Saturday, August 31, 2019

Danger, Death, Boredom and Reporting from Iraq Essay

The war in Iraq is arguably the most significant news story of our time; a relentless show of bloody violence that has dragged on for six years and claimed thousands of civilians’ and foreigners’ lives. Unfortunately, it is perhaps the most underreported war at least in certain inside story aspects due to the danger that its bloody violence poses on journalists. It is not easy to be a news reporter in Iraq. While many of them make a valiant attempt to penetrate the most dangerous turfs and report the real story, only a few of them manage- and live to tell the tale. As the war progresses, foreigners –majority of who are journalists- have increasingly become the prime target of the militia. For years, Iraq has been ranked by the Committee to Protect Journalists as the deadliest place for the media to work in worldwide- and the figures are telling. As of 2007, a total of 133 media support workers and journalists had lost their lives; 83% of them locals who were linked to the Western media. Fast forward to 2009 and the figures are likely to be higher than that. The most disturbing fact about these deaths is that the journalists are not hapless victims caught in a cross fire but are actually the targets of these attacks. While some journalists, especially those embedded in the US and British armies are killed in combat, murder remains the leading cause of death for journalists in Iraq (Ricchiardi, 2007). Cockburn (2007) has noted that due to the difficulty faced by journalists in unearthing and reporting the real story, it is easy for politicians to say anything they want, usually to their advantage and get away with it since the truth cannot be established. This is very frustrating for journalists since they cannot verify the real situation on the ground without risking their lives; essentially they cannot do their work. The main reason why journalists have become the prime targets is because they are regarded as spies out to collect information for the enemy camp. Unfortunately, the nature of the journalism trade requires them to actually be in the field where the crossfire is taking place and to constantly expose themselves to danger in an attempt to get an inside story. Thus they have been felled by bullets, roadside bombs, rockets or they have been kidnapped for ransom. Some of those kidnapped have ended up being beheaded. Undoubtedly, urgent steps have to be taken to protect the lives of journalists. Some media houses have taken great lengths to protect their correspondents by offering them tight security while on the ground but even then, it is not a guarantee that they are fully protected and an ambush is always lurking somewhere. Thus other media companies have pulled out altogether with some opting to use local correspondents who stand a slightly better chance of security than their foreign counterparts (Cockburn, 2007). The Iraqi war started in earnest and for months on end dominated the newsrooms as dramatic events such as the capture and execution of Saddam Hussein unfolded. However, even the most sensational story loses its luster with time and the Iraq war is no exception. Having dragged on for years and with no end in sight, it slowly slipped into oblivion as journalists tired of reporting the same old bloody story and the public grew numb to the coverage. A study by the Project of Excellence in Journalism reveals falling Iraq news coverage, 24% to 1%, by cable networks. Print media have also reduced coverage, from 457 stories related to Iraq as of September 2007 to 49 as of March 2008. Clearly, interest in the Iraq coverage seems to be declining. This has been attributed to several factor such as the danger faced by journalists in Iraq, declining budgets in the face of high maintenance costs for Iraq correspondents, competing stories and war fatigue (Ricchiardi, 2008). Personally, I tired of following the Iraq war coverage quite a while back. This is because there is nothing new. Day in day out, we listen to the same old bloody story and sadly, we have become used to it. With no end in sight, I have had found myself letting go of the Iraq war and shifting focus to other events. Maybe it is time for the U. S government and its army to do the same.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Greenlawn Commercial Package Business Essay

So, eventhough some significant costs such as lease expense, service techs, fertilizer costs and overhead costs have decreased, the decrease in revenues due to the decrease in applications leave only a 1% contribution margin vs a 13% contribution in the before scenario. 3- Personal recommendation. It appears to me that the organization has already indicated that it wishes to back Amy Carter and the biological engineering and environment vision. Calling Amy the division’s thought leader. This new era project is a â€Å"hat trick† for the division and is the vision for Greenlawn’s future. If the organization loses revenue in the short term, when can they expect to breakeven with the current revenues of the ten million. The expectation is that revenues will decrease to six million, but will then be capable of growing the customer base, whereby replacing the revenue lost by changing to the advanced new generation of products that are easier to apply, have lower costs and more importantly environmentally friendly. This environmentally friendly approach to Greenlawn’s business will keep the company at the cutting edge of technology in its field. Maintaining its status and reputation as the nation’s largest lawn-care and landscape-services company. I would recommend either keeping it the same as before with the revenues at ten million, or reducing the fertilizer costs and selling the new generation of products in order to gain more customers. If more customers are gained due to environmentally friendly process than the revenues and contribution margin will increase. Should the organization change, they can expect a short term reduction in revenue, with the likeliness of long term sustainability for generations to come.

Dashboard Analysis and Nursing Plan for Pain Response Essay

In information technology, a dashboard is a user interface that, somewhat resembles an automobile’s dashboard, organizing and presenting information in a way that is easy to read. Healthcare dashboards are designed to show the performance of key activities that directly or indirectly impact patient satisfaction, such as length of stay and lab test turnaround. This paper will take at look at pain response and breakdown why it is important and ways to improve it. Analysis of the data In 1998, the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) was established by The American Nurses Association (ANA) so that the ANA could continue to collect and build on data obtained to ensure a better outcome for patients (Montalvo, 2007). The sample dashboard for the purpose of this paper, showed a decline in response to pain in 3 out of the 4 quarters surveyed. Despite the availability of analgesics, particularly opioids, and national guidelines to manage pain, the incidence of postoperative pain has remained stable over the past decade. Thus, acute pain associated with surgical and diagnostic procedures is a common occurrence in U.S. hospitals and remains inadequately managed for many patients (Hughes, 2008). Nursing Plan To many times nurses don’t properly medicate patients, due to patients not correctly reporting their pain, or staff members commenting on how often they are requesting pain meds. In 1968, Margo McCaffery defined pain as â€Å"whatever the person experiencing says it is, and occurring when the person says it does.† (Martin, Kelly, & Roosa, 2012). Inadequate management of pain and other symptoms not only decreases the quality of life; it also creates a financial burden on the health care system and on our society. Unrelieved pain costs millions of dollars annually as a result of longer  hospital stays, re-hospitalizations, and visits to outpatient clinics and emergency rooms (Berry & Dahl, 2000). On January 1, 2001, pain management standards went into effect for Joint Commission accredited ambulatory care facilities, behavioral health care organizations, critical access hospitals, home care providers, hospitals, office-based surgery practices, and long term care provide rs (The Joint Commission, 2014). The standards require the nurses to recognize the right of patients to appropriate assessment and management of pain, to screen patients for pain during their initial assessment and, when clinically required, during ongoing, periodic re-assessments, and educate patients suffering from pain and their families about pain management. A proper assessment needs to be completed upon admission, and the physician needs to be contacted to ensure proper pain management is in effect. There are several different pain scales to be used based on the patient’s alertness and cognitive ability. The 0-10 Numeric Scale is the most widely used scale for patients who are alert and oriented. Wong-Baker FACES scale is used more with younger pediatric patients or mentally challenged. The FLACC scale is used for patients who can’t verbally or visually report their pain level. Once a patient has been assessed and proper treatment has been established, follow up is very important to maintain a proper level of pain control. It is the nurses responsibility to return to ask the patient how their pain is after intervention has been given. Typically if pain medication was administered you should reassess 30 minutes after IV medication and 60 minutes after oral medication. Don’t take it for granted if the patient is resti ng, some patients don’t physically show signs of pain. Once the patient is ready for discharge, proper education about pain control needs to be instructed to the patient and family member. Explanations of why it’s important to continue the pain meds at home, medications to avoid while taking them, and side effects that may occur. If NDNQI results continue to decline in future reports, re-education of current staff should be performed. Pain management has often been referred to as the 5th vital sign, nurses and nursing assistants should be instructed to ask/assess about pain when taking vitals. Frequent chart audits should be conducted to ensure proper charting and pain interventions are occurring. Pain management starts with educating the staff on the proper assessments and following through on interventions  implemented. Summary In conclusion, for patients to have a better experience with their hospital stay, proper pain management needs to occur. With the correct orientation and training of staff to the different pain scales used, frequency of patients being asked about pain, and proper interventions being implemented, nursing scores for response to pain should increase. References Berry, P, PhD, RN, CRNH, CS, & Dahl, J, PhD. (2000). The new JCAHO pain standards: Implications for pain management nurses. Pain Management Nursing, Vol 1(Issue 1), 3-12. Retrieved from http://www.painmanagementnursing.org/article/S1524-9042(00)04110-2/abstract Hughes, R. (2008). Patient safety and quality: An evidence-based handbook for nurses. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Martin, L., Kelly, M., & Roosa, K. (2012). Multidisciplinary approach to improving pain management. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly,35(3), 268-271. Montalvo, I., (September 30, 2007) â€Å"The National Database of Nursing Quality IndicatorsTM (NDNQI ®)† OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. 12 No. 3, Manuscript 2. The Joint Commission. (2014, February 4). Retrieved September 21, 2014.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Peer review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 27

Peer review - Essay Example The result of this paper demonstrates how important the spiritual body is for both of these faiths although neither have anything else in common. In conclusion, although varying religions do have different rituals or prayers they all agree that a healthy spiritual body is required for a healthy human being. Providing optimal health care is what every health provider strives to do. In order to provide this holistic care, providers will need to view the person as the whole – body, mind, spirit and emotions. In other words, to provide the optimal health care that every patient deserves, health care workers must work with patients to achieve a proper balance in the patient’s lives; physical, emotional and spiritual (Shelly & Miller, 2006).   All patients must be viewed as a person and not a disease. They are individuals with both a physical and mental health. However in order to provide this type of care health care, providers must be knowledgeable about the various different faith expressions and be able to accept the diversity among the varied faiths as all patients providers offer care to will be from numerous different backgrounds. As a consequence to develop insight in providing a most holistic care this paper will explore two different perspectives, Christia n and Buddhism, and compare each of them relative to their different belief systems and their implications of these beliefs on health care. To compare the two different perspectives, both of the perspective’s worldview must be clearly defined. Defining the basics of the worldview will require 7 elementary questions: What is prime reality, What is the nature of the world around us, What is a human being, What happens to a person at death, Why is it possible to know anything at all, How do we know right and wrong, and lastly What is the meaning of human history (Shelly & Miller, 2006).   Beginning with the Christian perspective, the prime reality within the Christian worldview is that

