Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Nursing - Assignment Example While some people may question the effectiveness of using group decision making in management, others have used it with the results being quite impressive. When members of a team are allowed to get involved in the decision making process, they can share various ideas, some of which are usually excellent for management. However, there are some situations in which decisions made in a group might not be as effective as they ought to be. This happens when the group members making the decisions are biased or are polarized. They tend to be subjective and not critical enough of the decisions they make. Managers working in teams should ensure that the groups they involve in decision making are as objective as they can be. This will help them avoid making polarized decisions which might end up hurting their organization. In the nursing field, it is important to involve everyone in decision making as this is the best way to come up with best practices within an institution or community. When decisions are made by a team, everyone is involved in analyzing the benefits as well as the risks involved. They can also look at some of the alternatives that they have at their disposal if they think that the action they have decided to take is too risky. Managers who involve their teams in decision making have a better chance at success since their teams are normally supportive of decisions made. Conflict is a social trait that is unavoidable according to Rahim (2002). Conflict management is, therefore, an important skill that every manager should have. However, as much as conflict comes with a negative connotation, there are some positive aspects to it. It can stimulate creativity, create opportunities and in the long run, improve performance. The question that every manager has to deal with is how much conflict should be allowed within their teams. It is not easy to develop a formula of how much conflict should be allowed within a team in a professional set-up (Rahim, 2002).

Monday, October 28, 2019

Quantitative and Qualitative methods Essay Example for Free

Quantitative and Qualitative methods Essay On being Sane in insane places Rosenhan, (1973). Rosenhan orchestrated one of the most famous studies criticising basic psychiatric concepts and practices; his intention was to test the hypothesis that psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference between people who are genuinely mentally ill and those who are not. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010).  Eight psychiatrically normal people presented themselves at the admissions offices of twelve different psychiatric institutions in the United States complaining of hearing voices or auditory hallucinations, all eight were admitted, eleven with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and one with manic depression; after which they stopped claiming to hear voices and assumed their normal selves. They were eventually discharged with schizophrenia and depression in remission; however it took an average of nineteen days to convince staff that they were well enough to be discharged. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010). Rosenhal has claimed that psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference from those that are sane and insane, Rosenhal argues that psychiatric labels stick in a way that medical labels do not therefore everything a patient does is interpreted in accordance with the diagnostic label once it has been applied; he suggested that instead of labelling a person as insane we should instead focus on the individuals specific problems and behaviours. (Rosenhal D. L. 1973). The study demonstrated the limits of classification and also the appalling conditions in many psychiatric institutions; this has stimulated considerably greater research and has led to many institutions improving their philosophy of care. Rosenhal, like other anti-psychiatrists is arguing that mental illness is a social phenomenon and merely a consequence of labelling although those who suffer from severe mental illness might disagree. (Rosenhal D. L. 1973) Validity is much more difficult to assess than reliability as for most mental disorders there is no absolute standard against which diagnosis can be compared, the primary purpose of making a diagnosis is to enable a suitable programme of treatment to be chosen thus aiding in an individuals potential recovery. Bannister et al (1964) found that there was simply no clear-cut connection between diagnosis and treatment in one thousand cases, one reason for this seems to be that factors other than diagnosis may be equally important in deciding on a particular treatment. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010). Construct validity is the most relevant form of validity in relation to diagnosis, according to Davison et al (2004), the categories are constructs because theyre inferred, not proven entities; a diagnosis of schizophrenia doesnt possess the potential status of a physical disease, but even in the more extreme psychotic states its not possible to separate or divorce such a debilitating illness from the individual. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010).  Davison et al believe that the DSM diagnostic categories possess some construct validity, some more than others; however, according to Mackay (1975): The notion of illness implies a relatively discrete disease entity with associated signs and symptoms, which has a specific cause, a certain probability of recovery and its own treatments. The various states of unhappiness, anxiety and confusion which we term mental illness fell far short of these criteria in most cases. (Richard Gross 2010).  Pilgrim (2000) argued that that calling madness schizophrenia, or misery, depression, merely technicalises ordinary social judgements. What is gained by calling someone who communicates unintelligibly schizophrenic? Similarly Winter (1999), argues that: Diagnostic systems are only aids to understanding, not necessarily descriptions of real disease entities. (Winter, 1999).  Classifications are needed in psychiatry, as in medicine, primarily to aid communication regarding the nature of patients problems, prognosis and treatment. It is invaluable when exchanging and/or communicating information about individual cases if there is some agreed universal terminology available and if a label can be assigned that distinguishes one patients disorder from anothers. (Claridge and Davies, 2003; Gelder et al., 1989; Richard Gross, 2010). The fact that there are different classification schemes demonstrates that theres a certain degree of arbitrariness about how people are diagnosed, DSM-IV and ICD-10 merely represent the current beliefs of experts in the field regarding how such psychological disorders should be classified. (Richard Gross, 2010).  The fact that they, (DSM and ICD) are not identical indicates that the diagnostic categories they suggest are somewhat arbitrary and often represent compromise. This is bound to be the case, since the contents of both merely result from decisions made in committee by groups of professionals, experienced in their own fields, but often of differing theoretical persuasion or clinical expertise. (Claridge and Davis 2003; Richard Gross, 2010).

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Navigating Interstitial Spaces Essays -- Democracy American Tocquevill

Navigating Interstitial Spaces â€Å"[T]he law permits the Americans to do what they please.† Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America The protection of virtue, I submit, requires an understanding of interstitial spaces—spaces where formalist adherence to rules and laws does not suffice to adequately promote virtue. Recognition of these spaces spawned agent morality and Aristotle’s practical wisdom. Fascination with these spaces fueled Alexis de Tocqueville’s inquiry into American religious, familial and political mores in Democracy in America. Though America’s formal, codified laws of the 1830s granted â€Å"dangerous freedom† to the individual, Americans managed to navigate interstitial spaces with assiduous virtue. This discussion will briefly connect threads from Aristotle’s Ethics, Plato’s Republic, and Pericles’ funeral oration to preface a more extensive examination of Tocqueville’s careful study of the institutions which reinforced virtue within America’s interstitial spaces. The conclusion will examine and evaluate the doctrine of †Å"self-interest rightly understood† as the sole guarantor of virtue in the United States. Aristotle, one of the forefathers of agent morality, understood that universal and formalist rules alone could not sustain virtue. Practical wisdom, â€Å"a truth-attaining intellectual quality concerned with doing and with the things that are good for human beings† allows the moral agent to operate virtuously in a context-specific way. â€Å"[I]t is not possible,† Aristotle writes, â€Å"without practical wisdom to be really good morally.† Obedience to fixed rules cannot govern action â€Å"to the right person, to the right extent, at the right time, for the right reason, and in the right way.† In order to cultiv... ...ticipation correlate directly with the correct practice of â€Å"self-interest rightly understood† and we accept both Michael Sandel’s thesis about the rise of the â€Å"voluntarist self† and Robert Putnam’s thesis describing the decline of American social and political capital—then a gloomy picture emerges about the sustainability of virtue in the hands of enlightened self-interest alone. Without guidance in a wide expanse of interstitial space, it is easy to slip through the cracks. Words Cited Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Mitchell, Joshua. The Fragility of Freedom. Plato. The Republic. Putnam. Bowling Alone. Sandel, Michael. Democracy’s Discontents. Thucydides. The History of thte Peloponnesian War. â€Å"Pericles’ Funeral Oration.† Tocqueville, Alexis de. Democracy in America.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Food Packaging

Food packaging draws on disciplines like chemistry, microbiology, food science and engineering. About 25% of the ex-factory cost is for packaging and thus provides the challenge for food packaging technologists to design and develop functional packages at low cost. Today packaging is pervasive and essential. It surrounds, enhances and protects the goods from processing and manufacturing through handing and storage to final consumption without packing, materials would be messy and modern consumer marketing would not be possible.The inter disciplinary nature of food packaging needs to be understood for some it is best but for most it is waste of resources and environmental menace. Packaging is an industrial and marketing technique for airing, protecting, identifying and facilitating the sale and distribution of agricultural, industrial and consumer products. The Packaging Institute International defines packaging as the enclosure of products items or packages in a wrapped pouch, big-bo x, cup, tray, can, tube, bottle or other container to protect & preserve.UK Institute of packaging defines packaging as 1. A coordinated system of preparing foods for transport, distribution, storage, retailing and end use. 2. A means of ensuring safe delivery to the ultimate consumer in sound condition at minimum cost. 3. A techno-economic function aimed at minimizing costs of delivery while maximinsing sales (and hence profits) Primary packaging is one which is in direct contact with contained product. It provides the initial and usually the major protective barrier e. g. metal cans, plastic pouches, glass bottles. Secondary contains a no. f primary packages e. g. a corrugated case. It is the physical distribution carrier. Terliary package is made up of number of secondary packages, e. g. stretch wrapped pallet. Change of food packaging materials: Food packaging materials play a primary role in protecting the contents from ultra violet rays, germs in air, shocks during transportat ion etc. while they turn