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Obesity The Prevalence Of Obesity - 1154 Words

Introduction The prevalence of obesity in the UK and worldwide is increasing. More than half of UK men and women aged ≠¥ 18 years old are considered overweight [i.e., a body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) ≠¥ 25], and nearly one-fourth are clinically obese (BMI ≠¥ 30). Most of the cases of obesity within the UK are termed moderate. Nevertheless, moderate obesity is a risk factor for many long term metabolic conditions such as dyslipidaemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and type II diabetes (Grundy, 1998). These conditions are particularly associated with central obesity, whereby fat is deposited intra-abdominally (Elliott et al, 2002). Epidemiology In the UK there are †¦ obese adults and the number is growing, as it is among all age groups across the UK. Scotland has the highest rates†¦ closely followed by England†¦ which is 27 on the world stage for countries with the most prevalent obesity rates. Trends in obesity from 2006-2011 across UK countries can be seen in table 1: There are many factors that contribute towards obesity, which primarily occurs due to a person’s caloric intake exceeding energy expenditure over a period of many years (ref). Reasons for the increasing prevalence of this condition are a combination of environmental influences interacting with predisposing genetic components (Elliott et al, 2008). Investigating causes of obesity’s prevalence is important so that effective public healthcare policies and nutritional and physicalShow MoreRelatedThe Prevalence Of Obesity And Obesity1196 Words   |  5 PagesThe prevalence of obesity has increased significantly in populations worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) (2015) estimated that 400 million adults were considered obese worldwide and is projected to double by the year 2015. Traditionally, obesity is associated with high caloric intake and lower levels of physical activity in high income Western countries. However, low and middle income countries are increasing ly becoming obese and becoming a major public health concern in regards to qualityRead MoreThe Prevalence Of Obesity And Obesity2398 Words   |  10 Pagesexperience higher prevalence of many diseases, disability, death, and injury (cdc 1). It is observed that AA females are more likely to suffer from obesity, diabetes and heart diseases more than their White counterparts. Among AA females aged 2–19 years old, 24% are considered obese compared to 14% whites. A similar pattern was reported among women older than 20 years of age showing that 51% of AA women are obese compared to 33% of their counterpart White women. (1) The prevalence of obesity was inverselyRead MoreThe Prevalence Of Obesity And Obesity2298 Words   |  10 PagesThe prevalence of obesity has increased at an alarming rate in the last three decades (Wang, 2007). This disease termed as being overweight is diagnosed by body mass index, 30 kg/m2 or higher. Within the child and adolescent population, those 6-19 ye ars old, 16% are considered overweight and 34% are at risk of being overweight (Wang, 2007). Across gender, boys and girls have similar national averages though greater differences exist among racial groups (Wang, 2007). Within the child and adolescentRead MoreChildhood Obesity : The Prevalence Of Obesity1525 Words   |  7 PagesIn recent years, the world’s prevalence of obesity in children has increased alarmingly in most of the countries. It is estimated that 170 million of children under 18 years old are overweight, in the US there is a 30% prevalence of obesity, similarly 27% of children in Mexico are obese (OCDE, 2014; Gutià ©rrez et al., 2012). In some countries like East Germany, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Canada the prevalence of overweight children had risen by one percentage point each year (Wang LobesteinRead MoreObesity Prevalence Of Overweight And Obesity Essay2083 Words   |  9 Pagesdecades, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased in the United States of America. Many of the results related to obesity considered to be an adult disease in the past, now obesity also affects young peoples body healthy. In children and adolescents, obesity increases the risk of adult obesity with complications. For example, hypertension, diabetes and heart disease are well known. Obesity in children and adolescents will be a prevalent and costly disease. Overweight and obesity are highlyRead MorePrevalence Of Overweight And Obesity Essay1249 Words   |  5 PagesThe aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of overweight/obesity among parents of children entering childhood obesity treatment and to evaluate changes in the parents’ weight during their child’s treatment (Trier, 2016). The study included the parents of 1,125 children and adolescents (aged 3-22) who were enrolled in a children obesity treatment program. They began by taking the heights and weights of the children and the BMI scores were calculat ed. After 2.5 years of treatment, theRead MoreThe Prevalence Of The Obesity Epidemic1677 Words   |  7 Pagesthat has been slowly augmenting child obesity levels in North America. Without a doubt, recent statistics prove that the prevalence of obesity in children has risen greatly. What we may refer to as the ‘obesity epidemic’, can account for a wide range of serious health complications among children including hepatitis type II diabetes, risk of impulsive illnesses, and premature death. The advocacy documentary, Fed Up, sheds critical insight on the raising obesity epidemic, caused mainly by the processed-foodRead MoreThe Prevalence Of Childhood Obesity Essay1860 Words   |  8 PagesThe prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States has greatly increased in the past two to three decades 1, while incidence of obesity has doubled worldwide since 1980 2. Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates over 170 million children and adolescents worldwide ar e overweight. Particularly in the United States, prevalence of obesity in children has increased from 13.9% in 1999 to 31.8% in 2010 3. After nearly two decades of increase, the rates have started to plateau 4. ThresholdsRead MoreObesity And Its Increasing Prevalence Essay1437 Words   |  6 PagesThe topic of obesity and its increasing prevalence has captured much attention in the course of several decades. With over 36 percent of the American adult population considered obese between 2011-2014, speculations about its cause, contribution to chronic health conditions, and economic burdens have received considerable awareness (Ogden, Carroll, Fryar and Flegal, 2015). Commonly in research, obesity levels are measured through the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale. A BMI of 25-30 is considered overweightRead MoreThe Prevalence Of Childhood Obesity1678 Words   |  7 PagesThe prevalence of childhood obesity has remained a serious matter in the United States over the years despite its recen t decline (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Children who are obese can experience the same devastating health effects as adults who are obese – cardiovascular issues, diabetes, breathing problems, and so forth. In addition, children who are obese are more than likely to become obese as adults, therefore the development of a health fair that would highlight increased

