What microeconomic factors affect the role of U.S. gov't in the health Research Paper

What microeconomic factors affect the role of U.S. gov't in the health care system - Research Paper Example The quality and cost problems in the health care system, in United States, can be solved trough establishing a strong leadership from the federal government, and mobilizing and setting up the national priorities. This enhances development and promulgation of the standards in health care. The federal agency carries out these functions while the government designs the payment policies depending on performance standards, investment in information technology, and investment in research to improve the nationwide care (Greenfield 111–121). Health care in United States consumes a high percentage of gross domestic products, delivers diminishing values and eludes the remedies continuously. The present state of the healthcare represents functional and structural outcome of the historic contradictions that substantially damage the self organizing capacity. The changing political and economic cycles review show risks in the healthcare system. The improvement of quality healthcare in US requires stronger government leadership throughout the healthcare system. This does not preclude continued existence of the care system. Nonetheless, the strong federal leadership will enhance development and implementation of the strategies in enhancing the value from the government (Leatherman and McCarthy 305–312). The increased concern by the federal government for the costs in healthcare dates back to about fifteen years when accelerated the federal budget and costs on the national health after approval of Medicaid and Medicare. First proposals in health care cost strategies happened in 1970s. The Nixon administration advised the health policy experts during the health care crisis and proposed regulatory efforts and market policy. Administration envisioned to expand the health care maintenance organizations, HMOs, within five years time and enroll 40 million people in 1976. The

Digital Firm Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Digital Firm - Assignment Example core purpose of the technological platforms in the digital firm involves the integration and exchange of information within the organization’s major key players. In the global scale, changes in working location, business agility and automation of business processes have led to the reconfiguration of the working culture within an organization and hence the proliferation of digital firms. The evolving trend in information and communication technology have devalued the need of an established location such as an office and instead advocated for direct contact with employees, suppliers and customers for effective business undertakings. The electronic collaboration and online teamwork have enabled digital firms to carryout international projects, which were extremely expensive and time consuming in the traditional fixed locations. Such stances enable employees and other key players to work from their convenient locations using telecommunication channels. The use of technology has enabled the contemporary digital firms to acquire the necessary expertise to conduct their business regardless of their business size. The notion is compounded by the fact that cheap telecommunication channels are easily accessible. The traditional big organization were considered less agile as compared to the small firms but using technology the big firms are able to act small in order to reap maximum benefits. The digital firm makes use of information systems to carry out its activity, which lead to the automation of all the business processes. In order to enhance the automation of business processes, digital firms engages in the reengineering of working processes and procedures before a new technological infrastructure is introduced. In a digital firm, the required efficiency is attained through redefining, redesigning and refining workflow within the various structures of the organization. Coca-Cola firm, which is an international food processing organization that employs information

A case study of Marks & Spencers, critically analysing the marketing Essay

A case study of Marks & Spencers, critically analysing the marketing strategies it employs in U.K and making recommendations for future strategic directions - Essay Example For instance, they engage in new product innovation and creativity, they use information system to understand their customers and keep in touch with their customers. Organizations today focus on value-creation rather than just short-term profitability. Competition has intensified in the UK fashion industry with the supermarkets entering the fashion segment. The consumers too have become price conscious and started looking towards the supermarket for discounts and bargains in the fashion sector. Supermarkets have been successful in extracting value from their existing customer base. Many high street retailers have lost out to supermarkets in the process (Hines, 2001). This has urged the high street retailers to rethink their marketing strategy to remain sustainable. Use of technology, getting the quality and design to match consumers’ desires, needs and tastes, adding value to the services, finding newer ways of reaching the consumer have made fashion marketing for high street retailers a challenge. Fashion leadership means to be a step ahead of competitors. The UK fashion retailers have been operating in an environment characterized by high levels of market concentration, centralized control and market standardization (Birtwistle & Freathy, 1998). Standardization resulted in lack of product differentiation and this led some retailers to bring about a shift in their marketing approach. The UK consumer market is divided between those who value product quality and those who value price. Marks & Spencer’s failed to recognize the moves by its competitors and give due cognizance to the needs and demands of the consumers. Established in 1894, Marks & Spencer’s (M&S) was the leading retailer till the mid 1990s. It started facing a decline towards end 1990s as it failed to keep up with the market demands. Although M&S initiated its recovery plan, it encountered several

