What is a purpose of a college education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What is a purpose of a college education - Essay Example However, even the best college institutions are not providing these skills. The main purpose of the higher education institutions, colleges in particular, should be to provide the students with a wide range of skills that would help them in functioning appropriately in the workplace such as broadmindedness and problem solving skills that may not be accomplished if the institutions are underequipped. This claim is correct because the modern world has intense competition that requires an individual to be equipped with a wide range of skills since some job positions are highly competitive. Therefore, if one position is not available, an individual can utilize other skills and work in a different position. The article, â€Å"College at Risk† by Andrew Delbanco maintains that although the original purpose of colleges had the interests of the students in mind, it has changed. In fact, in a broader sense, a college institution is a place where the students encounter ideas both from fellow peers and from instructors that help them in becoming creative. In addition, the concept of broad-mindedness was meant to be emphasized through college education. This was meant to help the individuals in dealing with hardships that they may encounter in the workplace. Personally, I agree with these claims. The higher education sector has become a commodity that is only available to the wealthy few; therefore, secluding the unfortunate ones and diverging from the original purpose, which was not economic-oriented. I have also seen many colleges charge very high tuition fees, which was not the case in the past. For instance, my own college has been charging higher fees as compared to previous years. This implies that only the wealthy can afford higher education. This is affecting the availability of opportunities and acquisition of skills especially in the American society, thus affecting the original purpose of colleges. The colleges have concentrated on profit

Personal Educational Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Educational Philosophy - Essay Example Vicarious reinforcement is indirect reinforcement and does not come from without. It comes from the person himself so that it is also called self-reinforcement. Imitation and modeling as the terms suggest simple mean that a person learns what he sees. Models particularly are imitated. The model could be a parent, a teacher, peer, basketball star or even I whose behavior is imitated. My impact as a teacher being a role model in the classroom cannot be overemphasized. This is true in all aspects of learning that range from mechanical speech learning to the more complex learning of values. No matter how good I am on the theories of good speech if I do not talk well, the learners may not learn to talk correctly. In like manner, a good discourse on moral values like honesty will not do any good if the learners are witnesses of dishonesty in the classroom and in bigger society. Most observational learning studies have been focused on films and television shows. In fact, the researches of Bandura and Walters on observational learning included exposures of the experimental groups to films. Aside from this, I also adhere to Bandura's different models. Environmental model refers to the observations made of sexual reproduction among domestic animals like dogs, cats, chickens, and other including plants like vegetables and fruits. Parental instruction model ... Also included in this category are the peer groups through teasing, conversation, cursing, etc. Cultural model refers to the use of folk tales in order to illustrate the concept of size, the normative and "don't's" in verbal reference to sex; the use of language to identify basic elements of social organizations. The foregoing results reveal the modeling role of parents and peers which become especially important within the context of parents and teachers as authorities. In a society where children are left more and more with their peers, the latter's modeling could lead to more imitative sex-related and other forms of behaviors. In social or observational learning, Bandura emphasized four subprocesses; namely, attention, retention, motoric reproduction, and reinforcement. For any observational learning to occur, I believe that the model stimulus must be attended to. What has been observed must be retained if the model's behavior is to exert influence even after a period of time. Imitation follows only if the individual had motoric reproduction or actually imitated the behavior of the model. The last, reinforcement is internal rather than external. In this Bandura states that reinforcement is a motivational factor rather than a strengthening factor. Social learning theory seemingly explains many of our behaviors. The way we talk and walk - our gestures - many have been learned from the models that we have been exposed to. No wonder, children talk like their parents and resemble those of their parents. Friends, too, behave similarly. The social learning theory points out the crucial influence of television, radio, movies, and other forms of mass media which are fertile sources of models for

Basic Summary of Elliot Aronson's 'Social Animal' Essay

