Approaches to Organizational Behaviour

Organizational behavior, relates to the relationship between employees and the employers in an organization. Both are working towards the realization of the goals and objectives of any organization, and a close and fruitful coordination between the two is one of the major factors towards this realization. Organizational behavior approaches are a result of the research done by experts in this field. These experts studied and attempted to quantify research done about actions and reactions of employees, with regard to their work environments.It is a field that has begun developing only recently and new approaches and results are being expounded everyday, as more and more data comes to the forefront. There are various aspects of these theories, since each one deals with complex human behavior. The most important ones are the approaches about motivation. All of them are aimed towards motivating the members of the organization into optimizing their performance and thereby resulting in bett er and more improved performances. There are mainly six approaches to organizational behaviour.They are: 1) Human resources approach ) Contingency approach 3) Productivity approach 4) Systems approach 5) Interdisciplinary Approach 6) Scientific Management Approach * Human Resources Approach The human resources approach is concerned with the growth and development of people towards higher levels of competency, creativity and fulfillment, because people are the central resource in any organization. This approach help employees become better in terms of work and responsibility and then it tries to create a climate in which they can contribute to the best of their improved abilities.Work satisfaction will be a direct result when employees make fuller use of their capabilities. Essentially, the human resources approach means that better people achieve better results. This approach is also known as ‘supportive approach' because the manager's primary role changes from control of empl oyees to providing an active support for their growth and performance. * A Contingency Approach Situations are much more complex than first perceived and the different variables may require different behavior which means that different environments required different behavior for effectiveness.Each situation much be analyzed carefully to determine the significant variables that exist in order to establish the kinds of practices that will be more effective. Therefore a contingency approach to organizational behaviour implies that different situations require different behavioral practices for effectiveness instead of following a traditional approach for all situations. Each situation must be analyzed carefully to determine the significant variables that exist in order to establish the more effective practices.The strength of this approach is that it encourages analysis of each situation prior to action. Thus, it helps to use all the current knowledge about people in the organization in the most appropriate manner. * Productivity Approach Productivity is a ratio that compares units of output with units of input. It is often measured in terms of economic inputs and outputs. Productivity is considered to be improved, if more outputs can be produced from the same amount of inputs. It helps in measuring the organizations effectiveness, it also reveals the managers efficiency in optimizing the resources.Higher the numerical value of this ratio greater the efficiency. But besides economic inputs and outputs, human and social inputs and outputs also arc important. * Systems Approach A system is an interrelated part of an organization or a society that interacts with everyone related to that organization or society and functions as a whole. Within the organization ‘people' employ ‘technology' in performing the ‘task' that they are responsible for, while the ‘structure' of the organization serves as a basis for co-ordinating all their different ac tivities.The systems view emphasizes the interdependence of each of these elements within the organization, if the organization as a whole is to function effectively. The other key aspect of the systems view of organization is its emphasis on the interaction between the organization and its broader environment,, which consists of social, economic, cultural and political environment within which they operate. Organizations arc dependent upon their surrounding environment in two main ways: First, the organization requires ‘inputs' from the environment in the form of raw material, people, money, ideas and so on.The organization itself can be thought of as performing certain ‘transformation' processes, on its inputs in order to create outputs in the form of products or services. Secondly, the organization depends on environment such as, public to accept its output. The systems view of organization thus emphasizes on the key interdependencies that organizations must manage. W ithin themselves the organizations must trade off the interdependencies among people, tasks, technology and structure in order to perform their transformation processes effectively and efficiently.Organizations must also recognize their interdependence with the broader environments within which they exist. * An Interdisciplinary Approach It is integrating many disciplines. It integrates social sciences and other disciplines that can contribute to the Organizational Behavior. It draws from these disciplines any ideas that will improve the between people and organization. Its interdisciplinary nature is similar to that of medicine, which applies physical, biological and social science into a workable medical practice.Organizations must have people, and people working toward goals must have organizations, so it is desirable to treat the two as a working unit. * Scientific Management Approach The fundamental concern of the scientific management school was to increase the efficiency of t he worker basically through good job design and appropriate training of the workers. Taylor is the father of the scientific management movement and he developed many ides to increase organizational efficiency.Taylor showed that through proper job design, worker selection, employee training and incentives, productivity can be increased. The scientific management school advocated that efficiency can be attainted by finding the right methods to get the job done, through specialization on the job, by planning and scheduling, by using standard operating mechanisms, establishing standard times to do the job, by proper selection and training of personnel and through wage incentives.

