions chosen really work to alter the debatable state of affairs to which the research job is addressed † ( Greenwood & A ; Levin, 2007 cited in Grogan, Donaldson & A ; Simmons, 2007:6 ) . The experimental nature of the research undertaking besides required an alternate attack to more traditional qualitative research. Eriksson and Kovalainen suggests that â€Å" action research is specifically utile when researching procedure related jobs in organisations, such as acquisition and alteration † ( 2008:199 ) . They further assert that: Action research is thought to be particularly suited when the research inquiry is related to depicting an unfolding series of actions that are taking topographic point over clip in a certain group aˆÂ ¦ Besides, if the research inquiry is related to understanding the procedure of alteration, development or betterment of some existent job, so, in order to larn from it, action research is an appropriate application for research ( 2008:193-194 ) Corey states that the value of traditional research is â€Å" determined by the sum of reliable cognition it adds † , while that of action research â€Å" is determined chiefly by the extent to which findings lead to betterment in the patterns of people engaged in the research † ( 1953:13 ) . This is confirmed by Carr and Kemmis, who assert that â€Å" aˆÂ ¦the testing land for educational research is non its theoretical edification or its ability to conform to standards derived from societal scientific disciplines, but instead its capacity to decide educational jobs and better educational pattern † ( 1986:109 ) .Action ResearchFor some readers the construct of action research will be portion of their pattern, for others it may look a unusual attack to research. As action research does non needfully do a immense difference between research and action, it may give an imprecise and ill-defined feeling of research as a procedure. It can be argued that it is exactly here where action research has its power: when it remains ‘close ‘ to its research objects and is based on mutual activities, when done decently, it can besides authorise its participants, non merely the scientific discipline community ( Eriksson & A ; Kovalainen, 2008:202-203 ) Action Research has been widely used to better pattern in educational scenes ( Carr and Kemmis, 1986:162 ) . It is acknowledged as â€Å" an appropriate research paradigm for educational, professional, managerial and organizational development † ( Zuber-Skerritt, 1996:3 ) and was the merely obvious pick of methodological analysis for this survey. As a methodological analysis action research is based on alternate research paradigms. There is no universally accepted definition of action research in literature and there are a assortment of action research theoretical accounts available. As Nofke asserts there has been â€Å" aˆÂ ¦exceptional growing in the extent of action research patterns † and we should besides be cognizant of the â€Å" aˆÂ ¦proliferation of significances and utilizations of the term action research † ( 1994:9 ) Those of us in South Africa interested in action research recognise that there are contested points of position about what ‘action research ‘ agencies and what patterns constitute it. aˆÂ ¦ It is the acknowledgment of the potency of action research as informed, automatic and transformative action, nevertheless, that holds sway ( Walker, 1988:153 ) . Whitehead and McNiff suggest that most of the action research literature negotiations about bettering pattern, but negotiations less about bettering acquisition as the footing of improved pattern, and even less about how this should be seen as new theory and an of import part to the universe of thoughts. They believe that theory itself needs to be reconceptualised, non as an abstract, apparently esoteric field of survey, but as a practical manner of believing about societal personal businesss and how they can be improved ( 2006:8 ) . The beginnings of action research can be found in the instructions of Marx, Gramsci and Freire who were engaged in altering societal constructions and patterns for the benefit of those who had been oppressed or marginalised by the position quo ( Reason & A ; Bradbury, 2001 ) . Lewin is credited with gestating action research which was so farther developed by Kolb ( 1984 ) , Carr and Kemmis ( 1986 ) and others. Historically Revans ( 1986 ) is its recognized title-holder. Pulling from the work of Jean Piaget, Revans contended that larning â€Å" stems from responsible experience † ( 1982:2 ) , that is, â€Å" all acquisition is the merchandise of action † ( 1982:772 ) . Action research spiral Lewin ‘s action research spiral, is described as follows by Lewin cited in Burgess ( 1985:162 ) : The first measure is to analyze the thought carefully in the visible radiation of the agencies available. Frequently more investigative about the state of affairs is required. If this first period of planning is successful, two points emerge: viz. , ‘an overall program ‘ of how to make the aim and secondly, a determination in respect to the first measure of action. Normally this planning has besides slightly modified the original thought ( Lewin, 1948:205 ) . The following measure is composed of a circle of planning, put to deathing, and reconnaissance or fact happening for the intent of measuring the consequences of the 2nd measure, and fixing the rational footing for be aftering the 3rd measure, and for possibly modifying once more the overall program ( 1948:206 ) . To assist cover with the issues refering the nature of direction development, course of study development and grownup instruction in a structured, yet flexible, mode Lewin ‘s ( 1946 ) action research spiral was used as a theoretical account. Initially, I had non considered utilizing the attack to carry on a research survey but instead to utilize the action research spiral as a theoretical account to help with the design and bringing of an experimental direction instruction programme because of its iterative nature and accent on continual betterment. Lewin ‘s theoretical account specifies a spiral of activities in the undermentioned sequence: Clarifying and naming a job state of affairs for pattern ; Explicating action schemes for deciding the job ; Implementing and measuring the action schemes ; and Further elucidation and diagnosing of the job ( and so into the following spiral of contemplation and action ) . Lewin ‘s coiling recognises the demand for action programs to be flexible. In complex societal state of affairss it is ne'er possible to expect everything that needs to be done and in this theoretical account the deliberate imbrication of action and contemplation allow alterations in programs for action as the participants learn from and reflect on their ain experience. The procedure is summarised in the diagram of an action research coiling below. Upward spiral of bettering practiceFIGURE 1: Action research spiral Beginning: hypertext transfer protocol: //education.qld.gov.au/students/advocacy/equity/gendersch/action.html My apprehension of the action research procedure, based on Lewin ‘s attack, was that action is followed by critical contemplation: – What worked? What did non work? What did we larn? How should we make it otherwise following clip? Once apprehension was achieved, decisions drawn and programs refined or new programs developed so these were once more tested in action. This tied in with the well established larning theory of Kolb and Fry ( 1975:35-36 ) which suggests that persons pass through a rhythm of phases in the learning experience: A period of observation ; A period of contemplation ; A period of conceptual modeling ; and A period of active testing. Therefore the completion of the acquisition procedure will affect several rhythms and may in fact ne'er terminal. Based on the above, I envisaged a procedure where myself and the other participants in the programme developed a program of action ; acted to implement the program ; observed the effects of the action in the context in which it occurred ; reflected on these effects as a footing for farther planning, subsequent action and so on through a sequence of rhythms. This allowed for a flexible course of study that could be modified as the programme progressed and invariably evaluated and altered in footings of its relevancy to the programme ‘s purposes. This initial theoretical account was excessively simple as in world, life does non travel â€Å" along one path at a clip aˆÂ ¦ † ( McNiff, 1988:28 ) and Susman and Evered ‘s ( 1978 ) more complex representational theoretical account reproduced below, better fitted the survey. FIGURE 2: The cyclical procedure of action research Beginning: Susman & A ; Evered, 1978:582-603 in Administrative Science Quarterly This impression concurs with that of Walker ( 1993:107 ) who finds that the attractive force of action research lies exactly in the ne'er stoping spiral of action, contemplation, enquiry and speculating originating from and grounded in practical concerns, where the hunt is non for the right replies but towards â€Å" practical wisdom aˆÂ ¦ in peculiar, complex and human state of affairss † ( Elliott, 1991:52 ) . Lau ( 1998 ) discusses the standards which Checkland ( 1991 ) believes are indispensable for an action research survey to be accepted as a legitimate option to the more traditional methods. These standards served as a guideline to my ain action research: There is a real-world job relevant to the research subjects of involvement to the research worker ; Respective functions of the research worker and participants are defined in the job state of affairs ; Inclusion of an rational model by agencies of which the nature of research lessons can be defined and the method in which the model is embodied ; Researcher engagement in blossoming the state of affairs with a position to assist convey about alterations deemed betterments ; Rethinking of earlier phases by doing sense of the accumulating experience through the declared model and method, and revising alterations ; and Point of issue for the research worker in order to reexamine the experience and to pull out lessons for larning in relation to the research themes and/or definition of new subjects ( 1991:397-403 ) . Action research includes action larning which Zuber-Skerritt defines as: Learning from concrete experience and critical contemplation on that experience, through group treatment, test and mistake, find and larning from one another ( 1993:45 ) .The narrative stating attackHarmonizing to Eriksson & A ; Kovalainen, in action research The research workers have full academic ‘freedom ‘ to utilize any stylistic elements they wish and frequently the descriptive anthropology and narrative signifiers are besides used in composing the action research studies ( 2008:207 ) Based on Elliott ‘s statement that action research workers should utilize a instance survey attack and that research studies should take a narrative signifier based on analytic memos and following a historical format: â€Å" stating the narrative as it has unfolded over clip † ( 1991:88 ) , elements of instance survey scheme were adopted in the experimental research stage and elements from a narrative attack with an ethnographic focal point, were used in the thesis as the manner for documenting the survey ( www.Infed.org/research ) . It is of import to observe that, unlike research workers utilizing other qualitative attacks and methods such as instance survey research or descriptive anthropology who tend to be interested perceivers, in this survey I was an active participant ( Myers, 2008:57 ) . Using elements of a narrative attack to direction and educational research