Basic Summary of Elliot Aronson's 'Social Animal' - Essay Example Aronson has fundamentally asserted that people tend to move along with the mob in general because if they do not, they are offered social resistance. They may change their personal opinion in favor of the majority either to escape a punishment, seek a reward or else, because of lack of confidence in their personal judgment. Conformity is essentially compliance if the objective is reward/punishment centered. It is identification if the individual’s intention is to develop affiliation, and it is internalization, if the individual conforms if he/she actually thinks it is rational. Aronson has also discussed some personality variables like self esteem, courage and experience that determine the level of conformity in an individual’s attitude. Then Aronson discussed obedience in context of conformity, and finally, the role of an uninvolved bystander as that of a conformist, because he/she overlooks the tragedy because everybody else does the same. Overall, the article is a ve ry comprehensive and though provoking demonstration of

Premature Rupture of Membrane during Labor Essay

Premature Rupture of Membrane during Labor - Essay Example However, her pulse is at 80bpm, 37.7oC temperature, and blood pressure at 111/58, and normal respiration at 16. Fetal heart rate is at 140. The patient is under the monitor of IUPC for frequency, intensity, and duration of contractions. The fetus is monitored by the external electronic fetal. Cervical dilation is 4cm, station 3, and 70% effaced. Fetus is in cephalic presentation. At 1000 assessment, cervical dilation is still 4cm, station -3, and 80% effaced, and the patient is in pain and distress, with a pain of eight in a 1 to 10 scale. Pain medication administered and support person taught lower back massage to alleviate back pain. Fetal heart rates are at 138, with 3 to 5 minutes contractions ranging between 30 seconds to one minute long. At 1200, epidural block administered after patients complain of pain, and advised not to lie on her back. Nursing Diagnosis and Pathophysiology Managing labor at term with spontaneously ruptured membranes can be confusing. Concerns arise about the appropriate management for pre-labor rupture of membranes and the spontaneous rapture of membranes after the labor begins. The nursing diagnosis priority is the examination of the premature rapture of membrane through a thorough physical, history examination, as well as selected laboratory studies. The primary caregiver should carry out a speculum examination to determine the presence of any cervical dilation or effacement. On suspicion of membranes premature rapture, it is integral to halt digital cervical examinations, as they tend to increase mortality and morbidity. Moreover, the digital cervical examinations result to a decrease of about nine days in the latent period (Medina and Hill, 2006). Evidence of pooling fluid in the vagina, or leakage from the cervical on application of fundal pressure or when the patient coughs, assist the care provider in determining membranes raptures. Diagnostic methods such as the use of nitrazine paper and ferning determination have sensitivi ties of about 90%. Nitrazine paper turns blue in the presence of amniotic fluid with a pH above 6.0. However, other contaminations such as presence of semen, blood, and bacterial vaginosis may give similar outcomes. The care providers should reserve a swab for determining the presence of ferning, which if positive indicates premature membranes rapture (Medina and Hill, 2006). Management of Pre-labor Membranes Ruptures at Term Previous studies on the management of pre-labor membranes ruptures focus essentially on the comparison of the incidence of infection in immediate induction patients versus the expected management on risk of infection after different durations of rupture. In their examinations, researchers compared outcomes from an induction and expected management with premature rupture of membrane at term. According to their reports, there were no differences in infection rate between the two examination groups, as well as a higher rate of caesarian section cases in the induce d groups. A more recent research by Hannah and colleagues called TERMPROM study, a large, randomized multicentre trial, which compared immediate induction to expectant management running up to four days after the diagnosis of premature rupture of membrane at term. Results of the study show that maternal infection occurred at higher rates in women managed expectantly (Marowitz and Hunter, 2004). The rates of caesarian sections and neonatal infections were the same. Care Plan The following is the care plan for

Radiality as a Comprehensive Behavioral Model Essay

Radiality as a Comprehensive Behavioral Model - Essay Example The origins of the radiality as a foundational cultural model in the domain of spatial relationship may be traced to the island nation of Tonga (Bennardo 2009). Tongan language has only 3 linguistic representations of spatial relationships. This makes it a simpler study than languages with many more because correlation interpretation is reduced to fewer permutations. The concept of radiality impacts other realms of understanding within anthropology. It correlates with understandings of religious belief (Bennardo 2009). It explains theories about spatial navigation and material possessions. It also helps in our comprehension of kinship patterns. This method of interpretation contributes no less to our understanding of social relationships. It seems cognitive processes of language production and interpretation manifest in gross behavioral patterns. Methods of radiality modeling result in a broader understanding of social relationships with respect to language (Bennardo 2008). Looking for a cultural model of social relationships in Tongan, investigators collected linguistic, experimental, and social network data. They focused on the core concept of the model where 'Ofa is giving, either giving help from higher to lower or giving duty or respect from lower to higher. Surveys were formulated to study spatial linguistic correlations to cognitive beliefs. Three semi-structured interviews were