Federal Bureau of Prisons Essay

The Federal Bureau of Prisons was established in 1930. Its main goal is to provide humane care for Federal inmates. There are 11 Federal prisons in operation. The Bureau consists of 115 institutions, 6 regional offices, a Central Office (headquarters), 2 staff training centers, and 22 community corrections offices. The Bureau of Prisons career opportunities web page is the place where you can learn about BOP careers, the employment process and current vacancies. The BOP career opportunities web page has quick links to: application steps, attorney recruitment, career FAQs, health care careers, job descriptions and job vacancies. The Bureau has approximately 37,700 employees within 115 correctional institutions. The BOP is currently accepting applications for: Chaplain, Clinical Psychologist, Dental Officer, Medical Officer, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant and Registered Nurse. The jobs are accessible through USAJOBS. The bureau has approximately 37, 700 highly motivated individuals working in 115 correctional institutions across the country and a wide range of occupations. Job opportunities within the correctional facilities: automobile, painting, plumbing, carpentry, and electricity. They are always accepting applications for dental officer, medical officer, and registered nurse. Salaries are based on the position and location of the job you are selected to fill. The Law Enforcement Special Salary Rate and Locality pay scale may vary from the General Schedule and Locality pay scale. Salaries for positions such as Electrician, Mechanic, and Plumber, are found on the Federal Wage System pay scale. A variety of health insurance plans are available to Federal employees, with the Government paying about 60 to 72 percent of the cost and the employee paying 28 to 40 percent, depending on the health plan. Basic life insurance is automatic and effective on the first workday the employee is in pay and duty status, unless the employee chooses to waive life insurance coverage. Every employee is guaranteed a life insurance policy. The Government pays one-third of the cost for Basic life insurance. Basic life insurance is the employee’s salary rounded up. After 20 years of service in a position covered by â€Å"hazardous duty† law enforcement retirement provisions is eligible to retire at age 50. BOP has four different work life programs which makes it easier to balance work and family. These programs consist of teleworking, compressed, flexible, and part time work schedules. Under special, limited circumstances, inmates who meet strict requirements may be allowed temporary releases from the institution through furloughs and staff-escorted trips. A furlough allows inmates to be in the community without a staff escort. There are several purposes for furloughs: for example these enable inmates to be present during a family crisis, facilitate re-establishing family and community ties, and allow an inmate to participate in certain activities to help his/her release transition. The Bureau may authorize staff-escorted trips for purposes such as visiting a critically ill family member; attending a funeral; receiving medical treatment; or participating in educational, religious, or work-related functions. The Bureau’s philosophy is to release preparation begins the first day of incarceration, focus on release preparation intensifies at least 18 months prior to release. The Release Preparation Program includes classes in areas such as resume writing, job search, and job retention. The program also includes presentations by community-based organizations that help ex-inmates find jobs and training opportunities after release. The Bureau places appropriate inmates in halfway houses prior to release to help them adjust to life in the community and find employment. Some inmates will be eligible for a release gratuity, clothing, or money for transportation to their release destination. The Inmate Transition Branch provides additional pre-release employment assistance. Many institutions hold mock job fairs to provide inmates an opportunity to practice job interview skills and to expose community recruiters to the skills available among releasing inmates. Qualified inmates may apply for jobs with companies that have posted job openings. This Branch also helps inmates prepare release folders that include a resume; education certificates, diplomas, and transcripts; and other significant documents needed for a successful job interview. Medical, dental, and mental health services are provided to Federal inmates n Bureau facilities. Most Facilities provide one or more primary Physicians who specialize in family practice. Medical officer provide direct service to inmates in Federal prisons (e. g. performance of diagnostic and preventive). Nurses play an important role on patient health, patient safety and patient education. (e. g. observation and evaluation of patients, perform case histories, conduct physical examinations, and order laboratory tests). De ntal officers are responsible for the full range of dental care provided to inmates. Pharmacist provide pharmaceutical care, they are responsible for medication. (e. g. same as nurse). Over 3,000 health care positions are offered. The food service operation within each institution represents a major program area within the Federal Criminal Justice system. The Bureau offers a food service career for correctional cook supervisors in a fast pace and challenging environment. Cook supervisor receive full training and are responsible for serving nutritious meals and provides guidance/direction to inmate cooks, bakers, butchers as well as in sanitation. Meals are served to a population of several hundred to 2,000 per meal depending on size and type of facility. Completion of a 2 to 4 year culinary degree is desirable but qualifying experience in quantity production from the military or food hospital industry is acceptable. Even though cook supervisors are at the entry level position, ambitious and interested individuals can apply for higher positions to Assistant Food Service Manager to the top Food Service Administrator. Each federal prison has its own education department that provides educational and recreational activities to inmates. Inmates are encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle through physical fitness, health education and leisure programs. Inmates who participate in industries or vocational training programs are more likely to find and keep a job upon release and less likely to return to prison. The Bureau offers a variety of programs for inmates to acquire literacy and marketable skills to help them obtain employment after release. All institutions offer literacy classes, English as a Second Language, parenting classes, wellness education, adult continuing education, library services, and instruction in leisure-time ctivities. In most cases, inmates who do not have a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate must participate in the literacy program for a minimum of 240 hours or until they obtain the GED. Occupational and vocational training programs are based on the needs of the inmates, general labor market conditions, and institution labor force needs. An important component is on-the-job training, which inmates receive through institution job assignments and work in Federal Prison Industries. Parenting classes help inmates develop appropriate skills during incarceration. Recreation and wellness activities encourage healthy life styles and habits. Institution libraries carry a variety of fiction and nonfiction books, magazines, newspapers, and reference materials. Inmates also have access to legal materials to conduct legal research and prepare legal documents. The Bureau of Prisons has various job opportunities ranging from Automotive to electric and is always looking for professionals in the medical field. There are over 3,000 health care positions available ranging from Dental to nursing. While a job with the bureau of prisons maybe stressful it does offer benefits, such as retirement, paid holidays, flexibility room for growth and retirement options. Each federal prison has its own education department and inmates are encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle. It is often found that inmates who participate in industries or vocational training programs are more likely to find and keep a job upon release and less likely to return to prison.

