Cause of Cyberbullying Essay

Cyber-bullying is when a person uses the Internet in order to deliberately cause repeated harm to another individual or to embarrass them. Cyber-bullying can include threats, sexual harassment or continued unwanted contact with a person via email, social networks, forums or instant messaging. Cyber-bullies have also been known to post personal information such as phone numbers, addresses and full names on forums or other websites. Almost half of American teens have experienced cyber-bullying. In a study conducted by iSafe. rg, 42 percent of kids have been bullied at least once while online. Twenty-five percent of those kids have had this happen multiple times. One in five kids has been threatened multiple times online. Over 20 percent of kids have received threatening emails. Fifty-eight percent of kids have not told anyone about their cyber-bullying experiences. Almost half of the kids who experienced cyber-bullying had no idea of their perpetrator’s identity. Many individuals choose to cyber-bully others online because they can hide their identity. Cyber-bullies often create fake screen names, social profiles, and email addresses in order to harass and bully their victim without being recognized. This allows the bully to be free of getting into real trouble for their behavior. There can be some serious effects on the victims of cyber-bullying. Many victims have increased suicidal thoughts, fear, worry, frustration, anger, depression, becoming paranoid and a decrease in self-esteem. Sometimes a victim may even begin avoiding their friends and normal activities due to their anger and frustration. Teens often begin to do worse in their classes due to their minds not being on their school work but on their cyber-bully. The effects of cyber-bullying can, in rare cases, cause a victim to commit suicide. There have been four cases of suicides due to cyber-bullying recorded in the United States. Cyber-bullying adult victims can cause the victim to lose earnings, reputation and employment opportunities. Cyber-bullies may post the victim’s name and make up various lies about the person, defaming them. Many employment companies do a web search on a person’s name before hiring them and this may be something that they find. Children and teenagers are becoming more technologically savvy and are looking to the Internet and their cell phones for entertainment, and to social networks to meet new people who share the same interests as them. It was only a matter of time before bullying made its way to the Internet, especially through modes like MySpace and Facebook. Cyber-bullies have been making news lately with the recent deaths of children across the nation who has perished because of online bullying campaigns. Some examples of cyber-bullying include sending threatening emails, text messages or comments to another person; tricking someone into revealing private or embarrassing information and sending it to others; breaking into someone’s email or social media account and sending false messages to others while posing as this person; and creating web pages to make fun of another person. Even though the bullying doesn’t take place on a one-on-one basis, Myspace cyber-bullying and other forms of cyber-bullying still show the same effects. Rather than just being bullied while in the classroom or playground, children can be the target of cyber-bullying 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some of the more general effects of cyber bullying include poor performance at school, depression and low self-esteem. Because cyber-bullying can take place outside of the classroom and at a more frequent rate, the child may experience more extreme cases of these effects. Cyber-bullying also can happen accidentally. The impersonal nature of text messages, IMs, and emails make it very hard to detect the sender’s tone, one teen’s joke or sense of humor could be another’s devastating insult. Nevertheless, a repeated pattern of emails, text messages, and online posts is rarely accidental. Bullying has been around for many generations and some people would say that it is just a part of growing up. If your child experiences physical threats, report it to the owners of the websites or local officials and keep a log of the bullying. As the saying goes, â€Å"What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. † However in today’s technologically advanced age, the death of a child is never worth it.

It’s Never Too Late Essay

I’ve always been the student who made decent grades and yet never participated in any extracurricular activities. I danced for a couple of years when I was younger, but as I grew older, I became shy. When I got to high school, I became distracted and my grades starting declining. I knew I had to start joining clubs or be active to have a good resume. I needed a reality check to stop slacking and get serious before it was too late. Finally my junior year came and I had a new attitude. Starting the last week of summer before entering my junior year was volleyball season. At first I was hesitant about playing and I was quite nervous since I’ve never played before. Some of my peers encouraged me to try it and it was the greatest decision I have made in high school. Even though I started playing a sport near the end of my high school career, I don’t regret the route I took. Becoming a student athlete was tough on my schedule but I got acclimated fast. Luckily, my coach was also my math teacher so he was adamant about me being a successful student and athlete. Since I never played a sport I never felt as tired as when I am finish with drills after practice but I kept my grades high. While playing volleyball, I have learned to manage my time wisely. I knew if I had practice until six in the afternoon and there was homework to do afterwards, then there was no time to spare. I now greatly value time management and it has helped me improve in many facets of my life. My outcome of playing volleyball was my greatest achievement in high school. I learned how to schedule my days wisely, be an effective team player and overall better student. It’s true when they say â€Å"your junior year in high school is your hardest year†, but I can say with pride and joy that I overcame that theory. I made the best grades in my first semester in contrast to my academic performance in my freshman and sophomore years. It is now my senior year, I’m playing volleyball again, and hopefully I will be offered many scholarships from different colleges to play this sport.

Nordstrom Rewards Its Customers Essay

Nordstrom is a great place to go shopping and receive rewards while spending money. Nordstrom shoppers automatically become members of Nordstrom’s Fashion Rewards program when they people sign up for the store’s credit. When each person accumulates 2,000 points, then they receive a $20 Nordstrom Note, a gift certificate redeemable for Nordstrom merchandise or services. In the book one of the questions is â€Å"what are the design characteristics of an effective loyalty program.† The structure of their loyalty program and how they use the data collected through the program to make informed product, marketing and customer experience decisions are key to its success. The store’s frequent customers will be able to get perks like custom shopping parties and tickets to in-store fashion shows after shelling out just half as much as they used to spend to qualify for rewards. Loyalty marketing is and should always be much bigger than points, thresholds or incentives. It is about changing and influencing behavior in a proactive manner that creates long-term brand advocates who, in turn, enter into a dialogue with the brand. Nordstrom’s program is effective for a number of key reasons. First, even the lower levels of Nordstrom’s loyalty program are engaging because they offer meaningful soft benefits and because it’s aspirational, members remain engaged; they aspire to be at the higher tiers in the program so they can get the bigger rewards. Another question asks is the Nordstrom program worth what it spends to reward customers. I think it does because when you reward your customers then they would want to come into the store and buy their supplies to build up their points. When they do that then they get awards. Example would be I have a credit card and I receive points, the more I spend then the more money I get off from that store. I use my card all the time and I go and pay it off. I would get a credit card from any store I shop at if they reward me to use it.

First Amendment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

First Amendment - Essay Example Speech, as defined by the Constitution is not limited to the spoken word. It can be an expression or idea. Symbolic speech, as it is often referred to, includes various types of nonverbal communications such as peaceful protests, campaign signs in the front yard and burning the American flag. Yes, burning the flag is a legal expression of free speech. The Supreme Court, through years of rulings, has clearly defined the parameters of free speech. For example in 1969 Brandenburg v. Ohio case the Court ruled that government could not forbid speech that encourages subversive or illegal activity unless that â€Å"advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action.† (Brandenburg v. Ohio, 1969) Using Brandenburg as precedent the Supreme Court ruled the government could not prosecute a Vietnam draft dodger who said â€Å"if they ever make me carry a rifle, the first man I want in my sights is L.B.J.† in Watts v. U.S. (1969). ... A person risks their life in many other countries for much less flagrant self expressive speech than that. The right to free speech is not all-inclusive however. The Court has ruled speech which damages another person’s reputation or defamation including both slander and libel is actionable in court. (Cohen, 2009). â€Å"Defamation law attempts to balance the freedom of speech and open exchange of ideas without giving someone permission to run around spreading lies about another that may harm his or her reputation, ability to earn a living, etc.† (Fabio, 2009). Merely expressing an opinion, however, is not regarded as defamation. Factual statements can only be considered defamatory. Public figures such as celebrities and government officials have not enjoyed the same level of protection under defamation laws. For those in the â€Å"public eye† actual malice toward that person by the speaker must be demonstrated in order to prevail on a defamation claim. (Cohen, 2 009). This is the reason we see so many celebrity tabloids with outrageous headlines in he checkout lanes in grocery stores. It’s much tougher for celebrities to win a lawsuit than the general public. Most forms of speech are covered by the First Amendment but besides defamation other types of speech may be legally restricted and civil litigation initiated based on these restrictions. The Supreme Court has set guidlelines for these other types of speech such as obscenity, causing panic, incitement to crime, sedition, fighting words and hate speech. The test for obscene speech established by the Court is (a) whether that spoken word or expression of speech such as artwork is regarded by the average person as being erotic, (b) whether the words or art depicts acts that are obviously offensive, and (c)

Organizational Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organizational Analysis - Research Paper Example Globally, the entity is rated at the 23rd largest firm-entity in terms of composite scale measurements of assets, market value, revenues and profits. Importantly, the entity is rated as the 20th-largest mobile telecom operator globally, providing key telecommunication services to an estimated 120 million plus mobile subscribers. Throughout its years, from the initial government-authorized monopoly of phone services (the Bell System) when the entity was the largest phone company globally, to the 1982 breakup of the monopoly by U.S. regulators, it has been a force to reckon with. As Smith (2013) presents, through subsequently created subsidiaries, the entity was able to be re-founded, after the 2005 SBC acquisition of the former parent company. Further expansion has been witnessed since 2013, when the entity planned entry into Latin America through partnership with America Movil. Additionally, through agreed purchase of DirecTV in 2014, the entity further aims at widening its consumer base to include the fast-growing Latin American market arena. Further acquisition of Mexico’s Iusacell and NII Holdings is expected to solidify its presence in the wider North American frontier. Globally, the entity also offers a variety of services in different locations spread around the Asia Pacific (Smith, 2013). Human resource management (HRM/HR) pertains to the functional role-play present within organizational entities, designed specifically towards maximizing existing employee performance. As Collings and Wood (2009) portray, this is mainly in terms of service of the employer’s core strategic objectives. Accordingly, HR primarily is concerned with the manner in which individuals are managed within various organizations, focusing keenly on present systems and policies. Such responsibility falls upon existing HR departments and associate units within organizations. These are mainly tasked with a variety of core activities such as employee hiring/ recruitment, their

