The Lotteria Essay Example

The Lotteria Essay The objective of this research is to compare which country is mostly suitable to have subsidiary company of Lotteria between Brazil and Russia. 1. 2 1. 2. 1Lotteria is a Korean chain of fast-food restaurants, branches in East Asia. This is a subsidiary company of Lotte. 1. 2. 2The Lotteria is the best hamburger company of Korea. In competition with huge fast-food restaurant companies such as McDonald’s and Burgerking, Lotteria showed tight competitions. In East Asia regions, Lotteria had stable market power in fast-food business.With the unique quality and characteristic of Korea culture, Lotteria will have sufficient strengths against competitors in the world market. 1. 3 1. 3. 1 Appendices 1. 3. 2 Appendices 1. 3. 3I am a paternalistic type of leadership styles. I prefer to make decision making by myself while caring about the employees by myself. To role the company, there must be a leader to push the team to achieve goals then naturally employees do their own works without being pushed by the leader. 1. I expect managing Lotteria in Brazil will make lots of profits and make the Lotteria as one of the largest company in the world. 2. 0 Methods 2. 1During the research, I was able to gather the information by using recommended sites from the instructor and searching through Google. Also I had interview with the worker of Lotteria, to get realistic collected data. To find Unilever’s business model in each country, I have searched the reports of existing facts and examples that really happened. . 2Mainly my research is classified into 3 steps. Firstly, to collect the data of Brazil and Russia, I searched in the Internet sites that were recommended. In addition to support more data, I used Google to search more data about cultures, consumer profiles, business etiquette, market environment, and the needs to achieve good cross cultural management. Next, I interviewed the worker at foreign investment department of Lotteria to collect realistic data and management of originals.For the last, to find how Unilever have done business in Brazil and Russia, I have searched through articles, reports, and analysis of real facts that happened in the past. 3. 0 Findings 3. 1To manage the subsidiary market of Lotteria in foreign country, the advantages of Lotteria have is not important as much as the cultures that affect the business of Brazil and Russia. The common cultural influences of two countries are that they have hierarchical systems in business. The decision should be made by the upper class workers.In Brazil, the consumers are loyal to brands, so it is hard for foreign company to enter the market in Brazil. However, the unique cultural facts that Brazil has is that their economy is dual structure which means the polarization. This makes difference consumer types of Brazilian, the upper classes considers quality more than the lower and they try to attached to the foreign company to distinguish them with other classes. On the other h and, the lower classes consider mostly about the price still the majority of Brazilian spend their income at food which is about 16. % which is the second largest portion next to the house. Compare to the Brazil, Russia consumer structure and characteristics are different, as in Russia there are middle classes generating 80% of demands. Russian consumers also care the brands and the quality as importantly, but not as the Brazilian they do not be attracted by price, they are indifferent about it. As most of Russians spend 80% of their income, they are very impulsive. 3. 2When the Unilever started their business in Brazil 4. 0 Discussion

Psychological Properties of Colors

Psychological Properties of Colors Introduction Many books and articles have been aimed at examining the psychology of color, but not all of them are of high quality. This paper will review the article Psychological Properties of Colors written by Angela Wright (2011). Overall, it is hardly appropriate for students or scholars, because the author does not provide any evidence to support her claims. Moreover, many of the writer’s statements are not even testable.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Psychological Properties of Colors specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Relevance The information presented by the author cannot be of any use to a person who studies psychology. The author uses concepts and makes statements that cannot be considered scientific or even testable. For instance, the writer says, â€Å"Blue is the colour of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us mentally, rather than the physical reaction we have to redâ €  (Wright, 2011, unpaged). The article is full of such sentences, and one cannot say that they are psychological statements that identify relationships between causes and effects. Thus, they are not relevant to any particular field. Expertise of the author The article does not provide information about the educational background of Angela Wright. In contrast, peer-reviewed studies usually tell the readers much more about the authors (Martinez Peterson, 2008, p. 78). I learned that she studies psychoanalytical psychology and later began research on unconscious effects of color (Scanlan, 2011, p. 