Social Consequences of Tourism

Social Consequences of Tourism Executive Summary Tourism has a number of social benefits to the host communities. From one end, it assembles people of different cultural affiliations together. The act of sharing and learning from each other’s culture fosters cultural understanding. This understanding is an incredible ingredient towards embracing the spirit of multiculturalism.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Social Consequences of Tourism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, when cultural inferiority and superiority complexes exist between the host communities and the visiting people, embracement of multiculturalism suffers a great deal. The perceptions of the host people about tourism also play pivotal roles in determining the social impacts of tourism. When tourism serves to introduce some lifestyles that are not acceptable within the ethical and moral domains of the host communities, they may perceive it as a means of deter iorating their cultural beliefs and norms. Therefore, rather than tourism serving to highlight and reinforce the need for global cultural integration, it serves to produce cultural conflicts. The paper notes that some of the things that cause the cultural conflicts are only undue indulgences by some specific persons but not the entire society from which the tourists come. Unfortunately, chances exist where the host communities may tend to over generalize the behaviors of an individual tourist to use them to define the entire society from which she or he comes. This leads to stereotyping, which is another social impact of tourism. The paper also argues that tourism has the social impacts of creating public awareness of the host communities’ cultural artifacts coupled with their needs to the international community. More often than not, such awareness has the implication of attracting the attention of the global community to the societal needs. Introduction Across the globe, to urism constitutes an industry that is growing rapidly. It affects communities both socially and economically. This means that it is a source of livelihood to many people living within tourism destinations. However, even with these advantages, tourism creates a perceived fear among the residents of the tourism destinations who associate with the perception of its capacity to erode the cultures of the indigenous people. Opposed to these negative social impacts, â€Å"as with any economic activity, tourism can have negative impacts on communities† (Surabaya, Tee, and Somme 57). Thus, it is critical for measures and steps taken to be taken to minimize all these negative impacts so that tourism can act to benefit the communities living within the locations of the tourism destinations. As an economic sector, tourism is peculiar in comparison with all other economic sectors. In the first instance, unlike many sectors, tourism remains a subtle industry whose employees remain not repl aced by technology. Consequently, tourism will continue to act a major source of employment. It â€Å"aids in the conservation of natural spaces, avoids the migration of the local population, and improves the economic and socio-cultural level of the local population† (Haley 4).Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tourism plays pivotal roles as a major employer in changing social interactions of people. Additionally, tourism facilitates â€Å"the commercialization of the local products, interchange of ideas, costumes and the sensitization of the tourist, and local population for protection of the environment† (Haley 4). From the perspective this fundamental argument, this paper focuses on highlighting the various social impacts of tourism. However, since time constraint hinders one from scrutinizing all the impacts in a single paper, the researc h paper only considers the social impacts of tourism. Methodology This research utilizes secondary data and information to analyze the social impacts of tourism. The research generates data and information from a variety of secondary sources including libraries, journals, and internet resources. After an in depth analysis of the social impacts of tourism as reflected in these secondary sources, the research will draw inferences from them. However, it is crucial to reveal that such an approach introduces a major drawback especially on issues such as the reliability of the secondary sources as general reflections of social impacts of tourism. Nevertheless, the paper mitigates this limitation by drawing the sources utilized in the literature review from a variety of studies based on largely disbursed geographical regions across the globe. Aims and Objectives The main objectives of this research are to Introspect the social impacts of tourism Deploy the social impacts introspected in ( i) above to prescribe some approaches that may be used to minimize and mitigate the negative impacts Based on these objectives, the main aim of the research is to lay down theoretical constructs on how tourism can act to influence societies living in tourism destinations positively. By shedding light on the negative and positive impacts of tourism, the point of argument here is that it becomes possible to capitalize on specific policies to enhance the realization of optimal benefits from the positive impacts while minimizing the negative impacts. Literature Review Residents’ Perception of Tourism An enormous body of knowledge, which scrutinizes the impacts of tourism on societies living within tourism destinations, depicts tourism as having both positive and negative social impacts. On the negative side, Deer, Jag, and Fred argue, â€Å"most jobs for local people in the tourist industry require the locals to work as servants, house maids, waiters, gardeners, and other menia l works that may give people a sense of inferiority† (66).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Social Consequences of Tourism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Consequently, tourism may make people perceive themselves as inferior in comparison to those touring their historical areas of residence. The danger in this kind of perception is that local people possess high risks of their cultures mixing with those of the tourists. Therefore, their cultural artifacts are likely to disappear or fade. While this argument may remain valid in some situations, it is also arguable that cultures of people may also act as sources of tourism attraction. Consequently, while tourism may serve to dissolve indigenous people’s cultures, it may also act as a mechanism of reinforcing them because, if indigenous people’s cultures attract tourists, it is likely that the tourists would tend to associate themselves wit h such cultures for them to have an ample experience on the cultures. Deer, Jag, and Fred agree with line of argument by claiming, â€Å"Tourists come from other societies with different values and lifestyles, and because they have come to seek pleasure, they may spend large amounts of money besides behaving in ways that they would not accept at home† (68). This implies that the fantasy associated with tourism may act to justify some otherwise morally unacceptable social indulgences. In this line of argument, Haley asserts, â€Å"visitor’s behavior can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of the host community including crowding and congestion, drugs and alcohol problems, and prostitution and increased crime levels†(5). When some of the unethical behaviors evidencing themselves within societies because of tourism end up being justified, the moral norms that tie the host communities together must disintegrate. Thus, the society becomes fragmented. In