Quantitative Analysis by Spectrophotometric Methods Essay Example

Quantitative Analysis by Spectrophotometric Methods Paper Abstract In this experiment, the absorbance of KMnO4 was measured by spectrophotometric method to determine the molar concentration and the molar extinction coefficient of KMnO4. In part 1, in order to determine the maximum absorbance wavelength of KMnO4, we measured the absorbance of the sample solution which contains KMnO4 at the wavelengths between 330nm and 660nm, and plotted the ? and A points; the ? max was 530nm. In part 2, the effect of concentration on the absorbance was examined. We prepared five differently concentrated (but, same path length) solutions, and measured the absorbance of them at the ? ax(530nm) discovered in part 1; According to the results, higher concentrated solution had higher absorbance value. The extinction coefficient(? ) could be calculated from the results determined in part 2 and Beer’s Law; ? = 1. 7 x 103. In part 3, the absorbance of the KMnO4 solution of unknown concentration was measured, and using Beer’s law and dilution equation, the initial concentration of the unknown was determined; The concentration of the solution (unknown # : 15) was calculated to be 3. 3 x 10-3M. Introduction Our eyes are sensitive to light which lies in a very small region of the electromagnetic spectrum labeled visible light. This visible light corresponds to a wavelength range of 400 700 nanometers (nm) and a color range of violet through red. The human eye is not capable of seeing radiation with wavelengths outside the visible spectrum. The visible colors from shortest to longest wavelength are: violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. Ultraviolet radiation has a shorter wavelength than the visible violet light. Infrared radiation has a longer wavelength than visible red light. The white light is a mixture of the colors of the visible spectrum. Black is a total absence of light. Figure 5. 1 The electromagnetic spectrum. Although visible light acts as a wave in some respects, it also displays properties characteristic of particles. The particle-like properties of visible light are exhibited through small, energy-bearing entities known as photons. The energy of a photon is: E photon = hc / ? (1) where h = Plancks constant, 6. 626 x 10-34 J/s, c = speed of light, 3. 00 x 108 m/s, and ? = wavelength of light. Light is energy, and when energy is absorbed by a chemical it results in a change in energy levels of the chemical. We will write a custom essay sample on Quantitative Analysis by Spectrophotometric Methods specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Quantitative Analysis by Spectrophotometric Methods specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Quantitative Analysis by Spectrophotometric Methods specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Molecules normally exist in discrete energy levels. Vibrational energy levels exist because molecular bonds vibrate at specific frequencies. Electronic energy levels exist because electrons in molecules can be excited to discrete, higher energy orbitals. The energy (E) of light depends on its wavelength. Longer wavelengths (infrared) have less energy than shorter wavelengths (ultraviolet). A molecule will absorb energy (light) when the energy (or wavelength) exactly matches the energy difference between the two energy states of the molecule. In absorption, light — sunlight which is white light — strikes an object and part of the light may be absorbed by the object. The light we see coming from that object is the light which was not absorbed by the object. We see the not-absorbed light as the color of the object. If no light is absorbed, the object appears to be colorless. A spectrophotometer is employed to measure the amount of light that a sample absorbs. The instrument operates by passing a beam of light through a sample and measuring the intensity of light reaching a detector. The beam of light consists of a stream of photons. When a photon encounters a molecule, there is a chance the molecule will absorb the photon. This absorption reduces the number of photons in the beam of light, thereby reducing the intensity of the light beam. The ratio of transmitted light intensity(I) to the incident light intensity(I0) is the transmittance, T: T = I / I0 (2) The amount of light a sample absorbs is affected by its concentration. If there are samples of same substances but different concentrations, the amount of the absorbed light will be different. In higher concentrated solution, more absorbing molecules are present in the path of the light, and the chance the light strikes the molecules will increase. So, more light will be absorbed by the sample; less light will be transmitted. In contrast, in lower concentrated solution, less light will be absorbed, and more light will be transmitted. The concentration is represented by the symbol C and is typically measured in mole/L. Another factor that affects the amount of light a sample absorbs is the path length which is the length of sample that the light passes through. The path length is represented by the symbol l and is typically measured in centimeters. When the light travels through longer distance, it will strike more absorbing molecules, so more light will be absorbed, and less light will be transmitted. The relationship of two factors (path length concentration) can be combined to yield a general equation called Beers Law. log10T = A = ? lC (3) The quantity ? is the molar absorptivity; in older literature it is sometimes called the molar extinction coefficient. It is the measure of how strongly a substance absorbs light at a particular wavelength; a larger extinction coefficient means that substance absorbs more light. The units of ? are usually in M-1cm-1 or L mol-1cm-1. A is the absorbance of light by a sample, and in this experiment, it was measured directly by a spectrophotometer. Experimental 1. Maximum Absorbance Wavelength: For the first part of this experiment, we determined the wavelength at which a selected substance (KMnO4) would absorb best. We obtained 10ml of 0. 0040M KMnO4, and using a graduated 1. 0-ml pipette and a pipetting bulb, transferred 1. 00ml of it into a 25. 0-ml volumetric flask. We filled the flask half full with deionized water, and added 1. 0ml of 3. 