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Causes of Hate: Racism and White Supremacy

Hatred is a somewhat unchanging feeling of intense dislike for a person, unit, or group. Hatred is not synonymous with anger and disgust, which are rather fleeting feelings. While most forms of animosity may only manifest momentarily and slightly, hatred is a form of active, continuing aggression that uses up significant emotional energy. When an individual is hating, they spend much of their waking hours preoccupied with their anger, disdain, and dislike for an entity or a person. Popular societal forms of hate include racism, which is the belief that a person’s social and moral traits are preset by their biological characteristics, and the human race is divided on this basis, and some races are naturally superior to others. A dominant example of racism is white supremacy, which, as suggested by the name, is the idea that the white race is innately superior to all other races on the basis of what white people have accomplished. This paper discusses the reasons for the existence of racism, white supremacy, and the cause of hate in general.

Racism is a social concept that is not built-in human DNA and is introduced as people grow up. People’s minds are race agnostic until society corrupts it with the idea that all races differ. In addition to society introducing racism, there are other causes of this misplaced ideology. One cause of racism is the art of intolerance. Human beings have a hard time understanding and accepting a group or an individual different from themselves. Intolerance is a natural phenomenon or a self-mechanism of rejecting that which is unknown. However, with years of familiarizing with numerous races through limitless education and information, it begs the question of why racism continues. Up to this age, people have done the unacceptable by turning a racial group into an enemy; they have turned prejudice into art. This warrants pondering further to generate more reasons why intolerance persists.

Implicit bias or unconscious bias is a position that people hold about others. In simpler terms, it is a filter that clouds our assumptions of other races. Evidence suggests that a subconscious bias exists where other groups remember educated black men as having lighter skin. The implication of the results of this study is that successful black people are believed to be exceptions to the black race.

Scientists believe that racism is linked to the activation of the brain’s amygdala- which controls human beings’ response to fear. However, stereotypic images are the most prominent influencers of racist thoughts. Films, magazines, the news, and other sources of information support a system that feeds the minds of people with distorted symbols that define their perception of a certain race. This distortion creates implicit racial biases. Because being prejudicial is not socially accepted, many people in surveys do not respond to have any sort of bias against a particular race. However, many individuals, especially white people in America, have an implicit racial bias. They are not aware of the existence of the bias or how it affects their behaviors, but that does not change the fact that it impacts others every day.

Then comes ethnocentrism, which is the idea that the culture of a person and experiences related to it are the norm. It is the belief that the racial group an individual belongs is the center of everything. This is the belief that creates the basis for the idea of white supremacy. White supremacism is an ideology that is based on the belief that white people from European descent are intellectually and physically superior to non-white races and turns to white extremism by basing this idea on violence.

Another cause of white supremacy is the paranoid fear of the extinction of the white race. White supremacists use the statement “great replacement,” which is fear that the people of color will, over time, replace white people. This notion was found in a screed written by a man who gunned down 22 innocent civilians in El Paso. The phrase “great replacement” was coined by Renaud Camus, a French author who wrote about white genocide in 2012 viewing as an echo of a century of white supremacist ideologies. Although Camus distanced himself from the idea of extremism and the use of violence, he reiterated that he still believed that the white people of European descent ware facing the risk of being replaced by immigrants and people of color.

Hate, in general, is caused by various reasons that are not precisely similar to the ones mentioned about racism and white supremacy. However, they describe the activities of active racists and white extremists. One cause of hate is the general feeling of anger. When an individual becomes tense and has no outlet for the tension, they seek out a scapegoat, manifest their hatred for it, and then remove it from inside themselves in this manner. Surprisingly, the individual finds peace and experiences a feeling of unity once the scapegoat is eliminated. That is, till tensions arise again and another scapegoat is required. This clearly explains individual terrorists that have carried out hate crimes in the name of a course, but in the real sense, it’s their lack of security and belief in themselves, resulting in anger.

The second reason for hate is managing differences. For every individual, there is that difference that matters to the community. These differences include race, religion, and language, among others. Individuals and groups that can manage differences are those that have courage, have a sense of security, which allows them to explore the cryptic uncertainties of life. However, there are instances where individuals feel that these differences threaten their sense of self or their idea of group identity. Rather than embracing the mystery of unknowable difference, they choose to hate it.

When individuals feel powerless, unfulfilled, or disempowered, they rely on the energizing aspect of hatred. They redirect their pain to an outside, well-defined target. As one John Cohen says, “I have never met a white supremacist with positive self-esteem.” A person who feels empowered, successful, and motivated does not need hate.

Adoption of Plan A over Plan B

Student’s Name

Institution

Reasons Why the Team should Favor Plan A Over Plan B

A pay structure should project the philosophy of the applying organization and propel it to achieve its objectives. Plan B is the proposal that has been presented by the team to define the pay structure in the organization and advocates for relation of the pays to market prices. However, the plan in very many angles does not justify the course of this organization. The following are reasons for which the team should favor plan A, a projection of internal equity, over plan B.

Plan A gives consideration to factors inclusive of revenue of the organization and the capacity and ability to satisfactorily pay all employees. As such, an overstretch on the organization’s financial power will not be applied that would render the organization non-profitable and maybe bankrupt. Such considerations would also give room for increased pay in case just so if the organization can comfortably afford.

The plan can also be used as a staff motivating factor when salaries are taken beyond the market price. It would instill a sense of value in the employees and drive them to deliver. The resultant would be increased returns and financial stability for the organization. For instance, the plan would also drive the workers to communicate new ideas to the management (Ober, 2008).

Plan A also accords the organization to pay employees for what their exact values are. As such, overzealous and productive members would be valued at their ability to build the organization. Much would not be invested in workers who offer little to the organization.

Much has not been considered by the team that plan B has many flaws and would serve to limit the potential of the organization. Its advantages albeit plethora, cannot instill the drive required to outcompete rivals. For instance, considering that it values the potential of the workers at the market price, workers would not strive as much to deliver to their full potential (Ober, 2008). That is because they will think the organization regards their work as an expectation, with no appreciation.

In summation, the focus of the team should be to formulate a plan that would drive the organization to the helm of success and then communicate the plan to the management (Ober, 2008). Adoption of plan A will make the team serve its true purpose.

Reference

Ober, S. (2008). Contemporary business communication. Boston, Mass: Houghton Mifflin.

Motivation and Performance Theories in Relation to New Zealand Post

“B-12, G-47, I-24, O-51, I-5, N-36………….’BINGO’!!!!!!” A simple game of bingo, if analysed closely, can be shown to be a tedious task consisting of a repetitive action that occurs after being prompted by a repetitive stimulus. The skill level needed to make that action is low, and the variability in the rules of the game rarely changes. This game is not unlike many of the jobs that can be classified as having low motivational performance. So why do people not only enjoy playing games like bingo, but actually pay money to have the pleasure? The answer directly points to the motivating factors of monetary rewards, which is the stimulus for the individual’s performance. In this essay I will discuss the theory behind “Motivation” and “Performance” in relation to New Zealand Post and the theoretical ideals that their management should adopt with employees.

