Stress And Illness Essays - Stress, Stress Management,

Stress And Illness The Effects of Stress on Physical Illness April 17, 2000 #38 Abstract Research has shown a connection between stress and physical illness. Furthermore, who becomes ill under pressure may be regulated by other factors such as personality type. The purpose of this project was to determine if there is a relationship between stress and illness. Another motive for this project was to investigate whether or not correlations between illness, personality type, and/or stress is evident. Twenty-one students in the Writing of Agriculture and Natural Resources class at the University of Florida were surveyed on their perceived level of stress and physical health. The questionnaire also analyzed their actual life stress level and level of extroversion. The questionnaire was evaluated and classified by personality types, health, and stress levels. This study was expected to reveal that people who experience higher levels of stress would also experience higher rates of physical illness compared to people with lower levels of stress. The rates of illness in people who experience higher levels of stress may vary between perceived stress (how stressed one actually feels) and actual stress (as defined by specific life events). Specifically, people who report higher levels of perceived stress will experience higher rates of physical illness regardless of the number of actual stressful life events experienced (actual stress). In addition, personality types, such as people who are characteristically introverted (people who tend to keep to themselves) will tend to manifest signs of stress through physical symptoms more so than people who are characterized as extroverts (more social outgoing). The results of my survey suggested that a correlation exists between stress and illness; and illnesses were exacerbated when the subjects indicated a characteristically introverted personality. There was further indication that subjects with an extroverted personality had signs of stress related illnesses. Overall, ninety-nine percent of the students who responded to the questionnaire revealed they had relatively high levels of stress and experienced various poor health frequently. Introduction Stress and illness are no strangers to many. As many as 25 percent of the US population suffers from the negative effects of stress, and approximately 50 percent of all general medical patients are suffering from stress related problems (Everly, 1989). Several studies conducted confirm that stress is positively correlated with incidences of physical illness (DeVito, 1994). It is also becoming common knowledge that many physical diseases are either related to or can be exacerbated by excessive stress. Stress reduction is becoming a part of treatment and prevention of many diseases. Even insurance companies are paying for programs such as ones that reverse heart disease, which include learning stress reduction techniques . Many studies have tried to link and explain the role of the immune system in the human stress response. The issue has even been given its own term, psychoneuroimmunology, meaning the study of the direct causal relationship between stress and illness (DeVito, 1994). For example, a study looking at wound repair in caregivers vs. non-caregivers found that caregivers, who were under significantly more stress than non caregivers, took an average of nine days longer to heal than non caregivers (Keicolt-Glaser, Marucha, Malarkey, Mercado, and Glaser, 1995). This study cited differences in the chemical immunological responses between the two groups. There is no single recipe for managing stress, but utilizing fundamental coping mechanisms can help calm your mind. We cannot change who we are, our jobs, or families, but we can change our perceptions. The first step is to become more aware of the situation and environment. What causes your stress? How do you respond? By answering these questions, you can begin to modify your situation. Some suggestions to reduce stress are to exercise; it strengthens the heart and lungs while bathing the brain in endorphins to reduce pain. You can also practice stress management techniques ranging from prayer, to biofeedback, to simple walks on the beach to feel inner peace. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and investing in hobbies and leisure activities can do the same and more. Literature Review My review of the current literature indicated a link between stress and illness. However, it was unclear whether or not illness is more likely to be related to perceived stress, rather than actual life events which are considered stressful. Personality may

