Culling, Surrendering, and the Old College Try

Culling, Surrendering, and the Old College Try In the midst of feeling overwhelmed by my own bookshelves, I wanted to take a moment to point you in the direction of a blog post from last April that I just adore: “The Sad, Beautiful Fact That We’re All Going To Miss Almost Everything” by Linda Holmes at NPR’s pop culture and entertainment blog, Monkey See. The post is, in my reading, about how we as consumers learn to cope with the fact that there are so many things out there that we feel like we should be paying attention to. In the past, there used to be “a limited number of reasonably practical choices presented to you. When thinking about books specifically, as Jeff pointed out earlier this week, there used to be gatekeepers in place across the publishing landscape to put restraints on the choices we might make. This was useful but obviously limiting. Today, however, Holmes notes that “everything gets dropped into our laps,” giving us only two responses to the drive to feel well-read: culling or surrendering. Under her definition, culling is a process of choosing for yourself what is and is not worth your time. It’s a process of making value judgements of one thing over the other in an effort to winnow down the potential options to choose from. Surrender is a different process: Surrender, on the other hand, is the realization that you do not have time for everything that would be worth the time you invested in it if you had the time, and that this fact doesnt have to threaten your sense that you are well-read. Surrender is the moment when you say, I bet every single one of those 1,000 books Im supposed to read before I die is very, very good, but I cannot read them all, and they will have to go on the list of things I didnt get to.” It is the recognition that well-read is not a destination; there is nowhere to get to, and if you assume there is somewhere to get to, youd have to live a thousand years to even think about getting there, and by the time you got there, there would be a thousand years to catch up on. Her main argument in the essay was, I think, the idea that our cultural conversation about consumption (of media, defined broadly) is full of people who are more interested in culling than surrendering. By throwing out entire genres, people who cull, in many ways, simplify their choices by arbitrarily eliminating a vast number of the potential choices they might make. Surrendering is harder. It’s a moment when you have to accept that you cant read/see/listen to everything, that there are great things that you will inevitably miss. But it’s also the moment, as Holmes points out, that you realize how many great things exist in the world: Imagine if youd seen everything good, or if you knew about everything good. Imagine if you really got to all the recordings and books and movies youre supposed to see. Imagine you got through everybodys list, until everything you hadnt read didnt really need reading. That would imply that all the cultural value the world has managed to produce since a glob of primordial ooze first picked up a violin is so tiny and insignificant that a single human being can gobble all of it in one lifetime. That would make us failures, I think. I’ve always found this particular essay comforting, as a reminder that no one gets to read everything. That what I can find time to read and write and talk about is enough. That it’s OK to look at my bookshelves and surrender to the fact that I may never read all of the books, and that my bookshelves themselves are a limiting factor of what I may end up being able to read. However, Im still not ready to abandon the idea of culling within reason, and without judgment of others (which may be the same thing as surrendering). I don’t think there’s anything wrong with admitting that a certain genre or style, in general, doesn’t work for your particular tastes. The problem is when that genre gets dismissed before it’s been given a proper chance. In some cases, a proper chance may just mean one chapter of a book or one episode of a television show, but its unfair and lazy to cull an entire section of pop culture without at least giving it the old college try first. Which finally brings me back around to the point of Jeffs post in a new media landscape, it is even easier to find people who can serve as a gatekeeper to a particular genre, suggesting which of the books in that category might be the highest quality and therefore worth trying. If after taking the recommendations of a trusted gatekeeper to heart and trying a few horror novels or biographies or short story collections, you decide those genres dont push your literary buttons, let it go. Surrender to the fact that there might be quality short stories out there, but that the format doesnt work for you. Being well-read isn’t about quantity or even necessarily what you decide to read; it’s about accepting that there are things of quality that you will not be able to consume while still leaving yourself open to pop culture that may be outside of your comfort zone.

My Understanding Of A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young...