into waste after consumption of non-industrial waste which comprises primilary of household garbage, waste packaging materials account for 60% of total volume and 20 – 30 % of total weight.They need to be collected and treated separately as they are usually made of several materials, a factor that makes the recycling of packaging material rather difficult. Companies for this reason changed the packaging materials for frozen foods in 2002, composite materials (nylon or aluminized polypropylene) to polypropylene. New packaging materials, when incinerated produce less CO2 and hazardous gases. Food companies provide products which are eco-friendly. Recycle plaza JB (located in Japan) treats 64 tonnes of used container a day.Paying attention to the environment as critical theme that should be addressed to not only by the companies but also each individual. Everyday our lives are touched by plastic packaging products. PET (Polyethylene Terphthalate) Used in beverage containers, food containers, boil in food pouches processed meat packages etc. It is popular for making bottles for cokes & fizzy drinks as PET is more impermeable than other low cost plastics. HDPE (High density polyethylene) HDPE (High density polyethylene) is used in milk bottles, cereal box liners, detergent bottles, oil bottles, margarine tubs, toys, plastic bags etc.PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) used in food wrap, vegetable oil bottles and blister packaging. LDPE (Low density polyethylene) used in shrink wrap, plastic bags, garment bags, dry cleaning bags and squeezable food bottles. PP (Polypropylene) used in margarine and yogurt containers, cops for containers, wrapping to replace cellophone, medicine bottles etc. PS (Polystrene) used in egg, fast food trays disposable plastic silver ware, cups, compact disc jackets. Plastics in the Environment:There is a growing awareness of the health and environmental consequences of food packaging, especially plastic packaging made from petroleum products. Reduction of the use of packaged and throw away items seems the right course. Consumers have to take responsibility for their own personal choices, by choosing more sustain products, and by choosing to use fewer packaged products. Polyvinyl Chloride: PVC is the toxic plastic and poses risk to both Human Health and environment. PVC is least recyclable plastic. 1. Vinyl chloride workers have alleviated risk of liver cancer. 2. V. C. auses water and air pollution. 3. PVC needs additives which contribute to pollution and human exposure. FOOD TECHNOLOGY Food Technology, or food tech in short is the application of food science to selection, preservation, processing, packaging, distribution and use of safe nutritious and wholesome food. Food scientists and Food technologists study the physical (1), microbiological and chemical makeup of food. Depending on their area of specialization, food scientists may develop ways to process, preserve, package or store food, acc ording to industry and government specifications and regulations.Consumers seldom think of the vast array of foods and the research and development that has resulted in the means to deliver tasty, nutritious, safe and convenient foods. In some schools, food technology is part of the curriculum and teaches, alongside cooking, nutrition and the food and also educate them about manufacturing process. EARLY HISTORY OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY Research in the field now known as food technology has been conducted for decades. Nicolas Appert's development in 1810 of the canning process was as decisive event.The process wasn't called canning then and Appert did not really know the principle on which his process worked but -canning has had a major impact on food preservation techniques. Louis Pasteur’s research on the spoilage of wine and his description of how to avoid spoilage in 1864 was an early attempt to put food technology on a scientific basis. Besides research into wine spoilage, Past eur did research on the production of alcohol, vinegar Wines and beer, and the souring of milk. He developed pasteurization- the process of heating milk and milk products to destroy food spoilage and disease-producing organisms.In his research into food technology Pasteur became the pioneer into bacteriology and of modern preventive medicine. DEVELOPMENTS IN FOOD TECHNOLOGY Some of the developments that have contributed greatly to the food supply are: ­ Instantized milk powder- D. D. peebles developed the first instant milk powder which has become the basis for q variety of new products that are rehydratable in cold water or milk. This process increases the surface area pf the powdered, product by partially rehydrating spray-dried milk powder.Freeze drying- the first application of freeze drying was most likely in the pharmaceutical industry; however a successful large- scale industrial application of the process was the development of continuous freeze drying of coffee. High temp erature Short Time Processing- These processes for the most part are characterized by rapid heating and cooling, holding for a short time at a relatively high temperature and filling aseptically into sterile containers. Decaffeination of coffee and tea was first developed on a â€Å"commercial basis in Europe around 1900.The process is described in U. S. patent 897, 763. Green coffee beans are treated with steam or water to around 20% moisture. The added water and heat separate the caffeine from the bean to its surface. Solvents are then used to remove the caffeine from the beans. Process Optimization- Food Technology now allows production of foods to be more efficient, oil saving technologies are now available on different forms. Production methods and methodology have also become increasingly sophisticated. Iqra Ahad. B. Sc. II. Year FOOD PRESERVATIONFood preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or greatly slow down spoilage (loss of quality, edibility or nutritive value) caused or accelerated by micro-organisms. Some methods, however, use benign bacteria, yeasts or fungi to add specific qualities and to preserve food (e. g. , cheese, wine). While maintaining or creating nutritional value, texture and flavour is important in preserving its value as food. This is culturally dependent, as what qualifies food fit for humans in one culture may not qualify in another culture.Preservation usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi, and other micro-organisms, as well as retarding the oxidation of fats which cause rancidity. It also includes processes to inhibit natural ageing and discolouration that can occur during food preparation such as the enzymatic browning reaction in apples which causes browning when apples are cut. Some preservation methods require the food to be sealed after treatment to prevent recontamination with microbes; others, such as drying, allow food to be stored without any special containment for long p eriods.Common methods of applying these processes include drying, spray drying, freeze drying, freezing, vacuum-packing, canning, preserving in syrup, sugar crystallisation, food irradiation, and adding preservatives or inert gases such as carbon -dioxide. Other methods that not only help to preserve food, but also add flavour, include pickling, salting, smoking, preserving in syrup or alcohol, sugar crystallisation and curing. Preservation Processes MethodEffect on microbial growth or survivalRefrigerationLow temperature to retard growth FreezingLow temperature and reduction of water activity to prevent microbial growth, slowing of oxidation reactions Drying, curing and conservingReduction in water activity sufficient to delay or prevent microbial growth Vacuum and oxygen free modified atmosphere packagingLow oxygen tension inhibits strict aerobes and delays growth of facultative anaerobes Carbon dioxide enriched modified atmosphere packagingSpecific inhibition of some micro ­org anisms Addition of weak acids; e. g. odium lactateReduction of the intracellular pH of, micro-organisms Lactic fermentationReduction of pH value in situ by microbial action and sometimes additional inhibition by the lactic and acetic acids formed and by other microbial products. (e. g. ethanol, bacteriocins) Sugar preservationCooking in high sucrose concentration creating too high osmotic pressure for most microbial survival Ethanol preservationSteeping or cooking in Ethanol produces toxic inhibition of microbes. Can be combined with sugar preservation Carbon dioxide enriched modified atmosphere packagingLow temperature to retard growth EmulsificationCompartmentalization and utrient limitation within the aqueous droplets in Water-in-oil emulsion foods Addition of preservatives such as nitrite or sulphite ionsInhibition of specific groups of micro- organisms Pasteurization and appertizationDelivery of heat sufficient to inactivate target micro ­organisms to the desired extent Food irradiation (Radurization, rededication and radappertization)Delivery of ionizing radiation to disrupt cellular RNA Application of high hydrostatic pressure (Pascalization)Pressure-inactivation of vegetative bacteria, yeasts and moulds Pulsed electric field processing(PEF treatment)Short bursts of electricity for microbial inactivation Preservation processes include: †¢Heating to kill or denature organisms (e,g. boiling) †¢Oxidation (e. g. use of sulphur dioxide) †¢Toxic inhibition (e. g. smoking, use of carbon dioxide, vinegar, alcohol etc) †¢Dehydration (drying) †¢Osmotic inhibition ( e. g. use of syrups) †¢Low temperature inactivation (e. g. freezing) †¢Ultra high water pressure (e. g. fresherized, a kind of â€Å"cold† pasteurization, the pressure kills naturally occurring pathogens, which cause food deterioration and affect food safety. †¢Many combinations of these methods †¢Chelation Drying One of the oldest methods of food p reservation is by drying, which reduces water activity sufficiently to prevent or delay bacterial growth. Drying also reduces weight, making food more portable. Most types of meat can be dried; a good example is beef jerky. Many fruits can also be dried; for example, the process is often applied to apples, pears, bananas, mangoes, papaya, apricot, and coconut. Zante currants, sultanas and raisins are all forms of dried grapes. Drying is also the normal means of preservation for cereal grains such as wheat, maize, oats, barley, rice, millet and rye. FreezingFreezing is also one of the most commonly used processes commercially and domestically for preserving a very wide range of food including prepared food stuffs which would not have required freezing in their unprepared state. For example, potato waffles are stored in the freezer, but potatoes themselves require only a cool dark place to ensure many months' storage. Cold stores provide large volume, long-term storage for strategic f ood stocks held in case of national emergency in many countries. Vacuum packing Vacuum-packing stores food in a vacuum environment, usually in an air-tight bag or bottle. The vacuum environment strips bacteria of oxygen needed for survival, slowing spoiling.Vacuum-packing is commonly used for storing nuts to reduce loss of flavor from oxidation. Salting Salting or curing draws moisture from the meat through a process of osmosis. Meat is cured with salt or sugar, or a combination of the two. Nitrates and nitrites are also often used to cure meat and contribute the characteristic pink color, as well as inhibition of Clostridium botulinum. Smoking Meat, fish and some other foods may be both preserved and flavored through the use of smoke, typically in a smokehouse. The combination of heat to dry the food without cooking it, and the addition of the aromatic (phenolic )hydrocarbons from the smoke preserves the food. SugarSugar is used to preserve fruits, either in syrup with fruit such a s apples, pears, peaches, apricots, plums or in crystallized form where the preserved material is cooked in sugar to the point of crystallisation and the resultant product is then stored dry. This method is used for the skins of citrus fruit (qandied peel), angelica and