Tuesday, May 19, 2020

A Brief Look at Sir Thomas Wyatt Essay - 877 Words

â€Å"Noli Me Tangee; for Ceasaris I am,† suggest unrequited love. This term stands for the feeling of being completely, hopelessly, desperately in love with someone, knowing that your feelings will never reach them. This explains a part of Sir Thomas Wyatt’s life. He attended St. Johns College, University of Cambridge. Wyatt also carried out several foreign missions. He also served various offices at home. Wyatt also had many court appearances in his life. He was also famous for his poem â€Å"Whose List to Hunt.† Being the son of Henry and Anne Wyatt, Sir Thomas Wyatt was born at Allington Castle in Kent in 1503. At the age of 17 he named the daughter of Lord Cabham. Wyatt attended St. John’s College, University of Cambridge in 1515. He received†¦show more content†¦Wyatt was deputized for his father as chief fewer at the coronation of Anne Boleyn in 1533. Sir Thomas Wyatt was also imprisoned on May 1534. He was again arrested and taken to the tower of London. Wyatt was imprisoned in the Fleet prison in London for having a brush with a guard that he ended up killing. Around that time killing was known as just a misdemeanor much less serious that it would be now. Wyatt was threatened by a greater danger in 1536, were he was arrested and again taken to the Tower of London. He was imprisoned in the Tower for quarreling with the Duke of Suffolk. He then witnessed Anne’s trial and execution for adultery in 1536. Wyatt was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower. Six weeks later Wyatt was released from the prison and was soon nominated by the king as a sheriff of Kent. Which was known as Wyatt’s hometown or birth place? Later on that month Sir Thomas Wyatt was released from the prison. He then returned to full favor. Wyatt was then knighted again in 1537. Wyatt was then sent on embassy to Emperor Charles V where he was an English ambassador to Spain. His mission was to seek to improve the Waller 4 relations between Henry VIII and Emperor Charles V, who was offended by Henry’s divorce, form Katharine of Aragon, who was his aunt. He later returned to London on May 1539. Afterwards he was sent on missions to France and Flanders. His specific task was to prevent too close an understandingShow MoreRelated Sonnets 18 and 130: Defending and Defying the Petrarchan Convention1241 Words   |  5 Pagescompare thee to a summers day? The first two quatrains of the poem are composed of his criticism of summer. Compared to summer, his lover is more lovely and more temperate (2). He argues that the wind impairs the beauty of summer, and summer is too brief (3-4). The splendor of summer is affected by the intensity of the sunlight, and, as the seasons change, summer becomes less beautiful (5-8). Due to all of these shortcomings of summer, Shakespeare contends in the third quatrain of this sonnetRead MoreElizabethan Era11072 Words   |  45 Pagesexploration abroad, while at home the Protestant Reformation was established and successfully defended against the Catholic powers of the Continent. The Elizabethan Age is viewed so highly because of the contrasts with the periods before and after. It was a brief period of largely internal peace between the English Reformation, with battles between Protestants and Catholics, and the battles between parliament and the monarchy that would engulf the seventeenth century. The Protestant Catholic divide was settledRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagestextile towns like Lowell, Mass. In post-industrial America, many women of modest means and skills are entering clerical mills where they process paper instead of cloth (coincidentally, EBS occupies a former garment factory). â€Å"The ofï ¬ ce of the future can look a lot like the factory of the past,† says Barbara Garson, author of The Electronic Sweatshop and other books on the modern workplace. â€Å"Modern tools are being used to bring 19th-century working conditions into the white-collar world.† The time-motion

Friday, May 15, 2020

The Effects Of Emotional Intelligence On Job Performance...

