IT Policy Success Creates Lot of Software Jobs in Gujarat in Last 5 Years - Careers - Career Management

Gujarat is making is name as the financial powerhouse of the nation and IT sector has played a major role in this. This article looks at success of Gujarats IT policy and how it is creating a number of software jobs in Gujarat.

Hyderabad and Bangalore may have started the IT revolution, but its now Gujarat that is making its presence felt in the It sector. The state had seen some IT successes back in 2006, but no one expected that Gujarat would succeed so much and so quickly in the software development sector. Just days ago Gujarat IT policy fulfilled its promises: the IT policy had aimed at 5000 crore turnover market in the IT sector, and it achieved the goal 6 months before the deadline!

There are a large number of established firms and startup software development companies in Gujarat, and more new companies are coming up. As a result there are a lot of new software jobs in Gujarat and the state is becoming a great place for software developers. Gujarat companies offering offshore development have tasted success, and with the global economy on the mend many firms have aggressive expansion plans. As the companies grow more, the need for software professionals will increase, and more jobs will be created.

We have achieved our existing IT policy target for turnover. By November 2011, when the existing IT policy completes its tenure, we would have crossed the previous target. Moreover, we will revise the target under the new policy for the next five years, a government official involved with formulating the policy had said while talking to the media. It just shows that ambition of the state government and its commitment to take the IT industry in Gujarat to a different level altogether.

Already there are a large number of IT jobs in Gujarat, not only for software developers and programmers, but also for ancillary software jobs like hardware and networking jobs, web designers, technical writers, sales, webmaster, data entry, and security experts. As the state government prepares to pursue a more ambitious IT growth policy for the coming years, we can expect the generation of more jobs and increased turnover for the states IT industry.

Currently, the Department of Science and Technology has begun the process of making a new draft to create a roadmap for further development of the IT industry. The government also intends to study and use the IT development model of Karnataka and it will welcome suggestions of top IT companies and take their help to create a business environment where IT companies can thrive.

Gujarat is already creating a lot of employment in other sectors and there are a large number of healthcare, education, and realty jobs in Gujarat, but the IT segment is seen as an area that can develop a lot more and the government intends to take a number of proactive steps to position the state as the IT hub of India.

Thousands of jobs were created by the IT companies in Gujarat since the IT Policy was drawn in 2006. IT companies, and their robust performance even through the period of global recession has played a major part in financial development of the state, and as the government plans to develop the sector more in the coming year, a number of new jobs will be created in the next few months.

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47 What is accounting fraud

What is accounting fraud?

Accounting fraud is a deliberate and improper manipulation of the recording of sales revenue and/or expenses in order to make a company's profit performance appear better than it actually is. Some things that companies do that can constitute fraud are:

--Not listing prepaid expenses or other incidental assets

--Not showing certain classifications of current assets and/or liabilities

--Collapsing short- and long-term debt into one amount.

Over-recording sales revenue is the most common technique of accounting fraud. A business may ship products to customers that they haven't ordered, knowing that those customers will return the products after the end of the year. Until the returns are made, the business records the shipments as if they were actual sales. Or a business may engage in channel stuffing. It delivers products to dealers or final customers that they really don't want, but business makes deals on the side that provide incentives and special privileges if the dealers or customers don't object to taking premature delivery of the products. A business may also delay recording products that have been returned by customers to avoid recognizing these offsets against sales revenue in the current year

The other way a business commits accounting fraud is by under-recording expenses, such as not recording depreciation expense. Or a business may choose not to record all of its cost of goods sold expense fore the sales made during a period. This would make the gross margin higher, but the business's inventory asset would include products that actually are not in inventory because they've been delivered to customers.

A business might also choose not to record asset losses that should be recognized, such as uncollectible accounts receivable, or it might not write down inventory under the lower of cost or market rule. A business might also not record the full amount of the liability for an expense, making that liability understated in the company's balance sheet. Its profit, therefore, would be overstated.

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Revealed - The Truth About Coaching Hypnosis Nlp And How To Go Beyond It

NLP hasnt evolved very far since it was first conceived. As an NLP Trainer with 16 years Coaching and Hypnosis experience, all Jonathan Clark sees is more of the same. So hes done something about it

Interviewer: I was so impressed with your skill and depth of knowledge and ability to help people truly change their lives and things have really developed since then, havent they, youve now developed your own methodology called HGE, its a definite breakthrough or progression or evolvement might be a more appropriate word from NLP I think, and its really fascinating to me because I think NLP has done the world an incredible service but at least to me seems to have stopped progressing, but I think certainly what you do Jonathan is a really fresh and by what Im seeing a more rapid way of truly evolving all these desires we have as human beings in health and relationships, money, business and so its very, very fascinating so youve written a book - we are now basically talking about that book or talking about HGE really. Lets get straight into it, so why dont you start Jonathan with a brief history of what NLP was and why you got involved, and then what began to frustrate you leading to your own HGE involvement.

Jonathan:Well theres an old phrase that says that people get into personal development either out of desperation or inspiration and Ive yet to meet someone who is inspired to do it. I was the shy specky kid with asthma and a duodenal ulcer by the time I was sixteen because I was so scared of talking to people, and I got into it purely because my brother studied psychology and I read all these books and found it fascinating. If I could burn a whole in my stomach with my brain what could I do that was a little bit more useful?

And so I started learning all these things for my benefit - I got into personal development, and found a lot of that stuff was very conscious, very techniquey, very kind of you had to force yourself to do it, it was like affirmations, telling yourself youre happy, youre happy when the other part of brain was screaming at you that youre not happy at all.

So I started to look at Neuro Linguistic Programming, NLP, hypnosis, life coaching, Feng Shui, energy work, a lot of the people I was listening to had some sort of esoteric discipline as well and in fact if you look at all of the major personal development people, all the big names they all look at some kind of esoteric spirituality aspect and that intrigued me - I thought maybe Im missing something, maybe theres a side of life I dont know anything about, I didnt ever look at that kind of thing, in fact I poo pood it.

NLP I found to be very practical hands on, you could read it and use it the same day - you could fix phobias in under an hour, you could take away nerves, you could make people confident, you could change beliefs, you could do amazing wonderful things in a very short space of time which really blew my head off - the ulcer disappear, my asthma disappeared, I got fitter and healthier, started taking care of my physical body, changed career completely.

Interviewer:Ok and this is all self done.

Jonathan: Incredibly powerful self-work, and I had never seen it fail, I had only ever seen NLP work, so my enthusiasm took off like a house on fire and I started sharing it with people, I started running seminars at weekends, I started working with individuals and because I didnt know it might not work it always did. After 2 years of working with people in the field, and actually working with exam nerves and phobias and confidence, ME, massive health shifts in people, stuff you wouldnt believe, transformational health changes, I thought one day somebody might actually ask me for a certificate, or a qualification and because my background was financial services I very much believe in that stuff, I thought right Im going to have to go and get trained.

Then I discovered that issues would come up with students and the trainers were unable to bail them out, the trainers actually had no field experience, they were textbook perfect but had never worked with people in the real world so I had to keep bailing people out because I had been doing in for two years, and that really was a huge convincer to me about my ability, and it surprised me and also kind of disappointed me as well that the household names in the field werent actually up to scratch, in my opinion, I coined a phrase always a trainer, never a therapist because they could talk about it, theres a lot of text book people out there but when it comes to the real world application they just havent got the chops for it.

Interviewer:Its the age old thing about teachers isnt it?

Jonathan:Correct, as apposed to coaches - Coaches do it. But, so having done that for a while I decided I could help people more than what I am currently doing in my current career, which is a financial advisor, I was getting great results using NLP in the financial services, my sales doubled and my appointments halved, and my managers wondered what I was doing, and all I was doing was some of these techniques, rapport techniques, building connections with people, having people like you and trust you, having two way trust going. I then decided Im going launch my own business and do this on the side, build it up and then eventually go self-employed. I did that, my income immediately doubled after two months I was working half the hours, and I had always been taught that self-employed businesses fail within the first two year and those that succeed fail within the next two years. Im helping people and doing something that I felt I was born to do and Ive basically been doing that ever since. Now I have looked at the current stuff that Ive been training and thinking this needs to grow and evolve, there are certain things that most personal development areas dont cover, or theres certain holes or certain gaps, Ive plugged them and I now want to get them out to the world.

Interviewer:OK, so now tell us what HGE is and maybe you can preface that by saying what these missing links were that were frustrating you.

Jonathan:Well, what often happens with most technique based skills is that theres often heart missing, theres often a kind of humanity aspect, and they become very cold and calculating and very kind of logical and sensible, and for a lot of people thats not enough, a lot of NLP people are very academic and very much into systems orientation and the way things work, however, for something to give you complete balance, if you really want to be successful in all areas you need to include a more humane, what would you call it . . holistic approach as well, so there has to be some kind of higher purpose, there has to some kind of creativity or inspiration behind it.