There are many theories regarding motivation with the most prevalent being the theories of Abraham Maslow and Frederick Herzberg. It is important to understand these theories and their implications to accurately comment on reinforcement theories of motivation. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there are five classes: (1) physiological, (2) safety, (3) social, (4) esteem, and (5) self-actualisation. (Karen. P. Harlos Lecture Notes) each lower level need must be satisfied before an individual experiences higher level needs. Also, as Hall, Batley, Elkin, Geare, Johnston, Jones, Selsky and Sibbald (1999) found that Maslow hypothesized that as physiological, safety, social, and esteem needs were satisfied, they ceased to motivate, while the self-actualisation needs actually motivate an individual more as they are satisfied (Hall et al. 1999).

Herzberg used this theory as a base to build his motivation-hygiene theory, which ties Maslow’s needs to on the job achievement. The hygiene elements relate to low needs (physiological, safety, and social)(Harlos 2000). For an individual, hygiene conditions include company policy and administration, supervision, relationships with peers and supervisors, work conditions, salary, status, and security. These, according to Herzberg account for 69% of the factors that cause employee dissatisfaction or lack of motivation. The motivation conditions, which include achievement, the job itself, recognition, responsibilities, and personal growth, accounted for 81% of the factors that contributed to job satisfaction. The hygiene conditions are extrinsic factors (behaviour that is performed for material or social rewards as defined by Harlos 2000) while the motivation conditions are intrinsic factors (behaviour that is performed for its own sake not for material or social rewards as defined by Harlos 2000), and the only way to sustain motivation toward organizational goals is through the achievement of intrinsic outcomes. Each of these theories has proven to contain ideas consistent with human nature, but each also has its limitations within organizational settings. Because lower order needs are generally satisfied in the workplace today, managers have to deal with how to provide esteem and self-actualisation to their employees, and that can be a vague concept to a manager who demands results immediately. Also, studies demonstrate that different workers are motivated by different factors be them intrinsic or extrinsic.

In relation to New Zealand Post the above theories can be applied to achieve an excellent level of motivation within the organization, however there are potential disadvantages also, where the employees may get over-motivated or become too empowered and thus create divisions within the organization.

In terms of Maslow’s theory, the five levels of needs could be ensured by mangers of NZ Post and overall by the corporate planners of NZ Post by the following; in terms of physiological needs, money is the driving factor here as it provides the a means of achieve food, shelter, warmth and sleep, thus that management role is very limited, as it is controlled to a degree by relevant laws of the country. However those above the management who set wages must be careful not to set wages too low, otherwise workers will become grossly dissatisfied and look elsewhere to achieve their basic needs (Hall et al. 1999). At the safety level NZ Post can provide their employees with agreeable contracts and work benefits such as health care. A work environment that is considered safe as well as adequate ongoing training is another aspect, also assurances of long-term employment (Hall et al. 1999). Social level issues can be resolved by NZ Post by organising teams maybe by regions and encouraging group satisfaction, or perhaps even making sure contact is established by way of team sports days, or annual picnic’s etc, any activity that ensures worker contact (Hall et al. 1999). The next level is perhaps the most crucial in terms of how much NZ Post management is concerned, management may be able to fill esteem needs of the employee by showing recognition of a job well done, which may lead to a internal structure whereby levels of achievement are reached, and as the employee reaches these levels they may gain more responsibility within the organisation (Hall et al. 1999). Self actualisation needs in terms of what management can do for employees to reach this stage, entirely depend on the individual, and the previous stage, as itself esteem is realised then self actualisation becomes of more importance, and so the employee is self-motivated and the role of the NZ Management is merely one of maintenance (Hall et al. 1999).

The above are all very good in theory, but in practice the implications of some of these theories for an individual and for the organisation can be crucial. NZ Post Management couldn’t be blamed if they felt the offering of money to an employee over and above what the individual needs to satisfy there needs would result in that individual working harder, however what is more likely to happen is the individual isn’t motivated anymore by that factor, and is instead motivated by esteem needs, as cited in Hall et al. (2000) “A satisfied need is not a motivator”

The application of the Herzberg two-factor model is in practice much more involved that I first thought, there seems to be a large amount of criticism about Herzberg, which I will attempt to briefly outline, and thus if NZ Post was to adapt this theory it may not provide the right answer to any problems they may be facing. Firstly there has been research done into the methodology of Herzberg’s research, it seems that by asking the questions in the way that they did it was only natural that individuals would attribute the good things about the job to themselves and the bad things to the organisation (as suggested by Vroom 1964 cited in Thomson 1989). So the good things simply became meting challenges, getting promoted and assuming responsibility, whereas bad things were in affect always the fault of the organisation. Thus it was reasonable for individuals to attribute their lack of performance as being a result of poor organisational structure or communication, or poor wages or bad working conditions, therefore Herzberg’s findings were more a result of the way the questions were asked and not altogether an indication of what motivated individuals at work. The second criticism that arises is whether or not it is possible to clearly “distinguish between motivator and hygiene variables in the way that two factor theory does.” (Thomson 1989 pg 164). At times factors like the gender of the worker and the structure of the organisation tends to influence whether or not a job characteristics acts as a motivator or a hygiene, thus the distinction is not as clear cut as Herzberg’s theory would suggest. Finally the two-factor theory just doesn’t take into consideration the differences between individuals, its just known that individuals do not always react in a similar fashion, for the same work characteristics which will motivate one individual may not necessary motivate another.

I suggest for NZ Post to be able to maintain the calibre of people they strive for, and to provide tools to develop and grow, the best way to create the desired environment and create the best management would be to adopt Maslow’s theories, as it allows for more of an individual touch to individual situations.

McGregor developed an additional theory on human behaviour, motivation, and especially performance in the late 1950’s. His theories X and Y and were based on assumptions made regarding the “system” and individuals. In short, in Theory X (the most common management practice) management organizes all elements of production, motivates and controls employee behaviour to fit the needs of the organization, and without this intervention, employees would be indifferent to changing organizational needs. McGregor further assumes that managers believe that the average employee is by nature are lazy, dislike work, want security and dislike responsibility (as cited by Harlos 2000). McGregor’s alternative to Theory X was Theory Y. This theory made the assumptions that management has the responsibility for organizing the elements of production, people are not by nature passive, but become so as a result of experiences, management should enable employees to develop their motivational characteristics, and that it is essential for management to arrange organizational conditions in a manner where employees can achieve their own goals by directing their personal effort towards organizational objectives. The contrast between X and Y solely relates to who controls human behaviour. Theory X touts external control, and Theory Y promotes a self-fulfilling prophecy and that Theory Y management will breed Theory Y employees and vice-versa.