Emotional intelligence is â€Å"a set of interrelated abilities at the interface of emotion and cognition, including perceiving, understanding, using, and managing emotions† (Lopes, 2016). According to Jada, Jena, and Pattnaik (2014), emotional intelligence (EI) plays a critical role in work force diversity especially since organizations nowadays are looking to expand their business across globe. Although a significant impact of EI on job performance is not shown, having high interpersonal interaction can still influence the relationship between EI and job performance (Mulla, Z.R., 2010). Guy and Lee (2015) define emotional labor as â€Å"emotive behavior that is performed for a wage†. Moreover, emotional intelligence arbitrates emotional labor in the performance of work duties in consideration to job satisfaction and burnout (Guy Lee, 2015). In practice, EI linked with leadership training can be enhanced through various methods (Lopes, 2016). Acquiring exceptional emo tional intelligence along with other factors is a significant quality for an individual to have in different aspects of the work environment to excel in their field. Paragraphs discussing/support your thesis statement. Business organizations are looking to maximize their revenues, and one way they want to do this is by going global and becoming well known through diversity (Jada, U., Jena, L.K., Pattnaik, R. (2014). Because there is competitiveness in the marketplace, diversity provides a distinct advantage inShow MoreRelatedEmotional, Emotional And Emotional Intelligence1666 Words   |  7 PagesEmotional intelligence is ‘the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth’ (Mayer Salovey, 1997). Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand, accept and recognize our own emotions and feelings, including their impact on ourselves and other people and to use this knowledge to improve our own behaviours as wellRead MoreEmotional Intelligence And Human R esource Management1144 Words   |  5 PagesIn the past years, many people have written about emotional intelligence role in the workplace. Experts belong to emotional intelligence (EI) field provides many models and definitions to understand the concept and meaning of emotional intelligence and its effects on individual’s (Employees, managers, supervisors) performance. As the world is becoming organizational world and as the time passes change is occurring in almost every field. Thus Organizations (public and private sector) have to manageRead MoreThe Effects of Emotional Labor on Performance1538 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Emotional Labor (EL) is defined â€Å"as managing emotions through surface or deep acting by following organizational display rules in return for a wage.† (Hochschild 1983). Task performance and strategy is increased through EL and it has impact on administration of service. Strategies displayed by frontline staffs in service roles may increase bad outcomes by activating negative idea like emotive dissonance and self-alienation. Despite its negative effect EL contributes to the job descriptionRead MoreTaking a Look at Emotional Intelligence1524 Words   |  6 PagesEmotional intelligence: Modern organizations are confronted with demands and pressure is growing consistently cost -effective education leadership, continues to intrigue researchers and practitioners. Considerable amount of research and attention to emotional intelligence and life, personality, social interaction, teamwork, education and leadership to identify links between social satisfactions has been paid. Today increasingly complex and changing world, researcher’s emphasized need for the newRead MoreManagers Emotional Intelligence Effect On Followers Performance1577 Words   |  7 PagesManager’s Emotional Intelligence Effect on Follower’s Performance Job Satisfaction. Research has shown that leaders who have high levels of emotional intelligence are able to increase the job satisfaction of their workers leading to increase performance. In a study done by Sy, Tram, and O’Hara (2006) of 187 restaurant workers, in which 62 were managers, they investigated the relationship between employees’ emotional intelligence, their manager’s emotional intelligence, employees’ job satisfactionRead MoreEmotional Intelligence Training For Increased Success1351 Words   |  6 PagesEmotional Intelligence Training for Increased Success The global business environment is complex and dynamic. Everyone working in business across the globe is experiencing stress (Singh Sharma, 2012). Due to the quick pace at which decisions may need to be made, understanding the impact of mood and emotions on decision making is important for leaders (Brabec, 2012). Decisions are made at all levels within the organization, therefore emotional intelligence skills are required for everyone withinRead MoreThe Management Skills Development Assignment1614 Words   |  7 PagesManagement Skills Development Assignment was the pinnacle of MGMT1000 course. It has allowed me to asses my strengths and weakness and provided me with opportunities to reflect upon personal experiences in which I endeavoured to improve my emotional intelligence. I am incredibly thankful to Dr. Jean Adams for providing me with a new form of education tailored to my own self-interests. I believe I have transformed into a better rounded individual thank to the variou s opportunities that were dawnedRead MoreThe Emotional Expression Of The People s Attitudes Towards Objective Things1672 Words   |  7 Pagesnegative emotions to diagnose workplace status is a good way to better the working space. The emotional expression of the leader plays a vital role in the leader-follower interaction because the emotions of the leader influence the feelings, thoughts and actions of the followers (Nai-wen Ta- Rui, 2014). The study of emotion in organizations has developed in recent years, it is foreseeable that emotional changes play an important role in the workplace. A further analysis on how negative emotionsRead MoreCorrelation Between Employee Motivation And Job Performance Essay1098 Words   |  5 PagesAn employee performance appraisal can act as motivation for an employee to improve his productivity. When an employee sees his goals clearly defined and is measured against the set goals and objectives, a need can be identified about the future strategi es of employee motivation. In this review, I will look at and explore the multiple arguments of the management research articles. So, the question I must ask: is there a positive correlation between employee motivation and job performance? Body 1Read MoreNotes On The Optimism Leaders And The Glass Is Half Full 1579 Words   |  7 Pagesenvironment to work in. He perceives changes as threats; therefore, he speaks negatively and struggles to adapt. Furthermore, his negativity affects his ability to accurately evaluate others attributes. Consequently, our quarterly assessment of our performance does not reflect our strengths; however, it highlights our weaknesses. Self-Awareness Bradberry and Greaves (2009) state, self-awareness is â€Å"your ability to accurately perceive your own emotions in the moment and understand your tendencies