0M H2SO4. After mixing the contents, we filled the flask completely with deionized water and mixed them again. After the sample solution was prepared, we calibrated a spectrophotometer using a blank solution; in this experiment, deionized water was used for the bla nk solution because H2SO4 is transparent in the visible region. For measuring the absorbance of KMnO4, first we selected a wavelength, and placed a cuvette containing blank solution, then replaced it with the other cuvette containing the prepared KMnO4 solution. The absorbance was measured at the wavelengths between 360nm and 660nm, and each time a new wavelength was selected, the spectrophotometer was recalibrated. After all the absorbance values were measured, we plotted the absorbance data versus the wavelength to determine ? max which was used for the remainder of the experiment. 2. Standard Absorbance Curve: For the second part of this experiment, we examined the effect of varying the concentration on the absorbance. Five differently concentrated KMnO4 solutions were prepared for this part. For each 25. 00ml sample, 1. 00ml, 0. 80ml, 0. 60ml, 0. 40ml, and 0. 0ml of 0. 0040M KMnO4, 1. 0ml of 3. 0M H2SO4, and deionized water were added. The concentration of each solution was calculated using the dilution equation, M1V1 = M2V2. After a sample was prepared, we set the spectrophotometer to the ? max discovered in first part, calibrated using the blank, and then examined the absorbance of the sample. After all the findings were examined, we m ade a plot of the absorbance versus concentration. The molar extinction coefficient could be calculated using the Beer’s Law and the measured results. The inside diameter of the cuvette (path length) was measured with calipers. 3. Concentration of an Unknown: In the last part, we determined the concentration of unknown solution using the results (the path length and the extinction coefficient) determined in the second part. We obtained a solution of KMnO4 of unknown concentration. We followed the same procedure as for the second part to dilute the unknown solution; added KMnO4, H2SO4, and deionized water to make 25. 00ml sample, and calibrated the instrument with the blank solution at the ? max, and then measured the absorbance. The concentration of the unknown before it was diluted could be determined using the dilution equation in a reverse way. Results Discussion 1. Maximum Absorbance Wavelength: In part 1, we determined the sample’s absorbance spectrum to find the wavelength (? max) at which KMnO4 absorbs best. The absorbance data measured in this part is shown in Table 1, and Figure 1 is the absorbance spectrum constructed by plotting A vs ?. Table 1: Data for Maximum Absorbance Wavelength Wavelength360380400420440460480500 Absorbance0. 1450. 0770. 0210. 0080. 0170. 0510. 1320. 253 Wavelength520540560580600620640660 Absorbance0. 3620. 3600. 2460. 1130. 0400. 0300. 0220. 018 Figure 1: Absorbance Spectrum of KMnO4 According to the graph, ? max of KMnO4 is about 530nm, and it means that at the wavelength 530nm, KMnO4 absorbs light best. 2. Standard Absorbance Curve: In part 2, we examined the effect of varying the concentration on the absorbance. We prepared five differently concentrated solutions (the higher concentrated solution appeared darker pink-violet), and using dilution equation, the concentrations were calculated. Figure 2: Color of permanganate in different concentrated solution The calculated concentration and the measured absorbance of each solution are summarized in Table 2. Table 2: Data for Standard Absorbance Curve Volume (ml)Concentration (M)Absorbance 1. 001. 6 x 10-40. 320 0. 801. 3 x 10-40. 252 0. 609. 6 x 10-50. 185 0. 406. 4 x 10-50. 122 0. 203. 2 x 10-50. 057 As shown in Table 2, when concentration decreased, the absorbance value also decreased. A plot of the absorbance verses concentration (Figure 4) resulted a straight line, and according to the equation (3), the Beer’s Law, we knew that the slope(2036. 563) of the line equals ? l. The path length(l) of the cuvette was measured to be 1. 18cm, and the extinction coefficient(? ) at 530nm was calculated to be 1. x 103; The molar extinction coefficient varies with the wavelength of light used in the measurement. Figure 3: A plot of Absorbance vs. Concentration 3. Concentration of an Unknown: The concentration of the unknown (#15) solution was calculated using Beer’s Law and dilution equation. Table 3 shows the data gathered. Table 3: Data and Calculation for Unknown KMnO4 Concentrat ion TrialVol. of KMnO4 AbsorbanceCon. after dilution (M)Con. before dilution (M) 11. 0 ml0. 2511. 3 x 10-43. 3 x 10-3 20. 8 ml0. 2121. 1 x 10-43. 4 x 10-3 30. 6 ml0. 1557. 7 x 10-43. 3 x 10-3 The mean concentration before dilution was calculated to 3. x 10-3M. In part 1, the maximum wavelength of KMnO4 was found as 530nm. When MnO4- is dissolved in water, it appears pink-violet, and as shown in color wheel below, it absorbs primarily yellow-green light. (The color a substance appears to be is directly across the wheel from the color of light that substance has absorbed. ) The range of the wavelength of green-yellow light is between 495nm ~ 590nm, so the maximum wavelength measured (530nm) is reasonable. Figure 4: The Color Wheel The absorbance spectrum shows how the absorbance of light depends upon the wavelength of the light. The spectrum itself is a plot of absorbance vs. wavelength and is characterized by the wavelength (? max) at which the absorbance is the greatest. The value of ? max is important for several reasons. This wavelength is characteristic of each compound and provides information on the electronic structure of the analyte. In order to obtain the highest sensitivity and to minimize deviations from Beers Law, analytical measurements are made using light with a wavelength of ? max. In part 2, we observed that the absorbance was lower in less concentrated solution. Before the experiment was done, we expected that in lower concentrated solution, because fewer number of absorbing molecules would exist, so less light would be absorbed; the expectation was correct. As I mentioned above, the solution appears pink-violet because permanganate absorbs primarily green-yellow light. The pink-violet color was darker in higher concentrated solution as in figure 2, and it can be explained that more green-yellow light was absorbed, so the violet color appeared darker. In part 3, we measured the absorbance of diluted unknown KMnO4 solution to determine the concentration of it. I got the sample of unknown number 15. We’d already known the value of the path length and the extinction coefficient, so we could calculate the concentration using the Beer’s Law. The solution was diluted to 25ml, so, in order to determine the initial concentration of the unknown, we used the dilution equation in a reverse way. The absorbance of the unknown was similar to the absorbance of the known sample, so I expected that the concentration would be similar; the known concentration was 0. 0040M, and the unknown concentration determined to be 0. 0033M.