Biological Effects Of Radiation Environmental Sciences Essay Free Essays

string(123) " the survey of crystal construction because x-rays wavelengths are comparable to the atomic separation distance in solids\." Radiation describes a procedure in which energetic atoms or moving ridges travel through a medium or infinite. There are two distinguishable types of radiation ; ionising and non-ionizing. The word radiation is normally used in mention to ionising radiation merely holding sufficient energy to ionise an atom but it may besides mention to non-ionizing radiation illustration like wireless moving ridges or seeable visible radiation. We will write a custom essay sample on Biological Effects Of Radiation Environmental Sciences Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now The energy radiates travels outward in consecutive lines in all waies from its beginning. This geometry of course leads to a system of measuring and physical that is every bit applicable to all types of radiation. Both ionising and non-ionizing radiation can be harmful to beings and can ensue in alterations to the natural environment. Radiation with sufficiently high energy can ionise atoms. Most frequently, this occurs when an negatron is stripped from an negatron shell, which leaves the atom with a net positive charge. Because cells are made of atoms, this ionisation can ensue in malignant neoplastic disease. An single cell is made of millions of atoms. The chance of ionising radiation doing malignant neoplastic disease is dependent upon the dose rate of the radiation and the sensitiveness of the being being irradiated. Alpha atoms, Beta atoms, Gamma and X-Ray radiation, and Neutrons may all be accelerated to a high plenty energy to ionise atoms. Alpha atom: In alpha atom, the self-generated procedure of emanation of an alpha atom from a radioactive karyon. Alpha atom is by and large termed as alpha decay. An alpha atom is emitted by a heavy karyon. The karyon, called parent karyon has a really big internal energy and is unstable. An alpha atom is a He nucleus holding two protons and two neutrons. When two negatrons revolving around the karyon of He atom are knocked out wholly, we have double ionized He atom known as alpha atom. Beta atom: a beta-particle is a fast moving negatron. The self-generated procedure of emanation of beta-particle from a radioactive karyon is called beta decay. Beta decay is of three types: beta-minus, beta-plus, and electron gaining control. Beta-minus: beta-minus is like an negatron. It is surprising that nucleus contains no negatron, so a karyon can breathe negatron. In the neutron inside the karyon is converted in to a proton and an negatron like atom. This negatron like atom is emitted by the karyon during beta-decay. In beta-minus decay, neutron in the karyon is converted in to a proton and a beta-minus atom is emitted so that the ratio of neutron to proton lessenings and therefore the nucleus becomes stable. Beta-plus: In a beta-plus decay, a proton is converted in to a neutron and a antielectron is emitted if a karyon has more protons than neutrons. Electron gaining control: In negatron gaining control, nucleus absorbs one of the interior negatrons go arounding around it and hence a atomic proton becomes a neutron and a neutrino is emitted. Electron gaining control is comparable with a antielectron emanation as the procedures lead to the same atomic transmutation. However, in negatron gaining control occurs more often than antielectron emanation in heavy elements. This is because the orbits of negatrons in heavy elements have same radii and hence orbital negatrons are really near to the karyon. Gamma beam: Gamma beams are the high energy packages of electromagnetic radiation. Gamma radiations have high energy photons. They do non hold any charge and their comparative remainder mass is zero. Gamma-decay it is the self-generated procedure of emanation of high energy photon from a radioactive karyon. When a radioactive karyon emits a beta atom, the girl karyon is excited to the higher energy province. This aroused karyon beams are emitted by the girl nucleus so it is clear that the emanation of gamma beams follows the emanation of alpha or beta atom. Non ionising radiation: Non-ionizing signifiers of radiation on life tissue have merely late been studied. Alternatively of bring forthing charged ions when go throughing through affair, the electromagnetic radiation has sufficient energy to alter merely the rotational, quiver or electronic valency constellations of molecules and atoms. However, different biological effects are observed for different types of non-ionizing radiation Radio moving ridges: Radio moving ridges whose wavelengths range from than 10^4m to 0.1m, are the consequence of charges speed uping through carry oning wires. They are generated by such electronic devices as LC oscillators are used in wireless and telecasting communicating system. Infrared beams: Infrared radiations have wavelength runing from about 0.3m to 10^ -4m and besides generated by the electronic devices. The infrared radiation energy absorbed by a substance as internal energy because the energy agitates the object ‘s atoms, increasing their quiver or translational gesture, which consequences temperature increases. Infrared radiation has practical and scientific application in many countries, including physical therapy, infrared radiation picture taking, and quiver spectrometry. Ultraviolet radiation: Ultraviolet radiation screen wavelength runing from about 4X10^4m to 6X10^-10m. The Sun is an of import beginning of ultraviolet radiation visible radiation, which is the chief cause of tan. Sunscreen locations are crystalline to seeable visible radiation but greater per centum of UV visible radiation absorbed. Ultraviolet beams have besides been implicated I the formation of cataracts. Most of the UV visible radiation from the Sun is absorbed by ozone molecules in the Earth upper ambiance, in a bed called stratosphere. This ozone shield converts lethal high energy UV radiation to infrared radiation, which in bends warm the stratosphere. X raies: X raies have the scope from approximately10^-8 to 10^-12m. The most common beginning of X raies is halting of high energy negatrons upon the pelting a metal mark. X raies are used as nosologies tool in medical specialty and as the intervention for certain signifiers of malignant neoplastic disease. Because X raies can damage or destruct living tissue and being, attention must be taken avoid necessary exposure or over-exposure. X raies are besides used in the survey of crystal construction because x-rays wavelengths are comparable to the atomic separation distance in solids. You read "Biological Effects Of Radiation Environmental Sciences Essay" in category "Essay examples" Electromagnetic radiation: The wave nature of electromagnetic radiation explains assorted phenomena like intervention, diffraction and polarisation. However, wave nature of electromagnetic radiation, could explicate phenomena like photoelectric consequence, Compton Effect. The cathode rays consist of negative charged atoms called negatrons which are the component of an atom and therefore the component of affair. Harmonizing to the construct of radiation illustration light moving ridge ‘s wireless moving ridges, X raies, microwaves etc. are assumed to transport energy in packages or packages known as photons or quanta. Biological consequence of radiation: In biological consequence of radiation, there are many unsafe effects of our wellness and organic structure. Biological effects of radiation are typically can be divided into two classs. The first category consist of exposure to high doses of radiation over shots period of clip bring forthing ague or short term effects. The 2nd class represents exposure to low doses of radiation over an drawn-out period of clip bring forthing chronic or long term effects. High dosage ( acute ) : high doses tend to kill cells, while low doses tend to damage or alter them. High doses can kill so many cells that tissues and variety meats are damaged. This is bend may do a rapid whole organic structure response frequently called the ague radiation syndrome ( ARS ) . Low doses ( chronic ) : low doses spread out over long periods of clip do n’t do an immediate job to any organic structure organ. The effects of low doses of radiation occur at the degree of the cell, and the consequences may non be observed for many old ages. Although we tend to tie in high doses of radiation with ruinous events such as atomic arms detonations, there have been documented instances of persons deceasing from exposures to high doses of radiation ensuing from tragic events. High effects of radiation: high effects of radiation are skin Burnss, hair loss, asepsis, cataracts. Effectss of skin include ( blushing like tan ) , dry ( skining ) , and moist ( vesicating ) . Skin effects are more likely to happen with exposure to moo energy gamma, x-ray, or beta radiation. Most of the energy of the radiation sedimentation in the skin surface. The dosage required for erythematic to happen is comparatively high, in surplus of 300 radiations. Blistering requires a dosage in surplus of 1,200 radiations. Hair loss, besides called epilation, is similar to clamber effects and can happen after acute doses of about 500 radiations. Asepsis can be impermanent or lasting in males, depending upon the doses. To bring forth lasting asepsis, a dosage in surplus of 400 radiations is required to the generative variety meats. Cataracts ( a clouding of the lens of the oculus ) appear to hold a threshold about 200 radiations. Neutrons are particularly effectual in bring forthing cataracts, because the oculus has high H2O content, which is peculiarly effectual in halting neutrons. High dose effects: Dose ( radiation ) consequence observed 15-25 blood count alterations. 50 blood count alteration in single. 100 Vomiting ( threshold ) . 150 Death ( threshold ) . Classs of effects of exposure to low doses of radiation: There are three general classs of effects ensuing from exposure to low doses of radiation. These are: Familial: the consequence is suffered by the progeny of the person exposed. Bodily: the consequence is chiefly suffered by the person exposed. Since malignant neoplastic disease is the primary consequence, it is sometimes called the carcinogenic consequence. In-utero: some erroneously consider this to be a familial effect of radiation exposure, because the consequence, suffered by a development is after birth. However, this is really a particular instance of the bodily consequence, since the embryo is the 1 to the radiation. Radiation hazard: the approximative hazards for the three chief effects to degree of radiation are: In familial consequence, hazard from 1 paradoxical sleep of radiation exposure to the generative variety meats about 50 to 1,000 clip ‘s less than self-generated hazard for assorted anomalousnesss. In bodily consequence, for radiation induced malignant neoplastic disease, the hazard estimation is developing any type of malignant neoplastic disease. However non all malignant neoplastic diseases are associated with exposure to radiation. The hazard from deceasing from radiation induced malignant neoplastic disease is about one half the hazard of acquiring the malignant neoplastic disease. In utero: Spontaneous hazards of foetal abnormalcies are about 5 to 30 times greater than hazard of exposure to 1 paradoxical sleep radiation. However, the hazard of child goon malignant neoplastic disease from exposure in utero is about the same as the hazard to grownups exposed to radiation exposures. Linear no-threshold hazard theoretical account: general consensus among experts is that some radiation dosage by a additive, no threshold theoretical account. This theoretical account is accepted by the NRC since it appears to be most conservative. Linear: an addition in dose grownups in a relative addition in hazard. No-threshold: any dosage, no affair how little, produces some hazard. The hazard does non get down at 0 because there is some hazard of malignant neoplastic disease, even with no occupational exposure. Exposure to radiation is warrant of injury. However, because of the additive, no-threshold theoretical account, more exposure means more hazard, and there is no dosage of radiation so little that it will non hold some consequence. Effects OF RADIATION ON CELLS Ionizing radiation absorbed by human tissue has adequate energy to take negatrons from the atoms that make up molecules of the tissue. When the negatron that was shared by the two atoms to organize a molecular bond is dislodged by ionising radiation, the bond is broken and therefore, the molecule falls apart. This is a basic theoretical account for understanding radiation harm. When ionising radiation interacts with cells, it may or may non strike a critical portion of the cell. We consider the chromosomes to be the most critical portion of the cell since they contain the familial information and instructions required for the cell to execute its map and to do transcripts of it for reproduction intents. Besides, there are really effectual fix mechanisms at work invariably which fix cellular harm – including chromosome harm. Uses of radiation: Nuclear natural philosophies application are highly widespread in fabrication, medical specialty in biological science, we present a few of these application and implicit in theories back uping them. Tracing: Radioactive tracers are used to track chemicals take parting in assorted reactions. One of the most valuable utilizations of radioactive tracers in medical specialty. For illustration, I, a food needed by the human organic structure, is obtained mostly through consumption of iodinated salt and sea nutrient. Radiation therapy: Radiation causes much harm to quickly spliting cells. Therefore, it is utile in malignant neoplastic disease intervention because tumour cells divide highly quickly. Several mechanisms can be used to present radiation to a tumour. In some instances, a narrow beam of X ray or radiation from a beginning such as 60co is used. In other state of affairs, thin radioactive acerate leafs called seeds are implanted in the cancerous tissue. The radioactive isotope 131I is used to handle malignant neoplastic disease of the thyroid. Black organic structure radiation: An object at any temperature emits electromagnetic moving ridges in the signifier of thermic radiation from its surface. The features of this radiation depend on the temperature and belongingss of the object ‘s surface. Thermal radiation originates from accelerated charged atoms in the atoms near the surface of the object ; those charged atoms emit radiation much as little aerials do. The thermally radiation agitated atoms can hold a distribution of energies, which accounts for the uninterrupted spectrum of radiation emitted by the object. The basic job was in understanding the ascertained distribution of wavelengths in the radiation emitted by a black organic structure. A black organic structure is an ideal system that absorbs all radiation incidents on it. The electromagnetic radiation emitted by the black organic structure is called black body radiation. Radiation harm: Radiation harm means that electromagnetic is all about in the signifier of wireless moving ridges, microwaves, light moving ridges so on. The grade and type of harm depend on several factors, including the type and energy of the radiation and belongingss of the affair. Radiation harm in biological being is chiefly due to ionization effects in cells. A cell ‘s normal operation may be disrupted when extremely reactive ions are formed as the consequence of ionising radiation. Large those of radiation are particularly unsafe because harm to a great figure of molecules in a cell may do to decease. In biological systems, it is common to divide radiation harm in two classs: bodily harm and familial harm. Bodily harm is that associated with any organic structure cell except the generative cells. Bodily harm can take to malignant neoplastic disease or can earnestly change the features of specific being. Familial harm affects merely generative cells. Damage to the cistrons in generative cells can take to faulty cells. It is of import to be the aware of the consequence of nosologies interventions, such as X raies and other signifiers of radiation exposure, and to equilibrate the important benefits of intervention with the detrimental effects. Damage caused by the radiation besides depends on the radiation ‘s perforating power. Alpha particles cause extended harm, but penetrate merely to shoal deepness in a stuff due to strength interaction with other charged atoms. Neutrons do non interact via the electric force and hence penetrate deeper, doing important harm. Gamma beams are high energy photons that can do serve harm, but frequently pass through affair without interactions. For example- a given dosage of alpha atom causes approximately 10 times more biological harm produced by radiation than equal dosage of X raies. The RBE ( comparative biological effectivity ) factor for a given type of radiation is the figure of rads of X ray or gamma radiation that produces the same biological harm as 1-rad of the radiation is being used. Radiation sensors: Atoms go throughing through affair interact with the affair in several ways. The atoms can, for example- ionize atoms, spread from atoms, or be absorbed by atoms. Radiation sensors exploit these interactions to let a measuring of the atom ‘s energy, impulse, or alteration and sometimes the very being of the atom if it is otherwise hard to observe. Assorted devices have been developed for observing radiation. These devices are used for a assortment of intents, including medical diagnosings, radioactive dating measuring, mensurating back land radiation, and mensurating the mass, energy, and impulse of atoms is created in high-energy atomic reaction. Consequence OF RADIATION ON HUMANS A really little sum of ionising radiation could trip malignant neoplastic disease in the long term even though it may take decennaries for the malignant neoplastic disease to look. Ionizing radiation ( x-rays, radon gas, radioactive stuff ) can do leukaemia and thyroid malignant neoplastic disease. There is no uncertainty that radiation can do malignant neoplastic disease, but there still is a inquiry of what degree of radiation it takes to do malignant neoplastic disease. Quickly spliting cells are more susceptible to radiation harm. Examples of radiosensitive cells are blood organizing cells ( bone marrow ) , enteric liner, hair follicles and foetuss. Hence, these develop malignant neoplastic disease foremost. If a individual is exposed to radiation, particularly high dosage, there are predictable alterations in our organic structure that can be measured. The figure of blood cells, the frequence of chromosome aberrances in the blood cells and the sum of radioactive stuff in piss, are illustrations of biomarkers that can bespeak if one is exposured high dosage. If you do non hold early biological alterations indicated by these measurings the radiation exposure will non present an immediate menace to you. Radiation toxic condition Radiation toxic condition, radiation illness or a crawl dosage, is a signifier of harm to organ tissue caused by inordinate exposure to ionising radiation. The term is by and large used to mention to acute jobs caused by a big dose of radiation in a short period, though this besides has occurred with long term exposure. The clinical name for radiation illness is acute radiation syndrome as described by the CDC A chronic radiation syndrome does be but is really uncommon ; this has been observed among workers in early Ra beginning production sites and in the early yearss of the Soviet atomic plan. A short exposure can ensue in acute radiation syndrome ; chronic radiation syndrome requires a drawn-out high degree of exposure. Radiation exposure can besides increase the chance of developing some other diseases, chiefly malignant neoplastic disease tumours, and familial harm. These are referred to as the stochastic effects of radiation, and are non included in the term radiation. Radiation Exposure Radiation is energy that travels in the signifier of moving ridges or high-velocity atoms. It occurs of course in sunshine and sound moving ridges. Man-made radiation is used in X-rays atomic arms, atomic power workss and malignant neoplastic disease intervention. If you are exposed to little sums of radiation over a long clip, it raises your hazard of malignant neoplastic disease. It can besides do mutants in your cistrons, which you could go through on to any kids you have after the exposure. A batch of radiation over a short period, such as from a radiation exigency can do Burnss or radiation illness. Symptoms of radiation illness include sickness, failing, hair loss, skin Burnss and decreased organ map. If the exposure is big plenty, it can do premature aging or even decease. How to cite Biological Effects Of Radiation Environmental Sciences Essay, Essay examples

