Disparities and access to healthy food in the United States Essay

Disparities and access to healthy food in the United States - Essay Example Only 81% are able to eat the kinds of foods they want but majority also have to travel a far distance to reach the grocery stores of supermarkets (Larson, Story and Nelson, 2009). Research indicates that 8% of African Americans lack access to food while only 41% of the whites have access to food (U.S Department of Agriculture, 2009). The problem as indicated above is caused by food deserts. The other cause for these statistics are the fact that the supermarkets and groceries are not stocked with the kind of food people want and hence they end up not purchasing anything or just enough to eliminate their hunger but not get satisfied. Lastly is the main reason which is the socio-economic status of people. People fail to access food not because it is unavailable but simply because they cannot afford it. The healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables are expensive and hence they rely on unhealthy risking diseases. Over 46% of low income neighbors have limited household access to healthy foods dues to their high prices (Larson, Story and Nelson, 2009). When there is food desert in any neighborhood, the only people who will be able to purchase the desired and affordable food are those with readily available transportation and money for the food which means those in middle and high level of socio-economic status. Transportation in the rural areas is hard to come by and hence they lack access to healthy food. Majority of the city dwellers also face similar problem as their neighborhoods are filled with convenience stores and fast food joints and very few, sparsely spaced supermarkets and grocery stores. This translates to people within that neighborhood eating unhealthy foods majority of the time. The lack of access to healthy foods due to lack of access to supermarkets and grocery stores as well as the disparity in healthy food as a result of affordability calls for a policy to improve these low statistics if the US citizens are to start being healthy people and

Models of Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Models of Decision Making - Essay Example Although, the offshore firm was willing to do revisions, there were issues of quality control, language barrier, distance and timing to contend with. Maybe it was partly because it was the first time we use outsourcing service, but the foray was certainly disastrous. In line with the normative model, I have tried the outsourcing initiative with the idea that I am doing whatever yields the best consequences for the company in the future. I have asked myself several times, if by outsourcing I am displaying some form of personal bias and have found that maybe I am, in an effort to cut cost for the current year. I was working now on descriptive model grounds. It never occurred to me to dig deeper on this area in the course of my judgment. If after identifying this bias, I could have tried to correct it by analyzing further what others would have done and by doing some research in order to be objective with my decision. This would have been the prescriptive decision making model and I have missed to comprehensively use it. When I decided to outsource service, it was a decision in the area of the normative model as I am concerned with cost-cutting and the profit for my company. However, when I arrived at the decision of choosing an Indian firm to outsource our database revision, I was working within the descriptive decision making model. Prescriptive model would have required me to explore the judgment, beliefs and preferences of decision makers in relation to issues before them (Rios 1994, p. 25) and would lead me to choose a better outsourcing destination or simply hire an additional staff to work on the database in-house. According to Grunig and Kuhn (2005 p. 8), a decision can be approached: 1) purely intuitively, 2) through routine recourse to procedures used in the past, 3) by adopting unquestioningly the suggestions of experts, 4) by choosing at random or 5) by systematic rational thought supported

Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Germany - Essay Example So while in some ways he did not want to enter the war, being a pacifist at heart, Wilson knew that the outcome of the war could have drastic impacts on the way the world worked after it, and these impacts would be decided upon solely by the victors. Knowing all this, Wilson wanted to have a seat at the victor’s table, in order to be a part of determining the new world order. His championing of the League of Nations following the First World War shows what kind of world order he imagined, and he perhaps thought that, through going to war this one time, he could help prevent future conflicts from ever occurring again. He was sadly mistaken, obviously, both because of the harsh reparations demanded by the allies and because o the US government’s unwillingness to take part in the League, but his aspirations were high all the same. So while the Zimmerman telegram was certainly inflammatory, there are definitely ways in which would could argue that it was used more as a pretext to enter the war than being the sole cause of the US’s entrance – Wilson had a lot to gain in going to war for the Victorious side, and so probably would have taken much less inflammatory bait had it been presented. It is impossible to know for certain how the world would have turned out had the United States never entered the war: it is even hard to know which side would have won, or if victory ever would have happened in any kind of real way. I would argue that without US intervention, neither side would really have been able to win the war, and a much less harsh peace process would probably have had to occur, which would have led to better consequences. The defining feature of much of the First World War was a terrible stale-mate – lines of trenches were established, and because defensive technology was, for this brief time period, so

