ChE-117

STRATEGIES IN PROBLEM SOLVING

SAMPLE MIDTERM

Time: 100 mins.

1. DUNCKER DIAGRAM (TOTAL 40 PTS)

Lanieta is a 14-year old who lives on a remote island in Fiji. After being diagnosed with cancer,
her leg was amputated. But the kind of prosthesis she needed wasn’t available in the country. As
a result, she couldn’t initially return to her home and school, and had to live with her
grandmother in another city.
She needed some proethetics. Her family contacted some companies like UYBF Company and
WF Company. However, the prices are still unaffordable for Laneta’s family. UYBF is a well-
known and reliable company as it is an older one. On the other hand, WF is a new one. UYBF
prosthetics are far more expensive than WF prosthetics.
The family contacted Consumer Rights Agency and told that allover the world disadvantaged
groups are protected by some laws and the prices should not be that expensive. They wanted to
learn the rersons of sharply increased prices of UYBF and wanted a comparison of that company
with WF. UYBF claims that they use the same materials, they follow the same processes and they
manufacture the prosthetics but the world is going through a strange period which affect their
cost policies. WF says that their prices are good for the quality of their products.
A) Explain your opinions about the attitude of Lanieta and her family. How would you
explain and describe their understanding? 10 Points

Lanieta is living disappointment as she lost her leg and also she feels upset because they
cannot find prosthetics. She and her family cannot understand the cost policy of the
companies. Her family thinks that disadvantaged group should have more discount on
such needs. Companies must be more sensitive on this issue.

I agree with Lanieta and her family. They are right because especially in the 21 st century
disadvantaged groups became more important. They should not be discriminated, in
opposition with this, they must be privileged in some situations like their important
needs.

B) Explain the how company profile changed. 5 Points

As there is a huge economical crisis nearly in all countries, everything is getting far mor
costly. Companies claim that they do not change their quality, but in my view, quality
gets worse while prices get higher.

C) Explain what some other companies might be doing to have lower prices. 5 Points
 Their material quality might be lower. They might be using cheaper workforce, like
refugee workers. Their technical equipment might be less expensive. Their service quality
might be of low quality.

D) Find out the real problem by using the Duncker Diagram. DESCRIBE THE REAL PROBLEM
CORRECTLY. 20 Points

As seen in the diagram above, the problem is that people with leg amputees are not able to afford
prosthetics. It is expected that companies must make them cheaper, or the hospitals must
decrease the number of amputees.

If the first functional solution will be used, then, companies might use cheaper materials. For
example, they can use local ones and accept low pay. In addition, companies might decrease their
profit from prosthetic. They can design it in a simpler way and use abundant materials while
manufacturing.

Secondly, number of amputees can be decreased. Patients at hospitals can be monitored more
effectively. For instance, accessible glucometers can be used, and public awareness can be
increased. Moreover, health care should be increased. As an illustration, government budget
distribution can be made differently, and taxes can be increased.

In conclusion, people who need prosthetics can pay for them more easily if some suggestions are
implemented. Prosthetics are factual and vital needs and solutions must be found.

2. SITUATION ANALYSIS (TOTAL 10 pts)

Betty goes out of work with happiness as she has been invited to a big Halloween Party at 7 p.m.
After she quits work, her boss calls her and wants to have a meeting urgently. She feels puzzled
 and nervous but has to turn back to the office. While taking the first turn, she crashes into a tree.
As it was not a big accident, she tries to move, however the car does not start. She calls her boss
and tries to explain the incident. She tells him about the accident and the location, but without
giving the details, her battery dies. She feels desperate and does not know what to do.