How the American Revolution Got Started free essay sample

American Revolution The events that took place before the American Revolution affected history In such a way giving the British and colonists the need to have a Revolution. The French and Indian war Is the name for the war that took place between Great Britain and France In North America from 1754 to 1763. The aftermath of this war was a big part leading up to the American Revolution. The war changed economic, political, and social relations between the three European powers (Britain, France, and Spain) their colonies and colonists, and the natives that occupied the territories they demanded. The war finally ended with the signing of the treaty of Paris in 1763. France and Britain suffered financially because of the war. The stamp act came along in 1765, this was a direct tax imposed by the British parliament on the colonies. The act required that almost all printed materials must be produced on stamped paper. We will write a custom essay sample on How the American Revolution Got Started or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This consisted of legal documents, magazines, newspapers etc. The purpose of this tax was to pay for troops stationed in North America after the British Victory in the seven ears war.The stamp Act congress was a meeting of representatives from the thirteen colonies. They discussed and acted upon the stamp act that was passed by the governing parliament of Great Britain, and did not Include any representatives from the colonies. The congress then put together the declaration of the stamp act congress, which was fourteen points of colonial protest. They issued it to the king and parliament in hopes of repealing the stamp act. The acts were a series of laws passed beginning in 1 767 by the Great Britain parliament in relation to theBritish colonies in North America, The acts being named after Charles who was the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Overall this was an internal tax on economic activity within a single colony; wanted the external taxes which was an economic activity that goes through a colony and Into other parts of the country. Such as paint, glass, tea etc. He thought we should use the money to pay the colonial governor, other parliaments and the kings salaries. Another event was the Boston massacre, an Incident that happened In March of 1770.It started out as a street fight, the being mad at the British for taxing everything and ended In Britain redcoats killing five civilians. This caused a lot rebellion in the British American colonies leading us towards the American Revolution. Five years later Shots were heard around the world. Paul Revere on April yelled out the British regulars are coming! The first shot was fired by the British in , and then they went to Concord. Then our militia stopped them and turned them back to Boston.This was the start of the revolution, minute men were ready to stand in a minutes warning. The colonists were not going to stand for the British taking over their land and taxing them on all of their goods, so they fought for their rights. US constitution There were proposals at the Philadelphia constitution convention In 1787. These proposals were the plan, and the new Jersey plan that people did not like. The US constitution was ratified after the Great compromise came into effect. Government (tax, raising an army, regulated trade, and supreme laws).Another was the separation of powers between legislative and executive. Also there would be two houses of congress, the senate and the House of Representatives. The states would be able to choose their US senators. Lastly there was the slavery 315 the compromise meaning a slave counts as 3/5 of a person. When the U. S. Constitution was presented to the states, many people chose to be either Federalists or Anti- Federalists. Virginia and many other states were against the Constitution because there was no bill of rights included in it.James Madison was known as the Father of the Constitution, and he and Alexander Hamilton were two Federalists who supported the Constitution and explicated it in the Federalist papers (1788). On the other side George Mason, an Anti-Federalist, opposed the Constitution. Federalist dames Madison) wanted a stronger government and argued to ratify the constitution. The US constitution will control factions which is a group of people with a common interest and economic seek to control government for own benefit. 1 . ) Also the bigger the better in a national government, multiple factions will cancel one another out. . ) WE will choose the best among us to govern for the common good republicanism) Anti Federalists opposed to ratifying the constitution Patrick Henry thought things were okay before the Philadelphia convention and we were at peace. He also thought a large government would have to resort to tyranny to control everything meaning a loss of individual rights. He thought we should have lumped the states into a consolidated government. Samuel Brian thought governing over such a large area would be unable to address local concerns. Richard Henry lee didnt know it would be such a huge change.

