Home Style Cookies, Lew Mark Baking Company

Home Style Cookies, Lew Mark Baking Company Free Online Research Papers In this case study, the focus revolves around the Lew Mark Baking Company. The Lew-Mark Baking Company according to the case study is from a small town in western New York. Lew-mark Baking company operates in New York and New Jersey. It employs around 200 workers in a mainly blue collar, informal atmosphere. In my paper, I will answer several questions about operations for this company The Cookie Production Process When describing the cookie production process for Lew-mark baking, it is best described as using the batch processing system. The batch processing system can best be described as the execution of a series of programs (jobs) on a computer without human interaction. â€Å"Batch Processing is used when a moderate value of goods or services is desired, and it can handle a moderate variety of products and services† (Stevenson 2009, P 239). This method helps with quantity management because Lew mark only makes cookies according to demand. What are two ways that the company has increased productivity? Why did increasing the length of the ovens result in a faster output? One obvious way the company is increasing productivity is that it only makes cookies according to the demand. What ever order it receives from its distributor is what is made in the factory. This ensures that productivity is centered on the demand and time is not wasted baking products that might or might not sell. This is return, makes productivity quicker and more efficient. As mentioned above, the Batch processing system is a huge contributor to increasing productivity. Having two ovens also helps in speeding up productivity. Lengthen the ovens by 25 feet, increased the rate of production by allowing more cookies to be baked at the same time. Automating the Packing Although automating the packing of the cookies in normally a quicker and more efficient way of doing business, it is my opinion the Lew-mark baking Company is doing the right thing by employing local workers to do this job. It is vitally important to create good relationship within the community. This allows a company to have a stake in the community and thus foster good relationships with the local government, political officials and members of the community. Fostering these types of relationships can also be beneficial when it comes to future plans or expansions. Plus, the company has an obligation to the workers once they are employed with the company. As longs as profits and the bottom line are healthy, it should keep its commitment to the community. This would hold true in a small or large community. It is the obligation of industry to keep workforce engagement in tact. As long as industry is alive, some sort of human engagement is needed. What factors cause Lew-mark to carry minimal amounts of certain inventories? What benefits results from this policy? Obviously, the shelf life of perishables (cookies) keeps companies like Lew-Mark from storing big quantities of cookies in the warehouse. The longer these cookies stay in the warehouse, the lower the possibility of being sold. In reading the text, Stevenson’s goes into great detail about the Single Period Model of Inventory Management. This Model is used for ordering perishables and other items with limited useful life. It is interesting how Lew mark keeps a smaller inventory of labels. Their rationale is that the FDA label requirements change frequently and they do not wan to get stuck with labels they cannot use. Most of their inventory is ordered in small silos two or three times a week to save on ordering cost. This type of inventory control favors smaller businesses as long as they can forecast their production with accuracy. This allows Lew-mark to only buy what they use and use what they buy. If production decreases, they buy less. If production increases, they buy more. In the case of Lew-Mark Baking Company, this type of inventory control makes sense. Quality There are advantageous and disadvantages in using a non additive and non preservative approach to selling products. The advantage is that you can target a more health conscious audience to your product. With all the health disparities facing the country, you can carve out a specific audience for these types of products. On the flip side, you have to race against the clock because these non additives and non preservative shorten the life of these perishable items. In other words, your selling approach needs to be more progressive in its nature Conclusion In conclusion, the Lew-Mark Baking Company has an excellent product available to its consumers. Its pitch to sell non additive non preservative cookies targets and audience that is looking for this type of product. Because of its size, Lew-mark capitalizes in efficiency by using very tight inventory controls and production processes that keeps the company financially conscious and fiscally responsible. Its sensitivity to the community also brings morale responsibility that is noted by many members of the community and abroad. The Companies Strategy is to create a product that is desirable to the consumer and delivering that product in a way that makes the best business sense to its owners. As a consumer, I prefer quality in the form of a soft cookie. Understanding that the cookie has non and non preservatives is a plus. Research Papers on Home Style Cookies, Lew Mark Baking CompanyTwilight of the UAWRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceDefinition of Export QuotasOpen Architechture a white paperThe Project Managment Office System

ACT What Should You Do

Low GPA but High SAT/ACT What Should You Do SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Say you have done the near-impossible, and gotten an amazing SAT score of 2200 or higher or an ACT score of 32 or higher. Many high school students across the country are probably jealous of you! But what if your GPA is much lower – a 3.0, or even a 2.0? Do you still have a shot at top colleges? What will admissions officers think about you? Read on to find out what to do with a low GPA, high SAT/ACT score application. That high score could be worth a lot more than you think! The Good News Your high SAT/ACT score proves your academic abilities and intellectual aptitude. While it’s possible to have a high GPA without being super smart (since some schools inflate GPAs), it’s almost impossible to get a high SAT/ACT score if you don’t have significant intellectual ability. Colleges know this. Since the SAT and ACT are national, standardized tests, if you do well on them you'll stack up very favorably compared with the entire applicant pool. For example, if you have a 34 ACT, that means you scored higher than 99% of the country. Having a 4.0 GPA, on the other hand, doesn’t allow colleges to easily compare you to other students. This is because grading scales and class difficulty varies among high schools. One other thing to keep in mind is that applying to schools where your SAT/ACT score is above their average admitted student score raises your odds of admission because your score will raise the schools' averages. Remember, colleges are also trying to maximize their score profiles, and getting students with higher SAT/ACT scores to apply can make them look good. The Bad News Your transcript and GPA are very important, especially for competitive schools. Stanford says on their admissions website, â€Å"We expect you to challenge yourself throughout high school and to do very well. The most important credential that enables us to evaluate your academic record is the high school transcript.