Find out What Mathematical Economics Is

Find out What Mathematical Economics Is Much of the study of economics requires an understanding of mathematical and statistical methods, so what exactly is mathematical economics? Mathematical economics is best defined as a sub-field of economics that examines the mathematical aspects of economics and economic theories. Or put into other words, mathematics such as calculus, matrix algebra, and differential equations are applied to illustrate economic theories and analyze economic hypotheses. Proponents of mathematical economics claim that the primary advantage of this particular approach is that it permits the formation of theoretical economic relationships through generalizations with simplicity. Mind you, the simplicity of this approach to the study of economics is certainly subjective. These proponents are likely to be skilled in complex mathematics. An understanding of mathematical economics is particularly important for students considering the pursuit of a graduate degree in economics as advanced economics studies make great use of formal mathematical reasoning and models. Mathematical Economics vs. Econometrics As most economics student will attest to, modern economic research certainly doesnt shy away from mathematical modeling, but its application of the math differs within the various subfields. Fields like econometrics seek  to analyze real-world economic scenarios and activity through statistical methods. Mathematical economics, on the other hand, could be considered econometrics theoretical  counterpart. Mathematical economics allows economists to formulate testable hypotheses on a wide array of complicated subjects and topics. It also permits economists to explain observable phenomena in quantifiable terms and provide the basis for further interpretation or the provision of possible solutions.  But these mathematical methods that economists use are not limited to mathematical economics. In fact, many are often utilized in the studies of other sciences as well. The Math in Mathematical Economics These mathematical methods generally reach far beyond typical high school algebra and geometry and are not limited to one mathematical discipline. The importance of these advanced mathematical methods is captured perfectly in the mathematics section of books to study before going to graduate school in economics: Having a good understanding of mathematics is crucial to success in economics. Most undergraduate students, particularly those coming from North America, are often shocked by how mathematical graduate programs in economics are. The math goes beyond basic algebra and calculus, as it tends to be more proofs, such as Let (x_n) be a Cauchy sequence. Show that if (X_n) has a convergent subsequence then the sequence is itself convergent. Economics uses tools from essentially every branch of mathematics. For instance, a  great deal of pure mathematics, such as real analysis, appears in microeconomic theory. Numerical method  approaches from applied mathematics are also used a great deal in most subfields of economics. Partial differential equations, which are normally associated with physics, show up in all kinds of economics applications, most notably finance and asset pricing. For better or for worse, economics has become an incredibly technical topic of study.

How to Expand Your Organic Growth on Facebook and Twitter for Free

How to Expand Your Organic Growth on Facebook and Twitter for Free When it comes to social media, every brand wants in on the action. It’s no secret that social media marketing works only if a brand actually has fans or followers. Amassing a respectable audience on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ (is that still a thing?), Linkedin, Instagram or any of the other platform du jour  is tough. Many brands and small businesses want their social media presence to be organic, meaning no money invested. Having a good, or great, social media presence can help any   business grow like wildflowers. But, this will only happen after it develops a large following and then works consistently to engage, educate, and cultivate this audience. Brands want the growth and audience, but aren’t willing to pay for it. Seems like a catch 22. Can a brand simply grow their social audience organically?   Is that even possible in today’s pay-to-play landscape? Here are some metrics. Here’s a 10 step recipe for growing an organic audience on Facebook and TwitterHow to Get 129% Organic Growth on Twitter and 239% on Facebook With 100% Organic Tactics No, this isn’t a fairytale in the land of make believe that is social media. It’s actually the metrics after recently (within past two months) concluding a relationship with one of my first social media clients ever. The client, let’s call them DFX (name changed), works in the financial sector so the competition is high, with tight regulations in terms of release of specific information, and it just so happens to be that within this aspect of the industry, some brands are known for tactics that fall within the â€Å"grey area† of digital marketing. After closing up with the DFX, it’s pretty clear that brands can still boost their audience even without investing money. Will it take time and effort? Absolutely, but the euphoria of surviving numerous Facebook algorithms and outperforming your competition is worth it all. Trust me, I’ve been there. So, how did they succeed in growing organically?   Here’s a 10 step recipe for growing an organic audience on Facebook and Twitter (and it even worked a bit on Google Plus too). Here’s a 10 step recipe for growing an organic audience on Facebook and TwitterKnow the Fundamentals to Grow a Social Media Audience the Right Way Organic growth is based on three fundamentals: Consistency Knowledge Being real (authenticity) Brands must be consistent. If any brand attempts to implement any of these strategies for even a month and then gives up, I guarantee that they will fail. Social media is a long-term game. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Limited on time? No problem, just pick a few of the strategies and be relentless in executing them. Brands must know their audience (we all know what happens when we assume things about people)? Understand their patterns, their preferences, their input. Social media is always about being real. There’s no room for bots, auto responders, auto DM’s, and egg heads. It’s about conversation. Organic growth on social media is just as much about knowing, educating and maintaining current followers as it is about gaining new ones. Recommended Reading: The Six Types of Social Media Content That Will Give You the Greatest Value With that introduction, here’s how DFX grew their social media audience organically (all images and screenshots of content are used with permission). With this information in hand, any brand can launch an organic growth campaign. Recommended Reading: Facebook Marketing Strategy: Why You Need One (And How to Build It) 1. Perform a Social Media Audit After vowing to embrace the fundamentals, an important step in growth