255). Viewpoint of Author/Organization Intended Audience Angela Wright (2011) supports an idea that the use of color can reflect the inner world of a person. For instance, she argues that grey color can be associated with depression or lack of confidence (Wright, 2011, unpaged). Yet, psychologists are usually very cautious when they discuss the connections between color and personality b ecause it is difficult to prove such connections empirically (Picard Lebaz 2011, p. 187). For instance, in their study Delphine Picard and Samuel Lebaz (2011) report that only continuous use of dark colors during free drawing can be linked to a negative emotional state (p. 187). However, in most cases, there is no evidence to say that colors can reflect personality. Thus, Angela Wright’s views are not always supported by researchers. Additionally, this article is intended for people who do not know very much about the peculiarities of color perception. One can also assume that these readers do not study this question at a professional level.Advertising Looking for critical writing on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Evidence Probably, the most significant limitation is the lack of evidence. The writer does not provide any empirical evidence showing that color can be associated with a specific mood, personality type, or emotions. The author does not refer to any studies that can help readers verify the information presented in the article. Thus, Angela Wright does not back up any of her claims. This is the critical drawback of this article. When published It has to be admitted that this article has been published fairly recently, namely in 2011. However, the limitations that have already been identified completely invalidate the ideas that Angela Wright expresses. Reference List Martinez, D. Peterson, T. (2008). Kaplan Technical Writing: A Resource for  Technical Writers at All Levels. New York: Kaplan Publishing. Picard, D., Lebaz, S. (2010). Symbolic use of size and color in freehand drawing of the tree: myth or reality?. Journal Of Personality Assessment, 92(2), 186-188. Scanlan, N. (2011). Complementary Medicine for Veterinary Technicians and  Nurses. London: John Wiley Sons. Wright, A. (2011). Psychological Properties of Colors. Retrieved from: colour-affects.co.uk /psychological-properties-of-colours

Controls for Inflows Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Controls for Inflows - Essay Example I am proposing is that Apollo Shoes should consider examining the way the company operates and finding a way to cut back on the expenditures through the reduction of the packaging for their products, the cutback of their payroll, and cutback of frivolous expenses that do not really need to be made. Furthermore, Apollo Shoes needs to keep a close tab upon its inventory levels and the payroll. If these three components can be limited to a bare minimum that still enables Apollo Shoes to operate, then the company will be able to produce great profits. Sales affect the cash and the ways it is distributed throughout the company. Implementing sales control is tricky. The difficulty lies in making sure that the advertising budget does not spend more than Apollo Shoes is likely to bring in. Controlling sales requires three overall components: firstly, advertising has to be below the net sales of the shoes forecasted to sale that year; secondly, making sure that the store selling Apollo Shoes does not negatively influence the sales; and thirdly, knowledge of retail outlets clientele will help Apollo Shoes better sell the products. Inventory: Back stock will be needed to keep in the distribution centers to be ready to go out to the retail outlets when required. However, this needs to be kept at a minimum to cut back on the amount of cash. Demand: Know what the best selling products of Apollo Shoes are and keep more of those on the shelves than the others. Pushing the most popular products will allow Apollo Shoes to maximize its

Change Management In Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Change Management In Organisations - Essay Example All this makes us a number of fronts that any huge corporate has to tackle, with its given or potential resources. Therefore, the ability to rapidly and effectively settle in to all such environmental challenges is now perhaps a very crucial factor for the success of any organization in today’s world. As a consequence, the success of an organization is not just building upon a single competitive advantage which can be derived from its production techniques and facilities or its financial backing which gives it economies of scale or negotiating strength, but rather its ability to embrace the changes that are posed by the environment. An organization which can work on ideas that are not very conventional can deal with the new situations with enough flexibility and accommodate the changes and we can consider it to be perhaps one that can sustain growth over a longer period of time successfully. Need for a change: The need to adapt ‘change’ is critical all organizatio ns which aim towards sustainable growth. Although people are progressively becoming more and more aware of an urgent need for change, in most of the cases many significant organizational change initiatives