Background Screening and the Fair Credit Reporting Act

Recent incidents with domestic and international significance have compelled employers to give more weight and attention to the practice of conducting background checks not only on job applicants but on their current employees as well. Some of these events prodded employers to resort to background screening on their own initiatives while others had been the subject of state and federal requirements. One of the most noteworthy events were the 9/11 terrorist attacks which have made employers more security conscious, leading them to subject the backgrounds of both their prospective and present workers to more rigorous examination.A recorded increase in lawsuits filed against employers involving all sorts of negligence in the hiring of employees, on the other hand, caused employers to stop hiring applicants based solely on their instincts about human nature. Corporate frauds and scandals similar to the Enron case of 2002 had also impelled employers to scrutinize both the private and prof essional lives of the members of their upper management teams such as â€Å"corporate executives, officers, and directors† in efforts aimed at preventing financial losses.Newspaper reports claiming that as high as 40% of job applicants in the country have been submitting fabricated resumes and false information have similarly alerted employers into ascertaining the backgrounds of people approaching them for employment (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). A heightened interest on background checking also resulted from the observed rise in cases involving abductions and abuse of children, older people, and persons with disabilities.This resulted to majority of the states requiring employers to conduct â€Å"criminal background checks for anyone who works with children, the elderly, or disabled. † In fact the database of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is now accessible to state officials under the authority of the National C hild Protection Act primarily for this purpose (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). Employers conduct background checks under the authority of the â€Å"Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA),† a federal law.Although background checks are not a requirement under the FCRA, employers nevertheless do so in order to comply with the standards set by the national government concerning screening of employees. These national standards are established by the FCRA. Under the FCRA, external organizations should undertake the investigation into the backgrounds of applicants or employees and include the same in a â€Å"consumer report. † Employers are not allowed to apply the provisions of the FCRA to checks which they themselves have done (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse).Examples of information and/or records that could be obtained or accessed through a background check are: â€Å"criminal convictions, driving records, social security number, property ownership, past employees, vehicle regist ration, character references, personal references, credit records, court records, neighbor interviews, state licensing records, incarceration records, workers’ compensation, drug test records, sex offender lists, educational records, military service records, dental records, and bankruptcies within the preceding ten years.† The following information could likewise be available to a check conducted under the FCRA as long as the investigation should cover only the preceding seven years: â€Å"civil suits, civil judgments, paid tax liens, and accounts placed for collection† (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). Under the provisions of the FCRA, before an employer could have a background check conducted, the written consent of the applicant should first be obtained.If after reading the report the employer decides to take an â€Å"adverse action† i. e. he/she decides not to hire the applicant, terminate an employee, rescind an offer of a job, or refuse to promote an employee, he/she is required to provide the applicant or employee with a notice or a â€Å"pre-adverse action disclosure† together with a copy of the result of the background check.After undertaking the â€Å"adverse action,† the name and address of the screening entity should be provided to the applicant or employee in an â€Å"adverse action notice† together with an advice that he/she â€Å"has the right to dispute the accuracy or completeness of any of the information in the report† (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). Reference Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Employment Background Checks: A Jobseeker’s Guide. July 2007. 23 September 2007