can be described within the context of the post-modern, which gave me the freedom as writer/researcher to be personally present in the text as opposed to being the 3rd individual composing in a inactive voice, the traditionally needed ‘objective ‘ research worker. Dane asserts that â€Å" research is an activity, and an active voice conveys that impression † ( 1990:214 ) , this is substantiated by Van Maanen ( 1988, cited in Sikes & A ; Gale, 2006 ) who suggests that by composing in an active voice ( confessional narrative ) the research worker ‘tells it as it was ‘ instead than following traditional, formulaic and ‘objective ‘ constructions that tell of neat, tidy, elementary research undertakings. The usage of a descriptive narrative of the journey allowed me to capture the socio-cultural scene in which the acquisition occurred and helped â€Å" aˆÂ ¦make expressed some of the inexplicit cognition used to understand and implement the intercession † ( Hoadley, 2002: 2 ) . For most people, storytelling is a natural manner of telling experience, a practical solution to a cardinal job in life, making sensible order out of experience ( Moen, 2006:2 ) . In this thesis I adopted a multi-voiced coverage manner, where the positions and looks of all the participants were incorporated into my narrative. Their voices are actively heard in Phase 7 and 8 where infusions from their written and unwritten informations are reproduced verbatim. On completion of the bill of exchange, this study was given to them to read and formalize and this factor influenced the manner of composing used.RESEARCH DESIGNResearch DoctrineA research worker ‘s scientific beliefs or research doctrine is influenced by the research worker ‘s societal intent or what he/she wants to accomplish in the societal universe and why. Harmonizing to Whitehead and McNiff: A strong relationship exists between what you hope to accomplish in footings of your being as a human being and your ontological, epistemic and methodological premises, which can act upon each other and transform each other ( 2006:24 ) . They besides suggest that: Where research traditions differ is how they perceive the placement of the research worker ( ontological committednesss ) , the relationship between the apprehender and what is known ( epistemic committednesss ) , the procedures of bring forthing cognition ( methodological committednesss ) , and the ends of research in footings of how the cognition will be used ( societal committednesss ) ( 2006:22 ) . Ontology Ontology refers to a theory of being, which influences how we perceive ourselves in relation to our environment ( Whitehead & A ; McNiff 2006:10 ) . Action research aims to lend both to the practical concerns of people in an immediate debatable state of affairs and to the ends of societal scientific discipline by joint coaction within a reciprocally acceptable ethical model ( Rapoport, 1970: 499 ) . This can be seen as debatable in the coverage phase because The boundaries between people begin to fade out, as people see themselves as united in a common enterprise to better their ain fortunes and inquiries can originate about who tells the research narrative, whose voice is heard, and who speaks on behalf of whom ( Whitehead & A ; McNiff 2006:11 ) . A participative and subjective attack to research is hence built-in in action research and as Burr argues, objectiveness is: an impossibleness, since each of us, of necessity, must meet the universe from some position or other ( from where we stand ) and the inquiries we come to inquire about that universe, our theories and hypothesis, must besides of necessity arise from the premises that are embedded in our position † . She continues by stating that â€Å" The undertaking of research workers hence becomes to admit and even to work with their ain intrinsic engagement in the research procedure and the portion this plays in the consequences that are produced. Research workers must see the research procedure as needfully a co-production between themselves and the people they are researching ( 1995:160 cited in Colombo, 2003 ) . Due to my active engagement in the survey, I acknowledge the built-in subjectiveness of this survey every bit good as the impact it has had on both the procedure and the results of this research. As I reviewed my personal diaries and field notes my ain emotional reaction to certain events and people was apparent and sometimes contradictory interior voices emerged, some of these have been included in the text. However, I subscribe to Whitehead ‘s theory of the single ‘I ‘ which is ever seen to be in company with other single ‘I ‘s ‘ , where significances and committednesss flow between lives, and people perceive themselves non as separate entities, though still alone persons, but as sharing the same life infinite as others ( Rayner 2002 ; 2003 ; Whitehead 2005 ) . Epistemology Epistemology ( Whitehead & A ; McNiff 2006:23 ) refers to a theory of cognition, which involves two parts: A theory of cognition ( what is known ) ; and A theory of cognition acquisition ( how it becomes known ) Heron ( 1981 ; 1982 ) suggests that action research implies that cognition includes multiple ways of knowing and that the epistemology of action research should include: Propositional cognizing – based on theories or received wisdom ; Experimental knowledge – gained through the direct brush with people, topographic points or things ; Practical knowledge – gained through the making of things ; and Presentational knowledge – gained by telling our silent experiential cognition into forms. Harmonizing to Carr and Kemmis ( 1986:42 ) instructors ( in my instance a facilitator of an educational procedure ) have professional common-sense cognition. In add-on, they have thoughts about educational theory, a philosophical mentality, and societal and moral theories. Knowledge has the capacity to alter as cognition and thought alterations, hence, on the footing of this reflexiveness or capacity to alter, new signifiers of societal life can be created or reconstructed. Action research is based on the epistemic premise that the intent of action research and discourse is non merely to depict, understand and explicate the universe but besides to alter it ( Reason & A ; Torbett, 2001 ) . Goodson and Walker province that â€Å" the undertaking of research is to do sense of what we know ( 1991:107 ) † and the sense we make is determined by the choice and political relations of our attack. In this survey, a brooding procedure inherent in action research was used for sense-making or doing silent cognition explicit. This sense-making was introduced to the reader through a description of how the undertaking was conceived, what was intended, the rhythms of action throughout the procedure and an analysis of both the intended and unintended results. When reexamining my epistemic stance the remark by Whitehead and McNiff was peculiarly disposed. They province that in action research â€Å" cognition is created, non discovered. This is normally a procedure of test and mistake. Probationary replies, and the procedure itself, are ever unfastened to review † ( 2006:27 ) . Methodological premises Methodologies refer to the manner that research is conducted. I found the undermentioned paragraph from Whitehead and McNiff utile in this respect and the methodological analysis used in this survey has been guided by these premises. Unlike traditional societal scientific discipline, action questions do non take for closing, nor do practicians anticipate to happen certain replies. The procedure itself is the methodological analysis ( Mellor 1998 ) , and is often untidy, haphazard and experimental. Richard Winter ( 1998 ) negotiations about ‘improvisatory self-fulfillment in action research ‘ , where a certain grade of entrepreneurialism is involved ; and Marian Dadds and Susan Hart ( 2001 ) talk about ‘methodological ingeniousness ‘ , where we try multiple advanced ways until we find the 1 that is right for us. We look out for what might be a utile manner forward, and seek it out. One measure leads to another, and one rhythm of action-reflection leads to another. ( aˆÂ ¦ ) Traditional ways of making research offer a completed narrative. Action research workers let their ain narrative evolve. It is every bit much about the narrator as about the narrative ( Whitehead & A ; McNiff 2006:3 0 ) . Ethical considerations Soltis believes that research workers should detect the ‘non-negotiable ‘ values of â€Å" honestness, equity, regard for individuals and beneficence † ( 1989:129 ) . This ties in with one of the purposes of the survey of ‘locating the programme in values of equality and justness with regard for human self-respect ‘ . In pattern this meant being unfastened and honest about the research, its intent and application ; obtaining informed consent from the participants in the procedure and guaranting them of their right to retreat from the procedure at any clip without punishment. It besides meant non harming the company or participants and if possible, go forthing them in a better place. The research procedure and findings were guided by the ethical consideration of protecting participants ‘ individualities and obtaining permission to utilize their personal development diaries and other paperss owned by them, every bit good as obtaining participant proof of this thesis. The purpose of action research is to better and affect. To better meant alteration that was non ever comfy for the participants and throughout the survey I endeavoured to adhere to the ideal that everybody has the right to move, the right to be heard and the right to take.Data CollectionHussey and Hussey province that, â€Å" Whatever the intent of the research, empirical grounds is required. They define empirical grounds as, â€Å" informations based on observation or experience † ( 1997:10 ) . Harmonizing to Eriksson & A ; Kovalainen One of the challenges of action research in comparing with many other ‘research methods ‘ is that information analysis is frequently done collaboratively with the organisation, group of people or community involved. This is to guarantee the intimacy of consequences to the organization/group/community in inquiry. At the same clip, the analysis needs to carry through the ‘academic demands ‘ , therefore frequently including both linguistic communication and tools non known to ‘laypeople ‘ . Therefore, it is of import to add transparence and interlingual rendition of the analysis of the informations to the purpose of intercessions planned and action planning ( 2008:202 ) In this survey, informations based on observation was collected through the usage of elaborate field notes which provided a running history of what happened throughout the procedure and informations based on experience was collected as personal notes in the signifier of a diary which included notes to myself and a record of my contemplations, my feelings and reactions, ego uncertainties and inquiries, choler and defeats, and delectations. Throughout the survey I was punctilious in roll uping and updating the field notes and my diary. Records of meetings and informal interviews and treatments with participants and other stakeholders, every bit good as the emerging directors ‘ personal development diaries entering their phases of development provided extra collaborative beginnings of informations. Each of the informations aggregation methods used in this research undertaking could be considered portion of an overall attack to bettering the quality and cogency of the research informations through an attack known as informations triangulation. This would besides counter the possibility of low dependability.