is to first assess what’s been done. Conduct a social media audit of your existing process, strategy, and flow. Calendar of content: Yes, this is number one on an audit. Without a content calendar that stresses consistency, valuable brand focused and industry relevant content the entire social media and digital effort will be sloppy. Audience mapping: Identify leaders, influencers, and key figures in the space. Content should be shaped and guided by the conversations of these industry figures. Focus the brands engagement efforts and optimize content to this audience. Additionally, the content style of others in your space should offer insight into what resonates with the readers. Timing: Content should be posted at optimal times based on the highest concentration of readers. The easiest method to start an audit about timing is to use Facebook Insights   which will highlight the trends. Frequency of content sharing and use of hashtags: Posting content at the right time is one aspect of timing. The frequency of sharing relevant content to these audiences is also important. It does take a bit of trial and error. Using hashtags can also boost reach of your content. How often is content posted? When are hashtags, if at all, used? How many hashtags? Image Quality: Unfortunately, this is a problem that many brands confront (more about this later). This should be as important as the rest of your content. Is the image shareable? Will it look right when shared across digital channels? Has it been tagged on the CMS backend? Word Choice: Brands often auto share their content without being mindful of what will actually engage their readers. Engagement vs Automation: Every brand schedules content. Automation helps, but it can’t replace human interaction and engagement. How often is content scheduled and pushed out and how often does the brand engage with its users, those who share its content? After conducting a detailed, unbiased, social audit it’s time to move on to the fun part: successful organic growth. Note: The above audit served as the ongoing reference point for the DFX social team to refine and revise its strategy. Any brand can use this audit style. 2. Build Out Your Content Calendar In order for a brand to truly grow its organic audience and, by default, its reach, it needs to be strategic about its posting of content. Creating a proper schedule that drills down to the topics, the word choice, timing, style on each social platform, what call-to-action (only one per post please), awareness of important calendar dates within the industry or relevant holidays, will focus all marketing and communication efforts. Synchronizing these efforts is the most important. Why? Knowing these critical pieces of information eases the entire flow of content to be a deliberate process. A complete content calendar spans over a few months and includes all of the postings and themes that will be focused on during this time frame. The calendar should be amenable to change, as trends shift and brands need to modify accordingly. A calendar should not only include campaign themes, but also any events, sponsorships or webinars. offers a very detailed content calendar  for free. A content calendar should not only include campaign themes, but also any events, sponsorships or...3. Try Reverse-Engineering Hashtags For several clients, I’ve found that the best way to identify which content should be posted on what days, was to reverse engineer the calendar based on hashtags. How can hashtags define an entire content calendar? Hashtags simply let a brand associate their content, tweets, or posts with a larger conversation on a global scale? Yes, global. So a brand can easily grow their page by using a hashtag? Yes!   It's like adding keywords to your message to make it globally searchable. Which hashtags are right for your brand? Use Hashtagify to identify the relevance of a specific hashtag and other relevant ones associated to the main one. Once identified, brands can then leverage this information for competitive research, content curation, and influencer mapping. Every industry has hashtags. Remember, they’re like keywords. Recommended Reading: How to Use Hashtags Effectively Without Being Annoying 4. Search For Relevant Twitter Chats Once a brand has mapped the right hashtags, go one step further by searching for relevant Twitter chats. These weekly or bi-weekly online conversations on Twitter are a secret way to grow an organic audience. Use the Twubs  to search the extensive calendar for relevant conversations: Access a global network of relevant people, engage in meaningful conversations within its industry, and identify active users all organically. For the sake of example, a company working in the travel industry. Every Tuesday, there is a conversation called #ttot, travel talk on Twitter. On this day, travel professionals from around the world engage in industry related conversations. Why not leverage this to grow your audience? Bam! Your brand has just created its content bible by reverse engineering a content schedule framed around relevant conversations, industry topics, and optimal engagement.Tuesdays are now set in terms of branded content. Continuing with the travel theme, any destination is rich with history. Why not use the popular #TBT (throw back Thursday) to highlight the changing landscape of a location over time?! With two days of content framed around hashtags, the rest of the week should be much easier to plug in. Recommended Reading: 30 Social Media Engagement Tactics That Will Boost Shares And Conversions 5. Know that Timing is Everything Once you know what to post, now it’s time to determine when to post it. Organic growth starts with knowing when your brand’s audience is online. Timing for each platform does vary. We even wrote a post the best times to post on each platform, which digs deep into the topic of timing content for optimal viewing. For a day-to-day analysis, conducted extensive research  on optimizing the timing of content for best engagement. For DFX, Sundays, an otherwise slow time in the trading/ financial sector, was a chance for the brand to offer valuable information that is relevant to the upcoming week. It was also a time to highlight some key figures and personalities in the industry. Get more social media engagement by offering valuable content during off-peak times.Why? By offering valuable content on a slow day, DFX positioned itself as an active participant in the online conversation. It also presented itself as community-minded brand since every week the content on Sundays was focused around other brands. The proactive content and engagement approach, during an otherwise quiet time in the industry, significantly grew the brand’s organic audience. 