Animal Experimentation free essay sample

If you are a pet owner, like many you dont wish for any harm to come to them or any other animal for that matter. However in this world there are organizations that mistreat animals and experiment on common house hold pets such as dogs or cats. The two reason for animal testing are First, to find out more about the animals themselves, and, secondly to test substances and procedures to see if they are harmful (with a view to find out if they are harmful to human beings) (Dixon). Through these experiments they have made great medical breakthroughs, but at hat cost? One hundred million of animals are killed every year to find treatments for human diseases. Animal are put through a great amount of pain and suffer to ultimately reduce the suffering of humans, But is it worth the suffering of another living being? There are better more effective ways to limit the suffering of humans and not harm another living creature. We will write a custom essay sample on Animal Experimentation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Biomedical research needs to pull away from animal testing and embrace the new alternatives of the 21st century. Through animal testing, researchers have been able to improve the quality and life expectancy for humans. If we compare life from last century to our current one anyone can see that the death rate has gone down because of the medical advancements that were made possible by animal testing. There have been a lot of important advancements in medical research through animal testing. Insulin vaccines, vitamin, the immune system, and many of the HIVE and cancer treatments we use today were discovered through animal testing. In 1628, William Harvey published his famous work De Motto Cords. In it he writes about his discovery of blood pressure by pumping blood through the heart of over 30 different animal species including man. His discovery helped lead to treatments for high blood pressure and a better understanding of the physiology of man and animal. However, that was in the past. There are new alternatives to animal testing that yield better results and have less animal casualties. Animal testing has led too large number of medical advancements and should not be stopped. The reduction of human suffering is the highest priority. If a human can be saved from suffering and even death then is should be Justifiable to allow animal suffering. Researchers have had the ability to discover major medical breakthroughs through the use of animal testing. Breakthroughs such as insulin, many of the vaccines (smallpox, chickenpox, tetanus, and many more) used today, and the treatments we use for HIVE and cancer patients. Dry. Joseph Murray, a Nobel Prize winner agrees that through animal research we will be able to find a cure for aids. However, what rights do we as humans have to force another living creature to endure any type of pain and suffering? Animal research is expensive, time consuming, and overall unreliable. It is important that all drugs be tested on animals before putting them onto the market. To be sure that a drug or antibiotic is safe for a unman it should first be tested on an animal. One of the most crucial tests is the mouse protection test. A mouse or rat is ideal in animal testing because of their small size and short life span. A mouse is given a vaccine then tested to see how well it is protected from the infection. The best way to know if a vaccine is safe and effective is many other products can only be sold after they are tested because, animal testing is one of the most reliable ways to test the safety of not only medicine, but other products. To ban animal experimentation would be to paralyze modern medicine (Dixon). Humans can only be tested if they have given their consent to the test. With this is in mind it is unfair for animals to endure the many painful tests that are forced upon them every year. While there are similarities, keep in mind that animals have a very different physiological structure than humans. These differences cause humans to react to certain stimuli very differently than the animals they are tested on. There are many problems facing animal research. Animals are put through endless suffering during the animal tests. They are put into isolation, and forced to suffer through disease or injury and are not properly anesthetized, and re often euthanized at the end of the trial. Even before the trial begins animals are treated roughly for not cooperating, and transported under unacceptable conditions (Animal Research). Most animal testing is done on animals like rats and mice that are nothing like humans and therefore, are not very reliable in showing how a human would react to the vaccine. In many trials drugs that fail in animal tests, do not continue on to be tested in humans. Some of the drugs could have been effective to humans will never be known because the tests did not continue on to be tested on humans to find out the effects. It is unclear how often this happens since the drugs are never tested on humans. According to Mike Alleviate, Secretary of Health and Human Services, nine out of ten drugs fail in clinical studies (Animal Research) because we cannot predict how they will react in humans without testing the drugs first in humans before putting them on the market. A huge concern with animal testing is the sheer cost of the experiments. According to Nobel Prize winner, Dry. Joshua Elderberry we are spending two to three hundred million dollars a year. In his statement he calls the money we are spending on animal testing worthless. It is cheaper to use the alternative method of Vito testing to replace animal testing. Many of the Vito testing methods are half the cost or less than that of traditional animal testing. Pfizer reported in 2004 that it had wasted over two billion in testing methods that failed in human testing. The millions that are spent on faulty testing methods should instead be used to help fund alternative methods that will overcome all the scientific problems and ethical problems of animal models. Advocates of animal experimentations have overstated the achievements that animal testing has made. During the animal trials animals are under different conditions than a human would be when taking the drug. Animals are put under stress and sometimes may suffer from physiological and abnormal behaviors. This could cause the drug to react differently to the animal than it would to a human who is in a natural environment. There have been reported drug failures in the I-J, nearly causing the death of the human study volunteers. This is evidence that animal models cannot properly demonstrate the outcome of real world events. This is also proof that alternative methods need to be taken more seriously. Many of the drugs that are put on the market after animal testing are later removed because of harmful side effect that accrued with humans. According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) there have recently been a lot of complaints about approved drugs causing serious and these products from the market or have black box warnings put on the labels. To reduce the suffering of animals we need to follow the three ors: reduction, replacement, and refinement. To reduce animal suffering we first must reduce the number of animals used. A reduction method must provide the same amount of information without the use of as many animals. By removing the pain an animal suffers or minimizing the pain we are refining animal experimentation. To replace animal experiments meaner to have an alternative method of testing that gives researchers the same amount of results. There is one major alternative to animal testing that costs about half of traditional animal testing yielding even better results. That alternative is growing cell cultures from human cells or Vito testing. Another benefit to using cell cultures is that when a vaccine is found through cell cultures is n a pure state that eliminates the need for safety testing. Other alternatives to animal testing include human clinical studies, computer modeling or silicon biology which are very fast and could speed up some animal testing that could take months or years in normal clinical trials, Synthetic membranes that can eliminate the traditional testing of shaving the fur of an animal and applying a corrosive chemical to the bare skin to see its effects, MR., and autopsy. Each of these methods are less expensive and provides better results than animal experimentation. There have en a number of medical breakthroughs because of animal testing. However, the amount of animals lost is much greater. Over one hundred million animals are used in animal trails each year. In these trials, animals are infected with disease and are treated harshly. These animals suffer through so much unnecessary pain. All these animals are put through this torture because the researchers want to limit human suffering. The many drugs that are put on the market after deemed safe by animal testing though are often recalled because, like the FDA, they companies that market hem receive complaints about how the drugs were ineffective or led to harmful side effects. There is no reason we should still be using animal testing when there are better, cheaper meaner, for alternatives tests that ultimately yield better results. Alternatives such as, cell cultures grown from human cells that have better results through testing, are half the costs or less than that of animal trials, and in some cases eliminate the need for safety testing. Now is the time for animal research to disappear and for researchers to embrace the new methods. This way no one person ill have to choose between animal life and medical advancements.