† Why is the transcript – including your GPA – so important? Because your GPA shows your performance over a long period of time, as well as your ability to succeed in tough classes. This is important to help colleges decide if you will be able to succeed in their classes. If you’re a junior or senior with a low GPA, you don’t have a lot of time to raise it before you turn in your college applications. So what can you do? We will tell you what colleges might think about your low GPA and high ACT/SAT combination, questions they will have, and tips for you based on what your exact circumstances are. How Low Is Low? Of course, just how low your GPA is will affect your odds of admission. There is a huge difference between a 3.5, which would be considered low at selective colleges but well within range at many state schools, and a 2.0, which is considered low at most colleges. Also make sure you're not being hard on yourself... you may think your 3.9 GPA is low, but most colleges won't. Find out what the admitted student GPA range is at your target schools. You can do this by searching â€Å"[Name of College/University] Average GPA Admission† or â€Å"[Name of College/University] Admission Requirements.† If your GPA is just out of range, your high SAT/ACT score will likely make up for your GPA, especially if the rest of your application is strong. But if your GPA is far below their range, it will be especially important to use your application to explain why your GPA is low. So if you’re reaching for a tough college, or have a way out-of-range GPA, read on to find out what to do! What Do Colleges Think of Your High SAT/ACT and Low GPA? If you have a high SAT/ACT score but low GPA, admissions officers will assume your academic potential is high – your SAT/ACT score shows that – but that your motivation is low, hence your low GPA. A â€Å"smart slacker† could be the first thing that comes to mind when an admissions officer reads your file. So what you have to do is prove that assumption wrong. Whether you have personal circumstances leading to a low GPA, a demanding extracurricular, or other academic preparation outside of high school classes, your goal is to show that not only are you smart – but you can also work hard and do well in college. We will go through a series of scenarios, guided by the main questions admissions officers will be asking, about why your GPA is low and what it means. For each scenario, we have some specific advice, but read through all of them as your situation is likely unique and combines multiple scenarios. Why Is Your GPA Low? This is the big question admissions officers will have when they see your application. This is the question your application has to satisfyingly answer, especially if you want a shot at top colleges. We will explore the two circumstances most likely to excuse a low GPA. Don’t worry if these don’t apply to you – we have plenty more advice coming! Scenario 1: Extenuating Circumstances If you have serious extenuating circumstances like a medical condition or family crisis, definitely explain them on your application. This would fit in the â€Å"extra information† box for sure, but it could also be good material for your personal statement. For example, if you have a low GPA because your family had financial troubles, both of your parents started working long hours, and you became the primary caretaker for younger siblings and didn’t have time for homework, that should definitely be on your application as part of your story. Or if your grades suffered due to a medical condition, you should definitely make that known on your application. In short, if you had serious outside circumstances that affected your grades, make sure you explain them thoroughly on your application. You want to make sure colleges know that, in your case, your GPA wasn’t entirely in your control. You should highlight academic interests and classes you did do well in, but the explanation of your circumstances will be the best way to help admissions officers evaluate your file fairly. Scenario 2: You Spent Tons of Time on an Extracurricular If you spend a lot of time on an extracurricular – say you’re a debater who’s been to nationals or an award-winning flute player – at the expense of classes, it won’t excuse a low GPA, but it will improve your chances. In addition to top scores and high GPAs, colleges are also looking for exceptionally talented students in specific fields. If you have an exceptional ability, it could overcome a low GPA, especially with your high ACT/SAT score. Any extracurriculars done at the national level will look especially good. Do neither of these situations apply to you? Keep reading. If you've played Carnegie Hall, colleges will probably be fairly forgiving about that C in Biology... What Kinds of Classes Were You Taking? A low GPA in hard classes will look better than a low GPA in easier ones. You should think about the pattern of grades you received and why you got low grades where you did. College admissions officers will be trying to figure out this pattern too, so make it easier for them and explain whatever pattern you have. For example†¦ Scenario 3: You Took Hard Classes and Got a Low GPA Did you overload yourself with too many hard courses and struggle to keep up? In your essay, you could talk about what you learned from taking on too much at a time and how you will be more careful and focused in college. Since you were in those hard classes, you should also highlight what you learned and any intellectual development you experienced. For example, even if you got a low grade in AP Biology, maybe taking it convinced you that you want to explore pre-med courses in college and so you began volunteering at a local hospital or signed up for a medical anatomy class. That kind of journey would show colleges that you have serious interests, and even if your grades aren’t high, you are capable of doing hard work and improving. Scenario 4: You Took Easy Classes and Got a Low GPA Were you uninterested by easy classes at your school, and ended up slacking off? This will be a harder sell, but if you were in mostly regular classes (not honors or AP or IB) and got a low GPA, you could argue you simply weren’t interested by your classes and had a hard time keeping up with menial assignments, but did have intellectual pursuits in your free time. The above argument will be more compelling if you went to a high school without very many honors, AP, or IB options. Your application would also be strengthened if you have a career goal in mind and do well in certain classes related to it. For example, if you want to be a lawyer and manage to pull decent grades in English and History, it could help convince admissions officers that despite your slacking in other classes, you will be able to pull together and focus on your major in college. Hint: video games don't count as an intellectual pursuit (unless you design them). What’s Your Grade Trend? While