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 48

Art - Essay Example This means the figure represent humanity in general. Borofsky prompts the viewer to compare the sculpture with what happens in our daily lives. In as much as the figures face away from one another, they are able to communicate through holding hands. This simply means regardless of the differences people might have in life, they still need each other for survival (Borofsky 1). The image of two people holding hands could have various meanings. For example, it could demonstrate children playing in a field. One child is a head of the other while the other one is running after him. The holding of hand is a symbol of love and affection between the children. This is a message to all viewers that they should love one another. It also means that people should always be active and happy in their daily lives. The images demonstrate people who are running while holding hands. The runners could be sportsmen in the field. This means it is important for sportsmen to work as a team while in a competition. They should also demonstrate the true spirit of sportsmanship by helping any injured person in the field. Lastly, they should know competition is not about being enemies but rather it is a game that demonstrates who is well equipped to win a duel One of the images has a person running while the remaining person has a raised hand though standing. The raised hand could be intended to direct the running person. This encourages viewers to avoid trouble and run away whenever it is necessary. This means that viewers ought not to fight back when wronged. Instead, they should walk away in peace in order to avoid confrontation that could be more disastrous resulting into loss of life. Borofsky starts his work with drawings. This is usually a demonstration of his thoughts that he transforms into an object. The object is usually an initial idea about human life. The idea could be happiness, love or sadness. He then converts the ideas into images that could be understood by

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

5 porter forces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

5 porter forces - Essay Example A company offering goods at cheaper prices tends to attract more potential clients than one whose prices are exorbitant (O’Shaughnessy, 2006, p.12). Michels Patisserie as a large industry faces rivalry from other enterprises in Australia which leads to fluctuations in the eventual gains. Competitors who try to drive the industry out of business are major rivals, and this can be achieved through bad rumours and law suits. In the long run, the competition reduces the profits and at times if healthy, causes gain in the industry. However, the firm ensures that strategies to control rivalry are maintained and that it ensures the highest levels where competition is involved by offering the best services. Differentiation of goods is common in the food industry, and this is no different in a cake firm. Substitutes provide an easy outlet to consumers of goods when prices of those that they consume go up. A large cake industry faces low gains when the price of cake goes down, and the clients opt to consume bread instead. Threats of substitutes in the markets will lead to low profits due to high prices that the customers cannot afford. The firm has however dealt with such threats by ensuring that the costs of production are low and that customers can obtain quality and cheap products. Various advertisements have been implemented to create awareness that ensures consumption of cakes even when prices are up. The income of a consumer at any point in time determines what and how much is to be bought. The purchasing power of a person is subject to income. A company should set up products and goods where people are able to get and access them. The products to be offered and the prices set should meet the ability of people to purchase. As a large cake industry based in Australia, Michels Patisserie has to ensure that the goods produced meet such abilities. The firm has ensures that the profits obtained are those projected by availing products to many consumers through branching

Monday, August 26, 2019

The Impact of the Internet and Product Development Essay

The Impact of the Internet and Product Development - Essay Example Though the internet started its development journey in the 1960s it is only in the 1990s that commercializing of the same Started. This period between the 1990s and today saw massive a leap in the number of internet users, with the same reaching 2.2 billion in 20101. Founded in or around 1976, Apple Inc.s formative years were also the internets formative years hence the close association of the two as Apple Inc., is a growing computer hardware company, produced hardware that was used hand in hand with the internet. Their growth therefore coincided. When internet marketing became a common phenomenon the company took the earliest opportunity to market itself through the internet. The company has kept pace with the latter growth in terms of the number of customers and profitability and will continue to do so as the two are closely connected. The two billion people who get to visit the internet are able to learn about apple through its may advert in its website and other popular sites in cluding search engines. The marketing of the company is therefore personalized. The adverts have gone a long way to create and model the personalities and legacies of persons connected with apple such as its late icon, Steve Jobs3.  Internet marketing is largely responsible for Apple business success today. The third largest mobile phone producer in the world, Apple has placed over a billion adverts on the internet for the time it has been in operation4. As a result, Apple is the most admired company in the united states today. The company aims to maintain its high customer base and it is convinced it can do so through solely marketing its products on the internet. The company also aims to disburse information on its products as fast as possible and the same can only be effectively achieved through the internet.  

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Explain & discuss the stages of the online buying process from a Essay

Explain & discuss the stages of the online buying process from a consumer & site owner perspective - Essay Example As a result, the first thing a consumer looks for when he or she wants to buy a product through the internet is whether their money will be safe if they use the site. Due to this, the company should ensure that the providing security indicators that will make the consumer confident that his or her money is secure if they use the site. After a customer is contented about the security of the online buying website, they then try to establish that their privacy is protected. Another issue that customers determine during this stage is if the site has measures to ensure that their identity is safe from identity thieves. Hence, the company should ensure that customer information is treated with at most privacy ensuring that it cannot be stolen by either hackers or even the company’s staff. People are always very cautious in order not to become victims of internet scams. After the second stage, customers usually try to find out if the website facilitating online buying is a fraud or it is real deal. Due to this, the company should provide the customers with sufficient information for them to ensure that the company’s site is not a scam. Due to the issues of security, online buyers mostly use the best means of online payment. This is because it is through this that they feel their money will not be lost. This being so, the company should ensure that it accepts all the best methods of payment. It should use all the best because customer opinions on best payment methods often differ from each other. Customers try to make sure that they have all the details of the transaction that they took part. They tend to require sellers address, billings, mode of delivery among others. The company should ensure that its website provide all these details to customers to ensure that customers are satisfied with the site All these five steps will guide the company in creating a good site for online buying. However, it is

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Unplug Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unplug - Essay Example The documentary highlights the terrors associated with technology. Technology has transformed the way people act and interact in the contemporary society. Electronic devices drive people to distraction. For instance, texting and driving is a multitasking activity that has caused the death of several drivers because of the associated distraction. Technology calls for self-restraint, just like any other beneficial invention in the current century. I was unable to honor the pledge to unplug for 24 hours because I cannot live without my devices. In fact, I spent more time on my devices during that time, than I did previously. It is difficult to avoid technology owing to its varied benefits such as communication with friends, and entertainment purposes. Life would undoubtedly be extremely boring without the current technological trends, which are unquestionably addictive. It is difficult to understand why the directors made a documentary like DSKNECTD, considering I am using a laptop to type my assignment, about the film, while watching it on

Friday, August 23, 2019

Business Continuity and Crisis Management Essay

Business Continuity and Crisis Management - Essay Example As the study outlines most comments that arise in the use of business continuity and crisis management is that people tend to confuse its role with that of insurance companies. The manner in which business continuity and crisis management are also explored by providing an example from the City of London Resilience Forum. Introduction Business continuity management helps to ensure continuity of a business by focusing on the critical business process within and outside the organization. Unplanned events have a very devastating effect on both small and big businesses and they range from fire, damage to illness of key staff, IT system failure that makes it impossible to carry the smooth running operations of a business. The negative impact of business crisis is that it can make business loose customers who make an important component of the business and prevent the closure of businesses. Good planning of the business process helps minimize the potential impact of disaster thus prevent it from happening and spoiling for the business. Business continuity is an all-inclusive management process that recognizes potential effects that impends a business and gives an agenda for building elasticity and the ability for the organization to safeguard the interest of various stakeholders. According to Blyth, business continuity involves the management approving a strategic and tactical approach to dealing with emergency disasters that are unforeseen and may pose a negative effect to the company. In addition, business continuity can be defined as a cost-justified method aimed at reducing risks that may hinder the continuity of a business in the event of a disaster. Elliot, Swartz and Herbane in their book define business continuity as responding to a business interruption in such a way as to achieve the lowest level of inconvenience possible for the continued stability of the business. According to Regester and Larkini business continuity involves identifying the potential issu es that threaten to interfere with the existence of a business and formulate a framework that can effectively handle such issues whenever they arise. According to Kadam, business continuity management aims at managing risks in order to guarantee that the company endures in operating at the lowest prearranged risk level. An organization applies business continuity and crisis management practices to ensure continuity in the ways a business handles various crises. From this paper it is clear that the need for businesses to apply business continuity and crisis management strategies is conceived from the need to provide assurance for the continuity of the business process. The management should ensure that their business continuity and crisis management framework is able to restore a business to its earlier position and preserve all sectors of the business. Business continuity management is thus more than a crisis management since it is a comprehensive program that helps a business react quickly and effectively when faced with unplanned interruptions.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Frontier Airlines Portfolio Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Frontier Airlines Portfolio - Research Proposal Example former Frontier Airlines, together with the founders put together a business plan to reformulate the company into a new incarnation and call it ‘Frontier’. With an investment of $516,000, the business could forge a new place for itself in the market. On February 9, 1994, this plan was put into action as the newly formed company became incorporated. The head office was opened on March 15, starting an airline that could serve both coasts and earn a position as a ‘national’ airline (Our History, 2009). In April of 1994, private stock placements net $1.3 million, and by May 20 public stock offerings earn $7.6 million which covers the startup financing as outlined in the business plan. By June 9, the first reservation is made by our first passenger and the company is ready to fly! By July 1, 1994, Continental Airlines has vacated 25 routes through Denver, which allows Frontier to launch its first flights on July 5th. In the first month of service, Frontier carries 5,922 passengers and in the next five months, the airline has added several new routes. Within the first six months that Frontier has been flying, the airline We are now flying to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and other locations, and will be adding flights to Seatle/Tacoma, San Diego, and St Louis during the year. The airline ends flights to Fargo and Bismarck, N.D., which is an end to the original eight destinations flown by the airline. At the end of 1996, the airline has increased its size in eighteen months of operation to a fleet of 10 737’s, 725 employees, and 1,877,3372 passengers. (1993, 2009). In 1997, Frontier announces that it will merge with Western Pacific, but the merger is called off in September. However, Western Pacific is forced to shut down operations in February of 1998, allowing Frontier to become the principal carrier out of Denver International Airport, offering low-fare prices and quality service. By the end of 1998 we have grown to a fleet size of 17 Boeing 737