used (Bennardo 2008). One was about how individuals perceive social relationships between others where participants answered questions about the existence and composition of groups in their village, their island, and country. Another was about individual personal relationships where participants answered questions about their relationships to other people in the village. Still, another was about indirect social relationships where participants told a story that occurred in their village that they thought represented village life. From 60 interviews of about 24 hours of audiovisual recordings verbal coders went to work. They conducted statistical analyses of words to uncover certain obviates. They applied methods of metaphor and keyword analysis to identify specific correlations (Bennardo 2008). Metaphor analysis included certain priorities: first to identify metaphors, second to sort them by type and identify key words, and third to locate organizational principles. Key word analysis included four words that appeared during the metaphor analyses: 'Ofa 'love'; Fatongia 'duty'; Kavenga 'lighter duty'; Faka'apa'apa 'respect.' The results of these tests yielded the following information about Tongan culture. Researchers found a number of relevant cognitive behavioral principles as a result of their statistical analysis. It seems society is hierarchical to the Tongans (Bennardo 2008). Individuals are located at different levels of the society's ladder. 'Ofa 'love' links these individuals to make them a whole. The king and elite are connected with the Divine as evident in the shininess of their bodies. This work has provided a greater understanding of language and relationships in Tongan society. How does radiality impact our understanding of social relationships It does so by providing a method of understanding for describing how language influences cognition and social behavior. Its pragmatic value is evident in its contributions to behavioral

Disaster in the alps Essay Example for Free

Disaster in the alps Essay My coursework is going to be based on a newspaper report called disaster in the alps. The report is taken from 2 different, British, newspapers The Times {a broadsheet} and The Mirror {a tabloid} I am going to be comparing the to news reports. The incident happened on the 3rd February 1998, at 3:25pm in Cavalese, northern Italy, where twenty people plunged to their deaths after an American warplane flew through and cut the wire of a cable car they were travelling in. The two British newspapers can be very different in style. The style of The Times is in the large broadsheet style and has a more formal register whereas The Mirror report is in a tabloid style and has a more informal register. The two reports both have some differences like the layout or arrangement of the two articles and the name and status of the people interviewed are different, but both reports use the same amount of pictures and contain some interesting factual information. Both reports contain factual information, but they both present their information in different ways to give off different but at the same time similar affects. Both reports have collected information that reads: The disaster happened at 3. 25pm, 20 people died, it happened in Cavalese, northern Italy, The incident happened on the 3rd February 1998, the plane in the incident was a Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler Jet and that the cable car fell 300 ft. The two reports both have their own individual factual information. The factual information stated in The Times is: The cable car was bright yellow, there was a steel wire supporting the cable car, the cable car could hold up to 40 people, there was no survivors, and that the plane was about 100 metres from the ground. All this information seems very formal and gives truth and realism of the incident, while the factual information in The Mirror states: The car was ripped apart, the second car was left dangling in the air, the bodies were lying beneath sheets of metal, the victims were 9 women, 10 men and 1 child, at least six were German, two Hungarian and two Polish, and that the people in the incident were killed instantly. This information too gives the truth of the incident and how gruesome it was. The two reports use different language to describe the incident. In both reports the language is very dramatic as both reporters are trying to give the readers a realistic feeling of the incident itself. The language used in the The Times to describe the incident and the plane is very formal as it goes deep into text and pulls out the striking information. In The Times the writer uses powerful words like roaring and Screaming which creates a feel of pain, agony and loud noises, but in The Times it also gives a personification saying screaming through the sky and like a thing in torment which again creates a deep sense of distress and suffering, this would make the reader see the scene at its worst point and become more expressive towards the incident, hence making them want to read on. There are other words the writer uses like Wreckage and Crumbled which also gives an image of how disastrous the incident was. The Mirror creates a similar image to that in The Times in the article it says Warplane Screamed this to makes people see the image of pain and agony also in the article it says It is a terrible scene of carnage which too will give the impression that the incident was very devastating. The Mirror has a pull quote in it that states it opened up like a cardboard box which will make the reader think of violence and devastation so along with the other intense and powerful words in the article it too sets an emotional effect on the reader. The language in The Times is a lot more formal than