Interest Groups and their Influence on the Making of Public Policy Research Paper

Interest Groups and their Influence on the Making of Public Policy - Research Paper Example The composition of interest groups depends on the issues that the groups are concerned with. Examples of the interest groups are business organizations, labor unions, gender, professional associations, religious and public interest groups, and occupational groups. The impact of the interest groups depends on two factors: if the elected officials and bureaucratic agents are, championing public policies considered by the interest groups. Secondly, it depends on if the interest groups can be able to form organized groups through which they can lobby and influence public policies that are consistent with their mission and vision statements (Asare, 2009). Interest groups tend to thrive in a pluralistic environment and conflict ensuing from this environment translates to compromise and bargaining among the interest groups with the policymakers and the politicians. A review of literature evidence that these groups have been given names ranging from iron triangles, epistemic communities, advocacy coalition frameworks, and policy subsystem, issue, and policy networks. Though they are diverse groups, they all sought to influence the public policy in the areas they were envisioned to represent (Asare, 2009). The American government has classified the types of interest groups into three main classes based on their mission and composition: economic, public, and single use. Economic groups are aimed at providing economic benefit to their members. Examples are professional associations, business, and labor organizations. Business interest group examples are United States Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers. An example of labor interest groups is The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the Teamster, the United Auto Workers (UAW). Professional groups in this category include the American Bar Association (ABA), American Medical Association (AMA), and the Screen Actors Guild (SAS) (American Government).

Assignment Essay Example for Free

Assignment Essay Practice of Management Assignment Individual assignment to be done as homework To be done in Word with a cover page Watch the full interview from the link below with Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsi Co and answer the following questions based on the Interview Interview link: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=Ft7G549GF3Y Answer the questions with as much detail as possible Question 1 How do you feel about a boss who makes the strong connections with their staff and heir staffs families as Indra Nooyi does? Question 2 What is the operating philosophy of Pepsi Co? (explain in detail) Question 3 What was the specific initiative Indra Nooyi did to get ready for her first Job as a product manager for a textile company? Question 4 What are the characteristics that Indra Nooyi looks for when recruiting for the Pepsi co? Question 5 What does Mrs. Nooyi mean by dont run for office? Question 6 How did Pepsi Co handle the acquisition of Tropicana? Co? Question 5

Skills And Knowledge For Successful System Development Information Technology Essay

Skills And Knowledge For Successful System Development Information Technology Essay There is no doubt that information system analyst is playing an increasingly important role in most of the successful system project development. To achieve this, information system analyst must possess a wide range of qualities which involves appropriate skills and abilities as well as sufficient knowledge in the implementing system of users supports and functioning of business. It has to be considered that information system analyst carries responsibilities to analyse and understands the complex needs of human resources, people skills, technical understanding and process facilitation and it is basically applied from the first day of the system projects existence. It is crucial for every information system analyst to have dynamic project teams which are not static and unchanging as to ensure that they are able to articulate the needs that are associated with the key problem to be solved or opportunity to be realized. There are also several barriers exist in gathering and interpretin g of system development that needs to be concerned by information system analyst as this will affect the results of the system and the effectiveness of system development. This paper is critically emphasized on the skills and knowledge of an information system analysts and how these skills and knowledge have impacted in the successful in system project development. The structure of the paper will begin with the introduction, terminologies section, knowledge required by system analyst, most important skills and competencies for a system analyst as well as a conclusion as the summarization of the whole topic. Keywords: system analyst, system analysis, knowledge, analytical skills, technical skills, interpersonal skill, managerial skills, communication skills 1.0 INTRODUCTION Initially, information system analyst is highly necessary to run a system project. Without an information system knowledge and appropriate skill set, it is hardly to achieve projects goals. There are various formal and informal roles that system analyst play in creating successful. In short, every system analyst in a project has their own responsibilities that carry both formal and informal task and sometimes they are also assigned to run in a big or small project concurrently based on the project requirements to achieve project successfulness. Essentially, a system analyst plays an important role in the process of system development life cycle tasks which involved project planning, analysis, design, implementation and support process. Each process requires a system analyst to perform a different task and they must possess a wide range of skills with sufficient knowledge. This is important as system development is a very