Free

Free trade Blessing in Disguise Essay Antagonists of government intervention envisage a liberalized or free trading arena. While international trade has been present throughout much of history , its economic, social, and political importance has only recently become apparent. Walter Block sees free trade as the only philosophy compatible with international peace and prosperity. Free trade involves the eradication of current trade barriers so as to encourage countries to specialize in production. Society thrives on trade simply because trade makes specialization possible. (Blinder p. 1). The basis of the free trade argument is an economic theory known as comparative advantage and was devised by David Ricardo in the late 19th Century. The Ricardian model is perhaps the most important concept in international trade theory. In a Ricardian model, countries specialise in producing what they produce best. Unlike other models, the Ricardian framework predicts that countries will specialise solely instead of producing a broad array of goods. Ricardo argues that trade will not affect . Take for example the situation of the Lawyer and the secretary. Some lawyers are better typists than their secretaries. Should such a lawyer therefore fire his secretary on these grounds, and do his own typing? Not likely. Though the lawyer may be better at both typing and presenting cases, he will fare better if concentrating his energies on arguing cases and leaving the typing for his secretary. Specialization not only aids in making the economy more efficient, it also leaves the lawyer and secretary with productive work to do. Nations act in much the same way. Countries are said to hone their skills on a particular good or service and trade with others that have done the same. Through peoples desire to acquire new skills and knowledge, coupled with the yearning for a greater range of products growing, the call for countries to abandon protectionist policies is imminent. Conclusion In conclusion protectionist policies should be abandoned in order to make way for the freer flow of goods. As discussed protectionist policies are detrimental to the overall economic success of a nation. Through such policies as subsidies, producers are less likely to better their products due to the absence of international competition. The implementation of freer trade promotes specialization of production and aids in consumers receiving better quality goods at a reduced price. In order for greater consumer choice and freedom protectionist policies should be re-evaluated. Reference List Blinder, A 1992, Free Trade, Liberty Fund Inc, Princeton, USA Bigelow, B Peterson, B (ed.) 2002, Rethinking Globalization: Teaching For Justice In An Unjust World, Rethinking Schools Press, Wisconsin, USA. Dunning, H 1993, The Globalization of Business, Routledge, London Dunning, H 2000, Regions, Globalization and the Knowledge-Based Economy, Oxford, New York Economic Planning Advisory Council 1994, Regional Trading Agreements, Australia, August 1994, background paper no. 40, Canberra. Hill, Charles W.L. 2006, Global Business Today, Mcgraw-Hill Irwin, New York. International Monetary Fund 1988, Issues and Developments in International Trade Policy, December 1988, Occasional Paper no. 63, Washington.

A Gllance At Information And Communication Technology Essay Example for Free

A Gllance At Information And Communication Technology Essay Information and communication technology (ICT) has become an important tool in all aspects of life. With the development of technology, the introduction of ICT as a tool has essentially brought tremendous revolution to the practices and procedures of nearly all forms of endeavor within business and governance during the past decades. Consequently, the importance of ICT project management cannot be overemphasized since it is the catalyst for successfully carrying out the ICT project. A critical research on the factors influencing the performance of ICT has been conducted as well as the introduction of different evaluation models or frameworks, which are used determine if an ICT project is successfully implemented. The last but not the least, a conclusion and a recommendation are given to prove that the potential values and benefits will be brought by elaborately analyzing those related factors before implementation and regularly evaluation on the ICT project. Table of content Introduction Recently, the role of Information and communication technology (ICT) has become more and more important in any forms of organizations and businesses. According to Daniels (2002) ICT has evolved to be one of the basic tool but pervasive among the public within such a short time. Besides, understanding the operational mechanism of ICT and mastering the fundamental skills and concepts of ICT are regarded as the basic knowledge that people now should equip with. However, it seems that many people have the wrong perceptions of what ICTs are; it’s commonly that ICTs generally be referred to ‘computers and computing related activities’ before the definition of ICT officially clarified by a United Nations report (1999). Also, according to UNESCO ICT could be understood in the way that which is the combination of ‘Informatics technology’ with other related technology, such as communication technology in particular. In other words, ICT is a more extended than information technology (IT), ICT not only emphasizes