actually fail to even meet minimum requirements and are therefore unable to deliver the desired results as expected by the change sponsors. As per few studies that have been carried out, it has been estimated that somewhere around 40% to70% of the total change initiatives in huge organizations have failed (Burnes, 2000). Activities that are pertinent to the implementation of ‘change’ in an organization should primarily focus on the changing motivations and the behaviors of organizational stakeholders. Fundamentally the human resources in view of the fact that they are the most vital assets that an organization possesses which can be leveraged for the improvement of organizational outcomes. Change needs to be properly managed. It cannot just be implemented in a single wave. A radical change can be highly risky and may turn out to be a big failure as the people affected by the change may backfire to resist it and leaving no future scope of attempting to bring even a gradual one. Change management can be defined as the preamble and administration of an initiative which is designed for â€Å"renewing an organization’s direction, structure, and capabilities to serve the ever-changing needs of external and internal customers† (Moran & Brightman, 2001). Motivation to Resist Change: Despite the critical need for change and the prospective positive results that are expected to be a by-product of the change, in most cases the internal customers i.e. the human resource are always highly motivated to challenge any changes to the status-quo. Negative reactions from the employee can be highly damaging for organizations. This is due to the fact that change initiatives are commonly associated with destructive effects such as employee withdrawals o r downsizing, lower levels of productivity and psychological pressures. Machines are made to work for long hours without compromising the accuracy and quality of work, for example. A change initiative to implement a new information system may

Managing Multi-disciplinary Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managing Multi-disciplinary Teams - Essay Example Besides, the set goals should not only be practically realizable, but also in line with the relevant criteria and objectives governing the working of a particular organization. The most important task that calls for urgent attention in the management of a multi-disciplinary team is that all the members in that team should be sure about the specific roles assigned to them (Bacal, 2009). While allocating such roles, not only the abilities and aspirations of the specific employees ought to be taken into consideration, but no confusion should be left as to the allocation of responsibility and leadership pertaining to the specific tasks and roles. It is a common tendency amongst the teams to try to retain their old ways of working. However, the attainment of optimum efficiency and the successful achievement of the project goals require the teams to be flexible and adaptable (Bacal 2009). The case study under consideration brings to the light the need for setting clear-cut goals while managing multi-disciplinary teams, but also looking into the job of performance management through regular evaluation and feedback (Bacal 2008). The case study under consideration primarily involves a set of employees that includes two respiratory therapists, an intern, an administrative staff member, and a supervising head managing the overall activities of the department.One of the respiratory therapists is relatively young and is of an enthusiastic and positive temperament. The other therapist is quieter, mature, calibrated and much disciplined in his approach towards the work. The two therapists are expected to perform a whole range of duties like conducting an analysis of the issues at hand, conducting tests, assembling the equipment, and interacting with the patients and their family members. Being a therapist happens to be a stress intensive job and both the therapists tend to handle their jobs well in their own unique way. While the friendly nature of the younger therapist makes the patients feel at ease, the balance and confidence of the older therapist leaves his patients calm and reassured. Despite their conductin g periodical meetings, the relationship between the two therapists is marked by high conflict and disagreement, owing to the large scale and considerable differences in their approaches and ideas towards their work. The differences existing between these two therapists certainly need some astute conflict management (Farmer, 2009).The older therapist's approach towards one's work is very conservative while the younger therapist is more adventurous and spontaneous in his approach and wants to incorporate new challenges and issues in the organizational list of priorities. A conflict of opinion in the sphere of organizational priorities often has the potential to affect efficiency and productivity (Kerina, 2009). While the older therapist intends to be fixed and obstinate in his adherence to safety procedures, his younger counterpart believes in taking chances and to react according to the situation at hand. This environment of high conflict is negatively influencing the working of othe r therapists within the organization.