ginger. A modification of this process produces glace fruit such as glace cherries where the fruit is preserved in sugar but is then extracted from the syrup and sold, the preservation being maintained by the sugar content of the fruit and the superficial coating of syrup. The use of sugar is often combined with alcohol for preservation of luxury products such as fruit in brandy or other spirits.These should not be confused with fruit flavored spirits such as cherry brandy or Sloe gin. Pickling Pickling is a method of preserving food in an edible anti-microbial liquid. Pickling can be broadly categorized -as chemical pickling (for example, brining) and fermentation pickling (for example, making sauerkraut). In chemic al pickling, the food is placed in an edible liquid that inhibits or kills bacteria and other micro-organisms. Typical pickling agents include brine (high in salt), vinegar, alcohol, and vegetable oil, especially olive oil but also many other oils. Many chemical pickling processes also involve heating or boiling so that the food being preserved becomes saturated with the pickling agent.Common chemically pickled foods include cucumbers, peppers, corned beef, herring, and eggs, as well mixed vegetables such as piccalilli, chow-chow, giardiniera, and achar. In fermentation pickling, the food itself produces the preservation agent, typically by a process that produces lactic acid. Fermented pickles include sauerkraut, nukazuke, kimchi, surstromming, and curtido. Some chemically pickled cucumbers are also fermented. In commercialpickles, a preservative like sodium benzoate or EDT A may also be added to enhance shelf life. Lye Sodium hydroxide (lye) makes food too alkaline for bacterial g rowth. Lye will saponify fats in the food, which ‘will change its flavor and texture. Lutefisk uses lye in its preparation, as do some olive recipes. Modem recipes for century eggs also call for lye.Masa harina and hominy use lye in their preparation, but not for preservation. Canning and bottling Canning involves cooking food, sealing it in sterile cans or jars, and boiling the containers to kill or weaken any remaining bacteria as a form of sterilization. Various foods have varying degrees of natural protection against spoilage and may require that the final step occur in a pressure cooker. High-acid fruits like strawberries require no preservatives to can and only a short boiling cycle, whereas marginal fruits such as tomato esrequire longer boiling and addition of other acidic elements. Low acid foods, such as vegetables and meats require pressure canning.Food preserved by canning or bottling is at immediate risk of spoilage once the can or bottle has been opened. Lack of quality control in the canning process may allow ingress of water or micro-organisms. Most such failures are rapidly detected as decomposition within the can causes gas production and the can will swell or burst. However, there have been examples of poor manufacture (under processing)and poor hygiene allowing contamination of canned food by the obligate anaerobe, Clostridium botulinum which produces an acute toxin within the food, leading to severe illness or death. This organism produces no gas or obvious taste and remains undetected by taste or smell.Its toxin is denatured by cooking, though. Cooked mushrooms, handled poorly and then canned, can support the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, which produces a toxin that is not destroyed by canning or subsequent reheating. Jellying Food may be preserved by cooking in a material that solidifies to form a gel. Such materials include gelatine, agar, maize flour and arrowroot flour. Some foods naturally form a protein gel when cooked such as eels and elvers, and sipunculid worms which are a delicacy in the town of Xiamen in Fujian province of the People's Republic of China. Jellied eels are a delicacy in the East Ene.! of London where they are eaten ‘with mashed potatoes.Potted meats in aspic, (a gel made from gelatine and clarified meat broth) were a common way of serving meat off-cuts in the UK until the 1950s. Many jugged meats are also jellied. Fruit preserved by jellying is known as jelly, marmalade, or fruit preserves. In this case, the jellying agent is usually pectin, either added during cooking or arising naturally from the fruit. Most preserved fruit is also sugared in jars. Heating, packaging and acid and sugar provide the preservation. Potting A traditional British way of preserving meat (particularly shrimp) is by setting it in a pot and sealing it with a layer of fat. Also common is potted chicken liver; compare pate.Jugging Meat can be preserved by jugging, the process of stewing the meat (commo nly game or fish) in a covered earthenware jug or casserole. The animal to be jugged is usually cut into pieces, placed into a tightly-sealed jug with brine or gravy, and stewed. Red wine and/or the animal's own blood is sometimes added to the cooking liquid. Jugging was a popular method of preserving meat up until the middle of the 20th century. Irradiation Irradiation of food is the . exposure of food to ionizing radiation; either high energy electrons or X -rays from accelerators, or by gamma rays (emitted from radioactive sources as Cobalt-60 or Caesium-13 7).The treatment has a range of effects, including killing bacteria, molds and insect pests, reducing the ripening and spoiling of fruits, and at higher doses inducing sterility. The technology may be compared to pasteurization; it is sometimes called ‘cold pasteurization', as the product is not heated. Irradiation is not effective against viruses or prions, it cannot eliminate toxins already formed by microorganisms, an d is only useful for food of high initial quality. The radiation process is unrelated to nuclear energy, but it may use the radiation emitted from radioactive nuclides produced in nuclear reactors. Ionizing radiation is hazardous to life; for this reason irradiation facilities have a heavily shielded irradiation room where the process takes place.Radiation safety procedures ensure that neither the workers in such facility nor the environment receive any radiation dose from the facility. Irradiated food does not become radioactive, and national and international expert bodies have declared food irradiation as wholesome. However, the wholesomeness of consuming such food is disputed by opponents[2] and consumer organizations. [3] National and international expert bodies have declared food irradiation as ‘wholesome'; UN-organizations as VHO and F AO are endorsing to use food irradiation. International legislation on whether food may be irradiated or not varies worldwide from no re gulation to full banning. It is estimated that about 500,000 tons of food items are irradiated per year worldwide in over 40 countries.These are mainly spices and condiments with an increasing segment of fresh fruit irradiated for fruit fly quarantine. Modified atmosphere Is a way to preserve food by operating on the atmosphere around it. Salad crops which are notoriously difficult to preserve are now being packaged in sealed bags with an atmosphere modified to reduce the oxygen (C02) concentration and increase' the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. There is concern that although salad vegetables retain their appearance and texture in such conditions, this method of preservation may not retain nutrients, especially vitamins. Grains may be preserved using carbon dioxide. A block f dry ice is placed in the bottom and the can is filled with grain. The can is then â€Å"burped† of excess gas. The carbon dioxide from the sublimation of the dry ice prevents insects, mold and oxid ation from damaging the grain. Grain stored in this way can remain edible for five years. – Nitrogen gas (N2) at concentrations of 98% or higher is also used effectively to kill insects in grain through hypoxia. However, carbon dioxide has an advantage in this respect as it kills organisms through both hypoxia and hypercarbia, requiring concentrations of only 80%, or so. This makes carbon dioxide preferable for fumigation in situations where an hermetic seal cannot be maintained. Burial in the groundBurial of food can preserve it due to a variety of factors: lack of light, lack of oxygen, cool temperatures, pH level, or desiccants in the soil. Burial may be combined with other methods such as salting or fermentation. Many root vegetables are very resistant to spoilage and require no other preservation other than storage in cool dark conditions, for example by burial in the ground, such as in a storage clamp. Century eggs are created by placing eggs in alkaline mud (or other a lkaline substance) resulting in their â€Å"inorganic† fermentation through raised pH instead of spoiling. The fermentation preserves them and breaks down some of the complex, less flavorful proteins and fats into simpler more flavorful ones.Most foods can be preserved in soil that is very dry and salty (thus a desiccant), or soil that is frozen. Cabbage was traditionally buried in the fall in northern farms in the USA for preservation. Some methods keep it crispy while other methods produce sauerkraut A similar process is used in the traditional production ofkimchi. Sometimes meat is buried under conditions which cause preservation. If buried on hot coals or ashes, the heat can kill pathogens, the dry ash can desiccate, and the earth can block oxygen and further contamination. If buried where the earth is very cold, the earth acts like a refrigerator. Controlled use of micro-organismSome foods, such as many cheeses, wines, and beers will keep for a long time because their pr oduction uses specific micro-organisms that combat spoilage from other less benign organisms. These micro-organisms keep pathogens in check by creating an environment toxic for themselves and other micro-organisms by producing acid or alcohol. Starter micro-organisms, salt, hops, controlled (usually cool) temperatures, controlled (usually low) levels of oxygen and/or other methods are used to create the specific controlled conditions that will support the desirable organisms that produce food fit for human consumption. High pressure food preservation High pressure food preservation refers to high pressure used for food preservation. Pressed inside a vessel exerting 70,000 pounds per square inch or more, food can be processed so that it retains its fresh appearance, flavour, texture and nutrients while disabling harmful microorganisms and slowing spoilage. † By 2001, adequate commercial equipment was developed so that by 2005 the process was being used for products ranging from orange juice to guacamole to deli meats and widely sold. MEAT PRESERVATION Meat is generally animal muscle, which is mostly water, protein and fat. Even after cooking, most meat products are about 50% moisture so it is a great growing media for micro-organisms. So the main problem with meat, poultry and fish is how to preserve it from microbial spoilage. Ideally, we could just slaughter the animals on need basis. It is rare, however, to eat a whole carcass so soon after slaughter to avoid having to preserve it.Since some of the methods used to preserve meat by removing or limiting the water availability, this post counts as part of my series on water. The water limiting methods are drying, salting, and smoking. Other methods include pickling, jellying, lye, freezing, canning, refrigeration, vacuum-packing, and modified atmosphere packing. Drying is probably the oldest method used for preserving anything. It works by removing water and, therefore, preventing microbes from growing. F or meat, it is important to have water moving from inside the muscles to the outer surface where it evaporates, without a crust forming on the surface. If a crust forms, the internal tissues stay moist allowing anaerobic bacteria growth, which in turn causes spoilage.This can be prevented by reducing the thickness of the pieces of meat being dried so that there is a high surface area to volume ratio. The final moisture content should be around 3 -10%. The loss of water causes muscle to shrink and become