Digital Fortress Chapter 43

A jaunty forty-five, Chad Brinkerhoff was well-pressed, well-groomed, and well-informed. His summer-weight suit, like his tan skin, showed not a wrinkle or hint of wear. His hair was thick, sandy blond, and most importantly-all his own. His eyes were a brilliant blue-subtly enhanced by the miracle of tinted contact lenses. He surveyed the wood-paneled office around him and knew he had risen as far as he would rise in the NSA. He was on the ninth floor-Mahogany Row. Office 9A197. The Directorial Suite. It was a Saturday night, and Mahogany Row was all but deserted, its executives long gone-off enjoying whatever pastimes influential men enjoyed in their leisure. Although Brinkerhoff had always dreamed of a â€Å"real† post with the agency, he had somehow ended up as a â€Å"personal aide†-the official cul de sac of the political rat race. The fact that he worked side by side with the single most powerful man in American intelligence was little consolation. Brinkerhoff had graduated with honors from Andover and Williams, and yet here he was, middle-aged, with no real power-no real stake. He spent his days arranging someone else's calendar. There were definite benefits to being the director's personal aide-Brinkerhoff had a plush office in the directorial suite, full access to all the NSA departments, and a certain level of distinction that came from the company he kept. He ran errands for the highest echelons of power. Deep down Brinkerhoff knew he was born to be a PA-smart enough to take notes, handsome enough to give press conferences, and lazy enough to be content with it. The sticky-sweet chime of his mantel clock accented the end of another day of his pathetic existence. Shit, he thought. Five o'clock on a Saturday. What the hell am I doing here? â€Å"Chad?† A woman appeared in his doorway. Brinkerhoff looked up. It was Midge Milken, Fontaine's internal security analyst. She was sixty, slightly heavy, and, much to the puzzlement of Brinkerhoff, quite appealing. A consummate flirt and an ex-wife three times over, Midge prowled the six-room directorial suite with a saucy authority. She was sharp, intuitive, worked ungodly hours, and was rumored to know more about the NSA's inner workings than God himself. Damn, Brinkerhoff thought, eyeing her in her gray cashmere-dress. Either I'm getting older, or she's looking younger. â€Å"Weekly reports.† She smiled, waving a fanfold of paper. â€Å"You need to check the figures.† Brinkerhoff eyed her body. â€Å"Figures look good from here.† â€Å"Really Chad,† she laughed. â€Å"I'm old enough to be your mother.† Don't remind me, he thought. Midge strode in and sidled up to his desk. â€Å"I'm on my way out, but the director wants these compiled by the time he gets back from South America. That's Monday, bright and early.† She dropped the printouts in front of him. â€Å"What am I, an accountant?† â€Å"No, hon, you're a cruise director. Thought you knew that.† â€Å"So what am I doing crunching numbers?† She ruffled his hair. â€Å"You wanted more responsibility. Here it is.† He looked up at her sadly. â€Å"Midge†¦ I have no life.† She tapped her finger on the paper. â€Å"This is your life, Chad Brinkerhoff.† She looked down at him and softened. â€Å"Anything I can get you before I go?† He eyed her pleadingly and rolled his aching neck. â€Å"My shoulders are tight.† Midge didn't bite. â€Å"Take an aspirin.† He pouted. â€Å"No back rub?† She shook her head. â€Å"Cosmopolitan says two-thirds of backrubs end in sex.† Brinkerhoff looked indignant. â€Å"Ours never do!† â€Å"Precisely.† She winked. â€Å"That's the problem.† â€Å"Midge-â€Å" â€Å"Night, Chad.† She headed for the door. â€Å"You're leaving?† â€Å"You know I'd stay,† Midge said, pausing in the doorway, â€Å"but I do have some pride. I just can't see playing second fiddle-particularly to a teenager.† â€Å"My wife's not a teenager,† Brinkerhoff defended. â€Å"She just acts like one.† Midge gave him a surprised look. â€Å"I wasn't talking about your wife.† She battered her eyes innocently. â€Å"I was talking about Carmen.† She spoke the name with a thick Puerto Rican accent. Brinkerhoff's voice cracked slightly. â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Carmen? In food services?† Brinkerhoff felt himself flush. Carmen Huerta was a twenty-seven-year-old pastry chef who worked in the NSA commissary. Brinkerhoff had enjoyed a number of presumably secret after-hours flings with her in the stockroom. She gave him a wicked wink. â€Å"Remember, Chad†¦ Big Brother knows all.† Big Brother? Brinkerhoff gulped in disbelief. Big Brother watches the STOCKROOMS too? Big Brother, or â€Å"Brother† as Midge often called it, was a Centrex 333 that sat in a small closetlike space off the suite's central room. Brother was Midge's whole world. It received data from 148 closed circuit video cameras, 399 electronic doors, 377 phones taps, and 212 free-standing bugs in the NSA complex. The directors of the NSA had learned the hard way that 26,000 employees were not only a great asset but a great liability. Every major security breach in the NSA's history had come from within. It was Midge's job as internal security analyst, to watch everything that went on within the walls of the NSA†¦ including, apparently, the commissary stockroom. Brinkerhoff stood to defend himself, but Midge was already on her way out. â€Å"Hands above the desk,† she called over her shoulder. â€Å"No funny stuff after I go. The walls have eyes.† Brinkerhoff sat and listened to the sound of her heels fading down the corridor. At least he knew Midge would never tell. She was not without her weaknesses. Midge had indulged in a few indiscretions of her own-mostly wandering back rubs with Brinkerhoff. His thoughts turned back to Carmen. He pictured her lissome body, those dark thighs, that AM radio she played full blast-hot San Juan salsa. He smiled. Maybe I'll drop by for a snack when I'm done. He opened the first printout. CRYPTO-PRODUCTION/EXPENDITURE His mood immediately lightened. Midge had given him a freebie; the Crypto report was always a piece of cake. Technically he was supposed to compile the whole thing, but the only figure the director ever asked for was the MCD-the mean cost per decryption. The MCD represented the estimated amount it cost TRANSLTR to break a single code. As long as the figure was below $1,000 per code, Fontaine didn't flinch. A grand a pop. Brinkerhoff chuckled. Our tax dollars at work. As he began plowing through the document and checking the daily MCDs, images of Carmen Huerta smearing herself with honey and confectioner's sugar began playing in his head. Thirty seconds later he was almost done. The Crypto data was perfect-as always. But just before moving on to the next report, something caught his eye. At the bottom of the sheet, the last MCD was off. The figure was so large that it had carried over into the next column and made a mess of the page. Brinkerhoff stared at the figure in shock. 999,999,999? He gasped. A billion dollars? The images of Carmen vanished. A billion-dollar code? Brinkerhoff sat there a minute, paralyzed. Then in a burst of panic, he raced out into the hallway. â€Å"Midge! Comeback!†

Active and Passive Indexing

The first index fund began in 1971, with $6 million funded by Samsonite, the luggage-maker. Since then, there have been many arguments of whether an active index fund or a passive index fund offers better long-term results for investors. Index funds are already the fastest growing sector of the mutual fund business. From 1986 to 1996, the amount of money invested in index funds grew from $556 million to $65 Billion. And if anything, individual investors have been slow to embrace passive management. Institutional investors invest a far larger percentage of their assets passively. Many individual investors are simply uneducated and unaware of the arguments and experimental evidence supporting passive management. Institutional investors and academics have known for years (many for decades) that passive investing is extremely difficult to beat and that the majority of active investors will fail in their attempt to outperform the market. Active indexers assert they can outperform the marketplace. Passive (index) portfolios state they can mirror the performance of the indices. Both have their good times and their bad times. Active indexers raise cash in times of increased risk and instability while passive indexers remain fully invested. This can be quite painful during times of large declines in the market. Passive portfolios mirror the gains of the indices during roaring bull markets and eventually outperform the majority of active money managers who must remain diversified and who sometimes take on additional risks in an attempt to produce the performance and safety that they have promised their clients. The evidence has piled up during today's bull market that the average dollar managed by active managers does not keep up with the market index. Finally, indexing is a way to avoid being blind-sided in certain areas of the marketplace. Active management themes can easily find themselves on the wrong side of an investment. There is a perception among investors that a strategy designed to match stock market returns is less risky than a comparable actively managed portfolio. Since the index approach invests in a manner that is most friendly with the market's natural liquidity, it produces the least disturbance. The passive investor also has diversified his risk. Specific negative things can happen to individual companies or groups. As a passive investor, one is not exposed to any of these things. However, it does not mean you have a risk-free investment. The downside to passive index investors is that they â€Å"fuel the fire† of a market that appreciates well beyond its true value. Index mutual funds must put new money to work†¦ they can not hold cash†¦ and their investors all buy the exact same stocks. When stocks go down, index funds, being fully invested, will receive the ultimate effect of the decline. Combined with this loss is the fact that they will also have to sell shares to cover shareholder redemptions. These funds will get hit harder than many active portfolios with a cash cushion. Most active managers of investment portfolios raise cash as they perceive higher valuations, excessive instability, and extreme risks, therefore; reducing the display to loss during declining markets. Another downside to passive indexing is the impact they have on market instability. This gives the patient active money manager a welcome opportunity to take advantage of stock selection at very attractive prices and, to some extent, time the market in making their decisions of when to buy and when to sell. Index investing is a tricky business that can roil markets. Actively indexed funds have gone upward over the last decade. This has occurred despite the fact that investors have poured huge amounts of money into active funds over this period. The costs of investing in index funds have trended downward as they have become more popular with investors. The costs of active index funds just might decrease in the future, thereby narrowing the cost gap with passive index funds. But all evidence to date has shown just the opposite trend – the costs of active funds continue to go up and the costs of index funds continue to go down. Actively indexed funds typically generate relatively large amounts of taxes while passive index funds generate relatively small amounts. Some of the resulting gap in performance caused by taxes would seemingly be narrowed if the federal government were to lower tax rates. Congress did this at the end of July 1997 when it reduced the maximum long term capital gains tax rate from 28% on investments held more than one year to 20% on investments held 18 months or longer. The tax bill provides that in the year 2001 this rate will be reduced to 18% for investments held five years or longer. Finally, active money managers serve the specific needs of their clients. They manage portfolios based exactly on the investor's objectives and tolerance for risk. They make decisions based on a stated time frame and they are capable of changing the goals and direction of a portfolio on a moment's notice. They are the investor's personal link to the market and the protector of their capital. The value of these services is immeasurable to most investors. One thing that really does not influence the investor as much as it should is the lack of appreciation with respect to the tax consequences of passive index management. The capital gains, created during the year by a fully active index manager, is reported to the IRS, and the investor ends up being taxed. For a taxed investor, the buy-and-hold is a winning strategy. Turnover is the enemy of the investor who pays taxes. Conversely, most investors would be more than happy to pay taxes on the returns produced by active money managers during periods of declining markets. Not many investors prefer losses to earning some gains and interest, even with the tax man waiting. The effect of so many investors buying index funds is that they tend to guard the money market. An investor could actually, in a cost-effective manner, buy and sell the market. The asset funding of active managers, combined with the efficiency of the passive manager, allows one to implement strategies that provide an optimal mix of securities to match a particular scenario, objective, or risk aversion. From time to time, it is possible that the major assets can get out of balance. Investors can run up prices where the lawfulness market is overvalued. When this reaches a untrustworthy level, more self-corrective measures are needed. This is where the expertise of the active manager becomes useful. As an investor, you are always trading off what Jeremy Bentham, the British economist, referred to as the â€Å"pain-pleasure calculus. † Good returns produce pleasure. Bad returns produce pain. An active money manager is always balancing off the pleasure vs. e potential pain. The active manager tends to determine what that balance is and if it finds that the market is deployed otherwise, it works in balancing the portfolio. Tactical asset funding combined with a passively managed portfolio has been called the â€Å"holy grail† of investing by Jonathan Burton, of Dow Jones' Asset Management magazine. During declining markets, index funds take the full force of the market's loss. Managers of these funds are forced to sell stocks in order to meet the demand for redemptions as their investors got out of the market. During markets of very little movement, investors quickly drain of insufficient or no returns on their investment. Finally, a philosophy of capital preservation causes the active manager to raise cash, providing a cushion for portfolios during times of extreme risk. Active or passive? Both have their advantages and their risks, but the two are found to be the best long-term plans for both performance and safety. Index (passive) funds are likely to beat active funds, yet the Morningstar data show that 92% of all the money is U. S. stock funds is in active funds.