BlackBoard Online Learning Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BlackBoard Online Learning Environment - Essay Example I find flimsy the argument that we need the upgrade because "upgrades" can improve the system. If a system is already efficient and reliable, then there is no need to change the system. It is said that other universities have already implemented it making it necessary for us to follow suit. I say that this matter should not take on a fashionable nature. You don't just go on changing an online learning environment because others are doing so. I believe that we are free to decide for ourselves what course of action we should take. If, however, the administration still pushes thru with the project then they must charge it to the students at a lower price tag. I personally think that the $150 tag is way beyond what we expect of the price of an upgrade. One must remember that even upgrades for legitimately acquired software can be downloaded freely from the manufacturer's website. How come that the upgrade could cost so much Furthermore, considering the number of students availing of Blackboard, we find that the price tag is quite high leading us to speculate that it is becoming more of an income generating measure. Since I am talking about costs and the inappropriateness of the additional fee, let us discuss on the costs that the school will incur in availing of the upgrade.

Play and Pedagogy (Early Childhood Education) Essay

Play and Pedagogy (Early Childhood Education) - Essay Example Understanding the quote presented in the module at 4.1.2 - "....curriculum is what happens in an educational environment - not what is rationally planned to happen, but what actually takes place." , it can be said that the curriculum comprises the whole early childhood programme. It covers a broad spectrum - from how the physical environment is designed, which skills are targeted to be developed in the children, which concepts and activities are appropriate for the age group, what are the routines to be included and how one transitions from one activity to another. Early childhood settings may be particularly challenging to plan a curriculum for, as the learners are very young and may be at various stages of development. Each age may be a different stage in early childhood as children grow up rapidly in all domains. Group settings at preschools or day care centres may have various ideas of how to provide group care and education. In this particular paper, curriculum shall be discusse d in terms of meeting children where they are at. The situation to be studied falls under a constructivist approach of learning which puts the learner in charge of â€Å"constructing† his or her own learning with the able help of a nurturing educator who provides her class with much challenge to their potentials. An ideal early childhood curriculum considers various factors in its planning and implementation. The writer shall discuss what she deems essential aspects of the early childhood curriculum based on observations of how very young children learn and various theoretical frameworks culled from literature. It will enumerate the roles, responsibilities and benefits to stakeholders in early childhood education, specifically that of the children themselves and the teacher-practitioners who are in charge of creating the curriculum. Specifically, the writer believes the following are the

Que Onda Urban Youth Culture and Border Identity Essay - 1

Que Onda Urban Youth Culture and Border Identity - Essay Example There are also the issues of changing economic conditions where Mexicans are seen as the main economic contributors yet; they do menial and inferior jobs. There is also lack of upward mobility by the inferior ethnic groups, who immigrate across the border. The history and geopolitics of the groups determine the social capital each group is going to enjoy, and whether the group is going to assimilate easily. For instance, Chicanas/os are adapted to youth experimentation and popular culture in the United States and their parents put â€Å"fewer restrictions to them† than the Mexicanas/os parents do to their youths (45). The other lines of politics are projected along the legal and policy context of their immigration status (14). This way, the Mexicanas/os and Chicanas/os are made to feel inferior based on their ethnic grouping and social hierarchies (46). These politics is also perpetrated by the issue of whiteness as the top hierarchy and the fact that â€Å"without the social capital and social networks and English skills, immigrant youths cannot succeed in the United States education† (14). This also triggers identity politics where Chicanos use English, the language of America, while Mexicans use Spanish but at their own detriment. The teaching of different languages leads to a division in these two ethnic groups, which share the same ethnicity. In this case, the politics are too heavy for them as students from both sides â€Å"harbor ill feeling towards each other† because of border politics as â€Å"bantering over each other’s style, language, class, and gender and citizens status† (119). The political Chicano movement does not bar the youths from identifying themselves with inferior ascriptions, as opposed to the perpetrated positive proscriptions (46). Therefore, the book bounds all these issues among others to show the value of each aspect in the lives of Mexicanas/os and Chicanas/os in a way that can be viewed non-hege monically. It is because of the bonder politics and race wars that saturate our society that Mexicanas and Chicanas experience discriminations from one another and others (45). What factors influence identity development for Latinas/os along the border region? Many factors have been established, by the book, as influencing identity development for Latinos along the border region. For instance, Latino youths use â€Å"aspects of Mexicana/os, Chicana/os and American culture to create their alternative youth cultures† (96). In this case, the identity of Latinas/os is influenced by the Mexicana/o and Chicana/o youth who share many characteristics. There is also the factor of language where English is considered to be the dominant class language. For this case, the Latinos are influenced to identify with American culture by learning English language. Even though the American pop culture has appropriated Latino culture, this does not bar it from identifying itself with top social c lass in the hierarchies (96). There is also the issue of boundary or geographical position of the Latinos. This is closely linked to their immigration status and proximity to the Mexican border. Those who are close to the border experience extreme discrimination and less social property than those who are far away. On the other hand, those who migrated to the United States earlier have

Response to The Economist articles Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Response to The Economist articles - Assignment Example For instance, the author says; â€Å"†¦.the massacre at Charlie Hebdo brings to mind, the reaction was a divisive backlash against Islam that helped launch Mr Wilders’s career†. It has presented very good evidence with regard to the issue of religious intolerance especially against the Muslims. The author has supported his argument by citing and giving very good examples from the past where politicians have been in the middle of fueling the issue of religious intolerance. In a globalised world, this article is important as it clearly shows the clear fault lines that divide societies based on their religious persuasion. The article also provides some important factors that may explain the modern terrorism. This is a socio-cultural article and tries to look at some cultural as well as social issues that hinder women from taking up PhD courses. The article seeks to investigate and answer the question of inequality and marginalization in the education sector, especially at PhD level with regard to women and other marginalized groups. The article looks at women as a marginalized group and also looks at African Americans. The authors conclude that the reason why women are few in PhD programs is not because they are marginalized, but because they may be genetically evolved differently from men. As they say, â€Å"It may be unpalatable to some, but the idea that males and females have evolved cognitive differences over the course of many millions of years, because of the different interests of the sexes, is plausible†. However, the authors dispute the argument that different races have evolved differently thus making some races more intelligent than the others. The article uses data r epresented in graph format to indicate how women and African American PhD admissions have improved in the last few years. Their argument is that there is no marginalization against women but that social factors such as

English 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English 2 - Essay Example The main difference between these two terms is that sympathy calls for people to merely look at a situation from the other’s point of view, while empathy requires a temporary detachment from the self, in order to truly experience what the other side is going through. To truly be empathetic, you will you will have to be an active participant in the other culture, as this will allow you to truly understand the events that have occurred. You do not have to change who you are and completely detach yourself from your own culture in order to achieve this, but must rather have the ability to truly involve yourself in the other culture and see the world from their perspective. Accepting that different cultures lead to people being very different themselves is an important part of this understand, as we have always been taught that all people were created equal. There is a difference, however, between equality and sameness, which must be understood in order for cultures to co-exist. Your anger is completely understood, especially if Fannie Taylor’s story is accurate, but you must look at this situation from the perspective of the people of Rosewood, if you truly want to work through your differences. You must begin by realizing that whites and blacks do have different cultures, although neither culture is superior or inferior. Despite these differences, however, neither culture believes that Fannie Taylor should have been assaulted, as this would have been a particularly heinous activity. Most people on both sides of this conflict would agree that this lone event was not responsible for the racial tension, but rather than this tension had been building for years. Therefore, we must get to the bottom of things of why this tension exists and hopefully prevent these things from happening in the future. You must realize that the black way of doing things is not wrong and put yourself in their situation. Most of these families did not even

Supply Chain Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Supply Chain Management - Research Paper Example s that allows companies to effectively utilise its people, technologies and other resources required to move its products or services from the suppliers to the consumers. It can further be explained as a network of services and delivery options that facilitate to execute the task of procurement of raw materials and make conversion of the resources available into intermediate as well as complete products along with distributing these finished products to the customers. This system or chain has been observed to be present in both the services as well as manufacturing companies. Although it has been observed that the process and complexities of this system vary from organisation to organisation. Supply chain is a very effective method in planning the overall production and distribution of companies which could further lead towards cutting down of costs of the products and would certainly enable to deliver an attractive final product that would be more preferred by the customers. A compa ny that succeeds in proper implementation of supply chain in its operations would have the competitive edge in the global market in comparison to its competitors. However, there are certain risks and uncertainties that are involved in the incorporation of supply chain network. As there are many steps involved in the process of the supply chain management such as procurement of raw materials, manufacturing of the finished products and delivery of product among others, a failure in any of the mentioned steps would undoubtedly affect the operations and functioning of organisation (Ross, 2010). With this notion, the paper aims at illustrating the risks and uncertainties that are involved in the supply chain network or management process. Furthermore, the paper would also epitomize the phenomena and behaviour of the Forrester Effect, as one of the models for demand uncertainty and would attempt to provide the countermeasures of such effect. Moreover, the paper would further intend to