Computer Systems Essay

Explain the function of the system unit components and how they communicate Central processing unit – The Central Processing Unit (CPU) carries out the actual processing of data. The data it processes is gathered via the system bus, from the main memory. The CPU then sends back the results to main memory via the system bus. The CPU also controls and times the operations of the other key components. CPU’s use in their operation: Fetch, decode, execute, and writeback. BIOS – The BIOS is a built-in software that decides what a computer can do without having access to a hard drive or CD/DVD. On PCs, the BIOS contains all the code required to control the keyboard, display screen, disk drives, serial communications, and a number of other miscellaneous functions. Motherboard – The motherboard is a printed circuit board (PCB) that houses and controls the components that are in charge of processing data. A motherboard provides the electrical circuit connections, these circuits are used by other components of the system to communicate. The central processing unit and other subsystems such as real time clock, and various peripheral interfaces are also located on the motherboard. This is motherboard doesn’t use active heat sinks on its bridges instead it uses a complex passive heat sink. Power Supply – A power supply unit (PSU) is the component that supplies power to a computer. In a PC the power supply is the metal box usually found in a corner of the case. The power supply has many various power leads all for different things such as: * 20+4pin power connector o Powers the motherboard, depending on what motherboard you have it will either require a 20pin or a 24pin connector. * 4+4pin ATX 12V Connector o Powers the CPU, depending on what motherboard you have it will either require a 4pin or a 8pin connector * 6pin PCI-E VGA card Connectors o Power modern graphics cards, depending on the graphics card it will either require 1 or 2 6pin connectors. * SATA Connectors o Used for most internal components such as SATA hard drives and SATA optical drives. * 4pin peripheral Molex Connectors o Molex connectors are used for fans, lights and various other internal components. * Floppy connectors o Used to connect floppy disk drives. Heat Sink & Fan – A heat sink is specifically designed to reduce the temperature of an electronic device by releasing the heat into the surrounding air (case fans would then push out this hot air while pulling in cool air). All modern CPUs need a heat sink and most heat sinks require a fan. A heat sink without a fan is called a passive heat sink; a heat sink with a fan is called an active heat sink. Heat sinks are generally made of an aluminium alloy. This picture shows various heat sinks used for devices like the CPU, graphics card, bridges on a motherboard and much more. Depending on how hot a device gets an extra fan may be required, the CPU, graphics card and motherboard all tend to use active heat sinks. Hard Disk Drive – The hard disk drive is non volatile memory storage that uses a mechanism to read and write data on a hard disk. Every modern computer contains one or more hard disks. The purpose of the hard disk drives is that they give computers the ability to remember things when the power goes out. A typical modern desktop machine will have a hard disk with a capacity of between 250GB and 1TB. Data is stored onto the disk in the form of files. The master (typically C:) is the primary drive, which the computer uses to boot up, the slave (D:) is usually used for extra storage and buck ups. Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) – Floppy drive, hard drive and the CD-ROM drive are all connect to the computer through an Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) interface. An IDE interface is a standard way for a storage device to connect to a computer. Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) – Is a computer bus interface for connecting host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives and optical drives. SATA speeds are far greater than IDE and the size difference means they are easier to manage and don’t restrict air flow, so most modern computers tend to use SATA over IDE. The size difference between IDE (left) and SATA (right). Describe the purpose, features and functions of two different operating systems. Windows 7 Features Feature Description Useful? #1 Snap Snap lets you drag one window to the left and one to the right, allowing you to see two windows side by side. Very much, I think this feature alone makes Windows 7 stand above the rest. #2 Taskbar A remake of the old taskbar that introduced some new features such as pinning, this allows you to pin a application to the taskbar (similar to Mac dock) Again this is a very useful feature, you can pin as many applications to the taskbar as you wish. #3 Thumbnail Previews Exactly what it sounds like, thumbnail previews allow you to preview a window that is minimised or behind another window, it is also the new way to group similar windows. This feature is helpful if you have multiple similar windows open however if you just have one or two windows open its not so great #4 Jump List Jump list lets you access your recently used files, depending on the application you can see your most played music (media player) or recently opened documents. Handy for some applications although not a key feature in my opinion. #5 Aero peek This feature allows you to make all open windows transparent this lets you view your desktop without minimising all your windows. This is another feature I love, I tend to save quite a lot of downloads to my desktop and being able to flick back and forth without minimising is great. #1 Snap #2 Taskbar #3 Thumbnail Previews #4 Jump List #5 Aero Peek Undertake routine maintenance tasks in relation to a PC. I will show you how to carry out several forms of maintenance, software, hardware and file management. Software maintenance To demonstrate software maintenance I’m going to update my antivirus. To start the process you first need to load up your antivirus (I’m using NOD32). Once the main antivirus window is open I need to navigate to the update option. Fortunately my antivirus does not need updating as my current virus signature database is up to date . This is what happens when it’s not up to date, after a speedy download it will take me to the previous page and let me know if it’s up to date. Hardware maintenance. To demonstrate hardware maintenance I’m going to find and use a printer that is connected to a separate computer on my network. How I installed the printer on the other machine. Installation was simple and fast, all I needed to do was connect the printer to the computer via USB and plug in the power lead. After turning on the printer I turned on the computer, then I installed the drivers and relevant software from the CD. After a quick reboot I printed a test page and it worked fine. Finding the network printer. To start the process I went to Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers > Add a printer. Decide what type of printer you are trying to find, because the printer i intend to use runs through another computer i need to select Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer. Hit Next and allow it to search, once the results are displayed select the printer you wish to use. You should get a quick window showing you its being connected. You should get a window telling you everything was successful. Followed by the option to print a test page. File management. To demonstrate file management I’m going to show a simple way to manage your files. Sometimes folders and files get in the wrong place and things start to get lost and missing files get accidently deleted. Make sure you delete useless and old files to free up hard disk space, do this by selecting the document and hitting delete or right clicking the file and selecting delete. After creating relevant folders and deleting unnecessary files the folder looks much more organised and manageable. Disk Cleanup Disk Cleanup is a maintenance utility bundled in with Microsoft Windows, its purpose is to free up disk space on the computer’s hard drive. Disk Cleanup first searches your hard drives for files that are no longer being used it then deletes these unnecessary files. As well as cleaning unused files Disk cleanup can also compress files that haven’t been used for a long period of time, this helps make space but if you wish to access files that have been compressed at a later data the loading times can be Disk Cleanup looks in various categories to target these files. * Downloaded Program files * Compression of old files * Temporary Internet files * Recycle Bin * Offline files * Removal of unused applications or optional Windows components * Setup Log files * Temporary Windows file These aren’t the only locations Disk Cleanup looks for files, some options only appear with certain computer configurations. There are also options to remove unused windows components to help free disk space. Quick example of how it works To start Disk Cleanup go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools When the program launches it will begin analyzing how much space it will be able to free. The next step is selecting what you wish to clean, be careful you don’t delete things you need, saved passwords for internet website ect. The View Files button allows you to see the files that will be cleaned. After selecting what to clean you then run the programs, the progress bar shows you how long till its done. Antivirus Every computer that connects to the internet needs an antivirus program, an antivirus program is used to detect, prevent and remove computer viruses, Trojans horses, worms and in some cases spyware, adware and other malicious software. There are various strategies for detecting threats the most common is signature-based detection, this involves using a library of already known threats and searching for these patterns in executable code. Unfortunately some threats are too new to be in this library; in cases like this the antivirus attempts to compare code in its library with new threats. Quick example of how it works This depends on where you install your antivirus but they can be launched by going to Start > Programs > [Antivirus manufactures name] > [Antivirus program]. For this example ill be using my colleges antivirus, Sophos. When you launch the antivirus it will have several options, the first thing you need to do is to update the program, and it’s no good searching for viruses if you’re using and out of date database. After updating you need to scan for potential threats. The scan progress window will give you a rough idea of when it will finish as well as what’s being scanned and what infections have been found. After the scan is completed you should get some form of summary, this will tell you the amount of items scanned, infected items and items that have been place in quarantine. By quarantining threats it ensures your computer stays completely safe, some items are misread and are actually not harmful so quarantining these allows the user to tell the antivirus that they are safe before they get deleted. Available utility software Utility software allows a user to analyze, configure, optimize and maintain their computer and should ned be confused with application software, this type of software allows us to create text documents, listen to music, browse the internet and much more. Utility Description Disk Defragmenters Locates files that are broken over different locations then moves the fragments to the same location to increase efficiency. Disk Cleaners This disk utility is designed to free up disk space and a computer’s hard drive. It does this by searching and analysing the hard drive for files that are no longer of any use, it then removes the unnecessary files. Backup This involves making copies of important data so that these additional copies can be used to restore the original if it were lost or damaged. CLI and GUI CLI allows you to interact with a computer by typing commands in the text only interface. GUI is another way you can interact with a computer, instead of using a text interface it has a graphical interface that consists of icons. Registry Cleaners This utility was designed to remove registry entries that are no longer in use and are unwanted. Antivirus That is used to prevent and remove malware, including Worms, Trojan horses and computer viruses.