firmer. There are changes to the flavor and taste as fat is oxidized. If too much oxidation takes place, the fat will go rancid causing off-flavors. Jerky is the commonest form of dried meat which is not the most pleasant way to consume anything, especially meat. Dried meat is also used in soup powders. Dried meat products can also be rehydrated. Curing is at least two processes in one, salting and smoking. Meat is salted by either dry or wet curing.Dry curing is when salt is rubbed onto the surface of the meat and wet curing is when the meat is left soaking in a 15-20% brine. Sugar and spices can also be added to affect the color and flavor. The meat is preserved in sugar or salt and nitrates or nitrites. As well as reducing microbial growth through osmotic effects, the sugar, salt and nitrate/nitrite are antimicrobial agents. According to Berlitz et ai, low salt concentrations (less than 5%) cause meat to swell and higher concentrations induce shrinkage. Meat retains its natural color because the loss of water actually concentrates the myoglobin, which causes the color. Nitrites and nitrates preserve the color.Smoking is usually associated with salting – uncured meat is rarely smoked. Smoking causes the moisture content to drop up to 40% and compounds in the smoke have antimicrobial effects. Some compounds in smoke are antioxidants, so smoking protects the fat as well as preventing microbial damage. Smoking has to be carried out at temperatures high en ough to prevent microbes from growing but lower enough to prevent the meat from cooking and becoming tough or burnt. There are many different techniques, but typically these are divided into: 1. Hot smoking (50-85 ° C) for less than an hour to several hours; 2. Warm smoking (25 – 50 ° C) for several days; 3.Cold smoking (12 -250 C) for up to several weeks. Smoked foods include kippers, smoked salmon (lox), ham and bacon, and sausages. Smoking can be added as a flavoring, but then it does not preserve the meat. Just for information on the other preservation techniques: Pickling typically reduces the pH by cooking the meat in vinegar. It is the original way that corned beef was prepared – now it is also canned after preservation keeping it even longer. Using lye is how Lutefisk is made and preserves the food by increasing the pH. Jellying or aspic is converting the connective tissues to gelatin by cooking for a long time and then using the resulting jelly to preserve the meat.PRESERVATION OF MILK Gail Borden tried his hand at various professions including land surveying and publishing before he became an inventor. His first invention was a ‘meat biscuit' that did not catch on. Then he turned his attention to the preservation of milk. Some say he decided to find a way to preserve milk for long periods when he found there was no milk on board the ship he was traveling while returning from a trip to England. Many people had tried to find a way to preserve milk, but without success. The only method available was heating the milk every few hours. Prolonged boiling or constant heating scorched the milk. Borden found a way out.He used a copper kettle, otherwise known as a vacuum pan. Inside his vacuum pan a heating coil warmed the milk slowly and evenly, allowing gradual evaporation. After the water had vaporized, what was left was concentrated milk or condensed milk. In a vacuum, milk evaporates at a lower temperature, so it does not get scorch ed even if boiled for long periods. Borden received a patent for the invention in 1856. For the first time milk could be stored for days or weeks at a stretch without recourse to boiling. For the first time, too, it could be distributed over great distances. Borden opened a milk-condensing factory in New York, and began peddling condensed milk door-to-door.He enforced strict hygiene on farmers who wanted to sell him milk- he insisted they wash udders thoroughly before milking; sweep barns clean and keep manure away from milking stalls. The technology pioneered by Borden was carried further when scientists found a way to remove the moisture from condensed milk to make powdered milk, which can last even longer. The famous copper kettle of Borden still sits in a corner of the Agricultural Hall at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. CONDENSED MILK What is condensed milk? Condensed milk is milk from which a portion of water has been removed. Who was the first to make c ondensed milk? The American entrepreneur, Gail Borden. When? He set up the first factory to make condensed milk in Connecticut, USA, in 1856. Was it an instant success? No.Borden had to close down the factory. He tried again in 1857 ; failed again. In 1858 he made a third attempt – and this time he succeeded. Condensed milk began to sell in a big way and Borden made a fortune. Was Borden the only one making condensed milk in the nineteenth century? No. In Europe a factory to make condensed milk came up in Switzerland around 186O. In 1867 the famous Milkmaid brand of condensed milk was introduced to the world. FOOD STORAGE FOR FOOD SAFETY The method and techniques used to clean, prepare and store food not only affects the taste texture and nutritional values, but also plays a vital role in preventing food spoilage and food born illnesses.Using the right and proper techniques to prepare and store food can go along way in keeping the food healthy and in maintaining their nutriti ve quality, it also preserve the taste, texture and appearance and also help to u e the food economically exposure to heat, light, moisture and air can cause food spoilage and increase the risk of food poisoning. Improper handling and storage cause loss of nutrients and affect the color, texture and flavor ‘of food. Heat and humidity increases the risk of food spoilage. Therefore foods should not be stored near warm place, e. g. stores or refrigerator. All perishable foods such as meat, fish, poultry eggs milk and other dairy products should be refrigerated or frozen immediately after purchase or cooking.In case of canned food; care should be taken to use the oldest can first. Canned foods should be stored away from moisture in (IOC- 21C) temperature range. Labels should always be read carefully as they contain important information regarding storage. Dry foods should be kept in a cool, dark and dry place and should be utilized before the date of expiry. Meat, poultry and fish should be stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Meat should be wrapped in the freezer paper and should not be frozen for more that 3-4 days as it affects the flavor and appearance of the product. Meat should not be defrosted at room temperature instead it should be defrosted on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.If meat is defrosted in micro wave oven it should be immediately cooked. Fish can't be kept for more that few hours at refrigerator temperature. Fresh milk and cream should be tightly sealed or covered to prevent tainting by odors from other foods. Non fat powdered milk can be stored at room temperature in closed containers; butter is best refrigerated in its original wrapper. Soft cheese can be stored in closed containers in refrigerator and hard cheese can best be stored in a cool dark cupboard. Grains, flours, nuts and other foods can be stored in plastic, metal or glass container with tight fitted lids. Cereals and crackers are normally best kept in closed c ontainers at room temperatures.Unshelled nuts can be kept at room temperature for 3-6 months, shelled nuts may become rancid unless refrigerated or frozen. Raw fruits and vegetables often slowly lose their vitamins when kept at room temperature. Most fruits and vegetables are best stored at 10C; if refrigerated they should be put in crisper section. Fruits and vegetables should not be stored for long period in sealed plastic bags as they cit off the air supply causing the product to rot. Paper and cellophane are better storage material because they are permeable. Peas and beans should be refrigerated in their pods. The green top should be cut off from the root vegetables as they continue to draw nourishment for the roots.Potatoes are covered with mesh which protects them from light while still allow ail to circulate. Freezing raw fruits and vegetables cause the water they contain to form ice crystals that break down cell membranes and walls resulting in mushy texture and loss of nut rients. Enzymatic activity also spoils fruits and vegetables; blanching prevents this problem. Vegetables should be emerged for a second in rapidly boiling water to deactivate their enzymes, and then plunge them into the cold water to stop the cooking process. Most fruits . are not suitable for blanching; browning and deterioration can be prevented by packing them in a solution of sugar other with or without ascorbic acid. Prof.Pinoo Andrabi Senior lecturer FOOD TECHNOLOGY Waste NotWant Not In the last few decades India has made great strides in fruit and vegetable production. Recent food production statistics indicate that India is the second largest production of fruits in the world after Brazil. Major Indian fruit include banana, citrus fruits mango, guava, apple, pineapple and grapes. These are canned or processed into fruit juices, fruit concentrates, dehydrated fruit, jams and jellies However, it is estimated that 20 to 30 percent of the fruits produced in the country arc not utilized properly and processed fruits account for less than 3 percent of production.Nearly 30 percent of the fruits are lost due to spoilage during handling, transportation and lack of storage and processing facilities. The fruit and vegetable processing industry in India is highly decentralized. A large number of units are cottage / home scale ones. India incurs precious loss not only in terms of revenue, but also in terms of health. Efforts arc thus needed to Convert surplus production of fruits and vegetables to value added products. Food processing can be defined as treatments between harvest and consumption i. e. handling transportation, refrigeration, holding, washing, trimming, bleaching, freezing, Canning, drying, irradiation, chemical preservation, packaging, storage and lastly cooking.Due to the processes involved, large quantities of waste material are left over. Efficient disposal of these wastes in form of peelings, coring, seeds, stones, rinds, skin-trimmings and over ripe fruits minimizes pollution hazards. Utilization of Mango Waste Peel forms 12-16 percent of mango waste is a good source of nutrients such as sugar, pectin, proteins and fibers. Mango peel has been used for production of fungal protein, carboxymethy cellulose and polygalacturonase by fungi. The peel and pulp portion left after juice extraction can be utilized to manufacture of juice, nectar etc. by pectin enzyme treatment. The kernel is a good source of nutrients such as starch, fats and proteins.Kernel oil could be used as partial replacement for tallow and cocoa butter in the preparation of quality soaps and confectionary products. Kernel fat added at the rate of one percent in ghee prepared from buffalo milk can act as an antioxidant. Kernel oils or fats can be used for manufacturing soaps because of the high stearic acid content. Utilization of Citrus Waste Citrus represents the third most important fruit in India. A fair amount of citrus fruits are consumed by the consumer s and processing factories. Citrus waste constitutes peels from oranges and the rags, seeds and sludges obtained from lime. Citrus wastes are rich source essential oils, pectin’s, citric acid and a variety of by-products including cattle feed.Citrus peel can be processed into candies: It can be used for extraction of essential oils used in confectionery and perfumery traders. Mandarin essential oil is extracted in small quantity from citrus peel. The rag of galgal and orange can be utilized for the extraction of pectin. Utilization of Apple Waste Indian apple production is around 12 lakh tones. Apples are processed into various products such as juice, concentrate, vinegar, sauce, butter etc. Waste from the apple processing industry in the form of peel, core and pomace can be utilized for production of pectin and various edible products. Apple pomace is a good source of pectin, which can be extracted for use in production of jam, jellies etc.Citric acid can be prepared from ap ple pomace by growing Aspergillus niger on it under controlled conditions. It has been estimated that an apple processing factory generating 10,000 tones (fresh weight) of apple pomace per year could anticipate generating 3,30,000 cum. of biogas per year (55%) methane equivalent in calorific value to about 1,97,000 ltr of diesel or 1,22,700 kg of LPG or 1,73,000 ltr of kerosene oil. Utilization of Guava Waste The annual production of guava is around 6. 