The Mirror and addresses the reader more directly than the writer in The Mirror does, The Mirror is a lot more gruesome and a lot more intense . The Times gives a much more realistic affect than The Mirror as to how terrible the scene of incident actually was, the writer of the report goes a lot deeper into detail, which gives a more pronounced picture. This report is also biased compared to The Times report, seeing that The Mirror gives a very clear sub-heading stating BRITS TELL OF HORROR IN SNOW subheadings are used in articles to break up the text and make it easier to read so by this sub-heading its giving the impression that the article is biased as the writer seems to emphasize on it, which would show the reader that there were British people at the scene of the incident. This would then catch a British readers attention in particular, as they would stop and think that could have been me so they then want to read on. So the idea of this effect is to catch a British readers attention so they attract more people to the newspaper. Both reports use a range of eye witnesses and interviews to create their own effect and impression on the report, the reporters do this by using different strategies and tactics. The first people to be interviewed in the The Mirror were Neil Harmar and Stacey ODonnell who were British they said Thank God we did referring to missing the cable car just by minutes, the use of this effect was to give a feeling of sympathy to the reader, he creates this influence by using sensitive and sympathetic words like Thank God. These British people were used to help to be bias towards the Americans, so when a British person reads the article they think that any one of their family could have been in that situation, Whereas The Times tends to use a different strategy the article does not try and draw their readers attention by sympathy or by telling the story with a twist and making it seem sad, this article gets straight to the point, they simply base the article on facts and refer to exactly what happen on the day of the incident, But like The Mirror they do try and turn people against the Americans as it says in the article Local residents had complained again and again about the low level of flying by American warplanes showing this was obviously a problem in this part of the country, one angry woman also says Weve had enough of these war games the phrase War games is giving the impression that the Americans are killing the people for fun, so it is also showing us how enraged the people of Cavalese were. The Mirror also makes the Americans seem like they are hiding something from the reporter as it states in the article Base refused to give any details of the incident showing they felt guilty about their actions, so they knew what they had done but REFUSED to give any information on it. The two articles have some major differences and similarities. The style of the two reports differ, for example The Times report has no subheading, for the title of the report it is presented in small font size and lower case letters the article also has a range of diagrams and drawings that show where the incident took place and the type of plane that was involved in the disaster {EA-6B Prowler jet plane}. In the article there is 1 large picture that shows the wreckage of the incident, The Times newspaper also has no pull quote throughout, whereas The Mirrors title consists of; large font size, uppercase letters and bold writing style, The use of captions in the article like Death car and Devastation make it seem a lot more interesting, the article also has a small subheading that is made up of small font size, lower case letters and Bold handwriting style. The Mirror just like the The Times article has a range of pictures and diagrams. There are diagrams showing the incident and how it happened and there are pictures showing blood stains on the snow and the cable car making the scene seem more realistic and directed to the readers, also helping the formality of the report. The Mirror is the most effective article of the two as it has a headline that is very eye catching and attractive, the large font size alone catches the readers attention, but the sub-heading also helps to make the article more informative, by giving the reader that little bit extra information, as it helps to break up the text and make it easier to read. The sub-heading in this article may even be used to attract the reader to the whole article. This sub heading that reads Brits tell of horror in snow which will come across as intriguing to the degree that the reader gives the whole article a chance, the sub-heading is also aimed to appeal directly too British people as it would act like a cliff hanger, so they would see the heading, want too analyse it in order to gain foundation knowledge leading them too read on, whereas in the The Times the headline is a lot more uninteresting and stands out less than The Mirror. The Times also lacks a sub heading which could have given the times a more detailed article, also helping to make it seem a bit more official. The use of no sub-heading in this article means that there is nothing to hook the readers attention to when they first see the article. Therefore the article may come across as informal (colloquial). Out of the two articles I think the one that explains what happened and gives the full effects of how devastating the incident was is The Mirror It achieves its full effectiveness as its a very detailed and progressed article, this article gets it point across, it is very descriptive and lot more attractive. The article also gives off its effectiveness by the presentation of the report, the use of pictures and the language is very realistic and dramatic giving a feel of the incident.