Zimbabwe’s Present (Post Z$) Economic Recovery Programmes Essay Example for Free

Zimbabwe’s Present (Post Z$) Economic Recovery Programmes Essay Introduction The beginning of 2009 marked the end of over a decade of economic decline in Zimbabwe. The economic indicators decline cut across all key sectors, despite Zimbabwe’s rich resource endowment. Inflation, initially at 100 percent annually between 2001 and 2006, increased to over 1500 percent (McIndoe, 2009). According to IMF estimates, real GDP growth recorded a cumulative contraction of 48% (nearly 5% per year) between 2000 and 2009. Agriculture value added contracted by 86% during the period 2002-2008. Gross national income per capita in 2008 was estimated to be US$360 (compared to sub-Saharan Africa average of US$1,428), making it one of the poorest countries in the world (African Development Bank, 2010). The poverty rate which was already on an increase since 1995 (42 percent) was recorded at 63 percent in 2003 and was estimated to be over 70 percent in 2010 (African Development Bank Group, 2011). According to the economic policy reform proposals announced by the coalition government formed in February 2009, other symptoms of the economic crises as negative GDP growth rates, low productivity capacity, loss of jobs in the formal sector, food shortages, massive deindustrialization and general despondency (STERP, 2009). This paper uses ‘developmental state theory’ as a basis of assessing economic reform policies proposed and currently being implemented by the Zimbabwe’s coalition government after the demise of the Zimbabwe dollar (Z$) in 2009. The paper considers STERP in March 2009, Medium Term Plan (MTP) in July 2010, and the Three Year Macro-economic Policy and Budget Framework 2010-2012 (STERP II) in the context of this economic theory with a view to assessing the extent to which they bring Zimbabwe closer to the key elements of a develop-mental state. This is taken from the premise on which these policies are anchored. For example, the sixth point in STERP says: â€Å"STERP is an emergency short term stabilization program, whose key goals are to stabilize the macro and micro-economy, recover the levels of savings, investment and growth, and lay the basis of a more transformative mid-term to long-term economic program that will turn Zimbabwe into a progressive developmental State,† STERP, 2009: point no. 6) The paper begins with a summary of the key elements of the economic reform proposals. It then looks at the key elements of a developmental state after which it assesses the extent to which Zimbabwe’s key reform proposals would enable it to meet the minimal requirements of a develop-mental state. The paper concludes by offering an assessment of the chances of success for the economic reform measures. Key elements of Zimbabwe’s economic reform measures All reform programs are anchored on economic stabilization, increasing productivity and turning Zimbabwe into a developmental state. In the key policy pronouncements announced in STERP (February 2009) and the Medium Term Plan, Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) had two principal objectives. First, it set out to use domestic savings and foreign finance to carry out public investment projects and to mobilize and channel scarce resources into areas that can be expected to make the greatest contribution towards the realization of long term economic objectives. These include measures â€Å"to stabilize the macro and micro-economy, recover the levels of savings, investment and growth, and lay the basis for transformation from mid-term to long-term economic programs that will result in economic growth and reduction of poverty levels. In so doing, the reform programs, as espoused in article 3 of the September 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA) seek to address the key issues of economic stabilization and national healing, whilst at the same time laying the foundation of a more comprehensive and developmental economic framework. The second is to ensure that economic policy (e.g. taxation, industrial licensing, the setting of tariffs and the manipulation of wages, interest rates and prices) stimulates direct and in some cases control private economic activity to ensure harmonious relationship between the desires of private business operators and the social objectives of government policy. Some of the key features of the policies include the adoption of a cash budgeting system; use of multiple currencies as legal tender and adoption of the rand as a reference currency; and the dismantling of foreign currency controls among other measures. Theoretical framework A starting point in exploring the theory of a developmental state is the ‘developmental state’ literature that gained currency following the phenomenal economic performance of the East Asian countries in the 1970s. Meredith Woo-Cumings (1999: 1) describes the theory of develop-mental state as the explanation for the East Asian industrialization. This theorizing represents one of the first attempts to integrate government and private sector decision making. Earlier theorists such as Downs (1957) had noted a trend in economic theorizing which treated government action as an exogenous variable determined by political considerations that lie outside the purview of economics. The earlier view represented a carryover from the classical premise that saw the business as a self regulating mechanism. Any government action beyond maintenance of law and order was seen as undesirable interference. Edigheji (2005) has analyzed a number of variations of the literature on the developmental state and notes two strands of theorizing. The first set of theories focus exclusively on the developmental goals of the state (e.g. Castells, 1992). These theories argue that state is developmental when it establishes as its principle of legitimacy its ability to promote and sustain development (understood as the combination of steady and high rates of economic growth and structural change in the productive system) both domestically and in its relationship with the international economy. Thus a developmental state is seen as one which is able and willing to create and sustain a policy climate that promotes development by fostering productive investment, exports, growth and human welfare (Ponk, in Edigheji, 2005). The second strand of theorizing looks beyond the objectives to focus on the institutional characteristics of the state and draws attention to the ideological character of the development state. Mkandawire (2001) has referred to this as the ‘state-structure nexus’ that enable the state to be able to achieve growth and development while others cannot. A premium thus has to be placed on the institutional/organizational configurations of the developmental state. This is primarily because what sets a developmental state apart from others is that not only is it able to clearly set its development objectives; it also establishes institutional structures in order to achieve the objectives. Locating the role of the state In this paper, a developmental state is defined by its objectives and its institutional characteristics. It is â€Å"one whose ideological underpinnings are developmental and one that seriously attempts to construct and deploy both administrative and political resources to the task of economic development† (Mkandawire, 2001:296). The role of the state needs to be clarified given the contradictory nature of the literature on the East Asian cases. Earlier theorizing initially conceived a developmental state in terms of the state imposing its will over society and suppressing civil society. Thus they argued that the developmental state paid no heed to the democratic aspect of the developmental state. This is partly because some scholars regarded the repressive nature of the state as one of the factors that enhanced its developmental capacity. For some scholars, the â€Å"soft authoritarian character† of the state was the source of its autonomy which spurred growth (e.g. Johnson, 1982, Wade, 1990). This is because a developmental state has existed in authoritarian Korea and Taiwan as well as in democratic Japan. In fact, Japan was the first East Asian state to be considered a developmental state (Bolesta, 2007:107). Despite the nature of government, in a ‘true developmental state, the bureaucratic rulers possess a particular kind of legitimacy that allows them to be much more experimental and undoctrinaire (accommodative of new ideas) than in the typical authoritarian regime’ (Johnson 1999: 52). However, Leftwich (1995: 405) has identified six major components that define the developmental state model. These are a determined developmental elite; relative autonomy; a powerful, competent and insulated bureaucracy; a weak and subordinated civil society; the effective management of non-state economic interests; and legitimacy and performance. The characterization of the democratic elements in Leftwich’s model closely mirrors the situation in Zimbabwe prior to 2009 and may not be helpful looking forward. Zimbabwe had an increasingly authoritarian governance style since the late 90s (Sachikonye, 2002) yet its economic policies saw a continuing decline in key economic indicators. In analyzing the economic reforms policies in Zimbabwe this paper therefore draws more from theories that have stressed the cooperative dynamism of the developmental state. For example, following a detailed analysis of the state’s relationship with business, Linda Weiss (1998: 258) came up with the concept of â€Å"governed interdependence† where she conceptualized that there are collaborative relationships between government and business in pursuit of transformative projects. She noted: â€Å"In this relationship, each party retains its independence, while government remains the ultimate arbiter of the rules and goals of interaction in which information is exchanged, resources are pooled and tasks shared,† (Weiss, 1998: 258). Zimbabwe’s neighbour, Botswana, is an illustration of a state that has pursued certain policies in the construction of what might be regarded as a â€Å"developmental state† i.e. a state that pursues policies that co-ordinates investment plans; has a national development vision- implying that the state is an entrepreneurial agent that engages in institution-building to promote growth and development; and†¦plays a role in domestic conflict management (Chang, 1999: 192-199). Assessment of Zim’s post Z$ economic reform policies The economic reform policy measures are assessed in relation to how the enhance Zimbabwe’s progress towards the attainment of ‘developmental state’ status. It is necessary to point at the onset that the key policy reform measures announced by the GoZ have been formulated and are being carried out within the framework of a mixed economy i.e. some of the productive resources are privately owned and operated while some are controlled by the public sector. As Todaro and Smith (2010) have noted, the mere existence of such an institutional setup means that neither the private nor the public sector can be considered in isolation from each other. This acknowledgement of the interdependent role of the state and business is one of the few positive outcomes (discussed later) of the reform measures. However, a number of factors in the policy measures do not meet the minimal elements required for the country to attain development state status. These include the lack of a clearly and coordinated role of State institutions and weak premises for global re-engagement, both of which are critical for the success of the economic reform measures. Unclear role of the State According to the MTP (2010), the policy measures seek to â€Å"establish a platform for Zimbabwe to emerge as a vibrant Private Sector driven economy that is growing and transforming from a producer of primary products to a producer of diversified manufactured quality products laying the foundation of a competitive global player.† The State will thus â€Å"provide a conductive policy environment that will ignite Private Sector initiatives, entrepreneurship as well as promote a saving and investment culture.