Hide and Seek

Ion the poem Hide and Seek, Vernon Scannell makes excellent use of all the sense to bring out the great excitement children usually experience whenever they play this ever- green game. The fact that short sentences are used in rapid succession and that the poem seems to have been written in one short stanza also contribute to this feeling. The persona is the one being sought, so he hides himself in the toolshed at the bottom of the garden making sure that his feet â€Å"aren’t sticking out†.The place smells salty because of the sacks of sand and both the floor and air feel damp and cold. As the seekers draw stealthily close, the poet is almost afraid to breathe and automatically closes his eyes as if by doing so, it would be difficult for his friends to find him. Time passes, the poet feels stiff, cold and uncomfortable so he decides to come out of his hiding place only to find that the other children have long abandoned the search and left him alone in the dark shed. à ¢â‚¬Å"The bushes hold their breath: the sun is gone. Yes here you are. But where are they who sought you?†?Although this poem is basically a poem about childhood recollections, a moral can still be learnt form it: namely that in life, when success seems to be within easy reach, we should not allow ourselves to feel too over-confident as we might end up losing all and feeling bitterly disappointed. Diction (The writer’s choice of words) The poem starts with the imperative verb ‘call’. Examples of words in the imperative are ‘ call out’ ‘call loud’ ‘be careful’, ‘don’t breathe’, ‘don’t move’, ‘stay dumb’, ‘hide’, ‘push pff’, ‘uncurl’, ‘stretch’, ‘come and own up’.In the poem, these words/verbs in the imperative form are very important because they are showing the expertise of this boy at play in this well -loved game. It is almost as if the boy is instructing the reader as to how we should play the game as well as we possible can, in order not to be caught. In â€Å"be careful that your feet aren’t sticking out† the young persona/the young child is giving us readers a good piece of advice – he wants to make sure that he makes the search for him a very difficult one. This shows that he wanted to be the winner at all costs. This shows that he wants to be the winner at all costs.In fact, in the next line, â€Å"Wiser not to risk another shout. † The boy is again giving advice, showing that the risk of being caught is very much possible since his friends might be close by. The adjective ‘cold’ is repeated twice in the poem, whilst we also have the word ‘damp’ to show the discomfort that the boy was feeling. In this poem we also have words like, ‘musn’t sneeze’, ‘whispering’, ‘hushed’, â₠¬Ëœdumb’, ‘mutters’ and all the words show the excitement felt by the boy, when he was being sought by his friends, he tries to avoid any sort of noise, even going as far to say, ‘don’t breathe’.There is only one stanza in this poem and there are four instances of rhyming couplets, ‘out’ and ‘shout’, ‘door’ and ‘before’, ‘land’ and again’ and ‘coat’ and ‘throat’. The fact that there is little rhyme in thus poem is indicative of the excitement being felt by the boy as he lies in hiding. The poem is very rich in figures of speech. From the very first line we find alliteration of the letter/consonant ’c’. This alliteration almost makes the call of the boy even more audible in our minds and it also gives the poem a certain vibrant feeling from the very start.We also have alliteration in the second line, ‘sacks in the toolshed smell like the seaside’’ with the letter/consonant ‘s’ and the effect that this creates is very much like the sound of the sea upon the shore, bringing about the olfactory image of the sea to mind. The soothing sound effect created by the alliteration of the letter ‘s ‘ brings to mind a feeling of calmness and serenity; a feeling that is extended in the following line when the persona says, ‘they’ll never find you in this salty dark’ meaning that he is calm because he knows that he is safe.The alliteration of the letter/consonants in ‘sound so’ almost enables us readers to hear the low voices and the increasing silence as the tension mounts. The alliteration of the consonant ‘d’ in ‘don’t breathe’ and ‘don’t move’ brings out the sense of urgency and heightened excitement felt/experienced by the boy. We also have alliteration in ‘dark damp’, ‘smel l of sand’ and in both these instances it is the alliteration of the letter ‘s’ which makes us almost feel the coarseness of the sand in the young child’s throat.The poem is also rich in personification where inanimate objects are being human qualities. For example: ‘cold bites’ this figure of speech makes us realize just how cold and uncomfortable this boy was feeling as he lay on the cold floor. The personification ‘darkening garden watches’ shows that the only thing greeting our winner in a dark garden, whilst in the next line, ‘the bushes hold their breath’ this personification not only reminds us of the effort done by the boy in order to avoid those who sought him, but also portrays the silence that surrounds the boy once he emerged from his hiding place.The very last in the poem sums up the disappoint felt by the persons, as soon as he realizes that all his friends had abandoned the search long before. Indeed th e feeling is one of bitter disappointment and although this is basically a poem about childhood recollections, a moral can still be learnt from it, namely that in life, when success seems to be within easy reach, we should not allow ourselves to feel over- confident as we might end up be losing everything and feeling completely empty, and disillusioned losers. Theme of childhood