Contract management and Procurement management Essay

Contract management and Procurement management - Essay Example It is therefore, very important that the project managers must manager certain components of the whole project management and project life cycle in more details as compared to other components of the project. It is therefore of great importance that the project managers must find a perfect fit between the different components of the overall project. Contract Management and Procurement management are two most important concepts of project management where project managers tend to interact with external players such as vendors, suppliers as well as regulatory authorities. The management of contract and procurement processes therefore needs special skills to fit them properly into the overall process of project management as well as project life cycles. By law, a contract is "an agreement between competent parties, for consideration, to accomplish some lawful purpose with the terms clearly set forth" (Newell, 2005). The above definition of contract suggests that it is an agreement which is backed up by the legal consideration. Within the context of project management, contract management is a phased process which involves different stages. Project Managers first determine the requirements of the contract i.e. what is required to be obtained and acquired to complete the project. Once the requirements of the project are clearly identified, the project managers issue requisitions and than the next phase are of solicitation. When solicitation phase is over, the contract is awarded to the approved vendors. This whole process requires interaction between the external as well as internal parties to the project therefore there remain very strong chances of the project overruns If the process of contract management is not effectively managed. As the whole purpose of Project life cycle is to focus on how to manage the project therefore, contract management being one of the critical components of the project, requires that the project managers must find a perfect fit between the project management and contract management. As discussed above that the contract management starts at the time when project managers first assess the requirements of the project. In our case, we will be requiring software and hardware to implement our proposed email system, therefore once the requirements of the whole project are determined, the next phase in contract management and the project management requires that the project managers must start the process of solicitation and finally awarding the contract. This whole process is therefore the core process of the project management since it is through the contract management that the project managers tend to manage their schedules, costs as well as other associated activities of the project. It is also important to consider that the contract management, when properly fit into the project management life cycle, delivers very important benefits for the project itself. A good contract management would provide a system for centralized oversight of the whole project however with a degree of decentralized ownership of the different components of the project. Further, contract manageme

Online Shopping Acceptance Model OSAM Assignment

Online Shopping Acceptance Model OSAM - Assignment Example The components of OSAM are generated from OSA components. The OSAM module is described as an entity offering a group of services that can be achieved from the background of service growth and service provision (Dede et al., 1997). This model presents an easy method of obtaining comprehensive information about the constituents managed automatically at the beginning of the structure and can hypothetically affect its function. Zhou et al. (2007) state in their study that the knowledge-orientated view of the customer approval of electronic shopping is currently predicted and clarified by observing technical descriptions such as content and design on the website, user boundary features, and structure usability of an available store. Without the approval of the technology, e-commerce would be limited. The customers’ willingness to acknowledge the technology guides the achievement of electronic promotion (Zhou et al., 2007). Several factors influence the consumer acceptance of online purchase like consumer attitude, environmental factors, and availability of resources. The main aim of the OSAM model is to enable traders market their products using different modes like mobile phones and social media channels. Advertisement can be made through mobile phones and social media networks. References Carlota, L., Efthymios, C., and Maria-del-Carmen, A. (2013). Social Media as Marketing Strategy: An Explorative Study on Adoption and Use by Retailers, in Miguel R. Olivas-Lujan, Tanya Bondarouk (ed.) Social Media in Strategic Management (Advanced Series in Management, Volume 11). New York: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Chen, S. J., & Chang, T. Z. (2003). A descriptive model of online shopping process: some empirical results. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 58(6): 556-569. Close, A. (2012). Online Consumer Behavior: Theory and Research in Social Media, Advertising and E-tail. London: Routledge. Dede, A., Arsenis, S., Tosti, A., Lucidi, F., Westerg a, R. (1997). OSAM Component Model - A Key Concept for the Efficient Design of Future Telecommunication Systems. In IS&N, (67):127-136. Doherty, N., and Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2010). ‘Internet retailing: the past, the present and the future.’ International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 38(11/12): 943–965. Flick, K. (2009). Assessing Consumer Acceptance of Online Shopping: Examining Factors Affecting Purchase Intentions. London: ProQuest. Howladar, M., H., H., and Mohiuddin, G. (2012) Developing Online Shopping Intention among People Bangladesh Perspective, Developing Country Studies, 2(9): 2225-0565. Lina, Z., Liwei, D., and Dongsong, Z. (2001). ‘Online shopping acceptance model – a critical survey of consumer factors in online shopping.’ Journal of Electronic Commerce Research. 8: 41—61. Mikalef, P. Giannakos, M., Michail, G., and Pateli , A. (2013). ‘Shopping and Word-of-Mouth Intentions on Social Media.’ Jour nal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 8(1):17-34. Monsuwe, T.P.Y., Dellaert, B.G.C. and Ruyter, K.D. (2004). What drives consumers to shop online? A literature review. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 15 (1): 102-121. Olumayowa, S. M. (2012). Acceptance and Impact of Social Networks Marketing Using Extended Technology Acceptance Model unpublished

PC SPECIFICATIONS TABLE Essay Example for Free

PC SPECIFICATIONS TABLE Essay An U.S. Army Colonel talked (use another word besides talked or restructure the sentence so that you won’t have to use the â€Å"talked†) about Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment issues at the SHARP (what is sharp?) training meeting. (I think this lede is a bit vague and boring) In the battle against sexual assault and sexual harassment Col Howard Covington continuously work in sending the message that we are failing in this matter. â€Å"Working together is what can provide continuity of care to the victims and make them feel that they are not left behind† said Col Harold Covington, an Executive officer. He also indicated that commanders are responsible to establish a command climate that is safe to Soldiers soldiers shouldn’t be capitalize and civilians alike through training and education. â€Å"Many people had been hurt and many soldiers have not been held responsible for their acts because commanders are failing to implement the â€Å"zero tolerance policy† and allowing climate of harassment to continue in their units† said CPT Jen Taylor, a U.S. Army IG advisor. We all have a responsibility to take action to change our culture to eliminate an â€Å"enemy that lies within our ranks† responded Col Covington . We need to demonstrate through our words and actions the importance in this matter. CW2 this isn’t a recognizable title maybe it should be spelled outMichael Dilts, an HR officer said that to protect the victims and re-ensure they are not re-victimized must be a first priority in every command â€Å"we have the option of geographically separate the victim and the alleged offender† the victim has the preference to request her/his preferences. He added. This is very confusing and shouldn’t be a sentence but maybe added to the previous sentence or add more attributions SFC Angel Keen, a logistician NCOIC said, â€Å"I’d seen cases where the victim doesn’t have this option because commander prioritizes the mission first and not the victim situation.† SFC Terry Brown said â€Å"many sex harassment situations don’t go forward because there is not witness or proof that incident occurred, basically end in her word again his words.† He added, Situations like this are hard to resolve because you don’t want to hurt an innocent or you don’t want a harasser be free (this should be in quotations and why is the situations capitalized?). Col Covington responded, â€Å"Reporting procedures are very important and every individual need to know them. We are failing because many individuals don’t know what to do in a case of sexual harassment or sexual assault.† We need to continuously send the message to everyone that we are not tolerating sexual acts and our policy is in practice. CPT Taylor said, â€Å"How can we help those victims that failed to report sexual incidents because they feel blamed and they think that nobody will believe them.† Cold Covington responded, â€Å"We need to keep sending the message to the victims that we are here for support and to fight against sexual assault and sexual harassment acts.† CW2 Michael Dilts said all soldiers most be treated properly and succeed in an environment that allow them to achieve their best potential. The Army’s SHARP policies apply to everyone regardless of the ranks, age, gender, and are sexual orientation neutral. â€Å"An individual’s sexual orientation is a personal and private matter† he added. Army’s policy on sexual harassment covers Family members and soldiers 24/7. Suggestive comments are unwelcome, unwanted and sexual in nature constitute sexual assault and is a crime. Col Covington said, â€Å"We need to stop the quid pro quo and eliminate the hostile environment in our Army.† If we don’t start working in these two areas, we won’t be able to protect our soldiers. Sexual Harassment is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Complaints are processed IAW AR 690-600 and 29 CFR Part 1614. Physical contact such as  grouping and fondling constitutes sexual assault and is punishable under UCMJ, and other Federal and local civilian laws. (this isn’t a good closing paragraph and I think this should be towards the middle of this article)

