Saturday, August 31, 2019

Jolly Java Essay

Jolly’s Java and Bakery Jolly’s Java and Bakery For the SWOT analysis, I chose evaluate the business plan for Jolly’s Java and Bakery. JJB is a bakery and coffee shop managed by two partners, Austin Patterson and David Fields. The company offers a broad range of coffee and espresso products at competitive prices, all from high quality Columbian grown imported coffee beans. In addition, the bakery will provide freshly prepared bakery and pastry products at all times during business operations. Catering to all of its customers by providing each customer coffee and espresso products made to suit the customer is a top priority. During the SWOT analysis, I discovered the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the company. The background experience of the owners strengthens many areas in the business plan. Austin Patterson has extensive experience in sales, marketing, and management, and was vice president of marketing with both Jansonne & Jansonne and Burper Foods. David Fields brings experience in the area of finance and administration, including a stint as chief financial officer with both Flaxfield Roasters and the national coffee store chain, BuzzCups. With this experience, the owners could address a well thought out start-up plan. The problem with hiring a majority of part- time workers is stability. Most responsible and dependable people are not able to balance their daily expenses with only a part-time job. They would require a second job which can affect the work environment. The retail coffee industry in the United States has experienced recently rapid growth. The cool marine climate in southwest Washington stimulates consumption of hot beverages throughout the year. With minimal levels of competition in the immediate area, JJB is presented with the opportunity to take over the industry.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Varying representations, interpretations of and attitudes towards death

Murderous, entrenched, complex – the Northern Ireland conflict seems to defy rational discourse. But from the contradictions and tensions has sprung some remarkable art, not least the poetry of the Troubles, now widely recognised as among the most vibrant contemporary writing in the English language. Through the six poems mentioned the theme of death is very prominent. We start with â€Å"Tollund Man† and â€Å"Grauballe Man†. In these two poems Heaney portrays the deaths as a tragedy, but opposed to his other poems, he refers hear mainly to the physical appearance of the bodies. In â€Å"Tollund Man† he starts the poem with a very vivid, striking description of the body, and expresses his desired pilgrimage. Heaney focus' mainly on the period after death in this poem and describes how its miraculous preservation has made it seem to become one with the earth â€Å"she tightened her torc on him†. Heaney seems in awe of the ‘corpse', which after death the body has taken on a Christ like appearance â€Å"I could risk blasphemy†. This death does not have any direct relation, as such, to Heaney, and therefore does not have the same sort of heartfelt mourning. None the less Heaney still seems to care greatly for this Bog body and elaborates on the condition in which the body was found. He uses these details to create himself his own story of their life leading up to their gruesome murder. In the last section of this poem Heaney refers to the â€Å"sad freedom† that comes with death, and how now he will be grouped as a statistic wit h Bog bodies found in the various other locations. The Tollund Man now has his freedom, but at a high price. Heaney finishes with a personal reference to his own sadness: â€Å"I will feel lost, unhappy, and at home† Here he is referring (as he does in a number of his poems) to the violence in Northern Ireland, to demonstrate how he has become accustomed to death. Similarly in â€Å"Grauballe Man† Heaney describes the body as if it has become one with the earth. As with many poets Heaney agrees that there is a fine line between sleep and death. Here the Grauballe Man: â€Å"Lies on a pillow of turf and seems to weep† Heaney personifies the lifeless body, describing him as if asleep he continues this and lets the bodies take on other animal qualities â€Å"his spine an eel arrested† but he maintains its peaceful image. Again here he uses vivid imagery â€Å"the vent of his of his slashed throat that has tanned and toughened† to convey the way in which this almost angelic body lays. He does not want to refer to the body as a corpse and he asks the rhetorical question â€Å"Who will say ‘corpse' to his vivid cast?† Similarly to the Tollund man given the body a more holy image than simply a rotting corpse. By the end of the poem Heaney has become familiar to the body and answers to himself his rhetorical question. Heaney draws up the conclusion that there is a fine line between beauty and atrocity. He uses blunt, monosyllabic word sounds such as slash[ed] and dump[ed] to represent the harsh reality of the world and what man has turned it into. Being used to death is something that has influenced a lot of Heaney's poems. This is an incredibly sad poem. The mood is set almost immediately in the second line: Counting bells knelling classes to a close. Notice how Heaney uses assonance and alliteration to emphasise the funereal sound of the bells and the feeling of time dragging. The stanza begins with the â€Å"morning† in line one but it is two o'clock in line three showing that hours have passed in waiting. The second stanza begins with the image of Heaney's father â€Å"crying†. Having come across Heaney's father in poems such as Follower in which he appears to be a strong man of few words, this contrary picture evokes powerful emotion in the reader. Heaney skilfully takes the reader with him as he enters the house through the porch – we meet his father, â€Å"Big Jim Evans†, the baby in its pram, the old men congregated in the room and finally Heaney's mother coughing out â€Å"angry tearless s ighs†. Lines 14-15 again show Heaney using assonance, this time in his repetition of the short â€Å"a† – â€Å"At†, â€Å"ambulance†, â€Å"arrived†, â€Å"stanched†, â€Å"and†, â€Å"bandaged† – emphasising the stopping short of blood and life. We learn in the sixth stanza that Heaney hadn't seen his brother for six weeks having been â€Å"Away at school†. The words â€Å"Paler now†, hang at the end of the stanza causing a sad pause before the sentence continues and describes how little changed in appearance the boy is in death, the difference being his paler complexion and â€Å"poppy bruise†. The final line stands out on its own. Almost every word is emphasised so that the reader must take in the line's message and the shock and deep grief that the family must have felt. There is an element of shock for the reader reading it for the first time also, when they discover who has died and that he was a mere four years old. Again in Funeral Rites it is a person close to Heaney who has died. In this poem Heaney describes him self as being very close to the deceased, playing the part of the pallbearer, he uses here a double entendre as he â€Å"shoulders a kind of manhood† as he is only a child. As in â€Å"The Tollund Man† and â€Å"The Grauballe Man† Heaney begins with a vivid description of the body with its â€Å"dough white hands† and â€Å"igloo brows†. Heaney uses phrases such as the black glacier of each funeral pushed away† to demonstrate how darkness is synonymous with death. In the second section of this poem, Heaney also concentrates on the period straight after death as in â€Å"Mid-Term Break†. However here he focuses on the funeral procession linking it again with the violence in Northern Ireland: â€Å"Now as news comes in of each neighbourly murder we pine for ceremony, customary rhythms:† Heaney shows he has become accustomed to death and how the formalities after death are simply for show. Heaney, once again, creates a solemn atmosphere in the second section describing the slow moving procession paying their ‘respect'. He personifies the funeral procession as it â€Å"drags its tail† morbidly through the streets and side roads of Ireland. In the last section Heaney brings together the themes of his own childhood experience of death, deaths in the north at present and the death of Gunnar, a Viking hero â€Å"dead by violence and unavenged†. This demonstrates the futile waste of life conflict has caused over many centuries, and sending a powerful message to the reader. In the poem â€Å"Limbo† Heaney touches on the controversial subject of Religion. Heaney casually introduces the subject of the poem, with a newspaper style headline: â€Å"Fishermen at Ballyshannon Netted an infant last night Along with the salmon† He tags on the end of the first to line†-along with the salmon† making it sound as if it is nothing out of the ordinary. Following this he concentrates on the actual death of the bastard baby, murdered by his own mother for the sake of religious beliefs. Heaney describes how the baby was rejected by its mother and discarded, although not without feeling: â€Å"He was a minnow with hooks Tearing her open.† This shows how strong some peoples convictions really are, and how they are prepared to die, or to kill for them. He uses vivid imagery and descriptive language to try and out across the pain, emotion, and brutality of the situation. The mother has to choose her baby or her religion, and being a strict Christian chooses Catholicism and drowns her own child ironically in contrast with the teachings of the bible. He ands mentioning the place where the body of the child now lays, in â€Å"some far briny zone† where the water is too harsh â€Å"Even Christ's palms, unhealed, Smart and cannot fish there.† The last poem, Casualty, is more of a story than the others are. It describes an elderly man who is a local customer at a bar in Ireland. He is fond of a drink but is able to control him self and maintain dignity. He is content to sit at a bar and watch life go by him. Out of respect he attempts to speak of poetry, but is clearly not at ease with this, so Heaney changes the subject. Although he is â€Å"laconic† he has a great presence, but his confidence eventually leads to his downfall, and this is how Heaney builds up emotion in the reader. He presents a figure that he describes in great detail and becomes attached to. This man does not think he should have to obey a curfew and is killed out on the street. Heaney describes how graffiti on the wall compares lives to goals in a football match. Heaney demonstrates his emotion in the harsh situation, and provokes emotion in the reader by creating a very solemn mood. In the second section Heaney moves on from this particular case to the general brutality in the Ireland conflict. He uses phrases such as â€Å"coffin after coffin† and â€Å"common funeral† to demonstrate how, tragically, death and violence have become an accepted part of life. Heaney then goes back to the solemn story of the man from the bar, who was simply carrying out his usual routine. He did not think he should be confined to his home for someone else's evils. This shows how the killings were not discriminate and he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Heaney then goes on to say how he did not attend the funeral, but instead reminisces on his times spent with the man. Heaney seems to find falsehood in funerals, and would prefer to sit in isolation and think back to the time when he â€Å"tasted freedom with him†. Now the man is free and has no longer to face the arduous tasks of life, or the cruelty of man. Throughout Heaney's poems he expresses his distaste of mans cruelty towards their own species. Heaney expresses his views on the futility of violence with inspiring confidence. In each of his poems he manages to use many different literary devices and provokes thought and emotion in the reader. His language is poignant and yet not aggressive and at the same time he is presenting a very valid set of arguments.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