a high GPA is important, so is an overall trend of improved grades or harder classes year to year. Whether you have a rising grade trend or a sinking one, read on to learn what it means and how it affects your applications. Scenario 5: You Started With Low Grades but Improved If you’re reading this as a sophomore or junior, work to improve your grades starting now. You won’t be able to totally fix your GPA, but you will be able to show a story of improvement, which can be just as important. A pattern of improved grades shows that you fixed issues you had with time management and have gotten better at handling assignments and tests. This growth is important because it shows admissions officers you can continue to grow and improve in college. This will look especially good if you have been succeeding in honors, AP, or IB classes later in your high school career, as it suggests you are learning the skills needed to succeed in college. If you have this pattern on your transcript, definitely spend some time on your application explaining why you struggled at the beginning of high school, and what caused you to improve your grades. Along with a high ACT/SAT score, an improved GPA can convince colleges you are academically prepared. Scenario 6: You Started With High Grades but They Dropped If you started with great grades and your GPA has fallen, you’ll have to explain why. Took on too many hard classes? You became overly involved in a sport or extracurricular? Illness in the family? It will also be especially important to prove you have other academic or intellectual interests, like we will discuss below. A lowering grade trend is more worrisome to collegesbecause it suggests you had a hard time coping with harder classes later in high school, or even that you’ve burned yourself out before college. You will have to prove that you have strong academic interests and are capable of doing well, despite your trend of sinking grades. One way to do this is to take a few Honors, AP or IB classes senior year and make sure you do well in them. Colleges will see a mid-year grade report, so if they see that you have taken on harder classes and are doing better, that will reassure them that you are capable of doing well in college courses. Another way to reassure colleges is with SAT Subject Tests. Some colleges require them for admission, some don’t, but nearly all will consider them. Getting high SAT subject tests scores will help convince admissions officers that you’re academically capable in certain subjects. If you haven’t taken any SAT Subject Tests yet, consider it – many students take them late in the game (even in Senior fall). If you are confident of your ability on tests, and you have even a bit of time to devote to studying, a high SAT subject score or two could help prove your ability in academic subjectsand help overshadow your GPA. If your GPA trend looks like this, you have some explaining to do... Can You Prove Your Academic Preparation in a Different Way? If your GPA is low and you don’t have a good reason for it, your task will be to prove to colleges you are still academically prepared, despite your low GPA. Your high ACT/SAT score is the first step towards proving yourself, but also consider other ways you can show your smarts†¦ Scenario 7: You Have One Weak Subject Is there a certain subject you struggle in? Is your GPA low because you have Ds in math but As and Bs everywhere else? If so, you should highlight your strengths in other subjects. For example, If you have great grades in English classes, highlight that on your application and talk about what draws you to English and why you enjoy it. Show that you have strong intellectual interests in your best subjects, which you can do through your personal statement or college supplements on the Common App. If you have done outside work or an extracurricular related to these classes, even better. For example, if you’re great at English and history and spend time outside of class in Mock Trial, you can talk about how your interest in law drives you to do well in history and English. This won’t totally excuse low math grades you might have, but it will show colleges you have strong academic interests. Help colleges focus on the positive! Scenario 8: You Took and Passed AP or IB Exams Did you take and pass AP or IB exams? For example, even if you got Cs all year in World History but passed the test with a 4, that at least proves you mastered most of the material. If this is the case for you, highlight exams you did well on and talk about your intellectual interest in those subjects. You could address why you didn’t do well in the classes in the â€Å"extra information† box, but focus on explaining your academic interests and how you want to continue pursuing them in college in the personal statement. Remember, you want to demonstrate your academic abilities to colleges. A passing AP/IB score is an important piece of evidence, so follow it up with an essay further explaining your interests! Scenario 9: You Took Outside Enrichment Classes Whether you attended an academic summer camp or took an extra course or two at a community college, definitely put that information on your application. It won't make up for your low grades, but it will show colleges that you are serious about your intellectual pursuits and made time outside of school for learning. This can be especially helpful if you get an additional letter of recommendation from a professor or instructor you worked with. Scenario 10: You Have Academic Interests Outside of School So your GPA is low, but do you do things like read War and Peace in your spare time? Have you learned a coding language on your own and designed your own app? If you can’t show your academic preparation through any high course grades or AP/IB exam results, find a way to include outside academic interests in your application. If you’ve attended Hackathons or entered writing contests, fit that into your application under extracurriculars. This kind of outside interest could be great material for a personal statement as well. Basically, if you have academic preparation or interests that are not going to show up on your transcript, make sure they show up on your application! It will be reassuring to admissions officers to see you have outside intellectual pursuits. Writing code is a more acceptable excuse for slacking off in Algebra than watching television... How Can You Compensate With the Rest of Your Application? College applications are holistic, meaning they consider the candidate as a whole. GPA is just one factor. While it’s an important factor, if everything else on your application is strong you can improve your chances of admission. Having a high SAT/ACT score is your big advantage because you won’t be weeded out immediately based on your score. Read on to see how to maximize the other categories. Personal Statement Your essay is another opportunity to prove yourself. If you had significant extenuating circumstances, you could talk about them here. If you were bored and slacked off, use the essay as a space to explain an intellectual interest or hobby to offset your low GPA. No matter what you write about, make sure your essay is well-written and presents your unique voice. Remember – you no longer have control over your