Menu project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Menu project - Assignment Example chopped fresh seeded red chili 1 bunch of fresh basil with its leaves picked and stalks chopped 2 cloves 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper ? cup red wine vinegar ? cup of soft brown sugar Sea salt Directions Place the vegetables, ginger, chili, basil stalks, olive oil, coriander seeds, cloves and garlic in a saucepan. Stir the mixture often while cooking in moderate heat for 10 to 15 minutes until it softens, seasoning these mixtures with a pinch of salt and the pepper. Add the tomatoes and 1? cups of cold water and bring this to boil, gently simmering it until it reduces almost half fold. Add basil leaves and using a hand blender, whiz the mixture before pushing twice through a sieve. Put this sauce in a pan and add the vinegar and sugar. Heat the pan allowing the mixture to simmer until it thickens. The seasoning can then be corrected to taste. The now ready ketchup (see Appendix I) will then be introduced to jars and allowed to cool before t ightening the lid. Store the ketchup refrigerated for up to six months. Ingredients Comparison This homemade ketchup contains no artificial ingredients or preservatives. All the ingredients are natural. Even Heinz tomato ketchup is made of natural ingredients but uses them in their processed form (Heinz, 2013). Additionally, in both tomato ketchups, vinegar has been used as the tenderizer. Even so, it would be important to note that its tomatoes come as concentrate and not in the natural form as harvested from the farms. The production of tomato concentrate involves artificial processes and preservation that could therefore nullify the claim against incorporation of artificial ingredients. Most of the other ingredients including onion powder and garlic powder would also have undergone processing hence affirming the reservation on naturalness of Heinz tomato ketchup ingredients. The homemade tomato ketchup largely depends on the tomato for flavoring though pepper and coriander also p lay an important role in flavoring. On the other hand, Heinz tomato ketchup includes various undisclosed natural flavorings in addition to the undisclosed spices. Comparison of Eating Quality Both the homemade and Heinz tomato ketchups have almost the same viscosity. Even so, the homemade ketchup has a rougher texture and tastes salty due to the salt used as preservative (Williams, 2011) than the Heinz ketchup whose smoothness is even and tastes more artificial. The Heinz variant appears deep red more than the homemade tomato ketchup which tends to appear more of orange (see Appendix I and Appendix II respectively). This appearance could vary greatly depending on the kind of tomatoes used, with very ripe tomatoes giving deeper color than the slightly ripe ones. Whereas the color of Heinz tomato ketchup remains stable over its shelf life, the homemade tomato ketchup seems to fade in color over time. The shelf life of homemade tomato ketchup kept in normal clean containers would be 3 months and 6 months if kept in sterilized containers, both refrigerated (Hornby, 2009). The Heinz tomato ketchup on the other hand has a shelf life of up to 15 months. Conclusion Homemade tomato ketchup gives the assurance of the naturalness of the ingredients noted to have medicinal value such as celery noted to be an

Strategic analysis of Porsche AG Research Paper

Strategic analysis of Porsche AG - Research Paper Example analysis of the firm is provided aiming to indicate the policies that should be adopted by the firm in order to increase its competitiveness within its industry. Porsche is one of the key competitors in the automotive industry worldwide; the competition in the specific industry is extremely strong; however, the recession seems to have influenced the performance of the sector’s firms; in accordance with a relevant report certain firms, like Honda and Mazda, have standardized their profits, while others, like Chrysler and Toyota face severe financing or operational problems (BNET News, 2010). The firms that operate in this industry are likely to face five different ‘forces’- as indicating in the Porter’s five forces model in Figure 1- Appendix; these forces are: a) the customers – their preferences on expensive and advanced-technology cars are likely to continuously increased, b) the suppliers – certain materials required for the production of the firm’s products are unique, a fact increasing the power of the firm’s suppliers to bargain for increased prices, c) substitute products – cars with similar characteristics with those of the specific firm continuously appear in the market; the difference in their quality is the only element for ensuring the superiority of the firm towards its rivals, d) threat of new entrants; periodically, new firms enter the automotive industry, a fact that could threaten the firm under the terms that these firms’ products could reach the level of quality of the firm’s automobiles and e) the competition, which is likely to be continuously increased as each firm fights to standardize its performance securing its position in the automotive industry. At the next level, the survival of firms in the specific industry is depended on the following factors: a) the demands and the preferences of customers (in terms of quality of products but also of the time required for processing the customers’ orders/ availability of