“Click” by John Barth Essay

Barth insight on the worlds technological advancement with computers gave him a good start on an interesting story. By incorporating today’s living with literature he turn out Click. â€Å"Click† some hated it, but some liked it. I think the lack of understanding of this story is what caused those people to dislike the story; the fact that the story was very long also had something to do with it. I will present the in-depth thought that made me understand and really like the story. Also I will put some points from the elements of fiction. I really like the concepts â€Å"Click† presented when I read it. There were some thoughts that the writer expressed, then there were some that was more in-depth and you had to think about. So lets begin the argument. One explicit theme to ‘Click’ is told best by Barth, â€Å"The Hypertextuality of Everyday Life†(73). Where each word can take you further and further into a maze of choices. The choices can go deeper which defines the terms of what you read. Those terms travels along side the paths of day by day activities. Until you get to an endless sea of terms, â€Å"given time and clicks enough, you will have ‘accessed’ virtually the sum of language, the entire expressible world. That’s ‘hypertext,'(75). I understood the combination of these words that are expressed to the fullest extent to be part of this story. The author gave so many side notes in parentheses or any other expressible notation that it could have drove the reader to throw the book against the wall. So, as Barth does so when he goes to express himself with the following â€Å"(because all these digressions, suspensions, parentheses, and brackets are setting the Narrator’s t eeth on edge†¦.)†(77). The text will be to long to show an example from the story. Lets try it anyway â€Å"(Parenthesized elements in this case = amplification that might indeed be cut, but might instead well be ‘hypertexted’ behind the bare-bones description, to accessed on demand, just as further amplifications [not given, but perhaps hypertexted] might lie behind {any highlighted/underlined words})† (76). With this quote you can click on the word that you want to get the information on. If you haven’t figured it out yet hypertext is usually used on a computer thus comes the title â€Å"Click†. Where the computer is the gateway to many passages to more information than any one human brain can handle. Where someone well rehearsed can crack the  highest of security codes with the whelms of their thought; all the way through to the illiterate who use two fingers instead of ten. Wait I’m getting sidetracked, which brings me to my next point of the story. Where â€Å"the flashy home page of their Web-server program, actually encouraging her (the character) to sidetrack here and there in the What’s new? And What’s Cool? Departments† .(78) Where the web give you so many options to go down. I don’t know if any one person can honestly navigate through the entanglement of â€Å"the World Wide Web (WWW), [without] the deployment of ‘bookmarks’ as shortcuts through that electronic labyrinth, the black hole of leisure and very antidote to spare time.† (77) It would have been to frustrating and so over whelming to be focus on one particular thing. Although once you start the journey that’s all one has is time when getting on the internet. Clicking is an action with a choice in a computer’s world. You can get lost with that massive instrument. You can also get lost with the twists of everyday life too. If you assume â€Å"everybody knows, after all (or believes that he or she know,) what ‘everyday life’ is, different as may be the everyday lives of , say, Kuwaiti oil sheikhs and American felons serving life sentences in maximum-security prisons without possibility of parole†.(74) You just deal with all the little conflicts and dilemmas. Where some one’s life can be painstakingly slow. While another’s is speed right through. The point of view of life will always be held by that individual. Where the authors point of view in this story varies. It goes from the third to the first then to the audience. The story is letting’s us experience the everyday life of each character. It is how their lives intertwine that make the story. A good story is drawn on many basis. Barth bring ups the point if a story has â€Å"this constant sidetracking, this what’s-the-rush digression, can take the edge off the main event by the time one gets to it, the way some restaurants lay on so many introductory courses and side dishes that one has no appetite for the entrà ©e†. (82) This concept with drain the life out the story or overly stuff them with tedious details. The audience will lose interest which will distract them from what the author wants to get through to them. If the story holds the â€Å"full agenda [which] was a single item, [the] top  priority always and only the bottom line, [the] eternal (and infernal) Let’s get on with the story in fact a Let’s get done with the story, for the reason†, (83) of a means to an end. The story will be so short that you won’t have much to go on to understanding the story in the first place. These two concepts alone causes a story to tarnish and be a waste of paper in some since. It is the combination of the two that makes a great story. â€Å"Its between fundamentally opposite views of and modes of dealing with the infinitely complex nature of reality† (87). The center of narrative gravity pulls us to the perception of reality on this story. Without the ying there is no yang that holds the boundaries of a story. â€Å"Their tendencies represent contrary narrative impulses of equal validity and importance.† (90) The opposites of each other that counterbalance themselves. Give us â€Å"[a] satisfyingly told story requires enough [Ying]—that is, enough detail amplification, and analysis— to give it clarity, texture, solidity, verisimilitude, and empathetic effect.† (90) The detail terms that can be taken out of the parenthesis sometime with give that require information (that hypertexted). â€Å"It [also] requires equally enough [Yang]—that is, efficiently directed forward motion, ‘profluence,’ on-with-the-storyness– for coherence, anti-tedium, and dramatic effect.† (90). The story has to keep to a single track, because if you split it up to much you have multiple stories with no ending. Where â€Å"CNG’s interactive E-fiction serendipitously supply the terms ‘Expediter’ and ‘Enhancer’ to shorthand the characterological differences that erupted†,(87) expediter being Mark and the enhancer being Valerie. Valerie the ying of the story. The one who you need to fill the story in with enough details to help the reader understand what it is all about. Where Valerie validates what Marks role have to do with the story by saying his concept is â€Å"who gave a damn?–[Mark’s] idea of living life was the same, Let’s get done with it, [an example of her situation] every time she saw him ready and fidgeting in the car a full ten minutes earlier than he knew as well as she they needed to leave for work, she was tempted to suggest that they drive straight to the funeral parlor and get done with it.† (83) That is what the expediter can’t help but do. Val’s statement † ‘I thought you  were the big moving-onner and I was the over-dwelling-on-things.’ â€Å"(88) The author gave us a foreshadowing uncharacteristic of, the intrapersonal relationship with Mark, Valerie where â€Å"(Val ‘s better than Mark, we remember, at shrugging of f their infrequent blowups)†. (87) Although by the end of the story you have â€Å"Val (who, decidedly herself even after deciding to be more Marklike)†, (91) Which we will confront of Marks behave. Then there is Mark the yang of the story. You need him to get to the point of the story and not to lead you to different paths that are available to access in the story. Where his thoughts were â€Å"having no timetable or deadlines doesn’t mean having no agenda or priorities†, (82) to give and example â€Å"Expediter and enhancer in the Supermarket, he with grocery list in one hand, pencil in other, and eye on watch, she already examining the (unlisted) radicchio and improvising new menu plans down the line†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , (79). Where that is the Enhancer for you, the person who comes up with more of the story and gives you a better â€Å"taste† variety. Where his uncharacteristic foreshadowing is shown with, â€Å"He’s less ready to take offense, but slower to put their occasional tiffs behind him.† (81). Also â€Å"(Val’s better than Mark, we remember, he tends to forget that and to project from his own distress [of dwelling on their argu ment longer ])†, (87). When toward the end â€Å"Mark (inescapably himself even when determined to be more Valish)† (91). The contradictory of the two characters gave the story its base. The â€Å"anonymous oddball whose homepage [was] http://www.epiphs.art† (78) alias CNG â€Å"who happened just then to be passing by and sympathetically so saw and heard them [at that horrible Saturday quarrel], or a couple not unlike them, toe-to-toeing it, and who then subsequently was inspired to imagine.† (84) Created and gave us the fictional story of Irma and Fred, who are the replacement to Valerie and Mark. They where part of the beginning (of the end) of the story. They along with millions of other names in the world are made up identities in order for its users to surf the web freely. It could also represent the wants of that individual to be someone else other than themselves. Although we are not going to get into that ordeal. The setup of the story begins with the near ending which in Marks case is â€Å"Lets be done with it† morality. CNG who is the supposedly author/narrator of the â€Å"Click†Ã‚  story. Kind of at first threw me off, because I thought the story was going to be a third person point of view. Well once the ideal of the end of the Irma and Fred story here comes the bulk of the actual story, where the Val morality is used. When the end of the end came it left me wanting more. â€Å"Valerie lifts one [long] [lithe] [cinnamon-tan] leg up and with her [left] [great] toe gives the Mac’ master switch a† (92). WHAT? I would have yell if I wasn’t in a crowded area when I read that last page. It leaves you with the daunting of the hypertexts of choices. Since this is a book you wouldn’t be able click on any of the above words to get the ending. You left tittering on the edge of a cliff that drops for days on ends. The taunting the author leaves you by not using the Mark in any good story. Yet that was his aim even for the ending to turn out to be happy and open to imagination.

