Salim Group free essay sample

The focus of the Salim Group’s operations adapted to Indonesia’s economic policies and shifted from trading to manufacturing, and ultimately diversified into a series of unrelated sectors. Following the fall of Suharto and the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the Salim Group has continued to internationalize its portfolio with Liem’s son, Anthony Salim, as the group’s chief executive. Currently, the Salim Group’s main holdings are in food, media, automotive, property and telecom with aggregated revenues estimated at 14 billion USD in 2012. The biggest companies in the portfolio include First Pacific Ltd. , Indofood and Indomobil. The competitive landscape consists of other multinational companies and Indonesian conglomerates on a group level, and industry specific competitors in each distinct business field. Although certain elements of the Salim Group are comparable to the traditional Chinese family business, such as its extensive network of relationships, through adaptations to this model, including the professionalization of management and business, an open and informal culture, and a decision-making process supported by strict internal monitoring procedures, the group has been able to achieve significantly greater scale and success. We will write a custom essay sample on Salim Group or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Anthony Salim has already dictated the firm’s future strategy, which entails an expansion throughout Australia-ASEAN-China (‘Axis of Prosperity’), a portfolio focus on industries known to the group, and the development of local managers for regional adaptation. Going forward, the Salim Group should closely consider changes in the institutional environment of ASEAN countries, succession planning, and the centralization of control, as well as both the benefits and concerns associated with its Axis of Prosperity expansion. 1. History of the Salim Group The historical events of the Salim Group can be classified into three phases that the Indonesian conglomerate experienced. These phases are broadly grouped time periods that share characteristics and observe similar trends. We begin by examining the first phase of the Salim Group’s accomplished history, which includes the actions that led to the creation of the company and its earliest business activities. Prior to the Second World War, Liem Sioe Liong immigrated to Indonesia from China’s Fujian province. When Liem arrived in Central Java, there was already an existing and organized Chinese community. This is a direct reflection of the increase in Indonesia’s Chinese immigrant population, a group considered to be economically higher than the local Javanese as they were used by the colonists as intermediaries and traders. The importance of Liem’s ethnicity will be discussed in later sections. Liem began trading and lending in the early 1940’s before the Japanese occupation. Similar to many Chinese immigrants, Liem abandoned his Chinese name and adopted the Indonesian-sounding Sudono Salim, hereafter referred to as Sudono. Shortly after the Japanese occupation in 1942, Sudono engaged in Dangbangke trading, which consisted of smuggling small goods with bicycles. At the same time, Sudono started a family and fathered both Anthony Salim and Andre Halim, two sons that would eventually play a prominent role in the Salim Group. It is in the 1940’s that the Salim Group was founded; however, sources do not specify the exact commercial nature that Sudono pursued. After the Japanese occupation, Sudono actively supported the Indonesian Independence movement who were fighting the Dutch army. Sudono was part of the Futsing Hwee movement and helped hide revolutionary leader Hasan Din, the father-in-law of Sukarno, for over a year. This would prove to be an important connection for Sudono as the Indonesian nationalists won independence and enabled Sudono to resume trading commodities such as peanut oil, cloves, and coffee. Through his connection with Hasan Din, Sudono was labeled as a â€Å"trustworthy supplier of the military†. As a result, Sudono profited from helping the Indonesian army both during and after their independence movement (Dieleman, 2007b). Following independence, Sukarno took over Indonesia in 1957 and implemented a closed economic policy that rejected foreign capital and focused on creating a greater role for government nationalism (Dieleman, 2006). Although Sukarno’s policies attempted to favor indigenous businessmen with his Benteng program, Sudono and Indonesia’s Chinese minority economically dominated the country. Sudono moved his family to Jakarta where he would continue to supply the Indonesian army. In addition, Sudono develop several business partnerships outside of his family network with other Chinese immigrants. Dieleman points out that the Salim Group began to rapidly diversify because of Sudono’s belief that â€Å"all businesses are good† (Dieleman, 2007, p. ?). The group continued to develop textiles, became the army’s supplier of soap and purchased the Bank of Central Asia (BCA), which would grow to be Indonesia’s largest bank. The group’s â€Å"business ventures adapted to the unpredictable environment and grew by taking the opportunities as they came, without a focused business strategy† (Dieleman, 2007b). Here it can be seen that Sudono’s activities shifted from trading to manufacturing and financing. Indonesia’s political environment changed again as Suharto seized power from Sukarno in 1967. By this time, Sudono had already established large businesses and built up a powerful network of political elite. President Suharto’s New Order policy opened up private and foreign investment for many of Indonesia’s commercial industries. Sudono utilized his connections with Suharto to acquire licenses that gave him exclusive rights over certain strategic exports. In addition, Sudono kept close ties with the Indonesian Army, which was now the dominant political force. Suharto implemented policies aimed at rapid industrialization from 1970 onward that also promoted import substitution. As a result, the Salim Group expanded to include domestic flour milling, cement and automobile production. Each of these industries had established favourable conditions that encouraged domestic production through government programs. The Salim Group had companies in highly diverse sectors and profited from the wave of Indonesia’s industrialization (Dieleman, 2006). See figure 1 to see the Salim Group’s growth during Indonesia’s industrialization. 