the technology itself, but also highlights the unified communications and the integration of telecommunications, computers; furthermore, by using these products such as the enterprise software, middleware, storage, and audio-visual systems, users will be able to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information. Now, we can find the radio broadcasts, audio conferencing, teleconferencing, email, interactive voice response system, audiocassettes and CD ROMs etc., are vari ous kinds of ICT products available, and those ICT products have been used for different purposes in our daily life, work environment, or common business practices. There are more and more people become aware of the benefits and efficiency brought by the ICT. With that in mind, people are starting paying more attentions on the ICT management issues, such as how to better manage ICT projects, what are those key factors determining the performance of ICT project, or how to adequately evaluate the performance of ICT project. Discussion Just as the other project management is, there are various success/failure factors related to the ICT project management. Here we discuss the roles of attitudes and the alignment between ICT and business, which are regarded as two of the most important key factors in ICT project management. A corresponding literature review is also preformed in order to better understand the background. The Roles of Attitudes Based on recent researches on the acceptance and use of ICT project, and related ICT design and development, ICT only brings values to the organization if it is accepted, applied and widely applied by those targeted users. From one of the research (Zhang, P. 2007), the author mentioned two different theories, which the inconformity between these two theories lays in the concepts behind and effects behavioral intention. The theories mentioned are Attitude toward ICT as an object (ATO) and Attitude toward using ICT as a behavior (ATB). By definition, ATO is â€Å"a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor† (Eagly et al. 1998) or, as a combination of evaluative judgments about an object (Crites et al. 1994), while ATB is defined as â€Å"an individual’s positive or negative feelings (evaluative affect) about performing the target behavior.† (Fishbein et al. 1975) And the conceptual confusions whether attitudes play important role in the context of ICT project acceptance and use has been clarified, and there is an interesting evidence showing that the roles of attitudes can change as the users’ use of the ICT increases. The Alignment between business and ICT The literature related to the information and communication technology (ICT) demonstrated that alignment between ICT and business will influence the business performance and effectiveness of the organization in a positive way. (Cumps, B., Viaene, S., Dedene, G., Vandenbulcke, J 2006) Furthermore, the alignment of business and ICT of an organization is one of the fundamental sustainable factors, which can also be an advantage for an organization. In that case, the organizations should consider establishing specific ICT management routines in order to obtain better alignment performance scores. Since the role of ICT cannot be underestimated, more and more people want to know whether the ICT really brings values, whether the ICT substantially improved the efficiency, or whether the ICT works as expected. Based on the research, there are several more comprehensive ICT management capability maturity framework developed, such as the ICT management capability maturity framework and ICT Per formance Reference Model. The differences between these two frameworks or models are the focus and the content. ICT management capability maturity framework The framework is a ‘spider diagram’, which includes seven indicators: ICT Applications, Business-ICT relationship, ICT strategy alignment, ICT user profile, ICT managerial paradigm, ICT governance and ICT organization. Before applying the ICT management capability maturity framework, the users should firstly define the critical processes of their ICT management for each indicator. For each indicator, there are specific process-orientated evaluation standards, and the users should make judgments for each standard to see whether it fits to the organization’s characters, needs, and specific industry. For each applied standard, there are different dimensionalities to assess the maturity of capability. The key function of this framework is to be used as an evaluating tool and a improvement roadmaps that can point out directions for the senior management on ICT and business management in strategies planning in order to sustainably improve, develop, and manage the ICT capability in support of optimized business value delivery. From this capability maturity framework, we can clearly see the ICT management capability maturity of an organization as well as its improvement footprint. At the same time, with the use of such framework, the organization can be evaluated on its overall ICT management capability, the comparison analysis between different organizations can be conducted, and even the industrial benchmark can als o be made to see the ranking of the organization in the certain industry. ICT Performance Reference Model ICT Performance Reference Model is a model using the reference model principles in the area of ICT management. For better understanding of the meaning of reference model, here the definition of the reference model that â€Å"Reference model contains relevant structures and relationships among the model elements (process structures, levels, document structures) and also the predefined knowledge (best practice examples) already included in these structures.