addition, societies may develop a perception that tourism is one of the mechanisms of taking away what is traditionally rightfully theirs. For instance, in most cases, some people normally move from their places of residence to pave ways for construction of tourists’ recreational centers, restaurants, and amusement parks among other things. This case has the implication of making tourism â€Å"infringe on human rights† (Haley 6). Where tourists may engage in morally unacceptable indulgences within their societies of origin, their interaction with local people within the tourism destinations may create the wrong impression about the social, moral, and ethical constructions of the societies from which particular tourist comes. In one end, this may have the implication of stereotyping some people of a given originality. On the other end, where a given society living within tourism attraction centers perceives itself as inferior in comparison to the visiting people, chance s are that it may end up embracing certain unethical indulgences, which may not even be acceptable by the visitors’ cultural, moral, and ethical norms. In this context, Deer, Jag, and Fred argue, â€Å"local people seeing the tourist example may want to live and behave the same way† (67).Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This step is a great impediment to social norms of the indigenous people living within tourism attraction destinations. By impairing the social norms of the residents of tourists’ destinations, tourism creates differing perceptions about the tourists among the locals. For instance, Haley argues that aspects that are akin to the perception of tourism among the local people living within north America results to poor and inappropriate hosts’ attitudes. According to him, tourism truncates into â€Å"increased noise, litter, traffic, crime, over-crowding, and tourism-induced price increases† (5). In particular, price hiking that is induced by the perception that tourists have a lot of money to spend impairs the buying power of the local people living within the localities where the tourism attraction centers are located. Nevertheless, the same perception leads to prioritization of certain developments within the tourism destination centers, which have the overall im pact of bettering the mobility of the local people. A good example of this is the immense investment by the governments towards the development of infrastructures including roads and recreational facilities in areas of tourist attraction. The myriads of social impacts of tourism based on the perceptions of people about economic activities are ideally theoretical in nature. Quoting Ape et al. work on ‘Developing and Testing a Tourism Impact Scale’, which was published in the journal Travel Research in 1998, Haley supports this line of argument. He asserts, â€Å"While the research conducted has made a significant step towards a better understanding of the relationship between positive and negative perceptions of tourism and support for specific tourism-related policies, historically, most of the research on the topic of residents perceptions has been theoretical in nature† (Haley 6). To resolve the criticism of understanding of social impacts of tourism based on t he constructed perception of people about the industry, the theory of social exchange is relevant. Surabaya, Tee, and Somme have done a research on the capacity of social exchange theory to explain the social impacts of tourism. Their research claims, â€Å"It is not simply the existence of an exchange that is important, but the nature and value of the exchange that influences attitudes and perceptions† (Surabaya, Tee, and Somme 59). This implies that people who are likely to hold a positive perception of the social impact of tourism are the ones who have been employed by the industry. However, for this to happen, such people need to have had a positive employment experience with the industry. Otherwise, their perceptions would end up being negative. Thus, it is arguable that the discussed social impact of tourism based on the perception of the locals is akin to experience that people have with the tourism industry within their areas of residence. Tourism and Stereotyping Tou rism brings together people of differing nationalities, race, and gender coupled with people segregated based on other demographic differences. More often than not, conception of differences among people in a negative way based on nationality, gender, and race among other social and demographic differences merely entangle oversimplification of perceptions of people involved. In fact, association of one group with some certain characteristics that are inferior or negative is not based on facts but rather on misconceptions and prejudices. These misconceptions and prejudices about a particular group of people lead to their stereotyping. More interactively, and from the perspective of socio-psychology, stereotyping entangles â€Å"the pictures that people have in their heads about other groups† (Major et al. 34). When the interactions of tourists with the indigenous people within the localities of tourism destinations serve to amplify the differences between the tourists and the locals, the preconceived negative perceptions of the indigenous people against the tourists’ of particular origin are confirmed. For instance, when an indigenous person living within a tourist attraction destination encounters an individual of a certain nationality who is violent, the person may spread the news that all people belonging to the same nationality as the tourist are all violent. This kind of generalization hinders diversity besides leading to stigmatization and discrimination. Although these are examples of negative stereotypes, positive stereotypes associated with tourists of a given originality may also be harmful since they truncate into limitation of the attitudes of people towards a group of people. Bearing in mind the arguments raised here, is becomes imperative to posit that, depending on the nature of social and cultural differences between the indigenous people and the tourists, tourism may act to either boost the spirit of multiculturalism or destroy it even further when two groups of people of different nationalities come together. Concepts of stereotyping are anchored on three fundamental aspects. These are traits, concepts, and antecedents. Antecedents involve feelings of being rejected or accepted at an individual level. In the interaction process of tourists and the local people, such feelings influence the local people’s behaviors and attitudes towards tourists and vice versa. On the other hand, concepts entail a â€Å"person’s beliefs regarding the stereotype that out-group members hold about his or her own group† (Voyager and Main 917). This implies that people who are stereotyped presume that the version of beliefs held against their intergroup are justifiable from the basis of impressions held by other people as opposed to out-group stereotypes. This aspect of stereotyping is significant in the social interactions of people possessing conspicuous differences. Arguably, tourism presents such kind of s ocial interaction. Indeed, the traits of stereotypes are contextual components, behavioral components, and cognitive components. Such components play incredible roles in defining social relationships between tourists and the host communities. Tourism and Multiculturalism For the creation of an environment that would foster multiculturalism, it is desirable that the parties coming together respect the cultural norms of each other. Unfortunately, â€Å"†¦out of ignorance or carelessness, tourists may fail to respect local customs and moral