Sleep Deprivation Effects On Academic Performance

Sleep Deprivation Effects On Academic Performance Sleeping is a necessity for human survival and crucial to our health. Not getting enough sleep can result in hallucinations, irritability, depressive behaviour, diabetes, poor dieting, interference with daily activities, lack of alertness and motivation as well as poor academic performance among students. The majority of the population realizes the importance of a sufficient amount of sleep, yet based on the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) done in 2002, 18% of the population get an average of less than five hours of sleep each night.1 If teenagers are not getting the required 8.5 9 hours per night, they generally make up for it by taking long naps, or sleeping in on weekends. Both of which are counterproductive considering it throws off ones natural body clock.2 Late sleepers tend to interrupt their sleep cycle when they are either in the 3rd or 4th stage of sleeping, which are both considered deep sleep or during the 5th phase, REM (Rapid Eye Movement), leaving them feeling groggy and tired. As a result, teenagers sleep instead of attending class, sleep during lessons, or arent as alert and observant as they could be during school hours. A study was done on 1,000 high school students and 90% reported feeling lethargic from sleep deprivation, with supported evidence that it had affected their school performance.3 A lack of sleep at a young age also increases ones chances of developing a learning disorder. Although there are other factors that influence students performance, sleep is a major one. Background: This report outlines the relationship between sleep deprivation among high school students and their academic performance. Academic performance in a way is immeasurable. It is commonly thought that it is measured based on the students marks in school, however performance is defined as the manner in which something reacts or fulfills its intended 1 Shields, M. (2005, November 16). Study: Insomnia. Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 27, 2010, 2 Why Catching Up on Sleep Doesnt Work. (2007, July 24). Cure:Insomnia . Retrieved May 27, 2010, 3 Taras, H. (n.d.). Poor Sleep, Poor Grades. The National Parenting Center. Retrieved May 27, 2010, purpose.4 Meaning, its the amount of effort one puts into their work in an attempt to succeed. A student can try their hardest to complete an assignment yet they still may not fully achieve the teachers requirements leaving them with an adequate mark. Although that does not normally seem to be the case, it does happen. For the sake of this report however, it is being measured based on marks. The amount of sleep a person has had can evidentially enough, be measured on a timely basis (hourly, etc.). As one sleeps, they go through 5 series of phases which include5: Stage 1: This is the transition between wakefulness and sleep. It is a relatively light sleep stage. The brain produces high amplitudes of theta waves. Eyes tend to move slowly and muscle activity slows down. Many people get muscle contractions during this stage. Light sleep lasts from 5 to 10 minutes. Stage 2: Eye movement stops, brain waves slow down and occasionally produce bursts of sleep spindles (brain activity). Heart rate slows down and body temperature decreases. This phase lasts about 20 minutes. Stage 3: This is the transitional stage between light sleep to deep sleep. Very slow brain waves called delta waves start to produce. Stage 4: This is often known as the Delta Sleep since the brain excessively produces delta waves. There is no eye or muscle movement. It is during this stage that people experience sleep walking, nightmares and bed wetting. This deep sleep usually happens for 30 minutes. Stage 5: This is the most commonly known stage REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. This is when most dreams occur. Breathing becomes more quick, eyes move rapidly, limb muscles are temporarily paralyzed (to prevent ones body from physically acting out their dream), brain waves amplify to the equivalent level that they are at when one is awake, also heart and blood rate increases. It is during this stage that males typically develop an erection and if the person sleeping is woken 4 Performance Define Performance. (n.d.). Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words. Retrieved May 27, 2010, 5 Stages of Sleep. (n.d.). Sleepdex Resources for better sleep. Retrieved May 27, 2010, up, they most likely will be able to remember their dream. REM sleep occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep. The first cycle of REM sleep lasts a short amount of time, but with each series that occurs, the phase can gradually get longer and longer. However, these sleeping phases do not happen in sequence. We start off in stage 1, move into stage 2, 3 and 4. After stage 4, we go back and stage 3 and 2 are repeated before we enter into stage 5. Once REM sleep is completed, the body goes back to stage 2 and the cycle repeats again up to 4-5 times on average, if one is getting the right amount of sleep. An insufficient amount of sleep, especially at a young age, can manifest into challenging illnesses. As previously stated, sleep deprivation can result in depressive and oppositional behaviour, irritability, poor impulse control and/or over activity all of which are some characteristics of common learning disorders. Research has shown that relationships exist between inadequate sleep among children and developing Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB), Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD), and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). 