† is used. ICT Performance Reference Model combines the strengths of mathematical and data modeling techniques for its structure and knowledge management principles for its content; namely, it represents the best practices and knowledge in the formalized model structure, and therefore allows easier knowledge replication. The framework of ICT Performance Reference Model includes ICT Management Process, ICT Performance management Methodologies, ICT Performance Measurement Processes, ICT Performance Measures and ICT Performance m anagement Tools and Applications. The performance of ICT project is then be evaluated through these dimensions. With the implication of ICT Performance Reference Model, it would be easier to address ICT management related issues including application functionality overlap, technology and knowledge heterogeneity, and constantly changing business pressures. Conclusion From the discussion part, we can see that there are different success/failure factors relate to the Information and Communication Technology project management. Each factor cannot be left out from consideration whenever applying an ICT project, namely, the importance of each factor cannot be overestimated, or there would possibly result in an unpleasant outcome. On the other hand, it is also necessary to have the ICT project to be reviewed, or assessed the related management capability maturity periodically. With the regular evaluation, the organization will have better understanding about the current state of the implementation of ICT project, the acceptance level of related personnel, the operation results compared to expected results, and the continuing alignment with organization’s strategies. Recommendations As we all know that the management of ICT in the enterprise has been increasing in importance and nowadays it is one of the critical success factors of any type of business. In order to ensure sustainable growing of an organization, the use of ICT cannot be avoidable. After the careful research, I recommend the organization should look into every success/failure factors corresponding with the ICT project before implementation, which will largely reduce the risk of carrying out a project and ending in nothing. At the same time, with careful elaboration on each success/failure factors, the organization will have better understanding of its status quo, its strengths and weakness, which can be a great headstone for the design and implementation of the ICT project. In addition to the prior-art research, the ongoing assessment is also important for an ICT project management. In that case, the organization should choose adequate evaluation model or framework with some customized changes in order to fit into the needs of the organization. By doing the regular inspection, the organization can notice the wrong behavior in time and make certain modifications accordingly. Without such safeguard monitor mechanism, it may be too late when the organization realizes the mistakes happening. References Becker, J., Knackstedt, R., Pà ¶ppelbuß, D. W. I. J. (2009). Developing maturity models for IT management. Business Information Systems Engineering, 1(3), 213-222. Cumps, B., Viaene, S., Dedene, G., Vandenbulcke, J. (2006, January). An empirical study on business/ICT alignment in European organisations. InSystem Sciences, 2006. HICSS06. Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on (Vol. 8, pp. 195a-195a). IEEE. Donnellan, B., Sheridan, C., Curry, E. (2011). A capability maturity framework for sustainable information and communication technology. IT professional, 13(1), 33-40. Novotnà ½, O. (2009). ICT performance reference model in the context of corporate performance management systems. IDIMT-2009 System and Humans–A complex Relationship. Linz: Trauner Verlag Universitat, 13-16. Silvius, A. G. (2009, April). Business and IT Alignment: What We Know and What We Dont Know. In Information Management and Engineering, 2009. ICIME09. International Conference on (pp. 558-563). IEEE. Zhang, P., Aikman, S. (2007). Attitudes in ICT acceptance and use. In Human-Computer Interaction. Interaction Design and Usability (pp. 1021-1030). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of RFID

Advantages And Disadvantages Of RFID The significant advantage of all types of RFID systems is the noncontact, non-line-of-sight nature of the technology. Unlike a bar code, a large number of RFID tags can be read almost instantaneously through other materials (though some materials may cause problems) and they can be read through plastic, cardboard, wood and etc. Theoretically, this means that you could take a pallet of mixed products, all of which contain individual RFID tags, and have an RFID reader read all the tags within the palletized load without having to physically move any of the materials or open any cases. Thus, inventory can be performed in a highly efficient method. The RFID tags can store data and can also be read in challenging circumstances at remarkable speeds, in most cases responding in less than 100 milliseconds. In interactive applications such as