Nick DiChario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nick DiChario - Essay Example (Nick DiChario.com)His short fiction has appeared in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and the following publications in the United States: The Year's Best Science Fiction, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, and The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century, among many others. (www.cybling.com, Nick DiChario as guest). DiChario has also been nominated for a John W. Campbell Award, two Hugo Awards, and a World Fantasy Award. In addition to writing stories, some of his plays have been presented in Geva Theatre's Regional Playwrights Festival in upstate New York, and he is the workshop coordinator for Writers & Books. (Id.) It is clear that DiChario does not take himself too seriously which may be the reason why his writing is so successful. He chatted on a blog with fans from the Green Room at "Chicon, the 58th Annual World Science Fiction Convention". Research across the web also indicates that he enjoys the feedback that he receives from his fans and avidly writes back. The largest impression that I received from this novel was that it made me wonder what would happen if I were in Tink's shoes. A small and remarkable life is a fitting title to this novel because in the grand scheme of life, Tink's could hardly be considered influential. However, it was remarkable in that we have a wonderful impression of what it would be like to be a fish out of water. The adaptation has suffocated a person, and DiChario shows us what it would be like realistically for an alien. Based on his description, I guess it would be the same for us if we ever visited "Wetspace". This novel tells us the story of Tink Puddah, a strange being mostly conveniently referred to as the "foreigner". Tink comes to us from a place called "Wetspace". It looks like Tink may be the child of Nif and Ru, also two aliens from "Wetspace". The Three have decided to come to earth and adapt themselves to the planet and its' people in the mid 1800's. I also thought that it was interesting to begin the story with Tink's funeral. I loved the idea of the preacher being the public enemy instead of the alien. In fact in his review of the book, Corey Redkop from "Shelf Monkey states "DiChario propels the story through startling imagery that pays homage to the tenets of the genre while at the same time raising the bar". The novel allows us to examine our own conscious while enjoying science fiction at the same time. It also demonstrates that all persons are fallible. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is that it is a "first contact" novel. Taking the form of a 'first-contact' novel (i.e. a story based on the presumption of Earth's first contact with an alien life form), this really does seem like we are almost experiencing this story ourselves. What I appreciate most about this novel is that despite the subject matter, we are still taken through unexpected roads which for a moment seem ludicrous, yet after thought are log ical. My favorite quote from this novel is: "Their metamorphosis had begun-they had each developed two miniature spherical structures of jelly-like eyes with which to see the new world. Bodies shrinking, rounding, bending. Bones to support the eco-matter. Small, bipedal, humanoid creatures they would become. Atoms, molecules, joints, nails, skin, glands, hormones,