1. 2 Phase Two: Transition to the Second Generation The next phase of the Salim Group is distinguished from the previous period of unrelated diversification, a common characteristic of Chinese family businesses. In 1972, the Salim Group stopped randomly diversifying and Sudono’s strategy shifted by targeting select industries rather than being driven solely by opportunity (Dieleman, 2006). The purpose of this shift was to decrease the group’s dependency on government contacts and enable internalization. Dielmans highlights that overseas partners in Japan helped the Salim Group by providing both technology and knowledge to the company. This is likely a result of Akamatsu’s proposed flying geese strategy (Bu, 2012a). In addition, Anthony Salim and other family members joined the business in 1972 to help manage the sheer number and diversity of the companies that the Salim Group owned. However, most of Sudono’s business partners were Chinese immigrants, stemming from the bamboo network of overseas Chinese across Asia. The Salim Group continued to grow and engage in commercial activities on a much larger scale. This was aided by the government’s changing policy from import substitution to export led growth, following the pattern of many NIEs and other ASEAN governments. In addition, the Salim Group continued steady growth through the 1980’s and moved into more capital-intensive industries such as chemicals and steel-making. Sodono also recognized the risk of Indonesia’s political instability and intensified the group’s internationalization rate in the 1980’s and 1990’s, specifically in Singapore and Hong Kong. In 1982, Sodono founded First Pacific in Hong Kong, which was owned by the Salim’s and opearated businesses throughout Asia (Dieleman, 2007b). Refer to figure 2 to see a breakdown of the Salim Group’s internationalazation in the 1990’s. The result was an extremely diverse yet powerful family business that structured its business offerings across the value chain. Another major event in this phase of the Salim Group’s history was the changeover in leadership. Anthony Salim assumed control of the family company in 1993. The ever-expanding business required the help of professional managers, which Anthony continued to hire to help manage the Salim empire. By 1995, the Salim Group had become a giant, representing 5% of Indonesia’s total GDP, with revenues above 20 billion and 200,000 employees. Refer to figure 3 to see a snapshot of the Salim Group’s commercial activities in 1995. 1. 3 Phase Three: Financial Crisis and Reform The final phase of the Salim Group’s history begins with the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 and continues to the present date. The Salim Group borrowed heavily from foreign banks to capitalize on superior lending rates, making them highly vulnerable to currency risk. As Indonesia’s currency rapidly devalued in 1997, the Salim Group was faced with increasing debt obligations. Refer to figure 4 for a breakdown on the corporate leverage of selected Asian economies and figure 5 for a breakdown of the growth of US, reflecting foreign, borowing for the Salim Group. The group’s pyramid ownership structure and internal lending compounded the situation as the largest Indonesian conglomerate’s debt-to-equity ratio skyrocketed. Even more concerning was the fall of Suharto, an important political connection that helped the Salim Group flourish under his corrupt ruling period (Dieleman, 2006) As a result of these factors, Anthony Salim was faced with tough decisions on honoring over $5 billion in loans. See figure 6 to see the impact of the Asian financial crisis on select economies. The Salim Group transferred 107 of their companies to the Indonesian government to settle their debt obligations. Many of these assets were ultimately bought back by the Salim Group at a discount, likely due to the corrupt Indonesian government. Since this period, the Salim Group has been on the road to recovery and has continued to experience growth by refocusing its portfolio while also internationalizing rapidly. See figure 7 to see how the group’s actions reflected Indonesia’s political and institutional environment and figure 8 for a complete summary of the Salim Group’s strategic actions. Using history as a basis of analysis, it is clear that the Salim Group exhibits many of the characteristics of a Chinese family business. These include centralized decision making through a dominant CEO, family ownership and control, the importance of external networks, and a high degree of strategic flexibility. The details and justifications for these characteristics are further developed in the following section of the report. Big whales swim in the deep sea, in the salt water, but we are talking fresh water here. † (Anthony Salim) The competitive environment of the Salim Group is as complex and opaque as the company itself. As the conglomerate operates in various