difficult activity that needs very careful planning, control an d execution. With the emergence of information technology, system has become increasingly role in most of the organization. In fact, a good system becomes the solely sustainable advantage for organizations to gain a winning position in todays highly competitive world. Parallel with that, the task of a system analyst becomes more difficult because they have to deal with a different organization with different requirements. According to Misic and Graf (2004), systems analyst perform their job is characterized by a constant changes where the change of the environment and uncertainty places forces the system analyst to regularly and consistently updates their task and activities. Meaning here, the system analyst should be able to adapt to the environmental changes. For that, a system analyst has to learn the culture or environment for every organization that they assigned to develop a system in order for them to effectively perform their job and meet the projects goals. In addition, they also need to have full understanding of system development and try to apply it within the organization with the support of knowledge and skills as it is very important and necessary to ensure the organization gain value and outperform rivals. Numerous articles have been written about system analyst skills and knowledge by many authors. Various authors have expressed different opinions on the skills that should be possessed by a system analyst such as analytical, technical, managerial and interpersonal or communication skills. There are two key skills that are needed to perform system analysis tasks, fact-finding for the investigation of system requirements and modelling of a business process based on the system requirements (Satzinger, Jackson and Burd, 2009). Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide thorough information on the aspects of tasks, knowledge and important skills of todays system analyst as well as to identify the impact of these aspects towards the effectiveness of system development. 2.0 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS: SYSTEM ANALYST, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS There are several of definition of a system analyst have been identified by many professionals. The meaning of the terms may vary from various authors depending to business process, workflow and discipline where it is used; however, the concept of a system analyst remains the same. According to Dennis and Wixom (2003), system analyst can be defined as the individuals who generate ideas and suggestions for how information technology can improve business processes, define new processes with the help of a business analyst, design a new information system and ensure that all the standard information systems maintained. In contrast, Whitten and Bentley (2007) have defined system analyst as a specialist who is responsible in identifying and study the organization problems and needs as to determine how people, data, processes and information technology can contribute to the business developments. Some people get confused the meaning between system analyst and computer programmer. Basically, a system analyst is not a computer programmer; he or she is individuals that decided what form of information technology to be used in the development of a system, whereas a computer programmer is individuals which are responsible in putting appropriate instructions with specific code into a computer system. However, both Information System professionals have similar skills needed in system development, which is emphasized on technical skills (Lee, 2002). Systems analyst and computer programmer are related in some way or another, but they are not exactly the same. Systems analyst requires different skills. Instead, computer programmer is focused on a particular emphasis of the study. Systems analyst and computer programmer like other professions were forced to have a sense of ethics. As viewed by Kagan and Sobolo (1987), systems analyst job involves analysis of the problem or needs informa tion on the organization and resolve the problem through the design of an efficient pattern of information flow from the source data into the computer. In different point of views by Green (1989), system analysts are service providers who are work closely with users as to define, develop and implement computer based system in order to meet business and other requirements. The involvement of users is required to help the system analyst to do analysis and synthesis tasks on a particular system. Almost similar with Misic and Graf (2002) views, system analyst acts as problem solver where they work closely with users and management in collecting and analyzing information on current and/or future computer-based system. Information system knowledge and appropriate skills for effective tasks and duties is needed to be an excellent system analyst. Several authors reviewed knowledge as an actionable or relevant information available in the right format at the right time and at the right place for decision making. In other words, people seek knowledge because it assists them to improve performance and succeed in their work. Knowledge also is the most precious therapy for complexity and uncertainty. Further, the process of system development depends heavily on knowledge so that, by having right knowledge, organization can produce a good decision making with producing good product and services to ensure meet the business requirements. In the case of information systems, knowledge can be referred to as content or technical information needed to do an adequate job and is usually acquired through formal education, on job training and information media such as the manuals (Cheney, Hale and Kasper, 1990). Meanwhile, skills are referred to the specific psychomotor processes necessary to meet the current requirements of job a specific job. Skills also include facilities to choose from between the repertoire of action that may be most appropriate for their specific actions (Cheney, Hale and Kasper, 1990). Environmental projects may differ from an organization to organization and project to project, however, some skills will help in almost any environmental project. These skills include understanding the changes and understand how the organization works within the social, political and physical. Important to realize, understanding the importance of system analyst activities and the related skills and knowledge may be critical in successful of system development. 