In the application of McGregor’s theories an obvious pitfall is that obviously given the choice management will opt for Theory Y, however the application can result in a very different outcome. Theory Y places an unrealistic amount of burden on the management, and thus they have to sometimes resort to Theory X as no matter how much nurturing or inspiration managers give to employees, there will always be some who just have no desire to work, and show little or no initiative. So NZ Post may run many seminars to attempt to increase performance, or empower those who management feel need a performance boost, yet inevitably those who have no desire to perform better will just not respond to any of these performance motivators and hence management will have to resort to Theory X management to get these employees to work as they should be. Another problem may be with those employees who have been part of the organisation for a number of years, and a new fresh inspirational manager comes along who has been to all the courses and seminars and has used all the theories, and yet these employees are so used to old school Theory X management, they will just simply not be able to conform to this new Theory Y management style, as suggested in Hall et al. (1999)

In conclusion I have outlines both Maslow’s and Herzberg’s theories in relation to motivation and McGregor’s theories in relation to performance. I also have suggested ways in which NZ Post could apply these theories to enable them to better fulfil their corporate profile statement. I suggested that perhaps Herzberg’s theory would not be best suited to NZ Post due to the many flaws in the application of his theory and that Maslow’s theory in practice would enable a better fufilment of the corperate profile statement.

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Causes of Obesity

Obesity has been on the rise in the United States over the past years, and this has set a worrying trend. According to statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 39% of adults over the age of twenty were found to be obese in the year 2016. Children have also been affected, with 13.9% of children aged 2-5 and 20.6% of teens 12-19 being overweight (Yang & Colditz 1412). With these alarming statistics, it is time to question what could be some of the factors that contribute to the rising numbers of obesity in the country and across the world. The three leading causes of obesity are dietary choices, lack of physical activity, and genetic factors.

Many more people choose to take diets high in food groups such as carbohydrates, salt, and sugar. Most of these foods are also highly refined, meaning that they add little or no nutritional value to the body. When young children begin to eat these foods from a young age, they get addicted to it as they grow older. Advertisers have also taken advantage of the situation to advertise more unhealthy foods, especially to children who don’t understand the negative impacts of such a diet. While it is not wrong to eat certain types of food once in a while, people must choose a nutritious diet for the majority of their meals to avoid obesity.

The second reason why the country has seen a rise in the number of obese people is physical inactivity. Most people have adopted a sedentary lifestyle, which is dangerous because it causes obesity and other related health issues. With the rise in the use of technology, children learn to use smartphones and tablets even before they can talk. As they grow older, they rarely go out to play with other children. Adults also drive to work and sit on a chair all day. Whenever someone wants to order some food or get some shopping done, all they have to do is go online, and their orders arrive at their doorstep. This lifestyle is very unhealthy.

The third factor contributing to the increasing rates of obesity is genetic factors. Research conducted by scientists shows a relationship between one’s genetics and a tendency to gain weight. Children born to obese parents are likely to be overweight, because what one eats causes some genes to be expressed more strongly. In a study carried out on identical twins to determine the effect of genetics on weight gain, it was found that the twins shared the same tendency to gain weight despite their diet (Allender et al. 28). However, people with a higher risk of obesity must make the necessary choices that can help them avoid gaining excessive amounts of weight.

In conclusion, the issue of obesity raises some serious concerns about the future. Some of the main causes of obesity are lack of physical activity, bad diet, and genetics. Obesity is dangerous because it affects the mental and physical wellbeing of a person. Some of the conditions associated with obesity include strokes, heart disease, joint pain, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, among others (Yang & Colditz 1413). In addition to this, overweight and obese people also suffer from low self-esteem and confidence because a lot of the time, they get bullied for their weight. At the individual level, people must make better choices about their eating and physical activity to avoid issues with weight. Maintaining a consistent healthy lifestyle is the only sure way to prevent obesity. The government and other nonprofit organizations have also come up with steps to address the issue, such as requiring food producers and restaurants to label calorie counts, and promote physical activity.

Works Cited

Allender, S., Owen, B., Kuhlberg, J., Lowe, J., Nagorcka-Smith, P., Whelan, J., & Bell, C. (2015). A community based systems diagram of obesity causes. PloS one, 10(7), e0129683.

Yang, L., & Colditz, G. A. (2015). Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 2007-2012. JAMA internal medicine, 175(8), 1412-1413.

Motivation At Work Application At Making Of Hotplates

Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u Introduction PAGEREF _Toc379447670 h 1Changes in the workplace accounting for increase in productivity and decrease in controllable rejects PAGEREF _Toc379447671 h 1What might account for the drop in absenteeism and the increase in moral PAGEREF _Toc379447672 h 2The major changes in the situation, changes were under the control of the manager, which were controlled by workers? PAGEREF _Toc379447673 h 2What might happen if the workers went back to the old assembly line method? PAGEREF _Toc379447674 h 3

IntroductionIn the case study, Making of Hotplates, Workers seems to be having jobs which are extremely specialized. Each task is balanced for three minutes per each station making the work to be extremely monotonous to the workers making them to become unhappy, Because of unhappiness of workers at the workplace; these would have resulted in poor morale as well as low motivation. Motivation in the workplace is a form of force that makes the employees to do things which will result to high production by having an inspiration of completing the tasks allocated. When there is motivation in organization, the employees try to put more effort to increase the output standard (Whiteley, 2002). This paper analyzes the importance of motivation to the workers in the workplace and problems that result when there is low motivation.

Changes in the workplace accounting for increase in productivity and decrease in controllable rejects

An increase in productivity and a decrease in controllable rejects are due to the change introduced in the workplace. The enlargement of job in the workplace gave the workers a higher percentage of total tasks which was scheduled for the workers. Instead of the workers working on one subassembly for many hotplates, they manage to finish the entire hotplate at once then moving on to another hotplate allowing them to be responsible for more portions of other tasks. The workers on the other hand also felt more motivated and so the overall productivity increased. Motivation in organization always drives many workers forward. Little motivation on individual subassemblies make workers to be careless as well as, slow, however when they feel motivated by each having an ownership of the entire hotplate “Now it is my hotplate” enabling them to have the control of the defects and, producing more products (Stack, 2010).

The individual work seemed to have been provided a sense of clarity and speed therefore, increasing the productivity since each individual chose a goal to meet and creating a plan of actions that need to be followed. Increase in productivity could have also been brought by the idea that there are some employees who cannot work well when they are in a team; however they can do much better if they are given individual tasks where they make quicker decision since there is no need for discussion and explanation. Because of these, the work was done quickly hence increasing the productivity and decreasing the controllable reject (Stack, 2010)..

What might account for the drop in absenteeism and the increase in moralThe drop in absenteeism and the increase in morale were due to the increase that was brought about by satisfaction of workers with what they were doing in their jobs. Satisfaction is a sense of job which is worth to be done, or being contented with a task. Overspecialization of job design is brought due to job dissatisfaction, this is because, many workers no longer feel the sense of ownership or control over what they do as their jobs. They fail to feel the self-fulfilled as they have no opportunity of advancing in their jobs resulting in a tedious as well as monotonous work. All the above mentioned factors create unhappiness to the workers creating a tendency of absenteeism (Woerkom & Poell 2010.