GPA, but you have complete control over your essay and how it presents you. Use it wisely! Extracurriculars Do you have any other extracurriculars that speak to intellectual aptitude? Math competitions, Model United Nations, writing for the school newspaper – these are the kinds of extracurriculars that support academic interests. If you have them, definitely highlight them. Extracurriculars in the arts – from musical instruments to drawing to theater – are also great because they speak to interests outside of the classroom. You should also talk about your involvement in sports, since that excelling in them requires both discipline and teamwork skills. In short, you should highlight any extracurricular activity you have, even if you don’t think it’s significant. Extracurriculars can help show colleges you have outside interests, discipline, and the ability to work with others. These are all important factors, but can also help make up for a low GPA. Teacher Recommendations For your letters of recommendation, find teachers who can either speak to your personal circumstances or believe in your academic potential. You want to make sure your recommendations are supporting evidence for your application, not contradicting information. For example, if your GPA is low due to an illness, find a teacher who can speak to your perseverance when you were sick, or how hard you worked once your condition improved. If you don’t have extenuating circumstances like that, make sure you find teachers who have great, specific things to say about you and your academic potential. Maybe you have an English teacher who always loved your essays or a math teacher who often called you to the front to explain problems on the board. Find teachers who recognize your abilities and would write you a kind letter. Don't get a teacher to write a letter just because they taught you in a hard subject. If a recommender doesn't have specific things to say about you, the letter won't help your application. If you’re not sure you can get an amazing recommendation from a teacher, many colleges allow an additional letter to be submitted, from someone like a coach or boss. Find a third person who you know will speak very highly of you and use them for that third letter. Where Are You Applying? Your odds of admission will also depend on where you’re applying. For example, say you have a 2360 SAT but a 2.7 GPA. While your SAT would make you competitive for the Ivy League, it will be harder to overcome your low GPA at highly competitive schools. They simply have too many applicants with both high test scoresand high GPAs to admit many people with a serious deficiency in either. That 2360 alone won't get you into Harvard... However, if you apply to less competitive schools where your SAT is far above their 25-75 percentile ranges, you would actually be quite a desirable candidate since your SAT score would raise their averages. (The 25-75 ranges are the score ranges that the middle 50 percent of colleges’ accepted students fall in. For example, a 25-75 range of 24-30 ACT means that 25% of applicants scored lower than a 24, 25% scored higher than 30, and the middle 50% were between 24 and 30.) Furthermore, a less competitive school will be more forgiving of a weak spot on your application, in this case your GPA, as opposed to a very selective school. As a general rule, it’s important to apply to a range of colleges. Don't just apply to all eight Ivy Leagues hoping that one will let you in. Apply to a few schools that are reaches given your GPA and ACT/SAT combo, a few that are safe targets, and a few that you think you will definitely get into, like state or community colleges. You want to make sure you have some choices when it’s time to decide which college you’ll attend. What’s Next? Learn about automatic scholarships for SAT/ACT scores. While colleges usually factor in GPA or Class Rank, see how far your high test score can get you. Want to use SAT Subject Tests to raise your chances of admission? Learn which colleges require SAT Subject Tests for admission. Check out our SAT/ACT Percentile rankings guides to see just how much your high score stands out. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Critical Analysis, Compare and Contrast Characters Essay

Critical Analysis, Compare and Contrast Characters - Essay Example The central character of the play, Clay has been presented as a twenty-year-old black man, or, a Negro. Here the playwright presents the Negro as the one compromising his own identity in order to maintain a peaceful relationship with his white oppressors. The playwright presents Clay as a typical bourgeois black male that Lula, his co-passenger, the representative of the whites, could easily recognize his life history. His way of dressing, style of speech and his demeanor help her recognizing his class, intellectual capacity and his very nature with full of pretensions. The story of the play occurs in the train journey where Clay is attracted to the sexy, young woman, Lula, who begins a taunting seduction of him and invites herself along to his friend’s party. But she suddenly violent racist words against him. Though Clay tries to control her with intellectual dexterity, he fails in his attempt and retaliates by slapping her twice and says that neuroses of black men can be cur ed with her murder. But she stabs him when he made his apology for his actions and bend to take his shoes. After murdering him, she instructs other passengers to help her to throw his body out of the train. The play ends when Lula approaches another black man in the same way she approached Clay by giving the audience the hint that the attitude of the whites to the blacks have a continuity. Walker Vessels is the central character of Amiri Baraka’s popular play The Slave. The play has been subtitled as "A Fable in a Prologue and Two Acts," in which an old field-slave, Walker Vessels provides a brief introduction to the play in the Prologue. When the play begins he appears on the stage as Black revolutionary Walker Vessels. Vessel meets with his former wife Grace, a White woman, to take his children with him. Vessels kills Grace's husband (Easley) as a Black revolutionary and appears as the old field-slave, as appeared in the prologue, when the play is concluded. The comparative study of the two characters brings out similarities as well as differences between the two characters, Walker Vessels in The Slave and Clay in Dutchman. The most important comparison between them is that both of them are Black Americans who had to undergo severe neglect and are subjected for mental torture. It is the ill treatment from the part of Lula that makes clay reacting and the same leads him to his tragic death. Regarding Vessels, he was also confronted with the neglecting attitude of his former wife, Easley, a white woman. But contrary to the behavior of Clay, Vessels decides to protest against the injustice and kills Easley’s husband and gets back his children, though it is not sure whether they survived war. Baraka presents the character of Vessels in a peculiar way; a person one who fluctuates from laughter to anger, from tenderness to cruelty, from Standard English to Black English; he even dances and makes up a song (Barrios). Comparing to Clay, Vessel is an el oquent person that he could use every means to express himself. A close observation of his way of expression reveals that his taking action is not only shown in his overt militancy but implicit in his spoken and body language of gesture and movement as well (Barrios). Comparing Vessel to a saxophone; which can produce different notes and sounds that convey multiple moods will be quite apt to describe his character. But Clay is not a man who tries to meddle