Ecco Case Essays

Ecco Case Essays Ecco Case Essay Ecco Case Essay They priorities quality and reliability; the supply chain is configured to produce in accordance with specification and without error. ECHO has a very atypical operations strategy compared with their industry peers. Unlike their branded marketer competitors they produce their own materials and manufacture 80% of their own products in factories around the world. Owning and controlling the entire value chain gives them huge flexibility and allows them to maintain the highest levels of quality. Leone et al. 990) state that operation strategy consists of the key decision areas concerned with the structure and infrastructure of operations: 1. 1 Structure Capacity: The majority of the manufacturing capacity is located in Asia due to the low rates of labor. However these facilities have long lead times and make the supply susceptible to changes in customer demand. There are no manufacturing plants in USA, which is one of Cocos major markets. Process technology: This is a key asset to the co mpany and the core of Cocos product strategy was shoes based on direct injection. Competitors tried to copy the erect injection technique, however, ECHO performed many small tasks differently throughout the process, which improved quality and made it hard to imitate. Its products in-house. The remaining 20%, mostly shoes with very thin soles, are outsourced, as they do not benefit from Cocos core technology. Facilities: An independent configuration of global facilities with tanneries and fullest manufacturing facilities in Europe and Asia. Distribution centers are located in the major markets of Europe and United States. The decision to open facilities in China is to access cheap labor and to serve the growing Chinese domestic demand. Research and development is primarily carried out in Denmark. Cost base: Due to the labor intensive nature of show manufacturing ECHO locate their production facilities in cheap labor countries. However there is then a trade- off in lead times and more stock must be held in local distribution centers, which increases working capital. See Appendix 1 for a full break down of supply chain facilities in each country. Page 3 of 13 1. Infrastructure Planning and control: Cocos downstream retail shops ensure full access to customer demand data. This allowed them to plan and react to changes in demand and control he amount of inventory in distribution channels. Manufacturing control is achieved through benchmarking production and by having multiple production facilities so best practice could be shared between them. Quality: Quality is key to the company strategy quality. Quali ty management is maintained by having full control of the supply chain which allows ECHO to set quality standards much higher than they could expect from external suppliers. Human resources: ECHO invests heavily in continuous training and education of its employees providing vocational training, career development and expatriation. Cosmologies, are carried out in Denmark, where they experiment with new materials, processes and technologies. Operational RD is carried out in the foreign production sites where they streamline processes and optimism the use of materials. Procurement: Compared to their competitors this is a very minor part of Cocos operations. They purchase raw hides for the tanneries and they outsource 20% of their shoes (those mainly with thin soles). We assume that ECHO maintain a number of suppliers to increase competition and to mitigate redundancy issues. 1. 3 Global vertical integration A global value chain is strengthened by the fact that shoes are relatively light compared to their value, have few local differences, are not complex to produce and have a long lifestyle. Operating a vertical value chain has advantages: 1 . Owning retail stores ensures access to consumer demand forecasts 2. Direct interface with customers helps with new product development. 3. Full control over the level of quality 4. Maintains shoe knowledge within company But also has challenges; 1 . Synergy advantage is only realizes if each discipline is performed better than competitors 2. The wide span of competencies required can dilute the focus of the company 3. Requires high investment and working capital levels 4. Increased costs of transporting materials around the world 5. A complex interlinked logistical process Page 4 of 13 A weakness of vertical integration is that it reduces the number of suppliers you can choose from (I. E. O must choose a company owned supplier), this lack of competition can lead to and increase in inefficiency. ECHO cleverly utilities multiple factories and tanneries to encourage internal competition and to keep quality high. 1. 4 Further operational execution examples . 4. 1 Manufacturing facilities Manufacturing in Asia provides low cost labor and the Slovakian facility serves the European market. ECHO made the Portuguese unit more hi gh-tech and this seems to deviate from the low cost labor strategy as its very capital intensive, this facility could be merged with the Danish facility. . 4. 2 Training centers The establishment of an education centre, research centre and the ECHO business that 80% of the companys leader should be recruited internally. 1. 4. 3 Faster lead times ECHO required faster lead times to serve the promising Russian market and the 3-4 eek transportation time from Asia was not acceptable. So a production facility was opened in Slovakia close to this new market, which also served to create extra capacity, and reduced the risk of delays from Thailand. 1. 4. Production cycle The speed of production is dependent on the flexibility and adaptability of the production system and the availability of the raw materials. Cocos tanneries in Europe and two adjacent to manufacturing facilities in Indonesia and Thailand enable ECHO to control: Efficient leather processing The quality of the leather produced Faster production of the leather Cocos global supply chain ECHO fully integrated value chain from cow to shoe means managing global operations . 2 Tanneries, manufacturing and distribution functions are owned, managed and run by ECHO. Page 5 of 13 Rawhides Germany France Denmark Finland Netherlands Thailand Indonesia Portugal Slovakia China United States Outsourcing Thin soled products 2. 1 Tanneries Cocos rationale for owning tanneries are their high demands on quality and lead times; they operate one tannery in the Netherlands and another two adjacent to manufacturing facilities in Asia. Locating tanneries close to manufacturing facilities means materials have less distance to travel and demand can be closely matched to supply. However the majority of the rawhides originate from Europe so have the additional cost to be shipped to the Asian manufacturing sites, which means ECHO are vulnerable to changes in transportation costs and it also increases the length of the working capital cycle. 2. 2 Manufacturing ECHO operate worldwide manufacturing facilities to achieving labor cost savings and to spread risk. Each production site specialties in a core competency (such as reduction of shoes or uppers), which allows for workers become expert at a particular part of the production process, which increases efficiency and lower the costs of production. The technology and knowledge intensive manufacturing functions (such as RD) are located in Europe whereas the labor intensive manufacturing is located in lower cost Asian countries. The downside to this configuration is that it may be harder to find high quality employees that match Cocos European values in Asia and also co-ordination the flow of information, materials, and people is much more difficult as the distance from corporate quarters increases. Locating manufacturing far away from retail markets increases lead times due to the inventory traveling time but also because of increased inspections and compliance at border crossings. ECHO had two main distribution centers one in the USA and one in Denmark, which feeds 26 sales subsidiaries. The majority of inventory travels through the distribution centre in Denmark, however only 6-9% of production is sold in Denmark so it then has to be shipped to the local distribution centers, some as far away as Japan. This extra travel increases lead times and costs and introduces a trade-off in terms of ERM of the cost and speed of transport methods; sea and road shipping is much more cost effective but slower and air transportation is very costly and should only be used for emergency shipments. Cocos global manufacturing facilities do not always match the retail markets it serves. In 2004 Cocos main retail markets were USA, Germany and Japan yet the majority of the production and distribution took place outside of these geographies. While we expect the Page 6 of 13 majority of manufacturing to be completed in low cost countries, in order to react to large changes in demand some manufacturing should take place close to large, important markets. 2. 4 Drivers and trends in the industry There are two main trends in the industry: 1 . Shoe brands are moving towards an outsourcing manufacturing model 2. The speed of consumer market trends is increasing Cocos competitors mainly outsource their production to manufacturing experts and use their extra resources to develop specialized sales and marketing competencies. In contrast ECHO need to develop a broader range of competencies that encompass manufacturing, materials, distribution and sales, which mean that they will not have the marketing strength of their competitors. Branding is important in consumer markets and global brands are created by large marketing budgets. Cocos integrated value chain requires large capital investments in manufacturing facilities, which means less capital to spend on marketing. As a brand it has huge awareness in Denmark (99. 4% brand recognition) but internationally this is much lower. Other benefits of outsourcing production include lower costs, a larger choice of suppliers and cheaper redundancy by having a network of suppliers. However their competitors also face downsides such as the substantial resources required to scrutinize the supplier network, monitor quality and maintain supplier relations. It can also make companies more vulnerable to the price increase in raw materials. In todays trend-driven consumer markets certain categories of shoes (such as trainers) are seen as fashion items, so the number of styles and new styles per year are more important than quality. 3 Therefore the higher levels of quality that ECHO provide are an extra cost that is not valued by the customer and provides no competitive advantage. 3 Supply chain risks and mitigation strategies We have focused on risks with the highest priority index and then discuss some dictation strategies that try to balance the risk reduction/reward trade-offs. Key Probability Cost of Mitigation High Medium Balancing capacity and inventory Impact Ezra only manufacture their clothes to worn 10 to 1 5 times, as they believe that after this the item will be out of fashion. The focus is on variety of their clothing lines and a reduction in quality. 4 The priority index is the severity x probability of occurrence x probabil ity of early detect