It also excluded people who wanted a more spiritual experience, typically if you look at any of the mind disciplines out there theyll either be very conscious, logical academic or theyll be very kind of spiritual, esoteric and most people fall into one or the other, what I wanted to do was bridge the gap and explain why both sides have advantages.

Also NLP has been around for a long, long time but it isn't developing and evolving itself in my opinion, there are too many cliques, too many politics and people arguing who the original inventors were and not enough making it user friendly and making it publicized.

The UK aromatherapy guild released statistics last year to say that 25% of qualified aromatherapists actually earn a living doing it. Coach University recently sent out statistics talking about the 30,000 life coaches on the planet, I think 10% of them make a living from it, and making a living was 15,000 a year or less.

Interviewer:Doesnt surprise me, is seems that any training method, its very few people who actually apply it and actually sustain it.

Jonathan:Thats the problem with most conventional training, it doesnt do that, what I looked at was answering these niggles that had always been around for me and people would bring these up to me and I had the sort of standard stock party line phrases that everyone else had but I just felt as if I wasnt walking my talk and I was hypocritical until I got them fixed, so Ive spent the past sixteen years tweaking this, developing it and answering those questions for myself. I had to fill those holes, and I feel as if I have.

Interviewer:Yeah ok . . . good.

Jonathan:For those of us who want the balance and the success and want to thrive instead of just survive, then theres a kind of four areas you need to look at -theres four aspects to you, you have a spiritual aspect, you have a mental aspect, you have an emotional aspect and you have a physical aspect, and if you fail to take care of one of those areas in your life . . . it will bite you! It is as simple as that, people who have the money, the toys, the things they want to play with, the supportive environment, the bank account, the relationships and all the external physical tangible things, those are great, but not just on their own. Ideally you also want to have the ability to understand your own emotions and to be able to change your emotions, not be burdened with traumas and hassles from the past, ideally to change that and let it go, also the ability to think flexibly and creatively, so that you can think outside the box and think laterally and come up with solution s to your problems, and also to have the freedom to choose your spirituality or your esoteric development or whatever path you want to follow. I think we all have those four god given rights and the one that you fail to nourish and nurture, is the one ultimately which will come up in your life as a problem.

I think this is the key, I think understanding HGE enables you to understand every other practice discipline, procedure, process, every other ology out there. HGE explains the mechanics of how they work, so thats going to save you a lot of time and money buying useless books or pointless treatments or courses that promise a lot but dont deliver much. Youll actually be able to predict and understand how something works and why it works or also predict why it wont work in advance. Ive spent 16 years mastering this stuff so you dont have to. The full story is a free report at

Interviewer: Alright, so whats your universal message, when you say it like that?

Jonathan:You can change anything about yourself that you dont like and you can have anything that you want. HGE is full of real practical hands on go and do this now, youve learned about it, now go and do it. If youre willing to do those things you will get immediate results in your world, that are categorically there in front of you, tangible. And thats what personal development fans want.

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Selecting A School What To Take Into Consideration

Selecting a college has always been a very big decision for students evaluating their options. Today there are even more choices than ever and some dangers along the way. Not only are students faced with choices of the traditional classroom, but also the virtual campuses that have became a popular contender over the past several years. There are several factors involved in choosing the correct school and much of the decision is based on academic performance. For some lucky students that have achieved greatly the acceptance letters will be stacked up before they ever walk their high school graduation stage, but for the rest, they are faced with walking the tight rope of deciding which college.

College Entrance Testing

All colleges have guidelines for acceptance to the University and then many of the departments have other requirements. When applying to a university it is important to understand that most colleges require a college entrance examination such as the ACT or SAT with a passing score. Most require an essay detailing your goals and educational plans over the next couple of years. Considering the specific department that you are looking to enter into will determine the requirements of college entrance. Many departments such as the Nursing departments or Psychology department have strict guidelines requiring your entrance testing and previous GPA to tally to a certain level before you will be considered. That is the reason that it is highly important that you plan for the college entrance tests and study to prevent a declination letter. Choosing a college is not only about the entrance guidelines, but it can prevent you from entering if you have not scored well or performed poo rly in high school.

Field of Knowledge

Having a basic idea of what career field that you want to study is another good way to determine which college is right for you. Not every college offers the type of degree that you may be looking for so it is important to research before applying. Most universities have websites that give a detailed list of degrees offered and the time line in which most students complete the program. If you are looking for a nursing program, you would want to make sure that the university that you are looking at offers a nursing program. Be careful with entering one college to get basics, believing that all the classes will transfer to the next university. In many cases, the credits will not transfer and then you are stuck with credits that are worthless.

Close to Home V.S. Distance

One of the biggest decisions for most students is whether to attend a local college or move away for a college education. Much of this decision is based on the financial resources that the student and/or parent have. Most parents advocate that their students remain close to home to defray living expenses. Other costs besides living arrangements that are sometimes pricey include out of state tuition. Another concern that students face when moving off to college is the lack of family support and contending with roommates in the dorm situation. College is stressful enough and can sometimes cause a lack of interest or study habits when faced with dorm mate problems. Of course, the cost of attendance is much less if the student remains in the parent's home. Most colleges require that if the student is not within living distance of the parents that they live on campus for the first two years of attendance. Again depending on the financial situation this can prove costly.

Traditional V.S. Distance Education

There are positives and negatives to both the traditional and distance education options of a college education. Over the past several years, a rise in popularity of virtual classrooms has surfaced. There are two negative issues that must be considered when looking at an online university. First, the student must make absolutely certain that the university is regionally accredited. Most of these online universities will boast their accreditation, but students must verify that the accreditation is by the regional educational board. One quick way to find out if they are legitimately accredited is to see if they can offer Federal Financial Aid, not only loans by private financing companies. Secondly, distance education is more costly than the traditional classroom setting. It is anywhere between $1500 and $2500 per five semester credit hours. Now that does not compare with the prestigious universities tuition rates, but neither does the diploma at the end of the college care er.

Again, research and ensure that you are making an informed decision. Sometimes you can obtain information through the Internet or your local high school counseling office when deciding which university to attend. Another huge downfall that must be considered when looking at online universities is the fact that the student must exhibit excellent study habits and self-discipline. There are no set times for classes or professors to answer to if you over sleep. This can cause some students to fall behind and actually cause their college career to be much more difficult.

Choosing a college should be a decision that is not made overnight. There are many issues to consider and students should really think it through. After all this decision will affect the rest of your life and career. Attending a good and reputable college can mean getting a great job!

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fashion-marketing-schools

One of Europe's Top Fashion Marketing Schools: Polimoda Institute of Fashion Design and Marketing

What moves the great looking fashion apparels of the world from fashion designer showrooms to retail floors, and finally, consumer hands?

The answer is fashion marketing.

With the teachings of the fashion industry's professionals, well-organized field trips, numerous projects, and labor-intensive internships, students of a fashion marketing course are sure to gain a comprehensive understanding of the fashion cycles, as well as the ins and outs of the clothing industry.

Students of a fashion marketing course are usually trained in a wide assortment of disciplines, such as fashion merchandising and coordination, business management, marketing techniques and advertising strategies, visual merchandising, and retail management.

Do you have a good fashion sense? Do you know what's in style or not? Do you have the desire and drive to take the qualities you have a notch higher - as in use them in a rewarding and profitable career in fashion? A degree in Fashion Marketing will give you a chance to become any of the following: a fashion buyer, a fashion coordinator, a retail merchandiser, a visual merchandiser, a retail store manager, or a boutique owner.

Fashion marketing is a mixture of design, advertising, business administration, and a good understanding of the fashion world, as well as a sense of pop culture and what would be stylish in the days, months, or years to come. Fashion marketers connect designers and the people, all the while keeping themselves behind the scenes.

As you can see, numerous job prospects await those who will venture into the fashion world. You just have to make certain that you will be able to choose the right kind of fashion marketing school, as well as a program that would give you the right kind of training for a successful career in fashion.

Polimoda International Institute of Design and Marketing

With the continuous attraction of many to the fashion industry, there is an increasing demand for fashion design and marketing schools that offer a one of a kind professional education. One of these schools is the Polimoda International Institute of Design and Marketing.

Located in the heart of Florence, Italy, Polimoda is recognized by many professionals as one of the best fashion design and marketing schools in Europe. With its closely-knit ties and continuous collaboration with the fashion world, Polimoda maintains its ability to provide its students with specialized training that is up to date with what is happening in the contemporary international fashion.

A member of the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes, this Italian school of fashion offers comprehensive undergraduate classes, as well as graduate design master classes in the sales, production, merchandising, and marketing sectors of the fashion world, whether in Italian or English.

Established in 1986 through the proposal and financial support of the Florence and Prato city halls, a number of business organizations, and the Fashion Institute of Technology of the State University of New York, Polimoda is well-renowned for the professional courses in fashion marketing and merchandising that it offers to its students. The institution is also known for training students who wish to gain skills in fashion textiles and accessory and footwear markets.