Advantages Choose to Continue with Education in the Countries Essay Example for Free

Advantages Choose to Continue with Education in the Countries Essay Many student wish they can get goods education in their life. Not all students can get goods education especially for student low income families. So, universities in Malaysia have advantages can give goods education for students. The advantages choose to continue with education in the countries is cheap and affordable cost, the courses offered by Higher Education Institution is equivalent to the other countries and many Malaysia Higher Education Institution may be choose for learning. Firstly is the advantage of learning in our country is cheap and affordable costs are as low priority fees to local students. This is due to many students choose universities that offer low fees because they can not afford to fund the study. This is shown by Malaysia because Malaysia is not experiencing a seasonal climate and this will add value in terms of financial savings to students because they do not need different clothes according to the season at home in Malaysia. (Professor Badaruddin Mohamed, 2009). It also is in Malaysia, the government has allocated a total of RM232.8 billion for the implementation of all development and welfare of the people. (Prime Minister Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, 2008). Then ,low – income families is the vast majority of low-income parents today are working but still struggling to make ends meet: struggling to find and keep a toehold in a changing labor market, to keep up with their bills, to pay the spiraling costs of essentials like health care and housing, and to raise children with a chance of future success. These families have much in common with other American families as they seek to balance work and family life, yet parents and children in low-income families are more financially vulnerable than those in higher-income families.( Annie E. Casey,2005). Secondly is the the other advantages in that the courses offered by Malaysia Higher Education Institution is equivalent to other countries are as there are more than 50000 international students pursuing tertiary courses ranging in Malaysia. This is many parts of the world attending international schools and pursuing tertiary courses ranging from diploma to degrees to PhD in private higher educational institutions and public universities in Malaysia.(Hamidon Zaini,2007) and Malaysia is acknowledged as one of the pioneers in this region in the development and promotion of transnational Bachelor’s degree programmes, starting way back in the early 1980s, collaborating with reputable universities from countries like the United Kingdom, USA, France, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, etc. (Hamidon Zaini,2007).Then is University in Malaysia collaborating with reputable university from another countries.Further,universities in Malaysia to work with reputable universities from other countries such as 1980s, university in Malaysia collaborating with university from United Kingdom, USA, France, New Zealand, Germany, Australia , etc.(Razali Awang,2008) and Malaysia private university established has many in other countries. Third is the last advantage of many Malaysian Higher Education Institutions can be selected for learning as studying in the country better than overseas. This is a study in local universities can save the cost compared to studying in universities abroad, students have to pay not only for our study but also for our living cost.(Salina,2011). This also is students who study abroad are exposed to culture shock and they will have communication barrier. In addition, you will miss your friends and family, feel homesick, at times lost or alienated.(Salina,2011). Then is local universities provide job opportunities such as if want to stay in higher education locally, draw a radius around your current institution and decide how far you can reasonably travel for another position.(Salina,2011). This is finding a job in higher education is part effort and part opportunity.(Salina,2011). In conclusion, we must take cognizance of the case studies appropriate to study whether abroad or studying locally. It is important for the learning process as a place that will change a soul either in choosing the place or abroad.

Role Play Reflection and Self Critique

Role Play Reflection and Self Critique Self-Critique Pillay Sheryl Interpersonal Communication Tania Holz The aim of this assignment is to write a self-critique based on a role play, and reflect critically upon my strengths and limitations, that relates to the theory and knowledge regarding the use of communication and interpersonal skills, and how and when to build rapport, empathy, listening and active listening communications within a role-play. I felt it is important for me to progress my ability to pay attention to other people more by considering their purpose and opinions before I respond. My current level of actively listening is lacking in regards to theory. For example the role play is between a lady and I, whom I met for the first time whilst travelling to college. She has two children and is finding it difficult to balance life, between family and work. In the conversation we had it is obvious that the interpersonal skills which are located in the video are broken down into rapport building, empathy and active listening and there processes to effective communication.   Rapport Rapport is the on-going and continuous skill we rely on when we engage with others. Rapport is essential for the maintenance of a good relationship and is essential at the start of a new relationship. On first meeting someone, our conversation tends to be centered on things we have in common. We exchange information and we attempt to explore and discover what we have in common. Through the discovery of our commonalities, we test one another and are better able to determine how similar our attitudes and values are to theirs and soon we form a first impression. (Holz, 2015). According to (Robbins,1986, p. 207)† rapport is the ability to enter someone else’s world, to make her feel that you understand her, that you have a strong common bond. It’s the ability to go fully from your map of the world to her map of the world. It is the essence of successful communication,† (Robbins, 1986, cited in Holz. 2015). According to Hargie(1999) it is significant that suitable body linguistic is used; when immediately evaluate what body language is telling us, we may take more persuasion with vocal message. When there is a discrepancy between your body language and what you are actually saying, then the person we are connecting with will believe the body language. Building rapport begins with exhibiting suitable body language being friendly, comfortable and opens (Hargie, 1999) As well as being considerate and corresponding appropriate body language with the person we are connecting with, it benefits if we can also match their words.Mirroring and making sure what has been said are valuable strategies for recapping what has been said by the other person.It will approve that you are listening but it will also give you a chance to use the words and phases of the other individual. The way in which we use our voice is vital in increasing rapport. When we are anxious or nervous we tend to speak more fast, this in turn can make you seem anxious and worried. We can differ our vocal sound, tone, volume and pace in methods to make what we are saying more stimulating but also to come across as more calm, open and welcoming. One shouldtry lowering their tone, talk more slowly and softly, this will help you develop rapport more easily (Hargie, 1999) Listening According to Hargie (1999), when we communicate with someone we also listen at the simultaneously for a response. When we listen we assess in order to plan our response. Sometimes we can procrastinate before the other person has completed talking and hence we may not be listening efficiently to the next person. Hartley (1999), details two other barriers to effective listening. One is verbal encounters. Instead of listening to somebody we are question what the individual is saying, whilst they are trying to say I what is on their mind, and then we lose track of what the person is trying to saying. Then a problematic event arises and we need to find facts where we lose sight of the whole message while we are busy trying to focus on the evidences of the conversation. Effective conduct with effective listening contains being open to the person, sustaining attention to the person, move away from interruptions and the postponement of a response until you have clear understanding of what has been said to you (Hartley,1999, p. 57) Active Listening Hartley (1999) describes active listening as: You need to inspire the person to talk and demonstration that you are giving them your full attention. This is while you are observing and processing the info that they are conveying (Hartley, 1999, p. 59) Empathy According to DeVito (2014), Empathy and Empathic Listening, is the ability to try and feel what the other person is feeling and to see the situation as he or she does. Try to see the situation as punctuated by the other person and how this differs from your own punctuation (DeVito, 1992, p. 101). According to Bolton (1987) there are three components that define empathy: â€Å"The empathic individual has a delicate and precise understanding of the other person’s emotional state while upholding certain disconnectedness from the other person. Empathy means accepting the situation that subsidizes to the â€Å"triggered† emotional state. The empathic individual connects with the other person in such a way that, that person feels accepted and understood,† (Bolton, 1987, cited in Holz, 2015). When Sandra sat next to me on the gastrin, she greeted me with a friendly smile and it was easy to start a conversation. She mentioned that she had seen me before, and that she had just lost her husband three months ago. Rapport is the on-going and continuous skill we rely on when we engage with others. Rapport is essential for