Three Reasons Companies Move Jobs Either to or from the USA Assignment

Three Reasons Companies Move Jobs Either to or from the USA - Assignment Example The USA, being the world’s biggest economy, does not operate in isolation and effectively companies have moved jobs out and into the country. Conversely, there are different reasons for companies to move jobs out and into the country. While the key reasons for companies moving jobs out of the USA range from labor arbitrage and avoidance bureaucratic regulations, companies moving jobs into the country cite high inflation on wages as the main reason of moving their plants and operations back to the country. This expose therefore elucidates three reasons companies move jobs either from or to the USA. One of the reasons that companies move their jobs overseas, especially the manufacturing processes, is to take advantage of lower wages abroad especially in poor countries. Labor arbitrage is the process of taking advantage of lower wages in any type of business operation (â€Å"Moving back to America†). China is one of the countries that offer cheap labor and essentially companies from the USA move their manufacturing plants to the country in order to lower the cost of production and improve their profit margins. A study conducted in 2002 to determine the manufacturing industry’s compensation of workers in China, showed that factories in China labor compensated their employees 64 cents an hour. In comparison, the same study found out that a similar compensation in the USA job market stood at $21.11. In this case, companies with manufacturing plants in the USA would want to take advantage of the low labor wages in China and in other countries offering cheap labor. It is crucial to note that companies expect to have a high return on investment (ROI). In effect, one way to ensure that they achieved this objective is through a reduction in the cost of operation. Therefore, cheap labor ensured that the cost of operation remained low and therefore companies achieved the objective of having a high return on investment. However, the USA job market does not offer cheap labor, as most companies would like. While the study only covered the hourly-wages only, a further study with scanty data available in China indicated that this figure of 64 cents rose to $1.06 when considering other benefits and insurance (â€Å"Just How Cheap is Chinese Labor?†). This figure is still relatively low in comparison to the USA labor and explained company’s preference for the Chinese labor marke t. Labor arbitrage might be the main reason that American based companies cut their workforce in the country in order to expand abroad in the 2000s. In this regard, the Chinese job market witnessed 260% additional jobs by America based companies that translated into 943,900 jobs since 1999 to 2009 (Wessel). In this case, it is imperative to point out that cheap labor might be the key reason that attracted these multinationals to the Chinese job market. To prove this point, these US based multinationals decreased their job levels in Germany by 2% while jobs in the UK and France labor markets increased by 8% and 2% respectively (Wessel). It is crucial to note that, the same study that showed the average labor wages for china as $1.03 showed that he same wages paid to a factory worker in these three countries averaged $14.22 (â€Å"Just How Cheap Is Chinese Labor Market?†). The availability of cheap labor is not the only reason that makes USA based

Gender Relations in Corporate China and Islamic State Essay

Gender Relations in Corporate China and Islamic State - Essay Example Hence, women are convinced to abandon their children, families, and friends for the course of the IS. The Islamic State attracts women into its ranks by claiming that it has opened up democratic space and created a nationalistic and ethnically and racially diverse and orderly society at peace with itself. Through these campaigns and the lure of a society built on Islamic norms, the Islamic State has attracted women and elevated their perceived roles (Hammer, 130). These appeals have made the IS women feel that their historical disempowerment problems will be solved by the Islamic State. What is not apparent as at now is whether all these promises by the Islamic State are just utopia to allure women into its ranks. Gender Relations in Corporate China Since historical times, men have always been the head of the family and by extension, society in China. For instance, every family lineage in China would be linked only through male figures. Ironically, in the old days, Chinese women were only kept in records whenever they made some trouble. Confucianism teachings also greatly affected the role of Chinese women. Luckily, the role and relations with women have slightly changed in the current corporate China. Incorporate China, women continue to encounter changes and are increasingly climbing the social, political, and professional ladders to heights never seen in the traditional setting (Hu, 131). However, women are still not equally represented at the top of Chinese corporate world as Chinese men.

Developing an Evaluation Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Developing an Evaluation Plan - Assignment Example The tools that will be used in the evaluation process include questionnaires, surveys, assessment tests, and weight scales. This paper aims at analyzing the methods of evaluating the project and their outcomes. Interviews are the main method of carrying out the evaluation process. The interviews will be conducted face to face by the dietician and the physical exercise instructor. This is because these individuals have the knowledge of the project and they have the ability to interpret the non-verbal communication of the participants (Napoli, Shah, Waters, Sinacore, Qualls, & Villareal, 2014). In case these tutors need help they will recruit individuals who will help them to conduct the implementation and evaluation of the results. The diet and exercise tutors will also be involved in the interviews because they have knowledge of the questions that will help them to get the desired results (Wadden, & Stunkard, 2004). The face to face interviews will help in determining the attitudes and perceptions of the staff and participants who will take part in the project. These attitudes and perceptions will then help to know whether these members are willing to stop or continue taking part in the program. The interviews are efficient because they help the research to get unlimited, well-explained, and detailed responses. The other efficiency of interviews stems from the fact that the interviewers are able to read and interpret the body language of the respondents (Kang, 2012). The second method of evaluating the program is the use of questionnaires. Questionnaires are documents that contain questions that require written responses from the respondents. The questionnaires will be administered to the respondents occasionally to find out how they will be progressing with the program. The documents will contain both closed and open-ended questions to allow for

Music in Twentieth Century Wales Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Music in Twentieth Century Wales - Essay Example Through education and the support of patrons, Welsh music has set into a vigorous motion that encompasses other musical horizons that has led to a significant transformation of music that is performed in Wales.2 This has included instrumental music, chamber music plus symphonic output music.3 The creation of ensembles at Welsh universities and the establishment of a national orchestra coupled with the British Broadcasting Corporation national Orchestra of Wales has given rise to an unrivalled interest in instrumental music either orchestral or chamber. Composers of the twentieth century have also added an impetus towards the interaction of Welsh classical music and music from other parts of the world. Prominent artists to have come from Wales include Mansen Thomas, Daniel Jones, Alun Hoddinott and others form the current crop of musicians. Wales has a different kind of music as compared to music from other parts of the world, that has given it the title â€Å"the land of song† , and the music is normally associated with deep male voice exemplified in bands and choirs such as the Treorchy Male Voice Choir. In the twentieth century, an upsurge of national and international acts such as the Manic Street Preachers that sang a new crop of music quite distinct from the usual Welsh tunes. The Welsh songs in the twentieth century and beyond have been characterized by narratives done in dramatic fashion, contrasts and climaxes that may be thrilling in nature. These are performed by bands composed of people who appreciate brass bands and their percussive effect. In the twentieth century, the importance of music and its performance in the Welsh society especially in the education sector has been emphasized through different media and performances. Different researchers have shown that the music is developed with a deep focus on festivals, brass bands, choirs composed of males and emergence of mixed choirs. Other modes include the development of music competitions co vering Welsh music and their performance at all stages in the society. At the beginning of the twentieth century and beyond, Wales has seen an upsurge music groups playing rock and pop through groupings, ensembles, bands or individuals.4 Individuals include such persons as Dave Edmunds, Shakin Stevens and Shirley Bassey who have revolutionized the music society in Wales. Groups of singers include john cale of the Velvet Underground while popular bands in Wales include the Amen Corner, The Alarm and many other groups. The Welsh National Eisteddfod5 is a major festival that provides an opportunity for the Welsh to celebrate their culture especially their music. It is normally held every year and in different venues and every or most members of the Welsh community gather to watch harpists and bards perform songs whereby the singers are accompanied by harps and the performance is competitive.6 In Wales, most of the choirs are male dominated that have been known to belt good tunes around the world. One of the best-known male choir bands of the twentieth century that has promoted the virtue of Welsh music is the Treorchy and the Morriston Orpheus male voice choirs that have toured the whole world with great performances. Recently, other choirs have come up and grown popular, for example the

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy Research Paper

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy - Research Paper Example On entering Afghanistan in the first lime, the U.S. troop focused on overthrowing the governing Taliban, which had provided haven for al-Qaeda. Although the U.S. troop took several years before fully taking control, on entering Afghanistan, they took less than three months and defeated the Taliban. In 2009, the war still continued. Researchers believe that the economy of Pakistan has since then been destabilized. On coming into power, President Obama, through his advisors documented that the destabilization would be one of the countries biggest foreign policy challenge (Scott, 2003). Therefore, Obama committed another 17,000 troops to Afghanistan to increase the number to approximately 55,000 troops. Obama’s commitment into the war has since then seen the war change the name from Afghan war to Obama’s war.U.S. focuses on counter attacking terrorism and promote the stability of the country. Obama’s strategy was to disrupt, dismantle, and conquer al-Qaeda based in Afghanistan and Pakistan (Baker, 2009). It is hopeful that this attack will prevent their return back into the country. Vietnam is another country whose relation is similar to that of Afghanistan as discussed below. Vietnam War, according to historians is arguably a war that caused death many innocent people. As documented by Levy, (2004), this war claimed not less than 2 million people who were civilians, over 200,000 South Vietnamese army troops, over a million soldiers from the north, and approximately 58,000 soldiers from America. Although the communist North eventually defeated South Vietnam, U.S. contributed immensely to end this war through their support to South Vietnam. From the communist perspective, U.S. were to blame for ruining the country. The reason why U.S. was highly blamed was due to the use of herbicides. These herbicides like Agent Orange polluted the Vietnam environment contributing to health hazards. SRV, popularly known as Socialist Republic of Vietnam, was fo rmed by the United Vietnam and its capital set at Hanoi. The relationship that existed between America and the formed SRV was unstable, which caused the U.S. army to react. The two countries (U.S and Vietnam) remained connected due to the concern that U.S. showed to its prisoners who were held in Vietnam during the war. In addition, the Water Scandal contributed significantly to the deterioration of the relation. As a result, communist Vietnam lost trust with U.S. Since U.S. proved persistent, the effects brought about by the post-Vietnam War period impacted U.S. development positively leading to a new world formation. By mid 1990s, there existed no established diplomatic relations. The efforts to have the two countries united seemed unrealizable. However, after creation of Ambassador between the two countries, this dreams seemed close to realization. When this association was introduced, other associations came in and successfully moved forward. For instance, a bilateral trade Agre ement was signed in 2000. Further still, Vietnam was included in the World trade Organization at the start of 2006 (Levy, 2004). Other significant association that occurred during these times was the close visits by senior officials. For instance, the then U.S. president Bill Clinton visited Vietnam in 2000, while the Van Khai, the then prime minister visited US in several occasions in 2005. From 2006, it is evident that the U.S. and Vietnam relation has had a positive turn. In 2007, Nguyen Minh, the Vietnam president visited U.S. for the first time ever