Polimoda's program for fashion marketing includes instruction and training in areas like: Contemporary Fashion and Fashion Business, Strategic-Operative and International Marketing, Psychology of Communication and Selling, Human Resources and Economic Management, Organizational Communication and Interpersonal Techniques, Retail Marketing, Merchandising and Visual Merchandising, Cool Hunting and Trends, Complete Planning of a Fashion Product, Software Programming, Information Technology, and Specialized English.

Not anyone can be admitted to Polimoda, however. Slots are limited and you can get in to this prestigious institution by means of a good exam result. Applicants, whether Italian or of another nationality, should complete and pass an application form complete with supporting materials. If you are interested, you may apply online or through mail.

Follow your dreams. Search for Polimoda in the World Wide Web now.

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careers for online criminal justice degree s graduate

Introduction

The legal field is growing at a rapid pass, one of the encouraging factor for this growth is the investment of government in homeland security. The investment in homeland security has also lead to the increase of demand in public and private safety. Many law enforcement departments now have increased the academic requirements for law enforcement officer, security personnel or other position that requires knowledge in criminal justice, most of them require at least an associate degree for the position or career promotion. This means that in the field of criminal justice, qualified and skilled professionals are always in demand.

Earn Your Criminal Justice Degree Online

To upgrade the skills & knowledge in criminal justice or to enter into this highly demand field without stopping your current work (or simply busy) isn't as hard as it used to be. The time, distance and financial constraints of higher education have all but disappeared with the arrival of distance learning and now everyone who are interested in this field can earn the criminal justice degree via online technology. Today, many traditional universities and online colleges offer Criminal Justice Degrees and the students can attend the courses online. Among the universities who offers Criminal Justice Degree Online are:

University of Phoenix Online

Kaplan University

Boston University

American InterContinental University Online

Colorado Technical University

Grantham University

Keiser College Online

Career Opportunities A criminal justice degree can put you on a career path in Law Enforcement, Investigations, Courts, Security, Corrections, Law, Forensic Science and Public Safety. Among these careers are:

Crime Scene Investigation Crime scene investigators are responsible for carrying out complex crime scene investigations. They are accountable for the initial evaluation of the scene, and use various types of equipment to cultivate, secure, and package any physical evidence found at the scene. Base on the degree level and experience, the annual salary range for this career may range from $35,000 to $55,000.

ATF Agent ATF Agent usually Work for the U.S. Treasury Department and they are responsible for the implementation and enforcement of U.S. laws concerning the possession and sale of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms. Base on the degree level and job grade, base annual salary range for this job range from $30,000 to $130,000. (see example hiring ad for ATF agent at USAJobs - jobsearch.usajob.opm.gov )

CIA Agent The CIA Agent roles include providing accurate, timely, comprehensive, evidence-based, foreign intelligence associated with national security; and conducting special activities, counterintelligence activities, and other functions related to national security, and foreign intelligence, as directed by the President. The annual salary for this job may vary by job functions but this is one of the high income categories in criminal justice field.

Criminologist Criminologist primarily involved in research and teaching, criminologists supply a great deal of knowledge to the study of policing, police administration and policy, juvenile justice and delinquency, corrections, correctional administration and policy & etc. According to a 2002-03 survey by the American Association of University Professors, salaries for full-time faculty averaged $64,455. By rank, the average was $86,437 for professors, $61,732 for associate professors, $51,545 for assistant professors, $37,737 for instructors, and $43,914 for lecturers.

FBI Agent Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents are the Government’s primary researchers, accountable for investigating infringement of over 260 statutes and performing susceptible national security investigations. The average annual salary for a FBI Agent is in range of $40,000 to 100,000.

Forensic Psychology Forensic Psychologists apply psychology to criminal justice. They frequently deal with legal issues such as news law, and public policies, and are asked to determine the mental state and competency of the defendant at the time of the crime, and throughout the legal proceedings. Psychologists earned between $45,000 and $100,000 annually. (see example job ad at (see example hiring ad at USAJobs - jobsearch.usajob.opm.gov)

Forensic Science Forensic scientists help to solve crimes by collecting and analyzing physical evidence and other facts found at the scene. They specifically analyze fingerprints, blood, semen, firearms, saliva, and drugs, and may also reconstruct skeletal bones. Experienced forensic scientists earn an average salary of $55000 per year. Federal salaries are usually higher. (see example job ad at (see example hiring ad at USAJobs - jobsearch.usajob.opm.gov )

Paralegal Paralegals are supervised by licensed attorneys. They offer assistance by completing legal research, preparing notebooks for trial, interviewing clients, helping write legal briefs, reviewing and updating files, and drafting documents. Salary and benefits for paralegals vary according to location, job responsibilities, and the type of law office they work for. Starting salaries usually range from $1,300 to $1,800 per month in smaller towns and law firms. Paralegals employed by the federal government earn an average annual salary of between $20,000 and $25,000, according to their experience and skills.

Summary

The career opportunities mentioned above are not the full job list, there are many jobs related to criminal justice field for you as a graduate major in this area. Please note that the salary figures stated for each job types are for your reference purpose, the figure may vary by hiring locations, degree types, job requirement & etc.

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Choosing A College Major

Once you are accepted into a college and begin taking classes, the next step is to decide on a major. Most college graduates change their major several times before they finally pick one and stick to it, so it is important not to get discouraged if you have a hard time deciding right away. However, there are some factors to consider beyond your general interests when you decide the subject on which you will focus your studies. It will take a lot of research and soul-searching for you to find a good and somewhat practical match for your interests and lifelong goals.

The first thing to consider when choosing a college major is what interests you the most. Some subjects are more financially lucrative than others, but there is no sense in studying a subject that will make you miserable once you begin working in your field. It is obvious that business, sales and marketing degrees tend to put you on the path toward financial wellbeing, but if you are not interested in the business world you will find that you do not enjoy your chosen career path. Rather than choosing something simply because of future financial benefits, try exploring a variety of options before locking down on one. If financial status is major goal, take a variety of science classes to see if those suit your fancy.

However, practicality should be considered when you choose your major. You should evaluate that reasons you are in college, and plan your course of study accordingly. If you are attending strictly to gain general knowledge and experiences, then choosing something simply because you are interested in it might be an acceptable way to go. If you enjoy reading and writing, getting a degree in English might be beneficial to you. However, English degrees are not quite as marketable as business or science degrees.

If you are unclear about your interests when you first enter college, rest assured that you are not alone. Many people look at their undergraduate experience as a way to get acquainted with themselves in an intellectual and a personal way. Take a wide variety of classes during your basic coursework, and you might find that your major finds you. If you tend to enjoy psychology classes more than anything else, you might consider majoring in the subject, especially if you plan to attend graduate school.

Keep in mind that you can always change your major. Granted, you may end up spending more time in college than you had originally planned, but if you look at it as a journey of exploration, you will find that you will learn more from your college years than you would if you had the get in and get out mindset. Once you finally decide on your major, you will feel confident that you will have made the right choice, and you will be able to learn more from your classes than you would if you were still unsure.

No matter what college major you choose, remember that you are not writing anything in stone. Once you graduate, you will have the freedom to choose whatever sort of profession that holds your interest. Recent graduates are all the same in that they have limited experience in any given field, even if they do have specialized degrees. If you are planning to attend graduate school, you will once again be able to choose another course of study. As an undergraduate, your main goal should be to learn as much as you can about everything that interests you, and to gain as much real life experience as possible. College is your last chance to explore the world without extreme financial responsibilities, so use your time wisely and learn as much as you can.

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So You Want To Be A Copywriter

Wannabe copywriters often check out my site for information relating to my services and fees. And quite right too! I still give my competitor's websites a 'gander' every now and then, in case they're doing something that I should be doing.

I receive many emails from students working towards their marketing or other media degrees, asking for a few tips about securing work in the 'Copywriting Industry' I didn't realise we had an industry! If we have, it's surely a cottage industry because most copywriters are freelancers who work on their own and usually from home.

"Well what about advertising and marketing agencies?", They enquire. "Well what about them?", I ask. And so it goes on and on until they realise that a copywriter who works for a structured and institutional organisation, is a totally different animal to that of the freelancer.

Institutional versus Freelance

So what are the differences between them? There are many. Let's look at the agency writer. He or she is likely a talented person with creative skills and a good command of the English language. They will have learned, from their course work, the psychology of selling, aspects of communication and how to write in a flowing and interesting style.

Each day, at the agency office, they will work on their assignments, which have been delegated to them by their manager. Their work will be scrutinised by their manager or team leader, who, in the interests of their company, will decide whether it's worthy of publication.

After a couple of years, doing similar 'run of the mill' stuff, they may be offered the opportunity of coming up with something completely original. All by themselves, with no guidance, un-tethered by their mentor. And, in the interests of the company, not to mention their job security, they will produce something as institutional as they have been doing previously. They'll play it safe. Well wouldn't you?