Dynamics of Leadership Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Dynamics of Leadership - Personal Statement Example Science Group project: I was a leader in this project. My responsibilities included a selection of topic, distribution of tasks and making sure the tasks were completed in time. I was successful in it as I selected the Solar System project and everyone was happy with my selection. My group which consisted of four students other than I had previously decided which topic to choose from. We decided that we will complete the task in four days and do all the work in Science class as our teacher gave us time to work on our project. Cutting of planets, drawing, coloring, and pasting were all distributed equally. All of us participated equally in the project and it was delivered in time.   English Group Project: the class was divided into 3 groups. We used to sit in three rows so each row consisted of one group. We had a class quiz in which the team which gives most of the answers won. I always used to sit on the front desk, therefore, my teacher made me the leader. This was a difficult task for me because being a Chinese it is difficult to cope up with elective English classes. I tried to answer and make another answer but everyone was scared to do so. I got angry and could not lead my team as well as I did not know how to motivate them.   Group Task (China Day Celebration): This was a national holiday, therefore, we were supposed to decorate our school prior to it. This was a task involving all of the class. We had to make our flag and write enthusiastic messages for our country. Each class was supposed to decorate their own classrooms. The best-decorated classroom was supposed to get the reward. I observed that many students did not take a keen interest in it and tried to put their tasks on others. This added to the delay in the completion of the project and we did not come up with good work as compared to the winning class.

Management, Leadership and Public Health Planning

Management, Leadership and Public Health Planning Student Name: Aphrodis Ndayisaba 0. Introduction The complexity and dynamism of healthcare systems around the world make them require strong, knowledgeable and skilful managers and leaders. The need for effective health managers and leaders is of paramount importance in allowing organisations and professionals to achieve their goals. Part of the knowledge and skills that healthcare services managers and leaders should have include planning and change management. In this essay, we will discuss, using a health project and examples, the steps undertaken in planning process and later on we will be discussing on various ways that healthcare services managers and leaders would partake to effect organisational change. 1. The steps in a health planning process According to Ardal et al (2006), a plan is defined as â€Å"a map, as a preparation, as an arrangement†. Planning defines the direction where the organisation or a person is heading and how to reach there. Various activities are undertaken in health planning process. It is stated that health planning process follows as the same basic steps as any planning process and these steps form a cycle which is normally repeated in the planning process for programs, populations, systems or health goals. The necessity of repeated cycle is due to the prevailing conditions which some or all may push to the change of the existing plan. For example, new evidences to create, restore or support health are released unceasingly, thus to incorporate these evidences into plans, the planning process should be cyclical (Ardal al, 2006). According to Ardal et al (2006), most planning cycles comprise seven steps which are: Surveying the environment Setting directions Identify problems and challenges Identify ranges of solutions to the problem and challenges Identify the preferred solutions Implementation Evaluation According to the same source, some people might argue that planners are only involved in the first five steps yet planners are also instrumental in understanding and supporting to shape the implementation plan and evaluation. They may be invited to provide support in these latter activities. To discuss on these steps, we use an example of a community health project on fighting against malaria in a local district. 1.1. Surveying the environment This step is concerned with the information collection to determine the current situation regarding the issue under consideration. The assessment of the current situation is done from various perspectives. For example, in the planning process for the project to fight against malaria, those involved in the planning process can review the previous plans about the project. According to Chatora and Tumusiime (2004), the review of the previous plans is essential in the planning process as it helps find out whether the government policy changed over a period of time and what its impact on the plan. Additionally, the planners can review the previous plans to see any change on certain key information in the planning like demographic information on the number of the target population, social, economic and cultural factors, community engagement in the process and health delivery. Similarly, the review of the previous plans provides information on the change about resources like human, financia l and material resources and about the performance of the previous plans. 1.2. Setting directions This step involves goals and objectives setting and the establishment of the standards against which the existing health/ illness status or existing organisational or system performance will be compared with. Simply put, at this stage, health planners seek to answer the key question â€Å"where do we want to go?† or â€Å"what do we want to achieve†. In other words, the health planners identify the desirable future state or outcome for the issue in question. For example, during the planning process of the project intended to fight against malaria in the district, those involved may set the target of having zero death due to malaria in the district during a certain period. 