Antonio Encinas Rodríguez MASTER IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

A01451260 EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Individual practice with peer evaluation

1. What are the arguments of the DOF article?

● High consumption of sugar-added beverages.
● Excess energy intake.
● High prevalence of overweightness and obesity.
● Sugar-added beverages are an important reason why people become
obese in Mexico.
● Sugar-added beverages consumption is the cause of many important
public health issues in Mexico.

2. Which consistencies or inconsistencies did you find in the document?

Consistencies

● Mexico has a large consumer demographic of sugar-added beverages.

● Sugar-added beverages are an important reason why people become
obesity in Mexico.
● Sugar-added beverage consumption is a cause of an enormous public
health issue in Mexico.

Inconsistencies

● Sugar-added beverages are an inelastic product in Mexico (Miguel Angel

Pallares, 2013). By taxing the product, the government will reduce the
consumer and producer surplus (which is not good for the economy) and
people will continue consuming these products anyway.
● Sugar-added beverages are not the only reason for why Mexicans
develop obesity; there are many others.

3. Which biases or errors did you find in the arguments (bad arguments, fallacies,
omissions, false inferences and deceptive statistics)?
● Omission: Sugar-added beverages are not the only reason for why
Mexicans develop obesity. Many others also contribute and should be
controlled.
● False inference: Taxing Sugar-added beverages will not decrease the
consumption and the obesity rate.

4. Can conclusions be drawn from the arguments?

Antonio Encinas Rodríguez MASTER IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
A01451260 EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

The causes of obesity indicated in the text are well stated. Mexico is one of
the biggest consumers of Sugar-added beverages. It is clear that this excess
energy intake contributes to an enormous public health problem as well as a
myriad of diseases. Stated differently, Sugar-added beverage consumption is one
of the main reasons why people develop obesity in Mexico, however, it is not the
only reason.

5. Is the person’s point of view derived from his or her research?

In my opinion, he probably did some brief research about the health

problems provoked by sugar-added beverage consumption. There is much
information about the topic and it is not hard to find resources quickly, but the
source must be trustworthy in order to be taken seriously. On the other hand, he
looked neither for the rest of the products, those that also induce cardiovascular
diseases, nor the economic impact of their decision. Moreover, the viability of the
solution was not validated.

6. How are you ordering your own arguments (to avoid being unfocused)?

I am trying to contextualize the information and make connections using the

critical thinking method. In spite of this, it is not an exact guide to follow, only a
good way to start organizing ideas so as to develop a solid conclusion. Moreover, it
aids me to ask the following questions.

● Did I receive all the necessary information available?

● Was there any conflict within the evidence?

Personal conclusion

Mexico definitely has an enormous health problem related to obesity and

cardiovascular diseases. Many products and lifestyles are the reasons why. The
government should develop programs to prevent cardiovascular diseases, and, in
spite of what they are trying to do, they are not using the right strategy.

References
● El financiero (2013) “Mexicanos, muy fieles al refresco, aunque paguen
más” recuperado el 11 de noviembre de 2020 de:
https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/empresas/mexicanos-muy-fieles-al-
refresco-aunque-paguen-mas
● El financiero (2020) “Obesidad y prediabetes” recuperado el 11 de
noviembre de 2020 de:
Antonio Encinas Rodríguez MASTER IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
A01451260 EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/empresas/mexicanos-muy-fieles-al-
refresco-aunque-paguen-mas
● El financiero (2019) “Gracias a México, Coca-Cola es la que más refresco
vende” recuperado el 11 de noviembre de 2020 de:
https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/monterrey/gracias-a-mexico-coca-cola-es-
la-que-mas-refrescos-vende