Reading and exploring various literary pieces can be an interesting task for the young mind. By observing myself and my peers I have developed an opinion, this opinion was reinforced by reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster. There are different stages of comprehension. Authors and readers utilize both experiences and prior knowledge quite often. My understanding of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man By James Joyce was vastly impacted after reading Foster’s book. Instead of just reading the novel, I dove deeper into the text. Originally I might have just said the novel was simply a sort of biography. Instead I would consider it a search of identity and transformation of religious/spiritual perspective. Prior†¦show more content†¦Although this is its own story, it is nothing new. Considering the idea that everything is apart of one story, it is more of a symbiotic relationship. When you boil down the facts it is easier: young person, feels â€Å"special†, wants satisfaction, falls to temptations, questions moral upbringing. Sound familiar? It s basically 95% of teenagers. I find comfort in the thought that everything in the world is interconnected, but I never made that connection with literature. When a reader discerns the individuality of the text while relating with personal experience, the reading gains value. It is no secret that Joyce is a master of symbolism and allusion. The first stage of comprehension is to see as much information as possible. Next a reader learns how to pick out more important facts. You know you are getting somewhere when you notice rhetorical devices while continuing to absorb the pleasure of the story. Foster talks about how acts of communion are meaningful and representative in stories. Joyce always makes a point to describe the meal and table. He makes it evident down to the green and maroon accents. The untrained mind would have frivolously skimmed over the colors, even though they represent the irish resistance and symbolize the state of politics at the time. Likewise he alludes to the bible a multitude of times. The bible names many of the tribulations to which humans are subjected to in their lifetimes. This vastShow MoreRelated Stephens Journey to Maturation in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 1234 Words   |  5 PagesMaturation i n A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce    In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the author James Joyce uses the development of Stephen from a sensitive child to a rebellious young man to develop the plot of the novel. In this novel, Joyce suggests that through Stephens experiences with religion, sexuality and education, Stephen not only becomes more mature but these experiences also inspire him to redefine his world and his understanding of his true feelingsRead MoreThe Social And Historical Context Of A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man And My Son1436 Words   |  6 Pageshistorical context of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and My Son the Fanatic and how they enhance our understanding of the texts and then compare the two in their respective contexts. Religious extremism is a social ideology that is heavily implemented into both A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and My Son the Fanatic. With Steven Dedalus being subjected to his traditional family views of Catholicism as was the author of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce. 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A substantial amount of characters throughout Ulysses and A Portrait of the Artist as A Young Man are driven by sexualRead More Essay on Art in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man1577 Words   |  7 PagesArt in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephen Dedalus philosophy of art, expressed in his discussion with Lynch in Chapter Five, seems essentially romantic, yet the novel is written in a very realistic mode typical of the twentieth century. This apparent inconsistency may direct us to one way of interpreting this novel. 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Psychology Within Inside Out - 1018 Words

Psychology Within Inside Out The film Inside Out tells the story of a young girl named Riley and her changing emotions after she is forced to move from her home town in Minnesota to San Fransico for her father’s job. The story is told from the perspective of her five emotions. Riley’s emotions are led by Joy, who attempts to guide her through the stressful event. Although Joy puts forth great effort, Sadness takes over. When trying to protect Riley’s core memories from Sadness, Joy is swept from headquarters through the dump tube and Sadness follows. With Joy and Sadness gone, Anger, Fear, and Disgust are the only emotions left in headquarters; therefore, Riley cannot be happy or sad. Because Joy and Sadness are absent, Riley’s personality islands diminish one by one. Riley fights with her family, pushes away from her friends back home, and loses interest in hockey. As Joy and Sadness navigate through Riley’s brain in search of a way back to headquarters, they encounter many ob sticles. Back in headquarters, Anger, Fear, and Disgust place the idea of running away into Riley’s head. Joy witnesses the transformation of a sad memory into a happy memory, and finally realizes the importance of all emotions, including Sadness. With the help of Bing Bong, Riley’s imaginary friend, Joy and Sadness find their way back to headquarters and are able to stop Riley from running away. An update in headquarters takes place, and more personality islands develop. Joy learns to accept theShow MoreRelatedThe Downfall Of Positive Psychology1654 Words   |  7 Pages The Downfall of Positive Psychology In Schrank’s â€Å"Positive psychology: An Approach to Supporting Recovery in Mental Illness† he discusses the definition, history, research, and psychotherapy that is involved with positive psychology. 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Benefits of Recycling in Your Organization Free Essays