The major changes in the situation, changes were under the control of the manager, which were controlled by workers?The major changes in the situation were the enlargement and enrichment of the work where there were so many responsibilities for the infections of final work which was added. The changes which were under the control of the manager is a change in the situation where the manager changed various jobs by reorganizing work lines creating range of movements as well as, setting tasks for each worker. Training program was also added by the manager to the workers where they were left by themselves to decide if they would like the new program or go back to the old one. The training program as well as, decision-making ability also contributed to motivation and workers empowering. Workers on the other hand, are the only people who have the ability of increasing the quality as well as productivity. However, managers alone cannot change errors which can lead to defects in the business. Because of that, they tend to punish the workers not knowing that it is the system that causes an error while not the mistake of individuals to fail making difference in business. Managers have also made it easier for workers to be more efficient and productive by setting job designs which are effective, the manager also maintained the quality of product by increasing the satisfaction as well as improving morale (Rush, 2008).

What might happen if the workers went back to the old assembly line method?If the workers happen to go back to the old assembly line method, the problem will absolutely arise suppose the method was reinstated. There would be dissatisfaction and low motivation for the workers making things to get worse and worse since they would have seen better ways of work approach. In most cases, the management did not have problems with the workers deliberately sabotaging the flow of work in an organization; it is therefore possible that, the managers might start practicing such behaviors under those circumstances. Workers would never feel the responsible for the quality of the individual hotplates compared to what they seem to do now while the gains made would also be lost instantly.

References

Rush, H. M. (2008). Job design for motivation; [experiments in job enlargement and job enrichment,. New York: Conference Board.

Stack, L. (2010). Super competent the six keys to perform at your productive best. New York: Wiley.

Whiteley, P. (2002). Motivation. London: Capstone Pub..

Woerkom, M. V., & Poell, R. F. (2010). Workplace learning: concepts, measurement, and application. New York: Routledge.

Adoption of Square Payroll by Great Lakes Brewing Company for better Processes and Higher Sustainability

Name:

Title: Accounting Manager

For: The Company and IT Steering Committee

Executive Summary

Our company should strive to determine and embrace the most suitable system that facilitates the attainment of our target goal and objectives of ensuring sustainability, more efficiency, higher-convenience, reduced costs of operation, higher accuracy, and more transparency. Unfortunately, we have been relying on a payroll system that is less-automated and does not have a mobile app. Accordingly, this report relies on TELOS and NPV analysis to determine the most suitable system. Subsequently, exhaustive analysis and evaluation of available systems with regards to feasibility by considering aspects such as required resources, and desired outcomes would reveal the most suitable one for our organization. Fortunately, Square Payroll system acts as the most appropriate one since it has higher feasibility capacities. Also, the project would facilitate the attainment of all the desired goals and objectives on matters concerning payroll processes. Even so, this document elaborates on some alternative systems that Great Lakes Brewing Company could adopt to realize all or the majority of its target goals and objectives.

Business Case/Statement of Needs

Our company has benefited immensely from an antiquated payroll system that has been in operation for over ten years. However, it is high time that our organization determines and adopts a better payroll software to realize more efficiencies, higher accuracy, reduced operation costs, and higher transparency and sustainability. 

As an organization that significantly values its employees, we should adopt a payroll system that satisfies the demands and needs of all workers. Unfortunately, our workers find it difficult and almost impossible to access and learn how our payments to them are processed. Accordingly, we should choose a payroll system with ease of access and use by every employee. Thus, we should determine a suitable payroll system with a Mobile App to encourage remote and convenient access. Moreover, a suitable payroll system would allow employees to access, analyze, and evaluate their remunerations and relevant deductions with relative ease and comfort.

Moreover, our company should adopt a more transparent and reliable payroll system that offers all the essential details and reports to every worker and our accountants. Since our firm embraces and encourages employees to own stock, it is crucial to ensure that a highly-reliable and easy-to-study payroll system is adopted to promote workers’ satisfaction. That is, each employee would probably be more most concerned with details such as applicable State and Federal taxes, the number of paid hours per employee, and the date of depositing money in banks. 

Additionally, our company should adopt an appropriate payroll system that promotes continued prosperity and sustainability. As an entity whose primary focus is on sustainable development, it is crucial that we rely on a payroll system that facilitates the attainment of our goal by minimizing operation costs, encouraging more efficiency, and exhibiting reasonable adaptability to the ever-changing work environment (Gatrell, Reid & Steiger, 2018). Accordingly, a suitable payroll system should always remain efficient and up-to-date. Unfortunately, our current system is outdated and lacks vital support services. 

Further, the current payroll system is less-efficient because some of its processes are not automated. For instance, the system relies on manual updating of tax percentages. Consequently, accountants consume substantial efforts and time in processing payrolls for the workers. Therefore, we should embrace a more automated system to ensure higher efficiency, accuracy, and speed (Haris, 2003). Also, we need a system that provides a direct deposit of funds to employees’ bank accounts for speedy payments. Moreover, we would drastically reduce the amount of money that we spend on printing paychecks for employees. 

Goals of the Project

This project endeavors to identify and elaborate on a suitable payroll system that our firm should embrace to encourage more efficiency, higher accuracy, reduced operation costs, higher transparency and sustainability, and more automation in our organization with regards to our payroll system. Thus, this project analyzes and evaluates on available payroll systems that our firm could adopt to realize such objectives and goals.

Constraints

This research study relies on TELOS analysis to determine the most appropriate payroll system for our firm. TELOS analysis plays vital roles in elaborating on feasibility of a project (Šerman, Glavaš, Vukobratović & Kraus, 2017). The first constraint that influences this project is sustainability. As a firm whose primary aim is to ensure sustainability, a suitable payroll system would encourage the attainment of such a goal. Accordingly, we should determine and embrace a payroll system that would remain effective, efficient, and reliable over an extended period. Besides, we should adopt a system that is compatible with a wide array of devices, including mobile phones and computers.

Secondly, we should identify, purchase, and install an affordable yet efficient and effective payroll system. Since we engage in a number of events that are meant to support the local communities while conserving the environment, we should acquire a comparatively cheap payroll system to save significant amounts of money. Still, we need a system whose maintenance is less costly.

Additionally, we need a system that attracts a smooth and seamless transition from our current payroll system. Specifically, we need a better and more automated system compared to the one we are using. Moreover, an appropriate system would facilitate the accurate transfer of vital details from the current system. Also, a suitable system would aid in determining and highlighting failures and mistakes in the existing system to encourage timely corrections, thus helping our firm in avoiding unnecessary penalties and fines. For example, a suitable system would reveal pending Federal or state taxes. Still, we need a system that is compatible with available devices, including those that are used by the current system. Therefore, we need a system that improves the existing. 

Also, we need a system that will not demand advanced skills and knowledge from the users. Instead, a suitable system would require some basic training while causing insignificant impacts with regards to the smooth operations of our organization. That is, we need a system that would encourage continued operations during the installation, training of employees, and subsequent use. Since our employees and accountants would continue accomplishing their tasks and responsibilities during the adoption of the new system, we have limited time for training.  