Reading report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Reading report - Essay Example It is important to understand that human beings are responsible for building and assembling of computers. For this reason, it is important to distinguish between a strong artificial intelligence and a weak intelligence. One of such critics is John Searle who describes strong artificial intelligence with regard to the computer is that it is able to formulate and test hypothesis in a more rigorous and precise fashion with very minimal errors. However, Searle points out that the basis of the strength and precision of computer is not the brain but the programs, which have been installed in the computer. This means that computers have cognitive states, which are much stronger and accurate compared to that of a human being. A Turing test is the ability of the computer or a machine to give and express intelligent behavior, which is almost equivalent and is indistinguishable from human beings. Allan Turing who aimed at determining if computers can think developed this concept in 1950 (John R . Searle 54). In his test, he was not refereeing to the ability of the machines offering the right answers to the question but how the answers are closely linked to human response. The test therefore did not consider audio receptions but relied on text only channels. The test relies on artificial intelligence since it involves machines in testing if the computer is able to give accurate and precise answers. As expected Allan Turing test did not go without criticism. From a philosophical point of view Descartes agrees with the Turing test on the basis of automation but he was quick to denounce the test on the basis that it human beings can think and give answers and that machines can give the right answers and cannot think. It therefore means that even though machines can interpret information and give the right answers that do not qualify them to be superior to human on the basis of thinking. In addition to this, Searle disagrees with the Turing test on the subject that even though computers can respond to different languages and give the correct answers, they only provided the right answers but without understanding and this is what distinguishes artificial intelligence with human intelligence. A human being can only respond to a language if he/she has an understanding of the language. However, machines can do this better with the help of coded programs does not mean that the computer understands the language. To support his concept, Searle performed a Chinese room test where an English native speaker man is placed in room and shown Chinese symbols. The man fails to understand the Chinese symbol and language through writings since he is not a Chinese speaker. In the second test, the same man is given the same symbols but this time with interpreted English codes, which gives the meaning of the words and the man, begins to relate the English words with the Chinese symbols. Searle calls this the question and answer technique. If a Chinese native speaker is taken through the same test, similar results will be produced and it will be difficult to distinguish between answers from the English and Chinese speakers. We therefore conclude that the English native speaker has been able to answer Chinese questions even though he does not understand them. This does not make the human being intelligent since he has been able to answer questions that he does not understand. It is the coding of the English and C

Strategic analysis of Porsche AG Research Paper

Strategic analysis of Porsche AG - Research Paper Example analysis of the firm is provided aiming to indicate the policies that should be adopted by the firm in order to increase its competitiveness within its industry. Porsche is one of the key competitors in the automotive industry worldwide; the competition in the specific industry is extremely strong; however, the recession seems to have influenced the performance of the sector’s firms; in accordance with a relevant report certain firms, like Honda and Mazda, have standardized their profits, while others, like Chrysler and Toyota face severe financing or operational problems (BNET News, 2010). The firms that operate in this industry are likely to face five different ‘forces’- as indicating in the Porter’s five forces model in Figure 1- Appendix; these forces are: a) the customers – their preferences on expensive and advanced-technology cars are likely to continuously increased, b) the suppliers – certain materials required for the production of the firm’s products are unique, a fact increasing the power of the firm’s suppliers to bargain for increased prices, c) substitute products – cars with similar characteristics with those of the specific firm continuously appear in the market; the difference in their quality is the only element for ensuring the superiority of the firm towards its rivals, d) threat of new entrants; periodically, new firms enter the automotive industry, a fact that could threaten the firm under the terms that these firms’ products could reach the level of quality of the firm’s automobiles and e) the competition, which is likely to be continuously increased as each firm fights to standardize its performance securing its position in the automotive industry. At the next level, the survival of firms in the specific industry is depended on the following factors: a) the demands and the preferences of customers (in terms of quality of products but also of the time required for processing the customers’ orders/ availability of

Sony Walkman Essay Example for Free

Sony Walkman Essay Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It ranked 73 on the 2011 list of Fortune Global 500. Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics products for the consumer and professional markets. Walkman is a Sony brand trade name originally used for portable audio cassette players, and now used to market Sony’s portable audio players as well as a line of former Sony Ericsson mobile phone. The original walkman introduces a changed in music listening habits by allowing people to carry music with them and listen to music through lightweight headphone. The device was built in 1978 by audio-division engineer Nobutoshi Kihara for Sony chairman Akio Morita, who wanted to be able to listen to operas during his frequent tans pacific plane trips. The original walkman was marketed in 1979 as the walkman in Japan. Then other countries including the US were attracted by walkman. In the United States, the retail list prices of the walkman models I and ii are about $100 and $180. Sony sold in a variety of retail outlets, because they realize that competitors will come soon so they try to get market as much as possible. And competitive products with a range of feature are sold in essentially the same retail outlets at list prices ranging from $75 to $250. There are many competitors entry the market because the market has low barriers to entry with low cost. But Sony has advantages of the business. Sony has its famous brand name and he is the early bird of the market, what they need do is to emphasis the market.