Eventually, their creative awareness and talent may break through the institutional membrane and they'll want to move on. They'll want to do something for themselves. They may even become a freelancer.

A freelancer is just about anyone with a passion and a flair for writing. Some have started out on their career path by working for agencies, some have graduated in English and just feel 'qualified' to do the job, whilst others come into the 'industry' from a variety of other routes.

By whichever means, once they become a freelancer, they quickly learn to survive. To survive and prosper as a freelancer you must have the ability to adapt, diversify and develop the skill of writing in any and every style humanly possible. But there's more! You will have to meet deadlines, sometimes work for less than the lower national wage limit and learn to turn your brain inside out. Sounds painful!

What does it all amount to? What's the bottom line?

Let's summarise thus far.

A copywriter working for an agency will work in a nice warm office with nice friendly colleagues, writing simple institutional letters, brochures, ads and information packs. They'll be paid somewhere between 18K to 26K, get 4 to 5 weeks annual paid holiday and get to slag off the boss at the office Christmas party.

Sounds pretty good to me. If you want to be a copywriter, I recommend you go down this path. It offers a good salary and a steady secure position.

The freelancer's life is not so clear cut. They mostly work on their own, write all kinds of stuff about everything and wonder where their next packet of fags is going come from. They only take short breaks, get stressed and slag everyone off at any party.

They're self-employed, so have to keep accounts. They have to buy all their own stationery, stuff their own letters and post off their mailings. They have to advertise or even worse, they have to compete to sell their services for a pittance to unknown clients through some online freelance website. The pits!

Sounds terrible doesn't it? Then why do we do it?

The uncovered truth about freelancing

Well, obviously I can't speak for everyone so I'll tell you why I do it and how I do it. "Listen up"

The main reason I write for a living is because I love it. I've always been a creative person so writing comes as second nature. And let's face it, it's not very difficult to do.

I love the challenge that each assignment brings. I have ghost-written several books for clients and each has been on a completely different subject. The downside of ghost-writing is having to sign away all rights to the work, which means you can't showcase it or put it in your portfolio. The client gets all the credit for your masterpiece.

I've written many articles for websites, emails and sales letters. I write poetry, humor and boring stuff like FAQ's and product information. But I'm never bored because the work can be so varied.

Then there's the money of course. A good freelancer should be able to make around 50K a year. Some make less but some can make over 100K a year. There really is no limit. Make a name for yourself and not only will you be earning a good living, you could possibly find yourself in the enviable position of being able to pick and choose the work you do.

Still want to be a copywriter?

Good! Now let's dispel a few myths by answering a few questions that I get asked all the time.

The 6 Most Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do you need a formal education and a degree?

No way! Although most agencies will only employ graduates, there's no reason why a freelancer needs anything other than a good command of the English language, creativity and a flare for writing. There are many copywriting courses available, if you're a little unsure or want to hone your skills, but make sure the course work is set by an experienced and reputable copywriter.

2. Can previous work experience help?

Yes! Sales and marketing experience is very useful if you intend to make a living as a sales copywriter. At the very least, you should understand the sales process and the customer service aspect.

3. I don't have a portfolio. How can I get work?

Create one! Write some articles, write a small book, write some sales letters, brochures and emails. Show what you can do. Write for free. Write for charities, magazines or newspaper letter pages. Use your imagination and write about anything.

4. Where are the best places to get work?

You could try contacting marketing agencies by way of a letter of introduction, but don't hold your breath. Magazines are always looking for fillers, so this would be a good place to start. Local small businesses might be interested in having some leaflets written for door to door delivery. Contact them by letter, listing your services and your rates.

When you have gained a little experience, go online and subscribe to some of the freelance websites. Elance, Freelance Work Exchange and Getafreelancer are quite good, but be prepared to compete with other bidders from all over the world. Some Indian freelancers will work for as little #3 an hour, so you're up against it. Still, I think it's worth the experience. I get some of my assignments this way.

Build a website or have someone do it for you. I'm of the opinion that all businesses should have a website if they want to stay in business.

Create a mail shot and work your way through your local Yellow Pages. Sell yourself. It's what you will have to do anyway, so get used to it.

5. What should I charge for my services?

This is just a guide. You'll instinctively know when you've become established.

A one page letter consists of around 500 words and should take no more than 2 hours to write, revise and finalise. If you want #10 an hour, that'll be #20 for the job. Don't bother quoting a price per word as you'll find yourself writing a load of drivel in order to fill the pages.

Again, once you're established you can charge what you think your work is worth. It's not uncommon to charge #400 for a 6 page sales letter, if you're good.

6. What do you think is the most essential skill of a successful copywriter?

If you can't do this, you won't be very successful.

"Write as you talk"

That's it! You must be able to communicate with your reader right off the page. Your words must be conversational. You must be able to 'speak' to your reader and stir their interest, their emotions, their desires.

If you're trying to sell them something, you must be convincing. Your letter has to be compelling and attention-grabbing. Finally, your letter has to make them take some action. This could be filling in a form, making a phone call or writing a cheque. It's a call to action.

Still think you have what it takes?

Then go forth and return with the bountiful harvest of your creative genius!

If you want to know more, and there is a lot more, subscribe to my newsletter.

Good luck and warm regards,

Bill Knight

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Scientific Jobs Are Not For Scientists Alone

Scientific jobs usually involve some research. The jobholder would have specialized training and experience in a field, and the ability to draw on it to conduct field or laboratory research. For example, a clinical research assistant working for a clinical research organization can be required to go out into the field and record the findings of clinical trials for medical devices or medication.

In such cases, in addition to knowledge in the field of science, the job holder will also have to be familiar with research methodology to ensure adherence to quality research practices, so that the research findings will be acceptable to practitioners in the relevant field.

Furthermore, the jobholder might also be required to keep track of the costs of the research, which require some administrative experience. Scientific jobs could thus involve much more than doing theoretical research in a laboratory.

Roles of Career Scientists

We saw in the previous section that even when research is involved, scientific jobs could involve administrative and quality control roles. Many scientific jobs might not involve research as such. Instead, it might involve applying the jobholder's knowledge to do practical work. For example, physicians apply their knowledge of healing science primarily to cure sick patients rather do research with medication.

Another example is the clinical psychologist engaged in providing clinical and forensic psychology service to patients, and advice and consultation to non-psychologist colleagues in the medical profession.

A forensic toxicology expert might be primarily involved in providing testimony in courts about the effect of alcohol on human body and driving skills, and explaining the significance of the results of a defendant's breath and blood tests. Such a function requires the application of professional knowledge and experience in the relevant scientific field.

Environmental health practitioners might have to be community workers and change agents in addition to their roles of identifying and preventing environmental health problems. Possessing knowledge alone might not help them provide valuable services in their field. They will have to work with an environmental health team to create awareness about environmental health issues among the community, and show how the locality can be made a better place to live and work.

Scientific jobs can also involve working in areas other than the primary scientific field of the jobholder. For example, a healthcare specialist with Information Technology experience might be employed to develop clinical information models. They might have to do requirements studies to develop the kind of clinical information models that clinicians need. The requirements study in this case is more IT work than clinical work.

Another example is a specialist who works in the sales and marketing department helping the department explain product benefits and other technical aspects to prospective clients, or for creating product literature. Many specialists might be attracted by commercial work, and can use their specialist know-how, say in wound care, in marketing wound care products effectively.

Then there is the science teacher who is engaged in developing the scientists of tomorrow. The teacher must be able to create an enthusiasm for the field among students in addition to teaching them science.

Scientific jobs thus involve being more than just scientists. In fact few scientific jobs require you to be a scientist these days.

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Nursing as a profession

Nursing is a highly regarded profession with high standards of honesty and ethics amongst various other professions. Nursing has emerged as the largest health care occupation with over 2.7 million jobs. With over 100,000 vacant positions and a ever-growing need for health care workers, the career outlook is excellent for the nursing field. National Center for Workforce Analysis, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services predicts a shortage of 808,416 nurses by the year 2020. Such an analysis and prediction is backed by very strong reasoning and findings. Advancement in technology and medical field has resulted in an increased life span. Elderly population is now living longer and more of them will require care and nursing. With more elderly people in need of such care, demands rise for nursing force that can meet such needs. Also, the need for more skilled nurses is growing. With insurance companies stepping into the medical field to reduce the cost of health care expenditure, demand for nurses, outside the hospital setting has also risen. Not to forget that the current nursing workforce is aging and many are expected to retire over next 10-15 years only to create a void, adding to the shortage further. So, nurses with a BSN degree can expect a securer career and better job prospects.