A strategical approach to recycling program is required in order to gain out of recycling program. Whereas recycling program involves investment of finances for equipment, labor and marketing for resale of recycled products, although the raw material for recycling need not be purchased as it is available as waste. [e. We will write a custom essay sample on Benefits of Recycling in Your Organization or any similar topic only for you Order Now g. waste water, cars for recycling etc. ,] Potential gains of recycling program One of the biggest gain that can be derived from recycling program is the non-levy of taxes in terms of cost as governments do not consider payment of taxes on recycled products. The second gain in terms of cost is a long-term investment in equipment/land to generate revenues from recycling program. [e. g. recycling plant for waste water/land for preparing compost to sell as fertilizer etc. ,] Potential losses of recycling program One pre-emptive loss that is unpredictable could be from the competitors of recycled products who may pull a market share through low-price bidding in order to win contracts. The second loss that is predictable is the volatility in market basing on local conditions, which fluctuates the costs, revenues and services of recycled products. Conclusion The reduce of costs in recycling program is in adopting an efficient system such as to use opportunities which reduces costs, jurisdictions that extend tax benefits and a provision for bargaining power and to use a combination of resources. Also a constant watch over market conditions also result in gain / loss of a recycling program in an organization. References Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (2005) Building Financially sustainable recycling programs Retrieved on 10 February, 2007 from http://www. dep. state. pa. us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/RECYCLE/document/Sust_Rpt/part_1. pdf How to cite Benefits of Recycling in Your Organization, Papers

The United Nations and the League of Nations Essay Example

The United Nations and the League of Nations Essay THE UNITED NATIONS The League of Nations Introduction: The United Nations is an international organization of independent states to promote international peace and security. Its stated aims are furthering cooperation in many international things using many different departments. On the other hand the league of Nations was an inter governmental organization in 1920. It was a cause from the Treaty of Versailles. Its main aims were the rights of man, women different colored, soldiers and avoiding war, all through using diplomacy. In the following paper I will compare these two Global organizations. Backgrounds: ?The United Nation The UN is an international organization founded in 1945. It was established after the Second World War to replace the league of nations. Its main purpose was for peace and security. The term United nation was brought from Franklin D. Roosevelt to describe the aliied countries. This term had actually taken place on January 1st 1942 when 26 government signed the Atlantic charter. Then on April, 25th 1945 50 countries had committed together and tried to develop better ways of iving safely through human rights and by also developing friendly relationships throughout different nations. And through this they had, signed the Charter which is the treaty that formed the united nations. It was first signed by 50 countries later on 51 on June 26th, 1945. in San Francisco . And because of this charter the UN has many rights to take actions in many different concerns world wide. ?The league of na tions: The league of nations was formed after the end of World War I. Its main purpose was to simply ensure that there would be no more war. We will write a custom essay sample on The United Nations and the League of Nations specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The United Nations and the League of Nations specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The United Nations and the League of Nations specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer After the turbulence of the Treaty of Versailles many awaited for the league of nations to bring stability to this world. ( Versailles treaty was the peace settlement signed in 1918 after World War I in the shadow of the Russian revolution. ) America on the other hand entered the war in 1917, the entire country (in particular president Woodrow Wilson) were scared by the slaughter that had taken place. And thought of that the only way that this crucial issue doesn’t happen again was to great an international organization that brings peace among all of the worlds nations. Therefore that would be the task of the League of Nations. This great organization had 58 members. The league had deficiency in its own armed force. It was greatly depend on the Great Powers to necessitate its resolutions, arrange an army, keeping of economic endorsement, all this for their use. Endorsements could also hurt the League members, so they were unwilling to adhere to them. The League is very well when sparrows shout, but no good at all when eagles fall out. † Goals: ?The United Nation: ?