2 lakh tones. Guava is a good source of pectin and seed oil, which enhances its commercial value. Peeling, seeds and cores are the waste obtained from guava processing.Discarded guava seeds contain about 5-13 percent oil rich in essential fatty acids. Guava pomace can be used to fortify animal feed. Yasmeena Ali Roll no. 10 B. Sc. Home Science (Certificate Course) ALL ABOUT EGGS – BUYING, STORING, SEPARATING AND USING EGGS STORAGE: While eggs will keep in your refrigerator for several weeks, it’s important note that they can lose some quality. A little known fact about eggs is that they can absorb adour from your refrigerator if stored in an open container, although this shouldn’t be a major problem unless you are storing eggs along side opened containers of onions and garlic or other such strong smelly foods.DO YOU NEED ONLY EGG WHITES OR ONLY EGG YOLKS FOR A PARTICULARS RECIPE? Don’t know out the leftovers; find another recipe to cook which will use the other portion. Type in â€Å"egg yolk† or â€Å"egg whites† in our search engine to find recipes that use one or the other. Once out of the shell, you can keep eggs whites for about a week in the refrigerator and egg yolks will keep for two or three days, although be sure to cover them with water. HOW TO SEPARATE EGGS Cold eggs are easier to separate. Gently crack the egg open in the centre, either hitting it gently with a knife, or using a convenient counter edge. Hold the egg upright and gently pull off the top half o f the shell. You now have three optionsHold your hand over the egg white bowl, pour the egg into your hand and let the egg white ooze through your fingers while retaining the yolk hand – a very easy, albeit inelegant, way to separate eggs. Make sure to wash your hands first. Over the egg while bowl, gently pour your contents between the two shell halves, allowing the egg whites to pour out in the process, leaving just the yolk in other half shell. Be gentle, it’s possible to break the yolk if you are not careful. Buy a handy-dandy gadget called an Egg Separater, which looks like a small measuring cup. The egg yolk is retained in the cup while white are allowed to drip through. BEATING EGG WHITESEgg whites will not whip (they just won’t) if they come into contact with even the slightest trace of fats grease or egg yolk. This is why it’s a good idea when separating eggs to have three bowls: one for the yolks, one for the whites and one bowl to separate over so that you won’t have to throw out a whole batch if one yolk breaks while separating. It is also a good idea to wash your hands, beaters and bowl before beginning as well, to make sure that they are grease free. Egg whites that are at room temperature will whip easier and faster. You can add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar to help the process along (although it is not necessary unless your recipe calls for it).Use mixer for best results, although you can use whisk if you want a good work out. HOW TO COOK EGGS: Eggs are quick, easy and nutritious comfort food in and of themselves. Here are some popular ways of preparing eggs. BOILED: Put your eggs in a pot (avoid aluminum as it will darken) and cover with cold water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring the pot to a boil over high or medium high hear, then lower the heat and simmer. Depending on the size of your egg, they will need to simmer for 2-3 minutes for soft boiled, about 4-5 minutes for medium and 15-20 minutes for hard boile d. Drain the eggs and immense them immediately in cold water to stop the cooking process. Refrigerator boiled eggs will keep for about a week.FREID: Add a small amount of butter or oil to your skillet (non-stick pans will need very little to none of this) and heat. When you can drop of water into the pan and hear it sizzle, it’s time to cook the eggs. Carefully crack the eggs into the pan. For sunny side up eggs, allow them to cook for about 3-4 minutes without turning tillthey are done to a consistency you like), before removing them from the pan. If you prefer your eggs turned over, firs cook the eggs for about 2 minutes before using your spatula to flip the eggs over. The amount of time the aimed eggs are cooked will depend on how you like to eat your eggs. SCRAMBLED : The cooking procedure for scrambled eggs is the same as the fried.First beat your eggs in a bowl (you can add table spoon or so of milk per egg as well as salt, pepper, seasoning etc. Pour into the skillet a nd cook while gently until the eggs reach the desired consistency. POACHED: Cover the bottom of a small pot or skillet with about two inches of water and bring to a simmer. Break an egg into a small bowl. Stir the water to create a small whirlpool effect and drop the egg from the centre. Cook for 3-5 minutes before removing the egg with a slotted spoon. FOOD TECHNOLOGY Fermenting is Fun: Fermenting your own foods can be a healthy, fun and nutritious hobby. Anything you can make at home is much better than commercialized foods. We have put a summary of fermented foods followed by a few recipies.About a thousand years ago, our ancestors began to experimenting with fermenting their own foods with beneficial strains to prevent spoilage, fight infections and increase absorption of nutrients. This action further allied our bodies with the microbial world. Benefits of Fermented Food: Nobel Prize winner Dr. Elie Metchnikoff was one of the first scientists to recognize the benefits of fermen ted foods. His research in the early 1900’s focused on the Bulgarians. He believed the daily ingestion of yogurt was a major contribution to their superior health and congitivity. Detoxify ; Pressure: If there’s anything that the microbial world does well, it is detoxifying things.Today Bacteriologists periodically visit old military facilities in search of new strains of bacteria living off contaminants in the soil. If you put it in the ground and give them enough time to mutate and evolve, these microbes will find a way to break down. Bulgarians perfected the art of detoxifying and preserving milk (removing the lactose and predigesting the proteins) and performing it into yogurt and cheese. The caucarians used Kefir grains for the same purpose – detoxify milk products to make Kefir, vegetables were also fermented to preserve them from spoilage. Most of the pickled products found on our grocery shelves were at one time a fermented product. Pickles, saurkruat an d even catsup (a Chinese word for pickled fish brine).However since fermentation isn’t always a uniform process, manufacturers found another way to make these products. Nutrition to Boot: Fermented products are a great source of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The process of fermentation increases the amount of some vitamins. Fermented milk is great source of vitamin C. saverkrat often served as military ratios in ancient armies, most notably the Mongolians and was used to prevent scurvy. The process of fermentation also increases bio-availability of these foods. Harnessing the power of microbes: Pills versus food: We have already mentioned earlier that diary products fermented with lacto bacilli have been shown to kill pathogenic bacteria, such as H. Pylori, while the lactobacilli along did not.This means that some of the antibiotic properties of these good bacteria may be missing in the probiotic pills you seen on the shelves. Also, you have no way of verifying the pote ncy of vitality of these products. Bacteria are living organisms and must be alike when you eat them in order to reap their benefits. It does good to ingest dead, good bacteria. We can make all the saverkrat Kefir and yogurt we will need. Not only will you be getting the benefits of these beneficial bacteria, you will be making delicious and healthy meals as well. The only benefit store probiotics offer is convenience. However, once you get started, fermenting your own food is very easy. Please use caution: Before we get too far into fermenting your own oods, we want to emphasize the caveats of fermentation. The process of fermentation is only good for you if it occurs outside your body. What does this mean? It means that if you ingest foods that provide an abundance of sugar and growth media for bacteria, they will ferment those foods inside you. An over growth of fermentative bacteria in your body can cause all kinds of medical problems including Chron’s Disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis. Commercial Versus Homemade: In our opinion homemade products are better all around, for one you do not have to trust a manufacturer with your health. You can purchase the best milk and / or vegetables to use.Commercial products are usually geared for taste and not health. In the case of yogurt, this means that commercial yogurt usually has a high lactose content and is usually loaded with sugar. Homemade yogurt can be made to eliminate virtually all of the lactose and will be much fresher than anything you can buy in a store. If the taste is not to your liking, you can add in fresh fruit and / or honey to sweeten it up. Store brought Kefir has the same problems, you have no control over the lactose content in the end product. Another thing to consider is, real Kefir is difficult to find in the store. Quite often a manufacturer will label a product as Kefir when in fact it is not the real thing.In order for Kefir to be real, it needs to made from Kefir grains and not a powdered starter. As for fermented vegetables, such as saverkrat most commercial products have been pasteurization process not only kills the beneficial bacteria, but may also destroy many of the enzymes and nutrients. Commercial saverkrat may also contain a fair amount of unnatural preservatives. We know that you will find fermenting your own foods at home more rewarding, healthier, cheaper than probiotics and more enjoying than anything you could. To get started we have listed a few easy at home products you can make. 01. Yougurt: Making yogurt is very easy, especially if you own a yogurt maker.We recommend purchasing a yogurt met Multi they are cheap, easy to use and can make 2 quarts per batch. Once you have a started and yogurt maker, al you need is some milk (using half-n-half) and some patience. The directions that come with the maker provide a fermentation of 6 hrs. however, it is good to ferment your yogurt for 24 hrs to eliminate all lactose in the yogurt. Any residual lac tose could be used as food for bacteria already found in your GI-tract and result in fermentation in your intestines. Caution: Those of you following the SC Diet must ferment your yogurt for 24 hours in order to stay on the diet. 02. Kefir: Kefir is a fermented food (milk product) made from Kefir grains.Unlike yogurt, Kefir is made from Lactobacillus bacteria and several different yeast organisms and is fermented at room temp. The most difficult step in making Kefir is getting some one to sell/ give you some Kefir grains. It would be impossible for us to give Kefir any justice. 