Capacity Management And International Operations Management Commerce Essay

Capacity Management And International Operations Management Commerce Essay Capacity management lies at the core of every successful operational strategy whether service or manufacturing. It is part of a larger corporate strategy which is a long term plan to achieve a certain target (Jones and Kutsch, 2007). It is imperative for every organization to know how well its capacity is being utilized as its long term success is based on it (Krajewski and Ritzman, 2002). Capacity measurement helps determine the overall operational costs and forms the basis of important decisions like expansion (Yu Lee, 2002). This paper will endeavour to resolve the capacity management issues of a health facility called Fitness Plus in Greensboro, North Carolina. Fitness Plus began its operations in a large suburban park in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1991. Under health and sports it provides fitness, relaxation and recreational facilities operating 7 days a week (For details see Appendix 1). Customers use the facilities having subscribed to yearly memberships. Lately the area of Greensboro has expanded in population and businesses. Growth in population increased health awareness in residents and has increased demand for fitness facilities. Other health centres have also opened namely YMCA, Oasis and Golds Gym. YMCA offers full range of facilities, Golds Gym has only cardiovascular and weight training and Oasis is restricted to only adults over 16 years of age. Available data indicates that by May 2002 members visiting Fitness Plus every hour during peak time (4 7pm) had doubled to 80 from 1997. The average visits per hour increased from 15 to 25 in a typical day resultantly the facility got overcrowded and complaints arose about non-availability of equipment. Most number of complaints arise in the specific areas of aerobics, nautilus and cardiovascular. The capacity of Fitness Plus needs to be measured and planned properly in order to form an effective operational strategy both in the long and short terms. There are two options available i.e. first is to effectively manage the existing facility which will take few months and second is to build a new facility in the downtown area which might take upto a year to become operational. Due to financial and time constraints a short term solution is needed for now and a long term later. In the following report the capacity issues of Fitness Plus will be discussed in three sections A, B and C. In section A the capacity of Fitness Plus will be measured and analysed to see whether there is sufficient capacity to deal with the immediate issues of overcrowding and non-availability of equipment. Section B will ascertain which capacity strategy would be appropriate for Fitness Plus with the necessary justifications. In section C the adopted strategy would be described in detail and linked with other types of operating decisions i.e. finance, HR, marketing and supply chain. Lastly in the conclusion the crux of main issues and solutions would be summed up. Section A / Question 1: Capacity measurement with details There is no fit for all formula for capacity measurement as businesses vary in their nature and details. A theatre measures capacity in terms of seats and a job shop can measure capacity in number of machine hours (Krajewski, Ritzman and Malhotra, 2010). Jones and Kutsch (2007) are of the opinion that space and equipment hold primary position in capacity measurement thus the measurement would be centered around them. Main complaints are from two issues i.e. unavailability of equipment (Cardiovascular, Nautilus and aerobics) and workout activities being overcrowded. Thus the focus of capacity management in aerobics should be on space and equipment for the workout activities in peak hours. According to the study it is noted that peak times are between 4-7pm and total number of members visiting between that time is 240 (80 per hour). For analysis purpose the figures from the conducted survey (Appendix 1) have been used as following: Nautilus: It consists of 24 pieces of equipment and it is assumed that on an average each member takes 45 minutes to complete the whole course. In one hour the total number of members able to use the equipment would be (60 minutes / 45 minutes x 24 equipments = 31 members). The current usage during peak time is 25% of capacity equalling 20 members per hour. Cardiovascular: It has 29 pieces of equipment and it is assumed that each member takes 45 minutes to complete the exercise. Thus in one hour the total number of members able to use the equipment would be (60 minutes / 45 minutes x 29 equipments = 38 members). The current usage during peak hour is 40% of capacity equalling 32 members per hour. Aerobics: The facility can accomodate 35 members in one session and normally each session lasts for one hour. Thus the current usage during peak hour is 30% of capacity equalling 24 members per hour. Free weights: The case study doesnt hold any details about the space or type of available equipment. There are no complaints arising and 20% of the members use the facility during peak hours which equals 16 members so we assume that it is being utilized appropriately. Recreational activities: There is sufficient room available to accomodate the members during peak hours. Six tennis courts can accomodate between 12 to 24 members to play either 6 single or double games where as currently only 8 members play tennis during peak hours. Same is the case for 8 racquet ball courts which can accomodate between 16 to 32 members for 8 singles or doubles matches. During peak time only 12 members play racquet ball. The assumptions are based on the average calcuaton of each game to last for 1 hour. In case of longer game sessions still there are plenty of courts available to accomodate the demand. Detail of equipment and space are as following: Further analysis: Yu Lee (2002) is of the opinion that correct measurement of capacity is a pre-requisite for the effective management because correct decisions are always based on correct observations. It is a dilemma that one can not precisely measure the utilization capacity for service organizations as it needs constant surveys and observations (Jones and Kutsch, 2007). It has been observed that all the capacity measurements which can be taken are based on the primary data i.e. equipment condition, physical space, type of members, frequency of use, the type of equipment and support system (Yu Lee, 2002). For Fitness Plus another useful