† This statement sounds noble but there is nothing that has been said about coordinating the role of the many state players in the economic reform measures. The Ministry of Economic Planning is coordinating 13 sectors in a framework that in reality has shown to be independent of the other key ministries such as the Youth, Indigenization and Empowerment ministry, the Mines Ministry and the Local government ministries, to cite but a few. The country’s indigenization policy, supervised by the youth ministry, has been viewed as a threat to foreign investment in the nation. Whilst government has made assertions about the enforcement of the Act, several transactions have been concluded which show inconsistency in policy implementation. A case in point is government ‘sale of above 50% of its shareholding in Ziscosteel to Essar Energy in Mauritius in 2010 despite the conditions of the Act, which state that 51% of all businesses must be indigenously owned. (IH Securities, 2011) Exacerbating this lack of coordination is the past record of State regulation which has in the past failed to facilitating a conducive environment for business by sections of the previous government. This has the effect of promoting rent-seeking behaviours and corruption in both government and the private sector. International financial institutions have noted this as a hindrance to the success of the economic reform measures. For example, in statement at the Conclusion of the 2011 Article IV Consultation Mission to Zimbabwe (IMF, 2011) the IMF noted that while â€Å"stronger policies, a favorable external environment, and sizeable off-budget donor grants supported a nascent economic recovery and a notable improvement in the humanitarian situation during 2009-10,† the â€Å"macroeconomic outlook for 2011 remains highly uncertain,† (IMF, 2011). The IMF cites among other things, an inefficient composition of public expenditure, persistent financial sector vulnerabilities, and weaknesses in the business climate, including the recently announced fast track indigenization of the mining sector. The State, which prior to the coalition government had become an arena for private capital accumulation, cannot extricate itself from excessive private sector regulation which has, in some cases, resulted in the violation of private property rights. A recent example of these excesses is the recent case that will be heard in the International Court in Paris. The case involves the GoZ and South Africa based Amari Platinum following the former’s cancellation of joint mining ventures in 2010. The South African company had invested over $35 million into the project where it partnered the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation. According to media reports, the company is demanding compensation of $200 million, (Sunday Times, October 9th 2011). Autonomy, which is a crucial element that supports growth in a developmental state, means the ability of the state to behave as a coherent collective actor capable of identifying and implementing developmental goals (Edigheji, 2005).There is therefore need for structural reforms. These would include alignment of indigenization and empowerment objectives with respect for private property rights and the need to attract domestic and foreign investment. While these recommendations appear individually, they point to the failure by the reform policies to clearly spell out the role of the State in the economic reform process. Crucially, and related to the role of the State, is the fact that there has not been any systematic attempt to elaborate the concept of the developmental state in Zimbabwe. Besides passing reference in the objectives of all plans, government has not specified the sources of its capacity, other than regular lamentation about the need to build the skills capacities of the public sector. Thus crucial institutional elements that would enable the developmental state to act in a coherent fashion and, on that basis, successfully engage with its social partners have been either taken for granted at best or ignored at worst. Weak to zero premises for global re-integration The policy measures recognize the level of debt currently besetting the country and its impact on badly needed financial inflows, yet it is not clear how this debt will be cleared. According to the MTP: â€Å"the success story that Zimbabwe is becoming will in itself unlock other sources of funds. The few investments funds already in the country will soon become a multitude. Investors like a place where a dollar can be made and Zimbabwe provides such an opportunity.† This in itself sounds like a work of faith. Whilst trust plays a crucial role in policy implementation, the assumption that only success can unlock lines of credit and provides a stimulus for the productive sector is not based on evidence. The huge debt which will result in high future taxes if the country’s major sectors of the economy do not increase their operating capacity against a background of inadequate foreign aid. It could be that it is a carrot in the stick for those elements of government that are likely to derail reforms, yet experience in the past has shown that it is not success that drives politicians, but the ability to create and generate enough wealth prior to the next elections. Reducing poverty under such policies becomes a farfetched dream that will not be recognized. There is need to strengthen internal revenue generation and collection in areas such as tourism, agriculture and mining to finance internal and external debt while also providing resources f or the productive sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing. Alternatively, the country could attain Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) status to enable international debt relief. The experience of Zambia shows that total external debt reduced significantly by 8.9 percent from US$7.12 billion in 2001 to US$6.49 billion in 2002 as a result of the HIPC Initiative (Zulu, 2003). HIPC status could be tied in with the strengthening of open trade policies. Despite being a signatory to numerous trade pacts, Zimbabwe has maintained numerous import controls as reflected by the high tariffs relative to other countries in the region (Hurungo, 2010). The country’s reluctance to reduce tariffs is due to its over reliance on the revenue generated (Biti, 2010) Economic literature on the relationship between restrictive or open trade policies and economic progress has been inconclusive. Multilateral institutions such as the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regularly promulgate advice predicated on the belief that openness gener ates predictable and positive consequences for growth. According to the IMF, for instance, â€Å"policies toward foreign trade are among the more important factors promoting economic growth and convergence in developing countries,† (IMF, 1997:84). This view is supported by a vast array of literature on trade. For example, Stiglitz (1998:36) noted that â€Å"most specifications of empirical growth regressions find that some indicators of external openness- whether trade ratios or indices or price distortions or average tariff level- is strongly association with per-capita income growth.† Others have made similar observations noting that â€Å"integration into the world economy is the best way for countries to grow,† (Fischer, 2000). Thus Zimbabwe’s strategic reintegration with traditional trade partners could spur growth if value addition is considered for some export products. History has shown that there is no positive relationship between exports and growth in Zimbabwe. For much of the period when Zimbabwe experienced negative growth rates (between 1997 and 2009), it experienced a trade surplus with South Africa, the European Union and the United States (ZimTrade, 2009). Such trade surpluses need to be tapped into in a new economic and political environment fostered by the coalition government so as to spur economic growth and equity. However, there is no acknowledgement of these facts. Stabilization as a success story It should be noted that a significant proportion of the policy measures have had a positive effect- which has resulted in economic stabilization. The adoption of multiple (excluding the Zimbabwe dollar) had the immediate impact of eliminating hyperinflation. Annual inflation declined from an official figure of 231 million in July 2008 to 0.5 percent in December 2009 and 3.5 percent in July 2011, according to the Central Statistical Office (CSO). According to the IMF (April 2011), the Governing Board of the RBZ (which was appointed in May 2010) has achieved a significant improvement in central bank governance, reporting, and organizational restructuring although further steps are needed to accelerate financial restructuring of the financially-distressed RBZ. There was also a significant improvement in product availability in retail and wholesale outlets, with capacity utilization having markedly improved which also witnessed an improvement in the performance of the overall economy. For instance, in 2009 the economy was estimated to have grown by 5.7 percent and the average for SADC was 2.4 percent and 2 percent for Sub-Saharan Africa. While this stabilization, within the theoretical framework of the developmental state, can be seen as progress, it is easy to see that the economic decline had hit rock bottom and the desire is to bring levels of productivity to 2000 levels. The World Bank has estimated that it will take another decade with a growth rate of 10 percent per annum to bring rates to 2000 levels. In June, the IMF said Zimbabwean growth is set to slow sharply in 2011and the countrys recovery from a decade-long deep economic contraction remained fragile (IMF, 2011). An IMF review of Zimbabwes economy projected that economic growth would drop to 5.5 percent in 2011 from 9.0 percent in 2010. It said the country was in debt distress with a large unsustainable external debt stock of 118 percent of gross domestic product as of the end of 2010, the bulk of which was in arrears. Conclusion This paper has provided a framework for understanding Zimbabwe’s economic reform policies within the framework of a developmental state. Though not exhaustive, the developmental state has been defined based on its institutional attributes of being autonomous and coherent. In addition, the developmental state is one that forges broad-based alliances with society and ensures popular participation in the governance and transformation processes. Elements of the Washington Consensus and other classical economic theory have been brought to bear on previous economic reform programs and there is evidence that these continue in current reform policies. The classical theories do not take into account the unique circumstances of a country, especially the different types of government. In spite of the type of government, a developmental state is guided by the goals of coherence and authoritative governance, accountability, inclusiveness, stability, ability to generate consensus and popular participation- none of which are visible in Zimbabwe’s political and economic outlook. Much of the work towards the attainment of a developmental state hinge on Zimbabwe providing and implementing a clear definition of the role of the key players- the state, private sector and civil society- in the proposed economic reform measures. Other measures include forging a clear partnerships with local and international players- with parameters of engagement with the latter based on realistic economic policy measures as well as an engagement path that takes into consideration Zimbabwe’s trade surplus with the major international economic blocks such as the European Union, SADC and the United States. Without this, as seen in current reform policies the chances of success of the reform measures are limited. References African Development Bank Group, 2011, Infrastructure and Growth in Zimbabwe- An Action Plan for Sustained Strong Economic Growth, Tunis, Tunisia African Development Bank Group, 2010, Zimbabwe Country Brief, Regional Department, South Region A, January 2010. Biti, T 2010 â€Å"2010 Budget Speech. Ministry of Finance (28 January) Castells, M., 1992 ‘Four Asian Tigers with a Dragon Head: A Comparative Analysis of State, Economy and Society in the Asian Pacific Rim.’ in Applebaum R, Henderson J (eds). State and Development in the Asian Pacific. Newbury Park: Sage Publications. Chang, H-J (1999) ‘The Economic Theory of the Developmental State’ in M. Woo-Cumings (ed.) The Developmental State New York: Cornell University. Downs, A., 1957, An economic theory of political action in a democracy. Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 65, No. 2, April 1957 Edigheji, O., 2005, A Democratic Developmental State in Africa? Centre for Policy Studies, Research Report No. 105, May 2005 Hurungo, J.T. 2010 Trade Policy Review: Zimbabwe. Stellenbosch: Tralac Medium Term Plan, 2010, Medium Term Plan January 2010- December 2015, July 6, Harare: Government Printers IH Securities, 2011, Zimbabwe Equity Strategy: Bullish macro story amidst potential turbulent waters, Equity Research, March 2, 2011. Johnson, C., 1982, MITI and the Japanese Miracle: The Growth of Industrial Policy, 1925-1975. Stanford: Stanford University Press Leftwich, A., 1995, ‘Bringing Politics Back In: Towards a Model of the Developmental State’, Journal of Development Studies, vol. 31, no. 3. McIndoe, T., 2009, Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe: money demand, seignorage and Aid shocks. IIIS Discussion Paper No. 293, July 2009. Mkandawire, T., 2001, ‘Thinking About the Developmental States in Africa.’ Cambridge Journal of Economics, Pp 289- 314 Sachikonye, L. M. 2002 Whither Zimbabwe? Crisis and Democratization. Review of African Political Economy, No. 91, 13. P 13- 20. Roape Publications Limited. Todaro, P.T. Smith, C. S., 2010 Economic Development (10th edition), Boston: Pearson/ Addison Wesley Wade, R. 1990. Governing the Market. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1990. Weiss, L. 2003 Guiding Globalization in East Asia: new roles for old developmental states. In Linda Weiss (Ed), States in the global economy: bringing domestic institutions back in. UK: Cambridge University Press Zulu, J.J., 2003, Leaning Against Economic Winds: Zambia’s Problems with HIPC, Lusaka: Jubilee- Zambia Debt Project