Furthermore, we need a system that meets legal requirements to operate in the US where our firm is placed. Specifically, we need a system that ensures the deduction and remittance of all the necessary taxes while ensuring timely and accurate payment of employees to avoid unnecessary lawsuits. 

Time Vs. Relevancy 

We need a payroll system that would be in full operation in the next five months. Since our firm encourages its employees to take ownership of the organization’s stock, a suitable payroll system should be adopted and implemented within the shortest time possible to speed up the ownership process (forbes.com, 2019). Employees could need to gain a better understanding of how the firm has been operating with regards to the remittance of federal and state taxes as well as the processing of staff salaries. Such information could be necessary to facilitate informed decisions on matters about ownership of the organization.

Besides, we need a system that would remain relevant, effective, and efficient over an extended period because we are concerned with sustainability. Still, we need a system that would attract more convenience and efficiency while reducing operating costs in the short run. Thus, we need a more automated system to get rid of the costly practice of printing paychecks for employees. Precisely, we need a system that would lead to a drastic reduction in the cost of handling payroll, hence encouraging more saves withing a short while.

Impacts

Impact: Costs and Risks

Although a suitable system would facilitate the attainment of the above-stated goals and objectives, certain costs and risks could occur. First, a new system could have some hidden costs, such as those required for upgrading software or conducting relevant maintenance services. Unfortunately, virtually every appealing project has hidden costs (Weibel, Rost & Osterloh, 2010). Besides, a new payroll system may discourage identification and exploration of other opportunities that could emerge in the market place. For example, it could be difficult and costly for our firm to adopt better payroll systems in the future. Still, the new system may fail to deliver its promises. Manufacturers and promoters of current payroll systems could have used unproven claims and characteristics to boost sales rather than providing accurate information.

Moreover, a new system could result in unwanted delays and disruptions from the usual operations of our firm. For instance, employees and accountants may become demonstrate lower performance as they adjust to the use of a new system. Also, our organization could incur certain costs while training accountants and other employees on how the new system works. Still, some employees may exhibit some dissatisfaction with the use of a new system. Finally, the system may prove unprofitable in the long-term because extra costs such as those for maintenance may occur. Therefore, our organization may experience additional costs and risks that are not easily noticeable.

Impact: Benefits and Opportunities 

 A new payroll system could attract vital benefits and opportunities for our organization. Although a project could appear less attractive, certain hidden opportunities and benefits would render it beneficial after implementation (Grant, Teller & Teller, 2005). First, our firm may realize substantial savings and profits from the long-term use of the system. Precisely, the practice of automating almost every process and elimination of paperwork would result in more efficiency, accuracy, and a dramatic reduction in operation costs (Haris, 2003). Besides, it could become easier for our organization to adopt other improved payroll systems after embracing a new one. Moreover, our staff, especially accountants, could become more productive and efficient when handling their roles and responsibilities. As a result, employees could become more satisfied and motivated, following timely and accurate payment of their salaries.

Also, a new system could lead to significant changes with regard to payroll processes. For instance, employees could gain the opportunity to edit details on their payroll system, while accountants and the human resource manager would have to check and confirm the information in the system. Still, our firm could realize better competitive standing by ensuring timely and accurate processing and remittance of state and federal taxes as well as employee salaries. Subsequently, our firm would attract more competent individuals following an improved reputation. Therefore, a new system could attract essential benefits and opportunities that are not easily noticeable.

Potential Solution/ Recommendation

Our organization would realize its target goal and objectives by purchasing and using the Square Payroll system (McQuarrie, 2020). Square Payroll software is one of the most affordable payrolls in the market. Accordingly, our firm will spend relatively little amounts of funds to acquire, install, and use the software. As a medium-sized company with a focus on encouraging sustainability, it advisable that we acquire Square Payroll to minimize expenditures on matters concerning payroll. Unfortunately, Square Payroll has a limited number of add-on features compared with other payroll systems such as QuickBooks and Gusto. Since our key concern is on ensuring an efficient and effective system, we should adopt Square Payroll because it offers all the basic and vital features. Besides, Square Payroll relies on low cost-maintenance tends to be low. Precisely, our organization would be paying about $29 every month to acquire payroll services from the online platform.

Moreover, Square Payroll is the best option because it has a mobile app for Android and Ios, hence attracts more convenience for accountants, human resource manager and the employees. As such, our organization and employees would not have to acquire expensive computers and phones to utilize the software. Thus, employees and the organization would not incur extra costs of purchasing new phones and computers since they can install the app on their current devices.

Additionally, Square Payroll does not demand advanced skills and knowledge from the users. Instead, its basic features are relatively easier to use and discourages complexity. As a result, users would quickly identify the icon and feature to use. As a result, our organization would spend comparatively little amount of time, funds and relevant resources in training the staffs on the use of the software. Therefore, it will take a relatively short time for our firm to acquire, install and use the Square Payroll system. 

Further, Square Payroll is suitable for our firm because it facilitates smooth switch from the existing payroll system. Specifically, Square Payroll automatically retrieves vital documents and details from the current system (McQuarrie, 2020). Besides, it checks for any errors and mistakes with regards to functions such as payment of Federal and state taxes and employee salaries in the current system. Subsequently, our organization would avoid the otherwise costly, tedious and timeconsuming practice of switching from one payroll system to the other.

Accordingly, we should acquire and install Square Payroll system within the next few months to ensure we realize our target goals and objectives without delays. Moreover, all employees and accountants should strive and ensure that they have appropriate smartphones to facilitate ease of access and use of the new payroll system. Nonetheless, our organization should encourage ease of access and use of all the available computers and phones by every staff member so that those without the required devices do not feel excluded from the new system.

Still, Square Payroll would work best for our organization because it automatically updates all the crucial federal and state deductions. As such, our organization would comply with all the necessary legal requirements by accurately paying taxes on time. Similarly, Square Payroll encourages speedy and accurate payment of employees since it automates virtually all the relevant processes. Accordingly, our organization would avoid costly lawsuits that could emanate from practices such as delayed or incorrect payments. Therefore, Square Payroll is legally feasible for our firm.

However, it is relatively difficult to tell if Square Payroll will remain effective and efficient over an extended period because it is one of the newest payroll systems in the market. Hence, the software could exhibit some technical problems, especially with regards to the use of mobile app. Moreover, the Square Payroll may not prove attractive to the users due to its limited features. Also, Square Payroll could be missing some useful features that could attract better performance. Therefore, further research studies should be conducted to collect information from firms that have adopted the use of Square Payroll before purchasing, installing and using it.

Alternative Solutions

Although Square Payroll could be the best solution for our organization, alternative payroll systems that could effectively deliver the desired goals and objectives exist. First, Gusto could be the best alternative since it has more features and higher-performance compared with Square Payroll. Moreover, Gusto has a mobile app, thus attracts more convenience among its users (McQuarrie, 2020). Also, Gusto has gained good repuration and proves to be highly-efficient and effective. Still, the system is highly-automated for speedy and accurate processes. Besides, Gusto is legally feasible for our firm because it facilitates accurate and timely payment of state and federal taxes . However, Gusto is comparatively more expensive since its software cost over $39 per month. Still, Gusto demands advanced skills, hence, more training resources would be used to develop employees and accauntants. Further, Gusto does not have a reliable and readily available support because its support team is operate daytime on weekdays only. Hence, our firm’s payroll system could remain unoperational during weekends or at night when a technical hitch occurs. Hence, Gusto does not appear as the most suitable system for our organization.