Incidence and Prevalence of Tuberculosis in the UK

Incidence and Prevalence of Tuberculosis in the UK ESSAY TITLE: Using two theoretical perspectives discuss with reference to the prevalence of ONE disease, E.g. Diabetes, Respiratory diseases; how Disease patterns in society vary and the role of public health agencies in reducing disease and promoting health? Chapter 1 Introduction Society is constantly changing, and these changes come with different social and environmental problems, which result to the emergence of new diseases and an increase in the incidence of existing ones, which affect human health and society as a whole. These include diseases such as cancer, respiratory diseases, diabetes, hepatitis, asthma and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) just to mention a few. In this essay, I will be analysing the incidence and prevalence of Tuberculosis and the pattern of this disease in relation to changes in society. I will also be comparing two theoretical perspectives regarding the nature and causes of Tuberculosis. To conclude, I will be analysing the role and impact of public health agencies in reducing the disease and actively promoting health. Chapter 2 1.1. Incidence and prevalence of Tuberculosis in UK. Definition; Tuberculosis popularly known as TB, is said to be an infectious disease usually caused by a bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB often affects the lungs but can also spread to any part of the body through the bloodstream. Classic symptoms of TB include; persistent cough, fever, weight loss, loss of appetite and tiredness. TB is contagious and is mostly transmitted from person to person. An infected person can infect about 10 to 15 people over a year if not treated. (NHS choices, 2014). Incidence and prevalence rates; Some decades ago the UK was said to have and increase number of reported TB cases. From 2005 the number of reported cases remained high but stable. In 2009, there was said to be about 9000 cases of TB reported. An incidence rate of 15 case per 100.000 population. This can be said to be the highest since 2005. Then in 2010, the number of cases was 8483, an incidence rate of 13.6/ 100.000 population. This show a decrease in the number of reported cases by about 4.9%. In 2011, there were 8963 cases reported, an incidence of 14.4/100.000 population which again was an increase compared to 2010. Then in 2012, there was 8751 cases, an incidence rate of 13.9 cases per 100.000 population. About 8000 cases of TB was recorded in 2013 in the UK that is a rate of 12.3 cases per 100.000 population. This shows a 10.4% reduction rates in the number of cases reported. (Public Health England, Tuberculosis in UK: Annual reports). The population of UK mostly infected with TB are those born outside the UK. That is those from countries with highest prevalence rate of the disease. For example, India sub-Saharan African, Pakistan, south Asia, Somalia. This group of people usually dwell in urban areas that seem to have the highest number of cases reported. For example London, Luton, Manchester, Coventry Leicester and Birmingham. Chapter 3 1.2. The pattern of Tuberculosis in relation to changes in society Throughout the last 20 years, the UK has been experiencing a steady rise in the number of TB cases. The most affected areas are the urban areas highly populated with immigrants. The rising number of cases in these areas has been related to the pattern of change in how the TB is spread and controlled. For instance, it does not spread through all the segments of the population as it has done previously, but rather affects the population of people in the high risk group. â€Å"†¦those most at risk remain individuals from ethnic minority groups, those with social risk factors such as a history of homelessness, imprisonment or problem with use of drugs or alcohol, and the elderly†. (Public Health England 2013). The small percentage fall in the rates of TB cases in 2012 and 2013 is said to be associated with the fall in the number of cases in the non-UK born population. This may be due to changes in immigration policies and policies to control the disease in the UK and abroad. For instance, around 2007, pre- entry TB test was a requirement for Ghanaians applying for more than six month visa to the UK. â€Å"While this decline is welcome, it is important to recognise that the vast majority of TB cases in the non-UK born population (85%) occur among settled migrants rather than new entrants. Tackling the reactivation of latent TB in such migrants will require systematic implementation of screening and treatment of latent TB infection†. (Public Health England 2014). Chapter 4 2.1. Theoretical perspectives of Tuberculosis. There are so many theoretical perspectives with their individual view about the nature and causes of diseases. There are sociological theories viewing health and diseases in the context of society, and there are psychological theories viewing health and diseases and the context of the mind and so many others. Theories are sometimes useful to public health agencies and the government for the planning of health policies and interventions. In this essay, I will be discussing two theoretical views of tuberculosis, namely the Germ Theory and Biomedical Theory. The Germ theory Around 1850 and 1920, the Germ theory was established, attested and promoted in North America and Europe. This theory stated that every disease is caused by specific invisible tiny organisms (germs). It was a theory that was well matched to the prevailing concepts of health and diseases particularly those connected with the 19th century hygiene and sanitation. Joseph Lister, Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur are some of the well-known persons in connection with the germ theory. This theorist believed that disease can be reduced by means of personal hygiene. They did not pay much attention to other factors such as climate, diet, environmental ventilation etc. Base on this, hygiene and sanitation promoters such as Florence Nightingale and Rudolf Virchow did not accept the theory. To them the germ theory could not be related to the progresses in public health. The theory was established in a social, cultural and economic settings that were highly focused on the principles of mass production, mass consumption, standardisation and efficiency which were harmonious with the discipline of the theory. The high achievement of the theory coupled with the fact that medicine was linked to laboratory resulted in a rise in the social prestige of physicians and medical research and practice. This happened at the time when the general public was uncertain about the significance of traditional medical practice. To rise a new public consciousness of the theory, the general public was made