HNC-Computering: Task 3 and Task 4

Task 3: Evaluate the importance of using primary information sources

Primary Research: This type of research involves gathering new data that has not been collected before. For example, surveys using questionnaires or interviews with groups of people in a focus group.

Secondary Research: This type of research involves gathering existing data that has already been produced. For example, researching the internet, newspapers and company reports.

Why is Primary Information Important?

1. Primary Information allows you to take control of how you collect data which will later let you form the response you want. It allows you to ask your own questions which helps narrow down similar responses. For example, asking about vehicles would be brief but being able to specify what type of vehicle, would help answer the reason of the research. This makes primary information very important as having secondary information you may not get a straight answer.

2. Primary research is a tired, tested and proven method of conducting effective research so you know the results that you gather can be relied on. Having to trust unknown secondary research you are risking the information in being incorrect or outdated. Primary information can be relied on due to the information being conducted by yourself/group.

3. The Primary Information is much better than secondary sources as it's been carried out by yourself/group, which gives you ownership of the results you've collected. The research is unique to your requirements and the insight you gain from it can give you an edge over your competitors. Some Primary information can also be worth some money to companies such as; online shops that would want to know what their customers would want. In-turn gives your research some value, which secondary sources you own no rights to.

4. Primary market research is the only way of getting direct feedback from clearly defined target groups and it allows you to ask very precise questions to a very specific group of people. This type of research is best undertaken anonymously or from an independent point of view and can be turned into very valuable content in the form of white papers as well as helping you to develop new marketing and customer profiling/engagement strategies

5. Primary information is important as you're gathering the first-hand, what you gather will be more accurate and timely. Its up to you how detailed the responses you want through the questions you ask. Having the chance to ask qualitative and quantitative questions it gives you the chance for a range of different responses of your choice. This would be helpful if your trying to find out a number results or opinions.

6. Primary information offers a deeper insight - by directly recording the thoughts, words and feelings of your primary data you can really get under the skin of what your prospects, clients or competitors are really saying. This is very useful if you are trying to gain detailed information on projects/items that the clients have witnessed or used.

Task 4: You will use Harvard referencing for all your research on the course. Describe this method of referencing.

Harvard Referencing is a system that students, writers and researchers can use to incorporate other peoples findings and ideas in their work in order to support and validate their conclusion without breaching any intellectual property laws.
This type of referencing is usually used in assignments and publications for people, nature, social and behavioural sciences

In Harvard referencing is a parenthetical referencing system that us made up of two main components: The authors surname and the year of publication which will be shown in a bracket wherever another source has been used to contribute to your work (In-text references).
A reference list is outlining all of the sources directly cited in your work.

In-text references are used to indicate where you have directly quoted or paraphrased a source. This is a great technique of referencing as it allows any reader to understand that the information has came from a different source.
The reference list is alphabetised of complete references that enables your reader to locate each source with ease.

Harvard Referencing allows companies, universities etc. to gain an idea on the length that you have gone to, to gain the research for your chosen topic.

The information allows readers to know if the information is outdated or incorrect. This makes any further research creditable due to you being aware that the information you have gained is up to date and has reliable sources.

References:
Task 3:
(12/10/2017)
http://blog.gcldirect.com/blog/info/5-reasons-why-primary-market-research-is-essential

(23/10/2017)
https://www.sccollege.edu/Library/Pages/primarysources.aspx

Task 4:
(23/10/2017)
http://www.citethisforme.com/uk/referencing-generator/harvard

HNC Computering Unit 5: Emerging Technology

Unit 5 Emerging Technology - "The Airless Tire"

Emerging technology and explain how it is used 

Find a YouTube clip with the tech explained

Look at the impact on society, how it impacts lives

Ethical implications, how does this technology impact ethically in our lives?