Task Scheduling Based On Multilevel Queue Scheduling Computer Science Essay

Task Scheduling Based On Multilevel Queue Scheduling Computer Science Essay Abstract This paper gives the survey on task scheduling. The different scheduling used to schedule task based on priority, time and deadline. To achieve that techniques such as First In First Out, Shortest Job first, Round Robin Scheduling, Multilevel Queue Scheduling are discussed. Among these techniques, the technique named Multilevel Feedback Queue scheduling is proposed as a good scheduling technique along with the future work. Keywords FCFS, Context Switching, Starvation, inflexible, SJF, Multilevel queue. INTRODUCTION Scheduling is a basic concept in computer multiprocessor and multitasking operating systems. Scheduling refers to the way processes are ordered to run on the CPUs, since there are typically many more processes running than there are available CPUs. It also states that when an activity should start or end depending on its duration, predecessor activity, predecessor relationships, resource availability and especially the target completion which is consider as deadline. The  scheduler  is concerned mainly with Throughput, Latency, Turn around, Response Time and Fairness. Throughput describes  that number of processes that complete their execution per time unit. Latency, specifically illustrates about turn around and response time. In Turnaround, total time between submission of a process and its completion is described and the response time  deals with the amount of time it takes from when a request was submitted until the first response is produced. Finally, fairness tells about the equal CPU time to each process (or more generally appropriate times according to each process priority).In practice, these goals often conflict (e.g. throughput versus latency), thus a scheduler will implement a suitable compromise. In  real-time  environments, such as  mobile devices  for  automatic control  in industry (for example  robotics), the scheduler also must ensure that processes can meet  deadlines; this is crucial for keeping the system stable. Scheduled tasks are sent to mobile devices and  managed  through an administrative back end. Types of Operating System Schedulers: Long Term Scheduler: The long term scheduler is otherwise called admission scheduler. This scheduler decides which process or job has to be admitted first to the ready queue. Because while executing a program, which process to be run is authorized or delayed by long term scheduler. The degree of concurrency is maintained and it checks whether high or low amount of processes are to be executed concurrently. It also dictates how the split between CPU intensive and IO intensive is to be handled. It is useful for the real time process to get enough CPU time to finish their tasks in the modern OSs. The GUI interfaces becomes slow if the real time scheduling is not proper. Long-term scheduling is also important in large-scale systems such as batch processing systems, computer clusters, supercomputers and render farms.In these cases, special purpose  job scheduler software is typically used to assist these functions, in addition to any underlying admission scheduling support in the operating system. Long term scheduling obviously controls the degree of multiprogramming in multitasking systems, following certain policies to decide whether the system can honor a new job submission or, if more than one job is submitted, which of them should be selected. The need for some form of compromise between degree of multiprogramming and throughput seems evident, especially when one considers interactive systems. The higher the number of processes, in fact, the smaller the time each of them may control CPU for, if a fair share of responsiveness is to be given to all processes. Moreover we have already seen that a too high number of processes causes waste of CPU time for system housekeeping chores (trashing in virtual memory systems is a particularly nasty example of this). However, the number of active processes should be high enough to keep the CPU busy servicing the payload (i.e. the user processes) as much as possible, by ensuring that on average there always be a sufficient number of p rocesses not waiting for I/O. Short-term Scheduler: The short-term scheduler (also known as the CPU scheduler) decides which of the ready, in-memory processes are to be executed (allocated a CPU) next following a clock  interrupt, an IO interrupt, an operating  system call  or another form of  signal. Thus the short-term scheduler makes scheduling decisions much more frequently than the long-term or mid-term schedulers a scheduling decision will at a minimum have to be made after every time slice, and these are very short. This scheduler can be  preemptive, implying that it is capable of forcibly removing processes from a CPU when it decides to allocate that CPU to another process, or non-preemptive in which case the scheduler is unable to force processes