values† (Deer, Jag, and Fred 67). The repercussion is the emergence of cultural conflicts. This means that one of the groups of people would be seeing the other as having some cultural traits, which are inferior in comparison to the cultural norms of the group from where one comes. This hinders the integration of the indigenous people’s and the tourists’ cultures. The implication is hindering multiculturalism. In the same l ine of thought, Gawker Visitor Information posits, â€Å"there are some concerns that tourism development may lead to destinations losing their cultural identity by catering for the perceived needs of tourists – particularly from international markets† (2). Therefore, a cultural battle exists between tourists and the indigenous people due to the need to protect the cultural artifacts of the indigenous people and the need to fulfill the cultural desires of the international tourist in the attempt to entice them to come back. Where tourism is the only source of income in societies that are caught up in the mayhem of cultural conflicts, the battle has the highest probabilities of favoring the tourists. Put differently, the cultures of the indigenous people would be superimposed by those of the tourists. Consequently, the fertile environments for fostering multiculturalism cease to exist. Where the indigenous people are culturally inflexible, the overall impact is hostilit y. The local people acerbate this hostility towards the tourists in the attempt to maintain cultural status quo. The argument here is that, in case the interaction process of tourists and the local people produces threats to the cultures of both parties, it becomes incredibly difficult for either party to embrace the differences between them. Therefore, creating the spirit of multiculturalism becomes difficult. Amid the raised concerns that cultural conflicts between tourists and the host communities establish an environment that is prohibitive of cultural integration and hence multiculturalism, there is a scholarly evidence that tourism is an essential tool for propagating cultural understanding. For instance, Surabaya, Tee, and Somme argue, â€Å"tourism is an interface for cultural exchange, facilitating the interaction between communities and visitors (domestic and international)† (59). Opposed to the raised arguments, where the grounds for visiting a particular destinati on are pegged on the reasons for coming to an understanding and experiencing a certain group of people’s cultures, cultural conflicts may not exist because there is no point that the tourists would attempt to seek attention for their cultural beliefs and affiliations from the host communities. Rather, the intention of visits is to experience cultural beliefs and affiliations of the host communities. In this dimension, Surabaya, Tee, and Somme assert, â€Å"People want to interact with other cultures, learn about traditions, and even confront themselves with new perspectives on life and society† (59). Directly congruent with this view, it sounds plausible to infer that the tourism industry is driven by experience. Hence, host communities’ culture constitutes unique experiences. Tourism as a Tool for Creating Social Awareness The cultural artifacts of different people are unique. When tourists visit to experience these artifacts of local people, awareness of both the existence and value for the cultural artifacts of the host community is created. This way, tourism helps in the integration of the host communities’ beliefs and norms with those of the wider global community. It also helps in raising the caliber of awareness of the host communities’ social needs. For instance, through tourism, awareness is created for the inadequacy of community services such as healthcare and or continued persistence of cultural beliefs that impede the development of societies such as seeking access to education, gender equality, and other things that are given amicable consideration by the developed societies. Based on the experience concerning the ways of life of particular groups of people, donor agencies are able to design programs to address the challenges that face people in ways that the programs are going to be welcomed without undue friction. Still in the realm of awareness, Haley argues that tourism helps to create awareness for the need to â€Å"promote conservation of wildlife and natural resources such as rain forests, as these are now regarded as tourism assets† (12). However, even though the awareness of the needs to conserve the natural environment is created coupled with the society embracing the efforts, tourism also acts to destroy it. Surabaya, Tee, and Somme exemplify how tourism may serve to destroy natural ecosystems amid the intensive awareness by the host communities on the significance of their conservation. They argue, â€Å"Tourism poses a threat to a regions natural and cultural resources such as water supply, beaches, coral reefs, and heritage sites through overuse† (Surabaya, Tee, and Somme 63). This negative impact is even more amplified by considering how tourism results to more waste release to the environment, more noise, and littering among other things. Conclusion Therefore, based on the expositions made in the paper about tourism, it suffices to declare the industry as one that has a lot of influence socially and economically. Socially, tourism influences host communities both positively and negatively. In this research paper, it has been argued that some of the social impacts of tourism are erosion and or fostering the cultures of the indigenous people. It may lead to stereotyping besides serving as a tool for creating awareness. The capacity of tourism to result to reinforcement of the cultural beliefs of the locals or to erode them depends on the perceptions that the locals have on tourisms and the reasons as to why people visit a particular destination. From this paradigm, the paper argues that, in case people tour certain tourism attraction centers with the chief intention of learning and experiencing the cultures of the indigenous people, chances of cultural conflicts are minimal since tourists would not bring in their cultural beliefs and affiliations in the interaction process. Furthermore, the paper argued that where tourists engage in some b ehaviors, which are not morally acceptable by the host communities, tourism might have the social impacts of inducing stereotypes. This acts as immense impediments to the integration of the persons brought together by tourism. In overall, the paper maintains that tourism has more positive social impacts than negative impacts. Therefore, tourism acts to benefit the host communities both socially and economically. Deer, Margaret, Leo Jag, and Liz Fred. â€Å"Rethinking social impacts of tourism research: A new research agenda.† Tourism Management 33.1(2012): 64-73. Print. Gawker Visitor Information. The Social and Cultural Impacts of Tourism, 2011. Web. Haley, Arthur. The Social Impacts of Tourism: A Case Study of Bath, UK. Surrey: University of Surrey, UK, 2004. Print. Major, Boniface et al. â€Å"Coping with negative stereotypes about intellectual performance: The role of psychological disengagement.† Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 24.3(1998): 34-50. Print . Surabaya, Elijah, Veronica Tee, and Stephaney Somme. â€Å"Understanding Residents’ support for tourism development in the central region of Ghana.† Journal of Travel Research 41.3(2002): 57-67. Print. Voyager, Douglas, and James Main. â€Å"How Do Individuals Expect to Be Viewed by Members of Lower Status Groups? Content and Implications of Meta-Stereotypes.† Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 75.4(1998): 917-937. Print.