The other alternative is OnPay. This payroll system could partially meet the required goals and objectives. The system offers payroll basics that facilitate accomplishment of virtually all the necessary processes in medium-sized businesses. As such, it could make a sutiable option because it does not require the use of advanced skills and extensive training. Luckily, OnPay provides employee onboarding guidelines to encourage switft adoption. Still, OnPay is legally feasible for our firm and other organizations in the US because it facilitates timely and accurate tax filing. Unfortunately, the system attracts inconviniences among its users since does not have a mobile app. Moreover it is relatively expensive for our firm to use OnPay system because it requires over $36 as maintenance fee every month (McQuarrie, 2020). Therefore, our firm’s focus on sustainability and support for local communities may be compromised by lack of adequate funds because OnPay requires money. Therefore, our firm should not acquire and use OnPay because it does not meet the specifications and requirements.

References

Gatrell, J., Reid, N., & Steiger, T. L. (2018). Branding spaces: Place, region, sustainability and the American craft beer industry. Applied Geography, 90, 360-370.

Grant, D. B., Teller, C., & Teller, W. (2005). ‘Hidden’opportunities and benefits in using web-based business-to-business surveys. International Journal of Market Research, 47(6), 641-666.

Great Lakes Brewing Company. (2019). Retrieved 8 March 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/companies/great-lakes-brewing-company/?list=best-small-companies#6c2e5c2e5fc6Haris, M. H. (2003). Automated payroll system (Doctoral dissertation, German-Malaysia Institute).

McQuarrie, K. (2020). Best Small Business Payroll Software 2020 | Business.org. Retrieved 8 March 2020, from https://www.business.org/finance/accounting/best-payroll-software/#OnPay_reviewŠerman, B., Glavaš, H., Vukobratović, M., & Kraus, Z. (2017). TELOS Feasibility Analysis of Photovoltaic Power Plant. Applied Engineering Letters, 2(3), 91.

Weibel, A., Rost, K., & Osterloh, M. (2010). Pay for performance in the public sector—Benefits and (hidden) costs. Journal of public administration research and theory, 20(2), 387-412.

Causes of Poverty in Developing World Today

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Causes of Poverty in Developing World TodayWhat are the devastating causes of poverty in the developing world today? It is an inquisitive question with a wide range of answers starting from corruption, illiteracy, political instability, limited social amenities, low technology level and rural-urban migration among many other social and economic factors. Poverty is a degrading issue in the third world countries that threaten the well-being of the civilians in these nations. With poverty the general economic level of the country low when it comes to the gross domestic income and per capita income. There are various strategies put in place to eradicate these poverty causing factors in different parts the world. Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, and the Caribbean are put in consideration in the discussion regarding causes of poverty in the developing world today.

To start with Sub-Saharan Africa, Congo nation will be put in consideration in evaluating the various causes of poverty in the region. In Congo, corruption is the primary cause poverty that makes people face lots challenges in establishing the everyday life requirements. Despite the fact that the nation has vast of natural resources, Congo poverty has been the topic of the penetrating throughout the entire parts of the country. The mining industry has been one central sector in the country that has been entirely ruled by corruption (Gaynor, 2015). The local people own the land where these valuable minerals and industrial raw materials are mined, but all the benefits go to the few wealthy merchants in the Congo. The people in the lower class level are used as a source of labor to the mining industries where they are subjected low wages and unconducive working environment conditions. Apart from corruption, lack of investments, diseases, and other natural calamities also plays a significant role in causing poverty in Congo.

In the Caribbean, Haiti is one of the nations that significantly face poverty. In winning its independence, it significantly took a long time for Haiti to undergo the revolution process which effectively left the national power. Foreign ownership, inadequate food, and deforestation, as well as soil erosion, are among the depriving causes of poverty in the region. Foreign investors and other unfamiliar people have significantly taken a large sector of the country’s economy. For example through the land ownership and investing in other industrial areas, while the local people who face financial constraints act as a source of labor (Raybould, et al. 2017). Inadequate food to sustain the entire population in Haiti also serves a significant cause of poverty in Haiti. Without food, people are not productive when it comes to working as well as enhancing other economic developments. Soil erosion, as well as deforestation, on the other hand, cause soil erosion where the fertile soils are carried away leading low agricultural production in Haiti.

Today, Poverty exists in all the parts of the universe when it comes to the third world countries as well as in the modern world. China is an excellent example of such developed world where poverty is a major degrading factor. Among the significant causes of poverty in the China include rural-urban migration, education gap, and access to healthcare as well as the adopted agricultural lifestyle (Piachaud, 2017). The rural-urban migration significantly leads to poverty in China where a high number of people move to the cities where they are overcrowded leading to devastating living conditions. The poor people in the nation leads to largely depends on the agriculture. They do not have adequate income to carry out advanced agricultural production thus end having low products.

As discussed above, Congo, Haiti, and China are among the developing countries in the world that are faced with the high level of poverty. It harshens the people’s living condition in the affected nations. Poverty dramatically leads to economic instability as well as influencing the social way of living among the affected societies. The governments, as well as other international bodies, have to efficiently support the affected communities whether financially or in different practical ways that will enhance agricultural and industrial development.

References

Gaynor, N. (2015). Poverty amid plenty: structural violence and local governance in western Congo. Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 33(3), 391-410.

Piachaud, D. (2017). Reflections on Inequality and Poverty in China. In Social Policy Reform in China (pp. 103-110). Routledge.

Raybould, S., Ward, T., Burnett, R., Manikam, L., Tibe, M., & Munslow, B. (2017). Problems of dual vulnerability in nutrition: A qualitative study of older persons caring for under 5‐year‐olds in post‐disaster Haiti. The International journal of health planning and management.

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Adolescence is typically a period of life that occurs mostly between the ages of 10 to 16 years. This period the youth undergo different physical and behavioral changes. Since many years ago, this stage has been viewed as a stage of tremendous stress and storms for youth and all who came across them. This stereotyping of young people being caught in changing bodies and raging hormones has been affecting not only their parents but also educators. Much weight has been given to difficulties associated with adolescents and has also led to many views on the level of control and patients among the youths who are trying to interfere with their adolescents. Recent research has to try to answer some of the questions pertaining to rapid change during early adolescence and how the schools and other educational institutions, including social welfares designed to serve these young students. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the adolescent developmental characteristics of the students impact the classroom, such as the learning environment and a diverse student population in the school. It also explains how organizations structure impacts middle school programs and practices. Lastly, the paper tries to look at how is this information valuable to you as a future teacher as you consider socially equitable practices and your knowledge of middle schools.