the maintenance of a good relationship and is essential at the start of a new relationship. On first meeting someone, our conversation tends to be centered on things we have in common. I mentioned to her that I live in Midland and told her where I lived exactly, to my surprise we both live in the same street and Sandra noticed me at the Spar shopping center. We exchange information and we attempt to explore and discover what we have in common. Through the discovery of our commonalities, we test one another and are better able to determine how similar our attitudes and values are to theirs and soon we formed a first impression. It is significant that suitable body linguistic is used; we immediately evaluate what body language is telling us, we may take more persuasion with vocal messages. When there is a discrepancy between your body language and what you are actually saying, then the person we are connecting with will believe the body language instead. Sandra look exhausted and it seemed to me that her hair was not combed, yet she had a smile on her face and I was not sure if I could ask her if she was okay. Since it was too soon for me to be placing judgements, however I felt empathy toward her. Being considerate and corresponding appropriate body language with the person we are connecting with, it benefits if we can also match their words.Mirroring and illuminating what has been said, are valuable strategies for recapping what has been said by the other person.It will approve that you are listening but it will also give you an opportunity to use the words and segments of the other individual. I leaned forward and looked into her eyes and said to her â€Å"you said you had seen me before, where did you see me, you too look rather familiar too?† The way in which we use our voice is vital in increasing rapport. When we are anxious or nervous we tend to speak more fast, this in turn can make you seem anxious and worried. You can change our tone, volume and speed in means to make what we are saying more exciting but also to come across as being calm, open and friendly. One shouldtry lowering their voice, and talk more slowly and softly, this enable you to build rapport.. I spoke in a very soft tone, but Sandra could not hear me properly since there were a lot of people talking around us, as well as the noise from the gautrain hampered our conversation. However she mentioned where she had seen me and the difficulties she going through. It was evident that she was at her lowest point and was trying to cope with life. She had just lost her husband and was barely coping. According to DeVito (2014), Empathy and Empathic Listening, is the ability to try and feel what the other person is feeling and to see the situation as he or she does. Try to see the situation as punctuated by the other person and how this differs from your own punctuation (DeVito, 2014, p. 101). I could relate to her lost since I have lost my sister also in a car accident too, and I still did not get over her loss. She had passed on seven years ago, but I could never relate to Sandra’s loss, since she had two little children she need to think off, and in laws which she was not speaking to. According to Bolton (1987) there are three components that define empathy: â€Å"The empathic individual has a delicate and precise understanding of the other person’s emotional state while upholding certain disconnectedness from the other person. Empathy means accepting the situation that subsidizes to the â€Å"triggered† emotional state. The empathic individual connects with the other person in such a way that, that person feels accepted and understood,† (Bolton, 1987, cited in Holz, 2015). I could relate to Sandra and found it difficult to separate my feelings, there were times when I too felt very emotional and my eyes would fill with tears, however I constantly looked down so that she could not see my emotions. According to Hargie (1999), when we talk we also listen at the same time for feedback. When we listen we evaluate in order to plan our response. Sometimes we may already know what we are going to say before the other person has finished talking and hence we may not be listening effectively to the other person (Hargie, 1999, p. 120). Sandra was explaining her conflict and I taught to myself I am hearing what you are saying but how do you know that they are feeling this way, did they tell you that you are not welcome, or how do you know they do not like you, why are you speculating? According to Hartley (1999), instead of listening to somebody we questioning what the person is saying while they are saying it and then lose track of what the person is saying. Then there is a problem of fact hunting where we lose sight of the complete message while we are busy trying to focus on the evidences of the conversation. Effective conduct with effective listening contains being open to the person, sustaining attention to the person, move away from interruptions and the postponement of a response until you have clear understanding of what has been said to you (Hartley,1999, p. 57) I tried figuring out whether she was having a problem with her in laws or if she was not coping with life, and how all of this was affecting her. I noticed in her voice how this all had an impact on her mental wellbeing. My strengths demonstrated in the role According to Bolton (1987) there are three components that define empathy: â€Å"The empathic person has a sensitive and accurate understanding of the other person’s feelings while maintaining certain separateness from the person. Empathy means understanding the situation that contributes to or â€Å"triggered† those feelings. The empathic person communicates with the other in such a way that the other feels accepted and understood† Bolton, 1987, cited in (Holz, 2015) Sandra: â€Å"since my husband died my in laws stopped visiting us, it is obvious they only visited because they loved their son, they use to come and visit us every Saturday, now they do not come anymore.† Sheryl: I am so sorry you have to go through so much, and I don’t know your in-laws at all, but maybe they also grieving. I am sure they will realize how important it is for them to support you and the kids right now. You know we all grieve differently! Sometimes we let pride stand in the way of our happiness, I think you should sit down with your in laws and discuss you’ll feelings since you’ll were so close after all, and now something is creating a wall. Right now in your life I’m sure you need each other, so why not invite them for lunch, after all it is your in-laws right and your kids love them too. Rapport is the on-going and continuous skill we rely on when we engage with others. We exchange information and we attempt to explore and discover what we have in common. Building rapport begins with exhibiting suitable body language being friendly, comfortable and open. The way in which we use our voice is vital in increasing rapport. Sandra: I am so sorry to bother you but would it be fine if I could come visit you later after work since you have helped me so much and I am afraid I might just look for excuses again not to invite my in laws over for dinner. I barely know you, but you have already helped me so much, you have surely removed a huge brick of my shoulder, and if you say no its okay. Thank you for everything. My limitations in the role- play My soft nature and introverted personality often restricts me from making lots of friends. If Sandra did not initiate the conversation, I am sure I would not have started it. I do see my own limitation, and I need to improve on my interpersonal skills especially building rapport. However once the conversation kicks off, and I become comfortable I find my knowledge quite beneficial to lots of people. Therefore I need to work on my personality. According to Rane (2011) it is important to listen and to† Stop talking, one cannot simultaneously talk and listen. The speaker cannot speak and put the message across if the listener continues to talk. Therefore, the first commandment is that the listener should stop talking and start listening (Rane, 2011, p 44). As Sandra was explaining what she thought about drunk drivers, I could relate and could not stop myself from expressing my anger toward them and I quoted â€Å"government should put more stricken implications toward these people, they have no respect for the road and innocent people’s lives are taken way, from loved one’s only because they choose to be reckless, I really do not think it is fair, that they get off so easily and we are punished forever, we do not get to see our love ones.† I see how I need to control my emotions, because it takes over my mind, and I can see clearly in the video how emotional I become. It is easy for me to remain constant or in congruent without emotional attachment. Conclusion As I observed the role play with Sandra, I saw lots of examples of rapport building, active listening, and empathy. I have also learned to listen, and not just jump to my own conclusion. I have also become aware of my strengths and limitations. Interpersonal communication has made a huge difference in the way I viewed communication, most of all it has given me a sense of reflecting and changing my personality in order to be able to build rapport, which is crucial in being a counsellor. References DeVito, J. A. (2014). The Interpersonal Communication Book: Pearson New International Edition (13th.ed). Harlow, England. Hartley, P. (1999). Interpersonal Communication: Interpersonal Communication (2nd ed.). Routledge: New York, NY Hargie, O, Dickson, D Tourish, D. (1999). Communication in Management. Retrieved from: https://books.google.co.za/books?id=vgyKLyEn22ACsitesec=buysource=gbs_vpt_read Holz. T. (2015). Session 3 [Power Point Presentation]. Retrieved, 28 April 2015, Retrieved from http://mysacap.sacap.edu.za/my/ Rane, D. B. (2011). Good Listening Skills Make Efficient Business Sense. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, December 2011. Retrieved from: http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/78153521/good-listening-skills-make-efficient-business-sense