10 Exercises to Become a Better Writer

10 Exercises to Become a Better Writer 10 Exercises to Become a Better Writer It’s true that practice makes perfect, so if you want to polish your writing abilities and become a better writer, the best thing to do is - you guessed it - practice! From creating your setting to beating writer’s block, we share ten exercises that can help you sharpen your skill set. Some of these come from different Reedsy Learning courses, so be sure to sign up to get even more advice, all by trade professionals, in your inbox each morning.Exercise 1: Change the Scenery - With Writing PromptsThere are very few things as frustrating as a bad case of writer’s block. But don’t despair! Instead of getting frustrated with it, try a change of scenery. Not literally (although that might also help) - do it with your writing.Activity: If your own story isn’t getting the creative juices flowing, using writing prompts  can help you break through the slump. This can help you change your mindset and any expectations your might have from what you are cu rrently writing. Have some fun with it! Here are a couple of examples to get you started:An accident during an experiment freezes you in time in public, completely invulnerable. Millennia later, you come out of stasis to find entire cultures centered upon your statuesque presence throughout their history. via /r/writingpromptsOn your path you meet two guards, one who always answers in sarcasm and one who answers a question with a question. via /r/writingpromptsGoal: Use writing prompts and short story ideas to get your creative juices flowing with a change of scenery that can help you clear out the block. "Use writing prompts for a change of scenery" and 9 other exercises that can help you become a better writer Exercise 2: Create character profilesCreating multifaceted and complex characters is something that takes time and effort, and it only gets trickier the more characters your story has. For readers to connect with your characters, you, the author, need to understand who they are and what motivates them. Easier said than done, but this exercise might help.Activity: Create character profiles for as many characters as you need. This can help you see the differences between them and give you a unique perspective on each of them. Going beyond their basic information and physical appearance can give you a greater understanding of what drives them and can help you capture their voice and point of view in an authentic way.Goal: Give characters their own unique voice, goals, wants, and needs. Exercise: Use character profiles to give your characters their own unique voice Exercise 3: Read out loudOne of the occupational hazards of being a writer is writer’s block. We can all agree that it’s difficult to get any ideas on paper when nothing seems to want to come out. But don’t fear: there are many ways to overcome it. Bec Evans and Chris Smith from Prolifiko show a tried-and-tested method to push through that wall in their writing routine course.Activity: As the name suggest, this exercise consists of letting yourself write freely - there are no rules! Put aside 15 minutes of your day and let the ideas flow. Write whatever is in your head. Don’t edit. Don’t consider your words. Don’t wait for that one beautiful sentence to appear. And, above all, don’t let your inner critic show its ugly face. Just write!Goal: What you write may not be pretty and it may not make much sense, but it will exercise your creative muscle and get your ideas out of your head and onto the page. "Freewriting - a tried-and-tested method against writer's block" and 9 other exercises Need more exercises to get your writing going? Check out this directory with over 100 exercises that cover topics from character development to writer’s block.As English author PD James once said: â€Å"Don’t just plan to write – write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it that we develop our own style.† Developing your writing skills doesn’t happen overnight, but exercising your writing muscle is the one tried and true way to become a better writer and reach your writing goals.What are some of your favorite exercises to become a better writer? Add yours in the comments below!