and mostly unrelated business fields, it is not easy to determine its main competitors on an aggregate level. The second difficulty is the fact that these different operations are often spread amongst different countries in Southeast Asia. Although it is not possible to find a directly comparable conglomerate, operating in exactly the same businesses and geographical regions, it is possible to identify those whose main businesses overlap with the primary commercial activities of the Salim Group. In doing so, we found three major competitors: (1) multinational giants such as Unilever and General Electric1, (2) Indonesian conglomerates operating in similar sectors and (3) other large industry specific competitors, not necessarily conglomerates. While the first two have the potential to compete n a macro or group level, the third category of firms mainly competes in one specific business field. The American food company General Mills, for example, is a direct competitor of Indofood, but does not possess the potential to jeopardize the Salim Group as a whole. Please see figure 9 below for a peer group overview on a macro level. In summary, we find that although the group has competitors of similar and larger size, there is no competitor that could take complete market share from the Salim Group as a whole. This is primarily a result of the Salim Group’s high level of diversification. As the Salim Group operates across numerous business lines, even if one aspect of the business was facing tough competition or declining sales, the group as a whole is large enough to compensate for fluctuating financial performance. 3. Features 3. 1 Ownership and Organizational Structure Chinese family businesses (CFBs) are typically fully owned by the family members. Top-management positions are occupied exclusively by members of the core family and senior management positions are usually taken by other close relatives or long-term employees with proven loyalty. This context restricts quick promotions or the acquisition of professional management that distinguishes itself through high performance. Thus, growth is limited and the organization is maintained at a small scale. Another feature of the structure of CFBs is their aptitude for unrelated diversification in terms of products and geography, with an additional focus on short-term returns (Chen, 2004; Bu, 2012c). In contrast to these characteristics, Sudano Salim began to professionalize the group’s business while in charge. When Anthony took over, he hired even more professional managers that also had access to top management, organized the group into divisions and initiated IPOs to list companies on stock exchanges in Indonesia and abroad (Dieleman, 2007a, p. 22). The latter resulted in companies having to conform to transparency rules and to develop working organizational structures and controlling systems on the one hand, and provided access to foreign capital on the other hand. The inflow of foreign capital came along with a dilution of ownership.

Free Essays on Compare and Contrast of Two American Writers Hemingway and Faulkner

to describe both characters and setting. Examples of diction usage for setting are found in the title, â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† (Hemingway 141) and â€Å"pleasant† (Hemingway 143). The two waiters describe the customer as a â€Å"clean old man...a good client† (Hemingway 141). Hemingway’s choice of diction was blunt and to the point. The diction usage does not let the reader get funny ideas or leeway to think anything other than what Hemingway says. This element of Hemingway’s style reflects when the young waiter states the old man is â€Å"drunk† (Hemingway 141). The young waiter does not suggest he was tip... Free Essays on Compare and Contrast of Two American Writers Hemingway and Faulkner Free Essays on Compare and Contrast of Two American Writers Hemingway and Faulkner Styles of Two Great American Writers A writer’s style distinguishes him from other writers. The style a writer uses to write a story clearly indicates the tone of a story,vital for the reader to understand the story. The style of a writer is made up of different traits and characteristics used to write the story. These traits and characteristics include and are not limited to symbolism, characterization, and other elements. When evaluating a literature piece for style one should analyze the following five elements: diction, images, details, language, and sentence structure. Two well-known American writers with completely different styles are Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner. Hemingway and Faulkner’s similarities and differences in style become apparent when comparing and contrasting two of their famous short stories, â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† by Ernest Hemingway and â€Å"Barn Burning† by William Faulkner. Diction involve word choices a writer makes for his story. These word choices may be used to achieve an overall feeling from a reader toward a story. Diction also reflects the writer’s attitude toward his subject. Ernest Hemingway’s choice of diction in â€Å"A Clean, Wells of diction usage for setting are found in the title, â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† (Hemingway 141) and â€Å"pleasant† (Hemingway 143). The two waiters describe the customer as a â€Å"clean old man...a good client† (Hemingway 141). Hemingway’s choice of diction was blunt and to the point. The diction usage does not let the reader get funny ideas or leeway to think anything other than what Hemingway says. This element of Hemingway’s style reflects when the young waiter states the old man is â€Å"drunk† (Hemingway 141). The young waiter does not suggest he was tip...

Presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Presentation - Essay Example Since it’s an emerging market, Stiff competition due to increased number of facilities, Strict and rigid government policies which are not providing them with enough room and a shortage of competent and qualified staff since are the major challenges faced by the organization. The government has been changing its policies, rules and regulations pretty abruptly thus providing the staff and organization with no time to adapt and make things go haphazard. When it comes to the safety of their workers the organization has strict rules and takes serious precautionary measures. Major safety measures include an always ready emergency team and an isolation room for contagious outbreaks. It is the safety measures that keep the facility running and earn the trust of their clients. Time management is one of the most important tasks at a hospital and it is considered to be the duty of a hospital manager to: Prepare timetables, Maintain discipline, Make sure everything is done in order, Perform daily chores, and Keep the hospital managed. If one of the mentioned things goes out of order or the given time table is not followed by the employees, running a healthcare facility would get a lot more difficult for the healthcare executive. It is his duty to keep people at their positions and remind them of what their jobs are. Managers in the field of health and medicine are known as healthcare executives/Hospital managers. These personnel are specially trained to manage either a specialized unit of a hospital or the whole facility. Healthcare executives are also trained to keep them aware of the regularly changing health laws and new regulations. These officials must have some medical knowledge to understand the procedure being undertaken in their facilities and their possible consequence in order to manage any worst outcome. Healthcare executives have a decent pay-scale when compared to the other executive jobs.

How WGN changed broadcasting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How WGN changed broadcasting - Research Paper Example (Philip, 1997: pg 76) The WGN is one of the major TV stations based in Chicago and it is basically owned by Tribune Company. The station has a radio station with a transmitter that is located in the Elk Grove in Illinois. The station has been the preferred station by Chicago Cubs, the Northwestern University football besides the men’s basketball team from the same university. The station was found to be favorable for these institutions and sports organization due to the freshness in terms of broadcasting as compared to its peers. The letters that are used to abbreviate the name of the station stand for Worlds Greatest Newspaper which was a slogan that was coined by Chicago Tribune. The station hit the airwaves in 1948 in April on channel 9 from the studios in Tribune Tower in Chicago. The Tribune Company was led into television era with the belief that television was an idea thought necessary to embark on the adventure of America. The TV station was also one of the major stati ons that made first attempts at the production of entertainment series that were to air in the station and some were to be distributed to various other stations far and wide across the country. (Philip, 1997: pg 276). The station was a former associate of CBS and DuMont television networks but they realized they would serve the Chicago based fans better if they operated independently. WGN became one of the first stations based locally to unleash a whole rich menu of live programs that were aired in color. The station also made many significant firsts for example the public appearance in Chicago of President Truman that was televised besides being the first station to show a mobile coverage of a visit to Chicago by General MacArthur. In 1961, this station began airing its broadcast program in a new location from the one initially used center. The new facility was located in West Bradley place in the Northwestern side of Chicago. As they vacated to the new center of broadcast, the sta tion premiered a show for children known as the Bozo’s Circus which went on ahead to become the most famous and largely viewed local production for children in television history. The other form of advancement that the WGN brought on board was that of expanding the news program to cover half an hour, especially the 10th hour news thereby making WGN the first television channel in Chicago to air news for that long. The station was feted in 1966 when the president of WGN at that period Ward Quaal was awarded for bringing about the development of the finest and most independent television channel in the United States. (Ted, 2004: pg 49). The years around 1970 saw the introduction of television talk show when WGN introduced Phil Donahue to the nation and to Chicago specifically as he appeared on the daytime talk show that was moved out of Ohio into the television studios of the WGN. The show introduced a different format in television setting whereby there were to be discussions of current issues such as controversies that surrounded celebrities as they appeared as guests in the studio and were exposed to live audience participation. U. S. farm report also debuted in the station as

Management of change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Management of change - Essay Example ctively utilize the employees as well as suggesting suitable human resource management strategy that can be used to manage and empower the employees within the organisation. Implementing a new order in an organisation is concerned with change of the current operational system and in most cases change is met with resistance by many employees as a result of many factors. For the initiative to be successful, there is need for re-orientation of the workers through provision of basic training and development which would be closely monitored upon implementation as going to be illustrated using the lessons learned from the case study of Image Makers. The Image Makers advertising agency was founded in Switzerland in 1990 by two graduates who studied together at University. Over the years, the agency has grown and has received recognition within the industry for its innovation and creativity, particularly in the use of information technology which continued to develop tremendously. Inspired by the positive growth of the organisation, the two directors recently embarked on an initiative to establish Image Makers as an international company with offices across the globe. This was also necessitated by the organisation’s good reputation for being an innovative as well as a renowned company for attracting and retaining talented workers. However, this initiative redefined its performance history as well as its operations. This meant that some of the skilled workers were to be relocated to other countries where the organisation intended to open up offices. This led to the resignation of two managers, loss of two accounts personnel as well as some form of resistance from other employees which has led to poor performance among other things. Thus, the major aim of this essay is to suggest strategies that can be adopted and give a critical analysis of the best structure, culture, and systems that are necessary to make the change initiative work. A reflection about the action plan

How Can a Nurse Improve and Develop Professional Identity?