User modeling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

User modeling - Essay Example User modeling is one of the main techniques regarding assessment of user requirements, needs and features that they want in the new system. In several systems we need to embed some features those are targeted to only that particular class of the users. This report is also targeting a particular class of users to module, design, and develops the system. The user model holds the intact data and information that the system recognizes regarding the user. It is normally initialized either by means of default values or through questioning the user. After that, it is retained through the system, while the user can be capable to weigh up as well as edit their profile. User procedures and actions at a variety of abstract levels, like that task achievement, mouse clicks as well as requirements for assistance, are described through the user interface or foundation user application to the client profile. An analysis of these attributes incorporates the user profile using further models of the system to get hold of innovative or new "facts" regarding the user. This analysis is able to renovate the user profile by means of the resulting particulars or start an accomplishment in the application (Tecnodiscap, 2004). User modeling corresponds to the latest built user interface design. Equally spotlight on user requirements, as well as normally employ a wide-ranging research for the project domain. In customary user idea design, though, the effect is a particular user interface specified at system design time, while user modeling intended for adaptive edges construct a set of rules and models for building the user interface on run time. At the time of the system development, system designers model the system user individuality to be captured with the discrepancy of the user interface (Martà ­nez-Normand, 2007). In this section I will develop a user model for a particular user. Here we will assume that person facing difficulties in using a computer. Here I will create a

Racial Differences in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Racial Differences in America - Essay Example This paper suggests some courses of action to achieve racial equality in the future of United States of America. My view on the course of action to take is as a result of the historical lessons as espoused by Franklin. History of Racial Inequality in America. Since the first settlers landed on the New World, issues of equality and justice among races have been and continue to be debated strongly, often violently. Right from the beginning when the white settlers encountered the Native Americans, to the latter European settlers and to the African slaves bonded to serve their white masters, inequality existed. Negroes languished lowest on the equality ladder, even those that had never been enslaved. This was due to both the laws of the land and customs of the enslavers. All these despite the fact that Negro labor is what brought development in most parts of America. It was their hard labor that made it possible to farm, mine, explore the interior of the continent and build infrastructur e. It was difficult to end slavery since the trade in humans brought profits to the shippers and merchants and most other traders. Meanwhile, the white colonialists also felt that paying taxes to the British Monarchy was enslaving them. By mid 18th century, they were clamoring for emancipation from British rule that forced them to remit taxes. They, white settlers, were also against British policy of condemning and outlawing slavery and the slave trade as a whole. Among them were those who felt it was hypocritical to want freedom from British bondage while they owned slaves. Slaves too began voicing their need for freedom from the settlers who wanted the same from their colonial masters. Thomas Jefferson, a co-author of the declaration of independence and a slave-owner himself, attempted to appeal to the British crown to abolish slavery and slave trade and declare universal equality. Sadly, he also was of the opinion that the black man was physiologically and intellectually inferior to the white man. The white patriots later expunged these sections from the draft declaration (Franklin 14). The abolition of slavery in the Northwest Territory in 1787 marked a significant step in securing the Negroes’ inalienable rights as human beings. Still, there were calls to deport slaves as soon as they were emancipated, for most settlers still found it hard to regard them as equals. They thought that the manumitted Negroes would cause chaos and it would be safer to return them to Africa than live with them. This proved an insurmountable task due to the sheer numbers of slaves. Free blacks lacked suffrage, and even though they were no longer bound by slavery, they lived as pariahs in society. They also had to pay higher taxes than whites, prohibited from testifying against whites in court, serving in the military or even owning real estate. Such injustices sowed the seeds of revolution and demands for equality and human rights. Inequality Today. In the eighteenth cen tury, the black slave was a property just like a table in the living room. Property could not be given away freely for that meant economic loss. The white settlers were against slave emancipation mainly due to economic reasons. Apart from losing property, freeing a slave meant the loss of cheap manual labor. The white settlers would have to pay for laborers to till their farms, build their bridges and carry loads. A free former slave also meant competition for

Financial Intermediaries and The Euro Markets Essay

Financial Intermediaries and The Euro Markets - Essay Example According to the research findings the financial environment therefore directly or indirectly influence the financial system of any country. Thus the need for financial intermediaries to act as the middlemen in this transactions is important. Therefore for investors to get profit and the lenders to be able to give away money to borrowers the need for financial markets are vital. Financial intermediaries can be defined as an institution that acts as the middlemen between the investors and the firms. These financial institutions include chartered banks, insurance companies, investment dealers, mutual funds, and pension funds. Liquidity has been the basis of these kind of transactions between the parties either the borrowers or the investors. It can be defined as the ease with which a given asset can be changed into cash or by getting access to credit. Thus the main concept of liquidity is to obtain cash. Liquidity is often determined by two factors that measure how easy it is to change it into cash or make it possible for borrowers to obtain the cash. The policy interest rates and the structure of the interest rates paid by the borrowers are often the indicators of liquidity. These rates often influence one either to be motivated to borrow or leave the money with the banks. Most of the world banks are involved in market liquidity which is the rate at which a borrower is able to quickly buy or sell the financial assets at a given time without changing the market price. (Francis 2008). In the new world there are financial institutions that stand in between parties in any kind of transaction that involve cash. Thus Financial Intermediaries are firms that buy or borrow from consumers or savers and later lend these services or would be cash to other companies or persons that might need resources for investment. Therefore there are different kinds of investments. The insurance policies, buying of stocks, bonds, government treasuries, and mutual funds. All these investm ents either involve the public investor or the government and the company. Investments that involve a company or the government selling to the public are easily convertible to cash since the purpose of the public is to get cash for their daily living. Moreover, the investments by the government are more liquid than those in the company (Levine 1993). Mutual funds can easily be changed to cash than all the others while the others. Insurance policies since they are the contract or an agreement between the insurer and the insured are difficult to change into cash since one can only pay the amount after a certain incident happens that is often unkown when it will occur. The the government treasuries and mutual funds are just agreements that do not involve cash and thus take time to be converted to cash and the remaining are easily converted in this order: Stocks, and bonds. Therefore in the order of their liquidity they would be: mutual funds as the most liquid asset, then the governmen t treasuries, bonds, stock, and then the insurance pilies as the least liquid asset. Conclusion Financial intermediaries therefore play a vital role in the national economy of any country. In most economies people with more money save them in banks that makes it possible for those with little money to borrow so that they would be able to use them either to run a business or other functions depending on their need. Thus a financial institution such as banks facilitate the flow of funds from savers to borrowers. The financial institutions profit from the spread between the amount they pay for funds and the

Final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Final exam - Essay Example President Obama won with a landslide because of the extreme challenges that the country was facing due to poor Republican Party leadership under former president Bush administration. Retrospective voting is a type of voting whereby people vote for officials when times are good and against them when times are bad. In this case, parties vying for the various seats compete by emphasizing on competence, the way they reflect on public goals and not by taking particular policy stands. Under retrospective voting, voters do not bother in forming preferences on complex issues, but rather vote depending on their evaluation of the past performance. This means that voters focus only on the most essential issues and it demands very little of the voters. Moreover, politicians have a strong incentive in solving problems that the public wants them solved. Retrospective voting also gives room for deliberation and experimentation of unpopular policies provided the results are pleasing to the citizens before the next elections. Its main disadvantage is the fact that it is not easy to get rid of bad political leaders unless extremely bad disasters happen. Prospective voting on the other hand refers to the type of voting that involves considering the future wellbeing of the citizens or country at large been in the voters mind. Both these two types of voting are very common in the USA. There are many complaints about the US bureaucracies though some of the most common complaints include the issue of duplication of duties as some bureaucracies are said to be too large. Some other people complain about them being too expensive to run with other arguing that they are extremely powerful. The issue of speed is also often raised whenever discussing bureaucracies whereby some people claim that they act very slowly since federal employees seem to have so much job security thus have little fear of losing their jobs because of

Whether or not trayvons martin case was justifed correctly Essay

Whether or not trayvons martin case was justifed correctly - Essay Example The case may involve issues on race (Jefferson, 9). Eighty seven percent of the African Americans say that there was no justice in the ruling; amongst whites, only 33 percent support the African Americans’ claims. A thin majority of about 51% of the whites endorse that the verdict was innocent in the trial whereas African Americans strongly disapprove the claims. Only a small percentage of the African Americans approve the claims by the whites. On the public views, there is also a follower tinge. Amongst thirty percent of the republicans, disapprove the verdict while seventy percent of them approve the verdict. Instead of focusing on the skin color people should focus on hearts (Anthology 15). In reference to the criminal justice system, a total number of 86 percent among the African Americans claim that blacks among many minorities get unequal treatment in the law; only 41percent by the whites make such claims whereas the other 54% claim that there is equality for the marginal groups. Less than 40% of jailed people are ethnic and racial minorities (Birzer 27). Eighty-one percent of the African Americans claim that the federal government should observe the civil rights defiance and charge Zimmerman in a federal court. Fifty percent of the whites oppose such charges, whereas 27percent of them agree to the charges showing the presence of White supremacy in action (Yancy and Jones 9). Sixty percent of the Hispanics claim that blacks among other marginal groups fail to receive fair treatments like the whites do and a ratio of two to one disapproves the ruling. Martin weighed ten pounds lighter, but six inches taller than the Hispanic who put Trayvon’s life to an end (Anthology 1). It was at night during the shooting and Martin was on his way home when he saw a vehicle behind him, which followed him for some time. Martin ran away to the backyards sidewalks from the street sidewalks (Jefferson 5).