Organizational Change Plan free essay sample

Organizational Change When executives and students of management talk about organizational change, they mean many different things. Introducing a new enterprise resource planning system in order to coordinate and standardize internal processes is an organizational change. So is shutting down a factory, selling off a noncore business, or laying off employees. How about introducing a new business model to meet innovative competitors, adopting a new pay-for-performance system to motivate individual effort or a stock option plan to encourage a shared sense of ownership in the company? Entering global markets, integrating acquired companies, and outsourcing nonstrategic activities—these, too, are examples of organizational change. In order to understand and analyze the dynamics of change, and particularly the requirements of effective change implementation, it is important to sort out and distinguish the various approaches an organization can take. This chapter will explore multiple paths to change, paying special attention to behavioral change. In particular, this chapter will: Identify the role of strategic renewal in propelling change Focus on the behavioral aspect of organizational change Analyze the dynamics of motivating employees to alter their behaviors Differentiate the three faces of change Understand the source of both employee resistance to and support for change We will start by looking at an attempt by the president of a small but prestigious local bookstore to improve financial performance in the face of competition from national chains as well as from Internet giant Amazon. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Change Plan or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Massachusetts, is the site of the opening battle of the American Revolutionary War. Its rich literary history dates back to the nineteenth century when it was the home of the transcendental writers, notably, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Eight of Concord Bookshop’s employees, including the trio of top managers, have quit or given their notice. The staffers’ years of service add up to 73. The three managers, including [the] general manager . . . have worked at the store for a total of 34 years. Meanwhile, a group of outraged local authors . Has fired off a letter to the owners supporting the staff. The precipitating event was a surprise announcement last month by the owners—a group of three families represented by a board led by President Morgan â€Å"Kim† Smith of Concord—that a new general manager will be hired. No one was laid off, and no one’s salary was cut. Yet many of the staff were outraged at the de facto demotions, as well as by what they saw as the owners’ immovable stance. . . â€Å"We asked for a meeting with the whole board,† says [a departing staff member]. We presented our concerns, and they thanked us for our input and said, ‘We’re going to do it our way, and if you don’t like it, each of you will have to make up your mind as to how to proceed. ’ Something in me died, the fragile alchemy that made it such a great place to work had died. They had made their plans, we were expendable employees, and we could take it or leave it. †. . . â€Å"We’re heartbroken about it,† says David Donald, professor of history emeritus at Harvard University . . . â€Å"These are people we deal with all the time. It’s a wonderful store, beautifully arranged. They are knowledgeable and are glad to look things up. † Adds Joanne Arnaud, director of the Boston Literacy Fund and a Concord resident who also signed the letter: â€Å"What makes the Concord Bookshop different is the people and their institutional memory and their memory for a customer. I can say, ‘I’m looking for a book for someone who liked the last book by Nicholas Basbanes. Can you help me? ’ They are so warm and welcoming. † The clash appears to be rooted in finances. Smith declined to give numbers but portrayed the store’s financial situation as dire. â€Å"Things have never been worse,† he says. We are offering something important to the town of Concord, which is wonderful, but it isn’t profitable. † Smith praises the three managers but says, â€Å"The owners felt the three-way management was not working out. † The managers say finances aren’t so bad. They . . . issued a written comment: â€Å"In explaining to us the change in management structure, the owners told us they wanted to take the store in a different direction. We hold different opinions regarding the financial health of the store. We are very proud of what we have been able to accomplish these past five years. There’s no disagreement, though, that profit margins are tighter than ever, and that the past few years have been rough on independent bookstores, especially in the age of Barnes Noble, Borders, and Amazon. com. Smith believes some of the store’s programs should be reexamined, such as regular weeknight author appearances and signings, which require paying staff to keep the store open. â€Å"Increasingly, people are buying their books elsewhere and bringing them to signings,† Smith says. â€Å"We had 70 people at the Tracy Kidder signing, but we sold only 10 books. I discovered a guy coming in with five copies of the book that he bought [elsewhere]. We want to preserve the store, but we need to make the finances work. † There’s no dispute, either, on Concord’s national reputation in the trade. â€Å"It is one of the jewels of New England,† says . . . [the] executive director of the New England Booksellers Association. . . â€Å"They are the kind of store that’s on everyone’s A list. Publishers are interested in what Concord buys. They ask, ‘How is Concord doing with the book? ’ They are exemplars for reaching out to the community and in cultivating authors†. . . The conflict illustrates the special place a bookstore can have in a small community, especially one such as Concord, with its numerous authors and links to such literary giants as Emerson and Thoreau. The store is regarded as a community resource, not just a business. â€Å"This is Concord vs. Concord,† says Martha Holland, who is quitting after 18 years. â€Å"There were a hundred points where it could have been smoothed over. How it got so out of hand, I don’t understand. The owners have every right to run their business as they see fit. But if the staff goes, it’s just a bunch of bookshelves and carpets. Strategic Responsiveness Morgan Smith’s attempt to bring financial discipline to the Concord Bookshop seemed quite sensible in the face of new competitive realities. Owners, employees, customers, and suppliers all agreed on the desirability of maintaining the store’s viability. Yet Smith’s approach to change implementation—the actions taken by organizational leaders in order to support strategic renewal and achieve outstanding performance—led to resistance, conflict, and resentment. Recognizing the need for change is a vital first step. Successful implementation, however, is required to translate that recognition into an effective strategic response. We live in a period of rapid and dramatic change: significant alterations in customer expectations and demands, new technologies, competitors with innovative business models, shifts in workforce demographics and values, new societal demands and constraints. Organizations need to respond to external dynamics in order to create and maintain outstanding performance. Theory into Practice Strategic responsiveness to a dynamic external environment demands organizational change. In response to those dynamics, organizational leaders often decide to engage in a process of strategic renewal. Strategic renewal refers to an alteration of an organization’s strategy with the intent of regaining sustainable competitive advantage. 1 Exhibit 1-1 provides examples of organizations whose leaders made a purposeful decision to renew their strategies. Some attempts have been more effective than others. Strategic renewal at IBM and Walgreens proved successful, while efforts to transform Enron’s strategy collapsed in failure. At different points in the text, we will explore and analyze the efforts of these companies to implement new strategies effectively. Exhibit 1-1 Strategic Responsiveness in Sample Companies. Company Altered Strategy Enron Move from energy production to energy trading GE Move from commodity business to high value-added products and services IBM Move from product to service/consulting company Marks and Spencer Move from a department store appealing to traditional, conservative adult British shoppers to a store appealing to young, trendy shoppers Renault Move from French-based to internationally focused automobile company Walgreens Move from store-based chain in order to capture growing Internet business Facebook Move from restricted, college campus-only social network to become a â€Å"universal utility† open to everyone Strategic renewal requires organizational change (see Exhibit 1-2). Strategic renewal demands â€Å"wide-scale invention, reinvention, and redesign of business processes and organizational structures. † 2 IBM pulled off strategic renewal as it moved from a product to a service/consulting company. Harley-Davidson managed a different but equally significant strategic renewal by redefining its relationship with its customers. Exhibit 1-2 Strategic Renewal and Organizational Change. Theory into Practice To implement a renewed strategy, organizational leaders need to engage in a change process. For strategic renewal to be effective, organizations need to do more than announce a new strategy. Leaders need to align internal processes, structures, and systems with the demands of that new strategy. New organizational capabilities—talents and skills possessed by employees—need to be built. Underlying all those shifts is the requirement to engage in discontinuous change: large-scale, long-term reorientation of most or all of the central aspects of organizational life. The goal is to create lasting alterations in patterns of employee behavior in order to support strategic renewal. Strategic Renewal through a New Business Model Apple Computer seemed well positioned to achieve a breakthrough into the corporate/business market. With the extraordinary popularity of its iPod and iPhone offerings, young customers were flocking to Apple products as never before. But successful penetration into the business market would require more than loyal customers and brand familiarity. Apple’s business mode would need to change. The company’s long-standing highly secretive culture (Steve Jobs enjoyed launching new products with high security prior to his grand announcements) would need to change. In the corporate world, customers expect to be treated as long-term partners, actually having a say in the development of new products. 3 In order to extend its popularity among young, tech-savvy consumers into the corporate marketplace, Apple would need  to alter its business model. Business model innovation has become an increasingly common avenue for corporate growth. At its most basic level, a business model is the organization’s approach to generating revenue and making a profit. More specifically, business models involve the configuration of and the nature of the linkage between operations. 4 Start-up companies often gain a competitive advantage over long-standing market leaders by offering novel business models. Consider the following examples: Starbucks offered high-priced coffee specialty drinks in a relaxed environment. Amazon sold books online. Southwest Airlines provided an air service that competed with bus service and driving. Dell built computers to customer specifications. Zara placed low-cost high-fashion items on shelves with incredible speed. YouTube revolutionized the creation and distribution of video. Facebook integrated web-based interconnectivity with traditional school-based yearbooks. All of those companies had the advantage of building the innovative business model from scratch, â€Å"greenfield† as it is often called. They could harmonize their internal processes and employee competencies and behaviors with the requirements of their model. They did not face the challenge of nurturing a new business model within an existing, long-standing approach to generating revenue. Theory into Practice It is possible to gain competitive advantage through the creation of a new business model, but changing your existing business model will create special change challenges. Altering an existing business model, especially one that has been successful in the past, has proved much more challenging than a greenfield effort. Some organizations have been successful: Under Louis Gerstner, IBM transformed its business model for generating profits from the sales of hardware to generating profits from services and software. Lufthansa’s Jergen Weber moved the company from a centralized collection of functional stovepipes to a number of free-standing service offerings, including cargo handling, on-plane catering, and service maintenance. Carlos Ghosn changed the failing business model of Nissan by simultaneously centralizing product design and globalizing the company’s supply chain. Not all attempts to alter a company’s business model lead to success, of course. Michael Armstrong’s effort to move ATT from a long-distance phone company to a full-service provider of a wide array of offerings—cable, long-distance, local, wireless, etc. —proved disastrous. 6 Most notoriously of all, Jeffrey Skilling’s alteration of Enron’s business model—from energy provider to energy futures trader—disintegrated over the company’s inability to build sustainable profitability (and its leaders’ willingness to hide that fact from the public, investors, and employees). Corporate leaders believe that business model innovation will be the major source of growth over the next decade. 8 To achieve that desired growth, however, they will need to become effective change leaders. Because business model innovation alters the nature of linkages among employees, it disrupts existing patterns of behavior while demanding new competencies and skills. The failure of a company to engage in organizational change undermines a company’s capacity to innovate in their business model. 9 All business model innovation—that is, moving from the status quo to a new model—requires organizational change. Theory into Practice Adaptation of a new business model within a corporation will require organizational change. Behavioral Change Effective strategic renewal requires behavioral change that directly targets patterns of employee actions and interactions in order to meet the company’s strategy and to achieve and sustain outstanding performance. Theory into Practice If change interventions are to achieve significant and sustainable impact on performance, they must focus on altering patterns of employee behavior. Effective implementation depends on an alteration in patterns of employee behavior. Behavior refers to the actions employees take to enact their roles and responsibilities within the organization. Behaviors involve what employees do and how they do it, how much effort they bring to their roles, and how persistent they are in achieving desired outcomes. Behavior also involves the enactment of relationships: how employees interact with others (peers, subordinates, superiors, customers, suppliers, the host community, and so forth). It is this enactment of roles, responsibilities, and relationships that constitutes employee behavior in organizations. The collective enactment of those roles, responsibilities, and relationships—that is, the patterns of employee behavior within organizations—constitutes the target of behavioral change efforts. Behavioral change seeks more than a short-term alteration. New behaviors that are adopted for a short period of time and then dropped as employees return to old approaches will undermine strategic renewal. In order to support strategic renewal and outstanding performance, new behaviors need to be sustainable and adaptive to shifts in the external environment. The reason sustainability of new behaviors matters can be stated simply: the ways in which employees behave significantly impact the organization’s performance. Beyond products and market position, beyond plants and technology, employee behaviors affect the bottom-line performance of the organization. 10 Theory into Practice Organizational change seeks to create long-term, sustainable alterations in employee behaviors. Just how does that happen? How is it that patterns of employee behavior impact a company’s bottom-line performance? The key to understanding the relationship of behaviors to performance can be found in the idea of motivation. Motivation, in this case, refers to the degree to which employees are committed to the achievement of outstanding performance both for themselves and for their company. Employee motivation pays off in bottom-line performance. High motivation creates in employees the capability and willingness to work together to solve problems. Quality improves, customer responsiveness increases, and adaptation occurs. Chapter 4 will examine in detail efforts to redesign organizations to capture the benefits of enhanced employee involvement and commitment. For now, we can suggest that behaviors count. The competitive advantage delivered by behavioral change can be long term and sustainable. The manner in which work is organized, information is shared, decisions are made, coordination occurs, and problems are solved are all performance differentiators. 11 Furthermore, that performance edge is sustainable for decades, leading to significant and often staggering competitive advantage. 