capacity measurement technique would be Utilization which is used for equipment, workforce or space. Utilization is the ratio between actual average output of the equipment and the maximum capacity (Krajewski et al., 2010). Utilization = (Average output rate / Maximum capacity) x 100% From the data available in (Figure 1) we can measure the utilization of diffferent equipments as following: Nautilus utilization = 20/31 x 100% = 64.5% (35.5% below capacity) Cardiovascular utilization = 32/38 x 100% = 84.21% (15.79% below capacity) Free weights utilization = 16/16 x 100% = 100% (Full capacity). Tennis courts utilization = 8/12 x 100% = 66.66% (33.33% below capacity) Racquet ball courts utilization = 12/16 x 100% = 75% (25% below capacity) Aerobics Utilization = 24/35 x 100% = 68.5% (31.5% below capacity) For aerobics the full capacity of the room is 35 members at one time which is way above the peak time average of 24 members. Scheduling of aerobics room can be the cause of the problem as the same room is twice a week dedicated for classes of yoga. Based on the above results it can fairly be said that Fitness Plus has enough capacity to effectively manage its existing facility and reduce complaints. There is also a need to determine the type of memebers using the facilities in peak hours i.e. family groups, under 16 students and working adults etc. It will be essential for both short and long term capacity strategies to cater for these groups separately in order to gain the competitive edge. A study should also be conducted to check the codition of the equipment as complaints might have arose partially due breakdown. It should also determine popular machines among the members specially for the cardiovascular and nautilus so the least popular be replaced with the more popular ones to increase the existing capacity. All capacity management plans not only determine the current usage of capacity but also take into account the future fluctuatins in demand. Existing or planned capacity should always leave sufficient cushion for adjustments (Krajewski et al., 2010). Capacity cushion is calculated as 100% minus the percentage of utilization. Upto 10% is considered sufficient to adjust demand fluctuations over time. Capacity cushion = 100% Utilization rate (%) In case of busy health facilities any number of customers can come at any time to use the equipment or space varying the demand significantly thus 20% capacity cushion would be more appropriate to maintain good customer service levels and to suatain any membership increases. Calculations are as following: Nautilus cushion = 100% 64.5% (utilization rate %) = 35.5% Cardiovascular cushion = 100% 84.21% (utilization rate %) = 15.79% Free weights cushion = 100% 100% (assumed utilization rate %) = 0% Tennis courts cushion = 100% 66.66% (utilization rate %) = 33.33% Racquet ball courts cushion = 100% 75% (utilization rate %) = 25% Aerobics cushion = 100% 68.5% (utilization rate %) = 31.5% Fitness Plus equipment and facilities have sufficient existing cushion. The only exceptions are cardiovascular equipment with 15.79% which is not too low and free weights equipment. There is no data available for free weights thus an assumed utilization of 100% is considered which can not be true in reality. On the basis of above calculations and analysis it can be fairly said that Fitness Plus has sufficient capacity to deal with current and future demand fluctuations. An efficient capacity management can result in a significant decrease in complaints and increase service levels and customer satisfaction. Section B / Question 2: Capacity strategy and justification One of the most difficult challenges service managers face is to cope well with uneven demand. The frequent flucuations in demand can lower service levels or result in under utilisation of resources. To avoid these consequences service firms can either adjust their capacity according to the changing demands, influence a change in demand patterns to suit their capacity or a combination of both (Krajewski et al., 2010) (see below figure 2): There are three main capacity strategies i.e. level capacity, chase demand and demand management. Each of these strategies should be adopted when its advantages out weight the disadvantages. Most often operation managers are required to keep low costs, decrease investments and at the same time provide excellent customer service levels making it all the more important for organizations to adopt a mixture of these approaches (Jones and Kutsch, 2007). Fitness Plus should adopt a mixed capacity plan for both its short and long term strategy as explained and justified in the following paragraphs: Level capacity: The capacity is maintined at a constant level all along the planning period and any fluctuations in demand are ignored. High under utilization of resources can make this capacity option very expensive but also very useful where the opportunity cost of single lost sale is very high like in jewellery retailing or real estate (Jones and Kutsch, 2007). At Fitness Plus there is always a possibility of a large number of members coming in any time and very low number of members in off-peak season resulting in either a waiting line or under utilization thus a pure level capacity plan would not be suitable. Chase demand: Chase demand is opposite to level capacity as it tries to match the capacity levels according to the changing demand patterns. It is very difficult plan to act upon as it needs flexible working hours, different number of staff and often different number of euipment in each period. It is suitable for companies which produce either perishable goods or cannot store their outputs such as customer processing. It has a clear advantage of having the appropriate level of staff all the time according to the demand of a particular season (Krajewski et al., 2010). This method requires adjustment of capacity through different means i.e. offering over time in peak and lesser hours in off-peak periods, varying number of employees according to the seasonal requirements, part time contracts and subcontracting (Jones and Kutsch, 2007). Fitness Plus would need to chase demand in the below aspects: As per available data members complain about waiting for the availabiliity of equipment. Application of a waiting line model will increase the service levels by effectively managing the existing capacity and chasing the current demand. A survey is proposed to check which machines are in demand, increasing their numbers and decreasing the least used ones to be in line with the existing demand. A