6 These syndromes can make simple tasks involved with learning, difficult for those who suffer from it. The Learn Disability Association of Canada (LDAC) found that over 80% of people with learning disabilities struggle with reading. 35% of students with learning disabilities end up dropping out of school all together. 7 A study showed that among adults ranging from 20-29 years of age, 28.3% had less than a high school certificate due to learning di sabilities. 8 These factors obviously make it tough for students to achieve exceptional marks and work to the best of their ability, but what may be part of the solution would be setting good sleeping habits throughout their lives. 6 Ivanenko, A. (n.d.). Sleep and Psychiatric Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Google Books. Retrieved May 27, 2010, 7 Gudbranson, C. (2000, June 7). Learning Disabilities Association of Canada Library and Archives. Learning Disabilities Association of Canada Activities. Retrieved May 27, 2010, 8 PACFOLD. (n.d.). Highlights of Putting a Canadian Face. Retrieved May 27, 2010, Methodology: The information collected for this report to substantiate the negative effects sleep deprivation have on students academic performance was gathered from an online survey (which is attached as Appendix A) and was conducted on Wednesday, May 20th, 2010 at Iroquois Ridge High School. Thirty-five students from grades 9 through to Super Seniors took part in the survey. Since the analysis does not involve experimental manipulation, it is considered an observational study. Followed by the initial survey, students that were not getting the recommended amount of sleep each night were asked to do a follow up survey (which is attached as Appendix B) in order to determine the reason why they are not getting enough sleep, and to grasp their awareness on the topic. The data was accumulated by clustered/multistage sampling. The seven participants selected from each grade, all from different cliques, filled out the survey and represented the larger population of Iroquois Ridge High School and out of those, whoever was not getting the right amount of sleep did a second survey. Students were picked from different groups to help prevent bias opinions that can be influenced by friends. Seeing as the thirty-five chosen students do not make up for a significant percentage of the total population, this creates a bias since they are speaking for the entire school. Other components that could have skewed the final results would be response bias. There is the chance that some students may have lied about their average in school due to embarrassment, or even about having a learning disability or bedtime for the same reason. One way that the affects of this inclination could have been decreased would be if a larger population were surveyed, that way the response bias could be outweighed and the overall results would be more reliable. The students average in school, alertness and hours of sleep per night were questioned in order to correlate the effects that sleep has on ones academic performance. To get a good understanding of why the individuals who suffered from sleep deprivation lacked sleep, they were directed to fill out a second, slightly more in depth survey to get a grasp of the students awareness of the importance of sleep, by asking them to identify illnesses that connect with not getting enough sleep each night and for the reasons why they are not getting a sufficient amount of sleep. Results: Thirty-five students attending Iroquois Ridge High School were given a survey in order to answer the question: Does sleep deprivation have an effect on students academic performance? The results showed that sleeping patterns do affect ones performance and that 22 out of 35 students (63%) were not getting the recommended 8-9 hours of sleep per night, as shown in both Figure 1 and Figure 2. Figure 1 is a bar graph that displays the results that were collected when 35 high school students were asked How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Get Each Night? Most students seem to receive 6 to 7 hours of sleep per night. Figure 1 Figure 2 is a pie chart that shows the average hours of sleep students get each night. It represents each total as a percentage of all responses. Merely 37% of students are getting the proper amount of sleep while the other 63% are not. Figure 2 Trying to Catch Up Can Be Too Much As a result of not getting enough sleep, students tend to try and make up for lost time by taking long naps, sleeping in when they should be at school, during class and sleeping in during weekends. However, these methods are detrimental because they mess up with the persons body clock. In some cases, too much sleep can result in a disorder called hypersomnia. Hypersomnia is clinically defined as getting more than 10 hours of sleep per night and feeling daytime drowsiness.9 Surveyors were asked how often they would rate themselves sleeping in during their first period class and ending up late, due to tiredness. The outcome was that 12% of respondents never had this issue, 26% rarely did, 31% would experience it sometimes, 20% had it happen often and 11% of students always have this problem. Figure 3 is a frequency pie chart that shows how often students ranging from grade 9 through to Super Seniors, end up running late to their first period class due to over-sleeping. Figure 3 Participants who were depriving themselves of sleep were further questioned in order to find out why. What were they doing that was keeping them up during the night? The most common factors were having stressful lives, part-time jobs and staying up on the computer/ playing video games. Followed by that was too much homework, hanging out with friends, living in a noisy environment, watching