3.0 KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED BY SYSTEM ANALYST Before starting to analyze and design a system, it is very important for a systems analyst to have sufficient knowledge about the various fields of knowledge depends primarily on the duties and level of development of the system. Based on Vitalari (1985), there are six key concepts of the knowledge base have emerge, namely, core system analysis domain knowledge, high-rated domain knowledge, application domain knowledge, functional domain knowledge, organization specific knowledge and knowledge of methods and techniques. Vitari (1985) said that core system analysis domain knowledge is essential components of system analysts knowledge to achieve satisfactory levels of performance. It is very important to meet the needs of the user to ensure the output of the system development will produce high satisfaction to the users. Important to realize that, systems analysts need to know what commitments are expected from the user and the user also knows what is expected of the systems analyst. In addition, by having this knowledge it help the system analyst to avoid committing mistakes and delaying the project to be completed. Whereas high rated domain knowledge is referred to the knowledge that distinguishes high rated analysts from low rated analysts. Application domain knowledge is a knowledge related to several information system applications such as expert system, decision support system, transaction processing system and end user computing. 4.0 MOST IMPORTANT SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES FOR SYSTEM ANALYST The system analyst needs certain skills to conduct system development. They need the skills to do systems analysis and design, where they have to understand what stakeholders (users, clients and technical staffs) need as to analyze the flow of data or enter data in a systematic, process or transform data, store data, and output information in the specific context of the business (Kendell and Kendell, 2010). Systems analysts aim to improve and develop information systems and information technology to get the best benefits for business especially in solving the business problems. Essentially, job skills support the core information system capabilities to determine the effective exploitation of technology innovation for IT organizations (Lerogue, Newton and Blanton, 2005). There are number of opinions that describe the skills that system analyst should be possessed to be successful. Following is the most important skills and competencies for a system analyst as pointed by various author s. Analytical skills According to Misic and Graf (2002) in their article entitled System analyst and skills in the millennium, analytical skills were considered the most important skills in the system development. Analytical skills can be defined as the ability to examine things critically and/or minutely, to separate the clear picture into its individual components (Misic and Graf, 2002). As indicated by Misic and Graf (2002), these skills provide the primary basis for an individual to adapt to changes in technology and by focusing on the development of their current employees and / or recruiting new employees that strong analytical skills of focusing mainly on a technical background, management information system will form a team development to be successful today and also in the face of the next wave of inevitable change and stress in their technological procedures. They also indicated that, this skill is applied in defining and analyzing requirements and insuring the fit within the organizations info rmation system environment. In other hands, analytical skills were involved in the analysis process where it is the task to understand the whole of something by breaking it down into important components. By understanding its components and how they fit together in a larger whole, it leads to understand the whole better. Analytical skill requires a system analyst to precisely in defining the problems. It is a fact that, knowing how to define a problem is a tough part. They have to find a way to break things into elements and utilize those elements to understand the real situations. The system analyst tasks might involve visualizing, articulating, and solving complex problems and concepts, and making sensible decisions based on information available. Analytical skills assist the system analyst to figure out the needs of the organizations and then try to satisfy those needs with a new system development. The growing use of technology has become a major part of the organization around the world. This led to the making the task of properly defines the problem ever more difficult. The system analyst has to be more precise in defining the problem besides determining the scope of a new system. This is the task where, system analysts have to properly define the possible problem and the target where they aim to hit. Important to know that, if the problem is wrongly identified it may impact on the system development, such as the new system will not well known, more time needed to do some research on a new system and many possible issues might be occurred. In contrast, if the problems are well identified with the analytical skill is applied to do this; the solutions to the particular problem are usually straightforward. Furthermore, to ensure the problem is precisely identified, systems analysts need to analyze and address the available information, to know what information