1.3. Identification of problems and challenges This step is concerned with the identification and quantification of the shortfalls between the existing situation and the desirable situation. To identify problems and challenges, the available data should be taken into consideration; data from health information management system, community surveys, census, reports, and anecdotes alike. Problems can be either primary or secondary. On one hand, Primary problems include illnesses identified in the community like malaria, tuberculosis HIV infection, leprosy or other related to socioeconomic factors like inequity, unfairness or patient dissatisfaction. On the other hand, secondary problems or contributory problems are those problems related to poor health systems like shortage of health resources, poor health delivery services and poor management skills which contribute to the primary problems (Chatora Tumusiime, 2004). For example, during the process of planning the project to fight against malaria, planners have to make use of various data sources to determine the causes of the deficit between the current situation and the desired situation about malaria in their district 1.4. Identification of range of solutions to problems and challenges At this stage, a range of solutions to each identified problem and challenge is identified. Also, at this stage, an assessment of each possible solution, using criteria like feasibility with the available resources, cost-effectiveness, is done so that each solution can be compared with each other to ease the process of prioritisation. For example, in planning process about community health project to fight against malaria, each identified problem and challenge that impede the initiatives to fight malaria a solution should be sought to it. However, given the complexity of this step in identifying solutions to the problems and challenges, creativity is of paramount importance as some problems and challenges may not have readily available solutions (Ardal al, 2006). 1.5. Identification of preferred solutions This step is concerned with the selection of a solution or a range of solutions to deal with the identified problems and challenges in the above step. The selection of the solutions may require to take into consideration fiscal and political context and other limiting factors (Ardal al, 2006). For example, in choosing solutions to the problems and challenges to the fight against malaria, government policies and guidelines and the available resources and other limiting factors should be not be ignored. 1.6. Implementation This step deals with the implementation of the selected solutions and it is preceded by the development of implementation plan. 1.7. Evaluation It stated that this step may start with the development of an evaluation plan well prior to the actual evaluation. This step is concerned with the evaluation of the outcomes of the implemented solutions to determine if the latter resulted in achieving the goals set in the planning process. It is also concerned with the evaluation of the environment in which the plan was carried out to determine if any change occurred hence helping depict whether the implemented solutions were less effective, more effective or irrelevant. Additionally, it involves developing ongoing tracking system methods to be used to continuously make identification and assessment of the planned or unplanned outcomes of the implemented actions (Ardal al, 2006). 2. Various ways to effect organisational change Healthcare organisations, like any other organisations, either public or private constantly undergo changes. The need for change or reform in these organisations is reported to be fundamental to the management process. Managers of these organisations need to adapt how they work when faced with contextual changes such as the emerging new technologies, changes in environmental pressures, demographics, political ideologies, socioeconomic context and rising demand and cost (Goodwin et al, 2006). So, organisations have to change as their internal and external environment constantly change. Numerous models and theories of change management have been proposed in the literature. These models include the 7-S model, PESTELI, soft systems methodology, Kurt Lewin’s classic three-phase model of change-unfreeze, move or change and unfreeze, John Kotter’s popular 8 step change model, etc. (Goodwin et al,2006; The State of Queensland, 2014). It is stated that each model has its own advantages and disadvantages and no one approach is best in all circumstances. â€Å"Indeed it is not so much the actual model or theory that is important, but more that the approach that is taken is relevant to the circumstances† (The state of Queensland, 2014). In essence, the best change model appear to make use of and adjust aspects of various models to meet the culture of the organisation in question and the context of change needed. Basically, it is reported that the goal of all change management is to secure the involvement of each and every one to the change and align indiv idual and team behaviour and skills with the change (The state of Queensland, 2014): For the case of the director of the Directorate of Public Health who needs to replenish the image of the organisation after observing that it was getting negative, below are the proposed ways that can be partaken to effect the health organisational change. They are the analytical tools that they can be used to develop a coherent strategic response to the situation like the one mentioned above. The 7S model PESTELI Soft systems methodology Process modelling SWOT analysis 2.1. The 7S model The 7S model is one of the diagnostic tools that healthcare organisation managers can use to conduct situational analysis to assess the gap between what is and what ought to be and it is often a tool that can be used for the justification for change management programmes. This model suggests that there are seven criteria which require the harmonisation of each other. These criteria are the following: Strategy: this criteria is concerned with the plan or course of action that leads to the allocation of organisation’s resources to achieve its goals. Structure: This involves the outstanding characteristics of the organisational chart. This is related to the organisational leadership structure and how its parts are interconnected inside the organisation. Systems: This criterion is concerned with the processes and procedures and the information flow around the organisation. Staff: This criterion is concerned with the categories of human resources within the organisation. Style: This is related to leadership style that the managers use to reach the organisation’s goals. Shared values: This is concerned with the guiding principles that the organisation instil to its members. Skills: This is related to the staff capacity of the organisation. Goodwin et al (2006) state that the 7S model can be used in two ways: in identifying strengths and weaknesses by taking into consideration the linkage between each criteria and how change made in one criterion will impact on all of the others. Despite its attractiveness of its dual emphasis on soft and hard organisational components, it is criticised of providing one-sided organisational culture with the only sole focus on the similarities that stick to the organisation and ignore other important aspects like conflict and disagreement (Goodwin et al, 2006). 