television, participating in sports/exercising, and not 9 Sleep Disorder Types and Symptoms. (n.d.). Sleep-Deprivation.com. Retrieved May 28, 2010, being in a comfortable temperature. Options that were not factors at all included having bad dreams and doing chores. A Norwegian survey done on 25,000 people found that individuals who having problems sleeping are most likely suffering from depression and anxiety. Its All About Routine and Discipline Based on the results of the survey, the vast majority of students are able to sleep whenever they want seeing as they do not have a set bedtime that is enforced by their parents. Figure 4 is the representation of the amount of students that have a set bedtime for every week night that has been imposed by their parents/guardian. It is evident that most high school students do not have such discipline, but a small 17% do. Figure 4 This leads to adolescents having an imbalanced body clock and if such a pattern develops at a younger age, it increases ones chances of developing a disorder, as previously mentioned. Teenagers with bad sleeping habits are 6.5 times likely to have metabolic syndrome than people who follow a good routine.10 Adolescents benefit from having constant sleep times that allow them to have the sufficient quantity of hours that they need. This is significantly affected by having regular bed times and rising times throughout the weekend as well. Just like when they were younger, parents need to get involved with their childrens sleeping schedule. Within this collected data 6 out of the 35 students claim to have bedtimes, all of which got approximately 8 hours of sleep a night with an average mark of 75%. While the rest of the students get about 7 hours of sleep a night with a 66% average in school. 10 Pytel, B. (2007, October 4). Lack of Sleep Can Kill: How Dangerous Is Not Sleeping?. Student Health Issues. Retrieved May 28, 2010, The Relationship between Hours of Sleep and Alertness A study done by the U.S. Army drew the conclusion that the loss of just one and a half hours of sleep can result in a 32% reduction in daytime alertness. 11 A similar outcome appeared in the analyzed data of the students attending Iroquois Ridge High School. Figure 5 (below) is a scatter plot that shows correlation between the students alertness from the time they wake up until lunch, based on the average amount of sleep they get each night. Each student was asked to rate their alertness on a scale of 1-5; 1 being not alert at all and 5 being extremely alert. This data was then correlated with the hours of sleep the students get each night, for a correlation of approximately 55.8%. Figure 5 The outcome of this examination had a strong correlation between alertness in the morning and the average hours slept at night. This means that the fewer hours of sleep someone gets, the less alert they will be and visa versa. The reason for this would be that the body was not able to completely rest and regenerate itself as it should, so upon trying to function normally the following morning, it will not be able to perform to the best of the persons ability. The correlation between these two variables was 0.56, proving that getting the right amount of sleep does greatly affect attentiveness. The Relationship between Hours of Sleep and Academic Performance/Grades Jennifer Peszka, a psychologist, conducted a survey on freshman at Hendrix College in order to distinguish students as either owls (later nighters), or larks ( moderately early birds). 11 Sleep Debt | Sleep Deprivation. (2010, May 8). Google. Retrieved May 28, 2010, From there she looked at how that associated with the students Grade Point Average (GPA). Sure enough, the owls averaged at 2.84 while the larks earned 3.18.12 The results of the survey done for students at Iroquois Ridge High School ended up with a very similar outcome. Figure 6 (below) is a scatter plot that shows correlation between the students average in school and the average amount of sleep they get each night. Each student was asked to identify their average in school based on the intervals of 10 from 0% 100%. This data was then correlated with amount of sleep each student gets per night, for a correlation of approximately 63.9%. Figure 6 The results from this portion of the survey had very strong correlation between the students grade and amount of sleep they were getting. Ultimately, this means that students who get the recommended amount of sleep each night consistently, will be able to work to the best of their ability during school which should help their overall average. On the contrary, students who lack sleep have a decrease in both physical and mental performance. The correlation between both variables was 0.64, further proving the point that sleep deprivation can negatively impact ones academic performance. Future Work: If more time and resources were available to do the survey, it would have conducted much differently. Firstly, a larger group of students would be sampled to get a better grasp of 12 Park, A. (2009, June 10). Larks and Owls: How Sleep Habits Affect Grades. TIME.com. Retrieved May 28, 2010, the general population as oppose to just thirty-five students representing everyone. As mentioned before, a larger population will also help outweigh the response bias. The written portion of the survey would be kept online because that appeals to my target audience (teenagers). However, the questions will be more concise. This way, there can be shorter questions that target certain areas of the study. To make the survey more reliable, various voluntary respondents, all with different lifestyles, will have their academic performance measured based on their visible level of alertness, as well as their actual marks. After