sources are good, to be able to access and to make effective use in developing a new system. Identifying very clearly defined and specific problem is an important step to successfully implement the first solution. Interpersonal skills and communication skills Interpersonal and communication skills are other skills that required by every system analyst. Such skills are required at various stages of the development process for interacting with the users and try to identify their requirements in order to find out possible solutions to that particular problem. Interpersonal skills are related with individual skills needed to interact with individuals that associated with an IS project. In other words, interpersonal skills also can be referred as a behaviour and attitudes of individual, interpersonal communication and group behaviour in the IS context (Lerouge, Newton and Blanton, 2005). According to Lerouge, Newton and Blanton, (2005) in their study, IS managers have viewed these skills as the most important set skills for a system analyst in affecting IS success, whereas, for CIOs and end users indicated that technical skills were the most vital skills in successful of system development. Several authors indicated that behavioural, social, c ommunication and soft skills are sometimes referred to interpersonal skills as its characteristic represents the individual behaviours such as articulating and speaking skills to interact with the users, ability to work in a team such as programmers, analysts and other system professionals, personal motivation and working independently, good listener, ability to write and many more. Based on Odini (1991), interpersonal skills are term use to describe variety of social and communicative skills that involve two way communication skills, styles of positive behavior, leadership and teamwork and understanding of human behavior and interpersonal relationships in terms of interaction with relevant individuals. In contrast, Misic and Graf (2004) have distinguished interpersonal and communication skills into two different categories. Interpersonal skills are the ability to interact with other workers including end users, other system analyst, managers and outside vendors. Meanwhile, communic ation skills are referred to the ability of people to effectively write and speak clearly, able to summarize a document and that document must be understandable to the users. Most of the company IT based found that interpersonal skills or communication skills in both speaking and writing and ability to work in a team are very important and necessary to carry out their task. A system analyst needs to have communication skills as they are required to write user requirements into technical specifications. It is a fact that, good communication skills is significance to help the system analyst to interact with users in order to identify their needs, to interact with system designers to assist them in developing of a system interface as well as to communicate with the system developer as to keep track of system development. According to Green (1989), system analysts believe that they must rely on behavioral skills to effectively interact with user during the crucial stages of problem definition and analysis. As indicated by Misic and Graf (2004), if a system analyst is able to interact well with users, it shows that he or she has the ability to work with member s of the project team. Moreover, a system analyst should spend time getting close to the diverse stakeholders such as users, client and technical staffs in order to obtain information as they are the group of people who will use a new system and will benefit most from it. Generally, interpersonal skill is a significant factor in the success of a system analyst in developing system. The excellent system analyst is involved in every aspect of the system development process, and is actively involved in the interaction design for the system. They have an understanding of the various ways the stakeholder need to interact with the system, understand the different needs and to identify the different aspects of design that will work for different stakeholders. Based on Green (1989), management must recognize that successful system development depends on both behavioral and technical skills. He added that, training to improve behavioral skills such as interviewing and listening is needed. This is because they have to interact with many groups of people in various businesses where this group of people provides valuable insights to ensure the system satisfies the business needs. Besides, system analysts also liaise with almost every department of the business that is involved in solving the system problem. In addition, management must also provide an orientation program for the users involved in new projects. This program is mainly about the specific activities of system development and related skills needs for analysis. This program may facilitate the improvement of interaction skills and promoting greater consumer awareness of the importance of behavioral skills for systems development functions (Green, 1989). Technical skills There is no doubt that technical skills are areas commonly considered major to the computer related profession including system analyst. According to Misic and Graf (2004) technical skills are the ability to use techniques such as the development of systems of functional decomposition, data flow diagrams, process specifications, object-oriented analysis, data modeling, computer programming, hardware and software knowledge and other tools that are recognized to help in the development of a system. Similar with Lerouge, Newton and Blanton (2005) technical skills referred to hardware, software and programming aspects of information systems. In different point of views, Gallagher et. al (2010) indicated that technical skills can be divided into three major categories, foundational skills, operational skills and essential skills. Table 1, shows some of the technical skills that need to be possessed