12 Theory into Practice The way employees behave impacts the bottom-line performance of the company. Sources of Behavior Effective change implementation needs to start with an appreciation of the source of an individual’s behavior. What is it that leads an individual to behave in a certain way? Individual psychology is important, of course: who the individual is, what values he or she brings to the workplace, even how that individual thinks and learns. But individual psychology can be difficult to assess and slow to change. A leader seeking leverage over employee behavior can start by focusing not on individual psychology but on the organizational context in which employees work. Theory into Practice Behavior comes from both the individual and the organizational context in which the individual works. Organizational context—the setting and circumstances in which employees work—exerts a powerful impact on behavior. Companies as diverse as Google, Nordstrom, MySpace, and Southwest Airlines endeavor to promote an organizational context that shapes individual behavior. They call upon organizational culture and values, the behaviors of leaders, as well as rules and procedures to define a context that shapes how employees enact their roles, responsibilities, and relationships. To appreciate the power of organizational context to shape behaviors, we can examine a specific example of an employee mistake. Sheryl Sandberg, an advertising manager at Google, made a mistake that cost the company millions of dollars. â€Å"Bad decision,† she admitted, â€Å"moved too quickly, no controls in place, wasted some money. † 13 Sandberg quickly informed Google cofounder Larry Page. Employees make mistakes, even occasionally big ones such as Sandberg’s. Leaders have an important opportunity to shape organizational context by the manner in which they respond to those errors. Quick and harsh repercussions—firing, for example, or demotion—will have one kind of impact on the organizational context in which employees work. That response may be justified and reasonable, but it may also work to stifle future risk-taking behaviors. Or perhaps employees will be less willing to admit mistakes, slowing down an organization’s response time. The boss may also respond in a less harsh and punishing manner. Listen to the reaction of Google cofounder Larry Page, to Sandberg’s admission: I’m so glad you made this mistake, because I want to run a company where we are moving too quickly and doing too much, not being too cautious and doing too little. If we don’t have any of these mistakes, we’re not taking enough risk. The point is not  that Page’s response is the only â€Å"correct† or reasonable response to the admission of a mistake. Leaders have to determine what type of organizational context they seek to create. That context will need to be aligned with the company’s strategy and purpose. Page and Google cofounder Sergey Brin believe that mistakes can provide fuel for improvements, even innovation. â€Å"We’re willing to tolerate ambiguity and chaos,† says senior vice president Shona Brown, â€Å"because that’s where the room is for innovation. † Google’s leaders want a context that tolerates risk in order to generate innovation. Employee Participation and Resistance to Change Not all employees greet change with equal enthusiasm. It is useful, therefore, to examine the sources of employee resistance to change and the ways in which managers can overcome resistance. Resistance refers to action, overt or covert, exerted on behalf of maintaining the status quo. 14 Why Employees Resist Change You’re either for this change or you’re against it. That refrain may be familiar; it is not, however, accurate. Employee response to change runs across a broad spectrum, ranging from â€Å"commitment† at one end to â€Å"aggressive resistance† on the other (see Exhibit 1-3). Individuals may view change as a threat, fearing it will adversely affect them in some significant way. Individuals may understand that change brings both benefits and costs, but feel that the costs far outweigh the benefits. Individuals may view change as potentially positive, but may still resist because they believe that the organization’s management is mishandling the change process. Individuals may believe in the change effort, but still believe that the change is not likely to succeed. Managers can see employee resistance in negative terms: It is a â€Å"bad thing† that represents an irrational response to a dynamic competitive environment. In this way, employee resistance can be dismissed as invalid or disobedient. 17 Resistance to change, in this view, is a force to be overcome. There is another way of thinking about resistance to change, however; one that may actually improve the effectiveness of implementation. Theory into Practice Employee resistance is not just a negative force to be overcome; it also presents an opportunity to learn. How Managers Can Inadvertently Fuel Resistance During Implementation It is tempting to believe that a certain type of individual is likely to resist change. Perhaps you’ve heard, or even thought, ideas such as: Older workers are more likely to resist change than are younger workers. Middle managers are more likely to resist change than lower-level workers or upper-level executives. Men are more likely to resist change than women. And so on. Don’t take these explanations at face value. Study after study of employee resistance to change in organizations refutes these and other individualistic contentions. Individual differences may account for some variance in employee acceptance of or resistance to change. But the overwhelming determinant of employee reaction to change comes from how the process is managed and the degree to which employees are allowed to participate in the process. 18 Managers can inadvertently create resistance by the manner in which they pursue change. Here’s a checklist of employee resistance and possible sources of that resistance: Employees resist because they remain satisfied with the status quo. Perhaps management has not included employees in the diagnosis and learning process. Employees resist because they view change as a threat. Perhaps management has not offered employees the opportunity to acquire the new skills that will be required in the renewed organization. Employees resist because they see the cost of change outweighing the benefits. Perhaps management has not articulated the goals of the change adequately to allow a true assessment of the costs and benefits. Employees resist because they believe that management is mishandling the process. Perhaps employees have not been given a voice in the process itself. Employees resist because they believe that the change effort is not likely to succeed. Perhaps management needs to articulate why this change process is more likely to be effective than past efforts. By looking at the aforementioned reasons for employee resistance, we can see how many can be understood in part as a natural and expected outcome of implementation. Theory into Practice Participation in the change process is the best way to build support and overcome resistance to change; but remember—it’s no guarantee. In treating employee resistance as a negative force to be overcome, managers shut down the possibility that they can learn from resistance. When employee voice has been excluded from the change process, there is likely to be valuable data missing from the diagnostic and action planning phases of the effort. Employees may ask whether management really understands what customers expect from their products or services or what barriers the organization has erected to outstanding performance. Even when employees question whether management has selected an appropriate strategic response, it is useful, perhaps even indispensable, for managers to learn about employee hesitations and concerns. Instead of treating resistance as a force to be overcome,  managers may decide to treat resistance as an opportunity to learn from employees and improve the change process. Theory into Practice Employee resistance can offer leaders the opportunity to learn—what are the sources of resistance? Not all resistance to change offers an equal opportunity to learn, of course. Some resistance will have to be addressed and overcome. We will explore specific techniques and approaches management can consider to avoid creating resistance. For now, let us understand employee resistance as a form of expression that is not always a bad thing and that needs to be considered and understood by change leaders. Theory into Practice There comes a point in the change process where employee resistance will need to be addressed and overcome. Employee Participation Builds Support for Change Just as there are ways in which a change implementation process may inadvertently fuel resistance to change, there are also techniques for purposefully building support for change. Participation in the process of defining problems and designing solutions will help build commitment to the new directions that result from that process. By diagnosing problems, understanding their importance, and being part of the process of formulating solutions, people develop a psychological sense of â€Å"ownership† over the outcome. That ownership now creates in employees the heightened motivation to implement change in order to achieve desired goals. 20 Change imposed from â€Å"above†Ã¢â‚¬â€top executives telling employees that they must alter their behaviors in order to implement a new strategy or perform better under the old strategy—is likely to engender resistance. The employees resisting change at the Concord Bookshop complained that the board had dismissed employee suggestions to respond to the crisis by saying, â€Å"We’re going to do it our way. † Their felt loss of voice in the strategic response of the bookstore to new competitive realities contributed to high levels of resistance. People don’t resist change, the saying goes, they resist being changed. The difficult challenge for managers, then, becomes how and when to engage employees in the process of diagnosis, problem solving, and planning for change. General Motors (GM) can offer some historical perspective on both approaches; change that is imposed from above, and change in which employees participate in designing the solution. Theory into Practice Imposing change from above can lead to employee resistance. In the 1970s, soaring fuel prices and gas shortages made the U. S. consumer much more aware of the fuel in efficiencies of domestic automobiles. At the same time, Japanese car manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda, and Nissan captured significant market share by offering small, reliable, and fuel-efficient alternatives. GM, with its fleet of gas-guzzlers built for an era of expanding interstate highways and cheap gas, was especially vulnerable. When Roger Smith became chairman of GM in 1980, the company was hemorrhaging money and market share. Layoffs, factory closures, and the shedding of non-auto-related businesses followed. Smith had more in mind than trimming costs, however. To lead strategic renewal, he called on a massive multibillion-dollar investment in state-of-the-art robotics and assembly technology. Out of that effort came the Chevrolet Vega, a small, fuel-efficient model produced at the company’s newly retooled Lordstown, Ohio, plant. The Vega represented GM’s intent to face down the rising tide of imports. State-of-the-art robotics and automation would help GM keep the costs of producing the Vega low. Employees at the Lordstown plant, however, resisted the changes that had been imposed on them from above. In particular, they objected to the depersonalization and sped-up pace of new robotic technology. Resistance went far beyond complaining. Some employees engaged in sabotage, open rebellion, and a wildcat (unauthorized) strike. Six years after its appearance, GM discontinued the model that had once held such high hopes for meeting Japanese competition. 21 Theory into Practice A participative process can help build support for change efforts. Compare that resistance to a different initiative just a few years later at GM’s Cadillac plant in Livonia. Cadillac and Vega were worlds apart in terms of intended market niche. Nevertheless, GM executives hoped Livonia would help address some of the same pressures for strategic renewal: the need to produce a world-class car that would help the company regain slumping market share. As they had done at Lordstown, executives sought improved quality and increased efficiency at Livonia. Now, however, the company approached change quite differently. Management worked closely with labor through the United Auto Workers union. Instead of imposing new technology and work processes on the plant, management and the union involved hourly workers in a planning committee that would redesign the way the plant operated. Theory into Practice In a unionized environment, creating employee participation involves inviting the union itself into the decision-making process. The joint worker-management planning committee created employee teams organized around a product line or function and given responsibility beyond production, including responsibility for quality control and material handling. Other design changes proposed by the planning committee—the removal of multilevel job classifications in order to improve flexibility and efficiency in the deployment of workers, extensive front-end training for all employees to gain teamwork and problem-solving skills—turned the plant into what some in the company called â€Å"a Lordstown that worked. Twenty-five years later, Livonia continued to operate as a high-quality producer of Cadillac’s highly regarded Northstar engine. Imposed change encourages resistance. Individuals can feel manipulated, coerced, or even ignored. When people participate in designing change, on the other hand, they are more likely to feel they are making an informed choice about altering their behaviors. Individuals can develop commitment to the choice as well as feeling responsibility for implementing that choice. When people participate in the design of change (in the diagnosis, action planning, and implementation stages), they will be more motivated to alter their behaviors. And, to emphasize a point made earlier, employee motivation matters. New behaviors will not be sustainable if they have been prompted by manipulation or coercion. Effective change does not seek to fool employees into setting aside their better judgment. Rather, it seeks to encourage employees to find continually new and improved ways of applying their better judgment. How can internal processes be improved? What are customers telling employees about our products and services? How might we eliminate waste and improve quality? To support behaviors that can sustain outstanding performance, effective change efforts avoid manipulation and coercion, aiming instead to enhance employee willingness and ability to contribute their own judgment. Theory into Practice Behavioral change seeks to motivate employees to change their behaviors; not to force, coerce, or trick them into changing. Because motivation is internal to each employee, the change leader’s challenge is complex. The task involves shaping the organizational context in such a way as to encourage and support an internal desire on a large number of employees to alter their behaviors in ways consistent with the shifting demands of the new strategy. How that is done will be the subject of the remainder of this book. When change leaders are successful, the organizational context unleashes â€Å"people’s innate curiosity and desire to experiment,† says Peter Senge, which creates a powerful â€Å"engine for improvement. Motivation works to build initiative and a desire on the part of the employees themselves to innovate and alter behaviors in order to achieve outstanding performance. The Three Faces of Change Not all change efforts take aim directly at behaviors. Let’s return to GM. In February 2006, with the U. S. automobile industry in a state of drastic decline, America’s leading auto manufacturer made some tough decisions: cutting dividends, reducing white-collar benefits, and slashing executive pay. On top of 30,000 job cuts announced the previous year, company losses totalling $10.6 billion, and share prices hitting their lowest point since the middle of the Great Depression of the 1930s, GM’s CEO (chief executive officer) Rick Wagoner declined to predict when the company would return to profitability, saying only it would be â€Å"as soon as possible. † 24 In 2008, after announcing a huge loss, the company dove even deeper into turnaround, offering a â€Å"special attrition program†Ã¢â‚¬â€an offer to buy-out contracts in order to encourage retirement—for all 74,000 of its domestic hourly workers. 25 Theory into Practice Not all change is behavioral. GM’s approach to change can be characterized as turnaround. Rather than focusing on new behaviors, turnaround looks at a company’s assets and seeks to manage them in a new way in order to stabilize cash flow, shore up the balance sheet, and maximize shareholder wealth. GM’s turnaround may have been unusual in its scope. The activities of the turnaround effort—reducing capacity, shutting down facilities, reducing levels of pay, health insurance, and pension benefits—are typical. Is turnaround by itself enough? â€Å"Cutting costs is not a business plan,† observed Gary Chaison. Turnaround does not by itself create sustained outstanding performance. The impact of layoff announcements on the psychological state of employees—on their sense of security and belief in the future—accounts for part of the difficulty of translating downsizing into sustained outstanding performance. Employees who become insecure because of workforce reductions are less productive and less committed to the organization.