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Research Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Research Critique - Essay Example As seen from the introduction, the clinical problem being investigated is preeclampsia. The researchers are interested in knowing whether the disease affects women in their first pregnancy more than others. The researchers undertake this research knowing that it is true that the disease is common among the first pregnancies. However, they argue that the assumption in favor of this research can be strengthened by the fact that more women decide not to give birth after undergoing through first time preeclampsia. Therefore, the researchers conduct their researches on the same topic while considering that many people refuse to give birth to their second child because of problems related to preeclampsia during the first pregnancy. One of the reasons for conducting this research is related to high risks associated with the disease, as explained earlier. Other reasons such as clarification and information increase have also been a motivating factor in conducting a research in these areas (H ernà ¡ndez-Dà ­az, Toh & Cnattingius, 2009). Although the researchers have not ostensibly outlined the research question, it is possible to outline the main questions for the research. The question is preeclampsia still common among women during their first time pregnancies even with the researchers’ knowledge that most do not engage in second time conception recreation after going through difficulties related to preeclampsia. Through the question deduction, one cannot help but note the strong relationship between the question and the purpose of the research study areas (Hernà ¡ndez-Dà ­az, Toh & Cnattingius, 2009). The main research method used is the mixed research approach, which is appropriate in this content as there is a need to explain the problem in its context. In addition, there is a need for using quantitative research method in presenting data obtained and in measuring the relationship among variables.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The Coast Guard Academy and what you will get as a Cadet Personal Statement

The Coast Guard Academy and what you will get as a Cadet - Personal Statement Example The researcher will begin with the statement that his particular interest is within the Coast Guard Academy. The author has rightly presented that he believes that life is short and one should do what one wants to in entirety. This is the reason why the author tilt is towards becoming a Cadet which shall, in essence, take care of his future professional domains. His four years as a Cadet would teach the author discipline in the sternest manner possible. It will inculcate in him a sense of understanding how life shapes up and what needs to be done in order to bring sanity to his life. The basic understanding underlining the case study is that the researcher’s goals are to achieve what he has always dreamt of within his professional life. The researcher states that this has meant that he shall take care of the important factors within his stay at the Coast Guard Academy which will pave the way for my success in the times to come. The paper tells that other goals that the researc her has established for him include his adherence towards keeping him motivated, especially under difficult circumstances and extraordinary situations. The efforts that the author has put in all this while bank on his educational qualification and his reliance on making his way through the different pathways to achieve his goals. The researcher will conclude with an example of time management which he is good at.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Project Management Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Project Management - Research Proposal Example Throughout literature, there seems to be a two-sided wave of discussion on the core forms of risk associated with the oil and gas industry. These are what may be referred to as historical risk factors and complex modern risk factors (Geman, 2005). Parigi and Guiso (1999) noted that the oil and gas industry has for long suffered from historical risk factors that have always seemed to be available, no matter the area of investment in the industry. Some of the specific historical risk factors are named to include commodity price volatility, geopolitics, cost risk, demand and supply risk, and political risk. In the estimation of Grenadier (2002) however, even though these historical risk factors cannot be pushed under the carpet, the industry continues to experience so much complexity that expands its risks beyond those mentioned earlier. In the light of this, the industry is said to be faced with complex modern risk factors which are directly focused on macroeconomic influences (Hansen, 1982). With this said, the industry can be said to be harboring a form of increasing proclivity of mega-projects at the national levels which account for a leveraged economies of scale, which have pushed for the existence of macroeconomic influences. There are a number investment appraisal and risk management techniques used in the oil and gas industry today. This section of the review gives an overview of these techniques, when they are considered right for application, and the limitation that comes with each. The first technique is the accounting rate of return (ARR). Williams (2002) noted that this technique is appropriate in determining the profit an investor requires from an investment as against the amount invested. Its limitation however is that it is not considered suitable when dealing with competing projects as competing projects may have same rate of return but different net present value (Parigi and Guiso, 1999). There is also the use of payback

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Money and banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Money and banking - Essay Example Jefferson argues that since no mention of any mandate was present, Congress had no such right. Hamilton dismissed Jefferson’s arguments by citing that Congress has â€Å"necessary and proper powers† to implement the nation’s fiscal and monetary policy. He added that a central bank fits perfectly into this scheme, by making it easier for Congress to do the job. If there were one central bank coordinating all banks, Congress could easily hold one accountable. Eventually, Hamilton’s arguments won, and this would set the practice of establishing central banks for the years to come, beginning with the First Bank of the United States of America. (Johnson 7) This should be viewed actually as the triumph of the power of money over democracy. Money could be represented by paper marked by the government as legal tender. In itself, it is harmless to democracy. But left to the hands of unscrupulous individuals and bankers, money can be used to damage democracy as can be seen in the succeeding events. During the term of James Madison, the bill seeking to renew the First Bank’s Charter was defeated by a narrow margin. Madison liked the outcome, but chaos ensued. The War of 1812 made the US Government to focus its effort in surviving against England. As a result, state-chartered banks began issuing different fiat currencies with little value. Proponents of central banking then blamed Madison for such troubles. Near the end of his term, Madison was forced to sign the charter of the Second Bank of America, as this was the popular clamor of Representatives. (Johnson 9) Thus, although there were hopes that democracy will prevail over the system of credit, central banking won. This episode illustrates clearly the fact that because of money, efforts to implement what is good for the general public can be undermined. Fast forward to 1907,

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Coca-Cola and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Coca-Cola and Innovation - Essay Example Coke is giving more emphasize to sustainable development and they are doing everything possible to preserve the environment in which it operates. According to Jeff Seabright, The Coca-Cola Company's vice president of environment and water resources, â€Å"sustainability begins with the simple act of paying attention. You can't manage what you can't measure"(Making Sustainability the Real Thing). This paper briefly analyses the innovation at Coca Cola which helped them to maintain their top spot unchallenged for a longer period. In May, 1886, Coca Cola was invented by Doctor John Pemberton a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia. John Pemberton concocted the Coca Cola formula in a three legged brass kettle in his backyard. The name was a suggestion given by John Pemberton's bookkeeper Frank Robinson†. On April 23, 1985, the trade secret "New Coke" formula was released. Today, products of the Coca Cola Company are consumed at the rate of more than one billion drinks per day (Bellis) Today, Coca Cola is the largest non-alcoholic beverage company in the world. It has more than 300 worldwide bottling partners at present which are working together with Coca-Cola to ensure success. Coke’s trademark is recognized by more than 94% of the world’s population at present. ... ked its employees â€Å"to think about what kind of growth would be possible in a market, and to figure out how to knock down the barriers to attain that growth instead of setting goals in the traditional style† (Strategic Leadership at Coca Cola: The Real Thing, p.6). â€Å"Ivester was known to be a CEO who communicated with people at all levels and ignored hierarchy† (Strategic Leadership at Coca Cola: The Real Thing, p.7). Ivestor tried to reduce the gap between top management and ordinary workers. He has realized that keeping normal workers away from decision making process may adversely affect the interests of the company and he started to accept suggestions and opinions from the employees even at the lower levels. This innovative strategy in management brought dividends to the organization. Coca Cola employees started to feel more sincerity towards their company and they started to witness Coke as their own company. The increased loyalty of the workers towards the company resulted in increased productivity. Daft, the successor of Ivestor also contributed heavily to the development of Coke company. â€Å"Whereas Ivester’s mantra had been Think global - act local, Daft’s vision leaned more toward Think local - act local† (Strategic Leadership at Coca Cola: The Real Thing, p.10). Daft realized the importance of localization of business more than Ivestor. Ivestor has tried to implement unique business strategies all over the world since he thought that same product needs same marketing strategies everywhere. However, Daft recognized the necessities of different marketing strategies across different cultures or countries. He tried to implement different business strategies for each market, rather than trying to implement a unique business strategy all over the world.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Internal Memorandum of law for negeligent supervision(the Tuttles) and Assignment