â€Å"Time is short. We must seize this historic moment to act responsibly and decisively for the common good. The United Nations main purpose is to bring all nations of this world to work together for peace and development. And this purpose is done trough justice, human dignity and the rights of all people. This organization allows opportunities for nations to balance global connections and national interest. Currently there are 192 member in the United Nations. All this members me et in the General Assembly which is basically the World Parliament. Every country in this organization is treated egually it doesn’t matter how big or small, rich or poor. Therefore every country has one single vote. The UN’s headquarters is in New York city. But everywere the building of the United nation is international territory. It even has its own flag, post office (postage stamps). There are six official languages used in this organization(Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). The European headquarters in Palais des nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The United Nations also has offices in Austira, Jordan, Thailand, Chile and Economic Commissions in Addis Ababa In Ethiopia. ?The League of Nation: The League of Nations goal was to maintain peace and to not go to war. It also included disarmament and to prevents all wars through having collective security. Their main criterion of solving world issues and fulfilling their purpose was through diplomacy. Because United States of America did not want to join and Germany was not allowed because of a punishment (Versailles Treaty) and Russia wasn’t even seen because it is a communist state and the only two countries left were Britain and France as leaders and they had gone under financial issues, therefore the League of Nations had failed. The Impact and affect: ?The United Nations: The United Nations organization has showed great contributions in peace keeping and peace building. But the question is whether the effects of the UN peace operations’ are they lasting? As the organization itself can’t fight wars. Countires must have policies that help economic growth and also have instistutions. The United Nation lacks self-sustaing economic growth that could help in sustain a form of peace. This world can advantage from a change that involves the using of economic reforms to fill in the gaps between peace and humanitarian assistance. ?The League of Nations: As I have mentioned before throughout this research the League of Nations intention was to bring peace among all nations. And to try to stop any upcoming of any wars. And due to lack of many countries not joining the League of Nations had failed. But the greatest effects were made to the United Nation. As the United Nation is basically the modernized version of this old organization and it has taken many ideas from the League of Nations. Weaknesses: ?The United Nations: The United Nations is a great an powerful organization. Although it brings all of pros to this world, there are still a few negative points. One of the main points is non-proliferation which is basically that the member states are not strengthening the UN non-pro mechanisms. Another weakness would be the combating Terrorism which is their mechanism that they use are quiet weak, Kofi Annan (president of the United Nation) has starts a couple of ways to help strengthen them. Human rights mechanism have been held tightly by right violators and that could also be classified as a great issue. The last issue/weakness would be public relations. They need to strengthen their relationship with others which is always a weak spot for organizations. The League of Nations: Alrhough rhe League of Nations was a great organization with many great intentions, it had still failed due to many reasons. Some of those reasons/weakness is that the league had Military forces, no army . So if any country had caused aproblem there was nothing this organization could do. One of main powers for the league was set up by the Treaty of Versailles. Late r on many people criticized the treaty and went against it and that cause great weakness. Another majorwas that most of the powerful countries didn’t’ join, due to many reasons. And one of the biggest weaknesses was that the organization was a chaos as all the different parts never acted as one. So therefore the league overall didn’t not work out. Overall these two global organizations are extremely in different as stated the United Nation was a great outcome of the previous League of Nations and it was definitely of greater effects. Today the United Nations is one of the most adequate organizations worldwide, nevertheless the League of Nations will never be forgotten as the first attempt of such an international ‘assembly’. Bibliography The Oxford Handbook on the United Nations (Oxford Handbooks). New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2009. Print. Macmillan, Margaret. Peacemakers Six Months That Changed the World. New Ed ed. London: John Murray, 2003. Print. Bennett, A. Leroy, and James K. Oliver. International Organizations: Principles and Issues (7th Edition). 7 ed. Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall, 2001. Print. (pg. 46-47) Charter of the United Nations: Introductory Note . Welcome to the United Nations: Its Your World. N. p. , n. d. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. http://www. n. org/en/documents/charter/intro. shtml ^ Jahanpour, Farhang. The Elusiveness of Trust: the experience of Security Council and Iran (PDF). Transnational Foundation of Peace and Future Research. http://www. transnational. org/Area_MiddleEast/2008/Jahanpour_SC-Iran. pdf. Retrieved 2008-06-27. United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Welcome to the United Nations: Its Your World. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Dec. 2009. . Introduction to the Unit ed Nations. Welcome to the United Nations: Its Your World. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Dec. 2009. .

Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management Suitability of push and pull management philosophies in relation to the case study and the boundaries between different stages of its supply chainAdvertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Supply Chain Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Several approaches are always made for the purposes of ensuring perfect mobilization of resources towards achievement of certain goals. The approaches may vary in details but at the end of it all share common ground of improving businesses like Sandwich Company. Push management could be designed to position resources at suitable places where there is anticipated need. The model results into equipped line of services based on standardized processes which could assist in delivering resources and products to right venues at anticipated times. The technology employed should specify activities that need to be administered together with the resources in order to meet anticipated demands . The push models tend to work with people passively, where the decisions affecting consumers could only be solved through central decision making (Hagel and Brown, 2005). Focus on pull management assists in the creation of foundation where people are helped in the processes of appropriate mobilization of right resources. The pull models are created as a result of increasing uncertainty within companies like the Sandwich Company. They help in improving the level of creativity applied by local participants who seeks satisfaction of immediate needs. The pull models help employees within the company to come together with innovative ideas which would help in solving the rising demand of sandwich products, this may include resources such as installation of refrigerators for the sake of perishable products. Pull models seeks no dictate on the nature of tools and resources required to accomplish tasks and address arising opportunities like supplying goods to the supermarket. Pull models te nd to treat consumers as creative entities that could be used to solve problems and create opportunities. It is applied to reinforce capability building by all consumers and employees hence assisting them towards innovation that could help them solve their needs (Hagel and Brown, 2005). With the maturity of supply chain within Sandwich Company, the demand chain is as well gaining importance and requires the organization’s appropriate responses. Sandwich products alongside services that goes with production, needs to be appealing to the consumers as well as the company’s stakeholders.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The pull model could be rightfully applied in this area so as to ensure that both customers and the firm are placed into consideration for viable outcome in production. The firm need not only to focus on the drivers within the demand c hange but also on their efficient management. This is what leads to the firms’ ultimate value chain (Hagel and Brown, 2005). The efficiency of the supply chain within Sandwich Company cannot be realised until the level of demand for the products is understood. First of all the demand chain objectives requires address in line with the company’s business strategies. This will make it easier for the employees to extensively resume the relevance of the strategies for the purposes of exploring available opportunities. Holistic approach to market opportunity analysis needs to be considered whereby; cost optimization is given priority on the side of customer expectations as well as those of stakeholders. However, the cost does not matter so much within the market since consumers are more concerned about convenience and speed. The marketers should be more involved in the process of product characteristics. The pull approach when adopted provides flexible approach towards the m anagement of the resources being used in the production process since the ingredients used seem to be perishable. This assists in mobilising assets and other resource capabilities like distributions outside the confines of the company. The pull system when applied in this business will ensure effective extension of services beyond production processes (Hagel and Brown, 2005). Sandwich Company needs to pay much attention towards services and satisfaction of consumers on their products; they need to consider issues such as complain from customers and product follow up avenues. These processes help in enhancing the Company’s image amongst consumers because of their high performance level. The Company emphasizes so much on product delivery as one of the important quality drivers. As part of pull model, Sandwich Company needs also to focus on offering good training to its employees which ultimately ensures that they are acquainted with the right knowledge enabling them to handle c urrent consumer issues. Sandwich Company requires market surveys to establish on efficiency of their services to consumers. Monitoring of delivery services should be done through some systems of evaluation such as on-time and same-day deliveries. Sandwich Company uses the final assembly time as the basis of making charges to its customers (Hagel and Brown, 2005).