6. Get Your Frequency Dialed In Once your brand knows when to post the content for optimal viewing, now the question is how often should a brand post its content. Guy Kawasaki is famous for his unique social media content strategy, sharing the exact content four times a day, eight hours apart. Why? Simply stated, why get 600 views when you can get 2400 by sharing it multiple times? Besides, if your audience sees your content more than once then they’re probably sitting in front of their computer for way too long. Recommended Reading: How Often to Post on Social Media [Proven Research From 10 Studies] A twist on the Guy Kawasaki method, which has helped many clients, is to share the same piece of content on Twitter four to six times a day and on Facebook two to three times a day, but each time either the image or the content (not the link) varies. How does a brand repurpose its content for multiple sharing throughout the day? Think about each blog post as a newspaper article. Every article has multiple angles that may interest a reader. Why not offer them as ‘new’ content options? Here’s a sample of the same link being shared three times in one day. This link got over 120 views in one day. When it comes to social media success, timing is everything.7. Understand Audience Mapping Organic growth on social media can be as simple as mapping your target audiences. Start by telling BuzzSumo  the category of content that best suits your brand, BuzzSumo will produce a list of the most influential people in the space, it will also share a list of content pieces that have performed extremely well. This makes your job a whole lot easier. If you have a BuzzSumo subscription, start by logging in. Then, select Influencers: Next, enter a keyword related to your industry, and click Search: Now, start following these people: For DFX, we mapped over 3,000 influencers and brands that we’d like to work with and engage in meaningful conversations (more on that later). 3,000. It took a long time to map them but the ROI was impressive. Once a respectable list is generated, sort each member of the audience, especially competition, by their social following. Next, is to follow these brands on Twitter and Facebook who share content that resonates with your brand profile. What will most likely happen is that top ones will rise to the top. Use their metrics as a benchmark. At DFX, we followed them across social channels, like Facebook Pages to watch, signed up to their newsletters, and subscribed to their RSS feeds. Watch your competition's Facebook pages, get their newsletters, and subscribe to their RSS feeds.Use a service like Nuzzel to do scour the internet of your main audience and their best performing content. They will email the most-shared content from your audience. If the list of influencers is really good, then the results will be super relevant, making organic growth a cinch. Guess what? Your brand has just mapped the right people and now it also knows what content is doing well. Once you know what’s doing well and what others are writing about, wouldn’t it make sense to add some value to the conversation by writing a content piece about the topic and mention these people?! Of course it would! Then, post the content and tag these brands. Unique, valuable content, targeted to your audience, and garnered by the leaders of your space. Organic growth was never so easy. Want to take the audience mapping to the next level? Create an interview series with these influencers as the guest contributors offering their thoughts on the industry and their vision on certain topics. Influencer marketing does work (for proof, here’s how Huawei rocked  their influencer marketing efforts). Now it’s your turn to share it and engage these people. Recommended Reading: How to Find Your Target Audience to Create the Best Content That Connects 8. Automate Content Unless your brand is Superman, there’s never enough time in the day to post content around the clock. Automation helps with making social media growth more efficient and effective. It’s not intended to be the only form of social media. Automation is half of the solution. Care to guess the other? Yup, engagement. See number 6. Once a brand understands that automation and real conversations are both  important, that real organic growth can take place. Looking for automation tools? Here’s a list of 9 social media management tools  that cross all platforms. Recommended Reading: Best Time Scheduling is the Easy Way to Get More Engagement [New Feature] 9. Engage Your Audience Social media is a behavioral shift. It’s not a broadcast platform. Engaging an audience and a community is one of the toughest aspects of social media marketing. Finding the right balance between branded content and audience generated content is not easy. For every brand it will vary.   For some it can be funny pictures, memes, videos, gif’s, or a white paper. Once a brand does have a following it means engaging, supporting and sharing their content, responding to their comments, and helping them if necessary. Social media is a behavioral shift. It's not a broadcast platform.How do you get more people talking about and interacting with your brand on social media? Stop talking about your brand! Yup, that’s right. Avoid being overtly promotional. The more narrative based content or industry related content and interesting pieces of information that aren’t brand focused will show the community how real the brand is. It may sound counterintuitive but it works. Want to engage an audience? Find a conference. No brands don’t have to attend every industry conference. Why not use the conference specific hashtag (there’s that reverse engineering thing again) as a means to engage in conversations?! Here’s a targeted conversation with a global influencer from DFX before a conference: Look at that! The brand engaged in a meaningful way and landed a meeting (face-to face) and took the conversation offline. 10. Take it Offline That’s right, one of the best ways of growing an organic social audience is to find ways to take it offline. That could be a phone call, a webinar, a meeting at a conference (via the hashtag), or webinar.   Bridge the online offline gap and a put a face to the brand. Make it happen. Tweeting and posting can be done all day, but until a real connection is made, the deal won’t be sealed. one of the best ways of growing an organic social audience is to find ways to take it offline.11. Aesthetics is Everything Visuals can make the entire difference in organic growth. It can boost brand visibility while supporting all digital efforts.   With such a cluttered social space, high quality, attractive visuals make a brand memorable. Visual content is easier for humans to process and is an easy way to generate more views, click throughs and followers. Rather than just use the same text, or the default image that comes up when putting a link to Facebook or Google Plus, why not be creative? Recommended Reading: How to Design Blog Graphics With Free Tools Consistent style of content and embedding of images that are high quality and relevant can make all the difference in organic growth and brand awareness. Social media marketing is a marathon. It will take time. The best metric of success in social media is the quality (not quantity) of your networks. Any brand that approaches social media from an organic perspective, the quality of their community will be a natural progression of the effort put in.