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Synthesis of IBT Scaffolds Experiment

Synthesis of IBT Scaffolds Experiment Chapter III: Section A Present work PRESENT WORK Over the years, multi component reactions (MCRs) or three component coupling reactions have gained much attention in synthetic as well as medicinal chemistry to generate structural diversity for drug discovery programs.31 MCR is a process in which at least three simple building blocks are combined together in one pot to provide diversity oriented product with minimum of synthetic time and effort. The imidazo [2,1-b] benzothiazole (IBT) motif is an important pharmacophore and is known to exhibit significant biological activities such as antimicrobial, antitumor, antituberculosis, and anti-inflammatory etc.,13-30 Consequently, different methods23-26 have been developed for the synthesis of IBT scaffolds. Of these, the MCR of 2-aminobenzothiazole, aldehyde, and alkyne is one of the most attractive methods for the synthesis of 2-aryl imidazo[1,2-a]benzothiazoles. To the best of our cognition, there is only one report14c for synthesis of the title compounds till date which is a multi step procedure. In prolongation of our involvement in exploring the synthesis32 of biologically active scaffolds, we herein describe a three-component, one-pot synthesis of IBTs using a catalytic amount of La(OTf)3 and CuI in acetonitrile. Accordingly, we first treated 2-aminobenzothiazole (1a) and benzaldehyde (31a) with ethylpropiolate (32) in acetonitrile in the presence of 10 mol % La(OTf)3 and CuI. The reaction proceeded well at r. t. and made the desired IBT 33a in 86% yield (Scheme 10). Scheme 10 Formation of 33a confirmed by its spectral analysis, 1H NMR of IBT 33a shows a characteristic methylene protons at ÃŽ ´ 4.16 (s, 2H) as a singlet, doublets at ÃŽ ´ 7.78 (d, J = 7.9 Hz, 1H) and 7.70 (d, J = 8.3 Hz, 1H) belongs to benzothiazole ring (ortho-hydrogens w.r.t sulphur and nitrogen) in the fused system. Another doublet at ÃŽ ´ 7.68 (d, J = 7.9 Hz, 2H) belongs to ortho-hydrogens of phenyl ring at C-2 position and peaks for remaining aromatic protons observed at ÃŽ ´ 7.42 (t, J = 7.5 Hz, 1H), 7.33 (t, J = 7.5 Hz, 2H) and 7.01 (t, J = 7.9 Hz, 2H). Ethyl ester protons resonated at ÃŽ ´ 4.26 (q, J = 6.8 Hz, 2H) and 1.27 (t, J = 8.1 Hz, 3H) belongs to OCH2CH3 and OCH2CH3 respectively. In 13C NMR, presence of a peak at ÃŽ ´ 171.1 resembling ester (-C=O) functionality, a peak at ÃŽ ´ 61.1 belongs to CH3–CH2-O-COAr, and remaining aromatic carbons resonated at their expected chemical shift values. The new absorption maximum at 1735 cm-1 in IR spectrum also supports the presence of ester (-C=O). Finally, ESI-MS also supports the IBT 33a showing a peak with m/z 337 for its molecular ion. Plausible mechanism Scheme 11 Plausible mechanism for CuI-La(OTf)3 catalyzed multi-component reaction In accordance with the mechanism described by Mishra et al.33 The reaction may proceed in one of the two paths mentioned above. In path-I, benzaldehyde was first reacted with 2-aminobenzothiazole in the presence of La(OTf)3, and the resulting imine further reacted with ethyl propiolate to form desired imidzobenzothiazole 33a via initial formation of propargylamine I. Tautomerization of propargylamine I followed by 5-exo-dig cyclization formed intermediate III, which finally isomerized to product 33a. Optimization study Table 1 Screening of the catalyst for three component reaction Entry Catalyst Additive Solvent Yield [%] 1 CuCl CH3CN 39 2 CuBr CH3CN 42 3 CuI CH3CN 65 4 FeCl3 CH3CN 5 InCl3 CH3CN 48 6 InBr3 CH3CN 51 7 CuI Cu(OAc)2 CH3CN 66 8 CuI Cu(OTf)2 CH3CN 69 9 CuI Sc(OTf)3 CH3CN 59 10 CuI La(OTf)3 CH3CN 86 11 CuI Yb(OTf)3 CH3CN 63 12 CuI TMEDA CH3CN 54 13 La(OTf)3 CH3CN 55 14 CH3CN Initially, we screened the reaction between 2-aminobenzothiazole 1a benzaldehyde 31a and ethylpropiolate 32 as starting materials using different catalysts to optimize the reaction conditions (Table 1). The desired product yielded in 65% when 10 mol % of CuI used in CH3CN. Further optimization was performed to improve the yield of the product. The best result was obtained when La(OTf)3 was used with high yield, low reaction time and optimal temperature. However, in the absence of the catalyst the reaction proceeds with low yield even after longer reaction time (24 h). Our attempts to optimize the conditions for the synthesis of the 2-aryl imidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazoles 33a-o are summarized in Table 1. To check the generality and scope of the present protocol (Table 1), variety of benzaldehydes containing electron withdrawing or electron donating substituents were reacted under these conditions with 2-aminobenzothiazole, which affords corresponding IBT (Scheme 12). Scheme 12 To explore the limitations of this reaction, we extended it to various para-substituted benzaldehydes with 6-methyl-2-aminobenzothiazole. As can be seen in Table 2, the yield of products seems to be affected by the nature of substituents and their positions on the benzothiazole as well as benzaldehydes. The yields decreased when electron-withdrawing substituents were present on reactants (scheme 13). Scheme 13 The compounds 33f-j were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR and ESI-MS, the results are shown in the experimental section. For an instance, spectral analysis of 33h explained here. 1H NMR of IBT 33h shows a characteristic methylene protons at ÃŽ ´ 4.27 (s, 2H), and methyl protons at 2.35 (s, 3H), methoxy protons at 3.86 (s, 3H), and hydrogen adjacent to sulphur attached carbon resonated at 7.71 (s, 1H) as a singlets, doublets at ÃŽ ´ 7.64 (d, J = 7.9 Hz, 1H), and 7.35 (d, J = 7.1 Hz, 1H) belongs to benzothiazole ring (ortho- and meta- hydrogens w.r.t nitrogen) in the fused system. Another two doublets appeared at ÃŽ ´ 7.55 (d, J = 7.8 Hz, 2H), and 7.01 (d, J = 7.6 Hz, 2H) belongs to methoxy substituted phenyl ring, whereas ethyl ester protons resonated at ÃŽ ´ 4.15 (q, J = 8.1 Hz, 2H), and 1.27 (t, J = 8.2 Hz, 3H) belongs to OCH2CH3 and OCH2CH3 respectively. In 13C NMR, the presence of a peak at ÃŽ ´ 169.1 resembling ester (-C=O) functionality, a peak resonated at 160.8ppm belongs to –Ome attached carbon on phenyl ring, where as a peak at ÃŽ ´ 61.2 belongs to CH3–CH2-O-COAr, and remaining aromatic carbons resonated at their expected chemical shift values. The new absorption maximum of 1738 and 1210 cm-1 in IR spectrum also supports the presence of ester (-C=O). Finally, ESI-MS also supports the IBT 33h showing a peak with m/z 381 for its molecular ion. Furthermore, a variety of aromatic aldehydes such as p-methyl-, p-methoxy-, p-nitro and p-cyano benzaldehyde participated well in this MCR with 6-nitro-2-aminobenzothiazole and gave excellent yields. The synthesized compounds 33k-o were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR and ESI-MS, the results are shown in the experimental section. For example, the spectral analysis of IBT 33n was explained here. 1H NMR of IBT 33n shows a characteristic methylene protons at ÃŽ ´ 4.19 (s, 2H), and hydrogen adjacent to sulphur attached carbon and –NO2 group resonated at 8.55 (s, 1H) as a singlets, doublet at ÃŽ ´ 8.01 (d, J = 7.7 Hz, 2H) belongs to meta-hydrogens of nitro-substituted phenyl ring and a multiplet appeared between 8.40-8.50 (m, 3H) belongs to a hydrogen of benzothiazole ring merged with ortho-hydrogens of nitro-substituted phenyl ring, whereas ethyl ester protons resonated at ÃŽ ´ 4.11 (q, J = 8.0 Hz, 2H), and 1.21 (t, J = 8.2 Hz, 3H) belongs to OCH2CH3 and OCH2CH3 respectively. In 13C NMR, the presence of a peak at ÃŽ ´ 169.1 resembling ester (-C=O) functionality, peaks resonated at 147.8, 144.7 ppm belongs to –NO2 attached carbons, where as a peak at ÃŽ ´ 61.5 belon gs to CH3–CH2-O-COAr, and remaining aromatic carbons resonated at their expected chemical shift values. The new absorption maximum of 1735 cm-1 in IR spectrum also supports the presence of ester (-C=O), bands at 1536 and 1365 cm-1 resemble the –NO2 group. Finally, ESI-MS also supports the IBT 33a showing a peak with m/z 427 for its molecular ion. The imidazobenzothiazole derivatives was synthesized by La(OTf)3-CuI catalytic combination in good to excellent yields as shown in Table 2. Table 2 The new ethyl 2-(2-arylimidazo[2,1-b][1,3]-benzothiazol-1-yl)acetates 33a-o Entry Benzothiazole Aldehyde Product Yield (%) a 86 b 89 c 91 d 81 e 79 f 92 g 91 h 95 i 85 j 88 k 82 l 84 m 85 n 78 o 79 Conclusion In summary, a novel method for the synthesis of ethyl 2-(2-arylimidazo[2,1-b][1,3]-benzothiazol-1-yl) acetates was demonstrated from bezaldehyde, ethylpropiolate, and 2-aminobenzothiazole in the presence of La(OTf)3-CuI catalyst in good to excellent yields. This reaction took place under mild conditions and it tolerates a wider range of functionalities. Therefore this methodology offers an alternative to multi step reactions.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Strength Training for Children and Adolescents