Media in Court essays

Media in Court essays There are many trials throughout the United States and most of them have been affected by the media. The media can have positive and negative effects on trials. The media most often seems to have a negative impact on court cases. It can be effective on large cases such as the Kobe Bryant case or on smaller cases such as the use of cameras in court rooms. I am mainly going to discuss the negative effects of media, but I will also touch on some of the positives as well. Although the media can help outside the court room to update the people throughout the United States, it can hurt the people involved in the trials and it can have serious effects on the rest of their lives. The media had a very huge impact on the case of Kobe Bryant. Although the media helped the rest of the world by updating the case throughout the trial, it had a negative effect on Kobe Bryant, his family, his friends, and his fans throughout the basketball world. Not only did it have a sudden impact on Kobe Bryants life, the case also took so long that Kobe was unable to put it behind him. He was charged with sexual assault on June 30, 2003 and the case was dismissed just recently on September 1, 2004. Although he was charged with the assault to begin with, it was never proven that he committed the act and it took over a year of his life for something that could have been decided in less than a week. Some factors that helped to prolong the charges of this case are shown just in the news. The vast and close coverage by the media had a somewhat large impact on the outcome of the length of the case. The coverage by the media also allowed the defense to prolong the case and for everyone to be sympathetic towards the defense. The defense was informed that the victim was raped and filed a report on July 1, 2003. Bryant was then notified of this and voluntarily supplies a DNA sample. Two days later a sheriff in Colorado issued an arrest warrant ...

Mr.Nobody Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mr.Nobody - Essay Example Indeed, the room where two characters are sitting is bright and there are hardly any shadows. This is dramatically different from the most of contemporary rooms, where light comes from a single source. In addition to that, the lighting in the scene conveys the futuristic atmosphere where everything is much better in every aspect. There is no doubt that the scene was not shot in authentic setting, but on set. To be more specific, it is quite possible that the two actors were shot in from of the so called green screen. In other words, all the background that is visible, including some of the object in the middle ground, such as flying droid were generated by computers. This was done in order to enhance the atmosphere is future and emerge the viewers into the setting every further. Speaking of the props that the actors were using, one might mention several. Thus, at one point Dr. Feldheim asks Nemo Nobody to take a look at a newspaper. The latter features some movies images and surely does not exist in reality. It is quite obvious that he touches a special prop that was latter modified by a computer. In other words, there were really few real life props in the scene, probably only the chairs they were sitting on and the desk. Another point that should be mentioned is that the scene should be understood in the context of all the previously shown scenes: the main character keeps waiting up from one nightmare to another one. That is why the directors did their best to make sure that the audience understands that what the character experiences at the moment is the reality. However, at the end of the scene, Nemo Nobody screams that he needs to wake up. This shows the fundamental conflict of the movie. Finally, one should also point out the significance of make up in the scene. On the one hand, Dr. Feldheim had strange looking marks on his face: the latter cover his entire head and make it difficult to understand

Dangers of Web 2.0 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dangers of Web 2.0 - Essay Example They may not explore a site that they do not agree with; very easily they can do another search and find what they are looking for. People tend to go to sites that have similar views or opinions as themselves.   By gaining information from traditional media sources they are exposed to many â€Å"different political and socioeconomic and cultural identities†.  Ã‚   Lanier also agrees with Keen that as Web 2.0 has progressed people have lost their individuality and joined more collective or community web sites Lanier does not like that â€Å"People tend to loose themselves in group think†. On this issue Keen and Lanier have similar thoughts on problems with Web 2.0.   It is important for people to listen and hear multiple sides of an issue.   A person should explore other theories or thoughts.   Many times they find similarities or they may even agree with the other side’s arguments if they listen to their thoughts behind their ideas.   An example of th is is a political campaign.   Many people in our society are Republican or Democrats because that is what their family’s political affiliation has been.   They have not taken the time to listen to the other political party’s thoughts on the issues and where they stand.   Many times when someone from the other party is giving a speech, they won’t listen to them.   More than likely a republican is not going to go to a democrat’s website to educate themselves on their side of the issue.

PERSPECTIVES ON EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR Dissertation

PERSPECTIVES ON EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR - Dissertation Example But is has got few limitation which is not suitable for the evolution process of a leader. In many survey researches through questionnaire approach the issues are often unclear for many thus a proper feedback is not received from them. Sometimes the responses are unfair for personal biasness towards the person. This type of responses goes against the evaluation process and the leadership evaluation is not done correctly. In most cases in the evaluation process through questionnaire approach the response are given in general without proper individual evaluation. The answers are given in aggregation to item and no segmentation is done for the different skills and performances that an individual may possess being a leader. Comment on problems of determining causality (and determining the nature of the causality). In various survey research there are certain ‘why’ questions that cannot be answered with the cause. In several instances the causes of certain innovations are inf luenced by other factor where as certain innovations can also be an effect of certain causes (Rogers, 1995, p. 123). In the relation of events there is one dependent and one independent variable which lead to the innovation process. The independent variables in most cases are unclear which lead to the innovativeness. The leader behavior is dependent on the criterion variable and in some case the criterion variable is dependent on the leader behavior.