Team builders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Team builders - Essay Example Synergy (2001) reports, â€Å"If one studies highly effective groups, one finds that the most successful groups over the long haul tend to address both the technical needs and human needs. These groups are at the same time competent in the work they perform and highly functional in their interpersonal relationships†¦factors that emerge about successful teams (are) camaraderie, fellowship, and loyalty.† Team builders provide motivation in the health care setting. Motivation is extremely important n all areas of life especially the workplace. Without motivation there is no desire or drive to do anything. â€Å"Needs† such as sustenance, safety, security, belonging, recognition, and a sense of growth and achievement are motivators, or drivers, which leads us to behave and act in a certain way. (Synergy, 2001.) Motivation is particularly important in the health care setting because health care providers and staff are caring for those who are facing with health problems and issues. Having health-related problems causes one to be fearful, stressed, overwhelmed, and discouraged. Health issues not only affect a person’s (and their loved ones) physical, mental, and spiritual status but also their finances, daily responsibilities and schedules, etc. Working in the health care industry can be discouraging and a negative setting for all. Employers must see that their staff members work as a team (synergy) in order to stay motivated as their level of motivation, teamwork, quality of work affects the motivation and physical, mental, and spiritual levels of their patients in the setting. Many health care providers and settings provide motivation via a professional working environment, music therapy, counseling, mentors, etc. Those who enter the health care industry usually do so in order to help others. People who do so usually are motivated by their desire to make a difference in the

Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Accounting - Assignment Example The game changer in Ameritel Company is the manner in which it reaches out to its employees, retailers, track sales as well as timely implementation of its new marketing strategies with the desirable Salesforce. Its Salesforce managed to reach out to the entire sales region to bridge the gap that exists between the company call center and sales teams. Furthermore, Ameritel is undertaking training campaigns for its dealers according to Reid, 2014. Ameritel has a mechanism that enables monitoring of its inventory anytime anywhere due to its efficient tracking system. The tracking system eases instant and effective visibility of dealer performance and purchases. Reid, 2014 adds that half of the organization explores working with pop and mom accounts that utilize Ameritel in selling T-Mobile. The remaining half collaborates with the wholesale section to supply the T-Mobile as well as activities involving tracking. Ameritel uses Salesforce because it is striving to achieve absolute best experience in its internal operations as well as to the customers. The other issue in its top priority is to surpass its customer expectations besides general company

Application of the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms

Application of the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms The Application of the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms In Pediatric Nursing Practice Krista Kelly Introduction Every human being regardless of age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or physical ability will experience pain or unpleasant symptoms at some point in their lives. Pain can be defined as an unpleasant, subjective sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage (International Association for the Study of Pain, Subcommittee on Taxonomy, 2008). This definition acknowledges not only the physical nature of the pain experience, but also recognizes the psychological aspect. Pain is a highly subjective experience and can only be accurately described by the person experiencing it. According to the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (2013), nurses have an ethical responsibility for assessing and alleviating pain using appropriate, evidence informed pain management. It also states that nurses are also obligated to advocate for change in the care plan when pain relief is inadequate. The theory of unpleasant symptoms (TOUS) is a middle-range theory that was developed by nurses to enhance the understanding of relationships among multiple symptoms and symptom experiences to manage unpleasant symptoms through effective interventions (Lee, Vincent Finnegan, 2017). The TOUS has three major concepts that will be discussed in further detail throughout this paper. The purpose of this paper is to describe, analyze and evaluate the TOUS and its relevance to pediatric nursing practice. This paper will identify a clinical situation on a pediatric unit and will indicate how the TOUS provides direction for guiding nursing practices. Lastly, this paper will assess the utility, strengths and weaknesses of the TOUS. Description of Theory According to Smith Parker (2010), theories help guide our actions, help us reach desired results and give evidence to what has been previously achieved. Specifically, middle-range theories are abstract, yet are concrete enough that it provides a link between nursing research and practice. The middle-range theory of unpleasant symptoms was introduced in 1995 as a means for incorporating existing information about a variety of symptoms (Lenz, Pugh, Milligan, Gift, Suppe, 1997). The TOUS incorporates three major components: the symptoms that a patient is undergoing, the factors that influence symptoms and that give rise to the nature of the symptoms, and the effects of the symptom experience. Each individual symptom is considered a multidimensional experience that can be measured together with other symptoms or measured independently (Lopes- Junior, de Omena Bomfim, Nascimento, Pereira-da-Silva, Garcia de Lima, 2015). Although symptoms differ from one another, they share four common domains including: duration, intensity, quality and distress. The duration of a symptom refers to the time that the symptom occurs at, or the frequency of the symptom. Intensity indicates the severity, strength or amount of the symptom being experienced by the individual. Whereas, the quality of pain can be used to describe what the symptom feels like to the individual. For instance, pain can be described as sharp, dull, achy or throbbing. Lastly, the distress domain of the symptom experience refers to the degree to which the patient is bothered by it (Lee et al., 2017). The same symptom may be unbearable to some individuals but could be much less severe to others. Thus, it is important to ask patients how much they are bothered by the symptom to gain a better understanding