Urban planing and policy law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Urban planing and policy law - Coursework Example Most cities across the world carry almost more than half of the total population, hence the decisions made by governments, business community and individuals have fundamental impacts on cities consequently on the populace. This requires policies to moderate such decisions and subsequent policies. Secondly, critical challenges need to be solved to secure lasting production and sustainability. Te complexity of these urban issues calls for a national approach, which is articulate and well understood to guide city development and expansion for the sole purpose of improving urban lives. For continued prosperity and wellbeing of the city population, the governments should ensure that, the cities meet the needs of the present and future cohorts and sustaining economic expansion without compromising the natural resources. For these reasons, the National City policy becomes a fundamental element of having a healthy city population. Transportation Policy Pressure of the continued growth of pol lution adds pressure on the existing resources and facilities. In the past, high population in cities has congested roads and this led to expansion to fit the ever-growing population. However, this option is proving to be unsustainable due to the growing cost of building roads. In addition, there is less appropriate land for new roads. According to the vision 2030, most nations across the globe have resolved that urban transport policy and development should not be a one-body orientated, but instead distributed to diverse organizations to help come up with viable policies, which can solve the current trends in transport (INTERNATIONAL ITF/OECD SYMPOSIUM ON TRANSPORT ECONOMICS AND POLICY, 2010). These efforts might not provide the same service to every person but each urban resident will enjoy access to a reasonable standard of service. It is imperative to note that, incorporation of regional and local transport systems promotes competent modes of the transport. For instance, the pas senger reform policy is fundamental in planning transport services at the municipal borders and across other regional. This uniformity across municipals and other regions help in improving the universal level of transport systems and thus adding the value of attractiveness of public transport services to users. Urban polices on transport systems are significant both in the main cities and around the suburbs. Majority of the populace lives in the city suburbs, which are far from the services and jobs. This implies the as day counts, journeys to work, schools, supermarkets, social places among others are increasingly becoming distant. Hence, policy development on transport systems should be concentrated on solving challenges such as a reduction of dependency on the car and stopping urban fragmentation (INTERNATIONAL ITF/OECD SYMPOSIUM ON TRANSPORT ECONOMICS AND POLICY, 2010). The overall essence, of the transport policy should be focused on land use planning, which will provide consid eration on the impacts on traffic and divide between diverse modes of travel. Some of the fundamental aspects of urban transport policy include Vehicle efficiency and emission

Algabraic Functions, real life, and teaching them to your students Essay

Algabraic Functions, real life, and teaching them to your students - Essay Example Therefore, this problem can be modeled as creating a function in which the miles per gallon (MPG) is a function of the money in dollars spent annually powering the car. Context In trying to decide what type of car to get, Ryan is looking at what kind of car he can get for the right price. Since he is a college student, he is looking for a car that gets good mileage so that he can spend less money on gas and still be able to drive around. The car dealership gave him a guide in which he could compare the amount of money he would need depending on the type of vehicle he bought. The larger, inefficient trucks typically get about 10MPG and will cost approximately $2,700 in gas per year. The dealership has it listed in increments of increasing 5 MPG, ending with the most economically and ecologically efficient cars which get around 50 MPG and only cost $540 annually to drive around. Table MPG Cost per Year in Dollars 10 $2,700.00 15 $1,800.00 20 $1,350.00 25 $1,080.00 30 $900.00 35 $771.43 40 $675.00 45 $600.00 50 $540.00 Use of Words The lower the MPG of a vehicle, the larger the annual cost is to fund the gas for travel. The higher the MPG of a vehicle, the smaller the annual cost is to fund the gas for travel.

Risk and profitability analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk and profitability analysis - Coursework Example Commercial banking is another kind of service offered by the bank which includes Credit and lending, International trade and receivables finance, Payments and cash management, Insurance and investment, GB&M. Global banking and markets is another verticals of services provided by the banks which comprises of Global markets and Global banking. The bank provides another domain of services like Global private banking which involves Private banking, Investment management and Private trust solutions (HSBC, 2012, pp. 60-61). Lloyds provides a range of products and services financial services which involves Debt capital markets, structured finance, Working capital finance, Private equity, Trade and supply chain finance, Terms loans and overdraft. Risk management service is another vertical of the bank which comprises of Inflation linked solutions, Interest rate risk management solutions, Commodities market related solutions, Foreign exchange related solutions, and Additional risk related ser vices. ... Other verticals of services of the bank are Private banking and Business banking and corporate banking (RBS, 2012). B. Profitability and Risk Analysis of Four Banks HSBC:-It is a British multinational bank and also a financial service company which has it’s headquarter in London, UK. It is one of the largest bank is the world. It has earned $20.64 billion in 2012 and profit of $14.02 billion. HSBC Profitability Ratios 2009 2010 2011 2012 Return on equity capital 0.04 0.08 0.10 0.08 return on assets 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 net interest margin 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 net non interest margin 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.02 net bank operating margin 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 earning per share 0.04 0.09 0.11 0.08 From the above table we can see that return on equity capital has increased over the period of time from 2009 to 2010 to 2011.But in 2012 it has decreased slightly. Overall position of ROE was quite high. Return on assets was low continuously which means net income over total assets was quite low. Net interest margin remained stable during the period. Net non interest margin increased in 2010 from 2009 and then remain stable. Net bank operating margin was low. Earnings per share have improved during the period with exception in 2012. Overall profitability ratios for HSBC were remaining stable for the period of four years. credit risk measure 2009 2010 2011 2012 total loans/total deposits 0.97 0.92 1.18 1.24 provision for loan losses/total loan 0.11 0.06 0.03 0.02 liquidity risk measure 2009 2010 2011 2012 net loans/total assets 0.10 0.11 0.15 0.15 purchased funds/total assets 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.93 cash assets and govt. securities/total assets 0.39 0.38 0.40 0.40 interest rate risk