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Reasons Behind Sore Eyes - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 334 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/09/13 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? A sight for sore eyes is one thing, but a sight with sore eyes is another. Sore eyes, or conjunctivitis, can be serious enough to prevent you from getting a clear view of everything around you. If you suffer from an attack of sore eyes, here are things that you can do to relieve the pain and irritation. Conjunctivitis is an infection characterized by irritation of the outer parts of the eye, particularly the inner eyelids. The inflammation may spread itself to parts of the outer eyelids and the corneas. People suffering from sore eyes usually have very red, itchy, irritated eyes. Conjunctivitis is also a contagious illness, and can be passed around through direct contact with a handkerchief, towelette, or a piece of tissue paper. Bacterial conjunctivitis is caused by bacteria that enter the eye, causing redness and irritation. Some cases of bacterial conjunctivitis may cause pus discharge and other complications. Viral conjunctivitis causes the eye to turn very red. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Reasons Behind Sore Eyes" essay for you Create order The disease is also known as â€Å"pink eye†. Chemical conjunctivitis is caused by allergens or other toxic chemicals (like soap, shampoo, or rubbing alcohol) irritating the sensitive areas of the outer eye. The good news is that most cases of viral conjunctivitis will heal themselves through time, although you really have to be quick on your feet for cases of chemical conjunctivitis. Here are some home remedies you can try to cure your sore eyes. Water flush. If your sore eyes are caused by chemical irritation, flush your eyes with clean tap water immediately. Warm compresses can help inhibit the growth and reproduction of viruses that cause viral conjunctivitis. To prevent damage to your eyes, wrap the hot water bottle in thicker towels than what you would usually use for a hot compress. Sore eyes can be irritating, painful, and unsightly. With these tips to help you get rid of your sore eyes, you can see the world and the world can see you with the best look and view possible.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Difference Between Total Quality Management - 896 Words

