Robert Sparks

Photoracemization of Ru (Bipyridine)32

Abstract Ru(bipyridine) 3 2+ racemizes in irradiation with visible light in aqueous solution at neutral pH. The racemization, like the photodecomposition, has a small quantum yield and occurs via the phosphorescing state. Chiral effects are observed in the quenching reaction with Co(acetylacetonate) 3 .

The Politics of the Body in the Context of Modernity

The rise of modernism was accompanied by changes in socially sanctioned uses and meanings of the human body. This paper examines the political status of the body in modernity and attempts to develop a theoretical framework for understanding the role of the modern state in the constitution of modernist bodily politics. The paper has four sections. The first two provide an overview of the work of two well-known theorists of the body, Foucault and Bourdieu. The third section briefly discusses 19th-century gymnastics in France to help illustrate the political uses of the body by the modem state. In the last section, some general conclusions are drawn in order to sketch out a framework for studying the politics of the body in the context of modernity.

Sports sponsorship as a strategic investment in China: perceived risks and benefits by corporate sponsors prior to the Beijing 2008 Olympics

The purpose of this study is to examine the application of sports sponsorship in China, particularly to gain some understanding of the benefits as perceived by corporate sponsors. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 sports sponsorship experts in China. The results provide insights into how sports sponsorship works in this emerging market.

Beliefs about tobacco industry (mal)practices and youth smoking behaviour: insight for future tobacco control campaigns (Canada).

ObjectiveTo examine how student beliefs about tobacco industry behaviour and marketing practices were related to occasional and regular smoking among 9th to 12th graders. These findings can provide insight for developing new tobacco industry denormalization messages for youth smoking populations.MethodsCross-sectional data were collected from 14,767 grade 9 to 12 students attending 22 secondary schools within one Public Health Region of Canada using the Tobacco Module of School Heath Action, Planning and Evaluation System (SHAPES). Logistic regression analyses were used to determine if different beliefs about tobacco companies were able to differentiate never smokers from occasional smokers, and occasional smokers from regular smokers.ResultsOccasional and regular smoking behaviour was significantly related to student beliefs about tobacco companies doing good things in the community, manipulating young people to think smoking is cool, advertising to youth, and using athletes and sports sponsorships to get young people to smoke.ConclusionsThis study identified that beliefs about tobacco industry behaviour and marketing practices were related to youth smoking behaviour. In order to address the unique needs of smoking youth, discussions for future tobacco industry denormalization campaigns should consider messages tailored to focus on corporate social responsibility, sport and cultural event sponsorship and industry manipulation.

Inside the Promotional Vortex Canadian Media Construction of Sydney Olympic Triathlete Simon Whitfield

When Canadian Simon Whitfield won the gold medal in the first ever Olympic Men’s Triathlon at the 2000 Sydney Games, the Canadian media labeled him an ‘Olympic champion’ and ‘golden boy’ and constructed his victory as ‘heroic’ and emblematic of Canadian character. Positive media attention led to several sponsorship contracts which in turn led to more media coverage about his success, with the result that Whitfield became a media celebrity and product endorser in Canada. In this article we examine the media production processes that led to the construction of Whitfield’s positive media image and the impact of this coverage on his marketability. Through interviews with five national and regional newspaper journalists who wrote stories about Whitfield and four national marketers who worked on his sponsorship campaigns, as well as with Whitfield himself, we demonstrate how media and marketing production are linked as part of a promotional chain. In the case of Whitfield, this promotional chain resulted in media coverage that was similar across various newspapers, and which served in the construction of media and marketing coverage of Whitfield that affirmed dominant meanings of sport culture in Canada.