Project Proposal Template Essays

Project Proposal Template Essays Project Proposal Template Essay Project Proposal Template Essay Project Proposal Template Cover Page United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability Project title: Name of implementing agent(s): Project location: Proposed starting date: Project duration: Amount requested from Voluntary Fund (US$): Government inputs: Implementing agent inputs: Other donor inputs: Brief summary description of the project proposal: Describe problem addressed, proposed solution, expected results, intended beneficiaries and reason(s) why assistance is requested from the Voluntary Fund. Body of Project Proposal The Voluntary Fund project proposal template has five sections: I. Background and justification of the project II. Objectives of the project III. Expected results of the project IV. Project implementation and management V. Project budget I. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION This section should provide a brief introduction to the current social and economic situation related to the geographic region and beneficiaries of the project. The background should also describe:   the problem or critical issue which the proposal seeks to resolve how the proposal relates to other relevant national development strategies and policies whether there are other programmes and activities which will complement the proposal how the need for the project was determined how intended beneficiaries were involved in project identification and planning what kind of assistance the concerned governmental offices will provide what kind of resources the non-governmental community will provide If a non-governmental organization has prepared the proposal, it is important to describe how concerned governmental officials were made aware of and/or were involved in project formulation. Finally, the section should describe the relevant experience and capabilities of the project Implementing Agent, and the type and level of resources that the Implementing Agent will provide for project planning, implementation management and follow up. II. OBJECTIVES A. Development objective The section should describe the way in project objectives are addressed in national development strategies and policies, in terms of specific programmes and how the proposed project will relate to these strategies and policies. The discussion should indicate the specific national social and economic objectives to which the proposal, if successful, is expected to contribute, and how this is expected to contribute to improved well being and livelihood of the project beneficiaries and the larger community. B. Immediate objectives The immediate objectives section describes what the project is expected to achieve in terms of effects among intended beneficiaries. Specifically, the section discusses what changes are expected to occur among intended beneficiaries if project operations are successful. Changes can include new and improved technical skills and knowledge, increased income-generating capacities, and greater public awareness at the community, national, regional or international levels. The section should also discuss whether project operations, if successful, will be extended to other locations as well as and whether the project experience can be applied to other sectors. III. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN A. Expected project results The section should describe the overall results that the project is expected to. The discussion should also discuss whether there may be unintended effects of the project, and how these possibilities will be addressed. The discussion should indicate in quantitative terms, to the extent possible, what the project will produce through its planned activities and budget. B. Project activities and work plan The section should describe how each immediate project objective will be carried out in terms of planned activities, their timing and duration, and who will be responsible for each activity. This can be summarized in a simple table. C. Project Beneficiaries This section describes who and how many people are expected to benefit from the project, both directly and indirectly. It should also discuss how intended beneficiaries have been involved in project design, and their expected role in project implementation and evaluation. D. Implementing agent management of project This section should describe: who will be responsible for planning and management of project operations as well as the roles of other bodies and organizations associated with the project what arrangements will be established to ensure that there will be effective coordination with other relevant programmes and activities. The section should also discuss whether project operations are expected to continue, or expand to other areas or sectors, once the current phase of assistance is completed. This could include plans for introducing self-financing provisions to ensure continued viability of operations on project completion. IV. PROJECT MONITORING AND EVALUATION This section should discuss proposed mechanisms and procedures for monitoring of project operations to ensure that activities occur as planned, that they remain directed towards stated objectives, and that appropriate orrective action is taken if required. Specifically the discussion should indicate who will be responsible for preparing periodic project progress and final technical reports and for the accounting of expenditures made from the Voluntary Fund. All projects need to be evaluated on completion. This section should also identify the party who will responsible for this task as well as how intended beneficiaries will be involved. V. BUDG ET The budget for the Voluntary Fund should be prepared in U. S. dollars. An additional budget should be prepared to describe the budget components to be financed by Government, Project Implementing Agent and other parties participating in the project. This additional budget can be in local currency, but the equivalent in U. S. dollars should be indicated. A description of the budget template line items and a budget template follow: 10. 00   Project Personnel: The resources of the Voluntary Fund can finance project personnel specialized needed to plan and carry out the project or specialized consultant services required to accomplish a specific project objective. Salaries and consultancy feeds should be reflective of local prevailing conditions. The Voluntary Fund does not prioritize projects with high personnel costs. 11. 01  Ã‚  Ã‚   International Experts: for international personnel working for more than six months on the project. Job description/Terms of reference should be included in project document. 11. 50  Ã‚  Ã‚   Consultants: for personnel working for less than six months on the project. Job description/Terms of reference should be included in project document. 13. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Administrative Support: for clerical and related support tasks. Please note that financing of project support personnel is not a priority for the Voluntary Fund. 15. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Official Travel of Project Personnel 17. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   National Professional Project Personnel. Job description/Terms of reference should be included in project document. 20. 00   Subcontracts: This component pertains to specialized services provided the project by an outside contractor. Each subcontract will require a separate budget line; subcontractor terms of reference should be attached as an annex to the project document. 30. 00   Training: 32. 0  Ã‚   Group training and study tours: organized training programmes and study tours conducted outside the country of the project; group training normally does not exceed two months and study tours normally are one month or less 33. 