Telecommunications Industry Overview

Telecommunications Industry Overview Telecom Sector Global Perspective Components and factors responsible behind the growth of telecommunications industry Two major factors responsible for the growth of telecommunications industry are use of modern technology and market competition. One of the products of modern technologies is optical fibers, which are being used as a medium of data transmission instead of using coaxial or twisted pair cables. Optical fibers can carry a high volume of data and are easier to maintain and install. Use of communication satellites makes this telecommunications industry a booming industry. The use of mobile network has a crucial role behind the growth of an improved telecommunications industry. Leading companies are showing their interest to invest in this telecommunications industry. Telecommunications industry is going to be a digitized one. Use of ISDN (Inter Services Digital Network) makes this telecommunication industry a total digitalized system and eventually enhanced the speed and quality of digital communication. 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. Market potentiality of world telecommunication 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. Top Global Telecom Players NAME ABOUT THE COMPANY SUBSCRIBERS in millions (09) REVENUE (in US billion$) China Mobile State owned Company, one of the 2 mobile phone monopolies in China Over 508 16.115 Vodafone Group Britains largest Telecom operator Over 427 68.32 Telefà ³nica, S.A. Multinational Company with stakes in Spain, Latin America Europa. Owns the O2 Brand Over 210 72.13 Amà ©rica Mà ³vil Mexican Operator. Controlled by the worlds richest man Carlos Slim Over 201 30.2 Telenor Group The company has a strong footprint in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia with over 40,000 employees. Over 172 15.73 Deutsche Telekom AG German telecom Company. Also owns t-mobile. Over 150 82.13 China Unicom China Unicom (BVI) Limited effectively holds 40.92% of the company and China Netcom Group (BVI) Limited holds 29.49%, while the remainder is traded on the Shanghai, Hong Kong and the New York stock exchanges. Both majority shareholders are state controlled enterprises. Over 186 14.62 TeliaSonera AB Offer services in 20 markets in the Nordic and Baltic countries, the emerging markets of Eurasia, including Russia and Turkey, and in Spain. Over 150 15.04 France Tà ©là ©com S.A. It is the main telecommunication company in France, the third largest in Europe. It currently employs about 180,000 people worldwide. Over 193 68.08 Bharti Airtel One of Asias leading integrated telecom services providers with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa. Zain is the new acquisition. Over 124 7.254 Mergers Acquisition Mergers and acquisitions (MA) and corporate restructuring are a big part of the corporate finance world. Every day, Wall Street investment bankers arrange MA transactions, which bring separate companies together to form larger ones. When theyre not creating big companies from smaller ones, corporate finance deals do the reverse and break up companies through spinoffs, carve-outs or tracking stocks. Not surprisingly, these actions often make the news. Deals can be worth hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars. They can dictate the fortunes of the companies involved for years to come. For a CEO, leading an MA can represent the highlight of a whole career. And it is no wonder we hear about so many of these transactions; they happen all the time. Next time you flip open the newspapers business section, odds are good that at least one headline will announce some kind of MA transaction. Sure, MA deals grab headlines, but what does this all mean to investors? To answer this quest ion, this tutorial discusses the forces that drive companies to buy or merge with others, or to split-off or sell parts of their own businesses. Once you know the different ways in which these deals are executed, youll have a better idea of whether you should cheer or weep when a company you own buys another company or is bought by one. You will also be aware of the tax consequences for companies and for investors. Defining MA One plus one makes three: this equation is the special alchemy of a merger or an acquisition. The key principle behind buying a company is to create shareholder value over and above that of the sum of the two companies. Two companies together are more valuable than two separate companies at least, thats the reasoning behind MA. This rationale is particularly alluring to companies when times are tough. Strong companies will act to buy other companies to create a more competitive, cost-efficient company. The companies will come together hoping to gain a greater market share or to achieve greater efficiency. Because of these potential benefits, target companies will often agree to be purchased when they know they cannot survive alone. Distinction between Mergers and Acquisitions Although they are often uttered in the same breath and used as though they were synonymous, the terms merger and acquisition mean slightly different things. When one company takes over another and clearly established itself as the new owner, the purchase is called an acquisition. From a legal point of view, the target company ceases to exist, the buyer swallows the business and the buyers stock continues to be traded. In the pure sense of the term, a merger happens when two firms, often of about the same size, agree to go forward as a single new company rather than remain separately owned and operated. This kind of action is more precisely referred to as a merger of equals. Both companies stocks are surrendered and new company stock is issued in its place. For example, both Daimler-Benz and Chrysler ceased to exist when the two firms merged, and a new company, DaimlerChrysler, was created. In practice, however, actual mergers of equals dont happen very often. Usually, one company wil l buy another and, as part of the deals terms, simply allow the acquired firm to proclaim that the action is a merger of equals, even if its technically an acquisition. Being bought out often carries negative connotations, therefore, by describing the deal as a merger, deal makers and top managers try to make the takeover more palatable. A purchase deal will also be called a merger when both CEOs agree that joining together is in the best interest of both of their companies. But when the deal is unfriendly that is, when the target company does not want to be purchased it is always regarded as an acquisition. Whether a purchase is considered a merger or an acquisition really depends on whether the purchase is friendly or hostile and how it is announced. In other words, the real difference lies in how the purchase is communicated to and received by the target companys board of directors, employees and shareholders. The Deal Start with an Offer When the CEO and top managers of a company decide that they want to do a merger or acquisition, they start with a tender offer. The process typically begins with the acquiring company carefully and discreetly buying up shares in the target company, or building a position. Once the acquiring company starts to purchase shares in the open market, it is restricted to buying 5% of the total outstanding shares before it must file with the SEC. In the filing, the company must formally declare how many shares it owns and whether it intends to buy the company or keep the shares purely as an investment. Working with financial advisors and investment bankers, the acquiring company will arrive at an overall price that its willing to pay for its target in cash, shares or both. The tender offer is then frequently advertised in the business press, stating the offer price and the deadline by which the shareholders in the target company must accept (or reject) it. The Targets Response Once the tender offer has been made, the target company can do one of several things: Accept the Terms of the Offer If the target firms top managers and shareholders are happy with the terms of the transaction, they will go ahead with the deal. Attempt to Negotiate The tender offer price may not be high enough for the target companys shareholders to accept, or the specific terms of the deal may not be attractive. In a merger, there may be much at stake for the management of the target their jobs, in particular. If theyre not satisfied with the terms laid out in the tender offer, the targets management may try to work out more agreeable terms that let them keep their jobs or, even better, send them off with a nice, big compensation package. Not surprisingly, highly sought-after target companies that are the object of several bidders will have greater latitude for negotiation. Furthermore, managers have more negotiating power if they can show that they are crucial to the mergers future success. Execute a Poison Pill or Some Other Hostile Takeover Defense- A poison pill scheme can be triggered by a target company when a hostile suitor acquires a predetermined percentage of company stock. To execute its defense, the target company grants all shareholders except the acquiring company options to buy additional stock at a dramatic discount. This dilutes the acquiring companys share and intercepts its control of the company. Find a White Knight As an alternative, the target companys management may seek out a friendlier potential acquiring company, or white knight. If a white knight is found, it will offer an equal or higher price for the shares than the hostile bidder. Mergers and acquisitions can face scrutiny from regulatory bodies. For example, if the two biggest long-distance companies in the U.S., ATT and Sprint, wanted to merge, the deal would require approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC would probably regard a merger of the two giants as the creation of a monopoly or, at the very least, a threat to competition in the industry. Closing the Deal Finally, once the target company agrees to the tender offer and regulatory requirements are met, the merger deal will be executed by means of some transaction. In a merger in which one company buys another, the acquiring company will pay for the target companys shares with cash, stock or both. A cash-for-stock transaction is fairly straightforward: target company shareholders receive a cash payment for each share purchased. This transaction is treated as a taxable sale of the shares of the target company. If the transaction is made with stock instead of cash, then its not taxable. There is simply an exchange of share certificates. The desire to steer clear of the tax man explains why so many MA deals are carried out as stock-for-stock transactions. When a company is purchased with stock, new shares from the acquiring companys stock are issued directly to the target companys shareholders, or the new shares are sent to a broker who manages them for target company shareholders. The shar eholders of the target company are only taxed when they sell their new shares. When the deal is closed, investors usually receive a new stock in their portfolios the acquiring companys expanded stock. Sometimes investors will get new stock identifying a new corporate entity that is created by the MA deal. Why They Can Fail Its no secret that plenty of mergers dont work. Those who advocate mergers will argue that the merger will cut costs or boost revenues by more than enough to justify the price premium. It can sound so simple: just combine computer systems, merge a few departments, use sheer size to force down the price of supplies and the merged giant should be more profitable than its parts. In theory, 1+1 = 3 sounds great, but in practice, things can go awry. Historical trends show that roughly two thirds of big mergers will disappoint on their own terms, which means they will lose value on the stock market. The motivations that drive mergers can be flawed and efficiencies from economies of scale may prove elusive. In many cases, the problems associated with trying to make merged companies work are all too concrete. Flawed Intentions For starters, a booming stock market encourages mergers, which can spell trouble. Deals done with highly rated stock as currency are easy and cheap, but the strategic thinking behind them may be easy and cheap too. Also, mergers are often attempt to imitate: somebody else has done a big merger, which prompts other top executives to follow suit. A merger may often have more to do with glory-seeking than business strategy. The executive ego, which is boosted by buying the competition, is a major force in MA, especially when combined with the influences from the bankers, lawyers and other assorted advisers who can earn big fees from clients engaged in mergers. Most CEOs get to where they are because they want to be the biggest and the best, and many top executives get a big bonus for merger deals, no matter what happens to the share price later. On the other side of the coin, mergers can be driven by generalized fear. Globalization, the arrival of new technological developments or a fas t-changing economic landscape that makes the outlook uncertain are all factors that can create a strong incentive for defensive mergers. Sometimes the management team feels they have no choice and must acquire a rival before being acquired. The idea is that only big players will survive a more competitive world. The Obstacles to making it Work Coping with a merger can make top managers spread their time too thinly and neglect their core business, spelling doom. Too often, potential difficulties seem trivial to managers caught up in the thrill of the big deal. The chances for success are further hampered if the corporate cultures of the companies are very different. When a company is acquired, the decision is typically based on product or market synergies, but cultural differences are often ignored. Its a mistake to assume that personnel issues are easily overcome. For example, employees at a target company might be accustomed to easy access to top management, flexible work schedules or even a relaxed dress code. These aspects of a working environment may not seem significant, but if new management removes them, the result can be resentment and shrinking productivity. More insight into the failure of mergers is found in the highly acclaimed study from McKinsey, a global consultancy. The study concludes that companies often focus too intently on cutting costs following mergers, while revenues, and ultimately, profits, suffer. Merging companies can focus on integration and cost-cutting so much that they neglect day-to-day business, thereby prompting nervous customers to flee. This loss of revenue momentum is one reason so many mergers fail to create value for shareholders. But remember, not all mergers fail. Size and global reach can be advantageous, and strong managers can often squeeze greater efficiency out of badly run