Overview of the organization of Wal-Mart Essay Example for Free

Overview of the organization of Wal-Mart Essay Today, one of the most common places known to everyone (Except Paris Hilton) is Wal-Mart. Last year, Wal-Mart had revenues of $191 billion and has 1,283,000 employees, as of 2002. Wal-Mart is the largest retail store in the United States, and is larger than any other retail chain in the world. Currently Wal-Mart operates over 4,150 retail facilities globally. According to the Fortune 500 index of the wealthiest and most powerful corporations in the world, Wal-Mart holds the number one spot, ranked by its total sales. The company is ranked as the second most admired company in the world by Fortune (www.fortune.com). With all these numbers, you would think they had a long drawn out plan with goals as long as their success, but when Sam Walton created Wal-Mart in 1962, he declared that three policy goals would define his business: respect for the individual, service to customers, and striving for excellence (www.walmart.com). Three very short, but successful goals, which have been working since. As I researched goals and planning, Wal-Marts goals are not the standard goals that I found. In the textbook there is information concerning characteristics of goals. Characteristics of Well-Designed Goals: 1) Written in terms of outcomes rather than actions. 2) Measurable and quantifiable. 3) Clear as to a time frame. 4) Challenging yet attainable. 5) Written down. 6) Communicated to all necessary organizational members. Management (Page 166 Para. 1) As we redirect to Wal-Marts goals, we can see that they would not be defined as well designed. Not many of the six characteristics would fit Sam Waltons goals. 1) Respect for the individual This could not be considered for outcomes rather than actions nor is it measurable and quantifiable. It contains no time frame and I hardly consider respect as a challenge. However the goals were written and have been communicated to all employees. When it comes to the respect from Wal-Mart stores many individuals feel Sam Walton has lost his sight. I researched what others had to say about the goals. Everyone says the store really got bad after Sam died, one individual explains. http://members.aol.com/walmopboy/abuse/strl.htm (Look Before You Leap) The site contains articles customers and employees have posted about the treatment they have received at various Wal-Mart stores. 2) Service to customers Once again this fits only the last two characteristics explained. It is written and has been communicated. 3) Striving for excellence This, compared to the other two fits the characteristics best. It could be considered for outcomes rather than action, and could be considered challenging. It is not measurable and quantifiable, nor clear as to a time frame. However, it is once again written down and communicated to the employees. When I researched how well these goals were communicated to the employees, I found that they are printed on the hiring paperwork. Once the paperwork is complete the employees do not see or receive the goals. Therefore, I do not feel the goals are communicated effectively among the employees and organization. In order for the goals to be achieved, I feel the employees must be aware of Sam Waltons sight. I believe the first step to achieve these goals effectively would be to instill them within the employees. They should be explained clearly and constantly. They should also be printed, in clear sight. This would help to  remind employees and show customers their attitudes. I also feel that the goals should have a clear time frame and measurable. For example: In one year, cut complaints to less than 20 per store. There should be some way to ensure the goals are being reached. By setting time frames and a measurable form the store can see how well or terrible they are doing. Resources: 1) Wal-Mart Homepage http://www.walmart.com/ [Accessed 18 July 2004] 2) Fortune http://www.fortune.com/fortune/ [Accessed 18 July 2004] 3) Wal-Mart Horror Stories Archives http://members.aol.com/walmopboy/abuse/strl.htm [Accessed 19 July 2004] 4) Robbins, Coulter (2005) Management Eighth Edition Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Custom Publishing