going through their regular daily routine and prepare to go to sleep at whatever time is normal for them, they will be monitored in their sleep using an Electroencephalography (EEG). This measures brain waves and if read properly, it can tell the observant which stage of sleep the person is in. Upon waking up at their normal time, the phase at which they were sleeping in until they were woken up will be able to be determined. With that, predictions can be made on the type of day the person will have due to their emotional, physical and mental behaviour. Medical Records of the surveyor as well as any information on their family history will be reviewed to get a better understanding of where they came from and what their health is like. Ambitions, goals, hobbies, failures, fears, successes and experiences (good or bad) will be discussed with each candidate in hopes of figuring out where their head is at. A factor that could have been tested would have been the level of discipline with each student whether itd be with oneself or at home from their parents/guardian in terms of school work and sleeping habits. This data could be collected simply by asking; however, physically accompanying the student and observing would be much more reliable. The importance of this topic is not as widely known as it should be. Students, parents and teachers need to be informed about the effects that sleep deprivation can have on not only students, but everybody. The negative impact sleep deprivation can have on someones body, whether its physical, mental and/or emotional, is alarming. Try combining all of those struggles and productively make it through a day of school. If the topic were to be further discussed, studied and brought to awareness, academic levels of children all around the world could increase. Not to mention a decrease in depression, mental illnesses, insomnia and more if people decide to change their sleeping patterns to better themselves. Conclusion: The relationship between the amount of sleep a person gets and their performance academically correspond to one another quite well. This summative and the statistical data as well as research within it proves that the less sleep a student has will typically result in lower grades. Whereas getting the right amount of sleep (but not too much) can positively influence their performance. The key is to get your required amount of sleep each night. For teenagers, that is anywhere between 8.5 to 9 hours of rest. Out of the students surveyed at Iroquois Ridge High School, 34% claimed to be getting the proper amount of sleep. Adolescents would greatly benefit from having a regular, consistent sleeping pattern throughout the week, including the weekend. Meaning they go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. This helps their body clock run by routine. Not getting enough sleep can result of a number of illnesses which in turn, will affect not only the students marks but their health as well. 63% of students surveyed said they got less than the recommended length of rest time. In both Figure 5 and Figure 6, it is evident that this took a negative toll on the students alertness as well as grades in school. Due to not getting enough rest during the week, teenagers often catch up by sleeping in on weekends. Contrary to popular belief, it is not possible to make up for lost sleep whether itd be by napping or sleeping in on weekends. Getting too much sleep can cause Hypersomnia which leaves victims feeling drowsy all day after having 10 or more hours of sleep the night before. Only 3% of surveyors stated to be getting more sleep then they need. However, in correlation to alertness and marks, it did not seem to have much of a negative impact. If the subject were to be discussed and researched even further, conclusions as to what chemicals are released when they body is at rest can be drawn. With this information, medication and cures for sleeping disorders can be create d to help those who suffer. Generally speaking, sleep and performance seem to go hand in hand. Teenagers need to set up their body clocks so that there is a set routine, with consists of falling asleep and waking up at the same time every day. Ultimately this will result in better academic performance as well as health. Work Cited Gudbranson, C. (2000, June 7). Learning Disabilities Association of Canada Library and Archives. Learning Disabilities Association of Canada Activities. Retrieved May 27, 2010 Ivanenko, A. (n.d.). Sleep and Psychiatric Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Google Books. Retrieved May 27, 2010, PACFOLD. (n.d.). Highlights of Putting a Canadian Face. Retrieved May 27, 2010 Park, A. (2009, June 10). Larks and Owls: How Sleep Habits Affect Grades. TIME.com. Retrieved May 28, 2010 Performance Define Performance. (n.d.). Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words. Retrieved May 27, 2010 Pytel, B. (2007, October 4). Lack of Sleep Can Kill: How Dangerous Is Not Sleeping?. Student Health Issues. Retrieved May 28, 2010 Shields, M. (2005, November 16). Study: Insomnia. Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 27, 2010 Sleep Debt | Sleep Deprivation. (2010, May 8). Google. Retrieved May 28, 2010 Sleep Disorder Types and Symptoms. (n.d.). Sleep-Deprivation.com. Retrieved May 28, 2010 Stages of Sleep. (n.d.). Sleepdex Resources for better sleep. Retrieved May 27, 2010 Taras, H. (n.d.). Poor Sleep, Poor Grades. The National Parenting Center. Retrieved May 27, 2010 Why Catching Up on Sleep Doesnt Work. (2007, July 24). Cure:Insomnia . Retrieved May 27, 2010 Why Sleep is Important and What Happens When We Dont Get Enough. (n.d.). American Psychological Association. Retrieved May 28, 2010 Appendix A Appendix B