work-in-process or maintenance tracking, the read/write capability of an active RFID system is also a significant advantage. RFID equipment damage occurs much less frequently than is the case with magnetic strips or barcodes. RFID tags are less susceptible to damage and can be read through a variety of substances such as ice, snow, paint, fog, crusted grime, and other visually and environmentally challenging conditions, where barcodes or other optically read technologies would be useless. RFID tags can be sealed within a plastic enclosure eliminating many of the problems that plague bar codes in harsh environments where they are exposed to chemicals, high temperature or moisture, abrasion, dirt and grease buildup, etc. If the implementation provides a significant method to improve business processes, the total cost of ownership should go down over the years and provide a good Return on investment (ROI). Supply chain management forms the major part of retail business and RFID systems play a key role by managing updates of stocks, transportation and logistics of the product. The aim is to reduce administrati ve error, labor costs associated with scanning bar codes, internal theft, errors in shipping goods and overall inventory levels. The combination of all above mentioned advantages will provide quick access to a wealth of information, eliminate human errors, and reduce labour which lead to reduce project activity times and to save project costs. 5.2: Disadvantage of RFID technology Lack of standardization, high costs of implementation, technology deployment risks, and the elimination of unskilled labour are all contributors currently preventing the adoption of new RFID technologies in the construction industry. Cost is the biggest hurdle to RFID tags replacing bar codes for item-level tracking of low-cost products. RFID systems are typically more expensive than alternatives such as barcode systems. In addition, software and support personnel needed to install and operate the RFID reading systems (in a warehouse for example) may be more costly to employ. Liquid and metal surfaces tend to reflect the radio waves, which makes the tags unreadable so, RFID tags cannot be read well when placed on metal or liquid objects or when these objects are between the reader and the tag. The tags have to be placed in various alignments and angles for taking proper reading. This is a tedious task when the work involves big firms. Tag and reader collision are common problems with RFID. Tag collision occurs when numerous tags are present in a confined area. The RFID tag reader energizes multiple tags simultaneously, all of which reflect their signals back to the reader. This result in tag collision, and the RFID reader fails to differentiate between incoming data. RFID reader collision results when the coverage area managed by one RFID reader overlaps with the coverage area of another reader. This causes signal interference and multiple reads of the same tag. RFID standards are still being developed. You dont want to invest in an RFID system that is based on soon-to-be obsolete specs. RFID technology ultimately involves software that allows each user to be identified by a central database. This infrastructure will certainly be under attack by hackers. Water, static discharge or high-powered magnetic surges (such as lightning strike) may damage the tags. With more research, the flaws and limitations of this technology can be removed. This will make RFID technology very useful for diverse sectors like retail, and transport. Developments in RFID technology continue to yield larger memory capacities, wider reading ranges, and faster processing. RFID will continue to grow in its established niches where barcode or other optical technologies are not effective. If some standards commonality is achieved whereby RFID equipment from different manufacturers can be used interchangeably the market will very likely grow exponentially. 6: RFID APPLICATIONS There are various applications of RFID technology in different industries for both logistical traceability for tracking the location and progress of an object, and qualitative traceability for associating any additional information to products (Karkkainen, 2005). Retail, food, defence, pharmaceutical, healthcare, manufacturing and transport are just some of the sectors where RFID has already been extensively applied (Wilding and Delgado 2004, ERABUILD Report 2006, and Smith and Konsynski 2007). Tagging provides asset visibility, identification and positioning, and enables total inventory management. Different sectors require different approaches but a common factor to all is adequately determining a basic unit or unit set for tagging (e.g. pallets, packages, single items, containers, etc.)