What was Wilmot proviso and why was it significant Essay

What was Wilmot proviso and why was it significant - Essay Example In spite of the opposition the bill was enacted and this led to some democrats pulling off from the party due to their disagreement. Through the Wilmot Proviso endorsement the Liberty party joined hands with President Martin and together they came up with A Free Soil party which was in support of the Wilmot Proviso bill. In the 1848 elections, the Wilmot Proviso’s terms were a definite challenge to proslavery groups; they were hence ignored by the Whig and Democratic parties but adopted by then Free-Soil party, which later became the Republican Party. They favored excluding slavery from new territories .It was through the bill that the currency was formed. The bill stated a provision of two million dollars ($2milllion) for the Mexican war. This led to the creation of the green paper which was used as a legal tender . For many years, arguments in support of and in opposition to slavery were debated in both churches and newspapers. The House of Representatives passed a rule threatening the discussion of slavery but this issue could no longer be avoided. Lawmakers in both the Senate and the House, the north and south, had to stand up and be

The Threshold of the Newfound Heroism Assignment - 1

The Threshold of the Newfound Heroism - Assignment Example The Odyssey mostly narrates the story of the adventure of Odysseus; his journey towards home after Troy has been destroyed. His heroic journey was filled with obstacles and seemingly insurmountable complications, which made the story of his going home all the more epic and grandiose, to begin with. Â  Even during the war between the Greeks and the Trojans, Odysseus has already been regarded and thought of as a hero by his people. His persona commanded respect and admiration, not just from his own people, but also from their adversary, the people of Troy. He has also proven how cunning he is when he successfully masterminded the plan of giving a Trojan horse filled with Greeks to the people of Troy, which led to the demise of the latter. Â  The occurrences during his ten-year journey back to Ithaca are not to be belittled. Aside from being a personal favorite of the God of War, Athena, Odysseus proved to be an expert tactician, strategist, and deception artist. He is the persona of a thinking warrior, calm and collected, rarely displaying an act of hubris. These characteristics made him eventually admirable to Zeus and the other Gods, except to Poseidon, who has always been irate towards him. Â  It would mean little or as much as nothing if Odysseus had all his cunning brilliance, but lacking in character virtues as well. Unlike the other fellow Greek heroes and leaders during his quests, Odysseus was always taken as sensible and self-restrained. Such qualities complimented and went well with his shrewd intelligence, besides having the guidance of the goddess Athena. Odysseus’ character to maintain his composure and get a hold of his self could be seen in many of his adventures. Â  Upon his trip home, Odysseus was stranded on the island where Calypso lived.

Research Proposal (300 words) and Lietrature Review (2200 words) Essay

Research Proposal (300 words) and Lietrature Review (2200 words) - Essay Example All of those perspective leaders, those with the most ambition will likely take the power. If the population is not educated they will not be able to differentiate among the perspective leaders, in order to choose those most likely to support the needs of the populace. Equally important is a free and open press, including all other mass media, such as radio and television and even the Internet. It is absolutely necessary that the populace have access to a free and open press in order to be able to follow and understand the news of what is going on within and without the country. Having access to what leaders do and what other countries do and what is going on in the world allows the populace to choose the direction in which they wish their country to go in this way they can choose the leaders that they believe will take them in that direction. Of course both of these are absolutely dependent upon a free and open and fairly honest system of election. Otherwise the people have no choic e at all. There has been a great deal of research done on the media over the past century, most of it during the past half-century. So one might say well why do we need to research the media then? The answer to this is that the media is constantly changing. Two things make major changes in media: technology and sociology. Technological changes, such as the advent of the Internet, accessibility of radio and television broadcast signals and the attendant lowering of costs for receivers, all make the media more accessible to the public and to those who would use the media to communicate with or influence the public. Sociological changes may be based in political changes, such as changes in the government or even the form of government, or changes in the dynamic culture of the society. Economic changes can influence both of these. Likewise, political and sociological changes can have powerful effects upon economical changes. In essence, a democracy, and most other forms of

Synthesis of New Coordination Polymers or MOFs

Synthesis of New Coordination Polymers or MOFs 1.1 Design Principles Coordination polymers also known as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) or metal-coordination networks are compounds constructed from organic ligands and metal ions connected through coordination bonds and other weak chemical bonds which can extend infinitely into one two or three dimensions [1-3]. The arrangement of the components in coordination polymers mostly exists only in solid state which results from coordination interactions and weaker forces forming a smaller molecular units and growth occurs through self-assembly processes to give the final overall structure (Fig. 1) [4]. There are four different kinds of building blocks of which coordination polymers are built; ligands, metal ions or clusters, counter anions and solvent molecules. Metal ions which are called nodes or connectors and ligands which act as linkers are the main components [7]. They are the starting reagents which form the principal framework of the coordination polymer. The important characteristics of connectors and linkers are the number and orientation of their binding sites. Transition-metal ions are the most widely used connectors in the construction of coordination polymers. The choice of the metal and its oxidation state will determine the coordination geometries, which can be linear, T- or