03. Saverkrat: Can be make in several different ways. The traditional recipie involves shredding and pounding fresh cabbage, adding salt and submerging it under water for several days. The natural bacteria in the cabbage, such as lactobacillus plantarum, will natural begin to ferment the cabbage while the salt inhibits other microbes. You can eliminate the use of salt altogether by inoculating the shredded ca bbage and water solution with yogurt starter or Kefir grains. Shagufta KhursheedCertificate Course of Food Technology HOW TO MAKE PICKLE Indian Pickle Recipie: Indian pickles recipie spicy pickles are very important item in Indian meal. Pickles enhances the taste of the meal and increases the satisfaction after every meal. Pickles are easy to prepare with right ingredients and can be preserved for months. Here we can find mouth watering homemade pickles recipies which have to be consumed with a few days and pickles that can be preserved for months. 01. Carrot Pickle Recipie: Ingredients: 3 cups water 230 gms carrots (scrapped and cut into 2† long sticks) 1 ? tb sp mustard seeds ? tsp chilli powder 1/8th tsp each ground mace, cloves and cardamom. 2 tsp salt /4th cup shredded jaggery (gur) 1/3rd cup mustard oil Preparation: Boil the water in 2 litre saucepan. Add carrots and blanch for a minute. Drain the water and then spread carrots on a clean cloth and sundry or spread them o n a towel lined cookie tray and air dry in an oven (200 degree Fahrenheit) of a hour. In a bowl mix the mace, cloves, cardamom, salt and jaggery. Add the carrots and toss to mix. Transfer to a sterilized glass jar pour the mustard oil into a small saucepan and place it over a moderate heat. As soon as oil begins to smoke remove it from the heat and cool it for 11 minutes, then pour it into the jar and cover it with a clean cloth.Set the jar in sunlight for 13-14 days bringing it in door every night. Shake the jar 2 or 3 times daily. 02. Dry Fruit Pickle: Redolent with saffron, a traditional pickle gets a new look. Make 1 ? look. Ingredients: 1 cup grated raw mangoes A pinch of turmeric power (Haldi) ? cup chopped day fruits – Cashew nuts (Kaju, almonds (badam) walnuts (akhroot, apricot (Zardalu). ? tsp saffron (Kesar) roasted for 5 sec. 1 ? cups sugar ? tsp saffron 2 one – inch pieces cardamom (dalchini) 1 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder. 2 nos cloves (laung) Salt to tas te. Preparation: 1. Combine the grated mangoes, salt and turmeric powder and set aside for 15 minutes. 2.Start adding 2 table spoons of sugar at a time and stir continuously with a spoon whisk till al the sugar is nearly dissolved. The entire process will take about 30 to 35 minutes. 3. Add cinnamom, cardamom and cloves. 4. Heat a pan, add the mango and sugar mixture and continue stirring over a very slow flame till the sugar dissolves completely and small bubbles appear on the surface of the mixture (approx. 3 to 4 minutes). 5. Stir in chopped day fruit and saffron, remove from the flame and the mixture to cool completely. Store in a sterilized jar in a cool dry place for up to a year. Handy Tip: Use Ladwa, a round variety of raw mangoes available at some vegetable vendors or any other type of raw mangoes.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Enterprise Architecture as Strategy

Executive Summary This report is an examination of change process prompted by MEG International, a large and reputable Finnish IT organization. This report explains Enterprise architecture and how it can be applied as a strategy. It explains Coachman's â€Å"framework for enterprise architecture† (Coachman, 1987) and the components of its two dimensional matrix.Criticism that Coachman framework is only a taxonomy follows on identifying next framework â€Å"The Open Group Architecture Framework† (known as TOGA) and it's criticism that can act as architectural process rather than a framework, this report recommends to apply Coachman Framework for economy and TOGA as architectural process for MEG to implement Enterprise architecture as strategy. This report then follows on defining Re-engineering process from the key organizational change perspective.The report follows on the next section explaining the critical risks to re-engineer an organization and how to make sure the re- engineering process has been implemented successfully. While analyzing the implementation of re-engineering process this report introduces Muckiness's seven â€Å"S† (Systems, Structures, Staff, Skills, Strategy, Style, Shared Values). The next section f the report then provides the Justification that change is inevitable in an organization and identifies four main reasons for it.Although most people said MEG international is successful, its poor profit results, poor management practice and lack of communication and teamwork contrasted those statements. 1. 1 Enterprise Architecture as strategy Enterprise architecture is the practice of applying a comprehensive and rigorous method for describing a current and future structure and behavior for an organization's processes, information systems, personnel and organizational sub- units, so that they align with the organization's core goals and strategic direction (Shaw, 2007).Similarly, Coachman (1987) describes enterprise arc hitecture as it is to pep the business from disintegrating; the concept of information systems architecture is becoming less of an option and more of a necessity. Enterprise is an independent, standalone entity comprising set of business functions and architecture is the underlying framework that provides the ground for the enterprise to operate efficiently to achieve organizational goals.The primary purpose of creating enterprise architecture is to ensure that business strategy and IT investments are aligned and provide long-term view of a company's processes, systems and technologies (Ross, Well & Robertson, 2006). Enterprise architecture is important because organizations need to adapt increasingly fast to increased competition, changing customer requirements, and business goals. Since MEG international was showing signs of reduction in sales and threatening market position by foreign competition were perfect examples that MEG was not adapting to rapidly changing environments.Thi s need for adoption has influence over the entire business processes; change in one business process may influence other business process. To keep enterprise architecture coherent, change should be managed accordingly in all architectures, and the relations between different architecture just be clear so it is vital for MEG to implement enterprise architecture as a strategy to be able to gain competitive advantage. Main difficulty in adopting enterprise architecture as strategy is to match business architectural alignment and IT alignment because of the differences in architectural modeling methods.Business analysts build complex business process models; similarly IT architects can design complex applications. These two groups of people may be best at what they do but they lack common language to understand each other's design. Mona Lisa although being Information Systems consultant didn't have he leadership capacity or vision on how she is going to approach the issue of aligning th ese two processes, or what framework to use for the enterprise architecture and what IT strategy to choose to move forward towards the change process.Some of the well known examples of enterprise architecture frameworks that can help to build the strategies around enterprise architecture in MEG are: Coachman's â€Å"framework for enterprise architecture† (Coachman, 1987) (Figure 1): This framework is a logical structure for classifying the different perspectives involved in enterprise architecture in a two dimensional matrix that are significant to TTS stakeholders.The matrix consists of levels or player perspective (scope or planner, business model or business owner, system model or designer, technology or builder, detailed representations or subcontractor and Functioning Enterprise) and six columns or aspects (data, function, network, people, time, motivation). From the Business owner perspective â€Å"data† represents information about customers, products, suppliers and relationships between these entities (Session, 2007).On the other hand â€Å"data† from the perspective of technical person implementing the database is rows and columns in tables which are linked together by Joins (Session, 007). If we move left to right on the grid we see different system descriptions from one player view whereas if we move from top to bottom it changes the different player perspective of viewing the system descriptions. Both perspectives are therefore critical for understanding the system's architecture that Coachman tries to address in his architecture.There are some criticisms about this framework that it itself doesn't define the methodology of the framework and is a complex process and can be applicable for large organizations only. This framework mainly acts as a template where goals, ales, processes, materials, roles, locations and events that organizations require must be filled in. Session (2007) argues that â€Å"the Coachman Framework is ac tually taxonomy for organizing architectural artifacts (I. E. Design documents, specifications, models) that takes into account both who the artifact targets (e. G. Business owner, builder) and what particular issue (e. G. , data, functionality) is being addressed†. The Open Group Architecture Framework (known as TOGA) (Figure 2): This framework mainly has four components such as: business architecture, application architecture, data architecture and technical architecture. Business architecture explains how business processes are aligned to meet the organizational goals.Application architecture describes how the applications are designed and explains the relationship between industry wide applications. Similarly Data architecture explains how the enterprise data are stored and accessed and finally technical architecture is responsible for explaining the interactions between software and hardware infrastructure. It mainly relies on already existing, proven technologies and pro ducts and tries to give a well-tested overall starting model which can be further extended.Although TOGA describes itself as â€Å"framework†, Session (2007) categorized TOGA as architectural process rather than an architectural framework. Session (2007) further extends Coachman explains how to categories the artifacts and TOGA gives the process to create them. So for an organization like MEG international Toga's Architecture Development Method (ADAM) (Figure 3) provides a strategic process for moving from generic to specific enterprise architecture.Therefore taxonomy like Coachman and an architectural process like TOGA seem very much appropriate for MEG to adapt Enterprise Architecture as strategy. . 