(Radosavljevic and Dan-Asabe, 2007). Increasingly, retail/CPG and Pharmaceutical companies are looking to use RFID to track goods within their supply chain, to work in process and for other applications. Today, CPG and retail companies are using RFID to track promotional displays, reduce out-of-stocks and improve shipping and receiving accuracy. Manufactures are using RFID to track work-in-process, perfect just-in-time manufacturing, improve shipping accuracy, and manage inventory and warrantee information (RFIDJournal, 2010). Auto manufacturers are among the leading users of RFID technology today. Most cars have an RFID reader in the steering column and a transponder in the key. If the ID in the key doesnt match the number the reader is looking for, the car wont stop. This system has greatly reduced auto theft. Auto companies also use RFID to track work-in-process, perfect just-in-time manufacturing, improve shipping accuracy, and manage inventory and warrantee information (RFIDJournal, 2010). Hospitals and health-care providers are using RFID technology to track patients and high-value assets, as well as ensure patient safety. One company offers a system to track surgical sponges to ensure they are not inadvertently left behind in patients. And many hospitals are now tracking patients to ensure the right patient is given the proper care. These systems tend to reduce the data-entry workload of nurses, and also let them spend more time caring for patients and automate the process of billing. Additionally, hospitals are tracking high-value assets, including gurneys, wheel chairs, oxygen pumps and defibrillators. These systems reduce the time employees spend looking for assets, improve asset utilization and enhance the hospitals ability to performed scheduled maintenance (RFIDJournal, 2010). Pharmaceutical companies are exploring RFIDs potential in many areas, including improving supply-chain efficiencies, complying with government information-collection requirements, reducing counterfeiting; creating electronic pedigrees and ensuring public safety by making sure only legitimate drugs enter the supply chain (RFIDJournal, 2010). Thousands of companies around the world use RFID today to improve internal efficiencies. Club Car, a maker of golf carts uses RFID to improve efficiency on its production line (Jonathan Collins, 2004). Paramount Farms one of the worlds largest suppliers of pistachios uses RFID to manage its harvest more efficiently (Bob Violino, 2004). NYK Logistics uses RFID to improve the throughput of containers at its busy Long Beach, Calif., distribution center (Jennifer Maselli, 2003). http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/purchase/839 http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/purchase/810 http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/purchase/617 http://www.rfidjournal.com Wilding, R. and Delgado, T. (2004). RFID Applications within the Supply Chain. Supply Chain 6(2), 36-49. Smith, H. and Konsynsky, B. (2003). Developments in Practice X: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-An Internet for Physical Objects. Communication Association for Information System, 12, 301-311. Karkkainen, M. (2005). Forwarder Independent Tracking System-Problem Description and Solution Design Proposal. Ph.D. Diss., Dept. of Ind. Eng., Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo.

Structures Used in The Sound and the Fury Essay -- Sound and the Fury

Structures Used in The Sound and the Fury In â€Å"Christian and Freudian Structures†, Carvel Collins points out some interesting systems used by Faulkner in The Sound and The Fury. Collins refers to the first system Faulkner uses as a Christian structure, which shows how all three Compson sons are in parallel with Christ. When discussing the Christian structure, Collins says that it is important for the reader to know that three of the four sections are set on Easter Sunday and the two days preceding it (71). First, he discusses the Quentin section because it dates back to a Thursday with the other sections being on Friday (Jason), Saturday (Benjy), and Sunday (fourth section). The Thursday in which the Quentin section takes place symbolizes Christ’s experience on Holy Thursday and some points of similarity are: 1) Quentin's’s Last Supper with Shreve, Gerald, and their companions in the picnic, in which they drink wine. (Wine in biblical terms symbolizes the blood of Christ.) 2) The â€Å"breaking of the bread† with the little Italian girl (bread=body of Christ). 3) Quentin’s tortured conversation with his father stands out in his memories which takes place on the same day of the week as the event of Christ crying out in anguish upon his father and 4) Quentin is captured and taken before a court, just as Christ was. Next in history was Good Friday which compares to the Jason section. One event that took place on Good Friday was â€Å"that disciple took her (Christ’s mother) into his own† (John 19). Christ’s mother was in association with her son, just like Mrs. Compson and Jason Jason was the only child in which she cared for. Jason’s name also seems to be significant because it was â€Å"used for ‘Jesus’ by Hellenized Jews†. One ... ...epresents the ego, â€Å"which Freud presents as a battleground between the urges of the id and the restraints of the super-ego; and Jason at that of the repressive super-ego† (73). Using these Freudian terms and characteristics, the three Compson sons merge into one with Benjamin representing the id, having only instinct and does not care about time. He goes to sleep at the end of his section. Then in the first sentence of the Quentin section, Quentin wakes up aware of the time (â€Å"ego first part of the personality to become aware of time†) (74). Works Cited Collins, Carvel â€Å"Christian and Freudian Structures.† Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Sound and The Fury. Ed. Michael H. Cowan. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1968. 71-74. Life Applications Bible for Students. The New King James Version. Illinois: Tyndale Publications, Inc., 1994.