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Literature Review - Essay Example This DSME program was made for people with low incomes and lack of diabetes knowledge so that they can be prevented from being diagnosed with diabetes (Kemper et al., 2005). This article discusses the increasing rate of diabetic patients hospitalized in New York State, and the effects on the number of people hospitalized with diabetes. The ages of these hospitalized diabetic patients are between 25 and 74 years old in New York City from 1993 to2000. The study measured and compared the rates of hospitalized diabetics from  specific ZIP codes and persistent organic pollutant (POP) areas; an analytical data method was used in this article. The results were that patients in ZIP sites had better incomes, engaged in more physical activity, not as much use of smoking, and had better diets. Also, the hospitalization rate of diabetics influenced the ZIP codes sites, which raised the hospitalization rates of people with diabetes who came from POP sites and "other" (Kouznetsova et al., 2007). The research in "Fatigue in employees with diabetes: Its relation with work characteristics and diabetes-related burden" is about how work characteristics from the Job Demand-Control-Support model (JDCS) relate to fatigue and diabetes. The population used in this study was employees aged between 30 and 60 years old who have diabetes (type 1 and 2 diabetes); this study was taken from a diabetes clinic in the Netherlands. The job stress or pressure for the employees was measured through analytical data observation. The result was that diabetes symptoms have a huge effect on an employee’s fatigue levels (Weijman et al., 2003). Also, the less support that employees received in the work environment meant the greater fatigue problems that employees had. On the other hand, the study that affects gender and health showed the effects of gender roles and influence on health. Whereas women live longer than men, women get sicker more often than men (Bird and Fremont, 1991). This article discusses three health inequality models: the racial genetic model, lifestyle model, and socioeconomic status model. The use of these three models is to show health inequality for African-Americans and compare that with the healthcare that white Americans receive. The author discussed in detail about the healthcare differences for both ethnic groups. Next, the author listed all the major health problems and provided statistics to show racial inequality; it has been mentioned in other research that inequality in healthcare derives from the inequality in health insurance (Quesnel-Vallee, 2004). Finally, the author presented and discussed the social structural model, or what he called the alternative model (Dressler, 1993). The author used observational and analytical research for the population of African-Americans in terms of gender and age in the United States. He measured socioeconomic and health statuses to see whether there was a difference in diet, exercise, and consumption of alcohol and cigarettes for each ethnic group. Also, in this research the author was specific regarding darker skin colors of Americans (Dressler, 1993). For this study’s results, he found that the health of African-Americans health was on average poorer than white Americans. For health inequality, the author found that African-Americans had a higher likelihood of a major cause of mortality than white people;

Restaurant Business in London Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Restaurant Business in London - Essay Example This paper illustrates that London is one of the few places on Earth where various kinds of restaurants are found. Since the population of London consists of various ethnicities, there are eclectic sources of food in the city. All kinds of cuisine are present that may range from Greek to Italian, African to Chinese and from German to Belgian. The restaurants present vary in the designs that they are created in too. While some may specialize in outdoor dining, others prefer indoors. The designs and the food both are designed in a way after studying the demands of the customers. In the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of restaurants in London. Many people relate the increase to postmodernism. According to Venkatesh, postmodernism is the term that is often used to capture the present effects of the world order. The transformation of the modernism that has occurred throughout the ages in all parts of the world has had many effects on the dressing, tastes, working habits and lifestyles of the people. Postmodernism has affected the restaurant industry in London too. Over the last few decades, there has been an increase in the demand for restaurants. Dining out is somewhat a ‘modern’ concept and therefore postmodernism has resulted in the success of the restaurant industry. There is a lesser trend of people eating at homes. According to Irving, one-third of the money spent on food and drink in the UK (and London) is spent on dining out. The total money that the restaurants make over a year is around 30 billion pounds. Consumer choices influence the success of the restaurant businesses because the demand for certain products is higher than others. In London, according to Christine & Co, the restaurants that specialize in fast food are more likely to prosper. This is because the busy life in London forces people to eat fast food.

Hydroxyl group Essay Example for Free

Hydroxyl group Essay Vanillin is the primary component of the extract of the vanilla beans that is used as a popular flavoring agent in food stuffs. Recently, it was found that some of food processing and food manufacturing companies are making food items using harmful ingredients in order to save their production cost. Since vanillin is used widely in food items as a flavoring agent, I wanted to know more about vanillin through this experiment. The Vanillin constitutes a colorless, prismatic needles which are readily soluble in the common organic solvents. It is also readily soluble in boiling water, but it is sparingly soluble in cold water (E. Gildemeister, 1913). Acetylvanillin will be formed via esterification of vanillin in a basic solution. Procedure1 In this experiment, vanillin will react with the acetylating agent acetic anhydride to form the acetate ester of the phenolic hydroxyl group. Dissolve the vanillin (3. 04 g, 0. 020 mole) in 1 M aqueous potassium hydroxide (22ml, 0. 022 mole) in a 125 ml Erlenmeyer flask. Add it to acetic anhydride (2. 1 ml, 2. 27 g, 0. 022 mole) in ether (45 ml). Stir the mixture until it loses its yellow color and the lower, aqueous layer becomes almost colorless. Pour the mixture into a separatory funnel and draw off the aqueous layer. Decant the ethereal solution into an Erlenmeyer flask and dry the solution with anhydrous magnesium sulfate. Remove the drying agent by gravity filtration into another Erlenmeyer flask. Using the steam bath, strip off the all the ether and allow the residue of acetylavanillin to cool to crystallize. As the final procedure, Recrystlaize the crude product from 40 ml of 50% ethanol in water.