Promoting Positive Health Behaviors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Promoting Positive Health Behaviors - Essay Example tion is to manage an existing disease, reducing the negative outcomes, preventing complications and restoring patients’ daily functions (Seballos, 2010). Early cancer detection has proved to be very effective not only in saving lives but also in reducing health care costs and reducing the suffering of the patients. Periodic screening for cancer of the breast and cervix has been proved through evidence that it reduces the burden of disease in women (Backer et al 2005). Prevention programs and screening programs for cancer are an effective way of spreading awareness among the general public about the cancer and encouraging them to follow regualar screenings to prevent the cancer or detect it at earliest stages. The article â€Å"Impoving Preventive Health Care delivery through practice change: an every woman matters study†, reflects on the breast as well as cervical cancer prevention screening programs in Nebraska, Every Woman Matters. The program is a state run fedreally funded program which focuses on providing preventive screening measures for breast and cervical cancers and facilities to the low-income women. The program provides clinical examination, mammography, Papanicolaou smear test to the low-income group women at a very reduced or no cost. However, even in the presence of the program the levels of breast and cervical screening in Nebraska are suboptimal and fall short of the expected rates. According to the study, hundred clinics were included in the research to observe the clinical practices, practice environmnet, activities related to Papanicolau smear and mammogram screening and the encounters with adult female patients. Interviews with physicians, important staff memb ers were also taken the data of the last 100 female patients seen by the clinic were also analysed. It was observed that the staff and the physician kept three goals to be followed which included, developing a reminder system to have notifications regarding the patients who needed

Inclusive Education of Children with Autism Essay

Inclusive Education of Children with Autism - Essay Example But to what extent is this possible; and what else needs to be done Truthfully, a lot more needs to be done for these methods of inclusive education to be successful. Some areas have excellent access to schooling systems equipped to teach children with autistic spectrum disorders while others have no provisions to handle these disabilities. This paper will look at some of the methods that have been researched worldwide, which of these methods are currently available, and how accessible these methods are to the children today in the United Kingdom. Strategies and ideas of what else needs to be done will also be discussed, as will be the results these methods have had to those children who have been lucky enough to gain access to inclusive education. Autism is used to refer to a group of neurological disorders. These disorders interfere with the development of a child's behavioural and social communications skills (McLelland, 1999); often leaving the child to be seen as withdrawn-as though he or she is living enclosed in a world all alone. Autistic children frequently show impressive abilities, such as playing music with no mistakes after only hearing a piece once; however, these abilities are sometimes shadowed by a difficulty with speaking and perfecting some motor skills. These difficulties are commonly coupled with a seeming inability to effectively relate to others (McLelland, 1999). Autistic spectrum disorders, including Rett's Disorder and Asperger's Syndrome, have had a large effect on the classroom due to the lack of understanding and knowledge about the disorder. Because of some apparent disabilities, many autistic children find that they need some supervision throughout their lives. This constant need for supervision can make teaching in formal institutions difficult as autistic children need much more attention than healthy children without disabilities (McLelland, 1999). The question stands, though, as to what extent the need to become inclusive has been met. Forty-five teachers in the United States were surveyed regarding their students with Asperger's Syndrome and the behaviours of those students in relation to the interaction received by their respective teachers (Hartman, 2001). The study was implemented to compare the behavioural interruptions or problems between autistic children in a special education environment versus those in a general education. Many of the problems found were abrupt interruptions, agitation, victimization, and difficulty following oral instructions. Other problems frequently included distractibility, strong, adverse reactions to change, and difficulty communicating wants and needs on the part of the student (Hartman, 2001). This study brought to both the medical community and the education teams the need for world-wide adjustment within the education systems to better include children with autistic spectrum disorders. Concerns of this need have since spread through the United Kingdom (Irish Times, 2005). While an Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) approach to teaching has been

History of Immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

History of Immigration - Essay Example Obadina ( 2003 ) argues that â€Å" the total human loss to Africa over the four centuries of the transatlantic slave trade range from 30 million to 200 million†. When human trading was exported to America, the geographical and socioeconomic factor was fit to slavery. For one, during the beginning of the American colonial times, the colonies were small and in need of a higher population. To attract people in helping populate North American colonies, farmers would pay Europeans in need of work to come to America in exchange of labor service. People from Europe were looking towards in achieving the â€Å"American Dream† when they landed in America. At that time, there were many poor European immigrants who crossed the Atlantic just to risk a new life in America. Consequently, these workers were provided a home to live in and meals to eat. It was at first a mutual relationship as both gained something they needed. Labor terms lasted for years; usually between four to seven years. This was a common agreement that was not viewed as feudal at all. As for children, they would work for about nine years. Indentured servants, as they are called, came from Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany, and other European countries. Some indentured servants were never bound by contract. Children were fooled into becoming servants by candy offerings. Some were drunks who were captured and taken to the ships to be sold off. Indentured servants were held tightly together within the ship without being allowed a breath of fresh air until they arrive to their destination in â€Å"the new world.†This was graphically portrayed by the award-winning movie â€Å"Amistad†. It is not uncommon for workers to be beaten or raped and many have committed suicide. Exported African slaves who were being shipped and sold to the colonies went under the same harsh conditions as the indentured servants. The only difference is indentured servants were put on contracts while the African slaves are

Gregor and Meursault heroic Essay Example for Free

Gregor and Meursault heroic Essay The prosecutor who [is] leafing through a file [ask Marie] bluntly when [Meursault and Maries] liaison begun. She [mentions] the date. The prosecutor [remarks] indifferently that it [appears] to be the day after mothers death11. We assume that Meursault experiences many stimulating physical sensations when [Marie comes] back to [his] place12 that day. Many spectators may view Meursault as a person who is indifferent to everything, in actuality, he is very in tune with his physical feelings and has a specific moral code in which he lives by. His physical sensations are the result of his actions. An example is when he kills the Arab; the heat from the sun causes him to pull the trigger of the gun. All I could feel were the cymbals the sun was clashing against my forehand the sea swept ashore a great breath of fire. My whole being went tense and I tightened my grip on the gun. The trigger gave 13 Even though Meursault kills the Arab, he is still a hero because the reader is always made aware of the reason of his choice. He is a man who believes in only telling the complete truth. He does not match his words and feelings to simply meet the expectations of others. Meursault is so far removed from the typical human conditions of life that he has his own system in which he values and abides by. Every humans action becomes justifiable when the person is able to wholly understand them; this is what Meursault is able to do. He sees no reason to pretend that he feels guilty for killing the Arab in court or pretend to grieve for his dead mother, because in his world, he does not need a reason to justify his actions. He is condemned to death merely because the world does not understand him. As a result, we sympathize for him and recognize him as a tragic hero. Although we might assume that Meursault is indifferent to his own death, he accepts it because he knows that in the end, everyone dies. His relentless insistence on telling the absolute truth is the reason that he is condemned to death, and is what he dies representing. He dies as a hero by rebelling against the order of society. Thus in the end, Meursault realizes his victory and states his last wish: For the final consummation and for me to feel less lonely, my last wish was that there should be a crowd of spectators at my execution and that they should greet me with cries of hatred. 14 He hopes that his death would make the people who he lives among angry at him, for rejecting the rules by which they themselves have to obey. Camus integrates his idea of heroism in The Outsider through Meursault, where the hero is a man who is relentless in giving up his way of life to satisfy others even if it means dying for it. The two protagonists, Gregor and Meursault, become heroes through peoples belief that they are indifferent. The perception that they are indifferent is only based on peoples ideas of what is considered acceptable behavior and emotional response towards a certain events. Gregor did not die from indifference to life, but as an act of sacrifice that would allow his family to continue with their lives happily. Both his deaths are essential to revitalize the spirits of the Samsa family, his willingness to place his family ahead of himself makes him a hero. Meursault, on the other hand, is a tragic hero condemned to death because no one understands his values. Peoples acuity on the traits of the protagonists in The Metamorphosis and The Outsiders make them valiant. Jane Kwong English A1 HL June 2003 Word Count: 1487 World Literature Assignment #1: Perceived Indifference of Gregor and Mersault, in The Metamorphosis and The Outsider, makes them heroic. 1 The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition hero 2 The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition indifferent 3 The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition indifferent 4 Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka. A Bantam Classic. pg. 17 5 Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka. A Bantam Classic. pg. 54 6 Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka. A Bantam Classic. pg. 52 7 Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka. A Bantam Classic. pg. 54 8 Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka. A Bantam Classic. pg. 58 9 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 1 10 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 21 11 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 90 12 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 24 13 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 60 14 The Outsider, Albert Camus. Penguin. pg. 117.