00  Ã‚   In service training: cost of individual and group training organized and conducted in the country of the project. 40. 00   Equipment: 41. 00  Ã‚   Expendable equipment: i tems of equipment, supplies or training materials valued at less than US$400; 42. 00  Ã‚   Non expendable equipment: items of equipment valued at US$400 or more or which have a serviceable life of five years or more. NOTE: Normally the resources of the Voluntary Fund will only support acquisition of equipment needed for training or applied research. 43. 00  Ã‚   Premises: The Voluntary Fund will not fund costs for premises (construction, rent, utilities). This line item should only be used to indicate any contributions from other donors, the government, or the implementing agent. 50. 00   Miscellaneous: 51. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Operation, Maintenance and Repair of Equipment: operation and maintenance of project equipment that cannot be covered by the host government or the project implementing agent 52. 0  Ã‚  Ã‚   Publications and Report Costs: report costs, which may include the reproduction of a reasonable number of copies of project technical and final reports 53. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sundry and Communications: official postage, communications and incidental supplies Project Budget Template Name of project Name of Implementing agent 10 Project Personnel 11. 01  Ã‚  Ã‚   International Experts 11. 50  Ã‚  Ã‚   Consultants 11. 99  Ã‚  Ã‚   Subtotal: Personnel 13. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Administrative Support 15. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Official Travel 17. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   National Professional Project Personnel 9. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Component Total 20  Ã‚  Ã‚   Subcontracts 21. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Subcontract #1 29. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Component Total 30  Ã‚  Ã‚   Training 32. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Group Training / Study Tours 33. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   In-service Training 39. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Component Total 40  Ã‚  Ã‚   Equipment 41. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Expendable Equipment 42. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Non-Expendable Equipment 43. 00   Ã‚  Ã‚   Premises 49. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Component Total 50  Ã‚  Ã‚   Miscellaneous 51. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Operation, Maintenance and Repair of Equipment 52. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Publications and Report Costs 53. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sundry, and Communications 59. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Component Total 99. 00  Ã‚  Ã‚   Grand Total

Trust Circles and Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Trust Circles and Communication - Essay Example This dissertation will prompt a debate into the methodologies and systems attached to this trend in terms of effectiveness and practical experience through the analysis that has been carried out by the author. Trust Circles may be defined as the creation of circles within which the students can develop interpersonal skills. These circles are meant to help the children talk and communicate in order to understand and to be better understood. The following are the main elements of trust circles or what is commonly referred to as circle time: (Kidd, 2003) There is use of a "talking object" which the children can identify with. This gives them the comfort level to talk, and creates a sense of discipline so that they do not all talk at once because only the person holding the talking object can talk. The teacher monitors who the object goes to. Communication is key in teaching. This involves two-way communication - from the teachers and from the students. In this regard, trust circles are best utilized in an environment driven by intrinsic motivation so as to develop communicative competencies through methodologies based in competition and cooperation - both of which are interactive in nature. This helps the students rise to challenges and make the best of various situations through appropriate communication methods. (Kidd, 2003) The reason I feel that this framework supports the use of technologies like multimedia through an emphasis on motivation and affective filter hypothesis, revolves around the fact that the trust circles try to promote better means of communication between all kinds of professionals. It provides the requisite standards within which educational administrators, course designers, and teachers, teacher trainers, examining bodies, etc., may design their sessions to accommodate to varied needs. (Kidd, 2003) Further, the framework presents a wide scope within its standards to reach into an individual's latent energy by separating the elements of language competence so as to effectively deal with complexities that arise in learning various things and developing interpersonal skills in the process. This taxonomic nature of the framework of trust circles and circle time also offers a wide scope for a deep analysis of psychological and pedagogical problems. This in turn helps apply the principles of the motivational models in context of the affective filter hypothesis. Therefore, through an emphasis on the communication approach, the Framework creates a separation of the elements that contribute to competency, by playing the role of a social agent in an intercultural environment. (Shekhan, 1995) For a healthy development of these elements, the use of methods like trust circles is justified. This is also a departure of the traditional methods of promoting

Is DES cipher not security anymore Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Is DES cipher not security anymore - Essay Example Although DES are still being used as a means of encryption by many organizations and governments, DES has significantly deprecated and is no longer secure as just anyone with a little technical know-how and time can break into the cryptographic keys. However, this does not mean that DES cipher should never be used all. It only means that it is important to evaluate the value of the information to be protected, both to the attacker and to the owner, and fully grasp the nature of the risks before making the decision to use Data Encryption Standard (DES) cipher. According to Stallings (2006, p.73), DES may still provide security if used in situations involving no real threats such as when encrypting files on a family PC. In conclusion, in view of the contemporary threats, DES algorithm offers very little deterrence for any determined adversary and should never be considered to be secure. Using more efficient and stronger cryptographic algorithms such as Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and 3DES among others may provide better

Proposal for Obesity Management Programme