of how they are interpreting the experience and the meaning they associate with it (Lenz, et al.,1997). In the TOUS, there are three factors that influence each of the previously mentioned domains: physiologic factors, psychologic factors and situational factors (Lenz, Supp e, Gift, Pugh, Milligan, 1995). Physiologic factors include the normal functioning of the body systems, the presence of any pathology and the individuals energy levels. Psychologic factors incorporate the individuals mental state and their reaction to their illness. Lastly, situational factors pertain to aspects of the individuals physical and social environment that can affect their experience and reporting of symptoms. Examples of social environment include: lifestyle behaviours, social support, employment status, and access to health care services. On the contrary, physical environments can include but are not limited to variables such as noise, light, temperature and polluted air/water; all of which can influence symptoms (Lenz Pugh, 2014). According to Lenz Pugh (2014), the outcome concept in the TOUS is performance. Performance refers to the outcome or effect of the symptom experience and how it impacts the individuals functional status, cognitive functioning and physical performance. For example, certain symptoms may affect an individuals ability to perform the activities of daily living or may alter their memory, concentration or problem solving skills (Lee et al., 2017). Application to Clinical Practice The assessment and management of pain or unpleasant symptoms are essential skills while dealing with the pediatric population. With children, especially infants and toddlers who are unable to communicate, it can be extremely challenging to identify the presence of pain, which in turn makes it difficult to treat. Therefore, it is important to assess pain by receiving input from the child and their parents or care givers. In the case when a child is unable to communicate, their family and caregivers should be able to advocate for suitable interventions to manage pain based on what they know about their child and the current situation (RNAO, 2013). The TOUS exemplifies a perspective that not only includes the physical domain of the human experience, but also recognizes the importance influence of psychological and situational factors, as well as their interaction on the symptom experience (Lenz Pugh, 2014). The writer was able to apply this theory in the pediatric setting while caring for an eight year-old female patient who was experiencing painful urination and abdominal pain related to a urinary tract infection. Looking at the physiological factors, this patient had a history of a fever for the past month, lower abdominal pain and a decreased appetite; otherwise her diet was classified as tolerated. Regarding the psychological factors, the patient expressed she was happy, as she was being discharged that afternoon. While the writer was taking vital signs, the patient was alert, oriented, compliant and aware of why she was in the hospital. As the writer was providing care for this patient, it was evident that there was suppo rt from her father, mother and little brother, all who provided positive words of encouragement to get well soon. The updated version of the TOUS states that symptoms can occur alone or simultaneously, thus this paper will focus on multiple symptoms experienced by the patient; painful urination and abdominal pain. The patient expressed that she experienced a burning and painful sensation while urinating and that it had been occurring for the previous four days. When asked to rate her pain on a severity scale from 0-10, she rated her pain as a 4. In regards to the distress of her symptom, she mentioned it really bothered her during the night, as she was frequently waking up with the urge to urinate. In regards to the patients performance, she was unable to fulfill her social role as a grade four student, piano student and dance student as she stayed in the hospital for five days. She was also unable to assist her mother and father in playing/ taking care of her younger brother as she was experiencing abdominal pain that restricted her from doing so. The TOUS is valuable tool for nurses as it helps collect the previously mentioned data, which in turn helps nurses individualize interventions that fit the patients needs and unique pattern of symptoms (Lenz, et al.,1997). In order to manage symptoms effectively, these nursing interventions should include the evaluation of the symptoms individually and as a whole in order to comprehend their interactions (Lopes-Junior et al., 2015). Understanding symptoms of patients is important because experiencing multiple simultaneously occurring symptoms, as opposed to one symptom can have more negative effects on patient outcomes. Ultimately, understanding these multiple symptoms can help improve clinical management of an illness or disease (Lee et al., 2017). Assessment of Overall Utility There are both strengths and weaknesses in the utility of the TOUS. The TOUS can be used to improve the understanding of the symptom experience of individuals in various scenarios and provides information that is useful for nursing interventions that can decrease, prevent or manage negative symptoms and their unpleasant effects (Lenz Pugh, 2014). However, the TOUS lacks detail that may be useful in working with a specific symptom or illness in a given clinical population, such as pediatrics. Specifically, the TOUS has focused only on subjectively perceived symptoms rather than objective observable data. Neonates, infants and toddlers or children who are cognitively impaired, are incapable of verbalizing their pain. Therefore, pain or unpleasant symptom assessment should also be based on behavioural and physiological cues rather than just subjective information. For example, an infant may display pain by frowning or clenching their jaw and crying uncontrollably. They may moan, whimpe r or have a difficult time being consoled by a parent or caregiver. Being agitated, squirmy or rigid can also be indicative of pain or unpleasant feelings in infants and should be noted (Merkel, Voepel-Lewis, Shayevitz Malviya, 1997). The TOUS does an excellent job at looking at the individual in a holistic manner, such that it considers the interactions between individuals and their environment, the multidimensionality of symptom experiences of the individual and uses a biopsychosocial approach (Lee et al., 2017). While constructing an individualistic health care plan for patients, the TOUS does not include an intervention component within the model. This may indicate that the theory is more useful for observing concepts, examining their relationships, and developing tools to measure the concepts/relationships than for developing specific interventions for particular symptoms (Lenz, et al.,1997). In the future, the theory should include suggestions