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Supply Chain Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Sandwich Company should make crucial improvement on some customer metrics such as transportation of products and timing of delivery services, this is since these metrics contributes tremendously towards customer satisfaction. The improved performance of Sandwich Company could be attributed to positive responses received from potential consumers. The company needs to place lots of emphasis on customer views and comments towards their services. This can be done effic iently through conducting of customer surveys that makes it easier to analyze consumer tastes, preferences and expectations (Godsell et al, 2006). Customer perspective means of evaluation is very crucial towards contributing to the Company’s improvement in performance. Customer service aspect of the BSC should be utilized by Sandwich Company through the use of important measures which include; lead times, on-time delivery services, customer index and the level of consumer satisfaction. The Company determines customer satisfaction through surveys that are conducted by random selection of customers on a monthly basis and making them fill few questionnaires. Analysts from outside the Company are used to visit consumers on behalf of the firm and produces report on the consumer reactions and valid expectations they desire from the Company. Customer survey questions are constructed based on basic consumer concerns touching crucial areas such as quality, satisfaction on delivery tim e and concern on pricing methods used on the Company’s products and services (Godsell et al, 2006). The company focused on the quality, cost, performance and issues on prices at which goods and services are offered to customers. They also focused on the level of supply of goods to consumers at different locations. These companies analyze customers in relation to their potential and pay much attention to the processes through which products and services are administered to the specific customer groups. The company’s effort to evaluate the performance from the customer point of view contributed largely to the performance of the company. The processes through which they developed products are defined by quality measures, cost of production and time which contribute a lot towards customer satisfaction (Godsell et al, 2006). Response management will be required on the process of evaluating range of alternatives. This is done through first of all reviewing the amount of reso urces available and linking them to market outcomes and possible limitations. Apart from the production process, delivery of services is equally an important factor for success to be realised.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Corporate BSC was established so as to help in organizing operations within the Company. This helped in establishing customer perspective as the key contributor towards effective performance and achievement. The company puts much emphasis on the product cycle that involves transportation and kind of services delivered as some of the important metrics used within Sandwich Company. The Company focuses on supplying quality citrus products at affordable prices while still maximizing on its profit. The actions and measures taken by Sandwich Company’s are all customer-centric. The success of the Company is attributed to their market strategies on ways to deal with customers. However, the Company need to diversify its production to include other related fruit products (Godsell et al, 2006). Cycle view of supply chain operations The customer order cycle comprises of customer arrival followed by the entry of Customer’s order then Customer Order fulfillment and finally customer receiving the order. The replenishment cycle which is the category of retail order, comprises retail order trigger followed by retail order entry then fulfilling the order request and finally receiving the products. This is preceded by the manufacturing cycle which comprises the order arrival going through the production scheduling then manufacturing and shipping process then reception of the final products. Before the manufacturing process, there is the procurement cycle which involves making order of materials based on the manufacturer’s production schedule, suppliers’ precisions and also considering the various components of manufacturing before the materials are received by the manufacturer. Metrics Reliability Responsiveness Flexibility Cost Assets Perfect Order Fulfilment z Order fulfilment Cycle time z Upside Supply Chain flexibility z Upside Supply Chain Adaptability z Downside Supply Chain Adaptability z SCM Cost z Cos t of Goods Sold Z Cash-to-Cash Cycle Time z Return on Supply Chain Fixed Assets z Return on Working Capital z The use of business score card could be of prime use in this Company. Score card could be used in this Company as a management tool to motivate employees towards increasing the value of the organization giving it the ability to appeal to shareholders and rewarding of all employees with high performance level. Corporate BSC should be established so as to help in organizing operations within the Company. This could help in establishing customer perspective as the key contributor towards effective performance and achievement. The company should strive to place much emphasis on the product cycle which involves transportation and kind of services delivered as some of