Proposal for Obesity Management Programme OBESITY PROGRAMEE: â€Å"FITNESS FOR FULFILMENT† Kathiravan Pillay Kumar Abstract The world has seen a rise in the issue of obesity and its effects on the biological, psychological and social wellbeing of individuals. This proposal reviews literature in relation to the causes as well as effects on obesity specifically targeted at children between the ages of 6 – 18 years old and evaluates current programs in place to curb the rise in obesity. Programs from both the United States as well as Singapore are used to analyse the western and Asian perspectives on tackling the issue of obesity. The proposed program would be aimed at reducing social stigma and increasing self-esteem that past or current programs do not address. The program will be made up of three phases which include implementation, motivation and feedback as well as evaluation of the entire program’s effectiveness. Feasibility and efficacy of instilling the program are also discussed. Introduction and Review on Obesity Obesity has been an issue present through various generations and is one faced by many nations worldwide. Recent years has seen a rise in the levels of obesity especially in western nations but is currently seen to be a growing issue even in Asian nations (Ramachandran Snehalatha, 2010). Based on recent findings by Ogden, Carroll, Kit and Flegal (2014) an estimated two third of the adult population in the United States are overweight or obese with about one third of school going children also falling under this category. A growing trend is also seen in Asia where findings in Singapore indicate that approximately one in nine Singaporean adults between the age ranges of 18 to 69 were considered to be obese in 2010 with obesity rates said to be increasing at an estimated 1 percent per year (â€Å"One in nine Singaporean†, 2014). Multiple factors have been suggested as causes to obesity, often focusing on mainly physical and psychological factors. General physical causes of obesity are often due to genetic factors that cause abnormalities in fat cell metabolism and metabolic defects or simply having a sedentary lifestyle (Bray, York DeLany, 1992). There are also various psychological conditions or disorders that have been suggested to lead to obesity however depression is considered to be the main cause of it as evidenced in Blaine’s (2008) study which indicated that individuals who were depressed were proven to be at significantly higher risk of becoming obese. Obesity is also often comorbid with depression and other eating disorders Blaine’s (2008). The key area of concern especially in recent times would be the effects of obesity on the individual as well as society as a whole. Numerous studies have been done to show the physical and psychological effects that obesity has on an individual. Physical aspects often include the risk of contracting illnesses such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes (Sturm, 2002). Psychological effects tend to focus on an individual’s body dissatisfaction and self-image (Wardle Cooke, 2005) as well as well as psychosocial effects such as negative experiences through weight bias at home, in school, at work, through the media and even health and fitness areas (Amianto, Lavagnino, Abbate-Daga Fassino, 2011). Evaluation on Obesity Related Programmes Over the years there have been many programs put into place by governments and private agencies around the world that have been aimed to curb obesity. One key program introduced in the United States was the HEROES Initiative which targets tackling issues on childhood obesity (King et. al, 2014). The HEROES Initiative is a grant-funded intervention that targets schools to play a vital role in educating youth in obesity related behaviours (King et. al, 2014). The key aims of this this initiative would be to take a comprehensive school health approach that decreases childhood obesity that in turn promotes healthy lifestyle habits among students as well as their families and also the school staff (King et. al, 2014). Key features that make the intervention unique would be that it offers a supportive means for participating schools by providing regular oversight, significant funding and various implementation strategies that are catered to a particular needs for certain schools depending on the district and neighbourhood that they are located in (King et. al, 2014). This initiative also enables schools to have a sense of ownership over assessing the needs of their students and in turn coming out with a plan to implement certain strategies for changes in the school’s health programs (King et. al, 2014). The key feature in maintaining the effectiveness of this program would be the strong emphasis on an annual cycle of evaluation and assessment on opportunities in enhancing the program to cater to the needs of the students which turn increases the intervention’s efficacy (King et. al, 2014). The evaluation process was broken down into 3 main areas. The process evaluation stage, school level outcome evaluation and student level outcome evaluation (King et. al, 2014). The process evaluation stage is carried out by site visits to schools to view their administrative processes in carrying out health promotion as well as inspection of the school’s general environment and conducting interviews with the staff to determine challenging areas (King et. al, 2014). Feedback on information obtained is given to the staff as a means to address these issues (King et. al, 2014). In the school level outcome evaluation, assessments are made to the systemic changes in promoting healthy behaviour and reducing obesity rates in the students. The school level outcome evaluation is based on domains relating to physical education/activity, nutrition education, food service, staff wellness, as well as family and community involvement (King et. al, 2014). The student level outcome evaluation , focuses on understanding the changes in behaviour and knowledge in relation to obesity and its effects (King et. al, 2014). This done through weight measurements as well as surveys and quizzes to identify student’s knowledge about obesity (King et. al, 2014). With regard to the effectiveness of this initiative, evaluation between the periods of 2011-2012 showed a significant amount of variability between schools. Based on results obtained from the process and school level evaluation outcomes, it was found that the school’s processes were well implemented however some schools found difficulties in coming up with new or improved health and wellness related policies (King et. al, 2014). Based on the student level outcome evaluation it was found that small but significant changes were made in terms of behaviour and mindset of the students (King et. al, 2014). Students were also more engaged in rigorous physical activities in comparison to the baseline from first 18 months of the intervention (King et. al, 2014). However a set back to the intervention was that changes to behaviour were mostly found in overweight students rather than students who were already obese. In relation to the Asian context, there have been various health related programs and promotions carried out in Singapore. The Singapore health promotion board has come up with various programs and initiatives to promote healthy lifestyle practices to prevent conditions such as obesity. Programs such as the 1 million kg challenge, aims to encourage individuals to lose weight by allowing them to set a weight loss target then setting a period for them to lose this weight. If individuals are able to lose the amount of weight within the given time frame they are rewarded with certain incentives and prizes (â€Å"1 million kg challenge†, 2014). In relation to health promotion in schools, a key program that was introduced in the early 90s was the National Physical Fitness Award Test (NAPFA) and the TAF (Trim and Fit) scheme which aimed to increase physical activity and reduce the weight of overweight and obese students in both the primary and secondary levels of education (Gupta et. al, 2010). The TAF program basically tasked students with physical activities before and after the school day (Gupta et. al, 2010). The initiative was a success in the 90s with obesity levels dropping between 10-17% in students (Gupta et. al, 2010). Success of the TAF scheme would later bring about a collaboration between the Singapore Health Promotion Board and the World Health Organisation to introduce a HPB-MOE bi-annual award aimed at targeting the healthy development of students and awarding schools for good health practices (Gupta et. al, 2010). Challenges faced in the TAF program as well as similar programs introduced in Korea as mentioned by Shin and Shin (2008) was that such programs bring about a sort of