2.2. PESTELI PESTELI is described as checklist used to analyse the environment in which the organisation operates. It stands for: P: Political factors: political impetus and influences that have an effect on organisational performance or other options open to the organisation. E: Economic influences: competitive nature that the organisation faces and the financial resources available within the economy. S: Social trends: change in demographics, trends in the behaviour and attitude of people regarding how they live, work and think. T: Technological innovations: new ways of doing new and old things and mitigating new or old problems; be it equipment or new ways thinking or organising. E: Ecological factors: this involves defining wider ecological system to which the organisation belongs and the manner the latter interacts with. L: Legislative requirement: these extend from the employment law to environmental regulations. I: Industry analysis: this is concerned with reviewing of the rousing quality of the industry to which the organisation belongs. As the 7S model, PESTELI can be used to conduct an analysis of the favouring factors in the environment in which the organisation operates and those that hinder the progress (Goodwin et al, 2006). 2.3. Soft systems methodology It is a tool which helps in articulating complex social processes. This is done by bringing together concerned people so that they can express their points of view, challenge them and test them. The following steps are undertaken when using this tool: Identify a problem and its causes from the stakeholders, cultural and political perspectives, without any attempt to impose a preconceived structure or to over-simplify the processes in place. Articulate root definitions of relevant systems: purpose, dynamics, inputs and outputs. Discuss on the situation with the stakeholders by describing the needed activities to achieve the root definitions using for instance process mapping tool or cause-and-effect diagram. Compare models with reality by observing, discussing and defining what to alter on the structure, process and attitude. Take action to implement the proposed solutions. Despite the importance of this tool in making change happening, it was criticised of being time consuming and costly. Also, there are concerns of whether organisational members are enough motivated to undertake the task to its end (Iles and Sutherland, 2001 cited in Goodwin et al, 2006). 2.4. Process modelling Process modelling is used as an approach to capture and clarify different views and expectations of a process. It helps increase the understanding of the situation at hand and how the proposed new one will make a difference. Simply put, the aim of this tool is to capture the dynamics of a situation so that those involved can brainstorm and come up with the best practices to change the current process. 2.5. SWOT analysis SWOT analysis is another important tool used to examine an organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses, its opportunities for growth and improvement, and the threats the external environment presents to its survival (Harrison, 2010). It is a systematic way of examining why an organization needs to change. SWOT stands for: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This tool can be used in combination with other tool. For example, it is used together with the 7S model to identify organisational internal factors and PESTELI to identify external factors that hinder the growth or the normal functioning of the organisation. REFERENCES ARDAL, S. ET AL, 2006. The Health Planner’s Toolkit. http://www.health.gov.on.ca/transformation/providers/information/resources/health_planner/module_1.pdf [6-11-14]. CHATORA, R., TMUSIIME,P., 2004. District Health Management Team Training Modules. Module 4: Planning and Implementation of District Health Services. https://www.k4health.org/sites/default/files/Module%204.pdf [5-11-14]. GOODWIN, N. ET AL., 2006. Managing Health Services. London: Open University Press. HARRISON,J., 2010. Essentials of Strategic Planning in Healthcare. Washington: AUPHA Press. THE STATE OF QUEENSLAND, 2014. Change Management Best Practices Guide: Five (5) key factors common to success in managing organisational. changehttp://www.psc.qld.gov.au/publications/subject-specific-publications/assets/change-management-best-practice-guide.pdf [6-11-14]. 1

Teenagers’ Addiction

It's 12:30 a. m. YouVe spent your entire night doing your late-night homework and now you have a craving for the munchies. Your mouth waters as you spot a box of Oreos, a bag of Doritos, and yes, even a bag of popcorn. However, what you don't know about these seemingly harmless, delicious snacks is that they contain loads of fats that, on the log run, will surely harm your health!I have put both my time and energy to research about this topic (fast food consumption among teenagers) not only because of its personal influence (considering I'm a teen who used to be a sucker for Junk food), but also because this issue has been strongly prevaling and has been increasing potentially harmful effects on us teenagers as we're growing older, uch as diabetes, high blood pressure problems that can come with even worse complications, like heart diseases and fatal storkes.With only very few exceptions, fast foods have exceedingly high content of saturated fat and trans fat that can easily increase the level of bad cholesterol in a person's body. In addition to fats, sugars and salts that are found in Junk food like candy bars and burgers, respectively, also can have negative impacts on teenagers' healths. Also, some of my school friends have known persons that are currently suffering from the results of constant consumption of fast food.These teenagers suffer from not only evident damages to their physical health, but also those damages to their intellectual health. Moreover, seeing as we are such a school community, I hope that we must be vigilant and take notice for each other as we all wish our friends to stay healthy, Joyful, and successful individuals with long healthy lives. 2. Overview of the subject: Teenagers are becoming immensely absorbed into the theme of today, as their transforming lifestyles are bringing about a lot of challenges in the world.The rapid, untiring, and nervous lifestyles of teenagers today are bringing them towards more ast food consumption rath er than healthier and home cooked food. This has very important problem faced by many countries as the instances of heart diseases and diabetes being observed among teens are growing daily. Teenagers undergoing obesity can have long term sicknesses which will be discovered sooner or later in their lives. In Canada, over 26% of teenagers (1. 6 million teenagers) are considered overweight or obese. Frood, 2009). The same phenomenon has occurred in the United States. The prevalence of overweight teenagers in the United States has increased dramatically in the past few years. Recent reports have reached epidemic levels, with approximately 16 percent of teenagers, 12 to 19 years old, classified as overweight (Bellows ; Roach, 2009). According to Novikova, there are three major causes why so many teenagers are attracted to fast food consumption (Novikova, 2009): The first factor is that of time constraints.This means that Junk food is addictive due to its simplicity and students prefer it as it is very quick to purchase. Students save themselves the hassle of preparing a lunch the night before or even eating breakfast, because some find it tedious and time consuming. In fact, they prefer to grab a quick bite in between classes or to have a quick lunch from the cafeteria so that they can continue with their tasks being almost uninterrupted, hence making Junk food utterly convenient for students to purchase.The second main reason Junk food is hard to resist is the delicious taste. However, the truth is that Junk foods get their taste from large amounts of oils, salts, and sugars, mostly resulting in empty calories (providing energy without any real nutrients needed by the body). Junk food is also tempting, especially on bad days; ome studies suggest that carbohydrates, which are present in most Junk foods, increase serotonin levels, prompting one to feel happier. A third factor is the increasing availability of Junk food.The increase in availability is mostly within d istricts lacking funds to supply nutritious food; therefore, they turn to the cheap, efficient, and tasty alternative that appears to keep everybody content. In general, a â€Å"10 percentage point increase in the proportion of schools with Junk food is correlated with about a 1 percent higher BMI for the average student,† according to National Bureau of Economic Research. This means the more Junk food available, the more weight gain–showing a large disregard for the health risks associated with it; if it's there, students will eat it (Novikova, 2009). 