off the CPU. In most cases short-term scheduler is written in assembler because it is critical part of operating system. II.ANALYSIS In this part, we will discuss about different types of scheduler and their usage. Each Technique is compared with different performance metrics such as Throughput, CPU utilization, Turnaround time, waiting time and response time. First Come First Severed (FCFS) This technique is a basic one, and commonly used scheduler. Based on the order the job arrives, the task be scheduled. To maintain this queue will be handled. The entire ready task is put inside the queue, according to the arrival of jobs. To describe this sample source code along with the Gantt Chart. Sample Code: queue_Fifo q; //The processes inside the queue task_Include(procs) // method to include a process into the queue { q.include_Tail(procs); //Inserting the new coming process at the tail end  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  q.size++; //Reporting } Rescheduling(){ // To remove the process from the queue   P=q.head_Exclude();   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reporting;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  return P; }   Example: Consider four tasks P,Q,R and S. Each task requires some amount of time to complete the task. It is shown below. Table 1 Task Schedule Task Time Unit P 9 Q 5 R 10 S 6 Gantt Chart: P Q R S 0 9 14 24 30 Fig 1. FCFS Example In the above example, the incoming task is included in the queue one by one. It executes based on the time units. The drawback of this the task which has to finish first has to wait until its time reach. Another problem is overhead occurs between the processes which leads to Context Switching. Performance Evaluation: Table 2 Performance Metric 1 performance metrics First In First Out Throughout 4/(30+3cs) CPU utilization 30/(30+3cs) Turnaround time (9+14+24+29+6cs)/4=19 Omitting cs Waiting time (0+9+14+24+6cs)/4=11.75 Omitting cs Response Time (0+9+cs+14+2cs+24+3cs)/4=11.75 Omitting cs Shortest Job First (SJF) To overcome the problem of first one we are going for shortest job first technique. In this scheduler, a sorted list is maintained. In the list all the task which has least time unit will be scheduled first. This technique is useful because the task which has earliest time unit got the opportunity to execute. To describe this sample source code along with the Gantt Chart. Sample Code: sort_List SL; //Data Structure for sorted list task_Include (procs, expected_runtime) { // method to include a process into the sorted list. SL.insert(procs, procs.runtime); } //Inserting the newcoming process into the sorted list Rescheduling(){ // To remove the shortest job from the list.   return SL.remove_head();   }   Example: Consider four tasks P,Q,R and S. Each task requires some amount of time to complete the task which is given in table 1. Gantt Chart: Q S P R 0 5 11 20 30 Fig 2. SJF Example In this scheduler, the new incoming shortest job will be included in the list which leads to the problem named Starvation. In Starvation, the job which has longest time to finish the execution will be waiting because all the newly arrived jobs will enter into the list. Therefore, the longest job will starve to get the resource. Performance Evaluation: Table 3 Performance Metric 3 performance metrics First In First Out Throughout 4/(30+3cs) CPU utilization 30/(30+3cs) Turnaround time (5+11+cs+20+2cs+30+3cs)/4=16.5 Omitting cs Waiting time (0+5+cs+11+2cs+24+3cs)/4=10 Omitting cs Response Time (0+5+cs+11+2cs+24+3cs)/4=10 Omitting cs Round Robin Scheduling In time-sharing systems, the Round robin technique is very much successful. The jobs will be preempted. For each task, particular time slot will be given. The job should be finished within that time, otherwise the other jobs will be preempted and the old task should wait until it gets the new slot.This will be achieved using queue Sample Code: queue_Fifo fq; //First in first out queue task_Include(procs) // method to include a task into the queue { q.include_Tail(procs); //Inserting the new coming process at the tail end  Ã‚   }   Rescheduling(y){ // To remove the next process and run it If(y==timer) task_Include(current); set_Timer(time_quanta);   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   return fq.remove_head(); } Example Here also the same four task will be taken and based on time quanta 3 and 6 the task be scheduled. If Time quanta=3, P Q R S P Q R S P R 0 3 6 9 12 15 16 19 21 23 26 Fig 3. RR Example TQ=3 If time quanta=6, P Q R S P R 0 6 10 16 21 23 26 Fig 4. RR Example TQ=6 Performance Evaluation: Table 3 Performance Metric 3 performance metrics First In First Out Throughout 4/(26+9cs) CPU utilization 26/(26+9cs) Turnaround time (23+16+26+21)/4=21.5 Omitting cs Waiting time (15+12+17+16)/4=15 Omitting cs Response Time (0+3+6+9)/4=4.5 Omitting cs Priority(PRI) In this method a priority is fixed to each and every process. To implement this Shortest job first(SJF) algorithm is used. If two jobs are having