rivals. Nevertheless, the promises made by deal makers demand the careful scrutiny of investors. The success of mergers depends on how realistic the deal makers are and how well they can integrate two companies while maintaining day-to-day operations. Conclusion One size doesnt fit all. Many companies find that the best way to get ahead is to expand ownership boundaries through mergers and acquisitions. For others, separating the public ownership of a subsidiary or business segment offers more advantages. At least in theory, mergers create synergies and economies of scale, expanding operations and cutting costs. Investors can take comfort in the idea that a merger will deliver enhanced market power. By contrast, de-merged companies often enjoy improved operating performance thanks to redesigned management incentives. Additional capital can fund growth organically or through acquisition. Meanwhile, investors benefit from the improved information flow from de-merged companies. MA comes in all shapes and sizes, and investors need to consider the complex issues involved in MA. The most beneficial form of equity structure involves a complete analysis of the costs and benefits associated with the deals. Telecom Sector Overview INDIA Sub Base: 635.51 mn second largest market Wireless Penetration: 53.77% lowest in the world HHI Index: very high one of the most competitive market Prepaid Base: 96% one of the highest in the world Usage per sub per month: Minutes: 480 one of the highest ARPU: US$ 4.6 one of the lowest Rate per minute: US$ 0.01 one of the lowest in the world VAS:-11.6% One of the lowest Wireless Market Structure Subscriber Trends Customer Market Share (CMS) About Bharti Airtel BhartiAirtel, a leading mobile service provider in India is Bharti Enterprises flagship company. According to Forbes Global 2000 list, BhartiAirtel, Indias pioneering private telecommunication service provider is ranked no. 826. This integrated telecom service provider operates three strategic business units covering 23 telecommunication circles. These 3 strategic businesses are mobile business, enterprise business, and Airteltelemedia business. Their mobile business comprising fixed wireless and mobile services is spread over 23 telecom circles, whereas their Airteltelemedia business provides telephone and broadband services to clients in 94 cities. International and domestic long distance services and end to end telecommunication solution for companies are included in Airtel enterprise business. Brief history BhartiAirtel was established as Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited in 1985. This telecommunication company is a joint stock holding enterprise headquartered in New Delhi. BhartiAirtel, commonly called Airtel is among largest mobile service operator with a subscriber base of nearly 75 million. Airtel has a submarine cable landing station in Chennai connecting this South Indian city to Singapore. Products and services Services offered by BhartiAirtel can be classified into the following: Mobile services Based on number of customers BhartiAirtel is largest mobile service operator in India. This company offers mobile services based on GSM technology. For convenience of its customers BhartiAirtel has both pre- paid and post-paid facilities. Enterprise business BhartiAirtel provides integrated services comprising mobile, telephone, broadband, data and connectivity services internationally as well as nationally for small, medium and large scale enterprises. Its carrier service provides network connectivity through optic fiber over a distance of more than 35,000 km. BhartiAirtel is a member of South East Asia Middle East Western Europe 4 consortiums which include 15 global telecommunication service providers. AirtelTelemedia Services This Company offers high speed broadband services through landlines in 94 cities. Financials BhartiAirtel till March 2008 had assets worth US $6.61 billion. During period between April 2007 March 2008, it achieved sales amounting to US $6.61 billion and profits of US $0.94 billion. Awards and recognition BhartiAirtel was adjudged Best Carrier India at 2008 Telecom Asia. It was recognized as Best Cellular Service Provider and Best Broadband Service Provider at VD 100 awards for 2008. In 2007, BhartiAirtel won Business Leadership Award from NDTV Profit. BHARTI AIRTELS ROADMAP The management of BhartiAirtel Ltd is led by ManojKohli who planned to introduce affordability and high usage in its African portfolio which is currently a high price environment (with tariffs in some markets as high as Europe/US according to Bharti). Some of the key points about replicating Indian Wireless business model in Africa that are in favor of Airtel are, Bhartis 15-country portfolio has a population is 459m as of June 2010. Share of population living in urban areas in Africa is ~40% according to Bharti and expected to grow to 40%. This compares to 30% of Indias population living in urban areas. The youth population in Africa accounts for a fourth of the global youth and had a median age of 17-18 years. The working population is estimated to be higher than that in China and the middle class is 400m people, expected to growth to 500m. GDP growth in 27 economies in Africa is 5%+. BhartiAirtel stressed that governments had received Bharti well in Africa and that some officials stated that Bhartis plans are in-line with their own. Current Wireless penetration adjusting for Multiple SIMs is around 24%. Operators have 20MHz of 2G spectrum and 10MHz of 3G (those who do) which Bharti stated implies little room for more competitors. COMPANIES OF BHARTI ENTERPRISES BhartiAirtel: BhartiAirtel is Indias leading provider of telecommunications services. The company provides GSM mobile services across India in 23 telecom circles and broadband telephone services in 90 cities. Bharti Teletech Ltd.: Bharti TeleTech manufactures and exports world-class telecom equipment under the brand Beetel. It is the only Indian telephone company to be present in 30 countries mapping 5 continents. The companys product range include Basic Telephones, Caller ID Phones, Caller ID Boxes, Cordless Phones, 2.4 GHz Digital Cordless Phones, DECT 1.8 GHz Phones, and Set Top Boxes. Telecom Seychelles Ltd: Telecom Seychelles Ltd provides comprehensive telecom services including GSM Cellular, PSTN (Fixed Lines), Fax and Data, International Roaming, connectivity to Internet Services, Maritime Telecom Services (INMARSAT) and International Collect and Credit Card calling, in Seychelles, under the brand Airtel. BhartiTelesoft Ltd: BhartiTelesoft Ltd provides value added services and solutions to wireless and wireline carriers worldwide. BhartiTelesoft Ltd ha deployed products and solutions in 25 countries to over 100 network, and has a customer base of 150 million across 5 continents. TeleTech Services (India) Ltd: TeleTech Services (India) Ltd is a joint venture between TeleTech Holdings, Inc., worlds leading full-service provider of business process outsourcing and Bharti TeleTech Ltd. The company offers offer the entire spectrum of front-to-back-office business processes ranging from voice and non-voice customer support, back office administration (including credit and collections, account maintenance, application processing, claims processing, asset management, document management etc.), sales and marketing (including database marketing, marketing support, web sales and marketing etc.) to global customers. FieldFresh Foods Pvt Ltd: FieldFresh Foods (P) Ltd is an equal partnership venture between Bharti Enterprises and ELRo Holdings India Ltd, an investment company of the Rothschild family. The company provides premium quality fresh produce to the markets worldwide and promotes world class standards for agricultural practices, progressive farming techniques identification and adoption of appropriate technologies. Bharti Retail Pvt Ltd: Bharti Retail Pvt Ltd. is a 100% subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises. Bharti Retail is planning to launch its retail outlets in multiple consumer friendly formats in several cities across India African Telecom Sector It is one of the best penetrating opportunities for the global telecom players is the telecom market in Africa. In Asia, Europe, North America, the telecom sector is approaching a saturation point. The growth in these areas will be comparatively slower. The companies always look for the maximization of profit, whether it may be through cutting down of cost or increasing the sales. If the market reaches a saturation point then there is no opportunity to increase the sale. And if the company cannot decrease the cost then it will try either to diversify or to expand its grip in the global market. If the areas like North America, Asia and Europe are already in a saturation point then the next growing market for the global player will be Africa continent. Some of the major players in the telecom sectors of Africa are MTN, Zain, Vodacom, STC etc. Since the processes of liberalization and privatization have been taken into consideration by African countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, The Sudan, South Africa and Kenya, their telecommunication infrastructures have improved drastically. Many African governments have developed their telecommunication infrastructure by privatizing their former state-owned enterprises. So these open up the stage for global players to perform in it. Africa has become the fastest growing mobile-network market during last five years. The mobile user base has increased to more than 82 million in Africa. A survey by Ernst Young shows that between 2002-07, the industry grew by 49.3 percent as opposed to Asia which recorded a 27.4 percent growth. This reports estimate growth of the industry almost doubles that of Brazil which stood at 28 percent in the same period and is almost seven times the growth of France which grew at 7.5 percent over the same time. Even there was a report by The World Bank in which it mentioned that Afro-nations like Kenya have 95% of mobile network penetration and coverage gap of only 5%. Thus making it an attractive market to lure some of the major player from the world. Lets think a bit over this scenario. Why the Afro mobile market is developing so late and faster than any area that used to be at the same period of time. In 2004, only 6% of the African citizen owned mobile. The supply side was much higher than the demand side. And the prices dropped, but made the African mobile network market a huge potential market for the global players. They produced low cost and user-friendly phones and network plans to attract more and more customer so that the company can increase its customer base. But there some other criteria or which we also call as external environment of a company which affects a company to operate in that area. The Law of Land also affects the company to design its operation in a country. They may be the tax-policy, the FDI policy of the government, the policy regarding and regulating the telecom sectors etc. Because of these regulations, there are many Afro-nations like South Africa which hold a huge potential market. In South Africa, there are only three players in telecom network market. The heavy tax burden on both the operator and consumer is the major challenge for the industry, with an average taxation on the operators profits standing at 30%. For example, in Kenya, people pay tax of 26% on mobile communication and the operator pay the remaining 4%. The total tax paid is 30%. But still the government of these nations opines that the industry is highly profitable, despite of the fact that return on investment could be delayed due to poor infrastructure. The Afro-nation doesnt have the apt infrastructure or the geographical hindrances as well as the population is scattered. The main problem lies with the electric infrastructure. The company has to keep more than 2000 standby generators because of frequent power failure. On of the company operating in Kenya, Safaricom spends over KShs 171 million on diesels due to lack of power supply. This makes the cost of investment much high in comparison to the other area. The operating cost of the company is high in this area because of frequent power cut and even the tax rate is also high, thus bringing down the profit of the company. But it may be the future scenario of these countries which lures the global players. The company may sustain the loss in the short-run but it may earn profit in the long-run. Because the economy of Afro-nations are growing at a remarkable rate and the infrastructure are also gradually increasing. So it may in the long-run be aptly developed so as to favor the network industry. Moreover this is the entry level of the network sector in Africa as it is developing but once it get saturated the threat to entrants decreases because if they enter in to the segment, they will not find any extras to lure the customers. African Wireless Market Customer base: 36.36 Mn Perfomance Indicators: Revenue: 9,583 Mn EBITDA: 2,635 Mn Prepaid Base: 99.3% à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  one of the highest in the world Usage per sub per month: 103 Minutes à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  one of the lowest ARPU: ~US$ 7.4 à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  one of the competitive market Rate per minute: ~US ¢ 7.2 à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  one of the highest in the world VAS: ~7.9% à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  one of the lowest Emerging Market Characteristics in India Africa: Source: Airtel Investor Presentation Aug 2010 About Zain Zain is a Kuwait based company started under the name of Mobile Telecommunication Company (MTC) in 1983 and was later rebranded to ZAIN in 2007. Zain has present operation in 25 countries covering 17 countries in Africa and 8 countries in Middle-East, with a estimated workforce of 15000. As on February 2010, about 60% of the Zain customers are in Africa contributing only 15% to the net profit of Zain. Zain has a total of 65 million customers. Out of which 39 million customers are from Africa. The eight countries in Middle-East where Zain has it Operation are Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arab, Lebanon, Palestine and Sudan, It has its operation in Lebanon under the brand name of MTC TOUCH. The seventeen countries which comprises of the members of the Zains Operative family in Africa are Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leona, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Morocco. Mr. Nabeel Bin S alamah is the CEO of the Zain Groups and Mr. Barak Al-Sabeeh is the chairman of the board of Director of the company. FINANCIAL FIGURES OF ZAIN Revenue : US$ 7.441 Billion Net Income :US$ 1.196 Billion Overview 4th largest mobile operator in the world in terms of geographic footprint, with a commercial presence in 23 countries 580 Million+ people under l