Bridging the gap between science and public health: taking advantage of tobacco control experience in Brazil to inform policies to counter risk factors for non‐communicable diseases

AIMS AND DESIGN The historical and economic involvement of Brazil with tobacco, as a major producer and exporter, was considered an insurmountable obstacle to controlling the consumption of this product. Nevertheless, the country was able to achieve significant progress in implementing public policies and to take an international leadership position, meeting its constitutional commitment to protect public health. In this paper we provide a brief historical overview of tobacco control (TC) in Brazil, and analyse the factors that contributed to the major decline in tobacco consumption in the country over the last 20 years, as well as identify the challenges that had to be overcome and those still at play. FINDINGS The Brazilian case demonstrates how cross-sectorial collaborations among health-related groups that capitalize on their respective strengths and capacities can help to influence public policy and overcome industry and population resistance to change. Although Brazil still lags behind some leading TC nations, the country has an extensive collaborative TC network that was built over time and continues to focus upon this issue. CONCLUSIONS The tobacco experience can serve as an example for other fields, such as alcoholic beverages, of how networks can be formed to influence the legislative process and the development of public policies. Brazilian statistics show that problems related to non-communicable diseases are a pressing public health issue, and advocacy groups, policy-makers and government departments can benefit from tobacco control history to fashion their own strategies.

Tobacco-control Legislation, Public Health and Sport Sponsorship

Abstract This paper examines the international development of regulations restricting tobacco sponsorship and assesses their effects on tobacco marketing and public health. Several factors are found to compromise the effectiveness of sponsorship regulations, including the transnational structure of the tobacco industry, growing opportunities for tobacco marketing and sponsorship internationally, and the development of new media technologies – such as virtual billboards, Direct Broadcast television and the World Wide Web – that facilitate regulatory compliance at the same time that they enable global reach for sponsorship programs. An alternative regulatory approach is proposed that requires ‘equal time’ for anti-smoking advertisements as for tobacco-sponsorship advertisements.

Meaning transfer in sports news and sponsorship: promoting Canadian Olympic triathlete Simon Whitfield

This paper critically examines the processes of meaning creation and transfer in sports celebrity endorsements. It uses findings from a qualitative case study that investigated how Canadian journalists covered Simon Whitfields gold medal win in the inaugural mens triathlon Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, and how sponsors subsequently capitalised on his media image. The results highlight key factors that influence Olympic sports reporting and their implications for leveraging an Olympic athletes media image as part of a product endorsement strategy.

Tobacco promotion restrictions – An international regulatory impasse?

The promotion of tobacco products has received detailed attention. However, this research has focussed on the effects of tobacco advertising or sponsorship, and how restrictions on promotion activities affect demand. By contrast, comparatively few studies have examined the regulatory implications of variations in the guidelines or statutes governing tobacco promotions. In this paper we analyse the issues arising from inconsistencies in international tobacco promotion regulations and the proposals designed to address these. We conclude that because the development and application of consistent regulations infringes on the economic interests and traditions of civil liberties in some nations, the prospects for implementing internationally adhered to protocols is gloomy. A more practical solution may be to control the conditions of sale of tobacco products as these are more readily circumscribed by domestic regulation.

Self-Regulation of Beer Advertising: A Comparative Analysis of Perceived Violations by Adolescents and Experts

AIMS We assessed the impact of the 2010 revisions to Brazils self-regulatory alcohol marketing code using expert and adolescent raters. METHODS Five popular TV beer ads were selected. Ads were rated based on the 2010 Brazilian self-regulatory marketing code. The expert group (N = 31) represented health-related professions; the adolescent group (N = 110) were public high school students. RESULTS At least 1 ad violated 11 of 17 guidelines included in the study. Ratings by experts and adolescents were similar. Both found violations in all sections of the self-regulatory code, but significant group differences were seen in applying the section that prohibits the promotion of excessive alcohol consumption, with experts identifying more violations than adolescents. CONCLUSION Beer ads in the sample systematically violated the self-regulatory standards for alcohol advertising in Brazil according to both experts and youth. Public policies for more effective restrictions and prohibitions in alcohol ads should be considered.