Comparing the Book and Movie Version of The Secret Garden Essay

The Secret Garden: Book vs. Movie The Secret Garden is a film based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children's book bearing the same title. This movie is about a young girl who is literally shipped off to her uncle's English castle after her parents are killed in an earthquake. The main character, Mary, is played by Kate Maberly. She is tossed into a world where sunlight and cheerful discourse seem as rare as the attention she receives from the sour-pussed housekeeper Medlock, played by Maggie Smith. She helps her crippled cousin to see past his hypochondria and into the wonders of a long forgotten garden hidden beyond the confines of Misselthwaite Manor. While one critic dislikes the slight deviations from the book, another is content to relish in the imagery and scenery of The Secret Garden. Megan Rosenfeld, a Washington Post staff writer, is obviously distressed at the modifications made by director Agnieszka Holland to the original story. Ms. Rosenfeld asserts, "If it ain't broke, don't rewrite it." She refers to some specific changes, including the use of an earth...

Performance and Permanence in Sixties Literature Essay -- Sixties 60

Performance and Permanence in Sixties Literature      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is art? Any generation of artists defines itself by the way it answers this question. The artists of the 1960s found their answer in the idea of art as experience. Art was not something that happened; it was something that happened around you, with you, to you. In the moment of creation, and in that moment alone, there was art. For artists of the Sixties, art was vibrant and alive, and thus to say a product was finished was simply to say it was dead. For literary artists this obsession with the fleeting now translated to a fascination with performance itself-a fascination that in turn cuts at the very heart of art itself. For if work must be performed to be truly experienced, then art is transient and irreproducible, and therefore barren. Art becomes local and mortal, tied to the life and influence of a single artist-unable to speak to those who were not there at the time. One cannot have it both ways; if we accept the preeminence of "the happening" and reje ct the notion of reproducibility, then art seemingly becomes smaller, diminished. This struggle between performance and permanence, between moment and monument, can be see as one of the central questions of the literature of the 1960s.    Experimental theater provides a useful example of the extreme form of this perception about performance art. Drama has sometimes been praised, sometimes been maligned, but it has undeniably been a type of literature for as long as literary study has existed, as important in its own way as poetry, and prose. Experimental theater challenged this notion in its sheer irreproducibility; it begs the question, "Can something be literary which only happens once, which fails to... ...who would never and could never be touched by a single performance in a single place. For all its raw emotional power, perfomance art is unreachable to many in the present and totally inaccessible to audiences in the future. To truly matter-to exert any real change over the present, to reach past its moment of creation into the future-art must be more than its performance alone.    Works Cited Biner, Pierre. The Living Theater. Takin' It To The Streets: A Sixties Reader, pp. 288-293. ed. Alexander Bloom and Wini Breines. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Kerouac, Jack. The Dharma Bums. New York: Pengiun Books, 1958. Rader, Dotson. "Notes of Andy Warhol: His Life and Work as Death in America." Takin' It To The Streets: A Sixties Reader, pp. 305-309. ed. Alexander Bloom and Wini Breines. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.   