waiting line model will not be suitable for aerobics because the class is preplanned and majority of the members arrive just before the start thus mixing schedules between aerobics and yoga can solve the problem. The number of employees would need to be rescheduled to increase the current service levels. It will reduce excess staff during slower times shifting them to peak times resulting in more personal attention, interaction and customer satisfaction. Developing a new facility will also chase the increase in demand which is expected due to new businesses down town. Demand management: The objective of this strategy is to shift the burden of peak period to off-peak period. Either the demand is changed through various methods or alternate products or services are offered to fill off-peak capacity. The most widely applied method in service industry is pricing to shift the peak demand to off-peak when people are not very interested in buying. Advertising also helps to smooth demand but is expensive and if is un-planned can result in financial loss. Organizations with different demand patterns develop new products and services covering the whole year i.e. univerities filling the lecture rooms during vacations (Jones and Kutsch, 2007). Fitness Plus will be managing demand in certain aspects of its startegy: It is proposed that Fitness Plus should either slightly rise prices during the peak times or provide services which cost lesser to manage demand. They should offer different types of memberships with different prices called price optimization. A non-pricing strategy of advertising off-peak services to waiting customers during peak times would also balance the peak and off-peak demands. Distributing off-peak service coupons during peak times, discounted tickets for relaxation services like massage, health supplements or energy drinks can be offered to balance the demand year round. Through a system of reservations Fitness Plus can fill its capacity and move the excess memberships to the off-peak period by booking a slot when capacity is available to manage it more effectively. Another option can be to partially restrict access of members during peak periods. During peak times mostly members would be working executives thus a restriction can be applied on under 16 members. To compensate them student membership rates can be offered in the off-peak period to encourage members to come more often in off-peak. Employee scheduling should reduce the excess staff during slower times by shifting more employee to peak times. It will result in more customer satisfaction and effective demand management. Often service companies have to opt a mixed capacity strategy as it is very hard to forecast demand and balance existing capacity (Jones and Kutsch, 2007). Operational capabilities do not always match one of the three strategies thus a mixture of chasing and managing demand would be most suitable for Fitness Plus. Section C / Question 3: Capacity strategy and other operational decisions Any capacity decision an organization makes should always be in line with the supply chains and processes within the organization. Taking into account the bigger operational picture is essential for a successful capacity strategy (Krajewski et al., 2010). Both short and long term strategies are discussed in this context below (See Figure 4): Short term strategy: Waiting line model: Peak demand most frequently results in waiting time increases for customers. Waiting line model is considered very useful for service organizations in resolving the problem (Krajewski et al., 2002). This model can be applied to the workout equipment as the waiting line is resulting in bottlenecks. Currently the system is catering for members individual service needs in multiple lines with a mixed arrangement of facilities on first come, first served basis. The arrival and service time distributions need to be calculated including line lengths, number of customers in the system, waiting time, total time in system and utilization of service facilities. After analyzing this data a new layout of the facility might be needed increasing the peak capacity and space for some equipment and reducing or eliminating some. Total 32 members visit the workout room during peak hours taking 45 minutes in completing their routines. On an average each member uses 2 machines during their stay with 20 minutes on each machine plus 5 minutes for the next one. Three customers get served with 20 minutes and an average the arrival rate comes to 2.5 times during an hour. If we take into account repeated visits we get a 80 per hour arrival rate (30 x 2.5) thus members wait approximately 8.6 minutes for a machine. To resolve it the most appropriate model would be a multiple channel, single phase as it will have a single line and more staff to deal with customers ( See Figure 3 below): Operationally this model will facilitate the marketing, HR, finance and supply chain aspects as during peak hours the waiting customers would be in a single line making it easier to display the marketing material on surrounding walls or screens. Financially it will save the expensive investment in media advertising and will make off-peak brochure distribution easier and to more interested existing customers. To serve on multiple service counter HR will need to schedule employees i.e. reducing the excess staff during slower times by shifting more employee to peak times resulting in better customer service. This model will also stream line the supply chain processes and increase service levels. During waiting line news telecasts and entertainment like BBC, Sky Sports etc with seated customer will create a calmer waiting environment and defuse any possible difficult situation. Price related strategy: Fitness Plus can reduce demand during peak hours by diverting surplus users either slightly rising prices or providing services which cost lesser. It can offer different types of memberships with different prices. The best price should be determined keeping in mind that no capacity constraint occurs which is called price optimization. Financially, increasing prices would generate extra revenues as per Shugan (2004) price optimization moves demand from peak to off peak times and increases revenues. But service firms are often hesitant due to its long term negative effects on the business. The presence of strong competitors often makes price increase decisions difficult as a customer can try competitor services and it might result in customer loss. Price increase startegy can also increase pressure on the over all