the important metrics used (Godsell et al, 2006). The processing time depends not only on the set up time and compatibility of other ingredients but also on the rate of flow of the raw materi als. This therefore calls for implementation of faster means of transport to cater for the need. The sequence of sandwiches at the end of processing unit should be geared towards minimizing total completion time and maximum earliness. Finished products with due dates should not be supplied since this may bring about confusion on the utilization of the available resources. Conclusion In reality the customer perspective actions and measures taken by Sandwich Company are customer-centric since all the strategies were geared towards maximizing profit per potential customer within the market. Sandwich Company ensures that customers receive their products in good shape, quality and at the right time. This could be ensured through the reduction of assembly time that also contributes to lowering of prices. The manufacturing efficiency of Sandwich Company should be improved through the use of BSC which helps in creating crucial changes within the process and human resource management. The ov erall efficiency of the processes should be improved by more than 10%. Apart from focusing on quality expectations from customers, the company should expand their concern to encompass cost of production and the nature of delivering goods. Increased income and improvement in sales are some of the indications of the level of customer satisfaction. This is since customers tend to buy more of a product when satisfied with its quality and prices. References Godsell, J. Harrison, A. Emberson, C. Storey, J. (2006). Customer responsive Supply chain strategy: An unnatural act? International Journal of Logistics, (9). Hagel, J. Brown, J. (2005). From Push to Pull Emerging models for Mobilizing Resources. Working paper, (10), 2-48.

Why Inner City Youth Suffer PTSD

Why Inner City Youth Suffer PTSD â€Å"The Centers for Disease control says these kids often live in virtual war zones, and doctors at Harvard say they actually suffer from a more complex form of PTSD. Some call it ‘Hood Disease.’† San Francisco KPIX television news anchor Wendy Tokuda spoke these words during a broadcast on May 16, 2014. Behind the anchor desk, a visual graphic featured the words â€Å"Hood Disease† in capital letters, in front of a backdrop of a heavily graffitied, boarded up storefront, accented with a strip of yellow police tape. Yet, there is no such thing as hood disease, and Harvard doctors have never uttered these words. After other reporters and bloggers challenged her about the term, Tokuda admitted that a local resident of Oakland had used the term, but that it had not come from public health officials or medical researchers. However, its mythical nature  didn’t stop other reporters and bloggers across the U.S. from reprinting Tokuda’s story and missing the real story: racism and economic inequality take a serious toll on the physical and mental health of those who experience them. The Connection Between Race and Health Eclipsed by this journalistic misdirection is the fact that  post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)  among inner city youth is a real public health problem that demands attention. Speaking to the broader implications of systemic racism, sociologist Joe R. Feagin emphasizes that many of the costs of racism born by people of color in the U.S. are health-related, including lack of access to adequate health care, higher rates of morbidity from heart attacks and cancer, higher rates of diabetes, and shorter life spans. These disproportionate rates manifest largely due to structural inequalities in society that play out across racial lines. Doctors who specialize in public health refer to race as a social determinant of health. Dr. Ruth Shim and her colleagues explained, in an  article published in the January  2014 edition of  Psychiatric Annals, Social determinants are the main drivers of health disparities, which are defined by the World Health Organization as ‘differences in health which are not only unnecessary and avoidable, but, in addition, are considered unfair and unjust.’  In addition, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities in health care are responsible for poor health outcomes across a number of illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and asthma. In terms of mental and substance use disorders, disparities in prevalence persist across a wide range of conditions, as do disparities in access to care, quality of care, and overall burden of disease. Bringing a sociological lens to this issue, Dr. Shim and her colleagues add, â€Å"It is important to note that the social determinants of mental health are shaped by the distribution of money, power, and resources, both worldwide and in the U.S.† In short, hierarchies of power and privilege create hierarchies of health. PTSD Is a Public Health Crisis AmongInner City Youth In recent decades medical researchers and public health officials have focused on the psychological implications of living in racially ghettoized, economically blighted inner-city communities. Dr. Marc W. Manseau, a psychiatrist at NYU Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital, who also holds a Masters degree in Public Health, explained to About.com how public health researchers frame the connection between inner city life and mental health. He said, There is a large and recently growing literature on the myriad physical and mental health effects of economic inequality, poverty, and neighborhood deprivation.  