Strength Training for Children and Adolescents This essay will particular focus on the links between a child development and training load by critically discussing, bone development, muscle mass and strength, menstruation in young females, issues of obesity and physical inactivity, aerobic and anaerobic exercise, and injury. After highlighting the contemporary research surrounding these links, the findings and methodology are evaluated. To begin, a brief definition of training load is put forward. The findings founds within training load and children may not be a as straight forward as it appears as much research has looked at the link between training load and a childs development, through peered reviewed research. The ways of assessing physical activity training load and development, as well as the reasoning why they should and should not take part in exercise, with reference to bone and muscle changes. Also the implications to menstruation in young female athletes and which exercise type of exercise is better for the young. As well as the negative issues relating to injury during physical activity, with reference to the potential affects in to adulthood. Physical activity and health is also known to be beneficial, however the methods and ways in which this is done may give different results. This will be discussed through how physical activity can improve the quality of life and also how being inactive can have issues. It will be looked at through many health conditions including cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, osteoporosis, cancers, and obesity, and also how physical activity can reduce the chance of getting some of these health conditions. It must firstly be mentioned what training load is. Training load is the amount of exercise completed and how much energy used (Rowland, 2005). Children and adolescents have taken part in physical activity through school in physical education classes, but there are those who enjoy exercise more than others. In each case there are physiological implications which can occur, such as developmental issue which can include, bone and muscle problems, injury and health issues such as heart disease, cancers and obesity, as well as menstrual complications in females. Also there are implications for children and adolescents who do not exercise. As children progress into adolescence, the influence of peers and peer pressure becomes noticeable and a widespread decline in physical activity becomes more of a problem. Generally boys will tend to participate in some sort of exercise or sport with friends at a higher intensity than girls (Sallis, 1993). Rowland (2007) suggested that physical activity has many benefits for the young, as it promotes health, thus making you healthy in adult life. However Rowland goes on to mention that more research is needed to look at factors such as frequency and duration of physical activity during childhood as this can determine how reliable the health outcomes maybe in adulthood. Furthermore it was suggested that in the long term that if adolescents are physical active it will enhance bone health and reduce certain cancers such as breast cancer. However Twisk (2001) discussed the onset of many chronic illnesses which start at child and that strategy should be put in to plan to reduce disease early on in life. Exercise found that one important way to stop the on set of disease, but increasing physical during childhood and adolescence. Evidence found that exercise guidelines for children and adolescents is weak, and additional it was found that only a small amount of research which found that exercising when young can be related to health in a dulthood. This can suggest that guidelines based on the public, should be more focused on health benefits, rather than how much exercise should be completed on a daily basis. Behm, Faigenbaum and Klentrou, (2008) produced a review on the recommendations of resistance training on paediatrics, with the correct training methods can be safe and improve health. Studies measuring (anthropometric) children have not found to show an increase in muscular hypertrophy with resistance training in paediatrics with cystic fibrosis and cerebral palsy. Surprisingly it has been mentioned that there is no minimum age to start resistance training in children, however this does need to be structured when exercising. The resistance training in children needs to be with a qualified instruction and while being supervised. This seems in many cases to be unachievable as not every child can have instruction with exercising (e.g. a child running is exercise but does not need instruction or supervision), never the less resistance training exercise can aid in muscle strength, endurance, balance, power and co-ordination and many health benefits. Moderate stress on bones (e.g. weight-b earing exercise) builds a stronger skeleton. Heavy loads or extreme forces can retard bone growth. Therefore, power and heavy weight training should be avoided until later stages of development. Training should be closely monitored during adolescence for signs of stress / overuse. Bones are more susceptible to fractures when growth plates (cartilage sights that are not yet ossified) are still present. If bone growth accelerates faster than muscle length, then undue stress can be placed on the skeleton during growth spurts; this can be exasperated by repetitive exercises or movements. Burrows (2007) found that diseases such as osteoporosis are becoming increasingly high, however weight-bearing exercise is a good way to enhance bone mineral density, making it stronger, if this exercise is continued throughout the growth period. It has been suggested that sport needs to start at perpubertal age to obtain peak bone mass. Sports such as gymnastics and football are recommended to increase peak bone mass. Within this research area there also seems to many authors suggesting that training load will be good for muscle and bone strength, especially weight bearing training as this strengthen the body, additional some authors have mentioned professional support and instruction in training will stop the chances of getting injury, but surely injury will be enviable, as it is the individual who is doing that specific exercise or sport can have an accident. Despite this there are other issues with training load on the young, especially in females and menstruation, as Eliakim Beyth, (2003) study found when looking at exercise training, menstrual irregularities and bone development in children and adolescents. Weight bearing exercise has been know to be important in bone development, this is even more important in children and adolescents, as bone mineral density reaches around 90% of its peak by the second decade. Physical activity in childhood and adolescence can reduce the risk on bone disease such as osteoporosis in later life. However strenuous exercise in females can affect there reproductive system causing athletic amenorrhea (this is the stopping of menstruation for six months or more). This is becoming more popular as it is 4-20 times higher than the general populations, especially in the female athlete. This can lead to skeletal fractures, unstable spine and vertebral joints, as well as menstrual abnormalities. As a result fema le athletes would have to reduce training, to reduce skeletal affects, as this is more harmful to bones growth, especially if a child or adolescence is still at the rapid growth stage at this time and prevent changes in menstruation. Further issues relating to adolescents and training load are growth, maturation and strength. Bernadette (2006) study looked at whether moderate-high amounts of dance training would influence linear growth and sexual maturation if girl ages 8-11 years old, through puberty. Results found that no change of height velocity of the dancers in year one. However when controlling the groups for maturations, fat mass, lean mass and also extracurricular activities (not dancing), there where found to be no changes in growth or velocity growth in height, sitting height or leg length. Thus finding that there was link between age at menarche and hours and years of dance training. Also resulting in no affect occurring in moderate high level of dance training in linear growth or maturation. However it has been found that preadolescent boys and girls can see meaningful gains in strength with proper training. Although it has been documented that adults and adolescents can achieve significant improveme nts with strength training, training gains for children have been questioned. The argument that led to the false belief that children couldnt benefit from training was based on two presumptions. First, it was considered unlikely that notable changes in muscular strength and endurance could occur prior to puberty, due to lower levels of circulating androgens (e.g., testosterone). The underlying assumption was that higher levels of androgens were necessary for improvements in muscle size and strength to occur. Second, children naturally become stronger as they grow, and strength gains beyond that were thought improbable. Previous studies, which seemed to support this, were often limited in study design and research methodology (such as low intensity, low volume or short duration training protocols). Nevertheless, this data seemed to suggest that resistance training was ineffective in the very young population. Faigenbaum (2000) A growing body of scientific evidence in support of childrens strength training has arisen within the past decade. The literature provides strong documentation that both male and female preadolescents can improve strength significantly with well-designed resistance-training programs. Recent reviews analyze the available research by comparison. Although a relatively small number of studies were included, one review revealed that a majority of studies demonstrated strength gains between 13 and 30 percent as a result of training (Falk Tenenbaum, 1996). Another reported similar results for children and youth, and each of the studies included in this review indicated that resistance training was generally effective, regardless of participants or study characteristics (Payne, Morrow, Johnson Dalton, 1997). Gains from strength training for preadolescents are generally attributed to neural adaptations and motor learning, rather than circulating androgens. Muscle hypertrophy, or an increase in the cross-sectional area of a muscle, is not usually detected in children as a result of training. Since muscle size has been correlated with strength, studies indicating no increase in muscle hypertrophy implied that strength training was ineffective in younger participants. On the opposite side of the scale there are those children and adolescence who do not exercise. It is well known that obesity is one of the biggest health problems across the world, but with children becoming less physical active this will be inevitable, along with several other major diseases which can include coronary heart disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, lung disease and some cancers. Watts, Jones, Davis Green (2005) study found evidence that non physically active children are most like to become less physically active in adulthood, furthermore it is encouraged that physical activity habits in children help patterns of exercise in adulthood. Random control trails have been designed to look at exercise training in both children and adolescence. The studies found exercise does have beneficial outcomes, but it does always reduce bodyweight, it does however have more beneficial effects to changes in fat and lean body mass, thus showing the need for better asse ssment in future exercising training studies. Exercise can improve cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength, but little affect on blood lipids and blood pressure in obese youths. Similar important studies have found that exercise improves vascular endothelial function, which was found to be a substitute measure to predict the atherosclerotic risk in children and adolescents who are obese (Celermajer, Sorensen Gooch, 1992).Training studies have found an improvement in vascular function, however an absence in changes in lipid fractions, haemodynamic variables or glucose metabolism as exercise appears to have a beneficial effect on the vasculature (Watts, Beye Siafarikas et al, 2004) Another area which is essential in a children development is the aerobic and anaerobic development in children and adolescence. Cardiovascular function being in childhood but is also different of those of an adult. Children have smaller heart chambers and lower volume than adults, thus finding a lower stroke volume than an adult during rest and exercise. Children have a smaller stroke volume, but a child has a higher maximal heart rate compared to an adult. An adolescent, max heart could be found to be higher than an adult but not quiet as high as a childs (Sharp, 1995). Although higher heart rates can not be compensated for a childs lower stroke volume and theres a childs cardiac output is lower than in adults (Wilmore Costill, 1994). Thus suggesting that more of the cardiac output goes to working the muscle in children than it would in adults (Wilmore Costill, 1994). Children are found to be more naturally aerobic, rather than anaerobic, but unfortunately there are few studies wh ich have found that aerobic capacity in children will improve with training aerobically. Furthermore Rowlands (1992) argued that no studys have been complied which has the specific outline of 12 weeks training, over three days per week, with heart rates of 160 beats per minute over twenty minutes as a minimum requirement, as well as a large group of participants, with a control, thus being similar to an adults training schedule. Rowland found that if children complete a similar aerobic training routine and intensity to an adult, they would improve there V02 max between 7 and 26%. Which suggests children can improve aerobic fitness from an adult training program. Sharp (1995) found that children have a lower lactate production and the anaerobic threshold in children give heart rates of between 165-170 beat per minute, which is similar to a trained endurance adult. Yet sedentary adults anaerobic threshold is between 120-150 beats per minute. Which means that heart rate will be higher in a sedentary child than an adult. More evidence has supported high intensity stimulus theory that activity level in children is not related to V02 max (Rowland, 1992). As children are not as active as they once were, Armstrong Welsman (1994) stated that they are still aerobically fit, which suggest children are naturally fit. Thus, to improve a childs natural fitness, a good, strong training program is needed. Whether children exercise aerobically or anaerobic, there is the issue of heat conditions, also know as thermoregulation. Falk (2008) found that children produce more heat per kilogramme body weight than adults, but their thermoregulatory system is not as good. This is partly because they sweat less. For example, a 12-year-old boy may sweat 400ml per square meter of skin per hour, compared to an adult mans 800ml. Girls and women sweat proportionately the same, although less in absolute quantity terms. Children also tend to have higher skin temperatures, which hinder the flow of heat from body core to the periphery. However, children have a proportionately greater skin surface area the smaller they are. A young adult weighing 64kg will have a surface area of about 1.80 square meters; an eight year- old weighing 25kg will have a skin area of 0.95 square meters, i.e. 36 per cent more surface area per unit of weight. This helps to correct thermal imbalances, but can be a disadvantage whe n running in direct sun (or swimming in cold water) with the possibility of a faster rate of overheating (or overcooling). Injury is another common occurrence in children who take part in sport and exercise during there development. Adirim (2003) found that within the US around 30 million children take part in sport and exercise, and many of those have an injuries, which is due to overuse, also of those injuries over one third where of school age. With the physical and physiological differences of children and adults, this is one reason why children are more susceptible to injury. Overuse injuries are common, overuse injuries occur from the repetitive application of submaximal stresses to otherwise normal tissues. (Outerbridge Micheli, 1995) Injuries which are the most common are the ankle and knee. Overtraining and exposure to excessive levels of physical activity can cause an increased chance of injury, overuse injuries can affect normal physical growth and maturation. Prevention is the key, gradual rather than sudden increases in stresses and intensity can usually avoid physical breakdown. Early chan ges of the training program can ensure successful return to sport. In conclusion, it can be found after looking through peered reviewed research that training load can have both positive and negative aspects. In research it has found that Moderate stress on bones builds a stronger skeleton. Furthermore heavy loads or extreme forces can retard bone growth. Thus, power and heavy weight training should be avoided until later stages of development. Training load and menstruation in female athletes can have detrimental affects on reproductive development. As a result female athletes would have to reduce training, to reduce skeletal affects, as this is more harmful to bones growth, especially if a child or adolescence is still at the rapid growth stage at this time and prevent changes in menstruation. Surprisingly children are becoming more susceptible to many more health conditions as a result of falling physical activity levels, even when knowing that exercise can improve cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength, but little affect on blood lipids and blood pressure in obese youths. Although it has been found that children are most aerobically fit rather than anaerobic, but unfortunately there are few studies which have found that aerobic capacity in children will improve with training aerobically. Children also have a lower lactate production and the anaerobic threshold in children give heart rates which are similar to a trained endurance adult. Furthermore thermoregulation in children produce more heat than adults, but their thermoregulatory system is not as good. However to correct thermal imbalances, but can be a disadvantage when running in direct sun, with the possibility of a faster rate of overheating or overcooling. Finally injury is another aspect which occurs during a childs development, when taking part in sport and exercise. The most common injuries are overuse (joints commonly affected are ankle and knee). Children are most susceptible to injury during development as they are not coordinated and react slower than ad ults. Its also been found that instructions in training will stop the chances of getting injury. References AD Faigenbaum (2000) Strength training for children and adolescents, Clinics in sports medicine, 19(4): 593-619 Sharp NC. (1995) The health of the next generation: health through fitness and sport. Journal of the Royal Society of Health, 115(1):48-55. Falk, Bareket; Dotan, Raffy, Childrens thermoregulation during exercise in the heat a revisit (2008) Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, Volume 33, Number 2, 1, pp. 420-427(8) Outerbridge RA, Micheli LJ. Overuse injuries in the young athlete. Clin Sports Med. 1995;14:503-516 Celermajer DS, Sorensen KE, Gooch VM, et al. Non-invasive detection of endothelial dysfunction in children and adults at risk of atherosclerosis. Lancet 1992; 340: 1111-5 Watts K, Beye P, Siafarikas A, et al. Effects of exercise training on vascular function in obese children. J Pediatrics 2004; 144: 620-5 Falk, B., G. Tenenbaum (1996) The effectiveness of resistance training in children: A meta-analysis. Sports Medicine 22(3): 176-186. Payne, V.G., J.R. Morrow, L. Johnson S.N. Dalton. Resistance training in children and youth: A meta-analysis. Research Quarterly of Exercise and Sport 68