Nurses blend knowledge of science and technology with the art of care and compassion. Nursing provides opportunity to save and improve lives, care for the sick and debilitated, educate patients and people towards achieving good health and above all, the feeling of helping someone in their hour of illness and need. There is no greater service than caring for the sick and needy. Nurses are required to deliver basic duties, which includes but is not limited to providing treatment, health education, emotional support, record maintenance, operating medical equipment in addition to counseling patient and their family about the management of their illness. Registered Nurses (RNs) also run general health screening and immunization clinics, organize public seminars, motivate blood donation drives, etc. Three out of five nurses in the United States work in hospitals. Most of the others work in clinics, home health, extended care settings, schools, colleges, universities, the public health services, and nonprofit agencies throughout the United States and many other countries. Nursing can be a challenging job with continuous exposure to grief and suffering, stress, work pressures, little or excessive patient contact and occupational hazards including but not limited to infectious diseases, radiation exposure, accidental needle sticks, chemicals, anesthesia, back injury and emotional stress. Role autonomy and independence, innovativeness, technical knowledge, and teamwork are characteristics of this job, in addition to personal satisfaction and professional rewards.

The nursing schools are a gateway to this profession and almost all of them require a high school diploma in addition to sound academic standing in English, Algebra, Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology with a GPA score of atleast 3. Computer experience is an asset. Leadership and organization skills are vital to this profession. Most schools shall still require you to clear the National League for Nursing (NLN) Pre-admission exam besides the SAT exam. Over 1,500 nursing programs in the US provide three different educational paths towards becoming a Registered Nurse (RN). Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a four-year program offered at colleges and universities. An associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is a two-year program offered at many community and junior colleges. Some hospital schools of nursing and universities offer an ADN degrees. Hospital Diploma is a two to three year program based in hospital settings. Many diploma schools are affiliated with junior colleges where students take basic science and English requirements. Opportunities are maximum with a BSN degree. BSN is a requirement for obtaining a master's degree or becoming an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN). The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recognizes the BSN degree as the minimum educational requirement for a professional nursing practice. Even though graduates can begin practice as an RN with an ADN or diploma, the BSN degree is a must for nurses seeking to assume roles as case-managers or supervisors or move across employment settings. Tuition fee depends on your college and state of residence, but financial aids and scholarships are available to take care of such needs. There are technical and vocational schools as well, which provide one-year course towards becoming a Practical Nurse or a Vocational Nurse. Once graduated, the next important thing is to obtain licensure for practice in the State of your preference. Eighteen states participate in the Nur se Licensure Compact Agreement (NCLA) which permits a licensed nurse to practice in any of the other seventeen states, if they have obtained license to practice in one of the states. License can be obtained by passing national licensing exam NCLEX-RN for becoming a Registered Nurse and NCLEX-PN for becoming Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) as in Texas, California. LPN and LCN provide care for sick, injured and disabled under direct supervision of physicians and RNs.

Nursing career is full of opportunities for those who want to specialize and pursue higher education. A few popular specialties are AIDS Care Nurse, Ambulatory Care Nurse, Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurse, Case Management, Correctional Nurse, Enterostomal Therapy Nurse, Gastroenterology/Endoscopy Nurse, Genetics Nurse, Infection Control Nurse, Intravenous Therapy Nurse, long-term Care Nurse, Managed Care Nurse, Nephrology Nurse and more, the list does not end here. Most of the specialties do welcome RNs with a BSN degree only. In addition, there is increasing demand for APNs. APNs are primary health care practitioners, working independently or in collaboration with physicians. In most states, they are permitted to prescribe medications. The four specializations for APNs include Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) providing expert consultation in any of the above mentioned specialties; Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) administer anesthesia and monitor patient's vital signs during surge ry in addition to providing post-anesthesia care; Nurse Midwives (CNM) provide primary care to females covering aspects like family planning, prenatal care, neonatal care and assist delivery; and Nurse Practitioners (NP) who provide basic preventive health care to patient. NPs are primary as well as specialty care providers in medically underserved areas. APNs are lower cost primary care providers in comparison to physicians.

Advanced degrees available to nurses are masters (MSN), doctoral degree (Ph.D., EdD, DNS) and post-doctoral programmes. Doctoral degrees can provide placements as a senior policy analyst, researcher, health system executive and as a nursing school dean.

RNs may work as a staff nurse or become APNs. Also exisins are a few positions involving little or no direct patient contact. Such positions include Case Managers, Forensic Managers (applying knowledge of nursing for legal enforcement, like treating and investigating a victim of assault or abuse and similar), Infection Control Nurses, Legal Nurse Consultants (assist lawyers in medical cases by interviewing patient, organizing records, and educating lawyers about medical conditions), Nurse Administrators, Nurse Informatics, Health Care Consultants, Public Policy Advisors, Medical editors and writers.

Career and job prospects are bright as mentioned above and with increasing demand and difficulty to hold up nurses in hospitals, many hospitals and corporate sectors have now started offering incentives like signing bonuses, subsidized training, open shift bidding. Open shift bidding is an emerging concept where nurses can find vacant shifts at premium wages and bid for same online. This also reduces mandatory overtime that many nurses have to do otherwise. Many employers now provide family friendly work schedules and flexibility, again an indication of demand in such places.

RNs are earning anywhere from $37,300 to greater than $74,760 depending upon qualifications and experience, besides job locations. Median salary can be appreciated as $52,330 annually. Entry level RN can earn from $30,000 to $45,000 annually. All this comes with benefit packages including health insurance, holiday pay, college tuition reimbursement, childcare, pension plans and much more. Expected shortage of nurses over coming years is going to tilt the situation more in the favor of nurses and they can look forward to a securer future with brighter prospects and rewards.

Becoming a nurse is not just about money but dedicating your life to service mankind, caring for the sick and to be able to support them and their family in difficult times. The potential is enormous and specialization options aplenty. Nursing as a profession is full of personal satisfaction and professional rewards.

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The Criminality of Transition

Lecture given at the Netherlands Economic Institute (NEI) on 18/4/2001

Human vice is the most certain thing after death and taxes, to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin. The only variety of economic activity, which will surely survive even a nuclear holocaust, is bound to be crime. Prostitution, gambling, drugs and, in general, expressly illegal activities generate c. 400 billion USD annually to their perpetrators, thus making crime the third biggest industry on Earth (after the medical and pharmaceutical industries).

Many of the so called Economies in Transition and of HPICs (Highly Indebted Poor Countries) do resemble post-nuclear-holocaust ashes. GDPs in most of these economies either tumbled nominally or in real terms by more than 60% in the space of less than a decade. The average monthly salary is the equivalent of the average daily salary of the German industrial worker. The GDP per capita – with very few notable exceptions – is around 20% of the EU's average and the average wages are 14% the EU's average (2000). These are the telltale overt signs of a comprehensive collapse of the infrastructure and of the export and internal markets. Mountains of internal debt, sky high interest rates, cronyism, other forms of corruption, environmental, urban and rural dilapidation – characterize these economies.

Into this vacuum – the interregnum between centrally planned and free market economies – crept crime. In most of these countries criminals run at least half the economy, are part of the governing elites (influencing them behind the scenes through money contributions, outright bribes, or blackmail) and – through the mechanism of money laundering – infiltrate slowly the legitimate economy.

What gives crime the edge, the competitive advantage versus the older, ostensibly more well established elites?

The free market does. When communism collapsed, only criminals, politicians, managers, and employees of the security services were positioned to benefit from the upheaval. Criminals, for instance, are much better equipped to deal with the onslaught of this new conceptual beast, the mechanism of the market, than most other economic players in these tattered economies are.

Criminals, by the very nature of their vocation, were always private entrepreneurs. They were never state owned or subjected to any kind of central planning. Thus, they became the only group in society that was not corrupted by these un-natural inventions. They invested their own capital in small to medium size enterprises and ran them later as any American manager would have done. To a large extent the criminals, single handedly, created a private sector in these derelict economies.

Having established a private sector business, devoid of any involvement of the state, the criminal-entrepreneurs proceeded to study the market. Through primitive forms of market research (neighbourhood activists) they were able to identify the needs of their prospective customers, to monitor them in real time and to respond with agility to changes in the patterns of supply and demand. Criminals are market-animals and they are geared to respond to its gyrations and vicissitudes. Though they were not likely to engage in conventional marketing and advertising, they always stayed attuned to the market's vibrations and signals. They changed their product mix and their pricing to fit fluctuations in demand and supply.

Criminals have proven to be good organizers and managers. They have very effective ways of enforcing discipline in the workplace, of setting revenue targets, of maintaining a flexible hierarchy combined with rigid obeisance – with very high upward mobility and a clear career path. A complex system of incentives and disincentives drives the workforce to dedication and industriousness. The criminal rings are well run conglomerates and the more classic industries would have done well to study their modes of organization and management. Everything – from sales through territorially exclusive licences (franchises) to effective "stock" options – has been invented in the international crime organizations long before it acquired the respectability of the corporate boardroom.