Think You Know What to Do Youve Already Lost the Game.

Think You Know What to Do Youve Already Lost the Game. My salsa partner raises his left hand. I wonder, what does it mean? Does he want me to do a right turn? Or turn in another direction? Will he drop his hand over my head for a neck drop? Is there some other option I haven’t thought of? As soon as I start asking these questions, I’ve pretty much lost the game. The game is to feel what there is to do. As one of my teachers coached, â€Å"Where I feel, I go.† If only it were so easy. My brain thinks it knows what my partner is going to do. When I first started dancing, a raised hand always meant a right turn. But now there are more options, and my brain’s predictions get me into trouble. My job is to stop anticipating and go with what is happening in the moment. Predicting the future can get us into trouble in our careers and in business as well. Especially because we’re often wrong. Example #1: Annual Reviews (or Where Our Brains Take Us) I have a friend with a past history of getting fired from several jobs. He has now been with the same organization for six years and has gotten bonuses and raises at most of his annual reviews. Nevertheless, this year, when his annual review came up, his â€Å"stinking thinking† told him that some challenging dynamics with his new supervisor would lead to his getting fired. There really was no possibility of his losing his job. But thoughts of getting fired are his brain’s right turn. He goes to those thoughts even when he has not been led there. We all have these â€Å"go-to† thoughts, and they are probably the hardest thing to control, especially after we have trained ourselves so well to think them! But changing these thoughts is probably the most impactful move we can make on the career â€Å"dance floor.† If we can wait for real information and direction before defaulting to our patterned thinking, we can avoid a lot of internal, and external, struggle. Example #2: Client Request I had a client (I’ll call him Tom) sent to me by a larger organization. A representative of that organization (I’ll call her Liz) called to say that Tom wanted a different format and tone in his resume. This was one of our early projects for the organization, before we had hit our stride and started consistently producing the type of executive resumes their clients love. My first instinct was to train the initial writer who worked with Tom on the formats and style that the client wants. But I did not know whether Tom would be open to that. The â€Å"lead’s† hand was raised – but was this a signal to turn? I asked Liz to connect with Tom and got further information that indicated we needed to change direction. A new writer was able to deliver exactly what Tom wanted. I took Liz’s direction and created a win for everyone involved. Example #3: Automation and Innovation It used to be that when you had to fill an order, you got a human to find the item and put it in a box. It used to be that when you wanted to get a shipment delivered, you had an employee get in a truck and drive it there. These things are changing. The companies that resist the true direction that things are going are not going to survive. Just because you’ve always done something the way you knew to do it doesn’t mean it’s going to keep working, or that the market wants you to do it that way, this time. And just because there’s an option to automate something does not mean it will be the most efficient or the best way. The lead’s hand is raised†¦ but wait before you turn. What if You’re the Boss? As a supervisor or business owner, our job is to do the best we can to provide clear direction so that those who follow us don’t get the wrong idea – and so that they feel like we are partnering with them fully. It helps to remember that we are followers too – of our clients and customers. If we can all manage ourselves in our respective roles, we can truly wow people on the dance floor! How do you see these principles of â€Å"lead† and â€Å"follow† playing out in your career or business? Please share below! Save Save

