The pharmaceutical industry is discovering, developing, producing and marketing drugs or pharmaceutical drugs for use as medicines to be administered (or self-administered) to patients in order to heal, vaccinate, or relieve the symptoms. Pharmaceutical companies may deal with generic or branded medicines and medical devices. They are subject to a multitude of legislation and regulations governing the patenting, testing, safety, effectiveness and marketing of drugs. Pharmaceutical industries are involved in Drug discovery which is the process by which potential drugs are discovered or designed. Drug development refers to activities undertaken after a compound is identified as a potential drug in order to establish its suitability as a medication. The Objectives of drug development are to determine appropriate formulation and dosing, as well as to establish safety.

Right now, the four major advances in the pharmaceutical industry includes:

Mobile Health App:
Pharmaceutical research institutes are already beginning to take advantage of mobile health (mHealth) technology to conduct clinical research. Smartphones with powerful processors and advanced sensors that can track movement, take measurements and record information are highly useful in studies. This process works the best when more and more users share their data and users from different geographical locations contribute; this allows the app to have a more accurate representation of the population and their afflictions. There are currently apps targeting Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma and breast cancer.

Printable Medication:
Recently, epilepsy drug Spritam became the first 3D printed drug to be approved by the Food And Drug Administration (FDA). The drug’s was manufactured by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals. The company says that it makes the medicine through a three-dimensional printing process.

This technique allows the pill to deliver a higher dose of medicine while being porous enough to dissolve quickly. Aprecia Pharmaceuticals was thinking about patients who have a hard time swallowing their medication when they invented this process.

This breakthrough clears the path for future 3D printed drugs – an area that could change not only the way that drugs are manufactured but also administered. The process would cost hospitals (and subsequently, patients) a whole lot less money because to amend the drug for an individual, one would only have to make a few, simple software changes.

Using Artificial Intelligence:
Computers such as IBM Watson, are capable of digesting and interpreting millions of pages of scientific literature and data to assist pharma companies in the development of new drugs.

Researchers and scientists at pharmaceutical companies have already started using Watson to conduct research. Johnson & Johnson is collaborating with the IBM Watson Discovery Advisor team to teach Watson to digest scientific reports, while Sanofi is using Watson to research drug alternatives.

Drugs That Target Genes:
Drugs that target genes, or precision medication as its often called, relies on genetic information to select a drug, or cocktail of drugs that is best for the individual in question. The information is garnered through genome sequencing. Researchers can use this data to identify specific gene abnormalities and subsequently, they will understand what drugs their patients’ genes will and will not respond to and they can make the best selection for the individual. This can aid in scientists creating new targeted drugs and also in recycling existing therapies.

Targeted therapies are tailored to the genetic makeup of individual patients so genomic testing is required to decide upon which course of treatment before it is administered. The relationship between a drug and an individual’s DNA is incredibly important to ascertain as it can help the drugs reach optimal performance and effectiveness as well as prevent things from going awry via a bad interaction between a drug and an individual’s system.

The quality of life has undoubtedly become rich with these major scientific breakthroughs, however; still further research and testing are ongoing to provide more advanced technologies in the Pharmaceutical industry  for the well-being of society.


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Discover biblical truth to academic excellence...

A  student can only operate based on the knowledge he has been able to acquire. The knowledge acquired by a student directs and sharpens him for life. If a student must perform, he must acquire knowledge and knowledge is hidden in the pages of books. The knowledge acquired through reading is like a dream, when planted into any student will explode him on every side.
Many students doubt the possibility of performing better in our contemporary society, where the standard of education drops drastically on daily basis. A society where examination malpractice is the order of the day. Yes, it is possible that one can do Ten Times Better.

Academic success demands discipline just as in every other field of endeavour. It has to do with the training of the mind and the body to self control and Obedience. It is not what one claims or wishes, it has to be worked for. This is to say that Academic success can be achieved through the discipline of not just reading but studying (please read 2nd Timothy 2:15).