Internal Memorandum of law for negeligent supervision(the Tuttles) and negeligence( the Jone's) - Assignment Example Owen and Dolly Jones, who own and operate the campground, dont have any security on the premises because they are a "mom and pop" operation, and many of the campers come back year after year. They posted a sign out front that says, "Everyones family at the O & D Family Campground!" Tamaras family has been looking for a summer spot to which they can return year after year, so they gave the O & D Family Campground a try this year. The first morning after arriving, the two 10 year-old girls hit the pool at about 9:30, even though a sign posted at the pool entrance states that the pool is not supposed to open for another half hour, at 10:00 am. Tamara dove into the pool, and said, "Ow! Its shallow here, but it is warm! Come on in!" Shayla yelled, "What?" and dove in right next to Tamara, but she hit bottom and broke her arm. Tamara saved Shayla from drowning by pulling her to the side of the pool, and then helping her out to the pool deck. The girls yelled for Tamaras parents, who came out and immediately called an ambulance. Owen and Dolly returned from breakfast in town, and rushed into the pool area before the ambulance even arrived. Tamaras mom wondered why the pool was not marked as shallow on that end, but Dolly says they put up the signs every morning when they get ready to officially open the pool, plus the pool is sand bottom and relatively soft anyway. First: The Americans with Disabilities Act and other jurisprudence protects Shayla. Even though she is dyslexic, that does not mean that she is any more responsible or that the campground is any less responsible. Second: A business has some defense against negligence if what occurred happened outside normal business hours. However, this defense is not ironclad: If a company has an employee do an errand and the employee gets into a crash while carrying a company-issued cell phone or pager or is a non-designated driver, the company can be liable even outside of normal operating hours (FindLaw,