Motivation Theory Essay Example for Free

Motivation Theory Essay 1. What motivates behavior? According to humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow, our actions are motivated in order to achieve certain needs. This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs. This hierarchy is most often displayed as a pyramid. The lowest levels of the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs, while the more complex needs are located at the top of the pyramid. Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the need for food, water, sleep, and warmth. Once these lower-level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs, which are for safety and security. As people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social. Soon, the need for love, friendship, and intimacy become important. Further up the pyramid, the need for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment take priority. 2. Clayton P. Alderfers ERG theory from 1969 condenses Maslows five human needs into three categories: Existence, Relatedness and Growth. Existence Needs Include all material and physiological desires (e.g., food, water, air, clothing, safety, physical love and affection). Maslows first two levels. Relatedness Needs Encompass social and external esteem; relationships with significant others like family, friends, co-workers and employers . This also means to be recognized and feel secure as part of a group or family. Maslows third and fourth levels. Growth Needs Internal esteem and self actualization; these impel a person to make creative or productive effects on himself and the environment (e.g., to progress toward ones ideal self). Maslows fourth and fifth levels. This includes desires to be creative and productive, and to complete meaningful tasks. Even though the priority of these needs differ from person to person, Albergers ERG theory prioritises in terms of the categories concreteness. Existence needs are the most concrete, and easiest to verify. Relatedness needs are less concrete than existence needs, which depend on a relationship between two or more people. Finally, growth needs are the least concrete in that their specific objectives depend on the uniqueness of each person. Contrarily to the idea by Maslow that access to the higher levels of his pyramid required satisfaction in the lower level needs, the ERG areas of Alderfer are simultaneous needs. ERG Theory recognizes that the importance of the three categories may vary for each individual. Managers must recognize that an employee has multiple needs, which must be satisfied simultaneously. According to the ERG theory, if you focus exclusively on one need at a time, this will not effectively motivate. 3. The expectancy theory says that individuals have different sets of goals and can be motivated if they have certain expectations. This theory is about choice, it explains the processes that an individual undergoes to make choices. In organizational behavior study, expectancy theory is a motivation theory first proposed by Victor Vroom of the Yale School of Management in 1964. Motivation, according to Vroom. boils down to the decision of how much effort to apply in a specific task situation. This choice is based on a two-stage sequence of expectations (effort — performance and performance — outcome). First, motivation is affected by an individuals expectation that a certain level of effort will produce the intended performance goal. For example, if you do not believe increasing the amount of time you spend studying will significantly raise your grade on an exam, you probably wilt not study any harder than usual. Motivation also is influenced by the employees perceived chances of getting various outcomes as a result of accomplishing his or her performance goal. Finally, individuals are motivated to the extent that they value the outcomes received. EXPECTANCY THEORY BELIEFS 1. Valence. Refers to the emotional orientations which people hold with respect to outcomes [rewards]. The depth of the want of an employee for extrinsic [money, promotion, free time, benefits] or intrinsic [satisfaction] rewards. Management must discover what employees appreciate. 2. Expectancy. Employees have different expectations and levels of confidence about what they are capable of doing. Management must discover what resources, training, or supervision the employees need. Facts [+] The 2011 Nielsen survey also showed that the top five dimensions students considered when it comes to seeking employment were high degree of independence at work, salary package, learning on the job, growth prospects and standing of the company in the market [Employer brand] respectively. 3. Instrumentality. The perception of employees whether they will actually receive what they desire, even if it has been promised by a manager. Management must ensure that promises of rewards are fulfilled and that employees are aware of that. Vroom suggests that an employees beliefs about Expectancy, Instrumentality, and Valence interact psychologically. In this way they create a motivational force, such that the employee will act in a way that brings pleasure and avoids pain. This force can be calculated via a formula: 4. Adam’s Equity Theory Equity theory, most popularly known as equity theory of motivation, was first developed by John Stacey Adams, a workplace and behavioral psychologist, in 1963. John Stacey Adams proposed that an employee’s motivation is affected by whether the employee believes that their employment benefits/rewards are at least equal to the amount of the effort that they put into their work. Definition of equity An individual will consider that he is treated fairly if he perceives the ratio of his inputs to his outcomes to be equivalent to those around him. Thus, all else being equal, it would be acceptable for a more senior colleague to receive higher compensation, since the value of his experience (and input) is higher. The way people base their experience with satisfaction for their job is to make comparisons with themselves to people they work with. If an employee notices that another person is getting more recognition and rewards for their contributions, even when both have done the same amount and quality of work, it would persuade the employee to be dissatisfied. This dissatisfaction would result in the employee feeling under-appreciated and perhaps worthless. This is in direct contrast with the idea of equity theory, the idea is to have the rewards (outcomes) be directly related with the quality and quantity of the employees contributions (inputs). If both employees were perhaps rewarded the same, it would help the workforce realize that the organization is fair, observant, and appreciative. This can be illustrated by the following equation: Adam’s categorised employment benefits and rewards as outputs and an employee’s work effort as inputs. Input Examples The number of hours worked by the employee An employee’s work responsibilities An employee’s work duties The work commitment demonstrated by the employee An employee’s loyalty An employee’s flexibility such as undertaking tasks at short notice The support that the employee has provided to the organisation, colleagues and line managers Output Examples Salary Bonus Prizes Recognition of the employee’s contribution Positive work appraisals Work promotions Pension Employer flexibility Annual leave Adam’s stated that if an employee believes that their work outputs are not equal or greater than their inputs then the employee will become de-motivated. Adams’ theory includes the assertion that when an employee is assessing whether the outputs they receive are fair the employee will often compare their colleague’s work inputs and outputs with their own. The comparison will often be made with an employee at a similar level in the organisation to the employee. Propositions Equity theory consists of four propositions: Individuals seek to maximize their outcomes (where outcomes are defined as rewards minus costs). Groups can maximize collective rewards by developing accepted systems for equitably apportioning rewards and costs among members. Systems of equity will evolve within groups, and members will attempt to induce other members to accept and adhere to these systems. The only way groups can induce members to equitably behave is by making it more profitable to behave equitably than inequitably. Thus, groups will generally reward members who treat others equitably and generally punish (increase the cost for) members who treat others inequitably. When individuals find themselves participating in inequitable relationships, they become distressed. The more inequitable the relationship, the more distress individuals feel. According to equity theory, both the person who gets â€Å"too much† and the person who gets â€Å"too little† feel distressed. The person who gets too much may feel guilt or shame. The person who gets too little may feel angry or humiliated. Individuals who perceive that they are in an inequitable relationship attempt to eliminate their distress by restoring equity. The greater the inequity, the more distress people feel and the more they try to restore equity. (Walster, Traupmann and Walster, 1978) 5. Acquired Needs Theory: McClelland McClelland proposes that those in top management positions should have a high need for power and a low need for affiliation. Psychologist David McClelland created Need Theory, a motivational model that attempts to explain how the needs for achievement, power, and affiliation affect the actions of people from a managerial context. McClellands Need Theory, created by psychologist David McClelland, is a motivational model that attempts to explain how the needs for achievement, power, and affiliation affect the actions of people from a managerial context. People who are achievement-motivated typically prefer to master a task or situation. This motivational need stems from a persons desire to influence, teach, or encourage others. is a motivational model that attempts to explain how the needs for achievement, power, and affiliation affect the actions of people from a managerial context. It is often taught in classes concerning management or organizational behavior (Figure 1). People who are achievement-motivated typically prefer to master a task or situation. They prefer working on tasks of moderate difficulty, in which the results are based on their effort rather than on luck, and to receive feedback on their work. Those who desire affiliation, however, prefer to spend time creating and maintaining social relationships, enjoy being a part of groups and have a desire to feel loved and accepted. People in this group may not make effective managers because they may worry too much about how others will feel about them. In his theory, people are not placed into categories but rather have degrees of these needs: No one is only in one group of these needs. The balance of needs brings out a profile. Needs do not explain competencies in any area. One can have high needs in one area and still be effective in an area where these needs are not necessarily fulfilled. This motivational need stems from a persons desire to influence, teach, or encourage others. People in this category enjoy work and place a high value on discipline. The downside to this motivational type is that group goals can become zero-sum in nature. For one person to win, another must lose. However, this can be positively applied to help accomplish group goals and to help others in the group feel competent about their work. McClelland proposes that those in top management positions should have a high need for power and a low need for affiliation. He also believes that although individuals with a need for achievement can make good managers, they are not suited to being in top management positions. 6. Herzbergs two-factor theory states that certain factors cause job satisfaction, and a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction. According to Herzberg, understanding what causes employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction is important for management. The factors that motivate people can change over their lifetime, but respect for me as a person is one of the top motivating factors at any stage of life. Satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not on a continuum with one increasing as the other diminishes, but are independent phenomena. To ensure a satisfied and productive workforce, managers must give attention to both sets of job factors. Frederick Herzbergs two-factor theory, also known as the motivation-hygiene theory or intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, concludes that while there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, a separate set of factors can cause dissatisfaction. The factors that motivate people can change over their lifetime, but respect for me as a person is one of the top motivating factors at any stage of life. Figure 1 According to Herzberg, intrinsic motivators such as challenging work, recognition, and responsibility produce employee satisfaction, while extrinsic hygiene factors, including status, job security, salary, and fringe benefits – if absent – produce dissatisfaction. Herzbergs theory appears to parallel Maslows needs hierarchy. Individuals look for the gratification of higher-level psychological needs having to do with achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and the nature of the work itself. However, Herzberg added a new dimension to thi s theory, including factors that cause dissatisfaction as well, such as company policies, supervision, technical problems, salary, interpersonal relations on the job, and working conditions. This two-factor model of motivation is based on the notion that the presence of one set of job characteristics or incentives leads to worker satisfaction, while another and separate set of job characteristics lead to dissatisfaction. Thus, satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not on a continuum with one increasing as the other diminishes, but are independent phenomena. If management wishes to increase satisfaction on the job, it should be concerned with the nature of the work itself – the opportunities it presents employees for gaining status, assuming responsibility, and achieving self-realization. If, on the other hand, management wishes to reduce dissatisfaction, then it must focus on the job environment – policies, procedures, supervision, and working conditions. To ensure a sa tisfied and productive workforce, managers must give attention to both sets of job factors. Examples of Business Goal-Setting Theory Business owners will often set individual goals to motivate employees and reach company objectives. Goals that are hard to reach are often more intriguing, as more work is required to fulfill them. Edwin A. Locke introduced the theoretical approach to setting goals and building motivation, which can be directly applied to a professional setting. In fact, this type of goal-setting theory is one of the more useful motivational theories used in industrial and organizational psychology and management. Clarity and Focus One part of business goal-setting theory is creating clear and focused goals that are obtainable. Having a goal of pulling in $100,000 in business profits within a single year may not be obtainable for a small business owner. A clear and focused goal may be to get $50,000 in profits based on $20,000 in product sales, $10,000 from investments and $20,000 from service sales. A single goal must have a plan to reach the goal, whether it is a monthly plan with mini-goals or a weekly plan for short-term goals. Commitment and Teamwork Employees of a given business may be more committed to a goal if they are a part of setting the goals and deadlines. In addition, a team may also work closer together if they have a mutual goal. Commitment and responsibility to a goal may also increase the motivational level within the business. In addition, each employee may have his own goal, but keep all workers informed of larger goals to ensure continuous commitment and teamwork in a business. Feedback and Progression Another theoretical perspective on setting successful goals in a business environment involves getting feedback from managers and other employees as the work towards the goal progresses. Part of the feedback includes getting clarity on tasks, adjusting the goals or methods, making budgetary changes and getting additional help from managers. This feedback may alter the progression of the goal, so the employee working to reach the goal must be informed of the changes. Complexity and Success A single goal may become overwhelming, especially if the goal is long-term or very complex. Fulfilling these types of goals requires a reasonable time period, including time to learn and practice skills to meet expectations. Meeting a revenue goal may not be reasonable within a single month or quarter, so extending the goal deadline for a reasonable time period may lead to more success. Having a short period of time to fulfill goals may inhibit employees from reaching expectations and may end up failing. Dr. Edwin Locke formulated and clarified what has come to be called goal-setting theory in the 1960s. Since then, businesses have found that employees are more likely to do their best work once they have set clear, attainable goals. Goal-setting theory affects many aspects of your business and once you understand specific applications in each area, you can improve your company in concrete ways. Sponsored Link Small Business Loanswww.captap.com Fund your business today $5k to $15k. Apply now! Clarity To be effective, goals must be clear according to goal-setting theory. Employees must know exactly what theyre supposed to achieve and when. Merely telling an employee to do better does not offer a clear course of action and doesnt indicate how the employee will know when he has achieved the goal. An example of a clear goal is telling an employee you expect a 10 percent increase in sales in three months. Another example might be asking an employee to produce 15 more units per day over a period of six weeks. Such goals make it clear what the employee is supposed to do and what the deadline is. They allow for objective measurement. Challenge A goal is most effective when it presents a challenge to the employee. According to the article, Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation written by Dr. Edwin Locke and Gary Latham, if a task is too easy or too hard employees will not put in their best efforts. However, a goal that is just difficult enough to be challenging inspires maximum performance. For example, asking a production manager to cut costs by 90 percent might be overwhelming. Cutting costs by 20 percent might make a reasonable challenge. Similarly, requiring order takers to double the amount of orders they take in an hour could discourage them. A goal of 15 percent more orders per hour might be more reasonable and challenging. Commitment Getting employees to buy in to the goals you set makes it more likely they will reach those goals. You can do this by asking employees to participate in setting goals. Their commitment will provide the energy and perseverance that will help them achieve those goals. For example, getting your accounting department to agree to having all of your assets labeled and tracked by the end of the year can give them a sense of purpose and direction that will help them work together and improve their ability to value assets for tax purposes. Feedback You dont just add goals and then check on their completion at deadline time. If you provide benchmarks along the way, this lets your employees know how they are doing. You can also hold periodic meetings so they can give you feedback about any issues that have arisen and adjustments that have to be made. This two-way feedback approach helps measure progress towards achieving goals and provides encouragement in the face of difficulties. For example, if you want the production department to have 20 percent fewer rejections from the quality-control department in six months, you can meet with them each month to give them their current figure and identify any areas where the problems seem to be occurring. In addition, if you would like a 30 percent improvement in customer service ratings, you can give your customer service department feedback on a weekly or monthly basis to let them know how theyre doing. Task Complexity Complex tasks can be overwhelming. Help your employees break such tasks into smaller parts so that they can achieve smaller goals on their way to the big one. For example, if you want to migrate all the data from one database to another, you can set smaller goals of moving a set number of accounts each week or month. Another example might be that if you want expansion plans for a new facility done in six months, you could set smaller goals of completing an analysis for the financing needed, construction costs and the new personnel that will be required as separate goals to achieve.