Tim Hortons Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tim Hortons - Assignment Example Training needs are assessed through group interactions and observations by the human resource departments. The methods and techniques of training must be scientifically objective. This requires appropriately scaling the individual employee's performance through scores such as "needs improving, good, and excellent" (Chapman, Alan; 2009). Teams work best when they are given specific projects to work on. The selection and structure of teams depend on the size of the project and number of qualified personnel required in each team. They are trained on the basis of the job requirements and they are appraised through tests and observation by superiors as well as the human resource departments (Chaudron, David). Our business follows various strategies. We recognize good performance with a good back pat. We also recognize good performances through cash prize, good performance certificates and promotions (Employee Motivation & Job Satisfaction, 2009). Business hires a flexible leader. The flexible leader is a manager as well as leader. He knows a leadership is not manager and manager is not a leader. At the same time, he is capable of bonding with his men on a personal and emotional level. He has business targets. He meets his business targets using personal and emotional skills (Fletcher, Douglas; 2010).

What Kinds Of Psychological Transformation AA Members Undergo Essay

What Kinds Of Psychological Transformation AA Members Undergo - Essay Example Their mysterious 12-step program is promoted as one of the most effective methods for the treatment of addiction by many professionals and researchers. Ironically, nobody knows exactly how the steps work for addiction and why the method is so life changing for its members. What will AA members experience during the AA activity? The psychological transformation among AA members may answer this question. That is why we have to look at the 12-steps closely and study how it applies to alcoholics and their inner journey from seeking help, to conquering alcoholism, to achieve sobriety. A member who completed the 12-steps program is most likely to experience the whole psychological transformation as he achieves sobriety towards the end. The 12-steps and 12 traditions are the primary tenets of AA. The 12 traditions are known as the perspective of AA. This keeps AA anonymous, non-religious and non-profit. The 12 steps can be defined as a step-by-step program for members to follow. Once a member strictly follows the first step, then he can move on and begin with the second. After he goes through all steps and understand and embodies all of the steps, he will achieve long term sobriety. When a person participates in the program, he undergoes a great transformation than will lead him to stop drinking. Those experiences include admitting powerlessness, appeal for the â€Å"higher power†, confession and a new social relationship. Although the actual success rate of AA is hard to estimate, some researchers have found realistic data to reflect how AA succeeds. Hal Arkowitz and Scott Lilienfeld, in their online article, â€Å"Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work?† describe the statistic about AA. The authors cite an investigation called â€Å"Project Match†, issued in 1997 proves that AA is effective in achieving sobriety through abstinence. The experiment divided more than 900 alcoholics into three different therapies. One is mainly 12-steps program associated with a