Table I shows a summary of the various approaches and some of their key characteristics. Despite some differences between Total Quality Management (TQM), the Theory Of Constraints (TOC), Six Sigma and Lean the desired outcome of each methodology is ultimately customer focused. TQM, and Lean trace their origins to the quality evolution in Japan shortly after the Second World War though the concepts within each have developed differently. Many TQM concepts and tools have become integral parts Lean methodology, but they differ in their primary focus. While six sigma is often viewed as a direct descendant of TQM it brings a more disciplined approach to process improvement, organizational structure and focus. TOC was introduced to overcome the perceived shortcomings of both Lean and TQM. Both were thought to lack focus on the throughput of a product that was considered to provide a greater benefit in terms of improving an organization’s financial performance. Total Quality Management (TQM) Theory of Constraints (TOC) Six Sigma LEAN Goal †¢ Improve Quality defined as meeting or exceeding customer expectations †¢ Maximize throughput by managing constraints †¢ Reduce or remove the primary source of Variation †¢ Deliver value to the customer through waste elimination Focus Quality focused System constraints Problem focused Flow focused Core Concepts †¢ Understand and fulfill customer expectations †¢ Concentrate on process management to reduce sources of variation †¢ Focus onShow MoreRelatedAn Introduction to Total Quality Management1250 Words   |  5 PagesExpress’ is synonymous with quality. It is recognized that the Federal Express Company a world leader in transportation area and information field. Federal Express can deliver packages overnight to almost anywhere in the world. Simultaneously, people can track packages at any time so that they can know where their goods are. (Neff Citrin, 2001) As the good quality and services Federal Express provided, people like it, trust it and make it universally. Thus, a distinctive quality is vital to every organizationRead MoreThe Role of TQM1626 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿What is the relationship between Total Quality Management (TQM) and Continuous Improvement (CI)? Discuss the roles of Quality Assurance and Quality Control and their relative importance in demonstrating this relationship? What is the role of quality role in the development of an E-Commerce capability? Total Quality Management (TQM) is focus on the quality of the products or services. TQM expands beyond statistical process control to embrace a wider scope of management activities of how we manageRead MoreQuality Of Work Life Among Female Employees1542 Words   |  7 PagesQUALITY OF WORK LIFE AMONG FEMALE EMPLOYEES IN PRIVATE SECTOR BANKS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO COIMBATORE CITY ABSTRACT: Quality of work life is the measure to which individuals are able to satisfy their important personal needs while in work by the bank. Quality of work life refers to the level of happiness or dissatisfaction with one s work. It describes a person’s or group’s standard of living environment, public health, safety and general atmosphere while quality of work lifeRead MoreQuality And Total Quality Management1662 Words   |  7 PagesQuality is defined by meeting customers needs. Total quality management in the company through continuous improvement of the quality of its products, services and people. (Goetsch, 2010) Quality and total quality management, the main difference is that perception and activities. (Goetsch, 2010) Here are two of the main elements of the total amount as follows: 1) Education and training: all must be trained and the staff of the organization and educated so that they work hard to do a smart job.Read MoreEngineering Educational Institutes in India1545 Words   |  6 Pagesthe issue of quality in higher education is strongly felt when the students are seen struggling in the global workforce market. According to a latest NASSCOM report the the four major challenges which exist today include employability, infrastructure, favourable policies and competition from other low cost countries. 26% of employable engineers in technology services continues to be a major bottleneck. â€Å"There is a strong correlation between a country’s competitiveness and the quality of higher educationRead MoreForecasting Management Philosophy Life Cycles959 Words   |  4 PagesForecasting Management Philosophy Life Cycles A Comparative Study of Six Sigma and TQM This paper emphasizes on Management fads and their life cycles, precisely Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma. Management fad typifies a change in management philosophy followed by the organizations. As long as management fads create a positive incremental impingement on the organization they are acceptable. The author juxtaposes Total Quality Management (TQM), Quality circles and Six sigma with differentRead MoreQuality Management in Current Business Management and Issues1317 Words   |  5 PagesQuality Management in Current Business Management Issues Objective The objective of this study is to examine quality management in business and to apply contemporary theory. Introduction The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that effective management is the key to the establishment and growth of the business and states as well that the key to successful management is examination of the marketplace environment and create employment and profit opportunities that provide the potentialRead MoreProduction and Operations Management1511 Words   |  7 PagesBBA – 305 PRODUCTION OPERATION MANAGEMENT Model Questions based on Previous years Question Papers UNIT – I Qs. 1 : Explain the importance of Production Operation Management in current scenario. Why it has become an integral part of Business Education ? State with examples. [BBA-IP: Dec. 2011] Qs. 2 : Operation Management is becoming a very important subject in Business Education in the last fewRead MoreThe Importance Of Patient Care And Quality Care885 Words   |  4 Pagespatient care and quality care is essential for an organization to remain in business. It is often understood that quality over quantity is indispensable and imperative for an organization to succeed. In most cases, costs are not the determining factor and should be of concern when it comes to patient safety and quality care. Therefore, the measurement of the quality care is more valuable than state-of-art facilities, costs, and specialized fields of medicine. Quality Measures The quality of care canRead MoreQuestions on Operations Management1661 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Chapter 1: Introduction to Operations Management Overview This chapter provides a definition of operations management. The role and importance of operations in an organization are described, along with operations decisions that are made. The differences between manufacturing and services are described. The history and current trends of operations management are discussed, including the impact of information systems. Finally, the interaction between operations and other business functions