by every IT professional. Table 1: Technical Skills Foundational Skills Operational Skills Essential Skills Programming System testing Desktop Support/ Helpdesk Database Design / Management Operating Systems Voice / Data Telecommunications Operations Service Hosting Continuity / Discovery Planning Mainframe / Legacy Systems Analysis Systems Design IT Architectures / Standard Source: Adapted from Gallagher et. al (2010) Based on the above table, it can be assumed that system analyst requires all three technical skills as to stay competitive with todays dynamic environment, especially in the emergence of the internet and intranet technologies. This rapid change in technology forced the system analyst to prepare and focuses on the system analysis and development of a system by mastering all relevant technical skills. Foundation skills are skills to be obtained in advance by system analysts for their basic knowledge for continued career growth as well as before further develop to a higher level of skills. Whereas as indicated by Gallagher et. al (2010), operational skills often in particular, but they are usually not firm-specific. Though, they may be specific to technology providers such as, IBM mainframes or Microsoft server products. These skills are important to solve problems that are related to the computers and both hardware and software. Meanwhile, essential skills are the most important skills in assisting a system analyst to perform task in analyzing and designing of system development. There are changes in the system analyst technical skill set due to the development of technology. In addition, these skills have increasingly emphasized across all IS job. According to Lee (2002), the skills involved were desktop, operating systems, third generation languages, database and packages as well. In contrast, Haga et. al (2007), have identified three major technical skills set that is listed in the job bank, there are, database skills, operating system skills and other miscellaneous skills. Table 2, summarizes the technical skills required for a system analyst listed in the job bank. Some of these skills are crucial for them to operate and implement the system development. Table 1: Technical skills required for system analyst listed in the job bank. Database Skills Operating System Skills Other Miscellaneous Skills Oracle SQL PL/SQL Database DB2 SQL Server Powerbuilder Sysbase Data Mining/ Data Warehousing Informix Delpi UNIX/LINUX Win NT Win 95/98/2000 AS400/ OS400 Mainframe JCL Novell Sun Solaris DOS MAC OS MS Office Internet/ Intranet Development Networking/Telecom SAP Accounting (pay-roll, etc) Peoplesoft Tech Support/ Help Desk ERP Lotus Notes uml Crystal Reports Vision Source: Adapted from Haga et. al (2007) 5.0 CONCLUSION It can be concluded that excellent system analyst only can be developed through appropriate skills and sufficient knowledge. While developing an effective project team members, the team leader also need to have multiple skills in managing those people in the project management. According to Tan (2004), due to multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional of project management, a good manager is an individual that can wear multiple hats and work in any discipline of development to plug up any shortcomings. For system analysts, it is necessary for them to fulfil the excellent system analyst characteristic in order to achieve project goals on time and within the budget besides preventing a conflict with others in the same project.

Production Report on Thriller Film Essay example -- Papers

Production Report on Thriller Film For my production unit, I chose Brief 1: Thriller Film. This is due to my interest in them and the confidence I have in producing my own, which I found from GCSE television advertising work and in my ability to deconstruct existing films. In order to fulfil my brief successfully, I had to perform several areas of research, which will make the product look like products in real life and show that I know and can use the appropriate codes and conventions. I also watched a non-Hollywood film, the French film 'La Haine'. Comparing the two different sorts of films, emphasised the codes and conventions that I needed to use for my 'classic Hollywood' film. For example, the 180degree rule, continuity and the way sound is constructed to fit the distance of source from camera. To go into more detail about typical Hollywood style, I deconstructed many sequences in terms of shots and techniques in existing Hollywood thriller films, with a fifteen or eighteen certificate looking at the codes and conventions specifically used in them to create the effect desired e.g. the use of incidental music and silences; filming the villain so his face is never fully shown; using low-key lighting to create shadows; low and high angled shots to create the feeling of power and control; close-ups of eyes to show fear; slow, long-held shots to create tension. A particular favourite film of mine was 'Silence of the Lambs'- a film by Jonathan Demme, because the tension created was a lot subtler and there was very little violence or action in the film- the enjoyment came out of the highly detailed characters and the i... ... my film was an older, more sophisticated audience than most thriller films- probably the same audience as 'Silence of the Lambs', who will appreciate little action and detailed characters. I think my film does target this audience as it involves complex emotions and in the opening sequence, a lot of mystery and things to work- it is not self-explanatory-an enigma and I think an older audience would enjoy this factor of the film. Overall I am pleased with the effect I have created in my sequence. I think it sets up the rest of the film well and this opening sequence would make an audience want to watch the rest of the film. I believe that my film follows enough conventions to be called a 'Classic Hollywood Realism' film and although the quality is not brilliant due to lack of technology, I am pleased with the result.