Impact of Advertising in Indian Telecom Industry

Impact of Advertising in Indian Telecom Industry Impact of Advertising in Indian Telecom Industry on Its Customers The research is to study the Advertising in Indian Telecom Industry and its Impact on Customers. For this research the attempt is made to understand the Telecom Industry of India. . I will also complement this with the internal study of companies. By studying their history, growth, market share and advertising strategies adopted by Vodafone, Airtel, Reliance communication, BSNL and Idea cellular. India telecommunication industry is one of the fastest telecom market in the world. The mobile sector has grown from around 10 million subscribers in 2002 to reach 250 million by early 2009 registering an average growth of over 90%. The project is based on advertising so I will first explained about advertising, its importance, managing advertising decisions and types of advertising. I have analyzed the growth in ad volumes of telecom sector, share of telecom sector advertising, segment wise growth in telecom sector, share of key players in advertising, new brands advertised in telecom equipments and service and share of sales promotion in telecom sector. The sources of data collection used in the study are both primary and secondary in nature. We are going to conduct a survey to know the impact of advertisements of telecom industry on customers which is part of primary data. The real aim of the project is to study the effectiveness and response towards advertisements provided by major players. Primary data has been collected in which focus group study had been conducted to design the customer survey questionnaire with a sample size of 200 respondents. This survey has been conducted in gujarat. Secondary data is to be collected through websites, newspapers, magazines and books. Research objectives. The objective of the project is an attempt to understand the consumer preference for telecom and how it is been affected by the advertisement done by the telecom industries main players. It will be done through a comparative study of all telecom operators which are available in Ahmedabad; we want to understand the impact of advertisement on the customers of all the segments in Ahmedabad. We have also divided our objective into two categories to make it more clear, which is as follows: Primary objective The primary objective is to know the impact of advertisement by telecom industry on customers. And to study the effectiveness and response towards advertisement provided by the major players. Also to understand the improvement and customers preference in telecom sector. And to study the service provider and their service quality in telecom sector. Secondary objective Other than the above primary objective, the other secondary objective behind this project is to find out who is the best preferred telecom company who has the attracted maximum customers through its advertisement. This could be done by studying the performance of telecom industry in India. Literature review For literature review we are going to undertake a deep study of marketing management by Philip Kottler, his contribution to the field of marketing is noteworthy, as we all know he is considered as the marketing guru. And more over we also going to include some basic definitions from various marketing books like Advertising and Marketing in Rural India:ÂÂ   Tej K. Bhatia,ÂÂ  Macmillan Publishers India, Marketing and Sales Management:ÂÂ   S P Sharma and Dilip B Joshi,ÂÂ  Paradise Pub, Marketing:ÂÂ   M. Vidhya,ÂÂ  MJP Pub, these books will help me to know how the telecom companies are promoting their brand in rural market of India. Even the management book named organizational theory, change, and design by: Richard L.Draft will help me to understand the potters five force model and diamond model for the telecomm companies. Newspaper likes The Times Of India, economic times, will provide us relevant materials that can help us in our research. Even I am going to study regarding TRIA that is Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. ÂÂ   TRAIs mission is to create and nurture conditions for growth of telecommunications in the country in a manner and at a pace which will enable India to play a leading role in emerging global information society. ÂÂ   One of the main objectives of TRAI is to provide a fair and transparent policy environment which promotes a level playing field and facilitates fair competition. ÂÂ   In pursuance of above objective TRAI has issued from time to time a large number of regulations, orders and directives to deal with issues coming before it and provided the required direction to the evolution of Indian telecom market from a Government owned monopoly to a multi operator multi service open competitive market. ÂÂ   The directions, orders and regulations issued cover a wide range of subjects including tariff, interconnection and quality of service as well as governance of the Authority . ÂÂ   To know regarding the telecom sector in India I have studied various papers and journal written by many journalist and economist which are as follow: Anand (1999), in his article named Indias economic policy reforms says that India was embarked on economic reforms in July 1991, in the wake of a balance of payments crisis. In this article, an attempt is made to review two books and a set of World Bank reports concerning the progress of these reforms. Issues concerning economic policy, impact of the reforms on poverty, sectoral issues relating to agriculture, industry and infrastructure are briefly discussed. As reforms enter a more difficult phase, several challenges remain. Some of this fall under the economic agenda of measures needed to maintain economic growth; others can be termed the development agenda of improving human development. Progress with regard to the former is not sufficient to produce results concerning the latter. Bhattacharya (2000) constructs a vision of the Indian telecommunication sector for the year 2020. The paper aims at isolating agents of change based on international experiences and situates India in the development continuum. The agents of change have been broadly categorized into economic structure, competition policy and technology. Das (2000), in her paper described the Liberalisation of the Indian telecommunications services which started in mid nineties with no change in the existing public monopoly structure, entirely controlled by Department of Telecommunications (DoT). In order to evaluate any proposed industry structure, it is essential to analyse the production technology of DoT so as to determine the rationale of liberalisation and sustainability of competition. Accordingly, the researcher estimates a frontier multi-product cost function for DoT, where the cost function has been duly modified to account for the production technology of a public monopoly. The study finds that although DoT displays high allocation inefficiency, it is still a natural monopoly with very high degree of sub additively of cost of production. This study implies that the choice of any reform policy should consider the trade-off between the loss of scale and scope economies and cost saving from the reduction in inefficiency of th e incumbent monopoly in the event of competition. Rao (2000), in her article named Internet service providers in India, provides a broad view of the role of an Internet service provider (ISP) and the factors to be considered before entering the ISP market. Describes the Internet/ISP scene within India and discusses the configuration of local, regional and national level ISPs, and the supporting infrastructure. She also identifies the various success factors. The global Internet scenario is discussed regarding the phases of the Internet in India, i.e. pre and post commercialization. The main players are described: ERNET, NICNET, STPI, VSNL, MTNL, Satyam Infoway and Bharti-BT. The financial and legal implications are highlighted in the Indian context. Many companies entered the nascent ISP business in Nikam, Ganesh, Tamizhchelvan (2004), analyses that changing face of India in bridging the digital device. He reiterated India lives in villages said the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. With 1,000 million people and 180 million hou seholds, India is one of the biggest growing economies in the world. With the advent of the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) revolution, India and its villages are slowly but steadily getting connected to the cities of the nation and the world beyond. Owing to the late Rajiv Gandhi, India is now a powerful knowledge economy, and though India may have been slow to start, it certainly has caught up with the West and is ahead in important respects. The Government, the corporate sector, NGOs and educational institutions have supported rural development by encouraging digital libraries, e-business, e-learning and e-governance. The aim of this paper is to touch upon and highlight some of the areas where, by using ICT, the masses have been reached in this way. A follow-up paper will outline collections of significant cultural material which, once national IT strategies are fully achieved, could form part of a digitally preserved national heritage collection. Dey (2004), in her article talks about the discussions between the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and communications policy makers and regulators in other countries and how they have gleaned several clusters of issues where further research would directly benefit them. Recently, there have been two notable shifts. First, as the acceptance of the competition model over the monopoly model for telecommunications markets takes deep effect in regulators all over the world, questions regarding process and procedure for regulation are becoming ever more urgent. This paper discusses current questions regarding decision making, enforcement, and understanding consumer issues that arise often in the FCCs discussions with other regulators. Second, technological change is potentially shifting market definitions. In the FCCs discussion with other regulators over the last two years, the overlap of wireline telecom, wireless telecom and cable television has become more pronounced. Singh (2005), in his article The role of technology in the emergence of the information society in India