Poverty, and concentrated urban poverty in particular, are especially toxic to growth and development in childhood. Rates of most mental illnesses, including but certainly not limited to post-traumatic stress disorder, are higher for those who grow up impoverished. In addition, economic deprivation lowers academic achievement and increases behavioral problems, thus sapping the potential of generations of people.  For these reasons, rising inequality and endemic poverty can and indeed must be viewed as public health crises. It is this very real  relationship between poverty and mental health that San Francisco news anchor, Wendy Tokuda, fixed on when she misstepped and propagated  the myth of â€Å"hood disease.† Tokuda referred to research shared by Dr. Howard Spivak, Director of the Division of Violence Prevention at the CDC, at a Congressional Briefing in April  2012. Dr. Spivack found that children who live in inner cities experience higher rates of PTSD than do combat veterans, due in large part to the fact that the majority of kids living in inner-city neighborhoods are routinely exposed to violence. For example, in Oakland, California, the Bay Area city that Tokuda’s report focused on, two-thirds of the city’s murders take place in East Oakland, an impoverished area. At Freemont High School, students are frequently seen wearing tribute cards around their necks that celebrate the lives and mourn the deaths of friends who have died. Teachers at the school report that students suffer from depression, stress, and denial of what is going on around them. Like all people who suffer from PTSD, the teachers note that anything can set off a student and incite an act of violence. The traumas inflicted on youth by  everyday gun violence was well documented in 2013 by the radio program, This American Life, in their two-part broadcast on Harper High School, located in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago’s South Side. Why the Term "Hood Disease" is Racist What we know from public health research, and from reports like these done in Oakland and Chicago, is that PTSD is a serious public health problem for inner-city youth across the U.S. In terms of geographic racial segregation, this also means that PTSD  among youth is overwhelmingly a problem for youth of color. And therein lies the problem with the term â€Å"hood disease.† To refer in this way to widespread physical and mental health problems that stem from social structural conditions and economic relations is to suggest that these problems are endemic to â€Å"the hood† itself. As such, the term obscures the very real social and economic forces that lead to these mental health  outcomes. It suggests that poverty and crime are pathological problems, seemingly caused  by this â€Å"disease,† rather than by the conditions in the neighborhood, which are produced by particular social structural and economic relations. Thinking critically, we can also see the term hood disease as an extension of the â€Å"culture of poverty† thesis, propagated by many social scientists and activists in the mid-twentieth century- later soundly disproven- which holds that it is the value system of the poor that keeps them in a cycle of poverty. Within this reasoning, because people grow up poor in poor neighborhoods, they are socialized into values unique to poverty, which then when lived out and acted upon, recreate the conditions of poverty. This thesis is deeply flawed because it is devoid of any considerations of social structural forces that create poverty, and shape the conditions of people’s lives. According to sociologists and race scholars Michael Omi and Howard Winant’s, something is racist  if it â€Å"creates or reproduces structures of domination based on essentialist categories of race.† â€Å"Hood disease,† especially when combined with the visual graphic of boarded up, graffitied buildings blocked by crime scene tape, essentializes- flattens and represents  in a simplistic way- the diverse experiences of a neighborhood of people into a disturbing, racially coded sign. It suggests that those who live in â€Å"the hood† are very much inferior to those who do not- â€Å"diseased,† even. It certainly does not suggest that this problem can be addressed or solved. Instead, it suggests that it is something to be avoided, as are the neighborhoods where it exists. This is colorblind racism at its most insidious. In reality, there is no such thing as â€Å"hood disease, but many inner-city children are suffering the consequences of living in a society that does not meet their  nor their communities basic life needs.  The place is not the problem. The people who live there are not the problem. A society organized to produce unequal access to resources and rights based on race and class is the problem. Dr. Manseau observes, â€Å"Societies serious about improving health and mental health have directly taken on this challenge with substantial proven and documented success. Whether the United States values its most vulnerable citizens enough to make similar efforts remains to be seen.†