to understand that diseases are not only cause by germs, but also they are passed on from person to person. Germs were related to home hygiene, including cooking, plumbing, and heating. Therefore women were the main targets used to spread the information about germs. (Harvard University Library Open Collections Program, 2015). â€Å"In the case of tuberculosis, which formerly had been considered noncontagious, basic changes in everyday hygiene were required. Mass production, mass communication, and national advertising had developed alongside the germ theory during the same period, and the tools of public relations were put into play to inform the public about TB’s contagiousness, as well as to inform people about the germ theory in general†. (Harvard University Library Open Collections Program, 2015). The biomedical perspective The biomedical perspective on the other hand believe that a sick person is presumed to be an inert receiver of orders from medical professionals (doctors). This theory sees diseases as biomedical problems that are caused by bacteria or viruses, and treatment is targeted on the sick person’s body. A sick person is seen as a broken person who need to be fixed. This does not consider other factors that may be causing the health problems. For instance social, environmental and psychological factors. When a patients does not respond to treatment, it is assumed to be caused by the individual characteristics such as age and gender. Policies and practice of health care services can be said to be based on this theory. Doctors are the authority who give instructions and patients are the receivers of the instruction. Medication Event Monitoring Systems (WHO 2011), used to monitor adherence is embedded in this perspective. In spite of its inherent use by many health professionals, this perspective is uncommonly used openly in interventions. (BMC Public Health, 2007) Chapter 5 3.1. The role of public health agencies in reducing Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is a worldwide health problem which has put government and public health agencies on their toes. Every nation is working hard to control if not eradicate the disease. In the UK, the Local Government Association, Public Health England, the NHS and other public agencies are working together to come out with policies, procedures, practices and measures that will help control the spread of the disease. Some of these include: Pre-entry screening The government has introduced a pre-entry screening programme for TB in countries noted to have high incidence of the disease. Residents of those countries who are applying for more than six month visa to the UK has to undergo TB screening. This screening involve chest x-ray and checking for symptoms. Those found with active TB will have to undergo treatment before they are issue visas. (Local.gov.uk, 2014). Use of Anti-TB drugs A mixture of anti-TB drugs are given to patients to lessen the possibility of the TB bacteria becoming resistant to one or more of them. Patients are usually started on a six months course of anti-TB drugs which is made up of four different drugs. The six month course of anti-TB is said to be the most effective period that will guarantee that the inactive bacteria are killed and cannot reactivate to cause TB in future. (Local.gov.uk, 2014). BCG Vaccination BCG vaccination are being offered to babies, infants and young children who come from countries with high rates of TB. Those born in the UK to parents from the high risk zone are also given the vaccine to protect them from the diseases. Early discovery, diagnosing and treatment is said to be another way of controlling the diseases. Healthcare workers are also advice to take the vaccine because they stand the chance of getting infected at work. Chapter 6 3.2. The impact of public health agencies in reducing Tuberculosis Tuberculosis has been seen to have a huge health and social effect on those infected. The existing inequalities in deprived areas is seen to be rising because of this disease. The Chief Medical Officer has recognised the inequalities, and increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance, as primary concern for England. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 has made it the responsibility of local government, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England to reduce the inequalities. It is believe that the NHS, CCGs and Public Health will be making savings if TB is eradicated. Because it cost a lot to diagnose and treat drug-sensitive and resistant forms of TB. Some of the task set up to achieve this are; 1. Improve access to services and ensure early diagnosis 2. Provide universal access to high quality diagnostics 4. Ensure comprehensive contact tracing 5. Improve BCG vaccination uptake 6. Reduce drug-resistant TB 7. Tackle TB in under-served populations 8. Systematically implement new entrant latent TB screening 9. Strengthen surveillance and monitoring (gov.uk website, 2015) Chapter 7 3.3. The role and impact of public health agencies in actively promoting health It is the responsibility of every individual in a society to keep themselves healthy. The public health agencies of every society also have the responsibility of helping the members of that society to stay healthy. Some of the responsibilities of health agencies such as the NHS in promoting health as recommended in a report from the NHS Future Forum (gov.uk) are; Healthcare professionals making every contact count; to do so they will need to ensure that every contact they make with a patient should help to improve their mental and physical health and wellbeing. Improving the health and wellbeing of the NHS workforce by designing and implementing strategies to improve the mental and physical health and wellbeing of staff. Refocusing the NHS towards prevention and promotion; all providers of NHSà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ funded care should strive to prevent poor health and promote healthy living by in cooperating it into their daily business, and they should be recognised for achieving excellence. Building partnerships outside the NHS; NHS commissioners and providers of NHSà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ funded care should work together with other local services to promote health and wellbeing in areas where the NHS finds difficult to reach. Sharing learning and best practice; Healthcare professionals, NHS commissioners and providers of NHSà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ funded care should share learning about improving the public’s health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities, and seek to learn from others. Public Health England should ensure that evidence and best practice are spread across the NHS. 1