Freshman Fifteen English Paper

First Draft The Future of America: Freshmen 15 Crisis As obesity rates continue to rise worldwide, the U. S. sets an example of culturally influenced weight problems and therefore ranks ninth out the ten of the fattest countries, according to the World Health Organization (Streib). College campuses in the U. S. are the perfect example of cultural weight gain. At Towson University, the large number of freshman gaining the stereotypical â€Å"freshman 15† can be explained by poor eating and exercising habits developed in college and the university's dining options. A lot of incoming students come into college already aware of what the freshman 15 is but still manage to develop horrid eating habits. A great way to help solve such an issue is to inform students about this health issue that is only continuing to flourish. To do this universities need to step of to this nationwide concern and include a health and wellness component to our Univ. 100 classes in which students will learn what they should eat and what habits to avoid. Despite what some optimistic researchers say, the freshman 15 is real. Some have argued that most freshmen are doing better with their diet now than in the past; however we are still gaining around eight pounds a year (â€Å"Some†). It is difficult to go from a controlled and routine schedule of eating and exercising at home to the free world of choices at college. In his recent work Daniel Hoffman, a professor at Rutgers University, points out that it is â€Å"perhaps most important for students to recognize that seemingly minor and perhaps even harmless changes in eating or exercise behavior may result in large changes in weight and body fat mass over an extended period of time† (Hoffman). The fact is that students are not leaving home prepared enough for the world of late night pizza and consumption of alcohol that characterizes most students’ college years. If a nutrition lecture or a healthy lifestyle class were mandatory for incoming students it would provide a new perspective on diet and health. After becoming notified on the issue students can find their own routine of a well balanced diet and an hour of exercise per day at school. If students were informed they could start researching nutritional facts on what food they should eat and what time of the day would best to consume it. Professor Elizabeth Klasen from the University of Wisconsin insists this national phenomenon can be â€Å"attributed to dorm food, and may be associated with altered meal and sleep patterns† (Klasen). Students are forced upon sleeping abnormal hours along with eating unhealthy food consumption at inappropriate times, making it difficult to for them to eat fewer than 2000 calories or even exercise the recommended 15 minutes a day. It is difficult to maintain a healthy balanced diet on a college campus that is filled with fast food like diners and limits students to only fifteen dollars of food a day, making the alternative of more expensive and healthier foods not an realistic option. This inconvenience of healthy food and convenience of junk food was â€Å"all it took for freshmen to gain seven pounds over two semesters† in a 2006 Rutgers study (â€Å"Some†). For those students, the difference between maintaining a healthy weight and gaining seven pounds â€Å"was about 112 extra calories a day. That's one soda or half a cookie a day, or 10 minutes less of exercise† (â€Å"Some†). For instance, to get a healthy meal at one of Towson’s diners, let’s say a pre-made salad, you have to pay six dollars and wait in a mile-long line. Then, as you are standing in that line you look over and see a non-existent line for that slice of pizza and start to think to yourself, Why should I pay three times more for this salad and wait in line for 15 minutes when I only have 20 minutes until my next class, when I could go grab that last piece of pizza? Unfortunately, college presents even more opportunities for students to eat poorly, since most students stay up late to study, do last-minute homework after procrastinating all day, or hang out with friends after a party. Whether or not college students are aware of what they are doing to their bodies, researchers know that the â€Å"food eaten between 8 p. m. and 4 a. m. [is] a leading contributor to weight gain,† making the most active part of a college student’s day the most detrimental to his health (â€Å"Some†). One study from the University of Wisconsin attempts to explain this phenomenon through â€Å"Night Eating Syndrome (NES), which is associated with overweight and obesity and involves consumption of over 50% of daily calories after 7 pm† (Klasen). What’s surprising is how easy it is to get food that late at night. Specifically, Campusfood. com, a common college food supplier, gives options for students to order 1000-calorie meals delivered conveniently to their dorm steps at 2:00 a. m. The number of fast-food delivery places that open at such a late time is absurd; these restaurants are helping America gain the freshman 15 one pizza at a time. During the first semester of their freshman year in college, students will be preoccupied with many things, like which classes they will take, how well they will do in those classes, which activities they want to devote their time to, which people they want to hang with, and whether or not they will have enough money to do fun things off campus (Gonzalez). People who believe that college weight gain is a natural occurrence argue that students need to focus on more