What does this technology replace (if anything)

Where does this technology evolve from?
Wiki

Emerging technology	Status	Potentially marginalized technologies	Potential applications	Related articles
Airless tire	Research, development, early prototypes[135][136]	Conventional tire	Safer tires	Tweel

My videos:

The Positive:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByXZGwzVUoM&feature=youtu.be

The Negative (Bonus Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gWvkwM1oW0&feature=youtu.be

Q&A Link:
https://youtu.be/oV_8XWT8IuU


Links to videos that were used: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l62wQ6zoKK8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IDmpXbK-Mk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqT176quVb4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wAvxQfusWU

Costs Per Tire:
Golf Cart: $350 / £263
Loader: $750 / £563
Bike: $35 / £26

Some Interesting Websites (Airless Tires):
(2017)

http://www.thedrive.com/news/9570/bridgestone-set-to-introduce-airless-tires

https://www.bridgestonetire.com/tread-and-trend/tire-talk/airless-concept-tires

http://www.michelintweel.com/

Airless tires - Research, development, early prototypes

Main Advantage/Disadvantage of the Airless Tire:

Advantages:
Airless
Long Life Span
Strong

Disadvantages:
Low Suspension
Burning (Long journey)

Weight/Shape (Hard to mount)

Information I didn't mention in the videos:

"The Pentagon investigates the use of a new type of airless tire designed to get troop-carrying through hot spots without stopping"

The tire is also handy to other companies that require good, strong equipment. such as construction builders.

An example: Loaders may go through tough terrain which may cause the some materials to fall if the tires are flat. - Airless tires keep the vehicles from stopping on unwanted terrain and will not cause any damage or problems to the equipment

These tires are made to be strong and with hold most off-road or bad terrain areas. The airless tires target companies that have heavy vehicles. 

The tires are used on some small vehicles such as riding lawn mowers and motorised golf carts. They also use the tire on heavy equipment such as backhoes, which are required to work on sites that are dangerous which tire punctures are high.

The main advantage of airless tires is that they cannot go flat. Other advantages are that airless tires will need to be replaced less often resulting in savings. Heavy equipment outfitted with airless tires will be able to carry more weight and engage in more rugged activities. Airless bicycles tires can be easy to install. These tires are also good as they can come in a variety. (Wiki-21/11/2017)

Airless tires generally have higher rolling resistance and provide somewhat less suspension than similarly shaped and sized pneumatic tires. 

Other problems for airless heavy equipment tires include dissipating the heat build up that occurs when they are driven.

Mounting airless tires on a bike will require little to no effort in mounting it, however heavy equipment will require special equipment to mount the tire.

The tires are not replacing other tires as they are only focusing on heavy equipment and small vehicles.

These tires have evolved from previous tires that we still use today. These airless tires are still being tested and have managed to bring out a few different prototypes. The reason for this evolve is that many heavy and small equipment that are placed in harsh terrains will need strong tires.

Script: (Video 1)

Emerging Technology

I have chosen the Airless Tire or the so called non-pneumatic tire. Theses tires do not support air pressure compared to the normal pneumatic tires which is why they are seen as special.

The airless tire is made up of four main factors:
The tread
The shear band
The Deformable wheel
And the flexible spokes

The flexible tread and the shear bands deform temporarily as the spokes bend, it then quickly returns back to its initial shape allowing a comfortable and smooth ride.

The Airless tire is used on some small vehicles such as riding lawn mowers and motorised golf carts.They are also used on heavy equipment such as backhoes which are required to operate on sites such as building demolition where risks of tire punctures are high

Many companies that require large equipment or small vehicles that will travel on harsh terrain would highly benefit using these airless tires. An example would be construction companies. Many of their equipment would require tires that are puncture proof due to the terrain and the type of construction/destruction work they do.

Another top company that is interested in the development of the airless tire is the military. In 1910 the military vehicles had honey comb tires that used little to some air pressure. A decade ago a UK engineer Macneillie brought out a similar tire the same time as a engineering company came out with their own airless tire.
The airless tires are bullet proof,can withstand the force of explosions, gun fire, extreme terrain, improvised explosive devices and have a maximum speed of 25 mph.