Y-shaped, tetrahedral, square-planar, square-pyramidal, trigonal-bipyramidal, octahedral, trigonal-prismatic, pentagonal-bipyramidal, and the corresponding distorted forms. Lanthanide ions are less used because of the high coordination number and variability coordination environment. However, th e large coordination numbers from 7 to 10 and the polyhedral coordination geometry of the lanthanide ions will create new and unusual network topologies. In addition, coordinatively unsaturated lanthanide ion centers can be generated by the removal of coordinated solvent molecules. The vacant sites could be utilized in chemical adsorption, heterogeneous catalysis, and sensors [8,9]. Multidentate carboxylate functionalities provide rigid frameworks due to their ability to chelate metal ions and lock in to M-O-C clusters, which are referred as secondary building units (SBUs). Instead of employing one transition metal ion at a network vertex, SBUs can produce extended frameworks of high structural stability. Metal-complex connectors have the advantage of controlling the bond angles and restricting the number of coordination sites; sites for no use can be blocked by chelating or macrocyclic ligands directly bound to a metal connector, and therefore, leave specific sites free for linkers [25,10,11]. Linkers are categorized in to three: inorganic, organic, and organic-inorganic hybrid types. Halides (F, Cl, Br, and I) are the smallest and simplest of all linkers. CN and SCN have similar bridging ability to halides [12,13]. Typical organic ligands are shown in Fig. 2 consisting of neutral, anionic and cationic organic ligands. The organic ligands act as bridging organic groups between the metal ions. Most famous neutral ligands are pyrazine (pyz) and 4,4’-bpy [15-18]. An example of a coordination polymer with the 4,4’-bpy ligand is illustrated in Fig. 3. Recent efforts have been devoted to utilization of long bridging ligands with appropriate spacers [20-25]. Among the anionic organic ligands di-,[26-28] tri-,[26, 29-32] tetra-,[33,34] and hexacarboxylate [35,36] molecules are representative anionic linkers. Coordination polymers having nonsymmetric anionic ligands described as pyridine-X-COO (X=spacer) have been exhaustively studied [37]. 1,4-Dihydroxy-2,5-benzoquinone and its derivatives provide a variety of frameworks, in which they act as linear linkers [38]. Coordination polymers with cationic organic ligands are very rare, which is naturally a result of their very low coordination power for cationic metal ions [39–43]. Developed were novel cationic ligands based on N-aryl pyridinium and viologen derivatives and were successfully employed [39–41]. Counter ions are present in the coordination frameworks when neutral bridging ligands are used as linkers to keep the neutrality in the overall charge. Furthermore, other roles such as coordination and hydrogen bonding linker, guest for vacant spaces in the solid state are expected, eventually resulting in overall structure regulation. Solvent molecules are used not only for reaction media, but also the regulation of framework topology. It may co-crystallize, increasing the number of possible weak interactions in the final solid state packing, and can also act as guest molecules in the vacant space between polymer construct [7]. Synthesis Many new coordination polymers or MOFs have been synthesized in the last few years; however, their methods of preparation and synthesis were quite similar. Most of them are synthesized by employing a so called â€Å"modular synthesis†, in which a mixture of metal precursors and appropriate ligands are combined under mild conditions to provide a crystalline porous network [26]. In most of the resulting materials the solvent used during synthesis is removed by applying vacuum, heat, or exchange with volatile molecules, resulting in large pore volume and large surface area accessible to guest molecules. Synthetic methods such as solvothermal synthesis (conventional approach), microwave synthesis [45], sonication synthesis [46], mechanochemical synthesis [47], and solid start synthesis [48] have been developed. Despite the simplicity of the synthesis, there are several challenges in the preparation of new materials related to the optimization of the reaction conditions that lead t o the desired MOF, in high yield and crystallinity. The following parameters can influence MOFs’ optimization and synthesis: temperature, solvent compositions, reaction times, reagent ratios, reagent concentrations, and pH of the co-solvent solution [44]. Accordingly, any change in any of these parameters can result in large number of network connectivities, many of which are nonporous and have adverse effect on the gas storage and separation applications. Therefore, large numbers of reactions trails are required to discover the new desired MOFs in which the reaction parameters are systematically varied. As a result high throughput technologies have been employed for the synthesis of new MOFs in the recent years [49,50]. 1.2.1 Solvothermal Synthesis Solvothermal methods have been confirmed to be among the most effective and convenient routes under relatively mild conditions, in particular for the crystal growth of coordination polymers [50-52]. Solvothermal reactions are carried out in closed vessels under autogenous pressure above the boiling point of the solvent. In most cases, high-boiling organic solvents have been used for solvothermal reactions. The most commonly used being dimethyl formamide, diethyl formamide, acetonitrile, acetone, ethanol, and methanol etc. Mixtures of solvents have also been used to tune the solution polarity and the kinetics of solvent-ligand exchange, effecting enhanced crystal growth. Solvothermal reactions can be carried out in different temperature ranges, depending on the requirement of the reaction [53]. When water is used as the solvent, the reactions are referred to as hydrothermal. The hydrothermal method has been used successfully for the synthesis of an enormous number of inorganic compoun ds and inorganic organic hybrid materials [54]. Due to their unique advantageous properties such as high thermal stability, air and moisture non-sensitivity, non-volatility, low reactivity, and templating and charge balancing ability of ionic liquids, they can be chosen as solvothermal reaction media. Solvothermal synthesis in ionic liquids is specifically referred to as ionothermal synthesis [55]. The coordination polymer [Cu(I)(bpp)]BF4 [bpp = 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane] [56] was prepared by solvothermal reaction using the ionic liquid [bmim][BF4] (bmim = 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium). The synthesis methods employed for different structures of coordination polymers (MOFs) and their key findings are listed in Table 1. 