Read the paragraph carefully and then;

a) Make a list of problems found in the paragraph, 5

b) Write the solutions to each problem shortly. 5

10 Points

3-GENERATING SOLUTIONS (TOTAL 60 pts)

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT: A GLOBAL PROBLEM

 621 million young people aged 15-24 years old are not in education, employment or
training*.
 75 million young people are trained but have no job.
 In the next decade, one billion young people will enter the labour market, and large
numbers of young people face a future of irregular and informal employment.
 Almost 90% of all young people live in developing countries.
 Youth are approximately three times more likely to be unemployed than adults (2.7).
 The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that the global youth
unemployment rate is expected to reach 13.1% in 2016 (71 million young people) and
remain at that level through to 2017 (up from 12.9% in 2015).
 It is estimated that 23% of young people currently employed in the world earn less than
$1.25US a day**.
 
THE SPECIFIC BARRIERS FACED BY GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN TO SECURE
DECENT EMPLOYMENT
 Girls and young women make up the majority of the world’s 621 million young people
who are not in education, employment or training*.
 Unemployment is affecting young women more than young men in almost all regions of
the world. In Northern Africa and the Arab States, the female youth unemployment rate is
almost double that of young men, reaching as high as 44.3 and 44.1%, respectively.
 There were 52.6 million domestic workers in the world in 2010, of which 80% are
women. Women are more likely to engage in “invisible” domestic work outside the home,
which is poorly considered and regulated.
 More than two thirds of all child domestic workers are girls. They are vulnerable to
exploitation and violation of their rights.
 According to the World Bank, in 90% of countries there is at least one law that is acting
as a barrier to economic equality for women. Their research also highlighted that in 18
countries a woman has to ask for her husband’s permission to work.
 In the world, women earn on average 24% less than men, and more than 30% less in Sub-
Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.
 Gender norms are one of the main obstacles faced by girls and young women when they
want to access education or the world of work. Working with families, community and
religious leaders, men and boys is crucial to challenge these social norms and attitudes.
 
WHAT IS PLAN INTERNATIONAL DOING TO PROMOTE YOUTH ECONOMIC
EMPOWERMENT?
Finding solutions for Youth Employment and empowering young people to access decent work is
one of Plan International EU office main priorities.
 
PLAN INTERNATIONAL IS COMMITTED TO PROMOTING GIRLS’ ECONOMIC
EMPOWERMENT
Plan International consistently recruits a majority of young women to participate in all its Youth
Economic Empowerment programmes, and encourage them to work in non-traditional sectors. It
also aims to change gender norms that hold young women back, by always embedding gender
equality within its trainings, and working with parents, communities and employers, so that they
become facilitators of young women’s economic empowerment. This enables Plan International’s
Youth Economic Empowerment programmes to be truly gender transformative.
Plan International developed a unique approach to Youth Economic Empowerment: the Youth
Employment Solutions model, which follows a six step process and is adapted to the local
context of every country Plan International works in.
The model begins with a labour market scan, which aims to identify companies’ recruitment
needs, the situation of the youth, and the mismatch between the skills they have and the skills
they need to find a job. The content of the trainings is developed based on the findings.
Young people follow trainings in essential soft and hard skills, such as career counselling, life
skills, and work and technical skills. They are either trained to be ready to work in a specific
sector, or to become entrepreneurs. Plan International then helps bridge the gap between training
and employment by supporting young people finding a job placement or starting their own
enterprise.
After the training, Plan International continues to monitor the progress of each youth for a
minimum of six months to ensure its programmes have long lasting positive effects. Enrolling
youth in an alumni network also helps Plan International connect youth with valuable job-related
resources, assess the results of its programmes and adapt them if necessary.
The strategic partnerships formed by Plan International with other civil society organisations,
decision-makers and most importantly the private sector, are key to the success of its Youth
Economic Empowerment programmes. Plan International is a founding member of the Solutions
for Youth Employment (S4YE) coalition, which is committed to providing access to job
opportunities for 150 million youth around the world.
Partnering with the private sector at the local level is essential to identify the labour market
demand. It also helps raise awareness and improve the attitudes of the private sector on setting up
decent working conditions, promoting youth employability and gender equality.

A) Use the technique of Brainstorming and Mindmapping to determine possible ways to solve
this problem. 20

B) Write a problem and solutions essay with an introduction, at least two body paragraphs and
a conclusion defining the problem in the passage above and explaining the solutions.

30 Points