The Physiological Demands Of Association Football

The Physiological Demands Of Association Football Association football at the elite level has developed vastly over recent years and many studies into match performance and training have been performed. It is clear that this research has enabled science to be incorporated to a greater extent into the training conducted in football. Earlier studies looked into the physiological demands of the game, by performing physiological measurements before and after the game or at half-time. In addition to this earlier research, some up to date studies have scrutinized changes in both performance and physiological responses with a special focus on the most demanding activities and periods in the game. Another area to have received considerable attention individual differences in the physical demands players are exposed to throughout the games and in training. These can be affected by training status, playing position and to the specific tactical roles assigned to the players. Thus, most top level clubs have incorporated the tactical and physical demands of the players into their fitness training. This paper will look into the demands of different activites of football, aerobic and anaerobic energy production in match play, the fatigue experienced in football matches and the training of top level players. Aerobic Energy Production in a Football Match Association football is an intermittent sport in which the aerobic energy system is utilized majorly, with mean heart rate at around 85% of maximal and peak heart rate at around 98% of maximal, Taking these values, it is possible to discover oxygen uptake using the relationship between heart rate and oxygen uptake. Though, it is unlikely that the heart rates measured during a match will be accurate enough to lead to a correct estimation of oxygen uptake, since variables such as dehydration, hyperthermia, and mental stress elevate the heart rate without affecting oxygen uptake. However, taking these factors into account, the heart rate measurements received during a game suggest the average oxygen uptake is around 70% of VO2 max. This is supported by core temperature data measured during the match. Since a linear relationship has been reported between rectal temperature and relative work intensity (Saltin Hermansen, 1966), core temperature can be used as an indirect measure of energy production. Throughout a bout of continuous cycling, completed at 70% VO2 max, the rectal temperature was 38.7 °C. In association football, the core temperature increases relatively more compared with the average intensity due to the intermittent nature of the game. Hence, it is pragmatic that a 60% of VO2 max work rate, the core temperature was 0.3 °C higher during intermittent than continuous exercise (Ekblom et al., 1971). All the same, core temperatures of 39-40 °C for the duration of a game propose that the average aerobic energy production rate for the period of a game is around 70% VO2 max (Mohr et al., 2004). Conversely, a factor of more interest than the average oxygen uptake may possibly be the rate of rise in oxygen uptake during the many short intense actions throughout the duration of the game. A players heart rate during a game is rarely below 65% of maximum, which means that oxygen delivery is continuously high. However, the oxygen kinetics during the constant flow from low to high intensity during match play appear to be restricted by the oxidative capacity of the contracting muscles (Krustrup, Hellsten, Bangsbo, 2004). Anaerobic energy production in a Football Match Top football players complete approximately 150-250 short duration, intense actions (sprints, shooting, tackling etc.) throughout a game (Mohr et al., 2003). This suggests the rate of anaerobic energy production will vary from low to high during the game. Albeit, not studied directly, the intense exercise leads to a high rate of creatine phosphate breakdown, which in some measure is resynthesized in the low-intensity exercise periods (Bangsbo, 1994). On However, creatine phosphate levels may decrease during periods of the game if the intense activities are completed with short recovery periods. Creatine phosphate in muscle biopsies obtained after intense exercise periods during a game have provided values above 70% of those at rest, although could be due to the delay in attaining the biopsy (Krustrup et al., 2006). A range of blood lactate concentrations of 2-10 mmol ·là ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1 have been observed during matches, from a variety of research (Krustrup et al., 2006). These findings suggest that the rate of muscle lactate production is high during match-play. However, it is important to consider that muscle lactate has been measured in only one study. In a non-competitive match between non-professional teams, data indicated that muscle lactate increased by 400% in comparison with resting values, after intense periods in both halves, (Krustrup et al., 2006). A study in 2003 by Krustrup, found values over three times those observed previously. However, more interesting was the fact that muscle lactate was not correlated with blood lactate. This is supported by research when participants performed repeated intense exercise using the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test (Krustrup et al., 2003). This is in contrast to continuous exercise where the blood lactate concentrations are lower but reflec t well the muscle lactate concentrations during exercise. This difference between intermittent and continuous exercise are most likely caused by the different turnover speeds of muscle and blood lactate during the two types of exercise, with muscle lactate being removed more readily than blood lactate (Graham, Saltin, 1993). The relationship between muscle lactate and blood lactate also appears to be influenced by the activities immediately before sampling (Krustrup Bangsbo, 2001). Thus, the rather high blood lactate concentration often seen in football may not correspond to a high lactate production in the activity just performed, but instead, an accumulated reaction to a sequence of high-intensity activities (Krustrup et al., 2006). This is important to take into account when looking at the relationship between blood lactate concentration and muscle lactate concentration. Yet, it is suggested that the rate of glycolysis is high for short periods of time during a game based on the finding of high blood lactate and moderate muscle lactate concentrations during match-play, Fatigue in a Football Match Several studies have suggested that players ability to perform the high-intensity activities associated with football,is reduced towards the end of games in both elite and non-professional football (Krustrup et al., 2006; Mohr et al., 2003). Therefore, it has been established that the amount of sprinting, tackling, shooting, and the distance covered are lower in the second half compared to the first half of a game (Mohr et al., 2003). Whats more, it has been suggested that the amount of sprinting decreases in the final 15 min of a top-class soccer game (Mohr et al., 2003). However, there is a wide range of mechanisms that have been suggested to explain the decrease in exercise performance at the end of the football match. One particular mechanism is the depletion of glycogen stores, since the onset of fatigue during intermittent exercise has been linked to a lack of muscle glycogen. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that increasing muscle glycogen before intermittent exercise by carbo-loading enhances performance during exercise (Balsom et al., 1999). A study by Krustrup et al. (2006), found that the muscle glycogen concentration at the end of the match was reduced to 150-350 mmol ·kg. Thus, there was still glycogen available. However, histochemical analysis revealed that about half of the individual muscle fibres of both types were almost depleted or depleted of glycogen. This reduction can be linked to the reduction of sprint performance at the end of the match, and it was suggested a depletion of glycogen in some mucsle fibres does not allow for a maximal effort in single and repeated sprints. Nevertheless, it is unclear what the mechanisms are behind the possible causal relationship between muscle glycogen concentration and fatigue during prolonged intermittent exercise (Maughan, 2007). Dehydration has also been linked to the onset of fatigue in the later stages of a football game (Magal et al., 2003). Elite players have been reported to lose up to 3 litres of fluid during games (Maughan, 2007) and it has been observed that 5 and 10 m sprint times are slowed by dehydration which amounts to 2.7% of body weight (Magal et al., 2003). On the other hand, in a study by Krustrup et al. (2006) a significant decline in sprint performance was found, although the fluid loss of the subjects was only about 1% of body mass. Thus, it would appear that fluid loss is not always an important component in the impaired performance seen towards the end of a game. Current research via analysis of professional male football players during games has pointed out that players become fatigued at stages in a game (Mohr et al., 2003). Accordingly, in the five minutes subsequent to the most intense time of the match, the ability to complete   high-intensity exercise was decreased to levels below the average. Fatigue throughout a match is a complex and one with a wide range of explnations. One of these may be cerebral in nature, especially during hot conditions (Meeusen, Watson, Dvorak, 2006). Nevertheless, it has been suggested that the cause of fatigue, in elite level athletes only, is a muscular mechanism. In the study by Krustrup et al. (2006), the decrease in performance for the period of the game was correlated to muscle lactate. Conversely, the connection was very weak and the alteration in muscle lactate were not particularly clear. Whats more, numerous studies have publicized that the build up of lactate does not cause fatigue (Krustrup et al., 2003). A further mechanism suggested to be responsible muscle fatigue at some point in intense exercise is a low muscle pH (Sahlin, 1992). Nonetheless, muscle pH is not reduced dramatically, only to about 6.8, throughout a game and no correlation with performance level has been observed (Krustrup et al., 2006). Nevertheless, none of these explanations offer a clear picture into what is the primary cause of the fatigue during the game, and further research is needed to reveal the mechanisms causing fatigue throughout the match. Conclusions It is clear to see that association football utilizes both the aerobic and anaerobic energy production systems heavily, and could not be described as predominantly either aerobic or anaerobic. With the players travelling on average 10-13 km through a 90 minute game, the aerobic system is very important and training needs to focus on aerobic exercise. However, as the players complete, on average, 150-250 intense activity exercises throughout the 90 minute game, and blood and muscle lactate levels both dramatically increasing throughout the game, anaerobic exercise would also need to be focused on in order to improve this part of the game. It is the players that   can managed the balance between aerobic and anaerobic exercise that reach the top level of the game, and differences are seen between international players and other professionals, like they are non-international players and non-professional players. Based on the analysis of the demands of association football it is evident that the training of elite football players should focus on enhancing their ability to perform intense exercise and to recover rapidly from these periods of high-intensity activity. This can be achieved by performing an aerobic and anaerobic training regime on a regular basis (Bangsbo, 2005), which is easy for elite level football players who are played to train every day. However, for those who are wanting to become a professional football player, it is more difficult to train regularly, while potentially completing other work to earn money.   In a typical week for a professional football team with one match to play, the players might have six training sessions in 5 days, with the day after the match used to recover. For the average person, this sort of time is hard to find, and restricts an individual, who has not come through the academy system, wanting to become professional.