The criminal world has replicated those parts of the state which were rendered ineffective by unrealistic ideology or by pure corruption. The court system makes a fine example. The criminals instituted their own code of justice ("law") and their own court system. A unique – and often irreversible – enforcement arm sees to it that respect towards these indispensable institutions is maintained. Effective – often interactive – legislation, an efficient court system, backed by ominous and ruthless agents of enforcement – ensure the friction-free functioning of the giant wheels of crime. Crime has replicated numerous other state institutions. Small wonder that when the state disintegrated – crime was able to replace it with little difficulty. The same pattern is discernible in certain parts of the world where terrorist organizations duplicate the state and overtake it, in time. Schools, clinics, legal assistance, family support, taxation, the cour t system, transportation and telecommunication services, banking and industry – all have a criminal doppelganger.

To summarize:

At the outset of transition, the underworld constituted an embryonic private sector, replete with international networks of contacts, cross-border experience, capital agglomeration and wealth formation, sources of venture (risk) capital, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a diversified portfolio of investments, revenue generating assets, and sources of wealth. Criminals were used to private sector practices: price signals, competition, joint venturing, and third party dispute settlement.

To secure this remarkable achievement – the underworld had to procure and then maintain – infrastructure and technologies. Indeed, criminals are great at innovating and even more formidable at making use of cutting edge technologies. There is not a single technological advance, invention or discovery that criminals were not the first to utilize or the first to contemplate and to grasp its full potential. There are enormous industries of services rendered to the criminal in his pursuits. Accountants and lawyers, forgers and cross border guides, weapons experts and bankers, mechanics and hit-men – all stand at the disposal of the average criminal. The choice is great and prices are always negotiable. These auxiliary professionals are no different to their legitimate counterparts, despite the difference in subject matter. A body of expertise, know-how and acumen has accumulated over centuries of crime and is handed down the generations in the criminal universi ties known as jail-houses and penitentiaries. Roads less travelled, countries more lenient, passports to be bought, sold, or forged, how to manuals, classified ads, goods and services on offer and demand – all feature in this mass media cum educational (mostly verbal) bulletins. This is the real infrastructure of crime. As with more mundane occupations, human capital is what counts.

Criminal activities are hugely profitable (though wealth accumulation and capital distribution are grossly non-egalitarian). Money is stashed away in banking havens and in more regular banks and financial institutions all over the globe. Electronic Document Interchange and electronic commerce transformed what used to be an inconveniently slow and painfully transparent process – into a speed-of-light here-I-am, here-I-am-gone type of operation. Money is easily movable and virtually untraceable. Special experts take care of that: tax havens, off shore banks, money transactions couriers with the right education and a free spirit. This money, in due time and having cooled off – is reinvested in legitimate activities. Crime is a major engine of economic growth in some countries (where drugs are grown or traded, or in countries such as Italy, in Russia and elsewhere in CEE). In many a place, criminals are the only ones who have any liquidity at all. The other, more vi sible, sectors of the economy are wallowing in the financial drought of a demonetized economy. People and governments tend to lose both their scruples and their sense of fine distinctions under these unhappy circumstances. They welcome any kind of money to ensure their very survival. This is where crime comes in. In Central and Eastern Europe the process was code-named: "privatization".

Moreover, most of the poor economies are also closed economies. They are the economies of nations xenophobic, closed to the outside world, with currency regulations, limitations on foreign ownership, constrained (instead of free) trade. The vast majority of the populace of these economic wretches has never been further than the neighbouring city – let alone outside the borders of their countries. Freedom of movement is still restricted. The only ones to have travelled freely – mostly without the required travel documents – were the criminals. Crime is international. It involves massive, intricate and sophisticated operations of export and import, knowledge of languages, extensive and frequent trips, an intimate acquaintance with world prices, the international financial system, demand and supply in various markets, frequent business negotiations with foreigners and so on. This list would fit any modern businessman as well. Criminals are international busine ssmen. Their connections abroad coupled with their connections with the various elites inside their country and coupled with their financial prowess – made them the first and only true businessmen of the economies in transition. There simply was no one else qualified to fulfil this role – and the criminals stepped in willingly.

They planned and timed their moves as they always do: with shrewdness, an uncanny knowledge of human psychology and relentless cruelty. There was no one to oppose them – and so they won the day. It will take one or more generations to get rid of them and to replace them by a more civilized breed of entrepreneurs. But it will not happen overnight.

In the 19th century, the then expanding USA went through the same process. Robber barons seized economic opportunities in the Wild East and in the Wild West and really everywhere else. Morgan, Rockefeller, Pullman, Vanderbilt – the most ennobled families of latter day America originated with these rascals. But there is one important difference between the USA at that time and Central and Eastern Europe today. A civic culture with civic values and an aspiration to, ultimately, create a civic society permeated the popular as well as the high-brow culture of America. Criminality was regarded as a shameful stepping stone on the way to an orderly society of learned, civilized, law-abiding citizens. This cannot be said about Russia, for instance. The criminal there is, if anything, admired and emulated. The language of business in countries in transition is suffused with the criminal parlance of violence. The next generation is encouraged to behave similarly because no cle ar (not to mention well embedded) alternative is propounded. There is no – and never was – a civic tradition in these countries, a Bill of Rights, a veritable Constitution, a modicum of self rule, a true abolition of classes and nomenclatures. The future is grim because the past was grim. Used to being governed by capricious, paranoiac, criminal tyrants – these nations know no better. The current criminal class seems to them to be a natural continuation and extension of generations-long trends. That some criminals are members of the new political, financial and industrial elites (and vice versa) – surprises them not.

In most countries in transition, the elites (the political-managerial complex) make use of the state and its simulacrum institutions in close symbiosis with the criminal underworld. The state is often an oppressive mechanism deployed in order to control the populace and manipulate it. Politicians allocate assets, resources, rights, and licences to themselves, and to their families and cronies. Patronage extends to collaborating criminals. Additionally, the sovereign state is regarded as a means to extract foreign aid and credits from donors, multilaterals, and NGOs.

The criminal underworld exploits the politicians. Politicians give criminals access to state owned assets and resources. These are an integral part of the money laundering cycle. "Dirty" money is legitimized through the purchase of businesses and real estate from the state. Politicians induce state institutions to turn a blind eye to the criminal activities of their collaborators and ensure lenient law enforcement. They also help criminals eliminate internal and external competition in their territories.

In return, criminals serve as the "long and anonymous arm" of politicians. They obtain illicit goods for them and provide them with illegal services. Corruption often flows through criminal channels or via the mediation and conduit of delinquents. Within the shared sphere of the informal economy, assets are often shifted among these economic players. Both have an interest to maintain a certain lack of transparency, a bureaucracy (=dependence on state institutions and state employees) and NAIRU (Non Abating Internal Recruitment Unemployment). Nationalism and racism, the fostering of paranoia and grievances are excellent tactics of mobilization of foot soldiers. And the needs to dispense with a continuous stream of patronage and provide venues for the legitimization of illegally earned funds delay essential reforms and the disposal of state assets.

This urge to become legitimate - largely the result of social pressure - leads to a deterministic, four stroke cycle of co-habitation between politicians and criminals. In the first phase, politicians grope for a new ideological cover for their opportunism. This is followed by a growing partnership between the elites and the crime world. A divergence then occurs. Politicians team up with legitimacy-seeking, established crime lords. Both groups benefit from a larger economic pie. They fight against other, less successful, criminals, who wish to persist in their old ways. This is low intensity warfare and it inevitably ends in the triumph of the former over the latter.

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Investors What Separates the Good Traders from the Bad Traders

There are many forms of investing online. While I can give you a list that is a mile long, these are the most common forms of successful investments. Some of the following know how to invest terms are:

Option trading

Future trading

Currency trading

Stock trading

Future trading

Forex trading (or) foreign exchange trading

I want to start this investing online critique out with a story... On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty-five years ago, two young men graduated from the same college. These men were very much alike. Both, better than average students, were personable and filled with ambitious dreams for the future.

For the sake of my example, I will set both college graduates off online trading using a day trading plat form. Through a gift, both start with the same online investing investment risk capital, the same daytrading plat form, and the same trading system with precise rules for entry and exits.

Shockingly, there is a difference. After one month, one day-trader went broke / bust, while the other day trader returned a 20% profit.

Have you ever wondered, as I have, what makes this kind of difference in people's trading? It is not always a native intelligence, talent or dedication. It is not that one person wants success and the other does not.

The difference lies within the psychology of the brain. Your psychological mind set is likely to play a larger role in your trading online career than your chosen technique or any other details associated with your day-to-day practice.

Here are some good examples:

One person looks at a glass

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The Fundamentals of Psychological Theories

All theories - scientific or not - start with a problem. They aim to solve it by proving that what appears to be "problematic" is not. They re-state the conundrum, or introduce new data, new variables, a new classification, or new organizing principles. They incorporate the problem in a larger body of knowledge, or in a conjecture ("solution"). They explain why we thought we had an issue on our hands - and how it can be avoided, vitiated, or resolved.