the same priority the scheduled will be done based on FCFS queue. In some cases, the jobs be preempted eventhough it has the higher priority. To describe this sample source code along with the Gantt Chart. Sample Code: PRI (L,M,H(RR)) queue_Fifo fq[3]; //The processes inside the queue task_Include(procs, pri) // method to include a process into the queue { fq[pri].include_Tail(procs); //Inserting the new coming process at the tail end  Ã‚   } Rescheduling(y) { // To remove the next process and run it If(y==timer) task_Include(current, current.pri); set_Timer(time_quanta); for pri=H to L if(fq[pri].empty())   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   return fq[pri].remove_head(); }   Example: Consider four tasks P,Q,R and S. Each task requires some amount of time to complete the task. It is shown below. Gantt Chart: For Time quanta=6 P P R Q R S 0 6 8 14 18 21 26 Fig 4. PRI Example TQ=6 In the above example, the incoming task is included in the queue one by one. It executes based on the priority assigned to each task. The drawback of this the task is once the higher priority job finish its execution the lower priority jobs gets the chance of doing its execution. Performance Evaluation: Table 4 Performance Metric 4 performance metrics First In First Out CPU utilization 26/(26+4cs) Response Time (0+8+14+21+4cs)/4=10.75 Omitting cs Multilevel Queue Scheduling In Multilevel queue scheduling each process is divided into different groups. It is divided into the following processes: SYSTEM PROCESSES INTERACTIVE PROCESSES INTERACTIVE EDITING PROCESSES BATCH PROCESSES STUDENT PROCESSES Fig 5. Multilevel Queue scheduling Process groups. In the above diagram, the foreground queue is called interactive and background queue is called batch. These two plays a major role in scheduling. The jobs are assigned to separate queues. The assigning be done based on memory size, process type and process priority. The vital one is each queue uses its own scheduling policy based on the need of the task. It can either do preemptively or non-preemptively. Possibilities: There are two possibilities to choose the scheduling algorithm: Each queue has absolute priority; once the higher priority job queue becomes empty it wont go for lower priority jobs. Eg. In the Fig.5. The batch processes wont get the chance of execution until the system, interactive and interactive editing processes finish its execution. Each queue gets some CPU time when there is a time slice between queues after that it can be scheduled the processes in the queue. Eg. If 70% of CPU time is given to foreground queue, it uses round robin scheduling. Rest 30% be allotted to background queue which uses FIFO scheduling. The main drawback of this scheduling is, it is not flexible. To overcome this we are going for multilevel feedback scheduling. III.PROPOSED ALGORITHM Comparing with different task scheduling, the proposed algorithm which can be used in task scheduling is multilevel feedback queue scheduling. To overcome the inflexibility of multilevel queue scheduling, the multilevel feedback queue scheduling came into pass. In this, the process can move between various queues. Here separate queues will be used for handling the process, it automatically adjust the priority of the jobs. The process is either I/O bound or CPU bound. Based on the process type, the scheduling algorithm such as round- robin, FCFS be used which maintains the flexibility. It gives preference on short jobs, I/O bound processes and schedule the process according to the nature of the process. It is described based on number of queues, the scheduling policy, a method used to upgrade, degrade or introduce a process and the inter scheduling between the queues. Steps in Multilevel Feedback queue: The new incoming process is added to the queue tail. At one stage, the process comes to the top of the queue and that will be assigned to the CPU. The process leaves the system once it completes its execution. When the process relinquishes control, it leaves the queuing network and once it becomes ready it enters into the queue level. When the process is having quantum time it will be preempted, and enter into the lower level of queue. This will be repeated until the process completes or it reaches the base level queue. Example Consider three queues, Q0- Round robin TQ: 8 milliseconds Q1- Round robin TQ: 16 milliseconds Q2- FCFS TQ=8 TQ=16 FCFS If the new job comes it enters into the queue Q0 and served as FCFS. When it gains CPU, it gets the tine quanta as 8 milliseconds. If the job is not completed within 8 milliseconds, the job moves to the queue Q1. At Q1 job is again served as FCFS and received the time quanta of 16 milliseconds. If it is not complete it will preempt to queue Q2. IV.CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK From the different view of task scheduling, multilevel feedback scheduling is considered as the good one in assignment of task. This will be implemented in real time systems for the assignment of task.