describes the role that information and communication technologies are playing for Indian society to educate them formally or informally which is ultimately helping India to emerge as an information society. Though India has a huge population, the illiteracy rate is also huge in this country. The paper has taken an approach to find the historical situation and present the prevailing scenario as well as the change that are taking place with the application of ICT to the advantage of the society in different areas including daily life. India is making all out efforts to be counted among the developed nations of the world. The article also describes the considerable attention India is taking for application of technology, development of infrastructure and human resource for meeting national needs. Basically India is building an information society. Technology has helped society to cu t across the traditional boundaries for getting converted into anemerging information society. The study concludes that The Indian software and services industry has significantly helped to boost the Indian economy. In IT-enabled services too, India has been clearly perceived to be the dominant hub. The Indian software sector is being recognized as the single largest contributor to incremental market capitalization in India but the sector is still small in terms of contribution to GDP, especially when compared to other large sectors in the economy like agriculture and manufacturing. Similarly, the telecommunication sector has contributed a lot but still has a considerable way to go. The paper also enforces that comparisons of Indias telecommunication statistics with those of developed and other emerging economies show that the country is still far behind its contemporaries. Mr. Banka (2006) gives an overview of the mergers and acquisitions in the telecommunication industry. According to him Governments decision to raise the foreign investment limit to 74% is expected to spur fresh rounds of mergers and takeovers in India. He foresees a sector that represents humongous opportunity waiting to be tapped by Indian and foreign conglomerates. Thomas (2007), in his article describes the contribution made by telecommunications in India by the state and civil society to public service, this article aims to identify the states initial reluctance to recognize telecommunications provision as a basic need as against the robust tradition of public service aligned to the postal services and finds hope in the renewal of public service telecommunications via the Right to Information movement. The article follows the methodology of studying the history of telecommunications approach that is conversant with the political economy tradition. It uses archival sources, personal correspondence, and published information as its research material. The findings of the paper suggests that public service in telecommunication is a relatively new concept in the annals of Indian telecommunications and that a de- regulated environment along with the Right to Information movement holds significant hope for making public service telecommunications a real alternative. The article provides a reflexive, critical account of public service telecommunications in India and suggests that it can be strengthened by learning gained from the continual renewal of public service ideals and action by the postal services and a people-based demand model linked to the Right to Information Movement. All studies done by the researcher suggests that the right to information movement has contributed to the revitalisation of participatory democracy in India and to a strengthening of public service telecommunications. Cygnus Business Consulting Research Pvt. Ltd. (2008), in its Quarterly Performance Analysis of Companies (April-June 2008) has analysed the Indian telecom industry in the awake of recent global recession and its overall impact on the Indian economy. The analysis is done in the background of wake of global recession and rising inflation. Cygnus estimates, the Indian telecom industry is expected to maintain the growth trajectory in the next quarter as well. With almost 5-6m subscribers are being added every month, and the country is witnessing wild momentum in the telecom industry. Maheshwari (July-September 2008), in her report analysed the Indian telecom industry and ascertain that Indian telecommunications has been zooming up the growth curve at an mounting pace, and India is has surpassed US to become the second largest wireless network in the world. This growing subscriber base is basically created by tapping into rural India, which is an emerging market for the industry. The estimate for the next five to ten years is that the rural market will form 40 % of the subscriber base. The study has analysed the human resource management process of the industry, and specially the latest trends of recruitment of this massively growing industry. Anderson (2008), in his single executive interview titled Developing a route to market strategy for mobile communications in rural India An interview with Gurdeep Singh, Operations Director, Uttar Pradesh, Hutch India suggests that managers need to go beyond traditional approaches to serving the poor, and innovate by taking into account the unique institutional context of developing markets. His practical implication says that the experience of Hutchison Essar in India provides some important lessons for mobile network operators (MNOs) and other firms in other developing markets who are hoping to serve the rural poor: Hutchison has recognized the value of corporate and non- corporate partners. The company has proactively established relationships with individual entrepreneurs, and has provided has provided development support to other partners such as distributors. The company has recognized the value of leveraging existing local institutions, and has seen gaps in local infrastructur e or missing services as potential opportunities rather than barriers to growth. The company has seen the rural market as an opportunity not just an obligation to be served because of universal service obligations. Also this article demonstrates that MNOs can deliver availability and affordability to achieve increased individual or household penetration through business model innovation. Mani (2008) addresses a number of issues arising from the growth of telecom services in India since the mid-1990s. It also discusses a number of spillover effects for the rest of the economy and one of the more important effects is the potential to develop a major manufacturing hub in the country for telecom equipment and for downstream industries such as semiconductor devices. The telecom industry in India could slowly become an example of the service sector acting as a fillip to the growth of the manufacturing sector. A beginning towards this has been made. The formation of a Telecom Equipment Export Forum and the announcement of the Indian Semiconductor Policy 2007 are steps in this direction. Success crucially depends on the response of the private sector to these incentives. Given the importance that a regulatory agency can play in this crafting, no effort should be lost in strengthening the powers of the TRAI. The benefits to the Indian economy from having both a strong service s and manufacturing segments in the telecom sector cannot be undermined. Narayana (2008) estimates the contribution of telecommunication (or telecom) services to aggregate economic growth in India. Estimated contribution is distinguished between public and private sectors to highlight the impact of telecom privatization on economic growth. Knowledge of policy determinants of demand of telecom services is shown to be essential to enhance growth contribution of telecom services. Using a recent sample survey data from Karnataka State in South India, price and income determinants of demand for telecom services are estimated by capacity of telephone exchanges. Estimation results offer evidence for significant negative own price elasticity and positive income elasticity of demand for telecom services. Sharma (2009) deals with the major challenges faced by Indias telecom equipment manufacturing sector, which lags behind telecom services. Only 35% of the total demand for telecom equipment in the country is met by domestic production. This is not favourable to long-term sustained growth of the telecom sector. The country is also far behind in RD spending when compared to other leading countries. India needs to see an increase in RD investment, industry-academia-government partnership, better quality doctoral education and incentives to entrepreneurs for start-ups in telecom equipment manufacturing. In 2006-07, 65% of the total consumption of equipment was met through imports. This trend has far-reaching implications for the economy and should not be allowed to continue for long. In a country like India which has a problem of massive unemployment, the manufacturing sector should be promoted to create more employment opportunities. Shah (February, 2009), has analysed Indian telecom industry and studied the sector keeping in mind three companies; namely Bharti, R.Comm and idea in the background of recent global meltdown. The study suggests that though there is no sign of slowdown in this sector, but surely a strong turmoil is going on in the industry. The study states that the sector is fairly immune from the current economic downturn does provide a good defensive bet in medium term. With the help of newer technologies, wireless penetration is expected to increase in the near future, which is basically fuelling the growth of the sector. While the 3G / Broadband adoption would ensure long term growth momentum, the article has thoroughly investigated about the intense competitive scenario, pricing pressure, high capital intensity substantial regulatory uncertainties currently faced by the industry. The article has also described the cause of being relatively safe of this industry. The causes described by Shah ar e increasing rural coverage, rising affordability, declining handset/subscription costs, substantially low tariffs established brand/distribution. However, the study also cautions the telecom industry that a steeper economic slowdown could start impacting the subscriber usage patterns as well as operator capital investments thereby could substantially restrict revenue