negative stigma to students involved. Student then tend to become highly self-conscious and develop body dissatisfaction which in turn effects their self-esteem (Shin Shin, 2008). This is often the result of segregation from their peers due to their weight and appearance and this segregation is further contributed by schools who single out overweight or obese individuals to be part of such programs (Shin Shin, 2008). This effect could in turn lead to depression which has been established as a cause for obesity and would hence defeat the whole purpose of having such health promotion programs. Proposed Health Program Having identified the causes and effects of obesity as well as certain health programs available both on the western and Asian context along with their strengths and weaknesses, an alternative health program could be developed. Through analysing the health programs available in both the United States and Singapore, a program catering specifically to the needs of students between the ages of 6 – 18 year olds could be proposed. The program will be entitled the â€Å"Fitness for Fulfilment Programme† (FFFP) catered specifically in the Singaporean context. The program is also given a name that does not infer or refer to obesity so as to prevent any form of social stigma relating to obesity. The main goals of the program would be to reduce the weight of overweight and obese students but to do so in a manner that will not cause stigmatization or embarrassment. The program would also further aim to instil a healthy mindset in these students and encourage them to maintain healt hy behaviour well into adulthood. The FFFP will mainly be broken down into three key phases. The first phase will be the implementation phase which will introduce rigorous exercise specifically catered to losing weight for obese children. These exercises will be done during school hours as part of an enhanced physical education program and these obese students will carry out their activities together with other students so as to limit any sense of being ostracised. The enhanced physical education program will target the specific needs of each student be it normal weight students or overweight or obese students by focusing on their weak physical areas that are limiting them from passing or getting a good grade on their NAPFA test. The fitness program will be one that gradually increases in rigorousness so as to allow the students time to condition themselves to its requirements. Another key feature of the implementation phase would be the enforcement of strict diet practices during the school day. Since schools are al ready given guidelines by the Health Promotion Board on the type of food to be served, there must be a form of enforcement that ensures that students are getting the appropriate meals. Therefore there should be two to three staff on canteen duty to ensure that proper meals are being served to the students and that obese children are getting sufficient food but maintained at healthy levels. The second phase of the FFFP would the feedback and motivation phase. This would be a key feature of the program as it caters to the psychological well-being of the students involved. This phase will be implemented during the first and last session of the enhanced physical education program. During these sessions, time will be set aside for instructors to carry out one on one interviews or feedback sessions with the students which will aim to understand the challenges that they face with physical exercise as well as issues they have with motivating themselves to indulge in physical exercise. With knowledge of the challenges that individual students face, instructors can cater their physical education session to better accommodate to both the strengths and the weaknesses of the students. This will facilitate a more positive outlook in carrying out physical exercise and encourage students to put in a greater effort and hence may lead better physical results and lower obesity levels. An other aspect of this phase would be educating other students in the challenges that overweight and obese students. Students will be taught to encourage and motivate rather than stigmatize or humiliate their overweight or obese peers. The final phase of this program will be the evaluation phase. Ideally a review council should be formed to evaluate the effectiveness of the program at national level. This phase will be similar to the HEROES initiative evaluation process used in the United States, but will comprise of two instead of three key parts of the evaluation process of the effectiveness of the program. The process and school level evaluation will be combined into one. This part of the evaluation process will seek to understand the challenges that the staff have with the FFFP through means of interviews as well as on site assessments of the program in action. Availability of proper equipment and exercise facilities in the school will be key points at this level of evaluation. The next part of the evaluation will be at the student level, the review council will assess data relating to changes in weight as well as NAPFA standards and also find out the level of knowledge that students have with regard to healthy behaviour through surveys and quizzes which can be done through the internet. The evaluation process should be done annually and aim to identify problem areas so that newer and improved implementation could be introduced in the following years. The feasibility and efficacy of the FFFP would depend on the amount support through funding from private agencies or the government as well as having instructors who are trained in not only physical aspects of exercise and healthy lifestyle but also with the psychological capability to deal and understand the needs and challenges for individual students to overcome obesity. References Amianto, F., Lavagnino, L., Abbate-Daga, G., Fassino, S. (2011). The forgotten psychosocial dimension of the obesity epidemic.The Lancet, 378(9805), e8 Blaine, B. (2008). Does depression cause obesity? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies of depression and weight control.Journal of health psychology,13(8), 1190-1197. Bray, G. A., York, B., DeLany, J. (1992). A survey of the opinions of obesity experts on the causes and treatment of obesity.The American journal of clinical nutrition,55(1 Suppl), 151S-154S. Gupta, N., Chin, M. K., Yang, J., Balasekaran, G., Chia, M., Girandola, R. N., Mok, M. M. C. (2010). Obesity prevention in Singapore: Collaborative efforts among government, health professionals and the community. King, M. H., Lederer, A. M., Sovinski, D., Knoblock, H. M., Meade, R. K., Seo, D. C., Kim, N. (2014). Implementation and Evaluation of the HEROES Initiative A Tri-State Coordinated School Health Program to Reduce Childhood Obesity.Health promotion practice,15(3), 395-405. Ogden C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B.K., Flegal K. M. (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012.Journal of the American Medical Association,311(8), 806-814. One in nine Singaporean adults were obese in 2010: Survey (2014, January 17).Today.Retrieved from http://www.todayonline.com/daily-focus/health/one-nine- singaporean-adults-were-obese-2010-survey One million kg challenge. (2014). Retrieved August 21, 2014, from http://www.hpb.gov.sg/ References Ramachandran, A., Snehalatha, C. (2010). Rising burden of obesity in Asia.Journal of obesity,2010. Shin, N. Y., Shin, M. S. (2008). Body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, and depression in obese Korean children.The Journal of pediatrics,152(4), 502-506 Sturm, R. (2002). The effects of obesity, smoking, and drinking on medical problems and costs.Health Affairs,21(2), 245-253. Wardle, J., Cooke, L. (2005). The impact of obesity on psychological well-being.Best Practice Research Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism,19(3), 421-440.