Scientific theories invite constant criticism and revision. They yield new problems. They are proven erroneous and are replaced by new models which offer better explanations and a more profound sense of understanding - often by solving these new problems. From time to time, the successor theories constitute a break with everything known and done till then. These seismic convulsions are known as "paradigm shifts".

Contrary to widespread opinion - even among scientists - science is not only about "facts". It is not merely about quantifying, measuring, describing, classifying, and organizing "things" (entities). It is not even concerned with finding out the "truth". Science is about providing us with concepts, explanations, and predictions (collectively known as "theories") and thus endowing us with a sense of understanding of our world.

Scientific theories are allegorical or metaphoric. They revolve around symbols and theoretical constructs, concepts and substantive assumptions, axioms and hypotheses - most of which can never, even in principle, be computed, observed, quantified, measured, or correlated with the world "out there". By appealing to our imagination, scientific theories reveal what David Deutsch calls "the fabric of reality".

Like any other system of knowledge, science has its fanatics, heretics, and deviants.

Instrumentalists, for instance, insist that scientific theories should be concerned exclusively with predicting the outcomes of appropriately designed experiments. Their explanatory powers are of no consequence. Positivists ascribe meaning only to statements that deal with observables and observations.

Instrumentalists and positivists ignore the fact that predictions are derived from models, narratives, and organizing principles. In short: it is the theory's explanatory dimensions that determine which experiments are relevant and which are not. Forecasts - and experiments - that are not embedded in an understanding of the world (in an explanation) do not constitute science.

Granted, predictions and experiments are crucial to the growth of scientific knowledge and the winnowing out of erroneous or inadequate theories. But they are not the only mechanisms of natural selection. There are other criteria that help us decide whether to adopt and place confidence in a scientific theory or not. Is the theory aesthetic (parsimonious), logical, does it provide a reasonable explanation and, thus, does it further our understanding of the world?

David Deutsch in "The Fabric of Reality" (p. 11):

"... (I)t is hard to give a precise definition of 'explanation' or 'understanding'. Roughly speaking, they are about 'why' rather than 'what'; about the inner workings of things; about how things really are, not just how they appear to be; about what must be so, rather than what merely happens to be so; about laws of nature rather than rules of thumb. They are also about coherence, elegance, and simplicity, as opposed to arbitrariness and complexity ..."

Reductionists and emergentists ignore the existence of a hierarchy of scientific theories and meta-languages. They believe - and it is an article of faith, not of science - that complex phenomena (such as the human mind) can be reduced to simple ones (such as the physics and chemistry of the brain). Furthermore, to them the act of reduction is, in itself, an explanation and a form of pertinent understanding. Human thought, fantasy, imagination, and emotions are nothing but electric currents and spurts of chemicals in the brain, they say.

Holists, on the other hand, refuse to consider the possibility that some higher-level phenomena can, indeed, be fully reduced to base components and primitive interactions. They ignore the fact that reductionism sometimes does provide explanations and understanding. The properties of water, for instance, do spring forth from its chemical and physical composition and from the interactions between its constituent atoms and subatomic particles.

Still, there is a general agreement that scientific theories must be abstract (independent of specific time or place), intersubjectively explicit (contain detailed descriptions of the subject matter in unambiguous terms), logically rigorous (make use of logical systems shared and accepted by the practitioners in the field), empirically relevant (correspond to results of empirical research), useful (in describing and/or explaining the world), and provide typologies and predictions.

A scientific theory should resort to primitive (atomic) terminology and all its complex (derived) terms and concepts should be defined in these indivisible terms. It should offer a map unequivocally and consistently connecting operational definitions to theoretical concepts.

Operational definitions that connect to the same theoretical concept should not contradict each other (be negatively correlated). They should yield agreement on measurement conducted independently by trained experimenters. But investigation of the theory of its implication can proceed even without quantification.

Theoretical concepts need not necessarily be measurable or quantifiable or observable. But a scientific theory should afford at least four levels of quantification of its operational and theoretical definitions of concepts: nominal (labeling), ordinal (ranking), interval and ratio.

As we said, scientific theories are not confined to quantified definitions or to a classificatory apparatus. To qualify as scientific they must contain statements about relationships (mostly causal) between concepts - empirically-supported laws and/or propositions (statements derived from axioms).

Philosophers like Carl Hempel and Ernest Nagel regard a theory as scientific if it is hypothetico-deductive. To them, scientific theories are sets of inter-related laws. We know that they are inter-related because a minimum number of axioms and hypotheses yield, in an inexorable deductive sequence, everything else known in the field the theory pertains to.

Explanation is about retrodiction - using the laws to show how things happened. Prediction is using the laws to show how things will happen. Understanding is explanation and prediction combined.

William Whewell augmented this somewhat simplistic point of view with his principle of "consilience of inductions". Often, he observed, inductive explanations of disparate phenomena are unexpectedly traced to one underlying cause. This is what scientific theorizing is about - finding the common source of the apparently separate.

This omnipotent view of the scientific endeavor competes with a more modest, semantic school of philosophy of science.

Many theories - especially ones with breadth, width, and profundity, such as Darwin's theory of evolution - are not deductively integrated and are very difficult to test (falsify) conclusively. Their predictions are either scant or ambiguous.

Scientific theories, goes the semantic view, are amalgams of models of reality. These are empirically meaningful only inasmuch as they are empirically (directly and therefore semantically) applicable to a limited area. A typical scientific theory is not constructed with explanatory and predictive aims in mind. Quite the opposite: the choice of models incorporated in it dictates its ultimate success in explaining the Universe and predicting the outcomes of experiments.

Are psychological theories scientific theories by any definition (prescriptive or descriptive)? Hardly.

First, we must distinguish between psychological theories and the way that some of them are applied (psychotherapy and psychological plots). Psychological plots are the narratives co-authored by the therapist and the patient during psychotherapy. These narratives are the outcomes of applying psychological theories and models to the patient's specific circumstances.

Psychological plots amount to storytelling - but they are still instances of the psychological theories used. The instances of theoretical concepts in concrete situations form part of every theory. Actually, the only way to test psychological theories - with their dearth of measurable entities and concepts - is by examining such instances (plots).

Storytelling has been with us since the days of campfire and besieging wild animals. It serves a number of important functions: amelioration of fears, communication of vital information (regarding survival tactics and the characteristics of animals, for instance), the satisfaction of a sense of order (predictability and justice), the development of the ability to hypothesize, predict and introduce new or additional theories and so on.

We are all endowed with a sense of wonder. The world around us in inexplicable, baffling in its diversity and myriad forms. We experience an urge to organize it, to "explain the wonder away", to order it so that we know what to expect next (predict). These are the essentials of survival. But while we have been successful at imposing our mind on the outside world we have been much less successful when we tried to explain and comprehend our internal universe and our behavior.

Psychology is not an exact science, nor can it ever be. This is because its "raw material" (humans and their behavior as individuals and en masse) is not exact. It will never yield natural laws or universal constants (like in physics). Experimentation in the field is constrained by legal and ethical rules. Humans tend to be opinionated, develop resistance, and become self-conscious when observed.

The relationship between the structure and functioning of our (ephemeral) mind, the structure and modes of operation of our (physical) brain, and the structure and conduct of the outside world have been a matter for heated debate for millennia.

Broadly speaking, there are two schools of thought:

One camp identify the substrate (brain) with its product (mind). Some of these scholars postulate the existence of a lattice of preconceived, born, categorical knowledge about the universe the vessels into which we pour our experience and which mould it.

Others within this group regard the mind as a black box. While it is possible in principle to know its input and output, it is impossible, again in principle, to understand its internal functioning and management of information. To describe this input-output mechanism, Pavlov coined the word "conditioning", Watson adopted it and invented "behaviorism", Skinner came up with "reinforcement".

Epiphenomenologists (proponents of theories of emergent phenomena) regard the mind as the by-product of the complexity of the brain's "hardware" and "wiring". But all of them ignore the psychophysical question: what IS the mind and HOW is it linked to the brain?

The other camp assumes the airs of "scientific" and "positivist" thinking. It speculates that the mind (whether a physical entity, an epiphenomenon, a non-physical principle of organization, or the result of introspection) has a structure and a limited set of functions. It is argued that a "mind owner's manual" could be composed, replete with engineering and maintenance instructions. It proffers a dynamics of the psyche.

The most prominent of these "psychodynamists" was, of course, Freud. Though his disciples (Adler, Horney, the object-relations lot) diverged wildly from his initial theories, they all shared his belief in the need to "scientify" and objectify psychology.

Freud, a medical doctor by profession (neurologist) - preceded by another M.D., Josef Breuer put forth a theory regarding the structure of the mind and its mechanics: (suppressed) energies and (reactive) forces. Flow charts were provided together with a method of analysis, a mathematical physics of the mind.

Many hold all psychodynamic theories to be a mirage. An essential part is missing, they observe: the ability to test the hypotheses, which derive from these "theories". Though very convincing and, surprisingly, possessed of great explanatory powers, being non-verifiable and non-falsifiable as they are psychodynamic models of the mind cannot be deemed to possess the redeeming features of scientific theories.