How Academic Pressures Can Be Detrimental For...

As Pre–service teachers, we agreed that our inquiry should emphasise both formal and informal learning, and how academic pressures can be detrimental for socioemotional wellbeing. Our current philosophical question was not our original question (APPENDIX A), as we realised that our original question was excessively complex and broad. By utilising and reworking various elements of our original question, we formed our current philosophical question: Does our current educational system value academic skills and dispositions at the expense of socioemotional wellbeing? We discussed what we as individuals believe the Purpose of Education encompasses. There was a general consensus that education needs to include elements of academia, however, some members saw the value of an informal education with a basis of social interaction. In-depth dialogue and Socratic questioning, lead us to the notions of informal and formal education, where everyone drew upon their prior experiences. Later, we built upon our understanding, concluding that an efficacious education needs to be both formally and informally situated. We decided to focus on the Humanist and Constructivist Theorists: Confucius, John Dewey, Paulo Freire, Henry Giroux and Maria Montessori (Lewis, 2012). Our question is philosophical, because it can be supported by empirical evidence, it is broad, it is subject to differing opinions, and it promotes Socratic questioning and further discussion. This philosophical question isShow MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesRating Scale 166 Comparison Data 166 Source of Personal Stress 166 3 SOLVING PROBLEMS ANALYTICALLY AND CREATIVELY 167 SKILL ASSESSMENT 168 Diagnostic Surveys for Creative Problem Solving 168 Problem Solving, Creativity, and Innovation 168 How Creative Are You ? 169 Innovative Attitude Scale 171 Creative Style Assessment 172 SKILL LEARNING 174 Problem Solving, Creativity, and Innovation 174 Steps in Analytical Problem Solving 174 Defining the Problem 174 Generating Alternatives 176 Evaluating

Sugar Free Essays

Sugar is a common name of substances that are white, soluble in water, fermentable and generally sweet, containing carbon, oxygen and hydrogen in its composition, extracted from the juice or starch of the roots and roots of many plants such as sugarcane, sugar beet, carrot, maize, date, grape, wheat, and potatoes. Sugar has various types such as sucrose, lactose, maltose, laevulose, fructose, glucose, and starch. Sucrose from sugar beet and sugar cane is the sugar that used in daily life. We will write a custom essay sample on Sugar or any similar topic only for you Order Now Aside from the sugar we take with fruits, vegetables and natural foods, added sugar is the main cause of many health problems. The main focuses of this article will be the damages sugar causes to our physical and mental health along with the why and how to quit sugar. Effects on Physical Health All forms of sugar such as corn syrup, honey, maple syrup affect the body somehow. The body cannot handle a very high amount of processed sugar. The basic organs are severely damaged by the consumption of this poor-quality sugar. Sugar alone is not a group of food itself. However, as expected, sugar is present in most foods by itself and does not contain any nutrients, proteins, fats and enzymes, and is the only empty calorie structure. There is no safe quantification of added sugar. Only natural sugar in fruits and vegetables is balanced with vitamins, fibers and enzymes, so the properties of fruits and vegetables slow down sugar digestion and help the body. However, added sugar does not provide any benefit. Sugar, the trigger of many chronic illnesses, is found in the abundance of packaged foods, all kinds of pastries and sweetened drinks. In particular, health problems that are caused by the loss of sugar are frequently encountered in people who are constantly consuming intensively since childhood. Among the damages of sugar, the disorder of blood sugar balance comes first. Sugar consumption which causes excessive secretion of the insulin hormone that makes blood sugar balance, causes the blood sugar to fall again due to such high insulin, which leads to many troubles. It is also known that this effect of sugar, which reduces the resistance of the body and makes all disease and disorders more open, is triggered by a long irreversible process. As the consumption of sugar increases, more fat accumulates in the tissues and these fat tissues, which gradually cover the internal organs, also prevent the functioning of the organs. As a result, there are serious consequences from heart and vascular diseases to fatty liver, cancer, obesity and dysfunction in the organs. How to cite Sugar, Papers

