Should fast food chains in the US be held legally and socially Research Paper

Should fast food chains in the US be held legally and socially responsible for contributing to consumer obesity because of failu - Research Paper Example The number of fast food chains has also been on the increase since the early 1970s with the number of operational food chain stores having doubled over the years (Schlosser 3). With this, researchers have blamed the increase in the number of fast food chains to blame for the increase in obesity reported cases across the US. However, two sides exist in the debate in which others argue that fast foods also allow people that have lower income rates or the homeless to access affordable food (Bagchi & Preuss 854). As much as critics have suggested that obesity and fast food chains have a direct correlation, it has been difficult to establish empirical evidence supporting or negating this fact hence making the debate to be inconclusive. With this as a basis, this research essay will delve intowhether fast foods are legally or socially responsible to blame for their influence on consumer obesity because they do not disclose the ingredients or calorie levels in the foods that they sell. Furt her, the essay will assess the ways in which this scenario is likely to affect the economy of the US in terms of profit generation and customer oriented services. Linking obesity and fast food establishments In a definition, obesity refers to having a condition in which a person’s body fat is more than 30% of the ideal body weight in relation to their height. Over the years, children with obesity have received a diagnosis of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and hypertension among a list of many other preventable diseases. In the past, these lifestyle conditions only afflicted adults but the emerging trend has been that children and young adults alike have developed these conditions over time. The costs of treating obesity related conditions have been soaring over the years and critics have shifted focus to the possible cause of obesity rather than preventing the gain of unnecessary body weight of the young population. For one, critics argue that f ast food chains are to blame for the increased rates of obesity because of the many offers that they give to their customers in order to edge out market competition for themselves. For instance, McDonalds and Burger King have in recent times introduced offers on oversized burgers as a way of reciprocating customer loyalty where they dished out large servings of fizzy drinks and French fries at discounted prices. Further, families that have incredible busy work schedules also rely on fast food for ready-cooked meals as they do not have time to prepare home cooked meals for their young ones. Therefore, many families rely on taking out from fast food establishments because of the convenience and the minimal costs attached to acquiring meals from these joints. Subsequently, the consumption of greasy foods on a regular basis without engaging in active physical exercises leads to increase in a person’s BMI hence making them to become obese. In relation to litigation suits, lawyers have sought to establish the link between obesity and fast food joints in the same way that they illustrated that tobacco companies are partly to blame for the increased rates of complications associated with cigarette smoking. The argument that lawyers present is that fast food companies sell greasy foods to unknowing consumers without disclosing the calorie percentage in the foods that they retail. Therefore, fast food compani

CSFs, Benefits and Barriers during the Implementation of ERP in the Dissertation

CSFs, Benefits and Barriers during the Implementation of ERP in the Security Forces Hospital Program (SFHP) from the Management Perspective - Dissertation Example This paper aims to determine how the Security Forces Hospital Program (SFHP) in Saudi Arabia can successfully implement and maximize the benefits of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Aside from providing a short background on SFHP and the need to consider implementing ERP system, this paper will summarize the research aim, research objectives, research justification, research scope, summary of relevant literature, proposed research methodology, research ethics, and strategies that will be use in collecting data. The implementation of ERP system within a hospital setting is unique due to the fact that healthcare organization such as the case of a hospital is often divided into heterogeneous functional areas (i.e. Human Resources, Financial and Cost Management, Patient Care Management, and Clinical Management among others). To give the readers a better understanding of this subject matter, this study will first discuss what ERP is all about followed by identifying the hospital management benefits associated with the use of ERP system. Although the process of customizing the development of ERP will enable the healthcare administration of SFHP to incorporate specific hospital rules in the system, the implementation of ERP systems can lead to the development of organizational conflicts.... healthcare professionals, the SFHP will be able to deliver safe and high quality health services to the local people (Security Forces Hospital Program 2012b). To integrate internal and external information that are useful in making necessary business and management decisions, the ERP system involves the use of information technology (Bidgoli, 2004, p. 656). Although implementing ERP system can be useful in terms of integrating the hospital management system of SFHP, there will always be some challenges associated with the implementation of ERP system. Considering the future business benefits associated with the process of investing on the customization of ERP systems, this study will carefully examine how the development and implementation of ERP systems could further improve the quality of medical services provided by the healthcare professionals who are currently employed at SFHP. Research Aim This study aims to identify the CSFs and to examine the benefits and barriers and difficu lties related to the possible implementation of ERP at SFHP. Research Objectives In relation to the research am, the following objectives will be used as a guide throughout the completion of this study: 1. To conduct a literature review with regards to the critical success factors (CSFs), benefits and barriers of a successful ERP implementation; 2. To determine how the SFHP can maximize the benefit of implementing a newly customized ERP system; 3. To establish if these CSFs exist at SFHP; 4. To identify potential benefits and barriers to a successful ERP implementation at SFHP; and 5. To provide a list of recommended actions when managing the barriers to a successful ERP system. Research Justification This is a shortage of ERP studies in Saudi. Despite a long list of management benefits