Proposal for paper - Could Genocide have been prevented? :: essays research papers

Proposal for paper - Could Genocide have been prevented? Introduction -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The meaning of Genocide, and the impact it has on a single person and society. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Start out with a few interesting facts about the war in Bosnia -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Information on the key players that were involved in the war and genocide -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Talk about how the war began/ conflict of interest and religion in area. Thesis -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Specifically state to the reader if there was U.N. intervention, could genocide have been avoided? -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What were the reasons for lack of intervention? -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Could many lives have been saved if intervention occurred? -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prove to reader that where information is coming from, books, articles, internet, etc. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How paper will prove both sides of ideas, the good and bad reasons of intervention and the good and bad reasons of no intervention. Back ground -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Go over the war in Bosnia starting in 1991. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Review of reasons why there was a split between the Serbs, Croats and Muslins. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Review the new physical boundaries of Slovenia and Croatia and what impacted this. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Review in detail the key players that were involved in the split of the nations by religious reasons. This includes Milosevic. Statement of the problem -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  explain specifically about the genocide -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In chronographic order, explain what the U.N. and the major western countries that were part of the U.N. did in response to the genocide -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What were the steps that the U.N. took when the genocide first occurred -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How the genocide was dealt with when it might have been to late. Possible steps that could have prevented genocide -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Review my opinion -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Look over scholarly articles, books, etc and determine what respected political scientists would have done -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Review steps I may have taken to prevent the tragedy of genocide. Conclusion -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Restate the thesis and the background. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Write again about the genocide and how it may have been avoided -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rewrite the steps that could have been done and how it could have prevented the genocide all together. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We can learn from our mistakes in the past and how we can prevent a genocide from never happening again. Limitations of the study -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unfortunatly, all research papers have a limitation to their studies. Some of the limits I may come across is, lack of information, lack of respectable and trusted articles or books. These two will be my biggest concern when writing this paper. The way I plan to try and overcome this obstacle is by gathering all the information I have before hand, and understand the limitations I may occur before I begin writing my paper. This way, I will know my limits while writing my paper and not overstep my boundaries.

The Afro-American Newspaper Goes to War :: United States History African American Essays

The Afro-American Newspaper Goes to War The Baltimore-based newspaper The Afro-American has been in existence since 1892 under the proprietorship of the Murphy family, and by the 1940’s had forged a place at the forefront of African-American journalism. The newspaper is still in business today and is online at www.afro.com. Founded by John Murphy, a former slave, the Afro-American has grown from a church weekly to one of the nations leading black newspapers. The newspaper has used it’s column inches to campaign for the civil rights of African-Americans throughout the 20th century, from opposing the persistence of racist â€Å"Jim Crow† laws in the South to defending eminent figures such as W.E. DuBois and Paul Robeson during the McCarthy-era anti-communism of the 1950’s.[1] During World War 2, when the U.S. military was still segregated along racial lines The Afro-American sent correspondents to cover the fighting alongside the various black American units that served in both the European and P acific theatres. These men and one woman were relaying to an audience of Maryland and Washington D.C. African Americans the roles fulfilled by black American troops, fighting in a segregated military abroad. The primary impact of black and white Americans serving together was to be felt socially in the post-war years. The Civil Rights movement that gained momentum in the 1950’s owed much to the fact that many people engaged in war work during the 1940’s, who in peacetime would never interact with one another on grounds of race, were challenged by their shared wartime experiences. â€Å"The common danger, the common foe and hardships of battle are bringing American troops closer together†¦Soldier after soldier has told me he can never be narrow-minded again after seeing such widespread human suffering.†[2] Ollie Stewart, correspondent for The Afro American, 1944 Compared with the quality of contemporary reports filed by â€Å"embedded† reporters in the 21st century US military, filtered by both the Pentagon and major media networks, some of the copy from the Afro correspondents is surprising given the circumstances under which it was filed. Despite the circumstances of war the reports filed by Afro correspondents used a number of means to convey the reality of service in a segregated military without alarming the wartime censors, and did so with deep insight, humour and graphic accounts of the full spectrum of roles fulfilled by black service personnel. The Correspondents. Correspondents for the Afro American.

Waste in Macbeth

Throughout the play Macbeth, characters change and so do their relationships with other characters. Life is taken for granted, and tossed away as if it’s merely an old toy. Honour and potential of great men tarnished due to their greed and power hunger. The plot develops the idea that A. C Bradley proposes: The central feeling of a tragedy is one of waste. Macbeth is portrayed as a tragic hero, someone who has it all at first but decides to give it all up. Throughout the story the waste of potential, the waste of life and finally the waste of innocence are just some of the types of wastes that can be found, but they are enough to prove the theory. According to critic A. C. Bradley, the central feeling of a tragedy is one of waste. It can be argued that Macbeth’s waste of his own innocence was not intentional, but forced upon by his wife, yet he ends up going through with the deed of killing Duncan. His waste of innocence was directly connected to his probable lack of morals and self esteem. He was persuaded to kill Duncan out of his wife’s question of his manliness. â€Å"I dare do all that may become a man; who dares do more, is none. † (Macbeth, Act I, scene vii) The evidence shows that his innocence has allowed his wife to make him question his manliness and therefore his morals. But not only has Macbeth been persuaded to kill Duncan, but his innocence gets mocked as Lady Macbeth states â€Å"A little water clears us of this deed† (Lady Macbeth, Act II, scene ii). She portrays murder as merely a deed that can be simply washed away from the hands with water and therefore the mind as well. The waste of Macbeth’s innocence although unintentional to him, is what begins the waste concept. The potential someone has is based on their character and their actions and how they incorporate the two into life situations. Yet both Macbeth’s actions and character seem to be weak and immoral. The waste of potential becomes evident as Macbeth turns from a hero into a tragic hero, and starts to take lives as if they are worthless. I am in blood, Stepp'd in so far, that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er. † (Macbeth, Act III, scene iv) He shows that he has no interest of going back to right, when he has already committed so much wrong doing. His potential is no more at that point as he has ruined any chance. â€Å"Ere we will eat our meal in fear and sleep† (Macbeth, Act III, scene ii) shows that Macbeth’s potential has gone from something great to having to be in fear all the time. But it is not only his potential that is lost, but Banquo’s as well when he takes his life. In this play one of the main purposes of Banquo's character is to act as a contrast to the character of Macbeth. Banquo is brave and noble – characteristics that Macbeth arguably doesn't. The most evident type of waste in the play is the waste of life. Life is so carelessly thrown away by Macbeth and shows that it has no meaning to him and he takes it at disposal. â€Å"The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees, Is left this vault to brag of. † (Macbeth, Act II, scene iii) is a quote that symbolizes life has no real meaning and can therefore be carelessly wasted. His humanness gets lost because of his power hunger and it’s because of the waste of life throughout the play, that the play becomes one of tragedy and an overall feeling of waste. The following quote, â€Å"I will not yield To kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet,† (Macbeth, Act V, scene viii) shows that he is even willing to waste his own life because of his legacy and pride that will follow him after life, so to speak, this shows lack of morality towards not only his own life but to the lives of others. Finally the most evident quote: â€Å"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. † (Macbeth, Act V, scene v) This quote shows that Macbeth’s final, as it’s at the end of the play, thought of human life is that it is very worthless, and that is in fact why he chose to waste it. It is time on this earth that we waste because it is absolutely meaningless. In conclusion, critic A. C.  Bradley, was right to state that the central feeling of a tragedy is one of waste, especially throughout Macbeth. The waste of innocence, waste of potential and finally waste of life have the power to prove the critic indeed right. Yet the list of all that was wasted goes on and on, and it’s logical to consider if not for fear of what society thinks of us would we too be able to waste life, potential perhaps, or maybe innocence to our own dismay. Bradley was correct, but do the things that stop our lives from becoming a tragedy have to do with our values or with what society will think of us.