Deciding between the two camps was and is a crucial matter. Consider the clash - however repressed - between psychiatry and psychology. The former regards "mental disorders" as euphemisms - it acknowledges only the reality of brain dysfunctions (such as biochemical or electric imbalances) and of hereditary factors. The latter (psychology) implicitly assumes that something exists (the "mind", the "psyche") which cannot be reduced to hardware or to wiring diagrams. Talk therapy is aimed at that something and supposedly interacts with it.

But perhaps the distinction is artificial. Perhaps the mind is simply the way we experience our brains. Endowed with the gift (or curse) of introspection, we experience a duality, a split, constantly being both observer and observed. Moreover, talk therapy involves TALKING - which is the transfer of energy from one brain to another through the air. This is a directed, specifically formed energy, intended to trigger certain circuits in the recipient brain. It should come as no surprise if it were to be discovered that talk therapy has clear physiological effects upon the brain of the patient (blood volume, electrical activity, discharge and absorption of hormones, etc.).

All this would be doubly true if the mind were, indeed, only an emergent phenomenon of the complex brain - two sides of the same coin.

Psychological theories of the mind are metaphors of the mind. They are fables and myths, narratives, stories, hypotheses, conjunctures. They play (exceedingly) important roles in the psychotherapeutic setting but not in the laboratory. Their form is artistic, not rigorous, not testable, less structured than theories in the natural sciences. The language used is polyvalent, rich, effusive, ambiguous, evocative, and fuzzy in short, metaphorical. These theories are suffused with value judgments, preferences, fears, post facto and ad hoc constructions. None of this has methodological, systematic, analytic and predictive merits.

Still, the theories in psychology are powerful instruments, admirable constructs, and they satisfy important needs to explain and understand ourselves, our interactions with others, and with our environment.

The attainment of peace of mind is a need, which was neglected by Maslow in his famous hierarchy. People sometimes sacrifice material wealth and welfare, resist temptations, forgo opportunities, and risk their lives in order to secure it. There is, in other words, a preference of inner equilibrium over homeostasis. It is the fulfillment of this overwhelming need that psychological theories cater to. In this, they are no different to other collective narratives (myths, for instance).

Still, psychology is desperately trying to maintain contact with reality and to be thought of as a scientific discipline. It employs observation and measurement and organizes the results, often presenting them in the language of mathematics. In some quarters, these practices lends it an air of credibility and rigorousness. Others snidely regard the as an elaborate camouflage and a sham. Psychology, they insist, is a pseudo-science. It has the trappings of science but not its substance.

Worse still, while historical narratives are rigid and immutable, the application of psychological theories (in the form of psychotherapy) is "tailored" and "customized" to the circumstances of each and every patient (client). The user or consumer is incorporated in the resulting narrative as the main hero (or anti-hero). This flexible "production line" seems to be the result of an age of increasing individualism.

True, the "language units" (large chunks of denotates and connotates) used in psychology and psychotherapy are one and the same, regardless of the identity of the patient and his therapist. In psychoanalysis, the analyst is likely to always employ the tripartite structure (Id, Ego, Superego). But these are merely the language elements and need not be confused with the idiosyncratic plots that are weaved in every encounter. Each client, each person, and his own, unique, irreplicable, plot.

To qualify as a "psychological" (both meaningful and instrumental) plot, the narrative, offered to the patient by the therapist, must be:

All-inclusive (anamnetic) It must encompass, integrate and incorporate all the facts known about the protagonist.

Coherent It must be chronological, structured and causal.

Consistent Self-consistent (its subplots cannot contradict one another or go against the grain of the main plot) and consistent with the observed phenomena (both those related to the protagonist and those pertaining to the rest of the universe).

Logically compatible It must not violate the laws of logic both internally (the plot must abide by some internally imposed logic) and externally (the Aristotelian logic which is applicable to the observable world).

Insightful (diagnostic) It must inspire in the client a sense of awe and astonishment which is the result of seeing something familiar in a new light or the result of seeing a pattern emerging out of a big body of data. The insights must constitute the inevitable conclusion of the logic, the language, and of the unfolding of the plot.

Aesthetic The plot must be both plausible and "right", beautiful, not cumbersome, not awkward, not discontinuous, smooth, parsimonious, simple, and so on.

Parsimonious The plot must employ the minimum numbers of assumptions and entities in order to satisfy all the above conditions.

Explanatory The plot must explain the behavior of other characters in the plot, the hero's decisions and behavior, why events developed the way they did.

Predictive (prognostic) The plot must possess the ability to predict future events, the future behavior of the hero and of other meaningful figures and the inner emotional and cognitive dynamics.

Therapeutic With the power to induce change, encourage functionality, make the patient happier and more content with himself (ego-syntony), with others, and with his circumstances.

Imposing The plot must be regarded by the client as the preferable organizing principle of his life's events and a torch to guide him in the dark (vade mecum).

Elastic The plot must possess the intrinsic abilities to self organize, reorganize, give room to emerging order, accommodate new data comfortably, and react flexibly to attacks from within and from without.

In all these respects, a psychological plot is a theory in disguise. Scientific theories satisfy most of the above conditions as well. But this apparent identity is flawed. The important elements of testability, verifiability, refutability, falsifiability, and repeatability are all largely missing from psychological theories and plots. No experiment could be designed to test the statements within the plot, to establish their truth-value and, thus, to convert them to theorems or hypotheses in a theory.

There are four reasons to account for this inability to test and prove (or falsify) psychological theories:

Ethical Experiments would have to be conducted, involving the patient and others. To achieve the necessary result, the subjects will have to be ignorant of the reasons for the experiments and their aims. Sometimes even the very performance of an experiment will have to remain a secret (double blind experiments). Some experiments may involve unpleasant or even traumatic experiences. This is ethically unacceptable.

The Psychological Uncertainty Principle The initial state of a human subject in an experiment is usually fully established. But both treatment and experimentation influence the subject and render this knowledge irrelevant. The very processes of measurement and observation influence the human subject and transform him or her - as do life's circumstances and vicissitudes.

Uniqueness Psychological experiments are, therefore, bound to be unique, unrepeatable, cannot be replicated elsewhere and at other times even when they are conducted with the SAME subjects. This is because the subjects are never the same due to the aforementioned psychological uncertainty principle. Repeating the experiments with other subjects adversely affects the scientific value of the results.

The undergeneration of testable hypotheses Psychology does not generate a sufficient number of hypotheses, which can be subjected to scientific testing. This has to do with the fabulous (=storytelling) nature of psychology. In a way, psychology has affinity with some private languages. It is a form of art and, as such, is self-sufficient and self-contained. If structural, internal constraints are met a statement is deemed true even if it does not satisfy external scientific requirements.

So, what are psychological theories and plots good for? They are the instruments used in the procedures which induce peace of mind (even happiness) in the client. This is done with the help of a few embedded mechanisms:

The Organizing Principle Psychological plots offer the client an organizing principle, a sense of order, meaningfulness, and justice, an inexorable drive toward well defined (though, perhaps, hidden) goals, the feeling of being part of a whole. They strive to answer the "whys" and "hows" of life. They are dialogic. The client asks: "why am I (suffering from a syndrome) and how (can I successfully tackle it)". Then, the plot is spun: "you are like this not because the world is whimsically cruel but because your parents mistreated you when you were very young, or because a person important to you died, or was taken away from you when you were still impressionable, or because you were sexually abused and so on". The client is becalmed by the very fact that there is an explanation to that which until now monstrously taunted and haunted him, that he is not the plaything of vicious Gods, that there is a culprit (focusing his diffuse anger). His belief in the existence of order and justice and their administration by some supreme, transcendental principle is restored. This sense of "law and order" is further enhanced when the plot yields predictions which come true (either because they are self-fulfilling or because some real, underlying "law" has been discovered).

The Integrative Principle The client is offered, through the plot, access to the innermost, hitherto inaccessible, recesses of his mind. He feels that he is being reintegrated, that "things fall into place". In psychodynamic terms, the energy is released to do productive and positive work, rather than to induce distorted and destructive forces.

The Purgatory Principle In most cases, the client feels sinful, debased, inhuman, decrepit, corrupting, guilty, punishable, hateful, alienated, strange, mocked and so on. The plot offers him absolution. The client's suffering expurgates, cleanses, absolves, and atones for his sins and handicaps. A feeling of hard won achievement accompanies a successful plot. The client sheds layers of functional, adaptive stratagems rendered dysfunctional and maladaptive. This is inordinately painful. The client feels dangerously naked, precariously exposed. He then assimilates the plot offered to him, thus enjoying the benefits emanating from the previous two principles and only then does he develop new mechanisms of coping. Therapy is a mental crucifixion and resurrection and atonement for the patient's sins. It is a religious experience. Psychological theories and plots are in the role of the scriptures from which solace and consolation can be always gleaned.

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