Monday, August 19, 2019

Who Am I? Essay example -- Writing Education Essays

Who Am I? Today as I look back at the first paper that I wrote for this class, I see that it is not the type of paper that I usually write. It is not full of big, sophisticated words. Rather it is a paper that does what it is supposed to, explain in simple english my thoughts on the subject. Those thoughts are that today most college kids are whiners and students go to college because it is the norm. I also gave a couple of abstracts to these. I never really took a stand as to which of those pertained to me. But I think that they all do in a sense. In a way I am irresponsible. I leave stuff to the last minute, I cram, and I get a attitude and just say screw it. As for the metaphor part of the first paper, I do feel that I am a parent and the university is my child. This interpretation is sort of like a cartogram. A cartogram is a map that is distorted to a relationship between two distinctive regions. The regions in this case is the university and myself. This is distorted because the universi ty is much larger than me, and it takes care of me. The second metaphor that I pondered is a little more down to Earth. The university is our god, and if we do not give, we shalt not receive. All of these lead into who I am. In essence I am a hippocrate. I condemn the students who procrastinate, while I am one of the worst at procrastinating. Take this paper for example. I am sitting at my roommates computer, it's eight o'clock Tuesday night, and I'm drinking a whiskey-coke. I already mentioned the child/parent thing. The god part of it is the same, though. I feel I am a god. I can so all of this and still get the grades. At least that the way it seems to be. In actuality I tried it, and it didn't work. The person who wrote the paper is no... ...y writing, I do not see myself. I see someone that's pleasing the audience with what he writes, but not pleasing himself. I am not happy writing stuff that is drab and has to sense of commitment. But that is what has always been a requirement. I like writing this kind of paper better. A paper that I can write with some sort of enthusiasm, eventhough I am better at writing the other kind. Writing this way just makes me feel better. I don't know, call me kooky. In the first paper I wrote with a very prominent mask. But as the papers progressed, I think that I might have been starting to shed that mask a little. Maybe it was the different style of writing. Maybe it was just me. Maybe it was due to the E-mail discussion, where got to people with out even talking to them directly. I don't know. The experience has been really productive. I just hope I can keep it up.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Fall of the House of Usher :: Essays Papers

The Fall of the House of Usher The story starts out with the narrator riding up to an old and gloomy house. He stresses that the overall persona of the house is very eerie. The reason he is at this house is because he received a letter from an old friend by the name of Roderick Usher. Roderick and the narrator were intimate friend at a young age but they had not spoken to each other in several years. The narrator examined the house for a great time as he rode toward the house, he noticed that the house had been severely neglected over time. That the house’s beautiful woodwork and Gothic type of architecture have not been maintenance to any degree since he had last seen it. When he arrived at the home the servant who took his hoarse and directed him to the room that Mr. Usher was in greeted him. Inside the house was also very ornate, but it to had also been left alone for to long. The entire house had a gloomy atmosphere that would put a chill down most people’s spines. When he entered the room his friend was staying in he was warmly welcomed. He could not believe the changes that his dear childhood friend had endured. Roderick was very ill for he was not able to do many things. He could only listen to certain types of sounds, eat certain foods, and he could only look at certain things. Together they to loved to read books of Gothic natures that only added to the ora of the house. Usher had a great collection of books but his favorite was the manual of the forgotten church. Roderick’s sister was also very ill with something that was never diagnosed. In the first few days of the narrator’s visit Ethelred died. She was put into a casket and then the two men carried her to a vault that was below the narrator’s room. Several night later the men noticed sound coming from the vault and went down to investigate. They began to read to each other again, but Roderick paid no attention.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Is Money a Motivator?

There are countless articles circulating today instructing managers on how to motivate their employees. Some theories state that all workers are motivated primarily by the need for money; so if you want to get the most out of your workforce, you pay them more. So, is money a motivator? Motivation is the encouragement to do something. (1) There are short term motivators and there are long term motivators. There are also different levels and sides to motivation. In this article I would like to focus on three theories in particular which discuss motivational needs for an individual and how as a manager you can address them in the work place: The first is Maslow’s need hierarchy which led to McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y and the last theory is Herzberg’s Motivation – Hygiene Theory. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs consists of five levels of needs to be satisfied. This model suggests that as people satisfy needs on one level, they progress to the next level of needs as motivation for their behavior. It is only the unsatisfied needs which can influence behavior, not the satisfied needs. 1) Under Maslow’s Hierarchy money would be recognized within the safety category (or a base need for behavior). When you have money you feel secure, because you have a resource you need to survive. According to Maslow once that need is fulfilled you move to the next level for motivation. (1) In this case money itself is no longer a motivator because that need has been satisfied. As a manager, you can use this knowledge to continue to motivate your employees. If they are already satisfied with money, in that it is no longer a primary need, you should move up the pyramid. Work to build the employee’s confidence, respect them, and give the individual projects that drive him/her to satisfy the higher level needs. Douglas McGregor took the work Maslow did with the hierarchy of needs and grouped it into two theories on how people view human behavior at work and organizational life. McGregor called this Theory X and Theory Y; Theory X is focused on the â€Å"lower order† needs and Theory Y focuses on the â€Å"higher order† needs identified by Maslow. (4) McGregor suggests that management could use either theory to motivate employees but that the better results would stem from meeting the Theory Y needs. Let us take a closer look at two theories and how money fits into the picture. Theory X states that management’s role is to coerce and control employees: †¢ People have inherent dislike for work and will avoid it whenever possible. †¢ People must be controlled, directed or threatened in order to achieve. †¢ People prefer to be directed, do not want responsibility and have little ambition. †¢ People seek security above all else. (2) Theory Y states that management’s role is to develop the potential in employees and help them to release that potential towards common goals. Work is natural, like play and rest †¢ People will exercise self direction if they are committed †¢ People learn to accept and seek responsibility †¢ People have potential(2) In Maslow’s hierarchy we identified that money falls under safety, or the need for security. McGregor’s theories show security under the X Theory, that above all security is what peo ple seek. If as a manager you run your organization under Theory X, you would agree that money is a motivator for your employees. You would agree, that in order to get the most out of your workforce you should pay them more. If you manage under Theory Y, money may be a part of your business but is not what drives your employees to achieve. The last theory I would like to look at is Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory. This theory focuses on the factors causing job satisfaction and the factors causing job dissatisfaction, and that they are different. Herzberg called the satisfiers motivators and dissatisfiers hygiene factors. Hygiene factors are in a sense maintenance factors that are necessary to avoid dissatisfaction but do not themselves provide satisfaction. 3) These factors should not be treated as opposites of each other. The opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction, but rather, no satisfaction. Similarly, the opposite of dissatisfaction is no dissatisfaction. (4) Motivation factors lead to positive mental health and challenge people to grow, but at the same time do not lead to dissatisfaction. Above is a list of the top 6 motivation factors or factors leading to satisfaction in the w ork place. Look at how the possibility for advancement can challenge you to grow. Before you were a manager you had an opportunity to advance in your career, to become a manager. This information motivated you to work hard and continually grow as an employee; it brought satisfaction to your job. As a manager you want to bring these factors into your workplace in order to bring the most out of your employees. Hygiene factors can lead to job dissatisfaction. When hygiene factors are either not present or not sufficient you feel dissatisfied. (3) However, they in turn do not lead to satisfaction when they are present. For instance an employees work conditions. If you have favorable work conditions it does not motivate you to work harder, it does not bring satisfaction into your job but you are comfortable so there is no dissatisfaction with your position. Look at how money works, if you get a raise for the job you are doing it does not motivate you to work harder. At the same time if you did not get the raise you wanted or needed you become dissatisfied with your position or management. Money or an employee’s salary is a hygiene factor. It is a biological need because you need money for food, water and shelter. Money becomes a drive for all people because of this truth. It will give a short run of motivation because we need it to survive, but only the intrinsic or motivation factors can determine job satisfaction or no satisfaction. If this theory holds true as a manager you need to provide the hygiene factors to avoid employee dissatisfaction, but also must provide the intrinsic factors to the job itself in order to satisfy your employees. Overall, this theory recognizes that true motivation comes from within a person and not from external factors. The external factors will just dissatisfy and discourage your employees if they unfavorable. Is money a motivator? All three theories studied show that money is a biological need; it is something every person needs to sustain modern life. It is at the base of Maslow’s pyramid, it is in McGregor’s Theory X which focuses around Maslow’s base of the pyramid and it is a hygiene factor in Herzberg’s theory. All of these theories show that money is a short term motivator. If you do not have money, which causes you to go hungry, you will be motivated to take any job to fill that basic need. Once that need is met it no longer motivates you to grow in your career, it doesn’t drive you to go above and beyond the bar set for your current position. As a long term motivator money loses its power over time and can not be considered one. Because once the basic needs of an individual are met they move to other factors to motivate themselves: respect, relationships, advancement, satisfaction. I agree with all three of our theorists that money is a necessity and if it is not present people may become dissatisfied with their jobs, but at the same time it will not motivate the individual to take the next steps in their current career. You can not just pay them more in order to get the most out of them. You need to bring other factors to the workplace in order to motivate your employees to give you their all. About the Author: I am a under graduate from Ferris State University, with my degree in Biology Education. I am attending Elmhurst College in pursuit of my Masters in order take my education to the next level, expand my knowledge of business fundamentals, practices and innovations and to build lasting relationships with my peers and professors. I currently work for Menlo Worldwide, a Global Third Party Logistics Provider. I one day hope to be a respected leader within the organization I work for.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Edward Steichen’s Commercial Photography