Information Management in Corporate Strategy Essay

Information technology (IT) management is an integral part of the overall corporate strategies for many major companies. This is because business expansion, development and growth help in making the company a brand all around the world. Information technology brings with it efficiency, low labor costs, costs cutting, better productivity and higher profits. But for a business to rake in all the benefits it is important that the right strategy is put into place. Information Technology is a huge field benefiting various parameters of a business, it is important to study and analyze policies before implementing them. One of the examples of the use of Information technology as a corporate strategy is Fedex Corporation. It started of as an â€Å"express air delivery company in the 1970’s† later on going on to become a corporation of various smaller companies such as FedEx Services, FedEx Express, FedEx Freight, FedEx Ground, FedEx Supply Chain Services, FedEx Custom Critical FedEx Customer Information Systems, FedEx Kinko’s and FedEx Trade Networks. According to FedEx (2003), the company integrated business processes such as operations, employee training, customer services to all clients and suppliers so that integrated information can be available on the network. They launched their website www.FedEx.com in 1994, which helped in tracking on the package at any point of time. They gave away 100,000 PCs that were loaded with their software which helped in â€Å"to link and log customers† during â€Å"ordering and tracking systems†. They also were one of the first to use hand help scanners which alerted customers when the package was picked up and delivered. In addition they also warehousing techniques, did inventory management, billing, invoicing and even distribution facilities. Netscape (1999) mentioned in the article that, FedEx used Netscape for furthering Information Technology in their intranet services. There were 30,000 employees that accessed the website on various platforms. They company could also â€Å"publish internal technology reports, personnel guidelines, tax forms, employee evaluations, and project-management documentation† along with help desk support applications and customer support applications for their customers and suppliers through their information systems. In 2004 FedEx had announced that their new strategy for India that is an introduction of the FedEx Global Trade Manager (GTM) which is an online consultancy that will help in the paperwork for customs clearance for small and medium enterprises. This would help save time and avoid delays of international shipments. The other technology was the FedEx Insight, which was the web tracking solution to track any â€Å"incoming, outgoing and third-party payer shipments† of customers without the tracking number (Express Computer, 2004). FedEx Investor Relations (2006), their main aim has been to enhance further IT related projects as well as technological architectural decisions, to make use of IT as an effective support system for the all business objectives and strategies. They even have IT security to monitor â€Å"quality and effectiveness†. A periodical review is done to look into the IT â€Å"disaster recovery capabilities†. FedEx has seen an ever growing clientele only because the IT strategy has been effectively used as a part of their Company Strategy. With this plan they have not only made their clients and suppliers happy but also their stakeholders and employees.   References FedEx(2003). FedEx : Competitive Advantage Through Information Technology Retrieved as on 26 February 2008 from http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Business%20Strategy3/BSTA063.htm Netscape (1999). Federal express intranet delivers information enterprisewide. Retrieved as on 26 February 2008 from http://wp.netscape.com/comprod/at_work/customer_profiles/FedEx.html Express Computer (2004). FedEx announces technology strategy for India. CIRCUIT EC / Bangalore. Retrieved as on 26 February 2008 from http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20040614/indianews08.shtml    FedEx Investor Relations (2006). Information Technology Oversight Committee Charter. Retrieved as on 26 February 2008 from http://ir.FedEx.com/documentdisplay.cfm?DocumentID=120   

Representations of Either Male or Female Characters Essay

In the films I studied, (A clockwork Orange, From Russia with love, Carry on camping and a Hard days night) women are represented in similar ways but in very different circumstances. Firstly in A Clockwork Orange, women are seen as an objectified sexual obsession to the male gang. In almost every seen of the film women are presented in one way shape or form for example in the bar with the erotic, female shaped tables or the posters of women on the walls in Alex’s room. On the topic Kubrick has previously said â€Å"In the film, women are the ultimate harbingers of sexual desire, and it is only them who can suppress it. This power leaves the male ‘Droogs’ inwardly feeling threatened, which in part leads to cowardly rape.† I feel this quote explains the representation of females in the film perfectly as Alex, a man who feels he has great power over the rest of society, is surrounded by women and is always met with his sexual desire for them; Although the idea of sex in A Clockwork Orange is not an expression of love or intimacy, but rather an exhibition of power and violence. In this case Alex feels that to remain ‘powerful’ over everyone else he needs to use women as a object to satisfy his growing needs for power. In From Russia with Love, women are again seen as a object and are infamously named ‘the Bond Girls’ showing how in the larger scale there roles are minor compared to the ‘amazing’ Mr Bond. The opening title to the film shows barely clothed belly dancers dancing and parading there bodies to the Bond theme tune, showing how there bodies are more important then the woman herself. Throughout the film it is apparent that women are only good for a number of tasks: giving massages to the male characters, belly dancing and for casual sex and even then its when the man wants and not the woman. Despite this, in the film the female lead Tatiana played by Daniela Bianchi, shows woman’s slowly growing power and independence, for example Tatiana smoking representing the freedom that she perhaps now felt, although she is sitting down and Bond is standing over her, clearly in a position of more power. It is felt that the woman in the film are constantly being overlooked by men for example Tatiana killing the villain, which in normal circumstances would make her the ‘hero’ in the film, but this is undermined by the way Bond immediately takes the gun off her, as though it does not belong with her or she is not safe with it. In the film A Hard Days Night whenever the The Beatles perform, the members of the band are all distinguished as four individual, male characters. This massively contrasts with the role of women in the film, as there have been no main female characters; women are either portrayed as screaming, uncontrollable girls or again as sex objects. The idea behind this shows that women have no individuality in the film and are really only there to worship, flirt or to sexually satisfy the boys in the band. Finally the idea of women being perceived as objects is again mirrored in the final film Carry On camping, where the women are seen as objects for the men to flirt with and pursue in a sexual manner. Although Carry on camping differs from the previous films as there are several female characters which are seen to have hierarchy over certain male characters. For example the character Harriet Potter had the power in the relationship and often bossed her husband around in a comical manner. Overall in all the films it is obvious that women are often being represented as objects to satisfy mens needs and don’t serve a real purpose in any of the films and if they do it is only in a comical manner to retrieve laughter from the audience.

Religion and Truth Essay

All Religion is TruthWhat is insanity of the religion? According to Ramakrishna, no One religion is truth, however, all the integral transmissions of sacred wisdom and contemplative practice that survive the test of time are true. (43) That means, the complete devotion to the source of knowledge and actions through prayer are the fundamental and most important walks of life that constitute to the wholeness of truth. These most important aspects of religion constitute to the wholeness of truth by what they place on the individual, which is the Grace of God. The belief that My Religion Alone is true is not the correct belief because all religions are truth from what the religion does to the practitioner. If the practitioner is in complete consciousness of God and life, that alone is the key to truth. So the basis of all these religions, be it Hindu, Christian, Jew or Muslim is primarily through the sanctity of God and that is the willingness to devote time and life through veneration to the Divine Reality, which is God, that brings all the religions together. As time transcends and religion expands, reality becomes the critical starting point through where we begin our destiny of truth. That means, knowledge is transcendent and that it is the gauntlet or tool that creates the value of truth within the individual. To understand this point fully, we must break down what Ramakrishna meant by integral transmissions of sacred wisdom. Integral means the completeness of the whole, and in this case it is used to exemplify the wholeness of truth in being the basis of knowledge. By the basis it is then completed through transmission or rather a passage of possibly enlightenment of knowledge. That is why knowledge is referred to as sacred, because of the qualities of truth that it brings within the individual. Furthermore, what constitutes to truth is the emphasis the individual places on eternal goal or spiritual peace by a means of illuminating the sacredness of knowledge. Persistence of intense awareness is the truth that Ramakrishna is trying to convey. Moreover, the goal of achieving a manifested state of sanctity is through complete sincerity. That is sincerity works in the favor of the practitioner because they not only work for truth and knowledge for themselves but indeterminately for God alone, and this is what is achieved in all religions, in essence making them very connected and similar. According to Ramakrishna, its supposed to be about what we fight for in religion, not what we fight for outside of religion. In addition, what we fight for is suppose to be for the ultimate being, God, through Divine Nature. Divine Nature is achieved through a balance of realization in our daily life. The key tool is sincerity. Sincerity is about being genuine and honest; however it is about being honest first and foremost to the individual. Because without being able to be truthful to yourself, there would be no decisive factor that contributes to inspired belief and thus creating a problem within the individual. The way to obtain divine nature is not simple, because it takes time, but those who are sincere can and will achieve it. Divine nature consists of being able to learn from our daily trials and tribulations and learning very critically from them. At the same rate, the most fundamental thing that helps us on our path is the presence of God within us. (42)Why does Ramakrishna refer to God being the only living presence within us and how do we achieve this? The benefits of having God within us are bliss and freedom. What it means to have bliss could potentially lead to freedom, freedom of the self. It is freedom of the self because the presence of God is the only thing that we become conscious of and creates a sort of ripple within us that really brings out the bliss of God. Moreover, it is the awareness of God that structure our daily life and thus creates a Divine Nature that we live. Religions create a sense of supreme happiness and that reveal an urgent desire to be at peace. Through understanding that God is present everywhere is the beginning stages of awareness, but moving to the stage that God is present with in us creates motivation and an incentive for the individual to complete his or her goal in life. Furthermore, in order to maintain a balance of the spiritual self, there are certain spiritual ideals that are really crucial in understanding the truth in all religions. Devotion seems to sound easy, whereas it is serves as a purpose for the individual. Devotion is the dedication to belief in God and resulting in profound piety. It is correlated with the idea of ideals. Ideals are processes that work hand in hand in achieving the individuals ultimate goal, which is developed by the means of devotion. Ideals are the realization of something more and that something more is the supreme presence. Ideals exist in the mind but at the same time in the heart and the entire body. It takes form in the individuals day to day action and helps in creating a balance within the individuals spiritual conscience. Once this process of ideals is followed up by proper actions and proper living, then harmony is reached in the form of the manifestation of God. Manifestation of God means that the cause of being completely habituated in living the proper way creates the effect of harmony. Harmony is a consistent pleasing effect that is caused by this absolute idea of consciousness and bliss. That is to say that all the important aspects that were stated from the beginning to now, are the primary purpose of the truth in all the religions, in essence showing the beauty that God brings forth through each and every religion. Finally we must go back to the original question of insanity. Ramakrishna in essence is saying that it is insane to believe your religion is the only and ultimate truth for we have no basis for that belief. We can see through the process of spiritual development that the beauty lays in the truth and sincerity each and every religion places on the individual in such a balanced and consistent manner. BIBLIOGRAPHY1. Philip Novak. The Worlds Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the World. Harper SanFrancisco. -1st ed. Pg 42-44.