School Vouchers The Wrong Choice Essays -- essays papers

School Vouchers: The Wrong Choice Susie is a young girl who lives in Florida. Since kindergarten, she has attended a nearby private school. Her parents willingly pay her tuition, even though doing so forces them to cut other corners. They do not mind these sacrifices, since they know that their daughter is getting the best education they can give her. Jesse lives downtown, in the inner city. She attends the local public school and struggles through her classes. Her mother would like to send her to a private school, where there is less violence and a calmer atmosphere, but cannot afford it. Then, Jesse’s mother learns that a voucher system has put into place for the entire state of Florida. Jesse’s inner city, spray-painted elementary school received a failing status, so she can receive a voucher to attend the school of her choice. With the money she receives from the voucher, Jesse’s mother is able to send her daughter to the same private school that Susie attends. Is it fair that Susie’s parents pinch pennies while Jesse’s mother send her on the bus for free? While meaning well, does the voucher system inadvertently discriminate against children like Susie whose parents must work extra hours to put their children through private school? Is the voucher system really the answer to the problems with American education today, or a way to transfer them somewhere else? American public schools have always had their flaws. In the nineteenth century, colleges complained of under-prepared freshmen; students who could not write an essay or even spell. A main controversy was bilingual education for newly naturalized immigrants. As America entered the early 1900s, the debate turned to the use of entertainment in the classroom. Teachers felt that they must put on a show in order to keep the attention of their pupils. The abandonment of phonics in the 1920s and 30s was believed to be the reason why the job market consisted of those with inadequate educational preparation. Social promotion and the replacement of the â€Å"three R’s† with emotional stability and attitude courses were the causes of concern in the 1940s. The 1950s brought an awareness of low standards. It was found that American children were lagging behind the average standards of the rest of the world. Safety in schools also became an issue; incoming teachers were warned of the â€Å"ph... ...(Roberts, Glenn 23). Instead of taking this money away form the nation’s failing schools, it should be pumped into them and put to work. Education tax dollars should be put to work solving the problems in American schools. The voucher system is an escape out the back door. It simply transfers all of the issues out of the public schools, placing them in the hands of the private community. Bibliography: Works Cited Kaczor, Bill. â€Å"Judge Throws Out Florida Voucher Law.† Tallahassee Democrat, 15 March 2000. Roberts, Nanette M. and Glenn, Charles L. â€Å"School Vouchers: Two Views.† Sojourners (January - February 1998): 22-25. Rothstein, Richard. The Way We Were?: The Myths and Realities of America’s Student Achievement. [Online] Available http://www.tcf.org/publications/education/way.we.were/Foreword.html, May 1, 2000. Tyack, David. â€Å"Choice Options: School Choice, Yes - But What Kind?† The American Prospect Online, January - February 1999, 42. [Online] Available http://www.propect.org/archives/42/42tyack.html, May 1, 2000. Whitmire, Richard. â€Å"Milwaukee Voucher study Says Public Schools Not Harmed.† Gannett News Service, 3 February 2000.

Pray the Devil Back to Hell Essay

Recently we watched â€Å"Pray the Devil Back to Hell† in English class. A few of the social issues addressed were: poverty, peace and women’s rights. The women were so fed up with how their president has been treating everyone. He got young children to run around with guns and hurt innocent people. Everyone was so below poverty that children were starving to death and there was nothing the parents could do because they themselves were starving. The women wanted so badly to have peace to stop the war, the fighting, and the poverty. The women just wanted a say in what was happening around them, to get a chance to stop it all. Prior to watching this movie I didn’t know how badly the women and children had it. I didn’t know how below poverty the how whole country was. Another thing that I really didn’t know is how much forgiveness the women had for those who did such bad things to others. The women and children were placed last compared to the men and the higher people of the government and because of that they had so much hardships put on them due to starvation. For me I would find it very hard to just forgive and forget the things that had been going on for so long. I would find it hard to trust people because I wouldn’t feel safe around them knowing that not that long ago they were shooting, killing, and raping innocent people. I thought the movie was moving, empowering and touching. One part that was really emotional for me was when the one lady was telling a story about a woman who witnessed her husband being killed and her daughter being rapped. Anyone who can go through that much pain, disaster and hardship is a strong individual. If I were in their place I don’t know how I would be able to go through all of that day in and day out and there never be a hope of it getting better. Those women though they stuck it out and prayed so much that things got better and that just shows how amazing all of them are. This movie is one of those movies that will be hard to forget because the amount of pain in it. When you see something so catastrophic it is hard to forget. To me this movie really teaches you to stay strong, keep motivated and most importantly that anyone can be successful. This movie taught me so much about prevalence and how the power of good over comes evil. Those women prayed so much that they got so much accomplished and they got so many things to change for the better. In my future I will use this movie as a motivation tool and as a way to remind myself that even though times are hard they will get better you just have to hold on. Also in the future I will use this movie to show that anything is possible if you have help from those you love and believe in. Overall I thought this was a really good movie. I thought it taught you a lot about diversity, women’s rights, poverty and peace. The movie was a very touching and inspiring movie; there is also a lot of emotion due to what they had to deal with on an everyday basis. To me the movie and their stories really teach you that you should be aware of your surroundings and to be helpful in your community.