Sample Assignment with Chicago Referencing Style

Introduction Obesity has emerged as the most pressing nutritional problem facing the developed world. This trend has occurred over a relatively short period of time; in the United States, it appears to have begun in the last quarter of the 20th century. The epidemic in children followed shortly thereafter. The most recent data (19992000) from national surveys in the United States suggest that almost two thirds of the adult population is overweight, and almost one third is obese. In children, current estimates (19992000) put the prevalence of overweight at 15%, a threefold increase over the past 30 years. Although this epidemic has spared no subgroup of the population and has been documented in individuals of all ages and racial/ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups, the problem is greatest in minority populations and among persons living in poverty. Obesity is a global public health problem, affecting virtually every region of the world with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa. Discussion Identification The World Health Organization (2000) defines obesity as a condition of abnormal or excess accumulation of adipose tissue (body fat) to an extent that an individual's health may be impaired. Because the precise measurement of adipose tissue requires invasive laboratory measures, in the population context, a simpler measure on which to base an obesity definition is required. Although imperfect, the Body Mass Index (BMI), defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, has been adopted by consensus in the United States by the National Institutes of Health (1998) and the Centers; for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and internationally by WHO (2000). Consensus definitions of overweight and obesity have been set at 25 (overweight) and 30 (obesity), with severity classes of obesity defined as follows: overweight, 25.0 to 29.9; Class I obesity, 30.0 to 34.9; Class II obesity, 35.0 to 39.9; and Class III obesity, 40.0+. The WHO (2000) terminology differs slightly, but the cutoff points are the same. In growing children, in whom weight and height are both changing (and at different rates), the definition of obesity is inherently more complicated. Although no universally agreed on standard exists for assessing overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, there is a growing consensus that BMI should be adopted as an indirect measure of adiposity for children and adolescents, as well. Because BMI varies substantially by age and gender during childhood and adolescence, the specific BMI cutoffs used to classify obesity must be gender- and age-specific and must be referenced against a standard. In the United States, the standard used is the CDC Revised Growth Reference. Internationally, several standards, including one based on a pooled international sample are also in use. Several periods in development have been proposed as critical periods in the development of persistent obesity and its comorbid consequences. These include the prenatal period (when intrauterine exposures may influence adiposity), early childhood, and adolescence. Some evidence suggests that breast-feeding may protect against later obesity. Likelihood of persistence in adulthood of obesity from childhood is related both to age at onset and severity. Sequelae Childhood obesity has a number of immediate, intermediate, and long-term health consequences. These include classic cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipid levels, and impaired glucose tolerance. Respiratory conditions include sleep-disordered breathing. In addition, early menarche and menstrual abnormalities are linked to overweight. Of particular concern is the emergence of type 2 diabetes, once considered an adult-onset disease, as a disease of childhood. The psychological impact may represent one of the most damaging effects of obesity given that stigmatization and social isolation may result in lower self-esteem and depression. In a recently replicated classic study, children were asked to rank order a series of drawings of children with various handicaps (crutches, wheelchair, missing a hand, facial disfigurement, obesity) based on which child they would like best. The obese child was ranked last irrespective of the ranking child's sex, ra ce, socioeconomic status, living environment, and own disability. In another study, ratings of quality of life for children with obesity were similar to those of children undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. Although obesity in adulthood that has been present from childhood may carry an additional burden due to increased severity, much adult obesity arises through adult weight gain. The health consequences of obesity present in adulthood are enormous, both in magnitude and impact on quality of life. In developing its clinical guidelines, the NIH report identified an