1.2.2 Microwave-assisted synthesis Microwave-assisted synthesis has attracted much attention as it provides a very rapid method for the synthesis of MOFs and has been used extensively to produce nanosize metal oxides [59]. Such processes involve heating a solution with microwaves for a period of about an hour to produce nanosized crystals. The microwave-assisted synthesis has been termed ‘microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis’ for the preparation of MOFs. Microwave-assisted processes generally produce the same qualities of crystals as those obtained by the regular solvothermal processes, but much quicker [60-64]. The first coordination polymer reported to be synthesized by microwave synthesis was Cr-MIL-100 [65]. The compound was synthesized in 4 h at 220 oC with 44% yield, which is comparable with that of conventional hydrothermal synthesis (220 oC and 4 days). The author expanded this method to synthesis of Cr-MIL-101 at 210 oC in less than 60 min, and reported similar physicochemical and textural properties compared with the standard material synthesized using the conventional electrical heating method [66]. Another coordination polymer, MOF-5, was also synthesized by applying microwave irradiation: increase in microwave irradiation time, power level, and concentration of the substrates beyond an optimal condition led to a reduction in synthesis time at the expense of crystal quality [67]. Microwave-assisted heating was found to be the method of choice to rapidly synthesize HKUST-1 crystals in the range of 10-20 ÃŽ ¼m in high yields (~90%) within 1 h [68]. Fe-MIL-53 [69], Fe-MIL-101-NH2 [7 0], IRMOF-3 (H2BDC-NH2) [71], and ZIF-8 (HMeIm) [72] were also synthesized using microwave-assisted synthesis method. 1.2.3 Sonochemical Synthesis Sonochemical methods can also achieve a reduction in crystallization time and significantly smaller particles size than those by the conventional solvothermal synthesis by homogeneous and accelerated nucleation [73,74]. A substrate solution mixture for a given MOF structure is introduced to a horn-type Pyrex reactor fitted to a sonicator bar with an adjustable power output without external cooling. After sonication, formation and collapse of bubbles will be formed in the solution which produces very high local temperatures (~5,000 K) and pressures (~1,000 bar) [74,75], and results in extremely fast heating and cooling rates (>1010 K/s) producing fine crystallites [76]. High-quality MOF-5 crystals in the 5-25ÃŽ ¼m range were obtained within 30min by sonochemical synthesis using NMP (1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone) as the solvent [77]. Detailed characterization and comparison with a conventionally synthesized sample showed almost identical physical properties. HKUST-1 was also prepared using DMF/EtOH/H2O mixed-solution in an ultrasonic bath [78]. High-quality Mg-MOF-74 crystals (1,640m2/g BET surface area) with particle size of ca. 0.6 ÃŽ ¼m were successfully synthesized in 1 h by a sonochemical method after triethylamine (TEA) was added as a deprotonating agent. Interestingly, mesopores were formed, probably due to the competitive binding of TEA to Mg2+ ions [79]. ZIF-8 was prepared recently by a sonochemical method under the pH-adjusted synthesis conditions using NaOH and TEA [80]. Inexpensive industrial grade DMF was employed as a solvent. A small amount of TEA as a deprotonating agent was necessary to obtain ZIF-8 crystals when the resulting solution was subjected to an ultrasonic treatment for 1 h at a 60% power level. 1.2.4 Electrochemical Synthesis The electrochemical synthesis is based on metal ions continuously supplied through anodic dissolution as a metal source instead of metal salts, which react with the dissolved linker molecules and a conducting salt in the reaction medium. The metal deposition on the cathode is avoided by employing protic solvents, but in the process H2 is generated [81]. The electrochemical route is also possible to run a continuous process to obtain a higher solids content compared to normal batch reactions [76]. The first electrochemical synthesis of MOFs was reported in 2005 by researchers at BASF [82] for HKUST-1. Bulk copper plates are used as the anodes in an electrochemical cell with the H3BTC dissolved in methanol as solvent and a copper cathode. During a period of 150 min at a voltage of 12-19V and a currency of 1.3 A, a greenish blue precipitate was formed. After activation, a dark blue colored powder having surface area of 1,820m2/g was obtained. This work was further used in the ZIFs syntheses [81,83]. Recently, HKUST-1, ZIF-8, Al-MIL-100, Al-MIL-53, and Al- MIL-53-NH2 were synthesized via anodic dissolution in an electrochemical cell [84]. The synthesis parameters such as solvent, electrolyte, voltage-current density, and temperature on the synthesis yield and textural properties of the MOFs obtained, was investigated and the produced MOF structures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, gas adsorption, atomic force microscopy, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. 1.2.5 Mechanochemical Synthesis Mechanochemical synthesis involves breakage of intramolecular bonds mechanically followed by a chemical transformation [80]. Synthesis of porous MOF by mechanochemical reaction was reported first in 2006 [89]. Mechanochemical reactions can occur at room temperature under solvent-free conditions, which has an advantage in avoiding organic solvents [90]. Quantitative yields of small MOF particles can be obtained in short reaction times, normally in the range of 10-60min. Mostly, metal oxides were found to be preferred than metal salts as a starting material, which results in water as the only side product [80]. The critical contribution of moisture in mechanochemical synthesis of pillared type MOFs was recently reported by Kitagawa group [91]. Liquid-assisted grinding (LAG) involves addition of small amounts of solvents which can lead to acceleration of mechanochemical reactions due to an increase of mobility of the reactants on the molecular level [92,93]. The liquid can also work as a structure-directing agent. However, mechanochemical synthesis is limited to specific MOF types only and large amount of product is difficult to obtain. While a mechanochemical reaction between H3BTC and copper acetate produces HKUST-1, reaction using copper formate resulted in a previously unknown phase, potentially due to templating effects of the different acid byproducts formed [93]. Recently, a mechanochemical approach was also applied for ZIF synthesis using combinations of ZnO and imidazole (HIm), 2-methylimidazole (HMeIm), and 2-ethylimidazole (HEtIm) as the starting material within 30-60min reaction time [94].