ï » ¿Hide and Seek Ion the poem Hide and Seek, Vernon Scannell makes excellent use of all the sense to bring out the great excitement children usually experience whenever they play this ever- green game. The fact that short sentences are used in rapid succession and that the poem seems to have been written in one short stanza also contribute to this feeling. The persona is the one being sought, so he hides himself in the toolshed at the bottom of the garden making sure that his feet â€Å"aren’t sticking out†.The place smells salty because of the sacks of sand and both the floor and air feel damp and cold. As the seekers draw stealthily close, the poet is almost afraid to breathe and automatically closes his eyes as if by doing so, it would be difficult for his friends to find him. Time passes, the poet feels stiff, cold and uncomfortable so he decides to come out of his hiding place only to find that the other children have long abandoned the search and left him alone in the dark shed. à ¢â‚¬Å"The bushes hold their breath: the sun is gone. Yes here you are. But where are they who sought you?†Although this poem is basically a poem about childhood recollections, a moral can still be learnt form it: namely that in life, when success seems to be within easy reach, we should not allow ourselves to feel too over-confident as we might end up losing all and feeling bitterly disappointed. Diction (The writer’s choice of words) The poem starts with the imperative verb ‘call’. Examples of words in the imperative are ‘ call out’ ‘call loud’ ‘be careful’, ‘don’t breathe’, ‘don’t move’, ‘stay dumb’, ‘hide’, ‘push pff’, ‘uncurl’, ‘stretch’, ‘come and own up’.In the poem, these words/verbs in the imperative form are very important because they are showing the expertise of this boy at play in this well- loved game. It is almost as if the boy is instructing the reader as to how we should play the game as well as we possible can, in order not to be caught. In â€Å"be careful that your feet aren’t sticking out† the young persona/the young child is giving us readers a good piece of advice – he wants to make sure that he makes the search for him a very difficult one. This shows that he wanted to be the winner at all costs. This shows that he wants to be the winner at all costs.In fact, in the next line, â€Å"Wiser not to risk another shout. † The boy is again giving advice, showing that the risk of being caught is very much possible since his friends might be close by. The adjective ‘cold’ is repeated twice in the poem, whilst we also have the word ‘damp’ to show the discomfort that the boy was feeling. In this poem we also have words like, ‘musn’t sneeze’, ‘whispering’, ‘hushed’, †˜dumb’, ‘mutters’ and all the words show the excitement felt by the boy, when he was being sought by his friends, he tries to avoid any sort of noise, even going as far to say, ‘don’t breathe’.There is only one stanza in this poem and there are four instances of rhyming couplets, ‘out’ and ‘shout’, ‘door’ and ‘before’, ‘land’ and again’ and ‘coat’ and ‘throat’. The fact that there is little rhyme in thus poem is indicative of the excitement being felt by the boy as he lies in hiding. The poem is very rich in figures of speech. From the very first line we find alliteration of the letter/consonant ’c’. This alliteration almost makes the call of the boy even more audible in our minds and it also gives the poem a certain vibrant feeling from the very start.We also have alliteration in the second line, ‘sacks in the toolshed smell like the seaside’’ with the letter/consonant ‘s’ and the effect that this creates is very much like the sound of the sea upon the shore, bringing about the olfactory image of the sea to mind. The soothing sound effect created by the alliteration of the letter ‘s ‘ brings to mind a feeling of calmness and serenity; a feeling that is extended in the following line when the persona says, ‘they’ll never find you in this salty dark’ meaning that he is calm because he knows that he is safe.The alliteration of the letter/consonants in ‘sound so’ almost enables us readers to hear the low voices and the increasing silence as the tension mounts. The alliteration of the consonant ‘d’ in ‘don’t breathe’ and ‘don’t move’ brings out the sense of urgency and heightened excitement felt/experienced by the boy. We also have alliteration in ‘dark damp’, ‘smell of sand’ and in both these instances it is the alliteration of the letter ‘s’ which makes us almost feel the coarseness of the sand in the young child’s throat.The poem is also rich in personification where inanimate objects are being human qualities. For example: ‘cold bites’ this figure of speech makes us realize just how cold and uncomfortable this boy was feeling as he lay on the cold floor. The personification ‘darkening garden watches’ shows that the only thing greeting our winner in a dark garden, whilst in the next line, ‘the bushes hold their breath’ this personification not only reminds us of the effort done by the boy in order to avoid those who sought him, but also portrays the silence that surrounds the boy once he emerged from his hiding place.The very last in the poem sums up the disappoint felt by the persons, as soon as he realizes that all his friends had abandoned the search long before. Indeed the feeling is one of bitter disappointment and although this is basically a poem about childhood recollections, a moral can still be learnt from it, namely that in life, when success seems to be within easy reach, we should not allow ourselves to feel over- confident as we might end up be losing everything and feeling completely empty, and disillusioned losers. Theme of childhood