extensive list of health conditions for which obesity increased risk. These include hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, many cancers, and depression. The number of deaths per year in the United States attributable to obesity has been estimated at about 300,000. Risk Factors In all persons, child or adult, obesity arises due to energy imbalance: When energy intake exceeds energy expenditure, most of the excess calories are stored as adipose tissue. To give rise to obesity, energy imbalance must occur over a long period of time and likely reflects a combination of factors. Individual behaviors, environmental factors, and heredity, singly and in combination, contribute to the development of obesity. The rapidity with which the obesity epidemic emerged rules out simple genetic explanations. The current environment in the United States has been characterized as obesogenic, meaning that it promotes high energy intakes and low energy expendituresthe energy imbalance that gives rise to weight gain. Modern industrialized societies provide abundant, relatively inexpensive food; modern life is organized to reduce energy expenditure at work and at home, through technology and urbanization. For a species that evolved to store fat in times of plenty in order to survi ve in leaner times, many individuals are genetically susceptible to gain weight in the current environment. Excessive energy intake is a primary risk factor for the development of childhood and adult obesity, although the specific aspects of intake responsible are controversial. Dietary factors, such as diet composition, energy density, fat intake, fruit and vegetable consumption, snacks, sugar-rich foods, and soft drinks, have all been identified in association with obesity. Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables can help reduce the intake of dietary fat and calories because they are naturally low in fat and energy density compared with other foods. Despite current recommendations that individuals over the age of 2 years consume 2 to 4 servings of fruits and 3 to 5 servings of vegetables daily, children and adolescents eat an average of only 3.6 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and fried potatoes account for a large proportion of those servings. A number of other dietary variables, including soft drinks, snacking, portion sizes, and infant feeding have also been linked t o childhood obesity. Studies suggest that the increased consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, snack foods (which are often high in fat or/and sugar), and large-sized portions of foods have contributed to the increase in energy intakes. Physical Activity Reduced physical activity may be the most important factor in explaining the increase of obesity over the past two decades. Physical activity among U.S. youth is in decline, with nearly half of young people aged 12 to 21 reporting that they do not engage in vigorous physical activity regularly and one fourth reporting no vigorous physical activity. Whereas leisure time physical activity has increased in men and remained constant in women over the past four decades in the United States, activity associated with work and home life has declined over the same period. Sedentary behavior and inactivity, such as watching television and playing video/computer games, also are contributory factors. Gortmaker et al. (1996) reported an adjusted-odds ratio (OR) for obesity of 8.3 for adolescents who watched TV more than 5 hours per day compared with those who watched 0 to 2 hours. Compelling evidence comes from intervention studies, which show that reducing TV viewing time can help prevent childh ood obesity. Adults in a trial of maintenance following weight loss sustained their losses best when physical activity was high and television viewing was low. TV watching may promote obesity by reducing physical activity, lowering metabolic rate, and increasing energy intake. The latter may occur due to the fact that TV viewing may be associated with snacking and may moderate eating habits generally through greater exposure to advertising of foods high in added sugars and fat or by conveying mixed messages about lifestyle and health in the content of advertisements. TV viewing is a major source of inactivity among Americans. Screen time, a summary measure of time spent viewing television and videos and engaged in computer-based activity, represents the largest proportion of nonsleep, nonschool time for youth. Conclusions Obesity has emerged as the major nutritional problem facing the pediatric and adult populations worldwide. The etiology of obesity is multifactorial and includes individual risk factors, genetic influences, and environmental effectors. The severity of the problem, in terms of immediate and long-term health consequences to physical and psychological health, suggests it is a problem that will dominate the public health agenda in the 21st century.