Determination of Alcohol Content Using Gas Chromatography

Determination of Alcohol Content Using Gas Chromatography 1.0  TITLE Determination of alcohol content in Tapai by using gas chromatography technique 2.0  INTRODUCTION Alcohol is an organic compound which contain hydroxyl functional group (-OH) that bonded to saturated carbon (C) atom. For centuries, alcohol has been used for many purposes for examples as fuels, to make drinks, as a solvent and as an industrial feedstock. Alcohol can give us many benefits if we use it in the right way but it also can give bad effects to us if we misuse it. Alcohol can be produced normally by using fermentation process. Fermentation process is a process which uses yeast as the catalyst to break down sugar or glucose into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Ethanol is the most common type of alcohol present from the process of fermentation. Yeast + glucose alcohol + carbon dioxide Tapai is one of the most general dessert or fermented food that can be found easily in East- and Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. Tapai can be made from different main ingredient such as glutinous rice, white rice and cassava. During preparation of Tapai, the ingredients are cleaned and washed before cooked. Cooked glutinous rice is then left to cool down at temperature 30oC. To produce a matured and good quality Tapai, it has to undergo fermentation for 3-4 days. Gas chromatography technique has been selected in this study to determine the amount of ethanol content in Tapai. A few aspects have been considered in choosing the right technique to be used. Since Tapai contains alcohol, the Halal issue has been rise in Muslim community whether it is allowed to be consumed or prohibited because of some of the similarities between Tapai and alcoholic beverages. 3.0  LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1  Fermentation Fermentation is a process of conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acid by using yeast or bacteria as the catalysts. The yeast works to break down the carbohydrates or sugar. Fermentation refers to the chemical conversion of sugars to ethanol. It is a process which is commonly used in order to produce alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine. Besides that, fermentation process is very useful for preservation of food. It produces lactic acids which can make the food can be used in a long period of time. For an example, it is found in such sour foods and pickled cucumber, yogurt and kimchi. Yeast + glucose alcohol + carbon dioxide In Malaysia, fermented glutinous rice also known as Tapai is one of the most popular dessert among the Malaysian consumers. Tapai is a sweet or sour alcoholic taste and can be used as a dessert or traditional recipes. Tapai can be made from various types of carbohydrate sources, but commonly from cassava, glutinous rice and white rice. Yeast and sugar are used in the procedure to make Tapai. Fermented foods generally produce pleasant aroma, texture and have a good keeping quality under ambient environment. Fermented foods are prepared from raw materials. Yeast fermentation generally is an alcoholic fermentation which involves the production of ethanol. Southeast Asia produces 150 million tones of paddy annually. Rice wine is one of the most popular sources to make alcoholic beverages in Asian country. In Malaysia and Indonesia, cassava tubers commonly used as fermented foods because of the high carbohydrates content in it. To make Tapai, the first step is soaked the rice in a gallon of water and left overnight. Then, the soaked rice is steamed for 45 minutes. Cool the steamed rice to body temperature. After that, the Tape Starter is sprinkled on the rice and mixed for a minute to distribute uniformly. The starter and rice have to be mixed well to prevent the spoilage. Half cup of sugar is mixed with water. The rice is packed in layers into a jar and every layer is sprinkle with some sugar water. This step is taken to help the fermentation process to start. The rice is left for fermentation process to take place for 2-4 days. When the rice already produces a bit of liquid at the bottom of the container or jar and distinctive smell is produced, the fermentation process is complete. There are 3 stages of fermentation which are Initial Stage (Lag Phase), Middle Stage (Log to Stationary Phases) and Latter Stage (Death Phase). Initial stage is important to make natto bacilli grow sufficiently. The temperature is set at body temperature 37-40oC. This temperature is an optimum temperature for the bacteria to grow. During the log phase, natto bacilli release a great deal of heat produced by the fermentation process. Sufficient oxygen must be supplied during this phase to make the process runs smoothly. After the stationary phase, the natto bacilli reach the death phase. It undergoes autolysis gradually. 11% of glutamic acid is deliberated 16 hours after the fermentation process started. Organic acids are synthesized in this phase. Theoretically, fermented food is not considered fully safe since they are prepared under uncontrolled conditions. Nevertheless, natural processes have been related with a few documented cases of food induced disease. Natural processed food has been known to cause serious food poisoning compared to prepared packed food because the production of prepared packed food is been done in a factory with a regular monitoring from the quality control unit. Figure 1:Process of making Tapai 3.2  Comparison between Tapai and alcoholic beverages The process of Tapai production is more likely to alcoholic beverages production where both of these productions have to go through the fermentation process. Both processes use yeast in order to produce alcohol. There might be some differences for alcohol content in wine and Tapai since the other processes except fermentation which are used for alcoholic beverages but not in Tapai production. For Tapai production, the process takes place naturally while for alcoholic beverages production requires temperature control where there are hot fermentation and cool fermentation. Cronk et al. Went and Geerligs were the first person reported to segregate and identify the essential microorganisms for the fermentation of Tapai in 1895. In order to produce a good Tapai, a mixture of Candida oryzae and Endomycopsis burtonii with 17% of reducing sugar and 2.7% of ethanol are needed. For wine and grapes, the healthy properties can be achieved due to the presence of antioxidants like polyphenols. From a chapter entitled â€Å"Tapai processing in Malaysia: A technology in Transition† by Zahara Marican and Yeoh Quee Lan in a book edited by KH Steinkraus entitle â€Å"Industrialization of indigenous fermented foods†, the authors write about the making of Tapai in Malaysia. There are some points that can be considered as useful information from the quote on page 252 â€Å"Tapai fermentation is not an anaerobic process and this partly accounts for the low alcohol content. Furthermore the fermentation is normally arrested before all of the sugars are fermented, as the desired end product should not be alcoholic if it is to be consumed by those opposed to alcohol consumption for religious or other reasons†. There is some information gained where Tapai fermentation is not an anaerobic. In the beginning, the enzymes are release to breakdown the sugars by the process of enzyme hydrolysis. This explained why Tapai tasted sweet. Besides that, Tapai production might be a little different compared to the wine or beer fermentation even though alcohol is produced and sugar is used. For Tapai fermentation, the theory of solid substrate fermentation is involved. Each of the white rice or glutinous rice is coated with a thin layer of sticky liquid to make it difficult for oxygen to diffuse or penetrate. The reaction of the sugar molecules and the liquid caused the Tapai sticky or viscous by the interaction of hydrogen bond between the water molecules and sugar molecules. Furthermore, the low alcohol content in Tapai is caused by the slightly open or not an air tight packing and high room temperature which resulting in the vaporization of alcohol and the alcohols are escaped to the environment. The alcohols as the fermentation product have a short chain and gave a lower evaporation point and boiling point. Alcoholic beverages contain high amount of ethanol compared to Tapai. Beer contains approximately 6% of ethanol, wine contains 7 to 24% v/v of ethanol, whisky contains 35% of ethanol and Tapai contains only about 5% of ethanol. Besides ethanol, alcoholic beverages contain another chemical composition such as water, glycerine, pestins, acids, polyphenols and some flavours. The least amount of ethanol contained in Tapai is caused by the volatilities of ethanol from the fermented rice due to non-air tight container. Figure 2:Production of alcoholic beverages 3.3  Analysis of ethanol in fragmented rice using many techniques Recently, many researches have been made in order to determine ethanol content in fragmented food such as wine and Tapai. Various types of techniques can be used for ethanol determination such as enzymatic method, biosensor, high liquid performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and flow injection analysis. 