Middle-level educators in the middle grades enjoy being with young adolescents as they are knowledgeable about the dynamic uniqueness of this stage. The value detailed study and carry research on decision reflecting the interest and the need of the student. These educators are more sensitive to students’ behavioral differences and respond positively toward them; hence, they are likely invertible to students’ role models. By the provision of good leadership, they improve schools’ effectiveness. They also send influential messages to the students and practice those qualities that they want students to emulate.

Through active learning, students are able to express their preferences and need where the educators are able to plan for instructions and assessment. Middle grades schools also become successful through the concept of active learning. This concept also assists students to hypothesize and get adequate information which helps them in understanding their goal hence playing a major role in the achievement of their education.

The challenging curriculum is another concept. The concept relates the curriculum as a vehicle for accomplishing the vision and mission of the school. In most of the middle grades schools, curriculum program not only includes classwork but also programs like group discussions, games, drama and music production, and student government. Some of the middle grades schools run their curriculum through units and projects where they mainly focus on the major issues and complex tasks. There is also a hidden curriculum where the students learn through seeing and interacting with people from different backgrounds, which mostly affects their way of doing things and also has a powerful influence on students’ education. Therefore, teachers in these schools should not only focus on the programmed curriculum but also focus on the positive interaction with the students and make sure that students are all treated equitably.

Even if the learning task is difficult, it should be seen as achievable, and this is by moving beyond the syllabus. Teachers should use their professional knowledge in consultation with the students to guide them on how to gather ideas from a vast range of information, and this can be achieved through teachers’ guide to students in examining the values, views, assumptions and address them on how and why things are happening. The concept will help the students to place emphasis on the understanding of the basic concept and able to use information informing creative solutions from the overwhelming data available.

Organizational structure nature effective interdisciplinary. Students and teachers work together to maintain high discipline, which signifies high performance in the schools. The disciplinary team also enhances parents’ contacts and improving the learning climate in the schools. Furthermore, a well-structured organization has a positive impact on the professional of teachers. A similar dairy schedule inhibits plans on how to integrate curriculum, analyze the collected data, monitor the students’ work, and discuss the arising hypothesis. Schedules that provide extensive class time schedules allow activities like mocks trial, fieldwork and trips, and debates, which are valuable learning experiences.

In most cases large schools, are divided into sub-divisions; houses or schools within the school in which replicates smaller grade levels, which make the school at large. The replication of lesser grades fosters a long term relationship between students and their teachers, which creates a sustainable relationship between teachers, parents, and students. The schools have also created a program where a parent can receive any information pertaining to students’ academic progress, and also, the student can receive a telephone from any family member in case of concern. The program has helped families stay engaged with their students’ educational progress though it is very difficult as most students prefer to keep home and school separate. But this type of communication leads to higher achievements among the students.

Adolescent involves dynamic behavioral and physical changes. Through learning, research, and long term association with the middle-level students, as a future teacher will be in a position of noting different traits and how to deal with them. Through good relationships with the students, you will get first-hand information about their preferences, and your instructions will be received. Students will be more likely to respect, obey, and listen to you. A good relationship with the student will report to improved performance in the curriculum, and this is due to the fact that students can easily approach you for help if they have a problem in a particular unit or subject. It is the fact that students get more encouraged to working hard if they know for sure that their teacher looks at them, which helps in the identification of the means and the strategies to use in order to maintain a good relationship with the students. Furthermore, through cross interaction with the student, the teacher will identify the best teaching method to adopt, hence improving a grade in your subject.

In conclusion, middle-class teachers use their research knowledge about young adolescent development and use the knowledge to integrate classroom events. They also use the knowledge in building good relationships with the student and initiating programs that help families stay engaged with their students’ educational progress though it is very difficult as most students prefer to keep home and school separate. This type of communication leads to higher achievements among the students. As a future teacher, one should embrace listening, and direct interaction with the student as this will create a good relationship between the teacher and the students, which are of benefits to both the teacher and the students’ performance.

Reference

Lounsbury, J. H. (2010). This we believe: Keys to educating young adolescents. Middle School Journal, 41(3), 52-53.

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Causes of Civil War

The American Civil War in the United States of America began on April 12th 1861. It wasn’t between just two states, but instead, many states against one another. One part wanted to keep the Union and believed that slavery should not be abolished, while the other part wanted to abolish slavery and break away from the Union. The major causes of the American civil war included sectionalism, slavery, cultural and economic change, expansion of the federal government, nationalism and populism.

In regards to sectionalism, at the time of the Civil War 1861-1865 there was a widespread agreement that slavery should be abolished. The Northern states had begun to pass laws which outlawed slavery in their own states, but Southern states continued to allow it in their own territories (Wilpone-Welborn, 2018). The majority of these were slave states and many Southern leaders had attempted to convince their state governments to adopt anti-slavery laws as early as 1829. Southerners argued that they could not survive without slavery and that their economy was heavily dependent on it. Northerners reacted to this by saying that slavery was morally wrong because it prevented people from working in whatever job they choose, rather than what they were naturally good at. They also needlessly mistreated those who were inherited into slavery and said that there was no excuse for holding another man as property. Southern leaders counter-argued that the North was trying to attack their rights as a state by banning slavery from their own territories and therefore had no right to dictate to them. This disagreement led directly to six separate states in the south deciding to form their own central government called the Confederacy, which meant simply ‘separateness’. Excessive devotion to their respective interests led to the civil war between the Northerners and the Northerners.

Slavery as another factor: the North wanted to abolish slavery whereas the South wanted to keep it. Prior to the Civil War, slavery was a huge part of the Southern economy. The South was very dependent on slave labor for their economy because of the nature of their work, and therefore could not survive economically if they had to free their slaves. It is important to remember that slaves were not only used for agricultural labor but also in mining and household duties amongst other things. According to David Williams, “Slavery provided an extremely strong motivation for secession, since states needed direct access to the international slave trade in order to grow and develop (Mathisen, 2018). In addition, the slave trade financed some of the costs of fighting a war”. In addition, “slaves were literally property and as such were considered to have certain rights under the Constitution. Thus, they had a monetary value”. The South also felt that they had been wronged by the North because before secession was declared, North Carolina’s governor and their legislature had made it very clear that if their state seceded “they would not sell or otherwise give away any portion of their slaves”.

Cultural and economic change affected the civil war in that the increase in Northern industry and the shift away from agriculture motivated abolitionists to call for the outlaw of slavery (Wilpone-Welborn, 2018). When the North began to undergo a lot of cultural changes, they also started to challenge slavery. Many people in the North felt that it was wrong to prohibit tradesmen and mechanics from working at their jobs, as well as forcing them into doing physical labor because they were a natural fit for it. They believed that this was morally wrong and that we live in a world where we should all be able to freely choose our future professions. Many Northerners also viewed slavery as an evil that they were trying to eliminate, but the southern states did not feel this way at all. The South disliked the fact that they were constantly being criticized for allowing slavery in their territory and believed that it was a local matter (Wilpone-Welborn, 2018). This difference of opinion led directly to the beginning of the American civil war between the north and south over slaves.