supply chain as customers will start expecting higher service levels and seamless operations. By offering different type of memberships HR might need to recruit more staff to attend customer in both seasons. It can indirectly increase marketing costs as less expensive methods of selling to regular customers in peak season will become less effective due to lesser number of customers. Non-pricing strategies: Peak time is best to contact customers who might be interested in the off-peak offers and services (Kotler, 2001). It is highly likely to come across potential cusomers during Peak periods rather than less direct methods of advertising. In the earlier case customers have already shown their interest in the services and facilities. Thus it is far easier to sell them the off peak services or packages. While waiting for their turn customers can be shown different adverstisements to promote off-peak services which will save money for more expensive marketing campaigns. For regular members off-peak coupons can give further discounts or additional services with minimal incurring costs like massage, health supplements or energy drinks. Another strategy would be to develop a reservation system. It helps to shift the members to off-peak period who would otherwise be waiting during the peak period. When a customer calls to reserve a service or facility he should be given the slots with available capacity. The system works best if it is automated thus optimizing and balancing demand and capacity at the same time. These systems do improve the over all supply chain but also affect financial and HR related operational decisions as they are expensive and need trained staff to operate them. Fitness Plus can also partially restrict access of members during peak periods. A detailed study of the type of members visiting the facility would be needed. Once the data has been gathered on the usage pattern the decision of categorical restrictions can be applied. For example during peak times of 4-7 mostly members would be working executives thus in order to reduce access and optimise the capacity a restriction should be applied on under 16 members using the facility in the same period. To compensate them student membership rates can be offered during the off-peak period. This will encourage the excluded members to come more often during off peak periods. Fitness Plus should also have a survey to determine the popular equipment. The number of popular equipment should be increased and the least popular ones be decreased which will help fill the gap in member requirements. Operationally it can create a supply chain problem of disposing off the least popular equipment and can increase financial pressure of buying new machines. In case of aerobics section complaints there is a possibility of a mixed schedule between aerobics and yoga. A rescheduling of classes on the basis of members demand can ensure that the classes do not clash. It will affect the HR decisions as employee scheduling would be needed and over time might need to be paid. The employees of Fitness Plus also need to be scheduled in order to increase the service levels and reduce the excess staff during slower times. Shifting more employee to peak times will result in more customer satisfaction by having more personal attention and interaction. It will benefit the supply chain by improving process times and facilitating seamless operations. Long term strategies: There are three alternates in the long run which should be based on both qualitative and quantitative bench marking of competitors, capacity and cost estimates: Opening of a new facility downtown Minimal expansion within the current facility on available land Waiting and watching the demand conditions before making any expansion Because customers are already complaining and equipment is being used lesser than its maximum capacity there is some room for minor expansion of the existing facility but is limited due to lack of available land. As the population is increasing steadily and the only full range competitor is YMCA option 1 would be the best choice. It will create sufficient capacity ahead of customer demands. Once the new facility is announced it will be difficult for competitors to expand as it might over burden the market. Financially it is a big decision and would very much depend on the success of the short term strategies. Profits gained through short term measures will ease the financial pressure. Secondly going ahead with new facility downtown will need thorough supply chain planing as the distance between the facilities will make logistical decisions difficult and expensive. Lot of new job will be created and HR department will need to recruit and send and recieve staff between facilities for training and development purposes. It will be a big opportunity for marketing deparatment as lots of new campaigns, hoardings, billboards and advertisements would need to be developed. Conclusion: In this report the capacity issues of Fitness Plus were discussed in details in three sections. A measurement of existing capacity, justification of adopted strategy and links of proposed strategies with other operating decisions were sought. Both short and long term strategies are considered important but the immediate concern of Fitness plus should be to resolve the existing complaints of over crowding and non-availability of equipment. Firstly, in the short term price optimizing strategy of increasing peak prices and offering off-peak packages can work. If it is considered detrimental for the business non-pricing strategies can produce the desired results. Secondly, all the employees should be taken on board in the strategic decisions so that they can handle customer queries more professionally and maintain the desired service levels. Lastly, periodical reviews of the demand forecasting, complaints, equipment and service levels will ensure effective capacity utilzation. Accuracy of data should be maintained by comparing the existing demand with the forecasted demand so that a clear picture of the financial, operational and service needs is obtained. In the long run Fitness Plus needs to refer to its corporate objective and act accordingly either to effectively manage the current equipment and space or build a new branch over time. The earlier the long term strategy is initiated the better. Once the expansion plan is announced new memberships will prove to be a guage for its success and continuous monitoring of population growth, market trends and competitors will keep Fitness Plus ahead of its competitors.