Young Adults in Macomb County :: Friendships Relationships Essays

Young Adults in Macomb County I've only known a lot of the people I hang out with for about two years. I've kept a few of the old ones that I've known since I was little but now my friends are always changing. That's what happens when you get older, people change and move on. Hopefully I'll hang on to the ones I have now better than I have in the past and make some new ones along the way. It's really weird how everything started. I didn't go to school with the people I hang out with. My best friend Jacki and I decided to go miniature golfing one day and it all began. There were six really slow guys in front of us, we didnà ­t want to talk to them but they were going really slow so we just asked them to hurry up. As we started talking we found out that they knew a kid named Ryan that Jacki worked with. Through Ryan we ended up seeing them again. Eventually we started hanging out with the rest of their friends and everyone became a regular part of my life. I'm standing outside, making sure to ring the top doorbell, the one to Chris' basement. After ten minutes I'm about to leave but Nick comes strolling up to the door just as I turn around. Nick doesn't live there even though it seems like he does because he never leaves. We both walk down into the basement. It smells like his dog. The lights are off and the only thing that keeps me from bumping into the furniture is the glow from the television. The usual people are there, Chris is sitting on the couch next to Tengler, Jeremy is sleeping on his bed and Nick is playing Mario Golf on Nintendo 64. I walk to the big green couch that I always sit on, it smells like dog food. After five minutes of no one saying anything the doorbell rings. Since no one seems to be making any effort to move toward the stairs I decide to answer the door. It's Stephanie and Christina. Trevor and DeMatteis are pulling up in the driveway right behind them. We all walk into the basement. Everyone wa nts something to do.

An Analysis on Customer Care Strategy of Sainsbury

1. 0 Company Introduction Sainsbury’s was founded in London in 1869 as one of the nations’ oldest retailers. It also provides a unique illustration of transformation that has occurred in retailing and in shopping and eating habits since the mid-19th century. It grew to become the largest grocery retailer in 1922, pioneered self-service retailing in the UK, and had its heyday during the 1980s. Now it is the third largest chain of supermarket in the United Kingdom with a share if the UK supermarket sector of 16. 3%.The supermarket chain operates three store formats: regular Sainsbury’s store (â€Å"Main Mission†), Sainsbury’s Local and Sainsbury’s Central (convenience stores and smaller supermarkets in urban locations—â€Å"Mixed Mission†) and Sainsbury’s â€Å"Main Plus† (hypermarket) stores. 2. 0 An Outlook of Sainsbury’s Customer Care Strategy Sainsbury aims at building on and stretching the lead in food. B y sharing customers’ passion for healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food, Sainsbury’s will continue to innovate and provide leadership in delivering quality products at fair prices.Sainsbury will continue to accelerate the development of non-food and service following the principles of quality and to provide a broader shopping experience for customers. Sainsbury commits to reach more customers through additional channels, and it commits to manage its business with integrity. 3. 0 Development of Sainsbury’s Customer Care Strategy Strategy refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. 1. Sainsbury should know who Sainsbury’s customers are Sainsbury should know that every member of the community is the potential customer.Sainsbury should reach the total community. Every citizens living around the stores can be Sainsbury’s customers, as well as another companies can be the customer group of Sainsbury. 2. Sainsbury should know the needs of customers Customers need to be understood. Sainsbury comes up with the strategy that it commits to provide quality food with fair prices, which makes consumers delight. Customers need to feel welcome. Sainsbury’s staff serves every customer with a smiling face. Customers need to feel important.Once any customer has some recommendation or suggestion, he can directly approach to managers to point it out. 3. Sainsbury should know how to determine needs Sainsbury puts out questionnaires to citizens to find what they really want to buy when shopping in the supermarket and then determine their goods. It is a way to analyse needs in terms of the development objectives of Sainsbury. Sainsbury’s also set up suggestion box in its supermarkets to listen to customers’ needs. Through different ways such as community meetings and feedback, Sainsbury determines customers’ needs. 4. Sainsbury should response to needsSainsbury shows the real interest in the needs of sp ecial group, such as babies; they display their special tools and foods. Sainsbury ensures that every goods displayed on the shelves represent the real living needs for all customers. Sainsbury holds feedback meetings in order to response customers’ needs, and it commits to handle and solve customers’ complaints. 5. Sainsbury should give access to services Sainsbury never limit the service to the boundaries of Sainsbury’s store building. Sainsbury broadens its service range outside of the supermarkets and Sainsbury carries on deliver service.Sainsbury not only offers the regular stores for its customers, but also provides smaller supermarkets in urban locations as well as shopping online services. 6. Sainsbury should get stakeholders and senior managers’ support Sainsbury establishes a committee to get cooperation and support from the stakeholders and senior managers. They give financial support to promote Sainsbury’s operational environment as wel l as intelligence support to improve Sainsbury’s operational situations. Both of their supports are necessary to the development of Sainsbury. 7. Sainsbury should deliver competencySainsbury analyse its existing services to determine if their service is suitable for their customer care projects and whether the service meets the needs of customers. Sainsbury offers delivery service to customers and Sainsbury provides a search engine in its website to help customers to find the nearest store. 8. Sainsbury should give continuously analyses methods and procedures for improved efficiency. Sainsbury reduces its delivery time and time to supply new goods. Sainsbury has fax and website address to connect with customers. The employees are all trained and professional enough to serve the customers.Sainsbury makes sure that its customers know the standards of service in the stores. 9. Sainsbury should manage an effective communication Sainsbury develops a communication strategy that inf orms all information and provides channels to feedback. Sainsbury trains its employees to develop skills for successful interpersonal communication to introduce goods to customers. Sainsbury uses handbooks to advertise and inform customers’ about special events. Sainsbury puts clear signs to inform customers about the classification of all goods. 4. 