Advertising, through the ages has evolved to be a very powerful tool that can shape identities and personalities of consumers regardless of age, culture or sex

Advertising has, one way or another shaped my identity and personality. I also have to admit that because of my exposure to advertisement, I have achieved a certain status in my neighborhood.   I play basketball during my past time, and I became popular in town not only because of my skill but also because of the Nike shoes that I wear.Nike is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel.  Ã‚   I first heard of Nike when I was a kid, in T.V commercials of former basketball player Michael Jordan promoting the shoes.Being an NBA fan and a basketball aficionado, the commercials intrigue me into trying out the shoes he is endorsing.   The moment I bought my pair of Nike shoes and paraded it in school, I saw my classmates in complete awe after seeing me wearing the shoes for the first time.   I was bombarded with questions like â€Å"how much does it cost† or â€Å"where it was bought.†Also, when I play basketball using the said shoes, I also earned ext ra attention from the people who are watching the game because of my footwear.Aside from that I can feel that I can do things that Jordan does (high flying dunks, higher jumping ability) just by wearing the shoes he endorsed, especially when dunking the ball from the free throw line which was made famous by Michael Jordan during the slam dunk contest (though I have not yet accomplished it).When comparing it to other shoes, I can see that Nike has the edge because of its dimensions.   I feel that the shoes are lighter than other brands as what Jordan swears it to be.   During a game of basketball, which usually requires frequent running, I can feel that the shoes’ weight does not affect my speed.Another important feature is the durability of the shoes, in which it can last for years even if I frequently use it during basketball games.  Ã‚   Buying shoes that can be damaged easily can cause discomfort and even injuries.   I also feel that buying another brand will compr omise quality and that I may acquire an injury if my shoes, for example is below the standards that of Nike. With proper care, Nike shoes can be your companion for life.With its features and other types (running shoes, tennis shoes), all sports enthusiast will, like me, be forever loyal to the brand.   I can say that whenever I am wearing Nike shoes, I feel that I am better than other people, especially when playing basketball.   The shoes give my self-esteem a boost.Advertising, in reality is designed to attract people into buying particular products. But these days, consumers are very wise with regards to spending their hard-earned money. An advertisement full of fluff is easily recognized by them.Consumers know what they want and are not easily convinced especially when an advertisement is just luring them into spending. To meet their standards, advertising also stepped-up into the next level. It has become more creative, truthful and warm.My relationship with my Nike shoes i s growing strong. Michael Jordan may have influenced this â€Å"fetish† of mine. But in the end, I can say that my loyalty is due to the reason that through time, I have come to prove the things they say in the ads. And because of this, I give my loyalty only to Nike shoes and only to it.ReferenceSage, Alexandria (June 26, 2008). â€Å"Nike profit up but shares tumble on U.S. concerns†. Reuters. http://uk.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUKWNAS924120080626. Retrieved 2008-07-10.â€Å"Jordan and Wilkins Battle for Dunk Title†. NBA's Greatest Moments nba.com (website)http://www.nba.com/history/1988slamdunk_moments.html   

African Americans and Slavery

African Americans and Slavery in the Revolutionary period The American Revolution was a time of great turmoil for all men and women in the United States. Great debates came and went during this time; slavery and the freedom of black men being the main problems in these debates. Slaves were used for a great number of things during the American revolutionary period. The arrival of slavery to the American colonies began in the 1600s and started out in Virginia.As the years passed more and more African-Americans were brought into the colonies to be used as labor workers. The beginning amount of slaves continued to grow and by the beginning of the revolution there were about 273,000 slaves spread throughout the American states. With the coming of the revolution all African-Americans, slave or free, knew something was coming and each had a different response to these comings. There were differences in the responses of slaves and free men during the American Revolution. There were also cons equences to their choices. Gaining freedom in a land of captivity and wresting equality from a society whose founding documents guarantee it has been the consuming desire and everlasting hope that has kept harrowed bodies and weary souls going. † In the southern states African-American slaves were treated harsher than those in the north. The plantations down south required back –breaking hours of work in the sun that White Americans believed could only be done by those they had bought. There was a reason for them to be there and until they could no longer work they were to do all things imaginable for their owners, no questions asked.Some of these slaves thought it was easier to run away from their owners and that in doing so they would have a chance to fight for their country. Slaves could either flee to the north or they could flee to Spanish owned Florida. In cases where a master was called upon to fight, they would send a slave in their place and if they lived long