A student who aspires to perform better than others must form a habit of reading. "The strength of a man's virtue is measured by his habitual acts". We are creatures of habitats. If we don't develop good habits, we will develop bad ones. Students should as a matter of fact, form a habit of acquiring new knowledge which is gained through learning, demands to be up-dated, impartable not in heritable, and finally valuable.

As stated earlier, academic performance calls for discipline. Though it is our inheritance, we have to CONTEND for it. It is our responsibility to perform excellently. This does not fall from heaven as some think. Joshua 1;8 until you meditate, then shall thou make your way " see Luke 6:40," A student is not above his teacher, but every one who is fully trained will be like his teacher ". Training in this context could be keeping late night reading your books, going without personal needs, consulting books from different authors or visiting the Internet for assignments, project or thesis. When these and more are done, the Bible says, we will be like our teachers." it surprises me to hear the Psalmist say, "I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes." (Psalm 119:99)."  It is very possible for us as students to perform ten times better, when we not only attend classes, but punctual to classes, doing assignments, projects, reading related books on a given course, etc. When we try this we would be amazed at level of insight we would gain in that subject. I always hear people say or quote the above Scripture, that no student is above his teacher. I put it to you that any teacher who fails to study or research to up-date will definitely be out-dated and overtaken by his studious students. It's my Prayer that God will arouse our zeal to study in Jesus name, Amen.

Renew your mind:

When we talk of performing excellently, we have to go extra mile, renewing our minds. Yes! Some of us have to change the way we see some things. Some Christians do not understand the difference between suffering for Christ and suffering under bondage of ignorance. Some think that Spirituality is synonymous with earthly failure, so the more you fail, the more spiritual you become ( Jer 29:11). His taught for us is that of academic excellence and not of failure. You should also note that even as a result of your mistake  you failed and if you believe God's word, that failure will eventually work out good, and vice - versa.

Vision:

This is the beginning of the journey to excellence. This has to do with what we see with our physical or mind's eyes. Vision is simply imagination. Note that it takes thinking mediocrity to be a mediocre, it also takes thinking greatness to be great. If you see correctly, you get correct result, if you see wrongly, you get wrong result, also if you see excellence, you will arrive there.

Planning:

When we fail to plan, the we have planned to fail. If we don't organise, then we will agonise. Plan means arrangement for carrying out some future activities. It means breaking a big work into smaller workable parts.

  • Write down your plans
  • Review and plan again if the first plan fails to work
  • Avoid eating heavy food to bed
  • As you prepare for exams, avoid embarking on long fasting for avoidance of lack of concentration or energy
  • Plan to attend lessons /Lectures
  • Plan your timetable
  • Plan your finance; lack of money leads to lack of concentration. Try to spend according to your income.
Plan to cover the scope
Plan the result you want to come out with. In terms of planning your relationship, some friends are distractions which must be dealt with. Yob have to choose your friends wisely, especially when you are preparing for examination.

We all must admit that everything about excellence is not so rosy. There are challenges to excellent performance. This could come in diverse ways like:

  • Lack of Admission
  • Lack of money to buy textbooks, handouts, typing of assignment etc
  • Reading so much yet making poor grades
  • Problem of sorting the lecturers
  • Death of loved ones or bad news from family
  • Depression, confusion, uncertainty, emptiness, etc.
  • Sickness or diseases
  • Failure to gain admission in the department of your choice
  • Time your parents attributes your failure to your dedication to God
  • Times you have to bear the consequences of your actions
The list is not exhaustive, remember 1st Sam 30:3-6, King David felt the same way when the Amalekites broke into their camp, vs 6b, says "But David found Strength in the Lord his God."  Moreso, God does not promise us SAFE sailing but SAFE landing. When you are faced with challenges, learn how to encourage yourself in the in the Lord, looking forward to a better future. It is good you face the challenges squarely, trusting God to see you through.

Finally, as Christian students we should love above every negativity. Improve on your prayer life and believe in yourself. You are the only person who has the ability to stop yourself. Yes! No power, force or principality can stop you to be. Sit up desire and act upon your decision to be TEN TIMES BETTER.
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Positive people follow a fairly simple mantra in life; get rid of the negativity and appreciate the good things in life. When you’re a positive person, you benefit yourself and the ones around you.