Thursday, August 22, 2019

China online banking development Essay Example for Free

China online banking development Essay China is expected to become the largest information technology (IT) market in the world in the next five years, acknowledging that computers will be popular in Chinese families by that time. China now ranks No. 2 in Internet subscribers in the world. Owing to Chinas large population, the countrys Internet market still has great potential. Information technology has been utilized in almost all sectors of Chinas economy today. E-government, e-business, e-finance, and upgrading of state-owned enterprises will all provide more opportunities for the development of the industry in  China is expected to become the largest information technology (IT) market in the world in the next five years, acknowledging that computers will be popular in Chinese families by that time. China now ranks No. 2 in Internet subscribers in the world. Owing to Chinas large population, the countrys Internet market still has great potential. Information technology has been utilized in almost all sectors of Chinas economy today. E-government, e-business, e-finance, and upgrading of state-owned enterprises will all provide more opportunities for the development of the industry in China. Read the Memo sent out by Jaime about 2004 Mid-Year Offsite Business-planning meeting conducted by S1 management team, the key topic of Perfecting our International and Distribution Business caught my attention. Learned the news that Macau Tai Fung bank implemented S1 Banking Solution to launched its online banking services, and found out that S1 opened an office in Beijing Chinas capital city, I got a feeling that S1 already turned its eyes to Chinese Market and wonder whether S1s management would like to make further moves and seize the opportunity. Before left China to immigrant to Canada, I had 6 years working experiences in Beijing-my home city, dealing with Chinese financial agencies and institutions, Chinese and foreign banks as well as other financial institutions and service providers in China, Im quite familiar with Chinese financial industry structure. Id like to reuse my knowledge and made this online research report. If S1 is interested in expanding business in China, but not clear what is the situation there and where to start, my research report will, I hope to a certain extent, answer some of your questions. The main purpose of this report is to provide some information and personal suggestions that, I hope, could be helpful for S1s management or marketing team to better understand Chinese market. This report includes information covering Chinese banking system structure, the emergence and development of Internet banking and online insurance services in China, Chinese governments policies and regulations toward online banking and insurance business as well as some prepositional thoughts about how to present S1 and its products to China. Naissance of Online Banking in China In the late 1990s, China began allowing banks to open online businesses. In 1996, China Merchants Bank launched the 1st online financing service in China through All in One Net, an online payment method, which set up the basic operating pattern of China online banking. On October 1997, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) established its own homepage on Internet to promote its financing services and to provide business guide for Internet users. March 1998, Bank of China successfully handled its first e-transaction. To 1999, all major banks in China had sped up their online banking construction. To date, online banking has made good progress in China. According to statistics from the recently seminar called International Symposium on the Development of Online Banking and Supervision sponsored by China Banking Regulatory Commission, Chinas online bank transactions are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Currently, China has over 40 million individuals and 60,000 companies and institutions involved in online banking businesses. In 2003, Internet-based banking businesses have witnessed a big step forward, owing to the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Traditionally, Chinese have placed a premium on face-to-face meeting for important business-related matters, but the SARS crisis has forced people to change their attitude. Online Banking Development in China China is in the early stages of a vast transformation from a traditional cash and carry banking system where customers use the branches for almost every banking activity to a modern Internet banking system. Currently, more than 50 commercial banks (domestic and foreign) and over 200 of their branches in China have opened websites, among which, a total of over 50 banks have launched online businesses. The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Chinas online bank transactions were 14. 3 billion yuan in 2001, increased to 21. 8 billion yuan in 2003, and are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Figure 3. 1: The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Online Shopping Payment Methods in China. According to a survey made by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), payment online by credit card and deposit card is becoming the 1st choice for online purchasing. The traditional payment method of payment on delivery by cash and postal remittance decreased 3. 7% this year. Figure 3. 2: Online Purchasing Payment Methods in China An analysis shows that security and service abilities are the main concerns for Chinese to use online banking services, 72. 2% of the people inquired care a lot about whether the banks can guarantee the safety of all transactions in their online services, 60. 6% hope to see more functions and flexibilities. Figure 3. 3: Factors that that will attract Chinese to use online banking services Both Chinese and foreign banks in China realized that the internet solutions provide clients with more channels to communicate with them and allow them to benefit from greater control and cost efficiency, which are top of mind for treasurers today. Domestic Banks and Their Online Banking Services For many Chinese, banking in general is a new experience and in an economy where cash remains important, so bank branches also provide security to customers. However, with accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Chinas major banks having to face competition, the local players are increasingly seeing their extensive and heavily manned branch networks as a liability. More and more Chinese banks seem to have discovered the Internet as new source of revenue and the powerful attraction of Internet banking is reflected an attractive proposition. The Chinese bank that has bee quickest off the mark in building Internet banking is China Merchant Bank, which launched the first online financing service in China in 1996. The four state-owned commercial banks quickly followed and successively began to offer some online services since then. May 2000, the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) implemented a trial Internet banking service in its Guangzhou Branch, which allowed their customers in Guangdong province to access their account through Internet. December 2000, ABC launched online banking service in Shanghai called 95599 Online Bank. The new service of 95599 Online bank has reportedly attracted a number of large corporate clients, such as China Worldbest Group and Shanghai Volkswagen. The services offered include currency exchange, personal cheque issuance and access to consumer loans. Users can also report the loss of certificates of deposit, bankbooks and bankcards as well as prearrange withdrawals of cash sums. At the same time, China Construction Bank (CCB) announced its plans to extend its online banking services to 15 cities in the mainland as well as simplify the process of related authentication in a bid to boost the number of clients using online services. The bank began offering online services in April 2000 in cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao. Last year, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) unveiled a new platform for its personal online banking business [emailprotected] ICBC officials said the upgraded e-banking platform could facilitate a key shift of the banks outlets from all-round functions to sales-orientated services, and gives it a firmer foothold in a market with intensifying foreign competition. ICBC officials said the 58-function brand-name allows almost all services a traditional banking outlet offers to be processed by the client on the computer, including 24-hour any-amount transfers of funds or remittances, securities and foreign currency trading as well as collateralized loans. Figure 3. 4: Internet Services provided by the 4 state-owned commercial banks Name Website URL Language Internet Services The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) www. abocn. com Chinese Simplified Banking industry news and website news, Regulation for foreign currency deposits Link to online banking Bank of China (BOC) www. bank-of-china. com Chinese Simplified English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to E-banking services Cash management Information on the bank and its activities Information on credit card deposits online and phone banking, loans and remittances. China Construction Bank www. ccb-on-line. com Chinese Simplified English Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Credit card information. International Operations such as financing, merchant banking, international settlements, currency exchange, treasury services, credit investigations Information on oversea branches and domestic branches that conduct international transactions Foreign currency deposit, multi-currency remittances, account settlement and term deposit. Link to online banking and payment The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) www. icbc. com. cn Chinese Simplified Chinese Traditional English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to online bank services: personal banking, corporate Banking. Information on E-banking Online financing Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Foreign Banks and Their Online Banking Services Citibank claims that they are the 1st foreign bank in China that obtained approval from the Peoples Bank of China (PCBC) to offer Internet banking services in China to both domestic and international corporations, as well as consumers. Its Internet banking services provide clients with convenient, easy-to-use, and secure access to banking transactions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over the Web. Offering its CitiDirect corporate banking service for cash management, the bank has developed an internet-based payments system specifically for the country. The system enables corporate clients in China to make local currency (renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations. The system, called Citibank Easy Payments, also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Its Internet-based banking services available in China for corporate and consumer clients include: CitiDirect(r) Online Banking is Citibanks Web-based delivery channel for corporate clients, designed to securely deliver online an ever-expanding array of Citibank transaction products. CitiDirect(r) Online Banking provides access to account information, payment initiation capabilities, collections data, trade finance transactions, and import/export file integration capabilities. CitiDirect(r) replaces traditional electronic banking applications with a single Web-based delivery channel, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs to clients. Available in 90 countries and 20 languages including traditional and simplified Chinese, CitiDirecti Online Banking gives clients the benefits of real-time processing, robust security and integration with their in-house treasury systems. * Citibank Easy Payments, an Internet-based payment system that allows corporate clients in China to make local currency (Renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations in China. This system was specifically developed for the China market. Citibank Easy Payments also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Citibank Easy Payments supports interface with all major Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages such as SAP, Oracle, BPCS as well as locally developed Chinese accounting packages. Citibank. com. cn, an Internet banking portal that allows corporations and consumers to manage their accounts online, make online enquiries or transactions, view customize and personalize pages as well as get online tools and real-time global market information. Global banking group HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Bank of East Asia received online-banking license and launched online banking service in China on January 2003. This new service allows their customers to check their balances, transfer funds, make time deposits and account