0 Sainsbury’s standards in details 1. Employees Sainsbury’s employees should be passionate about working in a customer-facing environment *Sainsbury’s training divided into 4 steps:? basic introduction to Sainsbury’s ? introduce to employees their role and all the basics they need to know to work productively and safely ? develop employees to grow in their role and deliver to the required performance standards ? advanced training covers how to manage and supervise in its employees’ role *Employees are eligible for a colleague discount card when they completed 6 months service *All colleagues with one year’s continuous service can take up to 13 weeks’ unpaid leave for each child nder 5. They are also special provisions allowing time off for parents with disabled children up to 18. *Colleagues are able to exchange a portion of their salary for childcare vouchers which are non-taxable and exempt from National Insurance contributions and therefore represent a saving for colleagues who receive them as part of their total reward package. *The life assurance at the rate of four times staff’s annual basic salary in the event of death in service. *Sainsbury offers eligible colleagues the opportunity to apply for a career break for up to one year. Sainsbury would like to reward its long-term employees *Sainsbury always welcomes applications from people from any background. 2. Customers *Sainsbury is looking for people who can deliver the highest level of customer service each and every day *Customers can access a whole range of different services and meet togethe r in a safe environment. *Sainsbury hosts â€Å"community dinners† with local stakeholders to get to know customers better and understand any issues they have. *Sainsbury always supplies quality food to its customers Sainsbury creates ranges of food covering all customers’ needs *Sainsbury helps every customers cut their cost while shopping *Customers can buy goods online which will save a lot of money and time. *Sainsbury kids range is nutritionally balanced, so you can be sure you are making good, healthy choices for your children. *Sainsbury offers organic food. *Sainsbury provides customers various food recipes covering every type of meal, dish and ingredient; they really can try something new every day. *Sainsbury has the â€Å"store locator†, customers can find the nearest Sainsbury’s shop quickly. . Suppliers and Subcontractors *Sainsbury makes a deal with developing countries in order to support fair trade. *Sainsbury requires its suppliers and su bcontractors to provide fresh and healthy foods. *Sainsbury requests its suppliers and subcontractors to deliver their goods in the quickest time. *Sainsbury commits to settle accounts with suppliers and subcontractors as soon as possible. *Sainsbury requires its suppliers and subcontractors to register in a formal organization. *The suppliers and subcontractors of Sainsbury need to have a formal address and e-mail address to contact. . Community *For Sainsbury, this is not about providing great service and quality products, it’s also about making a positive difference to the communities and being a good neighbour. *Sainsbury provides local jobs for local people, and buys from local suppliers. *Sainsbury carries on Active Kids and Local Charity of the Year schemes. It helps kids who are in poverty to go to school and have medical check. *Sainsbury maintains longstanding partnership with Comic Relief, which is a local charity organization, to donate clothes and medicines and n ecessaries to rural areas. Sainsbury provides its customers options about charities to do good things on kids or social while they are shopping. 5. Environment *Sainsbury commits to reduce our impact on the environment. *Sainsbury sources products from all over the world, which means they have an important part to play, both in the evolving environmental debate, and in doing what they can do to reduce their carbon and wider environmental footprint. *Sainsbury was praised for having â€Å"excellent sustainable farming and fish policies† and the â€Å"high proportion of sustainable products available† in a survey. Sainsbury searches the latest ideas in engineering and building design, which could dramatically help them reduce their carbon footprint. *Sainsbury develops â€Å"carbon positive† stores or provide heat and recycled water to customers’ homes. *Sainsbury commits to reduce energy, packaging, food waste and wasting. 5. 0 Ways in which the Standards Were Established Customer care standard is more detail than customer care strategy and it direct how to carry on the project. A customer care standard normally covers areas of management practice, broken down into these sections: †¢ Employees Customers †¢ Suppliers and subcontractors †¢ Community and environment 1. Employees: *Clear employ article: EMP1: Organisations have a clear employ article and conditions and the procedure to ensure faith. EMP2: Organisations should secure the personal information for its employees. Safe and healthy working conditions: EMP3: Staff can get enough training to ensure the safety while working. *Faith salary system: EMP4: Staff has a clear mind about the time and method in paying salary. *Organisation engages in treat existing and potential employees’ variety.EMP5: Encourage the variety of the employees and welcome the new staff. *Encourage its staff improve in their career: EMP6: Organisations offer many kinds of training to h elp employees developing in their career. *Organisations are not allowed to molest any employees in any way. EMP7: Organisations should have the relevant articles to ensure the teenagers working in the national standards. 2. Customers *Organisations set up an equal relationship with its customers: CUS1: In the condition of respecting customers, organisations have clear business articles.CUS2: The information of customers can be used in the condition that is allowed by customers. CUS3: Organisations have the procedure to settle complaints in especially time. CUS4: The recommendations of the customers are fully considered. *Organisations ensure the safety of the products in the reasonable range: CUS5: The products or service have a clear illustration about the information like use, composition, and conservancy. CUS6: Organisations have the responsibility to protect the weak group. 3. Suppliers and subcontractors: The simple data and information about the supplier and subcontractor can be easily found in the website. SUP1: clear and crystal standards to select suppliers. SUP2: The information can only be used in the condition that are allowed by suppliers and subcontractors. SUP3: Organisations have the procedure to solve the conplaints from suppliers in ruled time. *Organisations offer money to suppliers in agreed standard. SUP4: Have the procedure to ensure suppliers and subcontractors get funds according to the agreement. Organisations encourage suppliers and subcontractors to carry on necessary business convention SUP5: Organisations should ensure the suppliers and subcontractors gain the training and exercise about the safety knowledge. *Organisation has an honest relationship with the suppliers and subcontractors 4. Community *Organisations promote the business environment on community: COM1: Organisations should consider the influences on the plan and action. COM2: Organisation has the action to promote the development of the community.COM3: Ensure to brin g up customers in the ruled area. *Organisations need to be sensitive to the local culture and economic structure: COM4: Organisation should have the procedures to ensure that its products or service will not threaten the safety. 5. Environment *Organisation reduces the use of energy and the emission of waste: ENV1: Organisations should point out clearly that the influences of its service and goods to local environment and the solutions. ENV2: Organisation takes charge of supervising and reducing the impact on local environment.ENV3: Have the procedure to ensure that its employees and suppliers are encouraged to the exercises of protecting the environment. ENV4: Encourage the use and abandon of the environmental friendly of the products. 6. 