enough to return home they earned freedom. Many of the slaves decided that if they had a chance to gain their freedom by joining the war effort then they would gladly take their masters place.They also believed that with the beginning to the revolutionary period would bring a new deed to the land and when it was over there would no longer be a need for slaves. The consequences for slaves in the south were innumerable. Like many slaves, they took this time to run from slave masters and plantations. If these southern slaves were caught, depending on the owner, the slave could suffer mild to severe consequences. Depending on the demeanor of the owner a slave could be punished in several different ways. Whipping, branding, slapping, being dunked underwater, and kicking were just some forms of punishment.The most severe punishments were to cut off a body part like an ear in the hopes that the slave would learn and never run again. There were also â€Å"nice† slave owners that chos e not to punish their slaves. There justification for not punishing their slaves was so that they would continue to work and so that the owner could buy more slaves with the money that they continued to pool in from the work. Because of some owners that continuously harassed Washington, he stopped allowing slaves into his army. But General Washington, fearing rebellion, created an order that stated that all blacks were not allowed to fight.Later he partially reversed the order and allowed only free black men to fight with him. Some slaves believed that taking a chance to flee towards the north was a far-fetched idea. They were seeking freedom in the quickest possible way. Lord Dunmore sent out a proclamation that stated in exchange for freedom any black that came to him would fight against the patriots and become a loyalist. Dunmore’s promise of freedom fueled black slaves to escape and even some patriots fled to fight as a loyalist. After the war, true to his word, slaves ga ined their freedom.Some of these newly freed slaves went to Britain but many of them stayed in the Americas. On the other hand free men in the north believed the revolution would bring about change for the better. Their idea of the revolution was that they were being given the chance to gain independence from Great Britain and also for themselves. It was a defining moment in history that they were to be a part of. Fighting with white men gave these free black men a sense of honor and it also gave them a job where they could earn a little money to put towards getting homes and things of that nature.Men from the north gradually began to realize that they could fight with their brethren and bring independence to the land. General Washington passed an order stating that no black man was allowed into his army. This order came about because of general angst from some slave owners. These owners believed that there should not be any blacks fighting for the independence because they were onl y good for being slaves and they would never have say over anything. After some time Washington, fearing not having enough men to fight against the British, partially eversed this order to allow only free black men. Other than this there were not many consequences that are recorded for free black men. These free men not only fought for the independence of the nation but also for their independence and the independence of other black men and women. African-Americans from the north and south chose to join the continental army because they believed that they should help make the place the lived independent from a tyranny that had no say in the matters of a new country. They felt that this tyranny could take their rights and place them under unfair rule once again.Some of the freemen and slaves that had started out in the continental army decided to run to the British army but were not successful in their plights. Nash called the revolution the ‘greatest slave rebellion in America n history’ because it was just that. The revolution opened up new grounds for slaves to rebel against owners because it was the most opportune time for them to do so. â€Å"If any group within America’s diversified people came close to answering John Adams’s plea that ‘we must all be soldiers,’ it was black Americans.No part of revolutionary society responded to the call for arms with anywhere near the enthusiasm of those who were black. Proportionate to their number, African American males— and some females— were more likely to join the fray than white Americans. † According to this excerpt from another one of Nash’s books, African-Americans were much more adept to answering the plea of John Adams. If there were more African-American fighters than white that meant that more black males were subject to put themselves in danger in order to gain freedom.They would rather have one day of freedom, not knowing if they would di e in the next second, hour, or day, than be a slave for the rest of their lives. This is one of the reasons why Nash called the revolution the ‘greatest slave rebellion in American history’. â€Å"Desperate to fill the thinned ranks of its regiments, states offered freedom†¦ to serve during the continuance of the present war with Great Britain. Every black enlistee would be ‘immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress, and be absolutely free, as if he had never been encumbered with any kind of servitude or slavery. If states were desperate to have more men come into their ranks then there was nothing really stopping slaves from escaping their masters and coming to fight. They all wanted freedom from someone. Slaves wanted freedom from their bonds that were tied to the soil they worked and the Americans wanted freedom from Great