enquiries, check interest and foreign exchange rates, and send remittance instructions through Internet. It is said that more foreign banks, like London-based Standard Chartered Bank, have also received approval to launch online banking services in China, but it is not clear when the emerging market specialist would offer such service. China is expected to become the largest information technology (IT) market in the world in the next five years, acknowledging that computers will be popular in Chinese families by that time. China now ranks No. 2 in Internet subscribers in the world. Owing to Chinas large population, the countrys Internet market still has great potential. Information technology has been utilized in almost all sectors of Chinas economy today. E-government, e-business, e-finance, and upgrading of state-owned enterprises will all provide more opportunities for the development of the industry in China. Read the Memo sent out by Jaime about 2004 Mid-Year Offsite Business-planning meeting conducted by S1 management team, the key topic of Perfecting our International and Distribution Business caught my attention. Learned the news that Macau Tai Fung bank implemented S1 Banking Solution to launched its online banking services, and found out that S1 opened an office in Beijing Chinas capital city, I got a feeling that S1 already turned its eyes to Chinese Market and wonder whether S1s management would like to make further moves and seize the opportunity. Before left China to immigrant to Canada, I had 6 years working experiences in Beijing-my home city, dealing with Chinese financial agencies and institutions, Chinese and foreign banks as well as other financial institutions and service providers in China, Im quite familiar with Chinese financial industry structure. Id like to reuse my knowledge and made this online research report. If S1 is interested in expanding business in China, but not clear what is the situation there and where to start, my research report will, I hope to a certain extent, answer some of your questions. The main purpose of this report is to provide some information and personal suggestions that, I hope, could be helpful for S1s management or marketing team to better understand Chinese market. This report includes information covering Chinese banking system structure, the emergence and development of Internet banking and online insurance services in China, Chinese governments policies and regulations toward online banking and insurance business as well as some prepositional thoughts about how to present S1 and its products to China. Naissance of Online Banking in China In the late 1990s, China began allowing banks to open online businesses. In 1996, China Merchants Bank launched the 1st online financing service in China through All in One Net, an online payment method, which set up the basic operating pattern of China online banking. On October 1997, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) established its own homepage on Internet to promote its financing services and to provide business guide for Internet users. March 1998, Bank of China successfully handled its first e-transaction. To 1999, all major banks in China had sped up their online banking construction. To date, online banking has made good progress in China. According to statistics from the recently seminar called International Symposium on the Development of Online Banking and Supervision sponsored by China Banking Regulatory Commission, Chinas online bank transactions are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Currently, China has over 40 million individuals and 60,000 companies and institutions involved in online banking businesses In 2003, Internet-based banking businesses have witnessed a big step forward, owing to the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Traditionally, Chinese have placed a premium on face-to-face meeting for important business-related matters, but the SARS crisis has forced people to change their attitude. Online Banking Development in China China is in the early stages of a vast transformation from a traditional cash and carry banking system where customers use the branches for almost every banking activity to a modern Internet banking system. Currently, more than 50 commercial banks (domestic and foreign) and over 200 of their branches in China have opened websites, among which, a total of over 50 banks have launched online businesses. The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Chinas online bank transactions were 14. 3 billion yuan in 2001, increased to 21. 8 billion yuan in 2003, and are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Figure 3. 1: The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Online Shopping Payment Methods in China According to a survey made by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), payment online by credit card and deposit card is becoming the 1st choice for online purchasing. The traditional payment method of payment on delivery by cash and postal remittance decreased 3. 7% this year. Figure 3. 2: Online Purchasing Payment Methods in China An analysis shows that security and service abilities are the main concerns for Chinese to use online banking services, 72. 2% of the people inquired care a lot about whether the banks can guarantee the safety of all transactions in their online services, 60. 6% hope to see more functions and flexibilities. Figure 3. 3: Factors that that will attract Chinese to use online banking services Both Chinese and foreign banks in China realized that the internet solutions provide clients with more channels to communicate with them and allow them to benefit from greater control and cost efficiency, which are top of mind for treasurers today. Domestic Banks and Their Online Banking Services For many Chinese, banking in general is a new experience and in an economy where cash remains important, so bank branches also provide security to customers. However, with accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Chinas major banks having to face competition, the local players are increasingly seeing their extensive and heavily manned branch networks as a liability. More and more Chinese banks seem to have discovered the Internet as new source of revenue and the powerful attraction of Internet banking is reflected an attractive proposition. The Chinese bank that has bee quickest off the mark in building Internet banking is China Merchant Bank, which launched the first online financing service in China in 1996. The four state-owned commercial banks quickly followed and successively began to offer some online services since then. May 2000, the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) implemented a trial Internet banking service in its Guangzhou Branch, which allowed their customers in Guangdong province to access their account through Internet. December 2000, ABC launched online banking service in Shanghai called 95599 Online Bank. The new service of 95599 Online bank has reportedly attracted a number of large corporate clients, such as China Worldbest Group and Shanghai Volkswagen. The services offered include currency exchange, personal cheque issuance and access to consumer loans. Users can also report the loss of certificates of deposit, bankbooks and bankcards as well as prearrange withdrawals of cash sums. At the same time, China Construction Bank (CCB) announced its plans to extend its online banking services to 15 cities in the mainland as well as simplify the process of related authentication in a bid to boost the number of clients using online services. The bank began offering online services in April 2000 in cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao. Last year, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) unveiled a new platform for its personal online banking business [emailprotected] ICBC officials said the upgraded e-banking platform could facilitate a key shift of the banks outlets from all-round functions to sales-orientated services, and gives it a firmer foothold in a market with intensifying foreign competition. ICBC officials said the 58-function brand-name allows almost all services a traditional banking outlet offers to be processed by the client on the computer, including 24-hour any-amount transfers of funds or remittances, securities and foreign currency trading as well as collateralized loans. Figure 3. 4: Internet Services provided by the 4 state-owned commercial banks Name Website URL Language Internet Services The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) www. abocn. com Chinese Simplified Banking industry news and website news, Regulation for foreign currency deposits Link to online banking Bank of China (BOC) www. bank-of-china. com Chinese Simplified English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to E-banking services Cash management Information on the bank and its activities Information on credit card deposits online and phone banking, loans and remittances. China Construction Bank www. ccb-on-line. com Chinese Simplified English Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Credit card information. International Operations such as financing, merchant banking, international settlements, currency exchange, treasury services, credit investigations Information on oversea branches and domestic branches that conduct international transactions Foreign currency deposit, multi-currency remittances, account settlement and term deposit. Link to online banking and payment The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) www. icbc. com. cn Chinese Simplified Chinese Traditional English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to online bank services: personal banking, corporate Banking. Information on E-banking Online financing Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Foreign Banks and Their Online Banking Services Citibank claims that they are the 1st foreign bank in China that obtained approval from the Peoples Bank of China (PCBC) to offer Internet banking services in China to both domestic and international corporations, as well as consumers. Its Internet banking services provide clients with convenient, easy-to-use, and secure access to banking transactions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over the Web. Offering its CitiDirect corporate banking service for cash management, the bank has developed an internet-based payments system specifically for the country. The system enables corporate clients in China to make local currency (renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations. The system, called Citibank Easy Payments, also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Its Internet-based banking services available in China for corporate and consumer clients include: CitiDirect(r) Online Banking is Citibanks Web-based delivery channel for corporate clients, designed to securely deliver online an ever-expanding array of Citibank transaction products. CitiDirect(r) Online Banking provides access to account information, payment initiation capabilities, collections data, trade finance transactions, and import/export file integration capabilities. CitiDirect(r) replaces traditional electronic banking applications with a single Web-based delivery channel, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs to clients. Available in 90 countries and 20 languages including traditional and simplified Chinese, CitiDirecti Online Banking gives clients the benefits of real-time processing, robust security and integration with their in-house treasury systems. * Citibank Easy Payments, an Internet-based payment system that allows corporate clients in China to make local currency (Renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations in China. This system was specifically developed for the China market. Citibank Easy Payments also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Citibank Easy Payments supports interface with all major Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages such as SAP, Oracle, BPCS as well as locally developed Chinese accounting packages.   