How Can a Nurse Improve and Develop Professional Identity? According to DeJong 2014, professionalism can be defined as the means of acting in an acceptable and appropriate way while adhering to a professional code of conduct. It also means completing given tasks and responsibilities on time. On the other hand a Professional identity can be described as a set of principles that define a person in their professional career. A professional identity can also be defined according to the attitudes, beliefs, experiences, ideals, professional involvement, need for advancement and codes of a given career. These virtues determine the kind of people we interact with in our lines of profession. These experiences and professional interactions tend to define ones professional identity. In the line of nursing professionalism is significantly essential if nurses are expected to provide quality and effective services and care to their clients and to the population as a whole. In health care Professionalism is regarded as a bridge between the interests of the nurse and the needs of society. It is evident that better professionalism is associated with good medical care and better health outcomes in general. (DeJong et al 2014). Nurses need to be able to develop and improve their imaginative and creative skills in order to attain and improve effective patient care. In a research by O’Brien, Strzyzewski and Szpara 2013, on nurses working in the surgical department it was found that by creating an organized process of educational projects to encourage, support and promote professionalism nurses were able to improve their professional identity and complete their practice successfully safely and effectively. In order to achieve the best results Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) and Educational Nurse Coordinators (ENCs) in the surgical unit developed meetings for nurses with the medical librarians and unit leaders. Teaching was carried out by use of posters and oral presentations. Through this nurses were able to master effective ways of generating ideas and implementing them to complete projects. (O’Brien, Strzyzewski and Szpara 2013). There are many factors that influence professional competence for nurses for example organization of work, personal characteristics, cognitive abilities and clinical knowledge. In order for a nurse to be able to undergo Professional growth they need to be committed to their work in order to able to fulfill their work tasks. Professional identity is usually accompanied by the workers’ self-concept; self-respect, identity, essential nature, team spirit and values. Moreover for a nurse to improve their professional identity they need to be flexible and resilient in their field of work. This means that nurses need to believe in oneself and be willing to take risks. In addition to that they have a career insight in order to be able to establish realistic career goals by being aware of their strengths and weaknesses. (Tamm 2010). There are some inevitable factors in the health sector that demand for professional growth and that has impact on the management, employers and the employees. First creation of new knowledge, there are changes in the scientific and technical knowledge every few years which demand nurses to update their education levels from time to time. Secondly technological innovations are taking place so rapidly that nurses have to be willing to sharpen their skills and change with the changing times. Lastly, the upcoming of more challenging tasks demands for professional development in order for nurses to be able to cope efficiently. (Willetts and Clarke 2012). Development of professional identity according to Tamm 2010, starts with how individuals view their work roles and how good they manage their work life and related practices. Moreover professional identity is a process of becoming independent and having self-awareness through work. For a nurse to be able to develop and improve their identity they first have to have a professional self-concept and respect, in short they need to accept their roles as nurses. Nurses begin to build their professional identities during their study period and continue to develop all through their work life. Development of professional identity is a life course process comprising of different stages. Which range from novice to expert. (Tamm et al 2010). In conclusion development is accompanied by professional maturity which is a nurse’s preparedness to handle work tasks in different phases of their work. Nurses need to be cognitively prepared, this means that they need to have sufficient knowledge on principles of health care to be able to apply them in real life situations. In additional to that nurse need to have knowledge on the nature of the profession and the occupational sphere. (Willetts et al 2012). In my opinion there are numerous number of factors that have effect on the development and improvement on a nursing professional identity. I have learnt a lot of new information from this assignment. It is a broad topic and I feel I still have a whole lot more to learn about developing my professional identity in the future. REFERENCES D. O’Brien, N. Strzyzewski and T.Szpara 2013, Getting to Success: Supporting Staff Nurses to Enhance Practice and Professionalism. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing. Volume 28, Issue 3, June 2013, Pages e34  Available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1089947213002037#  Accessed 7th September 2014 G. Willetts and D.Clarke 2012 The shaping of Professional Identity in Nursing: An ethnographic Case Study  Available: http://global-qhr.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Abstracts.pdf Accessed 7th September 2014  S .M. DeJong 2014 Chapter One–What is Professionalism? Social Media and Online Professionalism in Health Care 2014, Pages 1–11  Available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124081284000011  Accessed 7th September 2014 Tiia Tamm, 2010 Professional Identity and Self-concept of Estonian Social Workers .University of Tampere  Available: http://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/66631/978-951-44-8115-4.pdf?sequence=1#page=69zoom=180,-4,613  Accessed 7th September 2014 Stem Bark Extracts of Anthocleista: Antioxidant Properties Stem Bark Extracts of Anthocleista: Antioxidant Properties Original 1 Research Article PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES  OF STEM BARK EXTRACTS OF ANTHOCLEISTA NOBILIS ABSTRACT Aim: This study was carried out to determine the phytochemical and antioxidant properties of extracts  of Anthocleista nobilis. Methodology: Acetone and methanol extracts of A. nobilis were investigated for their free radical scavenging activities in the presence of diphenyl picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) using ascorbic acid as positive control. Results: In the phytochemical screening of the plant extracts, results showed that both extracts recorded the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and glycosides. The acetone and methanol extracts of A. nobilis exhibited significant free radical scavenging activities in the DPPH assay with the  acetone extract recording better activity. The antioxidant activity of the two extracts was however, lower than that recorded by the positive control-ascorbic acid. Conclusion: The result suggests that the extracts have potential antioxidant properties which could be  exploited in medicine and food industry. Keyword: Anthocleista nobilis, antioxidant, DPPH. 1. INTRODUCTION Plants have been utilized by humans to treat various infectious and non-infectious diseases since the  beginning of time as they constitute a reliable source of therapy. In addition, they are also the primary  source for many of today’s medicines [1,2,3]. For instance, purified secondary metabolites such as vinca alkaloids are used widely in cancer chemotherapy [4].Quinine and artemisinin, derived from the  bark of the cinchona and qinghaosu trees respectively and their derivatives have been widely used for  the treatment of malaria [5,6,7]. Some of these secondary metabolites are synthesized for specific purposes by plants. Others may be  by-products of plant metabolism which currently have no known biological function. Hydroxylated  coumarins have been reported to accumulate in carrots in response to fungal invasion [8],  glucosinolates, recognized for their antimicrobial properties[9], have also been reported in Brassia  rapa in response to fungal infection/attack [10]. These secondary metabolites fall under one of the major phytochemicals such as flavonoids, tannins,  glycosides, steroids, terpenes, etc. Although these compounds are known to be bioactive, a lot is yet  to known about their mechanisms of action. Some of these groups of compounds such as flavonoids,  proanthocyanidins and tannins are polyphenols or phenolic [11]. Phenolics are known for their  antioxidant properties [12]. Antioxidants are molecules that halt oxidation processes while the molecules get oxidized in the  process. The antioxidant activity of phenolics is derived from their ability to act as reducing agents,  donating hydrogen, electrons and stabilizing reactive oxygen species (ROS) [13]. ROS such as  hydroxyl radicals (OH.), superoxide anion radicals (O2  .) and singlet oxygen (145 O2) have been implicated  in many disease processes such cancer, diabetes, ageing, atherosclerosis and neurodegeneration[14]. Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables rich in plant polyphenols(antioxidants) as food has  been reported as a protection against several diseases which include cancer, cardiovascular  diseases, diabetes, asthma etc. [15] suggesting that the mechanism of action of the secondary  metabolites can be traced to their antioxidant properties. ROS can cause the deterioration of food by  causing lipid peroxidation. The rancid odor and taste of lipid containing food such as palm oil occur as  result of lipid peroxidation which in turn affects the nutritional value and safety 52 of such food items  [16]. Recently, the use of synthetic preservatives and other additives has been linked to increased  prevalence of cancer. For instance, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite used to preserve processed  meat has been implicated in bowel cancer [17]. As a result, the demand for natural food preservatives  has been rising steadily [14] and that prompted the European Union funded AGROCOS to include the  replacement of synthetic preservatives and other ingredients as part of the FP7 research topics which  has yielded about 30 natural compounds for the food and cosmetic industries presently being further  tested by Greek and German companies [18]. Anthocleista nobilis which is commonly called the candelabrum or cabbage tree in English language,  Duwa Kuchi in Nupe language, Kwari in Hausa language and Apa Ora in Yoruba language belongs to  the family Loganiaceae [19]. Anthocleista nobilisis used in local medicine in parts of West Africa for  curing fever, stomach ache, diarrhoea, and gonorrhoea, and are also aspoultice for sores [20,21]. The  present study was designed to investigate the antioxidant properties of extracts of Anthocleista nobilis  by measuring their free radical scavenging properties with aim of confirming the ethnobotanical use  and assessing their suitability as preservatives in the food industry. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Sample collection The stem barks of A. nobilis were collected in March, 2014 from Ezza Community in Ebonyi state,  Nigeria. They were identified by a plant taxonomist in the Department of Pharmacognosy and  Traditional Medicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.  The plant material was pulverized into fine powder using a mechanical grinding machine. 2.2 Extraction   500 g of thepulverized plant was macerated in 1 Liter of acetone and methanol respectively for 48  hrs.The mixture was sieved using porcelain cloth and was further filtered using No. 1 Whatman filter  Ã‚  paper. The filtrate was concentrated using rotary evaporator and the crude concentrate was then  stored at 4o80 C until required for further experiment. 2.3 Phytochemical Screening   In the phytochemical analysis of the extracts of A. nobilis stem barks, tests for alkaloids, tannins,  saponins, flavonoids, steroids, cardiac glycosides, and terpenoids were carried out using standard  methods reported by Trease and Evans [19]. 2.4 In vitro free radical scavenging activity of the extract (Diphenyl dipicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free  radical scavenging activity) The free radical scavenging activity of the various extracts and ascorbic acid was measured with  DPPH. Three (3) mL of DPPH in methanol solution was added 100 ÃŽ ¼L of different concentrations of  extracts (10-1000 ÃŽ ¼g/mL). After 30 minutes, the absorbances of the extract solutions ion methanol  were measured at 517 nm after calibration with methanol. Lower absorbance indicated higher free  radical scavenging activity. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was expressed as IC50 which was  defined as the concentration of the extracts that inhibited the formation of DPPH radical by 50 %. Each  experiment was carried out in triplicate. The average absorbance for each triplicate was calculated  and the percentage inhibition of the extracts at different doses calculated using the formula:   %Inhibition 100 o s o A A x A −   Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ½ Where Ao is absorbance of control and As the absorbance of tested extracts. 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The antioxidant activity of the extracts of A. nobilis was investigated and the results were compared to  Ã‚  that of ascorbic acid which was used as the positive control. The results are shown in Figures 1. Also,  Ã‚  the result of the phytochemical analysis links the presence of flavonoids and other polyphenols to the  Ã‚  antioxidant activities observed. Different levels of the secondary metabolites based on the tests  Ã‚  carried out were observed as displayed in Table 1. Table 1. Result of the Phytochemical Analysis of A. nobilis Extracts UNDER PEER REVIEW Alkaloids Tannins Saponins Flavonoids Glycosides Terpenoids Steroids Methanol extract ++ +++ ++ + ++ Acetone extract + ++ ++ + ++ +++ = Abundantly present; ++ = Moderately present; += Mildly 108 present; =Absent Figure 1. Comparison between free radical scavenging activities of acetone and methanol  extracts of A. nobilis and ascorbic acid determined using DPPH. IC50 for Acetone extract= 400  ÃŽ ¼g/mL; Methanol extract= 800 ÃŽ ¼g/mL; Ascorbic acid= 30 ÃŽ ¼g/mL. The bark of A. nobilis is used as warm expellant and as antimalarial remedy amongst other  Ã‚  ethnobotanical uses by the Ezza people in Nigeria. The result of this study showed that the crude  Ã‚  extracts showed significant antioxidant properties with the acetone extract of A. nobilis recording an  Ã‚  IC50 of 400 ÃŽ ¼g/ml. The methanol extract of A. nobilis had the lowest antioxidant activity with an IC50 of  Ã‚  800 ÃŽ ¼g/mL.   