3.Methodology section: This research, which studies the estimations and views of teenagers, examines a rank of fast food-related themes. Using measuring survey approaches, I have polled 15 high school students, all of which ranged between 13 to 18 years of age. Each questionnaire paper was composed of four carefully chosen questions, all of which ere multiple choice questions (refer back to Appendix A for questions). As it can be and straight to the point, in order to meet my research's critical needs successfully. After the data were obtained, information was examined methodically using content analytic approaches.In general, I found that most, if not all, teenagers were well- enlightened about good health and home-food cooking, but they did not translate this knowledge into food behavior; they prefer fast food consumption. Teenagers felt that there were many obstacles and limits to changing their fast food consumption – pecifically, lack of time, absence of discipline, and absence of the sense of urgency. Time was regarded as the most important aspect – students realized themselves as being too engaged to worry about food, nourishment, meal cooking, and eating properly.The next remarks were typical: â€Å"We prefer other ways to spend time and we do not have enough time to change bad habits. † â€Å"We do not have the time with all this school work – a lot of problems . † â€Å"There's a lot more than food that is actually important to us. † 4. Analysis and interpretation: While the greater number of students in the questionnaire said that they found ome kinds of healthy foods agreeable (few of them even suggested their addition in the school food schedule), there was omnipresent and ubiquitous endorsement of temperance in consuming foods of minimal nutritional value.The primary attraction of fast foods, according to the pupils, is the taste. Most noticed that they preferred and ate such foods without noticing the consequences, which involved â€Å"getting fat,† â€Å"occurrence of inflamed glands,† â€Å"bad state of mind† â€Å"bad health,† â€Å"poor feeding† â€Å"laziness,† â€Å"cavities,† and â€Å"getting ill frequently'. The other most popular cause given or consumption of fast food is its practicality. At all times, seeming to be in a rush, teenagers find fast food, in spite of its negative values, to be an essential part of their busy lives.The most important obstacle that these teens cited in the questionnaire was the unsuitability and expenditure involved in developing their diets. Since many teenagers are becoming conscious of themselves as leading lively, energetic, busy individuals, they sometimes trust that it is too much trouble to prepare a meal from scratch, thinking it would be a waste of time. More precisely, they can't seem to stop escribing how much they are tempted to fast-food places and well-timed and favorable foods (such as chocolates, sweets, and chips).Such food selections are easy to reach and involve no planning or trouble in shopping for. The prevailing opinion among the teenagers I polled is that healthy food is â€Å"too large of a bother† and they are too engaged and pressured to consider much about healthy food. 5. Conclusion: Teenagers require to learn the skills obligatory to make dietary transformation. They nutrit ion facts, and to reckon up dietary and food information. Moreover, training in ields such as solution making, assertiveness, and opposition to peer pressure required to be involved into programs purposed at producing food changes.During this questionnaire pupils put forward for consideration that many teenagers' absence the self-discipline required to eat healthy foods since their priority is for fast food consumption. Ultimately some of the teen respondents put forward for consideration that practicing good food habits had little hurry to teenagers. While self-confessing the significance of healthy eating practices, teenagers thought they ould concern later in life about eating better.It took me a while to think about an issue that I would have loved to read about, learn more about, and know how to deal with. After that, it only seemed convenient for me to research about the hazards in Junk food and how to prevent them as much as possible, for l, myself, am someone who needs a die tetic wake-up call! I was glad that I have found a topic that I was completely absorbed in, and from there, my Journey of researching began. Digging more into my topic, by reading as many relevant articles as I could, slightly overwhelmed me, especially with the uncountable number of articles that I could use as references.However, with constant elimination, I finally succeeded to narrow down my options. Another challenge was choosing the 5 questions for my interview. At first, it took me a while to choose whether the question should be multiple choice questions or free- subjective ones. However, I knew for a fact that if I received a survey form to fill out, I would have preferred to have fast and easy-to-answer questions due to my typical eenage busy schedule and lack of patience. Therefore, I made sure to keep my survey questions easy to relate to and quick to answer.Of course, I also made sure to keep a varied set of answers available in order for them to meet everyone's opinion s. all. It took me a while to put my words together and make the best out of all the sources. To be completely honest, I never felt like I was burdened to the extent where I was so close to NOT doing this research. Despite the fact that I've been exempted from the final exams, I umfortunately still have to study for two difficult SAT subject ests, and to practice for the musical performance that I will be performing on my graduation night , all that in a matter of 2 and a half weeks!Not to mention, of course, that I still haven't bought my graduation dress! (that alone is a girl's worst nightmare, believe me! ) Nevertheless, I was able to finish this ever-so-stressful mission, and I couldn't be more relieved! It made me realize that my hard work and perseverance never fail to pay off and make me outdo myself everytime. I am so pleased to say that I have officially broken my record of deligence against Dar Jana's stressful assignments!

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