3.3.1  High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was used to quantify the presence of individual phenolic compounds using an HPLC system consisting of a Shimadzu Prominence LC – 20A, with an LC-20AT quaternary pump, a SIL 20 auto sampler– A, a DGU-20A5 on-line degasser, a CBM-20A integrator and a SPD-20AV DAD detector. HPLC technique has been designed to determine the amount of ethanol produced and amount of unwanted byproducts produced during the fermentation process. HPLC can produce the shortest analysis time and maintaining enough resolution between components for proper quantification and identification. By using this technique, all components can be analyzed less than 10 minutes. 3.3.2  Short wave-near infrared (SW-NIR) Short wave-near infrared (SW-NIR) is one of the type of NIR. SW-NIR is one of the techniques that can be used to detect alcohol content in beverages and food products. The region of SW-NIR is between 700 to 1100 nm (Fu et al., 2012). The SW-NIR is suitable for non-destructive or non-invasive analysis of biological and biomedical materials (Ozaki et al., 1992; Ã…  aÃ… ¡iĆ¡ Ozaki, 2001; Sato et al., 2000). The SW-NIR can penetrate more intensely into a sample with less heating effect compared than long-wave NIR and the obstruction arising from the intense water bands can be diminished (Reeves III, 1994). Tungsten lamps, LEDs or the sunlight can be utilized as the SW-NIR light source and the light can be transmitted through glass optical fibers (Fu et al., 2012). In order to determine the content of alcohol in aqueous samples, temperature factor needs to be emphasized (Wà ¼lfert et al., 1998; Barboza Poppi, 2003). It is because temperature can cause a change in the vibratio n spectra (Fu et al., 2012). Figure 2 below shows the schematic diagram of the multichannel SW-NIR spectrometer module. Figure 2:Schematic diagram of the multichannel SW-NIR spectrometer module 3.3.3  Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) In determination of alcohol, FTIR had been used for the quality control of alcoholic drinks such as spirit drinks and beer. FTIR with combination of multivariate data analysis can determine the essential compound quantitatively (Lachenmeier, 2007). Apart from that, Vonach et al. (1998) also stated that the combination of HPLC-FTIR can be used to determine the components of wine such as acetic, fructose, succinic, glycerol, ethanol, glucose, citric, lactic, malic and tartaric acid directly when used a real wine as a sample. By using FTIR, to obtain the information about the product, for example the chemical composition, possibly we can make it within in a short time. Liquid Fourier transform-middle infrared spectrometry can be used to analyze wine in a 90 s (Patz et al., 2004). Nowadays FTIR can give us advantages in order to determine and analyze the beverages because it can help us to reduce the time cost, and at the same time, it is also contribute for a good precision and accuracy when dealing with the parameters (Moreira et al., 2004). Furthermore, according to Lachenmeier (2007), a simple sample preparation is needed when dealing with FTIR spectroscopy compared to the other analytical methods. 3.3.4  Other spectroscopy Raman spectroscopy is not a preferable technique in determining ethanol content in Tapai due to the expensive instrument required. As HPLC method is low sensitivity but accurate weighing process and the sample distillation are required, HPLC is not a good technique in this study. NIR spectroscopy is time consuming in establishing calibration curves and has low accuracy. It can be disturbed by other alcohol in the sample (Wang et al., 2003). 3.4  Determination of ethanol in Tapai by using Gas Chromatography Gas-liquid chromatography is one of the most sophisticated analytical techniques in spectroscopy. Gas chromatography becomes more preferable because of its utilization of electronic digital data-processing equipment for accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis. Traditional ethanol analysis methods are distillation and mass determination. These methods include small accuracies because it can be interfere by other component in the sample. In order to evaluate the accuracy and precision of the gas-liquid chromatography, the ethanol standards and typical Tapai samples are necessary to be analyzed (B.Stackler and E.N.Christensen., 1974) To analyze ethanol contents in alcoholic beverages, Bouthilet et al. had made a packed GC method. Yet, the method needs at least 100mL of sample and distillation as the pretreatment process. These official gas liquid chromatography methods can be adjusted with different sample preparation procedures when dealing with different samples. These samples require distillation or dilution as the pretreatment process. By using packed column, lower resolution and interference by other alcohols in alcoholic beverages still exist. When capillary gas chromatography is used for determining the ethanol contents in alcoholic samples, time-consuming pretreatment procedures are still required. The capillary GC method is one of the most important techniques because of its advantage of high resolution and sensitivity (Wang et al., 2003). Wang et al. (2004) has studied the gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) to detect the ethanol content in alcoholic beverages. A selected column used is mega-pore capillary column (CP-Wax 58 CB). Acetonitrile was chosen as the internal standard for ethanol and, 2-pentanol is used for methanol. This selection is due to the water solubility of acetonitrile is more rather than 2-pentanol. Direct injection GC coupling with dual internal standards was used to determine ethanol and methanol content can be obtained less than 12 min. Due to the success in the previous study, Brill and Wagner (2012) have performed the new method using GC-MS in order to detect the alcohol content that has been adapted by Wang et al.’s (2004) experiment that used capillary gas chromatography together with FDI detector. This further study is quite costly, but it is worth since the accuracy is high. The column in this study was replaced by polar capillary column instead of mega-pore column in the previous study. 0.2  µL splitless injections were chosen to directly inject the samples to the GC-MS. Helium set at pressure set at 7.35 psi and 1mL/min of flow rate acted as the carrier gas in GC-MS. The polar VF-WAXms selected was the reliable because the samples could be run in 15 minute intervals. Capillary gas chromatography is a simple and rapid method that developed to determine ethanol content in alcoholic beverages using megapore polar column (CPWax58 CB, 30 m  ¥ 0.53 mm) with direct injection gas chromatography. Contrary to packed GLC method, distillation or stepwise dilution of samples were not necessary by the method developed in this study. In conclusion, gas chromatography method is the most suitable and quick method for determination of ethanol contents in alcoholic beverages with complex alcohol contents and small sample amount. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a non-harmful environmentally pre-concentration technique which is clean, selective, rapid, efficient, simple and solvent-free. The derivation of polyphenols allowed non-volatile compounds to be converted into volatile derivatives, thus improving the separation, selectivity or sensitivity of SPME–GC determination. This step can be performed in the sample solution prior to sampling, on the SPME fibre coating or during desorption in the GC injection port. For on-fibre derivation, the chemical agent has to be loaded on the fibre prior to or after analyte extraction. Commonly, the analytes are first extracted and then the fiber is exposed to the vapour of the derivatizing agent. The coupling of GC and SPME has been used to determine resveratrol isomers and the total free resveratro was also determined by direct-exposure-probe positive-ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry. However, no references have been found to the use of the hyphenated technique SPME–GC–MS for the determination of polyphenol mixtures (Pilar Vinas et al., 2009). 4.0  PROBLEM STATEMENTS The purpose of this study is to determine the most suitable and appropriate method for alcohol determination in the sample used which is fermented rice or commonly called as Tapai. Tapai is a traditional dessert or fermented food frequently found in East and Southeast Asia. Nowadays, Tapai has been established and being promoted to many countries. Determination of ethanol perhaps is the most important analysis in the fermentation industry for the quality control. It is necessary for the industry to use the most accurate and easiest method in order to check the alcohol composition in the products manufactured before sending them to the markets. Besides that, this study is fundamental in order to determine the Halal limits for alcohol content in the sample. The consumption of Tapai had raised the Halal issue to Muslim community since it has similar alcohol content with beer which is 5%. So, the study should offer the method that can give the short period for the detection and the easiest way to handle the experiment or the test include the easy sample preparation with the accurate results. 5.0  OBJECTIVES These are few objectives that have been identified in order to deal up with the problem statement and carried out the research on determination of alcohol content in Tapai by using gas chromatography spectroscopy. To develop gas chromatography method with the best accuracy compared to other methods for alcohol detection in the sample. To determine the lower limit of detection (LOD) of alcohol. To identify the amount of ethanol content in the sample.