However, the acetone extract of A. nobilis which had the best antioxidant activity compared to the  methanol extract had moderate presence of terpenoids, flavonoids and tannins. Flavonoids and  Ã‚  tannins are polyphenols which are known to have potent antioxidant properties due to there reducing  Ã‚  ability [23]. The lower activity observed can be explained by the fact that flavonoids only exihibit  Ã‚  antioxidant properties if features such ortho-dihydroxy substitution in the B-ring, C2-C3 double bond  Ã‚  and a carbonyl group in C-4 of the C-ring are present [24]. Quercetin is a good example of a flavonoid  Ã‚  with such structural features and it has a high antioxidant property [25]. Although the free radical scavenging activities observed for the extracts were not as much as that  observed for ascorbic acid which was the positive control, the antioxidant activity of the extracts, can  be said to be significant considering that the extracts were in the crude form. Further purification of the  aqueous extract is expected to produce pure compounds with improved antioxidant property. 4. CONCLUSION The findings of this study reveal that Anthocleista nobilis possess antioxidant property. This provides a  scientific basis for the ethnomedicinal utilization of this plant. The antioxidant property of this plant  may qualify it for use as preservatives of natural origin in the food industry. Further tests are needed to explore the exact mechanism of action at the molecular level and to know the actual 138 constituents  responsible for these activities. %inhibition Concentration(ÃŽ ¼g/ml) % Inhibition Versus Concentration Acetone extract Methanol extract Ascorbic acid UNDER PEER REVIEW REFERENCES Krishna S, Bustamante L, Haynes RK, Staines HM, Artemisinins: their growing importance in  medicine. Trends PharmacolSci. 2008, 29(10):520-527. Akhondzadeh S, Noroozian M, Mohammadi M, Ohadinia S, Jamshidi AH, Khani M, Melissa  officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease: a double  blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. J Neurol, Neurosurgery Psych. 2003, 74(7):863-866. Luciano-Montalvo C, Boulogne I, Gavillà ¡n-Suà ¡rez J. A screening for activities of Carribean herbal  remedies. BMC Comp Alter med. 2013, 13:126. Sahenk Z, Brady ST, Mendell JR. Studies on the pathogenesis of vincristine-induced  neuropathy. 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Atention Deficit Disorder Pandemic Essay -- mental illness, children,

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2004), that 3-5% of children have had ADD/ADHD consistently since the 1940’s, although over 15% of children in school take ADD/ADHD prescriptions every day. In which a large portion of the diagnosis are coming straight from the General physician. Family physicians are rarely trained to identify mental illnesses but instead of leaving their scope of practice they diagnose their patient irresponsibly. Misdiagnoses for ADD/ADHD are fairly common since the guidelines of the mental illness is vague and can easily be mistaken for a child just acting immature for his grade. A study done by Michigan State University economist Elder (2010) states: Nearly 1 million children in the United States are potentially misdiagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder simply because they are the youngest -- and most immature -- in their class. Around forty percent of people diagnosed with ADD/ADHD truly have ADD/ADHD; the other 60% of the patients possibly don’t have add/adhd, even though they were diagnosed with it. The truth is when a doctor tries to treat add/adhd in the misdiagnosed patient, the patient is usually prescribed an NRI or a psychoactive stimulant like (Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse, etc). These meds can work amazing for people who truly have ADD but when the diagnosis is wrong, the the medications can create a damaging effect on the patients neurotransmitters. When I say damaging, I mean neurotoxicity and down regulation to mostly Dopamine but may also affect Serotonin, GABA and even acetylcholine. The damaging effects can be permanent if meds are taken too long. If you have a heart problem you don't go to your normal family physician but a Cardiologist which specializ... ... psychiatric medications only after a diagnosis has been made by a licensed psychiatric specialist. This way people won’t be discouraged from seeking out mental help due to financial problems. A psychiatrist can be expensive if insurance doesn’t cover every visit, so allowing a general physician to write prescriptions after a diagnosis would be far more reasonable on the wallet of all patients. Children with mental disorders shouldn't have to be treated with dangerous drugs unless the treatment truly fits the diagnosis. Work Cited: Todd E. Elder The importance of relative standards in ADHD diagnoses https://msu.edu/~telder/2010-JHE.pdf