Bill Clinton :: Essays Papers

Bill Clinton Born on Aug. 19, 1946, in Hope, Ark., William (Bill) Jefferson Blythe IV grew up in a troubled home. His father had died in an automobile accident three months before his son's birth, and his mother later was forced to leave her two-year-old son with his grandparents when she moved to New Orleans to pursue her nursing studies. The family settled in Hot Springs, Ark., after his mother married Roger Clinton, whose surname Bill later adopted. As a young man, Bill was determined to succeed and frequently earned academic honors, including selection as a delegate to the American Legion Boy's Nation program in Washington, D.C., where the 16-year-old Clinton met Pres. John F. Kennedy and determined to embark on a political career. Attending Georgetown University to study international affairs, Clinton served as an intern for Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas before receiving his B.S. degree in 1968. After winning a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University, Clinton returned to the United States to enroll at Yale Law School. In 1972 he helped to manage presidential candidate George McGovern's Texas campaign. After graduating from law school in 1973, Clinton returned to Arkansas to teach and to plan his political career. On Oct. 11, 1975, he married Hillary Rodham, a fellow law student he had met at Yale. After 12 years of Republican control of the presidency, Clinton came to office amid high expectations for fundamental policy change. Early in his administration he reversed a number of Republican policies. He ended the federal prohibition on the use of fetal tissue for medical research, repealed rules restricting abortion counseling in federally funded health clinics, and used his appointment power to fulfill a promise to place many women and minorities in prominent government positions. Although backed by a Congress controlled by the Democratic party, Clinton found it difficult to change the course of national priorities during his first two years in office. Early in his administration several of his appointees encountered congressional disapproval. His proposal to end the ban on homosexuals in the military met with widespread opposition from Congress, the military, and the public and had to be altered substantially. Clinton had promised to reverse the Bush policy of returning Haitian refugees to their homeland, but he eventually decided to continue implementing his predecessor's plan. The failure to enact comprehensive health-care reform proved to be a major setback for Clinton.

Vision 2030

KENYA VISION 2030 The vision 2030 objectives are to transform Kenya into an economic powerhouse with a sustainable growth rate of 10 per cent by 2030 thus becoming a middle-income, prosperous country. The goals are to wipe out: 1. Absolute poverty 2. Famine 3. Mass unemployment and 4. Preventable deaths from malaria and water-borne diseases. The vision also aims to build a democratic political system, rule of law and protect the rights and freedoms of every individual and society. It is an ambitious document. It almost sounds like Utopia. I like that. A good vision must exercise our imagination and require more than normal effort to attain, otherwise it wouldnt be worth calling it a vision for Kenya. We will not get anywhere doing things as we have always done them. I commend vision 2030 in the realization that inequalities and decentralization should be addressed through the instrument of devolved funds. Much good will follow that, provided the funds are actually accessible (hard lessons need to be learnt of the youth fund). I also like the idea sector to particiapte in them. I am very disturbed that the vision doesnt seem to anticipate the future. It largely focuses on solving the problems we face now, rather than preparing us for the future. We dont want to climb the ladder only to realize when we have reached the top that we started on the right base but leaning on the wrong wall. What shall be the basis for the stable, prosperous and sustainable nation in 2030? In the end, it depends on how committed everyone is to the vision. The stuff on social pillar, political reforms and the constitution sounds very good. I am optimistic that they shall be implemented to some degree. But I am yet to see zeal in government for this vision outside the ministry incharge of it. The government should not sell the vision (and buy the commitment) to the citizens and then submit itself to being held accountable by the people for its success. And, yes, it is feasible to attain the noble aims of 2030 vision and beyond. Paradoxically, this will have little to do with the politician yet it significantly should. The speedily achievement will be driven by a strong civil society, independent media, the private sector and the overly optimistic and hardworking peace loving mwananchi; i. e. me and you. Inclusive of this should be a strong appraisal and review framework to hold the government into account.

Enrique Pena Nieto, Former President of Mexico

Enrique Pena Nieto, Former President of Mexico Enrique Peà ±a Nieto (born July 20, 1966) is a Mexican lawyer and politician. A member of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party), he was elected president of Mexico in 2012 for a six-year term. Mexican presidents are only allowed to serve a single term. Fast Facts: Enrique Peà ±a Nieto Known For: President of Mexico, 2012–2018Born: July 20, 1966  in Atlacomulco,  State of Mexico,  MexicoParents: Gilberto Enrique Peà ±a del Mazo, Marà ­a del Perpetuo Socorro Ofelia Nieto SnchezEducation: Panamerican UniversityAwards and Honors:  Collar of the  Order of the Aztec Eagle, National Order of Juan Mora Fernndez, Grand Cross with Gold Plaque, Order of Prince Henry, Grand Collar,  Order of Isabella the Catholic, Grand CrossSpouse(s): Mà ³nica Pretelini, Angà ©lica RiveraChildren: Paulina, Alejandro, Nicole (with Pretelini), one additional child outside marriage with Maritza Dà ­az HernndezNotable Quote: I hope for my children, and for all Mexicans, that they can be proud to be Mexican, proud of their heritage, and proud that they have a peaceful, inclusive, vibrant country that is playing a role in the world. Early Life Enrique Peà ±a Nieto was born on July 20, 1966 in Atlacomulco, a town about 50 miles northwest of Mexico City. His father Severiano Peà ±a was an electrical engineer and the mayor of the town of Acambay, located in the State of Mexico. Two uncles served as governors of the same state. During his junior year in high school, he went to Denis Hall School in Alfred, Maine to learn English. In 1984 he enrolled at the Panamerican University in Mexico City, where he earned a degree in legal studies. Marriage and Children Enrique Peà ±a Nieto married Mà ³nica Pretelini in 1993: she died suddenly in 2007, leaving him three children. He remarried in 2010 in a fairytale wedding to Mexican telenovelas star Angelica Rivera. He had a child out of wedlock in 2005. His attention to this child (or lack thereof) has been a persistent scandal. Political Career Enrique Peà ±a Nieto got an early start on his political career. He was a community organizer while still in his early 20s and has maintained a presence in politics ever since. In 1999, he worked on the campaign team of Arturo Montiel Rojas, who was elected governor of Mexico State. Montiel rewarded him with the position of administrative secretary. Peà ±a Nieto was elected to replace Montiel in 2005 as governor, serving from 2005–2011. In 2011, he won the PRI Presidential nomination and immediately became the front-runner for the 2012 elections. 2012 Presidential Election Peà ±a had been a well-liked governor: he had delivered popular public works for the State of Mexico during his administration. His popularity, combined with his movie-star good looks, made him the early favorite in the election. His main opponents were leftist Andres Manuel Là ³pez Obrador of the Party of the Democratic Revolution and Josefina Vzquez Mota of the conservative National Action Party. Peà ±a ran on a platform of security and economic growth and overcame his partys past reputation for corruption in winning the election. A record turnout of 63 percent of eligible voters chose Peà ±a (38% of the vote) over Là ³pez Obrador (32%) and Vzquez (25%). Opposing parties claimed several campaign violations by the PRI, including vote-buying and receiving extra media exposure, but the results stood. Peà ±a took office on Dec. 1, 2012, replacing outgoing President Felipe Calderà ³n. Public Perception Although he was elected easily and most polls suggested a decent approval rating, some disliked Peà ±a Nietos public persona. One of his worst public gaffes came at a book fair, where he claimed to be a big fan of the popular novel The Eagles Throne. When pressed, he could not name the author. This was a serious blunder because the book was written by the prestigious Carlos Fuentes, one of Mexicos most celebrated novelists. Others found Peà ±a Nieto to be robotic and far too slick. He has often been compared, in a negative manner, to American politician John Edwards. The notion (correct or not) that he was a stuffed shirt also raised concerns due to the PRI partys notoriously corrupt past. By August 2016, Peà ±a Nieto had the lowest approval rating of any Mexican president since polling began in 1995. The number dipped even further to a mere 12% when gas prices rose in January 2017.​ Challenges for Peà ±a Nietos Administration President Peà ±a took control of Mexico during a troubled time. One big challenge was fighting the drug lords that control much of Mexico. Powerful cartels with private armies of professional soldiers make billions of dollars trafficking drugs every year. They are ruthless and do not hesitate to murder policemen, judges, journalists, politicians, or anyone else who challenges them. Felipe Calderà ³n, Peà ±a Nieto’s predecessor as president, declared an all-out war on the cartels, kicking over a hornet’s nest of death and mayhem. Mexico’s economy, an important factor for Mexican voters, took a huge hit during the international crisis of 2009. Peà ±a Nieto was friendly with the United States and stated that he wanted to maintain and strengthen economic ties with his neighbor to the north. Peà ±a Nieto has had a mixed record. During his tenure, police captured the nations most notorious drug lord, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, but Guzman escaped from prison not long afterward. This was a huge embarrassment for the president. Even worse was the disappearance of 43 college students near the town of Iguala in September 2014: they are presumed dead at the hands of the cartels. Further challenges developed during the campaign and election of President Donald Trump in the United States. With proclaimed policies of a border wall paid for by Mexico, U.S.-Mexico relations took a turn for the worse. The End of Peà ±a Nietos Presidency Toward the end of 2018, additional scandals erupted for the Peà ±a Nieto presidency. Construction of a luxury home for the president and his wife by a company that was then awarded a large government contract led to accusations of conflict of interest. The president was never found guilty of wrongdoing, but he nevertheless found himself apologizing for the outcome. Peà ±a Nieto and his administration were also accused of spying on journalists and political activists. At the same time, an increase in drug trafficking and violence seemed to be linked to the outcome of the 2018 elections. Just before leaving the presidency, Peà ±a Nieto was involved with negotiations with the United States and Canada to restructure the NAFTA trade agreement. The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement  (USMCA) was signed on Peà ±a Nietos last day in office at the G20 Summit in Argentina. Sources: Puente, Teresa. Mexicos Telenovela President: Enrique Peà ±a Nietos Saga of Scandal, Gaffes, and Connections. The Daily Beast.Univision Noticias. Biografà ­a de Enrique Peà ±a Nieto.Wilkinson, Tracy and Ken Ellingwood. Mexicos Enrique Peà ±a Nieto, man of mystery. Los Angeles Times.Seelke, Clare Ribando. Mexicos 2012 Elections. ​Congressional Research Service.