growth rates going forward. GLOBAL OVERVIEW World telecom industry is an uprising industry, proceeding towards a goal of achieving two third of the worlds telecom connections. Over the past few years information and communications technology has changed in a dramatic manner and as a result of that world telecom industry is going to be a booming industry. Substantial economic growth and mounting population enable the rapid growth of this industry. The world telecommunications market is expected to rise at an 11 percent compound annual growth rate at the end of year 2010. The leading telecom companies like ATT, Vodafone, Verizon, SBC Communications, Bell South, Qwest Communications are trying to take the advantage of this growth. These companies are working on telecommunication fields like broadband technologies, EDGE(Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution) technologies, LAN-WAN inter networking, optical networking, voice over Internet protocol, wireless data service etc. Economical aspect of telecommunication industry: World telecom industry is taking a crucial part of world economy. The total revenue earned from this industry is 3 percent of the gross world products and is aiming at attaining more revenues. One statistical report reveals that approximately 16.9% of the world population has access to the Internet. Present market scenario of world telecom industry: Over the last couple of years, world telecommunication industry has been consolidating by allowing private organizations the opportunities to run their businesses with this industry. The Government monopolies are now being privatized and consequently competition is developing. Among all, the domestic and small business markets are the hardest INDIAN OVERVIEW Today the Indian telecommunications network with over 375 Million subscribers is second largest network in the world after China. India is also the fastest growing telecom market in the world with an addition of 9- 10 million monthly subscribers. The tele- density of the Country has increased from 18% in 2006 to 33% in December 2008, showing a stupendous annual growth of about 50%, one of the highest in any sector of the Indian Economy. The Department of Telecommunications has been able to provide state of the art world-class infrastructure at globally competitive tariffs and reduce the digital divide by extending connectivity to the unconnected areas. India has emerged as a major base for the telecom industry worldwide. Thus Indian telecom sector has come a long way in achieving its dream of providing affordable and effective communication facilities to Indian citizens. As a result common man today has access to this most needed facility. The reform measures coupled with the proacti ve policies of the Department of Telecommunications have resulted in an unprecedented growth of the telecom sector. The thrust areas presently are: 1. Building a modern and efficient infrastructure ensuring greater competitive environment 2. With equal opportunities and level playing field for all stakeholders. 3. Strengthening research and development for manufacturing, value added services. 4. Efficient and transparent spectrum management 5. To accelerate broadband penetration 6. Universal service to all uncovered areas including rural areas. 7. Enabling Indian telecom companies to become global players. Recent things to watch in Indian telecom sector are: 1. 3G and BWA auctions 2. MVNO 3. Mobile Number Portability 4. New Policy for Value Added Services 5. Market dynamics once the recently licensed new telecom operators start rolling out 6. Services. 7. Increased thrust on telecom equipment manufacturing and exports. 8. Reduction in Mobile Termination Charges as the cost per line has substantially reduced 9. Due to technological advancement and increase in traffic. ÂÂ   Research Strategy and methodology. Primary research: The research design is Descriptive studies. Descriptive studies are well structured, they tend to be rigid and its approach cannot be changed every now and then. Descriptive studies are undertaken in many circumstances:When the researcher is interested in knowing the characteristics of certain groups such as age, profession. When the researcher is interested in knowing the proportion of people in given population who have behaved in a particular manner, making projection of certain things. The objective of this kind of study is to answer the why, who, what, when and how of the subject under consideration. I have taken descriptive because my research includes the knowing the behavior of customer towards advertisement. I have analyzed how people of various age groups respond to different advertising or their perception towards advertisement. Also my survey is related to companies like Vodafone, Airtel, Reliance communications, BSNL and Idea cellular. This report Is going to be an comparative research so we have to undergo and primary research such as questionnaires, college gate interaction, personal interviews etc., but mostly I am think of undertaking the help of questionnaire so that we get an accurate result and that will help us to analyse in a systematic way. The questionnaire would be having very simple to understand questions, the questions would be Open format, Dichotomous questions Close format, Leading questions, Importance questions, Liker choice, Bipolar questions, In this report we are going to totally relay upon statistical data that can only be obtained with the help of questionnaire, and more we have seen in the past that Indians are very good at answering the questionnaire and are very non bias. Moreover my target respondents would students aged 16-18 18-21 21+ because this are the people who make the most use of mobile phone either to text or call or to use GPRS. I would be utilising this primary research as the base of research as these are going to be fact figure, here we cannot temper the primary data as we can do in secondary data. And it is said that if you want an accurate result you have to undertake a primary research. Secondary research: While if we talk about the secondary data, I would be collecting it from the official website of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India which will provide me the various insight of the laws and regulation regarding the telecomm sector of India. This website will also give me the information regarding the various incomes coming from these private telecom sectors. And their contribution to the Indian economy. Even the secondary source would be the journals and the magazines issued by the Indian government. The secondary research will also be the information provided by the various retailers regarding the sale of different private telecomm companies from their store. This will help me to know the demand of various companies among the people. Major players in telecom industry The Top five companies, on the basis of Market Share as on 31st January, 2010 are: Bharti Airtel Ltd. Reliance Communications Ltd. Vodafone Essar Ltd. BSNL Idea Cellular + Spice Advertising by telecom industry on TV : 2007 Telecom sector advertising on TV grew by 61 per cent during 2007 Telecommunication Services segment had more than 60 per cent share of overall Telecom sector advertising on TV. Telecommunication Services has seen a rise of 108 per cent in TV advertising, whereas Telecommunication Equipments saw a rise of 17 per cent during 2007 over 2006. Bharti Airtel Ltd was the number one advertiser under Telecommunication Services and Nokia Corporation led Telecommunication Equipments advertising on TV during 2007. 2008 TV advertising of Telecom sector saw a rise of 99 per cent during January August 2008 compared to January August 2007. Telecommunication Services garnered a high share of Telecom sector advertising on TV during January August 2008. TV advertising of Telecommunication Equipments saw a growth of 45 per cent and that of Telecommunication Services grew by 127 per cent during January August 2008. Nokia Corporation leads in advertising of Telecommunication Equipments and Vodafone Essar Ltd was number one advertisers for Telecommunication Services on TV during January August 2008. R Madhavan had the maximum ad volumes of Celebrity Endorsement of Telecom sector on TV during January August 2008. 2009 Telecom sector has seen a decline of 16 per cent in its TV ad volumes during Jan Mar 09 compared to Jan Mar 08. High share of telecommunication services advertising on TV during Jan- Mar 09. Sony Ericsson (India) was the top advertisers under telecommunication equipments and Bharti Airtel Ltd leads in telecommunication services advertising on TV during Q1 09. Sony Ericsson W595 and Sony Ericsson F305 were top two new brands advertised under telecommunication equipments on TV during Q1 09.Virgin vGlide Phones (slider) topped the chart of new telecommunication services advertised on TV during Q1 09. Growth in ads volumes of telecom sector: There is a growth of 27% in TV ads compare to 2009 in 2010. Which is shown in figure. Share of segments of telecom sector 2010 With 68% per cent share telecommunication services leads in advertising of telecom sector on TV, followed by telecommunication equipments and corporate brand image with 11 per cent and two per cent share respectively during Q1 10 Growth in ad vol.s of segments of telecom sector Telecommunication services have seen a increased by 2% in its TV ad Volumes during Jan Mar 10 compared to Jan Mar 09. TV advertising of telecommunication equipments recorded a increase by 172 percent during Q1 10 compared to Q1 09. Top five advertisers under the telecom segments : Bharti Airtel Ltd, Idea Cellular Ltdand Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd the top three key players of telecommunication services together accounted for 65 per cent share on TV during Q1 10. During Q1 10, top three advertiser together contributed for 46per cent of overall telecommunication equipment TV advertising share viz., Nokia Corporation , samsung India electronics Ltd and LG Electronics India Ltd. Questionnaire IMPACT OF ADVERTISING IN INDIAN TELECOM INDUSTRY ON ITS CUSTOMERS. Top of Form 1. Gender: Male Female 2. Age: 15-25 26-35 36-45 46 and above 3.Education: marticulate Intermediate Graduation post graduation 4.Who is your current service provider? Airtel Vodafone Idea Reliance BSNL other 5.For how long you are using this mobile connection? Le