2 Re-engineering Re-engineering could also be interpreted as reverse engineering or radical redesign of a business process which disregards all the traditions and assumptions of the past business processes or procedures and develops new one aiming to leap forward in performance and this seems essential for MEG International.Reengineering process involves in identifying the characteristics of an already engineered product or services and the processes involved in developing those, then redesigning all the processes from the scratch to improve current productivity or customer satisfaction. Hammer & Champs (1993) describe business re-engineering as the â€Å"fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of an entire business system to achieve dramatic improvements in critical measures of performance. Reengineering is most often called business process reengineering which is aimed to accomplish tremendous changes within an organization and underpins all the possible outcomes to maintain a true competitive advantage among the competitors. Reengineering focuses on identifying and abandoning outdated rules and assumptions and creating new rules, work methods and workflow to achieve organizational goals aiming to increase productivity, product quality and customer satisfaction drastically. Firstly company need to identify the problems and what can be the solutions to fix them.If that cannot be fixed by some other meaner or change process then a basic re engineering model must be developed, then company's core processes should be redesigned and final stage is to adopt the new design. Re-engineering is not a simple task to accomplish, it requires fundamental rethink and radical redesign of business processes. For effectiveness it requires structured and analytic approach to generate aromatic improvements in cost reduction, quality improvements, customer satisfaction, speed etc. Epic] Reengineering (Hammer & Champs, 2003, p. 2) Companies that are in deep competitive differences with their competitors, companies who have managers who can see problems arising like MEG and start on re-engineer the business before all their competitive advantage are wiped off. Hammer and Champs (1993)g's rhetorical question of reengineering is that â€Å"If I were re-creating this company today, given what I know and the current level of technology, what would it look liker.Focus on fundamentals, radical redesign element, the potential for dramatic results and business process orientation must be addressed while answering the question. Fundamentals like what the organization does, why it is done that way, what are the tactical aspects, should be addressed while designing re-engineered process â€Å"what should be†. Superficial changes and quantum leap in performance is the must while re-engineering not only marginal enhancements and improvements. These changes should address current business process, plus implement improved and simplified processes that improve value to he customer. . Critical risks to re-engineer organization and successful change implementation Re-engineering the organization processes or business process reengineering (BPR) can produce drastic change and improvement in the organizational processes if implemented suc cessfully. However if it is not implemented correctly it will not work as advertised and fail to meet the high expectations. Recent surveys show that about 70% BPR fail and some organizations that have put massive effort in BPR are only able to gain marginal benefits (Davenport, 1993).These figures indicate that re- engineering has high risk but also organizations are ready to take the risk because the output when executed efficiently can be astounding. Some of the risk that could derail BPR process can be no support from senior managers, focusing on automating current processes before reengineering process is identified, making technology alone dependent on change process and not identifying the limitation of the current Information technology infrastructure.Other directly impacting difficulties that BPR can face involves employee resistance to change, not addressing employee concerns, schismatic of strategy & goals, lack of leadership oversight and commitment. Including all these risks main critical factor is that organization must be truly committed to change in the re-engineering process with full support of senior level management. At Meg international even though Latino thought that everyone would be excited by the prospects of organizational change, only few expressed any enthusiasm for understanding general management.Most of the divisional heads were not clear on what re-engineering process is and were misinterpreting the concept in their own words which created an anxiety among most of the employees which resulted in loss of number of good technical staff. These were clear signs that most of the divisional heads were not ready to help in the re-engineering process that was very bad sign for Mona Lisa to start with. Since the BPR is a high risk process and involves high level of tasks to achieve, it can never be one man Job; it stresses the use of team throughout the process.Lisa however didn't show any initiative in having a team; as a result her rig orous efforts were wasted and ultimately lead to her resignation. If I was in her position then my first priority of this project could be to create team of experts from different parts of organization to understand the business processes and technical infrastructure, and hire few members in the team from outside who have better understanding of re-engineering process who will be responsible for explaining the management team what re-engineering actually is and what we are planning to achieve.It is unlikely that an organization can ignore the existing infrastructure and implement a process from scratch. It is more realistic to acknowledge the resources available and any real constraints and develop fundamental understanding of their implications on the process redesign (Davenport, 1993). After the process is redesigned, available Information Technology should be used to facilitate the implementation of new process that rules out the possibility of technology to be the limited factor .While process re-engineering is not a technology endeavourer, IT is recognized as having a critical role to play in re- engineering efforts, primarily as an enabler of new operational and management processes (Davenport and Short 1990; Hammer and Champs 1993; Davenport 1993). However, IT in itself cannot be held responsible for the ultimate success or failure of the business strategy. When skillfully applied, IT can provide support for the intermediate processes that taken together comprise the execution of an organization's strategy.Since organization's culture is an important aspect and cannot be ignored in the change process, the framework that I will be using during re-engineering process is Muckiness's seven S diagram (Figure 4) because it encapsulates the key components of an organization and has Shared Values (or Culture) at its centre. 2. 1 Systems:- These are the processes, methods, procedures, rules, techniques, technology, manuals, etc. That ensures that work is undertak en efficiently and accurately. These are the essential part of an organization to guide the management and staff.Therefore key to BPR process is to understand current systems and redesign them, often as Davenport (1993) highlights, new processes are enabled by new technology which ultimately engages employees to learn new techniques. 2. 2 Structures:- After the key processes are redefined, the next step would be to restructure the organization to match along these processes. The new form of organizational structure that aims to break the traditional types of structure, particularly bureaucratic and divisional structures is required.Hammer & Champs (2003) recommend â€Å"a move to much flatter structures organized around the processes†, whereas Davenport (1993) recommends â€Å"a multidimensional matrix structure, with process responsibility as a key dimension† (p 160). To achieve this, Johansson et al (1993) states: â€Å"the new organization must accommodate a balanc e between functional expertise and process involvement† and goes on to say it is essential to remove functional barriers (IPPP). 3 staff:- As per Henley (1991) Staff is â€Å"the quality and quantity of people employed† and manager has the role of â€Å"motivation, reward systems, the structure of Jobs and team work† (pop). Davenport (1993) expresses â€Å"gain-sharing† (Pl 10), â€Å"lateral promotion†, upgrade from â€Å"role title to process title† (Pl 1 1), and interesting and challenging through â€Å"work role rotation†, he believes â€Å"encourages employees to redesign the processes to eliminate their own Job†. In contrast to Davenport's expression BPR to some extent will be involved in down-sizing and right-sizing the workforce. 2. Skills:- Henley (1991) defines skills as â€Å"The competences the organization needs in its people in order to perform difficult tasks to a high standard† (pop). The BPR redefines the roles that should enhance and provide space for skills development where Hammer & Champs (1993) add â€Å"New World of Work† where â€Å"Jobs change from simple tasks to multi-dimensional work†. This meaner â€Å"Job preparation changes from training to education, from rule following to exercising Judgment† and â€Å"manager's change from supervisors to coaches† and â€Å"executives change from scorekeepers to leaders†(p 169). . 5 Strategy:- The main task in BPR is to discover the organization's strategy and â€Å"of what drives competitive advantage in a particular industry; the industry's value chain and the basis for competition, and how a particular company seeks to gain competitive edge† Monsoon et al 1993, pop). BPR decisions and strategic decisions involving new processes new structure and new staff mindset is extremely difficult to achieve but managers should be trained to articulate their â€Å"Process vision† driven by â₠¬Å"Business Strategy† Davenport (1993, Pl 27). 2. Style:- By style Henley (1991) meaner â€Å"the philosophy, values and shared beliefs adopted y managers in their use of power† (pop). BPR should be able to change the way things are done in the organization and behavioral changes. â€Å"Process innovation involves massive change, not only in process flows and the culture surrounding them, but also in organizational power and controls† (Davenport, 1993, Pl 3). 2. 7 Shared Values:- Andrews & Stack (1994) state that in â€Å"successful reengineering business operations, individual belief systems become aligned with the stated beliefs of the organization† (Pl 15).Reengineering will definitely have a big impact on the cultural specs of an organization under new processes, structure, staff role, management strategy and style but â€Å"re-engineering demands that employees deeply believe they work for their customers, not for their bosses†(Hammer & Champs, 1993, pop). BPR should establish new process teams linked by common values where employees must believe in self empowerment, self management and rewards based on skills must be used.Following this structure would provide me path to develop perfect strategy that would enable me to lead my team to successful re-engineering process at MEG international that would significantly improve the performance of the equines processes. Change is inevitable in an organization, the organizations unable to keep up with the change; cannot match up with the fast changing market and their survival will be in question. There are many things, events, or situations that occur in an organization or its external environment that affect the way a business operates, either that can be positive or negative.To cope with these occurrences, situations or events; every organization has to fundamentally alter the way they do business. Thus we can say the statement ‘Change is an ever-present feature of organ izational life, both at an operational and strategic level. Therefore, there should be no doubt regarding the importance to any organization of its ability to identify where it needs to be in the future, and how to manage the changes required getting there. Consequently, organizational change cannot be separated from organizational strategy, or vice versa' is very true.There are mainly four reasons that organizations need to changes that can be market changes, increased competition, external forces, and internal forces. 3. 1 Market changes The international demand for quality products, low prices, better service and increased level of client satisfaction are the key for the organizations change the way they do business in current global economy. To match these ever changing needs companies are forced to form collaborative arrangements, cooperative ventures and even alliances.Social and political pressures have always been there for the organizations. Employee values, needs, prioriti es and their motivations are always influenced by the political and social events. To match up with their needs it's essential for managers to adjust their management styles and arrange comfortable environment for employees. . 2 Increased competition In past where there were technology was not advance enough and there was less global competition with slower moving business environment where change occurred incrementally and infrequently.But now challenges organizations face is different, globalization has created both opportunities and challenges forcing firms to make drastic changes not only to compete but to survive in the market. Globalization is basically driven by technological advances, international economic integration and domestic market maturation (cotter 1996). Even companies operating in small entries can feel the impact of global competition. 