Annotated Bibliography Essay

In hospitals, especially emergency rooms and intensive care units, nurses encounter many critically ill patients. â€Å"One-fifth of the patients cared for by critical care nurses die in the intensive care unit† (Browning, 144), when these patients are nearing the end of their lives there are many decisions that need to be made by the patient if they are able and their family. Healthcare workers are put under tremendous amounts of stress in these situations, especially when they disagree with what the current code status of their patient. According to Rosenburg, the â€Å"current ethical codes provide guidance for supporting autonomy and for information sharing among clinicians, patients, and their family members† (83). This means that the patients and their families should be fully informed on all aspects of the care they are currently receiving and what measures and to what extent these measures would be taken to save them if they were to quit breathing or if their he art was to stop. Most of the time patients and families do not understand the interventions used in these situations, they think what they see on television is an accurate representation; however when they are educated they are able to make the right decision for themselves. Santiago describes the dilemma that occurs when healthcare workers and those that are making decisions for the patient â€Å"disagree over the benefit and value of the continuation of â€Å"aggressive† medical interventions† (27). When they feel as if they are unable to appropriately advocate for their highest risk patients, â€Å"clinicians may experience tremendous anguish and torment, which can lead to compassion fatigue and moral distress† (27). It is easy for us as nurses to take this distress that Santiago describes home with us and this can cause distress in our personal lives. Ideally the patient will have their wishes known about their code status and end of life care before they are in a situation w here they are unable to voice their opinions. Some doctors may give narcotic pain medications or other medications to keep patients comfortable in their last hours. â€Å"Although the APA neither endorses nor opposes assisted suicide, they encourage psychologists to take active roles in both clinical practice and research involving end-of-life issues and in providing competent, culturally sensitive care to the dying and their families† (Rosenburg, 80). Dilemmas of this nature may be handled in many different ways; some may go before the ethics committee if a decision cannot be reached or if the nurse and the doctors do not agree on the course of action. The purpose of the ethics committee is â€Å"case discussion and consultation, policy review and development, and other appropriate interventions, and focuses on considerate and respectful decision-making that accords with fundamental precepts of health care ethics and human rights† (UNC Health Care, 2013). The committee may meet at the request of the family or employee, many by an anonymous telephone call. Technology has brought healthcare to new higher standards than it has been held to in the past. This improvement has â€Å"brought with it the promise of more efficient treatment techniques, extending life inappropriately and futile prolonging of patients’ suffering have become commonplace for critical care nurses caring for dying patients† (Browning. 144). Seeing these patients sustained longer than the nurse feels is ethically responsible may cause a large amount of turmoil in his or her personal life, the profession of nursing is one that requires much of you. Nurses are there for their patients in ways that sometimes the families are unable. The patient’s right to choose is a major player in the ethical debate about end of life care. According to Rosenburg the patient has the right to accept or decline any or all treatment, also Rosenburg says that â€Å"in addition to upholding patient’s dignity and relieving suffering, (clinicians) join their health care colleagues in ensuring that patients receive support for their autonomous decision making throughout care, and particularly in the context of their death† (78). The patient or family may choose no intubation, no Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) or may decide to sign an order of Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) as their nurse we should provide education and answer any questions they may have. â€Å"Moral distress occurs when nurses are unable to perform according to what they believe to be ethically correct† (Browning, 144). Often times as the patient’s advocate the nurse feels that he or she may know what’s best or what the patient would want. By being at the bedside of many patients’ in similar situations nurses see what th e patients are put through during life sustaining acts. Sometimes these acts are more traumatic than the illness that brought the patient into the hospital; many times in the emergency room this writer has heard nurses say, things like â€Å"we’re not doing them any favors.† This saying is normally when uttered when CPR is in progress or has brought back a patient that has a poor prognosis. Ethics is something that we encounter on a daily basis in much of our decision making especially with these critical patients, even outside the hospital in everyday lives ethics are in play. When it comes to decision about end of life care, it is best for the patient to make their own decisions but if that is not possible the family needs to be educated about all aspects of the processes and in terms that they are able to understand. End of life care is a very sensitive subject that should be approached with honesty while providing the patient with the utmost dignity. References Browning, A. M. (2013). MORAL DISTRESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPOWERMENT IN CRITICAL CARE NURSES CARING FOR ADULTS AT END OF LIFE. American Journal Of Critical Care, 22(2), 143-152. Rosenberg, T., & Speice, J. (2013). Integrating care when the end is near: Ethical dilemmas in end-of-life care. Families, Systems & Health: The Journal Of Collaborative Family Healthcare, 31(1), 75-83. doi:10.1037/a0031850 Santiago, C., & Abdool, S. (2011). Conversations about challenging end-of-life cases: ethics debriefing in the medical surgical intensive care unit. Dynamics, 22(4), 26-30. UNC Health Care. (n.d.). UNC Health Care. Retrieved June 23, 2013, from http://www.unchealthcare.org