Expansion of the federal government was also a major cause of the civil war. It was important to the United States government that they were able to go into foreign territories and take hold of them by force, as well as bring them under their control (Wilpone-Welborn, 2018). They believed that if they did not expand west and take control over these new territories that other countries would take what is rightfully the United States’. They also felt it was necessary for the safety of the United States if this were to happen. This expansion of the federal government had been going on for a long time and was implemented by the party in power. George Washington tried to limit government, but former presidents Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson had both tried to expand it. This expansion stood in direct opposition to the concept of state’s rights that many southerners believed in, and as a result, aggravated the civil war.

The last major cause of the civil war was nationalism and populism (Wilpone-Welborn, 2018). The North and South had very different views on this subject as well, with the South believing that it was essential for them to remain one nation because they felt that they were one people. They also argued that since they were culturally similar, it was important for them to stay together because they would not be able to survive as two separate nations. The North felt that they were two separate countries and wanted to maintain this way of life. Many Northerners also viewed the South as “a sort of whipped dog” that was being held back by the dominance of the South’s slave labor. In these two countries, nationalism and populism were mainly being used as reasons to support their factions’ positions in the civil war.

References

Mathisen, E. (2018). The second slavery, capitalism, and emancipation in Civil War America. journal of the civil war era, 8(4), 677-699. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26520991Wilpone-Welborn, H. (2018). The Civil War in the United States ed. by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Civil War History, 64(4), 390-391. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/722204/summary

Causes and Effects of Childhood Obesity

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Introduction

According to the CDC, 1 in 5 children suffers from obesity in the United States. Child obesity has become a severe health issue, with some categories of children being affected more than others. Between 2017 and 2018, obesity had a prevalence of 19.3% and affected approximately 14.4 million children and adolescents. Children with a body mass index higher than or the same level as their peers are considered to have obesity. Body mass index is a tool used to calculate weight status and is determined using age and gender. This text discusses the causes and effects of childhood obesity, including poor diet, family factors and lack of exercise and diabetes, asthma, and depression, respectively.

Causes of Childhood Obesity

To begin with, some of the common causes of childhood obesity have to do with lack of exercise, a poor diet, and family factors. Lack of exercise for children is a trigger for childhood obesity. Children that do not exercise regularly are more prone to becoming obese since they do are not burning any calories. Children spend a lot of time doing sedentary activities such as playing video games and watching television. Such activities where the child spends not being active is a big contributor to the obesity problem. Additionally, watching too much TV can exacerbate the problem of childhood obesity, seeing that it features advertisements that advocate for unhealthy eating. Advertisements for unhealthy foods tend to encourage children to carry on taking unhealthy foods, placing them at a high risk of becoming obese (Ordway, Sadler, Holland, Slade, Close, & Mayes, 2018). Diet is another risk factor associated with childhood obesity. The American culture is usually a high fast-food culture. As a result, people tend to consume high-calorie foods, including baked goods, fast foods, and snacks at vending machines. Such foods are likely to do more harm than good. They are the main reason why children in the United States continue to suffer obesity at an alarming rate. Additionally, children are notorious for consuming candy which also causes weight gain. Deserts also contain lots of calories which is unhealthy for both children and adults. More research points to sugar drinks such as sports drinks and fruit juices as being the cause of obesity in other people. Out of all behavioral factors associated with child obesity, poor diet patterns in children has been linked with a high risk of childhood obesity. Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and free sugars is a huge determinant of body weight in children. Family factors are another common cause of childhood obesity. If a child comes from a family where there has been a history of being overweight, there is a huge possibility that the child will put on some unusual weight. This is particularly true if the child is in an environment where foods with high calories are always available and physical exercise is not encouraged. Family dynamics come into play in influencing child obesity because if the child inherits genes that place them at high risk of obesity, there is a huge possibility that they become obese. Developing a model that encourages good nutrition and fitness practices at home goes a long way in overcoming genetic predisposition for childhood obesity.

Effects of Childhood Obesity

Some of the common effects of childhood obesity include asthma, diabetes, and depression. While some of the effects are physical, some tend to be social and emotional. Asthma is one of the physical complications associated with child obesity. Research has found that obese children are at a third higher risk of suffering from asthma compared to their healthy counterparts. While there are various ways to reduce the incidence of asthma in children, datas has revealed that suppressing the onset of childhood obesity can significantly reduce the public health hazard that is asthma. Worth noting both obesity and asthma has been cited as a significant health problem for children worldwide, and findings reveal that their prevalence is rising. According to a 2018 Nutrients review, although asthma and obesity tend to co-exist in some of the children, rising evidence points to the existence of a phenotype known as obese asthma in which increased body weight modifies and affects asthma characteristics. This asthma phenotype is characterized by worse control, additional control, severe and more frequent acute episodes, low quality of life, and reduced reaction to inhaled corticosteroids. Diabetes is another known effect of childhood obesity. Children that have obesity are at an increased risk of growing health problems such as diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a health condition where one’s body is unable to metabolize glucose well. Diabetes is life-threatening, leading to nerve damage, kidney dysfunction, and eye disease (Tyson & Frank, 2018). Just like adults, children are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes as a result of being overweight. Worth noting, type 2 diabetes is a condition that can be easily reversed through lifestyle and diet changes. Another consequence linked with childhood obesity is depression. Children that suffer from obesity tend to suffer at the hands of their peers. They have to contend with peers’ bullying and teasing, resulting in low self-esteem and a high risk of anxiety and depression. Children presenting with obesity tend to be vulnerable as being bullied makes them anxious and depressed. This may cause psychological and emotional stress which limits their access to treatment. It makes them shy away from seeking the help that they need. Children with obesity should be offered long-term and adequate treatment to help reduce the risks. Worth noting in some regions of Sweden, children rarely get any form of treatment that they need.

Conclusion

In closing, the problem of childhood obesity is becoming an issue of concern for society. Childhood obesity is caused by poor diet, family factors, and lack of exercise. Some of the consequences of childhood obesity include depression, asthma, and diabetes type 2. There is a need to support the enforcement and encouragement of healthy lifestyles at home to address this problem. Parents should remain informed about the health hazard that obesity poses and strive to provide their children with healthy food options. If such behavioral change can take place consistently, it would pay off in the long term. Exercise and dietary interventions should be combined and employed on a community basis to stop the pandemic of obesity in children. Moving forwards, parents should set good examples that their children can follow. They should strive to make regular physical activity and healthy eating a family affair because all people are involved and everyone benefits. Additionally, parents should avoid giving non-foods as rewards to their children in their parenting duties. In essence, they should not promise candy to their children as a reward for good behavior.

References

Ordway, M. R., Sadler, L. S., Holland, M. L., Slade, A., Close, N., & Mayes, L. C. (2018). A home visiting parenting program and child obesity: A randomized trial. Pediatrics, 141(2).

Tyson, N., & Frank, M. (2018). Childhood and adolescent obesity definitions as related to BMI, evaluation and management options. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 48, 158-164.