Edward Steichen was a brilliant and lithe artist, capable of continually transforming photography along with the changes marked by modernity and liberalism during his time. Steichen’s inclinations that revolutionized photography and realized its purpose as an art form made him an icon that art enthusiasts, as well as aspiring photographers and artists should look up to. Moreover, Steichen’s determination to stand out in various fields of artistic backgrounds such as art critiquing, to commercial photography, and from painting, to being a museum curator, became an inspiration to artists and non-artists alike to surmount various fields or industries that interests us, and dedicate ourselves to things that we love most. (Morrison, 2007) The remainder of the text will discuss specific roles and contributions that Steichen has made throughout the years that gave photography its uniqueness and significance. Steichen’s life has made a tremendous influence on how he became an imaginative force of nature to photography so the most significant parts of his life will be recounted not only to pay tribute to him but also to illustrate how his existence merged with the subsistence of the field of photography. Edward Steichen’s Commercial Photography Edward Steichen was born on March 27, 1879 in Luxembourg. However, most of life was spent in the United States as his family moved to the country while he was still young. His interest in pursuing a career in arts and photography was apparent when he reached the age of sixteen. â€Å"Edward Steichen,† 2008) Steichen underwent training in lithography which allowed him to obtain necessary knowledge and skills in printing colored shapes and figures on plates that became instrumental in his practical understanding of photography and the artistic formation of various images in color through painting. Although painting interested him as much as photography, he chose to reinforce his obtained knowledge and skills on the latter as his way of taking the field of photography seriously – something that was taken lightly beforehand. His perceptions of serious photography were fueled by his persistence in melding the artistry in the field, as well as with commercialism. (Morrison, 2007) His unique and earnest take of photography led him to meet and become partners with Alfred Steigletz. Together, they established Photo Secession, which mainly reproduced the pictorialist style of photographic art. This style was exceptional in its form as photographs taken were made to look like products of painting artistry and ingenue. Since the opening of Photo Secession, Steichen has focused on redefining photography. He wanted to bring in something fresh to the artistry scene so he created many photo exhibitions that presented various foreign works, particularly the renowned works of French photographers such as Henry Matisse. (Mitchell, 2008) He moved on to studying and developing aerial photography. His interest in this type of photography was intensified by the learned possibility of producing images that are clear-cut, in focus, and well-designed. Schueth) During this time, Steichen was all about characterizing photography as something meaningful, significant, and most importantly beautiful, as opposed to it being taken for granted in the past just like a mere tool for leisure pursuit and such. Steichen’s life after World War I was the most distinguished part of his artistic career in commercial and fashion photography as it was during this time that he was hired as the chief photographer of Conde Nast which managed Vanity Fair and Vogue magazines. Hobson, 2001) Although Steichen’s move to be part of fashion and commercial photography was entirely different from his previous artistic points of views and aims of what photography really meant to him, he still continued to accept projects and shoots for advertising and fashion photography purposes. Despite the disagreement of Steiglitz in his chosen career path (Hobson, 2001), Steichen considered the prospect of working on commercial and fashion photography as a challenge and a means to expand the limits of the field of photography. Through this experience, Steichen was able to formulate new and various techniques in photography which helped in realizing his purpose of allowing photography to be the vehicle for aesthetic materialism. (Zurich, 2008) Some of Steichen’s remarkable works with commercial photography includes his past projects for Welch, Jergen’s, and Kodak. His enthusiasm for meaningful and straightforward photography was reflected in his commercial works as he utilized real-life situations as subjects for illustrating various products advertised by business organizations. His photographs for Eastman Kodak showed how people were seen forthrightly while utilizing this particular product. As time went on, after a variety of commercial photography sessions, Steichen was able to realize the connection between photography and advertising. At this point, Steichen succeeded in bringing out the momentous nature of photography, not only as a means that exuded aesthetics but also as it was related to every human being which influenced their way of thinking and behavior. This point of view, he applied in the Welch Juice magazine photographs drawing out the elegant and upscale nature of the product. (Hobson, 2001) His technique in utilizing photography to appeal to varying degrees of social positions and points of view earned him a rise in Vogue magazine sales following its release. Perhaps, his ability to meld photography with multiple disciplines led to his success in commercial photography. It was primarily attributed to his intellectual faculties that made photography a tool for realizing the purpose of marketing and advertising. Steichen saw the potential of photography to sway the minds of the people into something desired by him or business organizations who produce various products for the benefit of the market population. His views about advertising in commercial photography were fueled by the things and situations he experienced during World War I. During that time, he worked for the Photographic Section of the Army Air Service in France and he was trained to reproduce copies of photographs that met identified needs and requirements to maintain patronage among the people and industries to the army. The militaristic perspective in utilizing photographs was adapted by Steichen in his works, and allowed him to look at explicit and constructive angles of products or subjects that would gain the confidence and attention of its viewers. (Johnson, 2000) Contributing to his successes in commercial photography was his positive nature and characteristics that drew people toward him and gained trust for his artistic capabilities. He was open to working with other people in the industry, collaborating with various art directors and clients to obtain insights and share knowledge and information that improved his craft. Moreover, he studied the trends in advertising and worked on adjusting his photographic styles to current strategies and techniques in marketing. Through his research, he was able to develop his most successful technique in commercial photography that is realism. He realized the importance of emotional responses as a means to establish connection with his audience or viewers. His ability to take pieces of his viewers’ realities and transform it into meaningful messages within his photographs while incorporating the dimensions of marketing and advertising subconsciously earned him the trust of business organizations and marketing industries. He veered away from the hostile and uncomfortable dynamics of aggressive and direct advertising and transformed this particular marketing strategy to adapt rationalism, realism, and gentle persuasion. (Johnson, 2002) Overall, his strategy in commercial photography not only influenced the field of photography but also transformed business and marketing as separate industries. For one, he was able to make his subjects household names, meeting the needs, requirements, and demands of business organizations and marketing industries. He satisfied not only the audience, viewers, or consumers, but also the corporations behind his photographic subjects. His views of realism as an important force in photography and marketing allowed to become a part of business strategies being implemented not only in the past but until present time. However, it was not only his career in commercial photography that determined his successful career. It was also his elegant and modern works on fashion spreads that revealed his range, from pictorialist to aerial, and commercial to fashion photography. Steichen’s photographic contributions to fashion were dubbed as his celebrity aesthetic approach to photography. (Riding, 2007) He shot various stars and celebrities for Vanity Fair and Vogue covers in style, as he aimed to perfect their public figures by taking pictures of them representative of their beauty, grace, and alluring persona. For Steichen’s fashion shoots, every angle and every shot was all about capturing the essence of beauty and power. (Richard, 2008) His sense of fashion photography may be summed up in two words – elegance and modernity – despite the classic and conventional influences. Picardie, 2008) Conclusion Steichen’s brilliance as an artist was fueled by his ability to transform the face of photography by incorporating various techniques and approaches which redefined and added to what photography can do aside from its obvious practical purpose of reproducing images for leisure purposes. In addition, Steichen was able to take the classic and conventional features of photography and develop new techniques that allow it to change with the demands and requirements of modern and liberal times. Aside from Steichen’s ability to wander from one artistic background to another as a measure of this ingenuity and excellence in the field, his capacity to take photography under the context of other disciplines established his exceptionality as a photographer during his time. Steichen did not take his craft lightly and looked for various ways on how it will be improved that furthered his aims of making it a means to reproduce the reality in beauty that may be captured in photographs. Â