Surrounding yourself with people who have an optimistic outlook means living a life filled with happy memories. Positive people not only change your perspective, but also have the power to improve your well-being and overall quality in life.

Here are a few reasons why you should have more positive people in life.

1. They influence you:
Positive people can change the way you look at life. They make you believe in yourself. By surrounding yourself with positive people, you start embracing their positive qualities as well.

2. They make your life happy:
Spending time with people who are positive makes your life more cheerful. You pay closer attention to the good things in life, and you walk away from things that aren’t worth your time.

3. They help you make better choices.
Positive people guide you when you’re in a dilemma. They help you make decisions that are helpful, realistic and positive. They believe in living a hopeful life, and help you in making smart choices.

4. They encourage you to ignore negativity:
Positive people walk out of every negative situation. They encourage you to look at all the positive aspects of life, and help you avoid all the negative things that surround you.

5. They motivate you to follow your dreams:
Positive people always look ahead in the future. They motivate you to be hopeful. When you surround yourself with such people, you’re motivated to follow your dreams.

6. They help you create happy memories:
The memories made with positive people are usually happy and exciting. They live in the present, evading the negativity that takes them away from happiness.

7. They motivate you to achieve your goals
Positive people encourage and inspire you to work towards your goal. They always support you and inspire you to do better in life, helping you achieve your goals.
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  • learn how to lead in a way that position an organisation, family, church or society for the future while meeting current demands
  • improve your leadership techniques that yield undeniable results and endless opportunities
  • learn strategy in management of organisation or institution
  • develop your influence in all direction
  • develop strategic leadership, personality traits and performance competencies and skills

The Most important question for Strategic leadership is: How do we lead in ways that position an organisation or family for the future while meeting current demands?

Let's begin by defining some terms. The Greek word for strategy means: "art of troop leader; office of general, command, and general-ship". It is a high level plan to achieve one or more goals under conditions of uncertainty. Max McKeown (2011) explains that "strategy is about shaping the future" and is the human attempt to get "desirable ends with available means". In short, strategy is a term that refers to a complex Web of thoughts, ideas, insights, experiences, goals, expertise, memories, perceptions, and expectations that provides general guidance for specific actions in pursuit of particular ends. Strategy is at once the course we chart, the journey we imagine and at the same time, it is the course we steer, the trip we actually make.

It should be noted that strategy has no existence apart from the ends sought. It is a general framework that provides guidance for actions to be taken and, at the same time, is shaped by the actions taken. This means that the necessary prerequisite for formulating strategy is a clear and widespread understanding of the ends to be obtained. Without these ends in view, action is purely pre-emptive and can quickly degenerate into nothing more than a flapping about like a hen trying to fly. As leaders, we all want to soar like eagles. 

Key features of strategic leadership 

What then is strategic leadership? Does it require a different set of skills from other forms of leadership? Strategic leadership requires us to think, ack and influence others in a way that promote the continuing success of organisation. Strategic leaders use leadership techniques that empower and motivate rather than bully employees. Strategic leadership realizes that employees have a potential that should be encouraged in a respectful, yet motivating way. Employees are encouraged to follow their own initiative. Coaching style of leading others is used. Leaders look to retain good employees while also forecasting how the company can run even more efficiently in the future. Leaders reward quality workers by promoting them and offering incentives to do well for the company. Strategy, or careful planning, before making any change in the company, is absolutely crucial to the strategic leader. 

Productivity is a major goal of strategic leadership. It is not about merely increasing the amount of work done. Rather it shows impressive results for work hours. We have said that strategy is a matter of achieving stated goals. Productivity of the company improves when all the workers team up to achieve known goals. Although the strategic style of leadership always keeps the best interests of the business in mind, it's also appreciative of employees' unique talents and efforts. Strategic leadership basically means using strategy in the management of workers. The main strategy usually employed is to motivate workers to take the initiative to improve their productive input into the company. Strategy involves thinking and planning, while leadership inspires others to take the appropriate action. This management model trains and encourages employees to best prepare the company for the future. 