Example Essay on Organization Management in Construction Industry

Example Essay on Organization Management in Construction Industry INTRODUCTION The aim and objective of this essay is to emphasize the basic understanding of people and organization management principles as it relates to construction industries of the 21st century. People and organization management is a fundamental factor in achieving a realistic and efficient use of resources, especially human resources. A heavy responsibility is placed on managers and the activities of management on the processes, systems and styles of management Laurie J Mullins (1996)13 Construction companies are faced with difficulties of how to organize and manage resources due to complexity of project and as such have a greater effect on the projects in terms of time, cost and quality. Every company has its own ideas about how to organize itself and its work, an effective organization will ensure that clear line of authority exist, and that every member of the project knows what he or she must do to make the project a success Dennis Lock (1996)11. Management is a description of a variety of activities carried out by those members of organizations whose role is that of a manager ie someone who has a formal responsibility for the work of one or more persons in the organization or who is accountable for specialist advisory duties in support of key management activities. This essay will address people and organization management principles by considering various definitions of management, main approaches to organization, structure and management theories and also relationship between an individual and the organization and advantages of management theories to 21st century construction industries. However, if action is to be effective, the theory must be adequate and appropriate to the task and to improved organization performance. It must be a good theory Laurie J Mullins (1996)39 DEFINITION OF MANAGEMENT Management can be define as the process of planning, organizing, controlling efforts of organization members and using all organization resources to achieve stated organization goals. According to G.A Cole (2004)7 , management is a collection of activities involving planning, organizing, motivating and controlling. Other writers also indicate their view about the definition of management as shown below: To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordiate and to control H.Fayol (1916)1 Management is a social processà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the process consists of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.planning, control, coordination and motivation E.F.L Brech (1957)2 Managing is an operational process initially best dissected by analyzing the managerial functionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The five essential managerial functions are : planning, organizing, staffing, directing and leading, and controlling Knoontz and O Donnell (1984)3 Five area of management constitute the essence of proactive performance in our chaotic words: (1) an obsession with responsiveness to customers, (2) constant innovation in all area of the firm, (3) partnership the wholesale participation of and gain sharing with all people connected with the organization, (4) leadership that loves change ( instead of fighting it) and instills and shares an inspiring vision, and (5) control by means of simple support systems aimed at measuring the right stuff for todays environment T. Peters(1988)4 Basically, in a broad understanding considering all the above options, management is process that enables organization to set and achieve their objective by planning, organizing and controlling their resources, including gaining the commitment of their employees (motivation). ORGANIZATION According to H. Kerzner (2006)89, organization can be define as group of people who must coordinate their activities in other to meet organization objectives. Organization can also be defined according to the following school of thought: Organizations are intricate human strategies designed to achieve certain objectives Argyris(1960)8 Since organizations are systems of behaviour designed to enable humans and their machines to accomplish goals, organizational form must be a joint function of human characteristics and the nature of the task environment. Simon(1976)9 Organizations are systems of inter-dependent human beings. Pugh(1990)10 Organization are set up to achieve purposes that individuals cannot achieve on their own. Organizations then provide a means of working with others to achieve goalsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Likely to be determined by whoever is in the best position to influence themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦A key characteristic of organization is their complexity. Stewart(1994)11 PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT In Construction company setup, managers are expected to have adequate knowledge and skill to manage people and their characteristic behaviours, works to be done and technology involved and all external environmental factors as it affects construction industry. The effects of the operation of the organization within its environment are reflected in terms of the management of opportunities and risk and the successful achievement of its aims and objectives. Laurie J Mullins (1996)6 People and organization management can therefore be treated using understanding of management theories, approaches in terms of classical, human relation and systems perspectives, all of which will be critically examined in the course of this essay. The Construction industries depend heavily on its workforce, they sometimes face several challenges if its recruitment to deliver expected project at estimated cost, expected or planned time and quality. The industry can improve its performance by attracting the right people(organization to look strongly at recruitment pool and think on how people can do different job in different way), keeping the right people (acknowledging a change their culture) and satisfying customer (develop focused strategy). PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES AND MANAGEMENT THEORIES, APPROACHES There Are between six to eleven management theories and school of thought but for the purpose of this essay we will adopt the approach as explained by Laurie J Mullins (1996)39, that is analysis revolving around a framework based on four main approaches of: Classical, Human resources, Systems and Contigencies. The figure 1.0 below indicate simply the main approaches to organization, structure and management: Classical Human Relations Systems Contingency Emphasis on purpose, Attention to social The integration of the No one best design of formal structure, factors at work, classical and human organizations. Form of heirarchy of management, group, leadership, relations approaches. structure, management, technical requirements, the informal Importance of the and success of the and common principles organization, and socio- technical system. organization dependent of organisation behaviour of people The organization within upon a range of its external environment. situation variables. Fig 1.0 the main approaches to organization, structure and management. Laurie J Mullins (1996)39 The Classical Theories Classical theories focuses on improving the organization structure as a means of increasing efficiency, it emphasizes on the importance of the principles for the design of a logical structure of organization. The classical approach to management was primarily concerned with the structure and activities of formal, or official, organization. Issues such as the division of works, the establishment of a hierarchy of authority, and the span of control were seen to be of the utmost importance in the achievement of an effective organization G.A Cole(2004)4 Managers role in classical theory is that of planner and trainer.They are responsible to know what is expected of individual and develop a structure that works for the organization to achieve the main goal. The Human RelationTheories The fundamental idea behind the human relation approach to management is motivation based on a hierarchy of human needs, ranging from basic physiological needs(food, sleep) to higher psychological needs, such as self- fulfillment. This serves as a means of achieving organizational effectiveness. The human relations approach recognized the importance of the informal organization which will always be present within the formal structure. This informal organization will influence the motivation of employees who will view the organization for which they work through the values and attitudes of their colleagues. Their view of the organization determines their approach to work and the extent of their motivation to work well or otherwise. . Laurie J Mullins (1996)53 Construction managers are expected to have mind of motivating workers, understand the method, basic needs of the employees so that he can have maximum use of their support to enhance production. The System Theories According to Laurie J Mullins (1996)55 , the system approach attempts to reconcile the two earlier approaches and the work of the formal and the informal writers. Attention is focused on the total work organization and the interrelationships of the structure and behaviour, and the range of variables within the organization. This approach can be contrasted with a view of the organization as separate parts. The system approach encourages managers to view the organization both as a whole and as part of a larger environment. The idea is that any part of an organizations activities affects all other parts. The system approach is a complex social systems, responsive to a number of interdependent and important variables. The major variables in adopting system approach to organizations are; people (as individual and in group), technology (in terms of the technical requirements of work, organization structures and environment (the external conditions affecting the organization). Construction managers should therefore focus on interrelationships, both with subsystems and between the system and the external environment. He should be able to explain the trend and articulate the vision of the organization. The Contigency Theories The contingency approach can be seen as an extension of the system approach, it highlights possible means of differentiating among alternative forms of organization structures and systems of the management. The contingency approach implies that organization theory should not seek to suggest one best way to structure or manage organizations but should provide insights into the situational and contextual factors which influences management decisions. Laurie J Mullins (1996)57 Also according to G.A Cole(2004)82, a contingency approach build on the diagnostic qualities of the systems approach in order to determine the most appropriate organizational design and management style for a given set of circumstances. Essentially the contingency approach suggests that issue of design and the style depend on choosing what is the best combination, in the light of prevailing conditions of the following variables; the external environment, technological factors and human skill and motivation. BENEFIT OF MANAGEMENT THEORIES TO 21ST CENTURY CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Critical appraisal and thorough understanding of people and organizational management theoretical concepts will enable the construction managers to be fully aware and knowledgeable about different organizational management approaches in dealing with different situations and to adopt those approaches that best suit the particular requirement of the job. A problem relating to structure, the ideas of the classical writers or contingency theory may be adopted. When there is problem relating to personnel management, ideas from the human relations theorists might be valuable. If the problem is environmental, the systems approach might prove most useful. Generally, the knowledge and understanding of management theory will help the construction manager in tackling the complexities of people and organizational management of the 21st century. However, no single approach to organization and management that can provide all the answers but the comparative study of different theoretical approaches will yield benefits and strategically position the manager in facing the people and organizational management challenges of the industry. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AN INDIVIDUAL AND THE ORGANISATION Since any organization is comprised of individuals, individuals then become the unit of analysis in organizations principles and theories. Individuals behave in different ways according to their background, knowledge, education and psychosocial factors. The knowledge and understanding of the individual behaviors, the behavioral patterns and personal development is therefore crucial to the construction manager amidst the complexities of construction organizations. Construction managers need to be aware of factors that govern individual behavior, recognize individual potential and harness it to achieve the organizational goals and to understand how the individual behaviors affects the general organizations culture. Part 2 PERSONAL REFLECTION OF MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES I have discovered through reading series of management textbooks and journals, past work experience and academic teachings that the practice and application of management skills and competencies is the panacea to management and organizational problems facing the construction industry given the complexities and the dynamic environment. Due to my technical training and work experience in a construction company, I have developed some of these management skills and competencies. Some were acquired by management training, some inculcated through organizational culture and some merely by intuition. Some of this competencies are, teamwork, leadership skill, organizational ability, interpersonal skills, decision making, managing change, drive for achievement, creative problem solving and analysis, negotiating skills, managing conflicts and listening skills. However, there are management skills and values that I still need to acquire or develop further during the course of my studies as a project manager. These include organizational ability, strategic planning, self management and prioritizing, information collection and analysis, good communication skills and resource management. Before now, I have always taken organizational values, adequate planning and self management, and prioritizing for granted due to management ignorance, but having learnt and discovered that they are very important for a successful project manager, I have begun to imbibe the values of effective planning, organizing and prioritizing my academic works, personal activities as scheduled and always seek a way of developing them further and further. During my studies, I have discovered that all these skills and values are very important for any construction manager to be able to adequately plan, organize, motivate workers, make good and timely decisions, manages constant changes, manage limited resources, conflicts e.t.c., and communicate effectively within and outside the organization in order to meet the enormous challenges of the complex construction industry. Also based on my background, all the management theories has been experienced as day to day references in attending to issues, improving output, getting result out of human resources and achieving company goal at a profitable margin and make the shareholders happy. CONCLUSION It is very important for a construction manager to develop good management skills and organizational competencies in order to effectively and efficiently meet the challenges of complex 21st century construction industry within the dynamic environment. Implementation and understanding of all management theories is very important for construction manager to be able to deliver project at estimated time, within the budgeted cost and specified quality.

Cause of World War I Essay -- essays research papers

WWI Causes World War I, a war that started out locally in Europe between Austria-Hungary and Serbia that later ended up including thirty two different nations. This war has been around for almost a century and yet the causes of it are still being debated. There are many different scenarios that have been considered. Some of the key reasons that were believed to have instigated WWI were nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and an arrangement of treaties. Also the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was believed to be one of the immediate causes. Nationalism is the doctrine that your national culture and interests are superior to any other. From just reading the meaning of nationalism it is quit obvious to see that this idea will oppose some kind of conflict sooner or later, and as proved later on it did. At the settlement of Vienna in 1815, the idea of nationalism was ignored mainly because nations wanted to preserve the peace. Germany and Italy were left as divided states, but strong nationalist movements and revolutions led to the unification of Italy in 1861 and Germany also in 1871. Another result of the Franco-Prussian War, which took place 1870-1871, was that France wasn’t happy with the outcome of Alsace-Lorraine losing, and regaining what they lost from that was a major goal for the French. Nationalism was a problem for Austria-Hungary and the Balkans. Those areas had many conflicting national groups. The strong faith Serbia had for the movement advocating th...

Is Huck Finn A Racist Book :: Essays Papers

Is Huck Finn A Racist Book Controversial in death as he was in life, Mark Twain has been seriously accused by some of being a "racist writer," whose writing is offensive to black readers, perpetuates cheap slave-era stereotypes, and deserves no place on today's bookshelves. To those of us who have drunk gratefully of Twain's wisdom and humanity, such accusations are ludicrous. But for some people they clearly touch a raw nerve, and for that reason they deserve a serious answer. Let's look at the book that is most commonly singled out for this criticism, the novel that Ernest Hemingway identified as the source of all American literature: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. For Twain's critics, the novel is racist on the face of it, and for the most obvious reason: many characters use the word "nigger" throughout. But since the action of the book takes place in the south twenty years before the Civil War, it would be amazing if they didn't use that word. A closer reading also reveals Twain's serious satiric intent. In one scene, for instance, Aunt Sally hears of a steamboat explosion. "Good gracious! anybody hurt?" she asks. "No'm," comes the answer. "Killed a nigger." But anyone who imagines that Mark Twain meant this literally is missing the point. Rather, Twain is using this casual dialogue ironically, as a way to underscore the chilling truth about the old south, that it was a society where perfectly "nice" people didn't consider the death of a black person worth their notice. To drive the point home, Twain has the lady continue: "Well, it's lucky, because sometimes people do get hurt." That's a small case in point. But what is the book really about? It's about nothing less than freedom and the quest for freedom. It's about a slave who breaks the law and risks his life to win his freedom and be reunited with his family, and a white boy who becomes his friend and helps him escape. Because of his upbringing, the boy starts out beli eving that slavery is part of the natural order; but as the story unfolds he wrestles with his conscience, and when the crucial moment comes he decides he will be damned to the flames of hell rather than betray his black friend. And Jim, as Twain presents him, is hardly a caricature. Rather, he is the moral center of the book, a man of courage and nobility, who risks his freedom -- risks his life -- for the sake of his friend Huck.