for interventions on specific symptoms for health care providers to use in practice. Conclusion The purpose of this paper was to describe, analyze and evaluate the TOUS in a clinical pediatric setting and its connection to nursing practice. The uses, strengths and weaknesses of the theory were also presented. The TOUS is a middle-range theory that emphasizes the importance for nurses to understand that physiological, psychological and situational factors can influence multiple symptoms, which in turn can affect the individuals performance. It is also critical to realize that the performance outcomes can loop back to impact the symptom experience itself, as well as to alter the influencing factors (Lee et al., 2017). Overall, this theory can be applied in different settings to understand symptoms of individuals, however specific nursing interventions are currently lacking in this theory. With continued research and studies, this theory can only increase in its practicality to health care professionals and caregivers. References International Association for the Study of Pain, Subcommittee on Taxonomy. (2008). Pain terms: A list of definitions and notes on usage. Pain, 6, 249. Lee, S.E., Vincent, C., Finnegan, L. (2017). An analysis and evaluation of the theory of unpleasant symptoms. Advances in Nursing Science, 40 (1), E16-E39. Lenz, E.R., Suppe, F., Gift, A.G., Pugh, L.C., Milligan, R.A. (1995). Collaborative development of middle-range nursing theories: Toward a theory of unpleasant symptoms. Advances in Nursing Science, 17 (3), 1-13. Lenz, E.R., Pugh, L.C., Milligan, R.A., Gift, A.G., Suppe, F. (1997). The middle-range theory of unpleasant symptoms: An update. Advances in Nursing Science, 19 (3), 14-27. Lenz, E.R., Pugh, L.C. (2014). The theory of unpleasant symptoms. In M. J. Smith (Ed.), Middle range theory for nursing (3rd ed.), (165-195). New York: Springer Publishing Company. Lopes- Junior, L.C., de Omena Bomfim, E., Nascimento, L.C., Pereira-da-Silva, G., Garcia de Lima, R.A. (2015). Theory of unpleasant symptoms: Support for the management of symptoms in children and adolescents with cancer. Revista gaucha Enfermagem, 36 (3), 109-112. Merkel, S.I., Voepel-Lewis, T., Shayevitz, J.R., Malviya, S. (1997). The FLACC: A behavioural scale for scoring postoperative pain in young children. Pediatric Nursing, 23 (3), 293-297. Registered Nurses Association of Ontario [RNAO]. (2013). Assessment and management of pain, third edition. Retrieved from http://rnao.ca/sites/rnao-ca/files/AssessAndManagementOfPain2014.pdf Smith, M.C., Parker, M.E. (2010). Nursing theory and the discipline or nursing. In M.E. Parker M.C. Smith (Eds.), Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice (3rd ed.), (pp.3-15). Philadelphia, PA: Davies.

Information Systems In Business Organizations Essay

The website of PC Magazine, upon looking at its physical makeup, and design, was designed to entice and provoke consumers all over the world, some of them, I assume, are hooked on online shopping, to purchase products featured on their website. The home page of the website appears to be patches of commercial billboards as it is occupied by advertising ads publicizing their line of products. Some of the wide variety of products presented in the website includes printers, digital cameras, laptops, mobile phones, software and hardware products for computers, mp3 players, to flash drives, speakers, projectors, subscriptions for PC magazine as well, and many more. There is also a broad range of links that you can visit that depends on your fields of interest. For online window shoppers, there is a link for product guides and reviews. Products available in the market, including all brand names, companies and corporations who pay Pcmag.com for advertisements, and product partners, are reviewed and rated. The reviews are useful enough, containing the positive and negative feedbacks of each product. The ratings on the other hand are based on the features, compatibility to other gadgets, design, and the price of the product. There are also software products, for shareware, demo trial, and freeware that the online client can sample and access. As tagline of the Pcmag.com goes, their website is intended for an independent individual. To prove their claim, they have provided links for how-to’s, do-it-yourself’s, tips and guides, and video blogs. For the online information-seeker, there are links for news updates and columns about products in the market, whether these are upgrades, new product launches, additional reviews, comments, etc. Aside from the advertisements plaguing the website, there is also a separate link for online shoppers, which constitute numerous merchandises that are available for purchasing, shopping options, and technology solutions. Moreover, there are discussion boards for online clients who wish to communicate with other online clients about gadget finds, current trends, and other issues about technology and its advances.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Overall, the website of PC Magazine spells out the words â€Å"to sell.† There isn’t any link in the website which does not feature an advertisement or stimulating signs such as low prices, sales, and discounts for products. For each mouse click, there is always a provocation to purchase gadget items. The website accommodates online shoppers, online window shoppers, and consumers deciding on what products to purchase for their particular needs and why. However, pcmag.com primarily caters to businesses or corporations that are planning advertising strategies for the promotion of their products. In as much as the website would want to display themselves as a consumer-centered community, it is likely that business corporations are more benefited by them than their consumers. People who are knowledgeable about management and marketing issues or even rational consumers who are not easily swayed by advertising would know this. Advertising is a very powerful and persuasive tool in stimulating consumers to believe what they are trying to sell. It does not even contribute much to information technology because it is only concerned with the promotions of software and hardware products. Although there are links provided for how-to’s and such, it still lacks depth and beneficial information to sustain the demands of learning information technology. The extensive amount of information provided in each link would be a subject of interest to you if you are a techie and gadget-dependent or if you want to learn how to operate gadgets that are widely used nowadays. If these are your objectives in visiting the sites, then it would be an advantageous and helpful thing for you to do. The product guides and reviews would prove to be the most interesting and valuable links for consumers, as it has the most consumer-centered feel to it. In general, the usefulness and value of the website depends upon your needs and concerns.