Ways of developing strategic leadership
 
Development is a process. It does not happen in a twinkling of an eye. It must therefore be identified, anticipated and planned. It is known that the most effective organisations are planing now for tomorrow's leaders. It is a challenge for us to prepare new generation of leaders who will continue and extend the strategic reach of the organisations. 

Leaders who are strategic are always looking ahead and analysing the present in terms of preparation for the future of the business. Awareness is a big part of leadership style, but it must be followed up with well thought out action. Strategic leaders are adaptable and growth-oriented. They take responsibility for getting things done by training employees to think and act more effectively to achieve the best result possible for the company. 

Ultimately, strategic leadership is both an organisational and a personal process, and it is one that today's businesses cannot afford to ignore. The job of strategy is not limited to a few top executives. Strategic leaders are needed throughout our organisations if they are to adapt, innovate and succeed well into the future. Effective leadership is required more today than ever before. The rapid rate of change and the speed of communication requires leaders at senior and middle management level to excel at strategic leadership. 

Leadership and learning play a critical role in enabling organizational growth and transformation and ultimately strategic success. Good strategy identifies an organisation's current reality as well as it's desired destination - what it needs to develop and how it needs to change in order to successfully compete and achieve it's business goals. The gap between current reality and desired destination can be filled by increasing individual competency as well as building organizational capability. A complete and well developed strategy will include direction on the steps to be taken to develop leaders need in order to fill the gap and propel the organisation to its desired future target. 

Developing personality traits of wokers
Recent research from MIT and Carnegie Mellon found that today's employees are motivated beyond money by:
  • Autonomy - not being micromanage
  • Mastery - being developed and coached and a sense of purpose. 
For more information read the book "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us" by Daniel Pink. Please note that external factors are not lasting motivators. The more lasting motivators are the ones that come from inside the person. The moulding of the person to do the job is important.

There cannot be a better way to prepare the strategic leader than asking the one that makes what He created to be new again (2 Corinthians 5:17). If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. It is this new nature that some contemporary social scientists are researching into. For example: Jim Collins in his "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap....And Others Don't," used extensive research to identify leaders that had an aggressive resolve coupled with humilty. He called the concept "level 5" leadership. Merwyn Hayes and Micheal Comer took the concept one step further by identifying specific behaviours that leaders can implement in their book "Start with Humility: Lessons from America's Quiet CEOs on how to Build Trust and Inspire People". Recognise here that humilty has been identified, scientifically, as a major personality trait that will promote the success of an organisation. Genuine humilty comes when one hands over one's life to the Lord Jesus Christ. It cannot be isolated and taught in the classroom. Rather, it comes in the context of accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. It is an outgrowth of this relationship with the Lord. 

Developing performance competencies and skills 

In a research at the Wharton School involving more than 20,000 executives, it was identified that there are six skills that, when mastered and used in concert, allow leaders to think strategically and navigate the unknown effectively. These are the abilities to anticipate, challenge, interpret, decide, align, and learn. The organisation should develop in the workers, the ability to understand the context and to recognize and seize the opportunity. This includes behaviours such as: Ability to offer solutions - quickly and thoughtfully. Ability to transcend any particular personal or professional limits (Perseverance). Ability to explore issues below the surface. The ability of workers to be fiercely ambitious and driven by the desire to achieve stated goals.

The workers should develop the ability to think beyond the present, understand a broader business context and create a future compelling vision while also being able to execute plans and implement ideas. We should be able to develop in the workers, intuition and innovative thinking. They should be able to understand current market trends and use their knowledge to move the organisation forward. 

We have seen that strategic leadership refers to a manager's potential to expression a strategic vision for the organisation and to motivate and persuade others to acquire that vision. The main objective of strategic leadership is strategic productivity. Another aim of strategic leadership is to develop an environment in which employees forecast the organisation's needs in context of their own job. Strategic leaders encourage the employees in an organisation to follow their own ideas. Strategic leaders can generate vision, share vision, zealously own vision and determinedly drive it to accomplishment. 
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