Causes of Childhood Obesity Essay -- Causes of Obesity in Children

When speaking of her 8-year old daughter's obesity, a prideful mother replies "Oh it's no big deal, she just still has her baby fat." Unfortunately, chances are that the daughter's obesity is not caused by her baby fat, but can be contributed to a combination of diet, genetics, and a sedentary lifestyle. Studies show that obesity among children 6-17 years of age, has increased by 50% in the last 20 years, with the most dramatic increase seen in children ages 6-11 (Axmaker, 1). This obvious epidemic has raised great concern in the medical community because widespread childhood obesity has increased the prevalence of the once rare juvenile diabetes and pediatric hypertension (Bastin, 45). This concern has prompted intense investigation of the causes of childhood studies, aside from socioeconomic status, three major causes have been shown: diet, genetics or biological factors, and lifestyle. Because fat must have a source from which to increase, diet is an obvious contributor to obesity in children. Dietary guidelines recommend that children between the ages of 6 and 11 should receive about 1800 calories a day, with 50% from carbohydrates, 30% from fat, and 20% from protein (Bastin, 47). With the ready availability of high calorie/high carbohydrate soft drinks, fruit juice, and high carbohydrate snacks, children?s diets have become increasingly less nutritious. Surveys conducted among children and teenagers have shown that 7 out of 10 children eat fruit once a day, and 5 out of 10 teenagers eat fruit once a day (Bastin, 47). Because children are replacing the missing fruit servings with high calorie snacks, weight gain will occur dramatically over time. An over consumption of 50-100 calories can lead to a gain of 5-10 pounds a year (Oklahoma Cooperative, 1). Many parents mistakenly encourage carbohydrates with a high-glycemic value as substitutes for fat and protein. Hig h-glycemic carbohydrates prevent fat breakdown and drive fat into fat deposits, causing fat to accumulate, which occurring in high levels is obesity. The era of home cooking has all but disappeared from our society, with meals being replaced with pizza, or fast food creating yet another innutritious aspect of children?s diets. Carbohydrates also take far less time to empty from the stomach than do those foods high in fat or protein, causing hunger (Buffington, 14). A child having eaten a b... ...ould be limited, while active play should be encouraged. If parents and children alike can create a healthy balance between genetics, diet and lifestyle, the growing issue of obesity may one day be no longer a concern, and generations will live to be healthier. Works Cited Axmaker, Larry. ?Childhood Obesity Should be Taken Seriously.? Online Posting 24 November 2004. Accessed 9 April 2005. 1-4. Bastin, Sandra. ?Perils of Childhood Obesity.? American Academy of Pediatrics Quarterly. Volume 31 (11/2001): 44-49. Retrieved Medline 9 April 2005. 1-5. Buffington, Cynthia. ?Causes of Childhood Obesity.? Beyond Change: Information Regarding Obesity and Obesity Surgery. Volume 17 (12/2003): 12-17. Retrieved Academic Search Elite 9 April 2005. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Services. ?Special Issues: Childhood Obesity.? Online Posting 7 July 2003. Accessed 9 April 2005. 1-5. Reading, Richard. ?Increasing prevalence of obesity in primary school children: cohort study.? Child: Care, Health & Development; Vol. 28 Issue 2 (03/2002): 189-197 Retrieved Academic Search Elite 9 April 2005 Rush, Traci. ?Childhood Obesity.? Online posting 13 October 2002. Accessed 9 April 2005. 1.