Internal analysis of Apple Corporation Essay

Apple Inc was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne and has its headquarters based in Cupertino, California. The company is well known for the manufacture of computer software and hardware. The computer hardware manufactured by Apple Company include: iPod, iPhone and iPad. The computer software produced by the company are Mac OS X operating system, iTunes, iLife, iWork, Aperture, Final Cut Studio, and Logic studio. By the close of the financial year 2009 the company had employed 34,300 permanent workers and 2,500 temporary workers globally in all its subsidiaries. Most of the employees are located in the United States while others are located in the subsidiaries of the company world wide (Linzmayer, 2009). Steve Jobs is the president of the company and has acted as the chief executive officer since 1997. Recently, Steve Jobs delegated his duties to Tim Cook due to the health problems he has encountered. Apple Inc is headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who is assisted by a board of directors; to manage and make supreme decisions about the organization. Various committees are elected to coordinate the operation of the projects and strategies of the organization. There are various departments which are used in the daily operation of the organization. Officers have been elected to head the departments. Some of the departments are the finance department, operations department, product marketing, industrial design, retail, engineering, applications, and other departments (Linzmayer, 2009). Financial According to Menn (2010), Apple has dominated the United States market for personal computers and a sales revenue of more than one million is being made each moth in the US market alone. As competition in the personal computer industry continues to intensify, there is need to have a strong financial background. Apple has increased the sales volume for most of its brands and this has provided a good foundation for manufacturing better products which are competitive (Menn, 2010). In the capital markets, the company has been performing well and this has been a source of capital for carrying out different innovations. The stock price of Apple’s stock has increased from $6 per share to more than $80. The market performance of the shares of the company has surpassed that of Dell (Colvin, 2010). Marketing Supporters of Apple Company have suggested that it has made great success in dominating the domestic and international markets through better marketing strategies. It is estimated that the company can sell more than ten million iPads in one year due to the appropriate use of marketing strategies. The US market has indicated strong support for Apple products since it has been the major market for iPod and other brands. Sales target of more than one million for iPod are achieved every month. More than six million iPod and iPhone brands are sold on a monthly basis and this suggests that the company has been able to capture a large market for its products. According to Menn (2010), the company has maintained a very high customer loyalty for most of its brands. Many consumers in the market are ready to re-purchase products from the company. This trend has been generated by manufacturing brands which match the market demand. Sales trend for other traditional products has been progressive, for example in the quarter ending March 2010; the company sold almost three million Macs. Menn (2010) estimated a sales value of one million for the Macs during this period. Generally, the total sales of the company have been increasing over the years. The success of Apple Inc has been indicated by the increase in sales that have been reported by the company over the last one decade. In the financial year 2009, sales value of US $42. 91 billion was registered by the company. In 2010, an increasing trend was observed in the overall sales volume of the company (Colvin 2010). Apple’s Strategy Menn (2010) is of the opinion that Apple has been very successful by introducing competitive technologies. The company has carried out innovations which have placed the products at a very competitive position in the global market. Apple has been able to compete with Microsoft Company, the major company in the industry, by introducing the iPad brand. The company has been introducing differentiated products in the market and this has intensified the competitiveness of the products manufactured by the company. Before the introduction of iPod brands, the iPhone brand had captured a huge number of customers, both in the domestic and global markets. The use of new technologies has been the main strategy adopted by Apple to sustain stiff competition in the market. To accomplish technological progress, the management of Apple Inc has established partnership with universities and research institutions. A team of researchers has been established as well as collaborating with research and development department of the company to come up with products which are acceptable in the global markets. To accomplish these strategies, the management has put in place better management processes and human resource management strategies to ensure all aspirations are achieved (Linzmayer, 2009).