0 Methods Used by Qualitative Research and Quantitative Research to Gather and Analyse Information from Customers with Respect to Their Impressions of Sainsbury’s Customer Care 1. Qualitative Research Qualitative Research seeks out the â⠂¬Å"why† of its topic through the analysis of unstructured information and it does not rely on statistics or numbers.Qualitative research is used to gain insight into people’s attitudes, behaviors, value systems, concerns, motivations, aspiration culture or lifestyles. It is used to inform business decisions, policy formation, communication and research. Focus groups, in-depth interviews, content analysis and semiotics are among the many formal approaches that are used, but qualitative research also involves the analysis of any unstructured material. Sainsbury chooses interview as the way to carry on qualitative research.Interview is a technique that is primarily used to gain an understanding of the underlying reasons and motivations for people’s attitudes, preferences or behavior. Interviews can be undertaken on a personal one-to-one basis or in a group. The interview is put in the appendix A. Sainsbury interviewed 100 people and makes a conclusion that most of the customers are satisfied with the stores, and they think the goods are mostly cheap. Besides, people interviewed are all satisfied with the environment in Sainsbury, and they think the stores are light and clean, which really delights them.However, the customers are too many so that it is usually crowded, especially in holidays and discounts. What is more, most of the stores are set in downtown and it makes difficult for people who live in suburbs to buy in the stores. 2. Quantitative Research Quantitative research is used to measure how many people feel, think or act in a particular way. These surveys tend to include large samples. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to natural phenomena.Sainsbury chooses questionnaire as the method to give a quantitative research. Questionnaire is quantitative preferred and freedom of respondent. The questions have to be relatively simple and there is no inte rviewer bias. The questions usually are literacy problems and there is no control over who completes it. The questionnaires are presented in the appendix B. These questionnaires are handed out to 1,000 people. Sainsbury makes a conclusion through research by questionnaires.Most regular customers of Sainsbury think the dominating reason contributes them to buying in Sainsbury is the fair price with good quality. Customers focus on price while shopping dominates 73%. Around 87% of customers think the service attitude in Sainsbury is passionate and 72% of customers think the environment in Sainsbury is bright and clean. Moreover, 53% of Sainsbury’s customers gain salary between 5,000 to 10,000 and 27% of its customers gain salary between 1,000 to 5,000; customers gain salary less than 1,000 or over 10,000 both dominate 10%.Through the comparison of the data from 2007 to 2010, customers’ attitude about the goods price has changed. More people think the goods are cheaper an d the increase in the attitude of acceptable is more visible; less people hold the view that the goods are expensive in Sainsbury. There are two diagrams presented in appendix C and appendix D. 7. 0 The Review of Sainsbury’s Customer Care Strategy Review is an evaluation of an operating process or a business outcome. Sainsbury chooses â€Å"comparing to customer feedback analysis† to review its customer care strategy.Before Sainsbury carry on another new customer care strategy, it makes a survey among its customers and makes a conclusion. After carrying on for a period of time, Sainsbury does a equal number survey among customers and makes a conclusion through comparing and analyzing the data: Sainsbury increases its opening hour and it makes customers life more convenient; Sainsbury promotes its employees moral and passion in serving customers. However, Sainsbury should update its goods in a high frequency and strengthen the arrangement after customers’ selecti ng goods.Sainsbury chooses â€Å"Third Party Assessment† as another method to review its customer care strategy. Sainsbury hires Mckinsey & Company to give a overall assessment about its customer care strategy and standard by using professional methods, ways, and procedures. The conclusions are made below: Sainsbury does well in caring about customers’ healthy lifestyle and delivering a healthy lifestyle to its customers; That Sainsbury encourages its customers to give a hand to local charity and people need help is a light point in Sainsbury’s strategy.However, Sainsbury must promote its after-sale responsibility and its after-sale quality. Some sorts of service, such as point out the use structure of some special goods, need to be highlighted. 8. 0 Recommendation There are some weaknesses in Sainsbury’s customer care. The relationship between suppliers and Sainsbury sometimes is not equal; The after-sale services are sometimes not enough; The safety env ironment in Sainsbury is not secured enough.In response to this, Sainsbury should point out a clear after-sale responsibility and promote the after-sale service quality; Sainsbury need to inform suppliers and subcontractors about the loss before the change of the business articles; Sainsbury need to strengthen the supervision on the safety environment and it is necessary to hand out the safety handout to employees to guarantee their safety while working. 9. 0 Reference Books: —-Scottish Qualifications Authority, Creating a Culture of Customer Care. —-Bryman, A. (1988a), Quantitative and Qualitative in Social Research, Routledge, London.Websites: http://www. sainsburys. co. uk/sol/index. jsp http://zhidao. baidu. com/question/13903776. html http://zh. wikipedia. org/ 10. 0 Appendix Appendix A 1. What do you think about the service at Sainsbury? 2. What goods do you think we should add to our goods list? 3. What service do you think we should add? 4. What reason contribu tes you to consume in Sainsbury? 5. What do you think about the quality of Sainsbury’s goods? 6. What do you think about the quantity of Sainsbury’s goods? 7. What do you think about our recommendation system? 8. What do you think about the environment in Sainsbury? . What do you think about the prices of our goods? 10. Why do you consume in Sainsbury? What attracts you to consume? Appendix B 1. What contributes you to buying in Sainsbury? A. fair price B. good quality C. convenient D. else 2. The frequency you shopping in Sainsbury every month? A. over 15 B. 10~15 C. 5~10 D. under 5 3. What do you think about the kinds of goods in Sainsbury? A. complete B. so-so C. small 4. What do you think about the prices of goods in Sainsbury? A. cheap B. middle level C. expensive 5. What aspect do you focus on when shopping? A. rice B. quality C. brand 6. What do you usually buy in Sainsbury? A. necessaries B. vegetables C. clothes 7. What do you think about the quality of goods in Sainsbury? A. good B. so-so C. bad 8. What do you think about the service attitude in Sainsbury? A. passionate B. acceptable C. bad 9. What do you think about the environment in Sainsbury? A. bright and clean B. so-so C. mess and uncomfortable 10. Can you find the goods you need easily? A. yes B. a little difficult C. only find with the help of assistant 11. Are there big supermarkets around your house?A. yes B. no C. unsure 12. What big supermarket do you usually consume? A. Wal-mart B. Tesco C. Sainsbury D. else 13. What is your gender? A. male B. female 14. What age group are you in? A. under 18 B. 18~25 C. 25~45 D. over 45 15. What salary group are you in? A. under 1,000 B. 1,000~5,000 C. 5,000~10,000 D. over 10,000 Appendix C Appendix D [pic] People’s attitudes about the prices of Sainsbury’s goods ———————– [pic]The salary level monthly of Sainsbury’s customers 10,000 1,000~~5,000 5,000~~10,000