A. Topic Selection Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: You may choose any topic you wish as long as the topic has two clear sides and is not agreed upon by most of society. Your topic should be current, appropriate for an academic context and should have a focus suitable for a 6-8 page essay.

B. Research Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
1. Research Question and Working Thesis
Keep in mind: The research question and working thesis are the driving force behind your research and eventual argument.

Your research question should be a single sentence, framed as a question.
Your working thesis should be a single focused sentence, framed as a statement that takes a clear position on the research question.
Include your research question followed by your working thesis.

2. Detailed Outline
Keep in mind: Your detailed outline provides a map of the argumentative research essay that you will write, including your key claims and the sources that support them. You may not have all your sources yet, and that is fine. The outline is a way to organize your essay and determine which areas (e.g. your sub-points) will require researched evidence as support.

Headings: one for each paragraph with a brief label of the paragraphs controlling idea(s).
An introduction, at least five body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Introduction includes your working thesis.
Body paragraphs should each have their own unique title and key points.
At least one body paragraph is devoted to addressing counterarguments.
Conclusion includes notes on your final thoughts.
Subheadings: two to five for each paragraph, below each heading, indicating key points that support the controlling idea
Sources: one to three for each paragraph, as relevant, indicating the support for the key points
For each source, include the authors name and the idea or information relevant to your argument (e.g. Lapp on mono-cropping corn/soy and production).

3. Reflection

Have you displayed a clear understanding of the research activities?
Have you answered all reflection questions thoughtfully and included insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses?
Are your answers included on a separate page below the main assignment?

C. Reflection Questions
DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.

Learning to conduct research is important because it is a skill you will use both in academia and in your professional life. It improves critical thinking and empowers you to find information for yourself. Consider the process of researching as a whole. What was the most challenging aspect of the process for you? (2-3 sentences)
The working thesis statement is a proposed answer to your research question. It should clearly identify a debatable topic and take a position on one side of that topic. Analyze the effectiveness of your working thesis statement. (3-4 sentences)
A detailed outline is an effective tool for laying out the progression of an argument. It allows you to consider the arrangement and organization of your ideas, as well as choose places to incorporate outside source materials. Review your detailed outline and summarize the argument you’ve presented. (3-4 sentences)
You will use the same topic on three of the remaining Touchstones in this course. What kind of feedback would be helpful for you? What are specific questions you might have as you go deeper into the research process? (2-3 sentences)

Linear Programming (LP)

Question 1

Solve the following LP problem graphically.

Minimise Z = 5x + 3y

Subject to the following constraints:

x + y ≤ 20
x ≥ 2
y ≥ 4x
x, y ≥ 0

What are the exact coordinates of the vertices of feasible region (3 marks)

What is the value of Z (2 marks)

A car manufacturing company makes two models X and Y. Model X requires 8 labour hours for fabricating/assembling and 1 labour hour for finishing/testing. Model Y requires 12 labour hours for fabricating/assembling and 3 labour hours for finishing/testing. For fabricating/assembling the maximum labour hours available is 220. For finishing/testing, the maximum labour hours available is 35. The company warehouse has a maximum capacity per week of holding 20 manufactured cars of model X and Y, and makes a profit of £18,500 on selling each model X and £21,400 on selling each Model Y.

Formulate this problem as a Linear Programming problem by stating and writing out the Objective Function and all the Constraints. (5 marks)

How many Model X and Model Y should be manufactured per week to realise a maximum profit. (3 marks)

What is the maximum profit. (2 marks)

Question 2

An aircraft can carry maximum of 250 passengers. A profit of £3,500 is made on each executive class; £1,000 for each business class; and £600 is made on each economy class ticket. The airline reserves at least 20 seats for executive class and another 30 for business class. However, at least 5 times as many passengers prefer to travel by economy class than by the executive class. Space capacity means that the total seats for executive and business cannot exceed 100.

Executives are allowed 50kg of luggage; business is 35kg; and economy 23kg, for safety reason the total luggage for all the passengers cannot exceed 7,500kg. You are to determine how many tickets of each class that must be sold in order to maximise the profit for the airline, and the maximum profit?

Formulate this problem as a Linear Programming problem by stating the objective function and write out all the constraints. (7 marks)

Using Excel Solver determine
Determine how many tickets of each class that must be sold in order to maximise the profit for the airline. (5 marks)

What is the maximum profit. (3 marks)

2020 Exams Questions (Resit)

Question 3

Solve the following LP problem graphically.

Maximise Z = 5x + 3y

Subject to the following constraints:

x + y ≤ 36
x ≥ 2
y ≥ 5x
x, y ≥ 0

What are the exact coordinates of the vertices of feasible region (3 marks)

What is the value of Z (2 marks)

A car manufacturing company makes two models X and Y. Model X requires 8 labour hours for fabricating/assembling and 1 labour hour for finishing/testing. Model Y requires 10 labour hours for fabricating/assembling and 2 labour hours for finishing/testing.

For fabricating/assembling the maximum labours available is 250. For finishing/testing, the maximum labour hours available is 40. The company warehouse has a maximum capacity per week of holding 30 manufactured cars of model X and Y, and makes a profit of £19,500 on selling each model X and £23,500 on selling each Model Y.

Formulate this problem as a Linear Programming problem by stating and writing out the Objective Function and all the constraints. (5 marks)

How many Model X and Model Y should be manufactured per week to realise a maximum profit. (3 marks)

What is the maximum profit. (2 marks)

Question 4

An aircraft can carry maximum of 200 passengers. A profit of £3,000 is made on each executive class; £1,000 for business class; and £800 is made on each economy class ticket. The airline reserves at least 20 seats for executive class and another 30 for business. However, at least 3 times as many passengers prefer to travel by economy class than by the executive class. Space capacity means that the total seats for executive and business cannot exceed 80.

Executives are allowed 50kg of luggage; business is 35kg; and economy 23kg, for safety reason the total luggage for all the passengers cannot exceed 7,000kg. Determine how many tickets of each type must be sold in order to maximise the profit for the airline.

Formulate this problem as a Linear Programming problem by stating the objective function and write out all the constraints. (7 marks)

Using Excel Solver determine

Determine how many tickets of each type that must be sold in order to maximise the profit for the airline. (5 marks)

What is the maximum profit. (3 marks)

(1)   Technological Advances in HealthcarePaper 
 
The continual pursuit of improved quality and efficiency inthe healthcare system drives the application of technological innovations andpolicy changes. In this 3-5page paper, students will examine at least two trends in use of technology in healthcareand describe the impact each trend has made. The description of impactsshould include (but not be limited to) costs, quality of life, safety, andefficiency of care. Examples of trends include (but are not limited to)automation, genomics, personalized treatments, use of stem cells or otherbiologics, medical devices, and drugs. APA formatting and a minimum of five professional references required.References should be less than five years old in order to reflectcurrent information.
 

Components

% of Grade

Style and Mechanics

10%

Description of Trends

30%

Impact of the Trends
APA Style (citations, references, formatting)
 

50%
10%

TOTAL

100%