SERVICE SYSTEMS :: Business and Management Studies

SERVICE SYSTEMS There are many establishments where food is served outside the home, these include: Ø Commercial o Restaurants o Cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Ø Non-commercial (Institutional/On-site) o Business o Government o Education Ø Military In each type of establishment food will be served in a different way, service systems are defined by what dishes and utensils are used, but mainly by the manner of presenting the meal to the customer, clearly the type of service is defined by the desired target customer. These are the major food service systems: Table service Ø Plate service Ø Gueridon service Ø Silver service Ø Family service Other Service Types Ø Buffet Service Ø Take away service Ø Counter service Ø A la carte Ø Table d’hote Specialist food service systems Ø Hospital Service Ø In-Flight Meal Service Type of service depends on the menu, dà ©cor, uniforms, table settings, ambiance and cuisine. Table Service Table service is a method of food service in which the waiter brings customers’ food to the table and places it in front of them. There are a number of different styles of table service: Plate service / American service All food is cooked, portioned and plated in kitchen. It is then served by a waiter to the customer, generally this is done from the right with the right hand. This type of table service reduces staff requirements compared to other types e.g. Gueridon service. Advantages Ø Casual dining Ø Portion control Ø Less service skill needed Disadvantages Ø Less personal Ø Guests can not choose portion Guà ©ridon (French Service-service à   la franà §aise) This is an elaborate type of service in which the guest’s food is prepared in the kitchen and is subsequently arranged on silver salvers, which are placed on and served from a small cart called a Guà ©ridon. The food is heated or flamed at the table side using a small heater placed on the cart; three courses can be served from the tableside Advantages Ø Elegant, Ø Showcases food, Ø Great amount of checking of food can be done Disadvantages Ø Need highly trained staff, Ø High labour costs Ø Capital investment in cart Ø Large amount of space is required for the cart to go around the table Ø Fewer tables in dining room. Silver Service (Russian service, or service à   la russe) The food is prepared and portioned in the kitchen and placed onto silver platters, a dinner plate is placed in front of the customer, in general the right side is for plates and left side is for food – Counter clockwise. Served to the customer using a fork and spoon from the silver platter. This service system is used in banquets. Advantages Ø Elegant Ø Faster than French Service Ø Fully cooked, hot food served at the table quickly