3. 3 External forces External driving forces are those kinds of situations or events that occur outside of the company and they a re beyond the control of an organization.External forces can be expressed under these sub-classifications: Demographic Characteristics: The change in population and their density come under this classification that can trigger organizational changes. This mainly includes changes in age, gender, race, and increase in diversity. Technological developments: In current business environment technology plays vital role in any organization. The Internet has revolutionized the way in which information is exchanged, communication facilitated and commerce conducted.Technology is rapidly changing and effective management demands more knowledge in these areas in order for companies to manage their resources and develop, maintain or keep their competitive edge. It is essential for organizations to adapt technology to improve productivity and market competitiveness. Since technology is fastest changing entity, any business missing to follow the technological changes might loose their competitiven ess or wiped off completely from the market. . 4 Internal Forces Internal driving forces are those kinds of situations or events that occur inside the company and they controlled if there is proper initiative taken.Internal forces can be expressed under these sub Human resource factors: -classifications: People change more frequently and they bring in their changed perceptions in the organizations. Their perceptions about the work and work environment, their expectations from their managers and colleagues, flexibility and balance between work and their life etc could act as important factor for organizational change. To increase employee motivation, and improve their commitment and education towards work, their stresses, sources of conflict, work overload, and ambiguity need to be identified and eliminated.Managerial behavior/decisions: Excessive interpersonal conflict is often a clear sign that change is needed. Due to the important role of the manager in introducing and managing c hange in the organization, skills training and capacity building programmed for both manager and employee might be necessary. It is suggested that a better strategic approach to change is where organizations and heir people continually monitor, sense and respond to external and internal environment in small steps as an ongoing process (Burners, 2004).Early model of change was developed by Lenin (cited in Burners 2004, p. 985) consisting of three- stage process. First stage is â€Å"unfreezing† which is mainly aimed at overcoming or dismantling the existing â€Å"mind set† that are resisting change. Secondly the change implementation which can be of lot of confusions where old ways are challenged and new ideas have not been fully stable. Final stage he called is refreezing stabilizing hanged within organizational culture, norms, policies and practices in order to ensure the new behavior is sustained in individuals.The unfreezing process is extremely important when intro ducing new technology with most failures occurring at this stage due to two factors; a lack of effective communication at the beginning and a failure to involve affected individuals in the change process. Therefore Cotter (1996) identifies that successful transformational change requires all of the steps in (Figure 5) and that the total time for the change is considerable. Skipping a step never reduces a satisfactory result and ‘critical mistakes in any of the phases can have a devastating impact' (Cotter, 199, p. 7). 4. Re-engineering Implementation In an organization there are various business processes which are usually fragmented into sub-processes and tasks. Re-engineering should identify these individual fragmented processes and tasks. Re-engineering should start with assessment of the organization's mission, strategic goals, and customer requirements main questions to be asked are â€Å"who are the customers? What are our strategic goals and are they aligned with our m ission? â€Å". According to (Hall, et al, 1993) five keys to re-

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Full Expert Review The Official SAT Study Guide

Full Expert Review The Official SAT Study Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The Official SAT Study Guide is the most important book to have in your prep program. Nearly every student who's serious about SAT prep has this in his or her library. Even despite its obvious strengths, the book has its major drawbacks, and it will not be enough for most students. Read this detailed review to find out what the cons of this book are, and how you should integrate it as part of your prep. Note: This review is for the Official Study Guide to the Old, pre-March-2016 SAT. Read our review of the Official Study Guide to the New SAT here! Why trust this review? When you get advice on the internet, it's important to understand why you should believe the advice you're receiving. Because your SAT score is important, follow the wrong advice, and it might be too late to improve your score. To be transparent, here’s why you might be able to trust this review more than others: I like to think that I know what I’m talking about.I scoredtwo perfect scores on the SATand have worked personally with thousands of students prepping for the SAT. I’ve worked with students at all levels, from people at a 1200 level to people aiming for a 2300+. Other writers often don't have the expertise to differentiate between books, and they recommend books as an afterthought (and you can probably tell). I don’t get paid for these recommendations, and I don’t get paid if you buy these books.I’ve studied dozens of books for SAT prep, and I review the books that I come across. Other sites, especially about.com and reviews.com, get paid for featuring books and get a kickback when you buy a book they recommend. One disclaimer: I’m co-founder ofPrepScholar, an online SAT/ACT prep program. I believe we’ve built the best prep program available right now. Itdiagnoses your strengths and weaknessesand gives you a structured all-in-one program, combining the best aspects of the books below, so you know exactly what you need to study at every point. But I want to stress that you don’t need a program to excel at the SAT. In fact, writing this guide may lose us some customers, since you might decide that you don’t need a program at all. But if you decide that you don’t want to manage 10 books and want an integrated complete program that customizes to your learning,check PrepScholar SAT out. Official SAT Study Guide Review When I consider the quality of a book, I think about a few important questions: Who's the author, and what is his or her experience with the subject matter? How effective is the book, and why? What are the book's main pros and cons? We'll consider each question below. About the Author: The College Board It doesn't get much better than this. The book is the official book published by the creators and administrators of the SAT, the College Board. They've put in 10 full-length practice tests, and because they're official questions from previous administrations of the SAT, they're the best set of questions available anywhere. How effective is this book? We’ve written at length about theimportance of official SAT practice questions. The SAT test is weird and tests concepts in ways that you’ve never seen in school before. This means that you need to train with realistic questions so you learn the patterns of the SAT. Official SAT tests released by the College Board are the gold standard for SAT practice questions. This book contains 10 such tests. Each test released by the College Board contains real questions given to real students at previous administrations of the SAT. The quality of official questions is far better than questions written by unofficial sources like Kaplan and Barron's. With that said, this book will not be a complete prep program for most students. It doesn't go into detail on test strategy and tricks - after all, the College Board has maintained since the beginning of the SAT that the SAT is not able to be prepped for (which we know is factually false). It also doesn't provide focused practice on specific strengths and weaknesses, which we believe is critical to an effective prep program. Its answer explanations are also quite poor, as they don't teach you how to solve the problem - they just tell you why the correct answer is correct, and why the incorrect answers are incorrect.The book also doesn't tell you how to use it - it's important that you reflect on your mistakes, for example, and space out your prep. In the end, this book is great for what it is - 10 practice tests - but not for more than that. The Official SAT Guide's Pros and Cons Pros: The best set of practice tests you can get anywhere, period. 10 full-length tests should cover all but the most ambitious students. Since each one takes at least 4 hours to complete and review, this is already 40 hours of material. Answers for each question are available online. Cons: Answer explanations are not helpful for self-learning for most students. Most of the explanations read like this: â€Å"A is wrong because A is wrong. B is correct for these reasons† rather than showing you how to solve the question from step 1. You need to understand yourself well to learn from your mistakes. Answers are available only online and through a clunky web interface that’s annoying to use. Book doesn’t provide other instructional material. If you’re bad at algebra, you can’t rely on this book alone. People are buying it purely for the tests, and the College Board knows this. Taking practice tests without a system for learning isn’t going to improve your score, and the book doesn’t provide guidance on how to do this. Overall Rating This book is a critical piece of any student's prep program. There simply is no better source of official prep questions. It's so important that we've integrated it as a central part of our online SAT prep program. To use this book effectively, you'll definitely need advice on how best to use it, and balance it with other materials. You can also getall free official practice tests here, but they don’t have answer explanations. Overall Rating: 90/100 What's next? Read our detailed guide to theBest SAT Prep Booksto put together your own study program based on the best SAT books available now. What's a good SAT score for you?Figure it out with our step by step guide based on the colleges you're applying to. Aiming for a high score? Read ourguide to scoring a perfect SAT score, written by me, a perfect SAT scorer. Check out our industry-leading online SAT program. We've designed it to cover all the advantages of books and tutors at an affordable price. Featuring in-depth strategy lessons and thousands of practice questions, we have the content from the leading books. We include the critical Official SAT Study Guide. Beyond that, the programacts like your personal tutor. It guides you step-by-step through what you should be working on at every moment to best improve your score. Itcustomizes to your strengths and weaknesses, then gives you focused practice so you learn the patterns on the SAT. Furthermore, it motivates you to study so that you put in enough time. There's a 160 point guarantee - if you don'timprove your score by 160 points, you get all your money back. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Allen Cheng About the Author As co-founder and head of product design at PrepScholar, Allen has guided thousands of students to success in SAT/ACT prep and college admissions. He's committed to providing the highest quality resources to help you succeed. Allen graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude and earned two perfect scores on the SAT (1600 in 2004, and 2400 in 2014) and a perfect score on the ACT. You can also find Allen on his personal website, Shortform, or the Shortform blog. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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