important aspects of school such as their grades, making friends, and getting involved in clubs, rather than spending time worrying about an unproven stereotype of weight gain. However, the fact that students are gaining weight is proven. As the aforementioned studies show, the freshman 15 is real, and it is affecting the lives of college freshman across the country. Freshmen are gaining weight because of eating habits they develop during the first semester. Poor food options do increase the chances of gaining weight. Freshmen do gain weight because of the convenience and availability of unhealthy food on campuses. It is true that students should concentrate on grades and other college activities however this is not an excuse to pig out and throw health concerns out the window. Missouri Western State University did a study that showed â€Å"higher GPA was associated with less consumption of fast food and higher GPA was also associated with the amount of meals an individual skipped per day: the fewer meals skipped the greater the GPA† (Costa). Apparently students’ grades are affected by what they eat. The belief that students should not worry about the â€Å"freshman 15† because they should worry about their grades is incorrect. If students concentrate on eating well their grades will reflect their good habits. The â€Å"freshman 15† is a phrase that represents a bigger dilemma, because is not just something that takes place during the first year in college. It’s not just freshman gaining weight, sophomores and upper classmen do to. Researcher Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University Medical School did a study that â€Å"found students are weighing in at two to three pounds heavier post-sophomore year† (Rosenberg). Bad eating habits and lack of exercise start with freshmen. But since nothing is done to correct those habits students continue through the rest of their college years and after. Fitness Director Stacy Trukowski is cited by Rutgers University’s newspaper, Relations, saying, â€Å"Most people fail to gain control of their weight gain from early adulthood. Although gaining an average of seven pounds is not as alarming as 15, the pounds will surely add up over time† (Rosenberg). Unfortunately college students see weight gain from the time they enter school to the time they leave. Trukowski credits this to â€Å"drinking and eating at night and lifestyle changes they are not used to† (Rosenberg). With this evidence of continuous lifelong weight gain resulting from habits developed in college, it is surprising that colleges are not doing anything to prevent this issue. This problem may be related to rising obesity rates in America. Professor Levitisky from the college of human ecology at Cornell University found that â€Å"freshman weight gain could be the same phenomenon that is contributing to the epidemic of obesity among all Americans–that a relatively small increase in calories each day or week has the cumulative effect of adding a significant amount of weight over the years†(Land). Professor Levitisky’s study puts into perspective how important freshman weight gain is. Eating habits learned as freshmen stick with them and are harder to change as years go by. Universities need to confront this issue and take precautionary measures to help prevent future concerns. A course for incoming freshman to learn about the â€Å"freshman 15† and how to avoid it would be a great first step. Long Island University’s freshman College 101 course sets a good example of what could be used at Towson University. The course had a great proposal to teach students by having nutrition communication students present information about freshmen weight gain in a mandatory orientation class (Thomas). Since Towson University already has freshman Health 101 lecture classes, the class should dedicate at least one day in the semester to diet and exercise education. This way teacher could reduce the number of freshman gaining weight during the first semester. A Univ. 101 health and wellness component lecture would teach students how to develop healthy eating habits that would then help them for the rest of their lives. For example, they would learn what foods to avoid and what time they should avoid eating. There could be seminars in which juniors and seniors majoring in nutrition come in and talk about available foods on campus and nutritional facts along with what a good college campus diet looks like and how it can be achieved. In this class students would also develop a weekly health plan. This health plan would be incorporated into a personal log in which students would record how have exercised that week and how many times they ate late at night. This would help students analyze their bodies and realize what a simple lifestyle change could do. Studies like ones done University of California at Berkley show students who record their eating habits are more likely to witness their mistakes and correct them (Hom). The overall goal for this class is for freshmen to stop picking up bad habits during their first semester and stick with their good habits for the rest of their lives. The freshman 15 is an issue that needs to be taken care through an education system that teaches healthy diet and exercise options. Learning about proper eating habits will stop students from initially gaining weight in college and help prevent future obesity problems. If colleges implement programs to help solve this dilemma then it might be possible to help reduce America’s growing obesity concerns.