Britain. Both groups had their reasons to fight and the only way slaves knew how to become free was to rebel a nd run to an army. This was a time for large rebellions on all fronts not just from the slaves.It was a rebellion against the British from the former colonists and a rebellion against the men and women that were taken from their homes to somehow create new ones. â€Å"It may have been, as Nash says ‘the greatest slave rebellion in American history,’ but for most of the rebels it ended like the others, in death. Slaves who supported the American side fared better, but not much better. Only with great reluctance did Washington allow some to join his army. Other Virginians had another wartime use for them.In 1780 the state legislature offered salves as a bounty for enlistment in the war against British tyranny. The revolution did see enactment of measures for gradual emancipation in the northern states, but the number who benefited was small. † My view on the American Revolution has changed somewhat because of how the African-Americans were treated during and after the period of war. The Americans act as though they had not been fighting alongside each other and because of this withhold distaste for the blacks.The completely disregard the idea that every man is created equal and has certain unalienable rights. They do not extend these ideas that were written down on the Declaration of Independence to the free black Americans. Men that had fought with and under Washington were not looked as the same because the color of their skin and were not given the same rights. Because of how they were treated I see the Revolution more as a war against Britain to save other whites from tyranny rather than to gain independence for all mankind. ——————————————– 1 ]. Gary B. Nash, The Forgotten Fifth: African Americans in the Age of Revolution (Harvard University: 2006), 1. [ 2 ]. Taymor, . â€Å"US History Documents. † Last modified 2005. Accessed J anuary 27, 2013. http://inside. sfuhs. org/dept/history/US_History_reader/Chapter2/Nashfighting. pdf. [ 3 ]. Taymor, . â€Å"US History Documents. † Last modified 2005. Accessed January 27, 2013. http://inside. sfuhs. org/dept/history/US_History_reader/Chapter2/Nashfighting. pdf. [ 4 ]. Edmund S. Morgan, review of The Unknown American Revolution: The

The Chemistry of Carbohydrates

The Chemistry of Carbohydrates Carbohydrates, or saccharides, are the most abundant class of biomolecules. Carbohydrates are used to store energy, though they serve other important functions as well. This is an overview of carbohydrate chemistry, including a look at the types of carbohydrates, their functions, and carbohydrate classification. List of Carbohydrates Elements All carbohydrates contain the same three elements, whether the carbohydrates are simple sugars, starches, or other polymers. These elements are: Carbon (C)Hydrogen (H)Oxygen (O) Different carbohydrates are formed by the way these elements bond to each other and the number of each type of atom. Usually, the ratio of hydrogen atoms to oxygen atoms is 2:1, which is the same as the ratio in water. What a Carbohydrate Is The word carbohydrate comes from the Greek word sakharon, which means sugar.  In chemistry, carbohydrates are a common class of simple organic compounds. A carbohydrate is an aldehyde or a ketone that has additional hydroxyl groups. The simplest carbohydrates are called monosaccharides, which have the basic structure (C ·H2O)n, where n is three or greater. Two monosaccharides link together to form a  disaccharide. Monosaccharides and disaccharides are called sugars and typically have names ending with the suffix -ose. More than two monosaccharides link together to form oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. In everyday usage, the word carbohydrate refers to any food that contains a high level of sugars or starch. In this context, carbohydrates include table sugar, jelly, bread, cereal, and pasta, even though these foods may contain other organic compounds. For example, cereal and pasta also contain some level of protein. The Functions of Carbohydrates Carbohydrates serve several biochemical functions: Monosaccharides serve as fuel for cellular metabolism.Monosaccharides are used in several biosynthesis reactions.Monosaccharides may be converted into space-saving polysaccharides, such as glycogen and starch. These molecules provide stored energy for plant and animal cells.Carbohydrates are used to form structural elements, such as chitin in animals and cellulose in plants.Carbohydrates and modified carbohydrates are important for an organisms fertilization, development, blood clotting, and immune system function. Examples of Carbohydrates Monosaccharides: glucose, fructose, galactoseDisaccharides: sucrose, lactosePolysaccharides: chitin, cellulose Carbohydrate Classification Three characteristics are used to classify monosaccharides: Number of carbon atoms in the moleculeLocation of the carbonyl groupThe chirality of the carbohydrateAldose - monosaccharide in which the carbonyl group is an aldehydeKetone - monosaccharide in which the carbonyl group is a ketoneTriose - monosaccharide with 3 carbon atomsTetrose - monosaccharide with 4 carbon atomsPentose - monosaccharide with 5 carbon atomsHexose - monosaccharide with 6 carbon atomsAldohexose - 6-carbon aldehyde (e.g., glucose)Aldopentose - 5-carbon aldehyde (e.g., ribose)Ketohexose - 6-carbon hexose (e.g., fructose) A monosaccharide is D or L, depending on the orientation of the asymmetric carbon located furthest from the carbonyl group. In a D sugar, the hydroxyl group is on the right the molecule when written as a Fischer projection. If the hydroxyl group is on the left of the molecule, it is an L sugar.