Determinants of demand for airline tickets Term Paper

Determinants of demand for airline tickets - Term Paper Example Large carriers in the industry have quite dominated the market, but the tactics of small carriers have been expressed to develop, and be able to penetrate the difficult large carrier zones, by providing frequent services through low cost carrier. It also elaborates the yield management pricing strategy of airline industries to maximize their profits by providing similar services to their customers at different prices. Finally, other concerns that the customers and airlines should consider before respectively buying and selling their tickets, which may affect their satisfaction and benefits are discussed. Keywords: Airline Industry, Customers, Large Carriers, Small Carriers, Low Cost Carriers Pricing Strategy, Demand, Demand Elasticity, Tickets, Profits ,In Flight Amenities Air transportation is one of the fastest modes of travelling in the modern society that has embraced technology and is very concerned with time management. It is very flexible and timely, but not everyone has had t he opportunity to use it. The airfares are quite expensive and some societies may view air travelling as a luxury. However, airline customers are offered a variety of airline tickets to purchase according to their suitability. ... They include income, ticket price, competitor’s ticket price, economy state, customer’s income, availability of substitute mode of transport and substitute price, customer loyalty, fright frequency, and preference among other minor factors (2008). Airline Industry Oligopoly and Ticket Price Taking an example of U.S. market share of the airline industry, in the third quarter of 2009, the four largest carriers, Delta & North, American, United and Continental airlines held 21.8, 15.2, 13.0 and 10.1percents respectively, totaling up to 60.1 % while the others held the 39.9 %, which best refer to an oligopoly situation(â€Å"Airline competition,† 2011). In general Enz states that â€Å"air line in United States, European union and Asia are dominated by a few large carriers† (2010, 65). The Airline industry consists of numerous firms global wise, and at an individual nation level, that merge up at times to create competition in service production. An action by a ny firm carrier in the industry has an impact on the general market since they are interdependent on each other. An entry in the airline industry is often difficult, and the collusion of the few existing companies in the industry gives the merging group superior marketplace control. While providing similar products that at times may be having no variation, it is often associated with insignificant competition if not none preferring product differentiation for a firm uniqueness. If one firm decides to change the ticket price for its customers, then this action would adversely affect the demand of tickets and flow of customers in other firms. Stability of an airline firm in the industry becomes deeply connected to the action and reactions of every single airline firm. If one company

Should medicare and medicaid be reformed How so Explain fully Essay

Should medicare and medicaid be reformed How so Explain fully - Essay Example But in practice, leads to the fact that medicine in America has become absurdly, mega expensive.  Being for-profit businesses, insurance companies are focused on money earning.  They can get profits denying sick people medical care, raising prices or paying less to doctors. The last option is unrealistic, since doctors are a very powerful cast - America is ruled by doctors and lawyers.  Therefore, insurance companies are choosing raise cost of services and refuse compensations.  Most people do not pay the doctors themselves, their treatment is covered by insurance.  A huge percentage of Americans - 47 million people, roughly one in six, do not have insurance for many reasons.  So, all citizens who are outside the health care system do not undergo medical examination, health surveys and preventive treatments - as a result visit doctors with advanced stages of diseases that are expensive to treat.   No wonder that having such fantastic ineffective expenditures on Medicare and Medicaid and quite more successful examples of the problem solution, like in Canada, the Government took a risk of reforms that split society. It’s obvious that the state should strengthen its influence in the medical field.  It has to introduce a more strict control over private hospitals’ prices of services. Health care should become more social.

Writer's choice Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Writer's choice - Research Proposal Example The development pattern of childhood obesity is similar to obesity in adults. In the past, questions have been raised over whether childhood obesity differs from obesity in adulthood. Research has shown that the definitive attributes of obesity are constant in all age groups. As children grow, fat cells multiply and when calorie intake outweighs expenditure, the number of fat cells increases. According to Farley & Dowell’s 2014 investigation, in the event that fat cells have attained their maximum size but calorie intake still outweighs expenditure, they (fat cells) continue expanding rapidly, leading to accumulation of fat in the body. This is what differentiates overweight children from obese children, although the two conditions are often confused. Fat loss results in a decrease in the size – not number – of the fat cells. Findings of a research conducted by Green (2013), show that there is a positive correlation between heightened levels of the hormone leptin and obesity. In research settings, leptin is commonly referred to as the â€Å"fat hormone,† the â€Å"obesity hormone,† or the â€Å"starvation hormone.† An increase or decrease in the amount of leptin secreted can affect calorie intake, calorie expenditure, and energy balance. For example, findings of a study conducted by Dawes (2014) reveal that obese children have higher blood leptin levels compared to those with normal weight because they have higher percentage body fat. Voigt, Nicholls & Williams (2014) conducted a study whose results suggested that obese children also exhibit resistance to the hormone in the same manner as type 2 diabetics show resistance to insulin. Their elevated levels of leptin mean that they cannot control hunger or their weight. On the other hand, obese children who lose weight experience a decline in blood leptin levels, leading to temporary declines in sympathetic tone, calorie expenditures in skeletal tissues, and thyroid