However, the airless tire does have negative affects, due to the tire having high rolling resistance it causes the tire to have a much lower suspension compared to other tires. This could cause damage to the lower part of your vehicle if you go over bumps or uneven terrain.

Another issue with the wheels are that they are hard to mount, although most of the airless tires will be pre-mounted on heavy equipment and small vehicles, most cyclists will have to mount the wheels themselves if they get the wheels separately.

The airless tires haven't replaced pneumatic tires however they have replaced certain tires such as the honeycomb tires in the military. Due to the airless having many prototypes the tire hasn't been able to replace anything as of yet.

The airless tire has evolved from pneumatic tires. The reason for this is most heavy equipment or vehicles are used on harsh terrain which could cause punctures and damage to the vehicle, which the airless tire would prevent.

The airless tire has made job opportunities to many people/engineers around the world. It has also saved companies money as they don't need to pay for repairs or replacements

The impact is mostly positive with many companies and works benefiting from it. The tires are also making life easier for buyers that travel off road or on harsh terrain saving them money and time. Most online sources are showing that the airless tires have helped in some way, however their are a few complaints. Mentioning burning on the tire because of long travels making the tire weak, and the difficulty in mounting due to its shape.
With that said the Airless Tire is still seen as a good emerging technology for those that need it.

Here is a video of some of the positives of the airless tire.
Here is the links to the videos I used and for any information I missed will be in the description of the video or on my blog.

Thanks for listening.

Script: (Video 2)

Airless tires may have more benefits to buyers and companies and maybe more favoured in their production as a whole, however the tires negatives could be the reason for many buyers to ignore the tire all together.

One of the main problems with airless tire, are that they heavier than normal non-pneumatic tires. The tires are usually filled with compressed plastic, combined with the durable rubber used on the non-pneumatic tires, and you're looking at one heavy object. This could have a drastic effect on your cars fuel economy. And with costs of fuel increasing its a negative which most cannot afford.

Besides keeping your tires inflated, air plays additional roles in your tires performance. The air in the tires can often absorb impact of a hole or bump because of its high suspension capabilities. On airless tires, the suspension would be lower, resulting in a rougher ride.

Your tires wont need to be checked, but your car certainly will. This could cause more harm to your vehicle than a normal non-pneumatic tire could do.

When driving for long periods of time can cause your tires get warm, but not burning hot. That's because the air in the tire allows the heat to dissipate, and this vicariously keeps your tire safe.
Without the air in the tires, there's no way for the heat to disperse. this means airless tires would get considerably hotter than standard tire, which could result in blowouts and accidents.

Vibration is a big problem for Airless tires. Vibrations become considerate once a vehicle is driving above 50mph, while causing a lot of noise and heat, any long journeys with these tires would be very unpleasant for any driver.

Lack of adjustability is a also big problem. When the airless tires have been manufactured, it cannot be adjusted. In this case if the car needed a different kind of setting, a whole new set of tires will be required. Which again will cost you money and time.

Here are the links to the videos I've have used.

Thanks for listening

References:

http://korichambo.blogspot.co.uk/ (My blog)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airless_tire  (Viewed on: 12/10/2017)

(The website was last updated on 01/11/2017)

https://www.designboom.com/technology/michelin-visionary-concept-tire-06-15-2017/

(Viewed on: 19/10/2017) (The website was last updated on (15/06/2017)

https://gizmodo.com/bridgestones-airless-tires-will-soon-let-cyclists-aband-1794492775 (Viewed on: 02/11/2017) (The website was last updated: )

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/tech-dept-the-latest-on-the-airless-tire-and-wheel-combo-tech-dept

(Viewed on: 05/12/2017)

(Published: May 2012. Authors Don Sherman, Illustration by Sean Mccabe)

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/reinventing-the-wheel-a-guide-to-michelins-airless-tire-19937.html#

(Viewed on: 03/12/2017)