Citibank. com. cn, an Internet banking portal that allows corporations and consumers to manage their accounts online, make online enquiries or transactions, view customize and personalize pages as well as get online tools and real-time global market information. Global banking group HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Bank of East Asia received online-banking license and launched online banking service in China on January 2003. This new service allows their customers to check their balances, transfer funds, make time deposits and account enquiries, check interest and foreign exchange rates, and send remittance instructions through Internet. It is said that more foreign banks, like London-based Standard Chartered Bank, have also received approval to launch online banking services in China, but it is not clear when the emerging market specialist would offer such service. Read the Memo sent out by Jaime about 2004 Mid-Year Offsite Business-planning meeting conducted by S1 management team, the key topic of Perfecting our International and Distribution Business caught my attention. Learned the news that Macau Tai Fung bank implemented S1 Banking Solution to launched its online banking services, and found out that S1 opened an office in Beijing Chinas capital city, I got a feeling that S1 already turned its eyes to Chinese Market and wonder whether S1s management would like to make further moves and seize the opportunity. Before left China to immigrant to Canada, I had 6 years working experiences in Beijing-my home city, dealing with Chinese financial agencies and institutions, Chinese and foreign banks as well as other financial institutions and service providers in China, Im quite familiar with Chinese financial industry structure. Id like to reuse my knowledge and made this online research report. If S1 is interested in expanding business in China, but not clear what is the situation there and where to start, my research report will, I hope to a certain extent, answer some of your questions. The main purpose of this report is to provide some information and personal suggestions that, I hope, could be helpful for S1s management or marketing team to better understand Chinese market. This report includes information covering Chinese banking system structure, the emergence and development of Internet banking and online insurance services in China, Chinese governments policies and regulations toward online banking and insurance business as well as some prepositional thoughts about how to present S1 and its products to China. Naissance of Online Banking in China In the late 1990s, China began allowing banks to open online businesses. In 1996, China Merchants Bank launched the 1st online financing service in China through All in One Net, an online payment method, which set up the basic operating pattern of China online banking. On October 1997, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) established its own homepage on Internet to promote its financing services and to provide business guide for Internet users. March 1998, Bank of China successfully handled its first e-transaction. To 1999, all major banks in China had sped up their online banking construction. To date, online banking has made good progress in China. According to statistics from the recently seminar called International Symposium on the Development of Online Banking and Supervision sponsored by China Banking Regulatory Commission, Chinas online bank transactions are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Currently, China has over 40 million individuals and 60,000 companies and institutions involved in online banking businesses. In 2003, Internet-based banking businesses have witnessed a big step forward, owing to the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Traditionally, Chinese have placed a premium on face-to-face meeting for important business-related matters, but the SARS crisis has forced people to change their attitude. Online Banking Development in China China is in the early stages of a vast transformation from a traditional cash and carry banking system where customers use the branches for almost every banking activity to a modern Internet banking system. Currently, more than 50 commercial banks (domestic and foreign) and over 200 of their branches in China have opened websites, among which, a total of over 50 banks have launched online businesses. The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Chinas online bank transactions were 14. 3 billion yuan in 2001, increased to 21. 8 billion yuan in 2003, and are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Figure 3. 1: The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Online Shopping Payment Methods in China According to a survey made by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), payment online by credit card and deposit card is becoming the 1st choice for online purchasing. The traditional payment method of payment on delivery by cash and postal remittance decreased 3. 7% this year. Figure 3. 2: Online Purchasing Payment Methods in China An analysis shows that security and service abilities are the main concerns for Chinese to use online banking services, 72. 2% of the people inquired care a lot about whether the banks can guarantee the safety of all transactions in their online services, 60. 6% hope to see more functions and flexibilities. Figure 3. 3: Factors that that will attract Chinese to use online banking services Both Chinese and foreign banks in China realized that the internet solutions provide clients with more channels to communicate with them and allow them to benefit from greater control and cost efficiency, which are top of mind for treasurers today. Domestic Banks and Their Online Banking Services For many Chinese, banking in general is a new experience and in an economy where cash remains important, so bank branches also provide security to customers. However, with accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Chinas major banks having to face competition, the local players are increasingly seeing their extensive and heavily manned branch networks as a liability. More and more Chinese banks seem to have discovered the Internet as new source of revenue and the powerful attraction of Internet banking is reflected an attractive proposition. The Chinese bank that has bee quickest off the mark in building Internet banking is China Merchant Bank, which launched the first online financing service in China in 1996. The four state-owned commercial banks quickly followed and successively began to offer some online services since then. May 2000, the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) implemented a trial Internet banking service in its Guangzhou Branch, which allowed their customers in Guangdong province to access their account through Internet. December 2000, ABC launched online banking service in Shanghai called 95599 Online Bank. The new service of 95599 Online bank has reportedly attracted a number of large corporate clients, such as China Worldbest Group and Shanghai Volkswagen. The services offered include currency exchange, personal cheque issuance and access to consumer loans. Users can also report the loss of certificates of deposit, bankbooks and bankcards as well as prearrange withdrawals of cash sums. At the same time, China Construction Bank (CCB) announced its plans to extend its online banking services to 15 cities in the mainland as well as simplify the process of related authentication in a bid to boost the number of clients using online services. The bank began offering online services in April 2000 in cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao. Last year, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) unveiled a new platform for its personal online banking business [emailprotected] ICBC officials said the upgraded e-banking platform could facilitate a key shift of the banks outlets from all-round functions to sales-orientated services, and gives it a firmer foothold in a market with intensifying foreign competition. ICBC officials said the 58-function brand-name allows almost all services a traditional banking outlet offers to be processed by the client on the computer, including 24-hour any-amount transfers of funds or remittances, securities and foreign currency trading as well as collateralized loans. Figure 3. 4: Internet Services provided by the 4 state-owned commercial banks Name Website URL Language Internet Services The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) www. abocn. com Chinese Simplified Banking industry news and website news, Regulation for foreign currency deposits Link to online banking Bank of China (BOC) www. bank-of-china. com Chinese Simplified English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to E-banking services Cash management Information on the bank and its activities Information on credit card deposits online and phone banking, loans and remittances. China Construction Bank www. ccb-on-line. com Chinese Simplified English Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Credit card information International Operations such as financing, merchant banking, international settlements, currency exchange, treasury services, credit investigations Information on oversea branches and domestic branches that conduct international transactions Foreign currency deposit, multi-currency remittances, account settlement and term deposit. Link to online banking and payment The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) www. icbc. com. cn Chinese Simplified Chinese Traditional English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to online bank services: personal banking, corporate Banking Information on E-banking Online financing Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Foreign Banks and Their Online Banking Services Citibank claims that they are the 1st foreign bank in China that obtained approval from the Peoples Bank of China (PCBC) to offer Internet banking services in China to both domestic and international corporations, as well as consumers. Its Internet banking services provide clients with convenient, easy-to-use, and secure access to banking transactions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over the Web. Offering its CitiDirect corporate banking service for cash management, the bank has developed an internet-based payments system specifically for the country. The system enables corporate clients in China to make local currency (renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations. The system, called Citibank Easy Payments, also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Its Internet-based banking services available in China for corporate and consumer clients include: CitiDirect(r) Online Banking is Citibanks Web-based delivery channel for corporate clients, designed to securely deliver online an ever-expanding array of Citibank transaction products. CitiDirect(r) Online Banking provides access to account information, payment initiation capabilities, collections data, trade finance transactions, and import/export file integration capabilities. CitiDirect(r) replaces traditional electronic banking applications with a single Web-based delivery channel, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs to clients. Available in 90 countries and 20 languages including traditional and simplified Chinese, CitiDirecti Online Banking gives clients the benefits of real-time processing, robust security and integration with their in-house treasury systems. * Citibank Easy Payments, an Internet-based payment system that allows corporate clients in China to make local currency (Renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations in China. This system was specifically developed for the China market. Citibank Easy Payments also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Citibank Easy Payments supports interface with all major Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages such as SAP, Oracle, BPCS as well as locally developed Chinese accounting packages.   Citibank. com. cn, an Internet banking portal that allows corporations and consumers to manage their accounts online, make online enquiries or transactions, view customize and personalize pages as well as get online tools and real-time global market information. Global banking group HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Bank of East Asia received online-banking license and launched online banking service in China on January 2003. This new service allows their customers to check their balances, transfer funds, make time deposits and account enquiries, check interest and foreign exchange rates, and send remittance instructions through Internet. It is said that more foreign banks, like London-based Standard Chartered Bank, have also received approval to launch online banking services in China, but it is not clear when the emerging market specialist would offer such service.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Organized sport Essay Example for Free

Organized sport Essay There are multiple benefits of playing an organized sport in school and it definitely help you out in life. Confidence is a huge part of being part of an organized sport. When you improve and keep improving you will start to feel better about yourself. Your coach will tell you the same thing when you are doing well and that should be a great feeling and will greatly increase your confidence. Sportsmanship is another benefit of playing sports. When someone makes you angry when you are playing you need to be able to stay composed and don’t let it get to you. It’s the same way when you are not playing a sport. You shouldn’t need to start anything with anyone. Playing organized sports will also help you with getting along with people. You need to be able to get along with your teammates especially. It is part of team chemistry and if it isn’t there then the team might not be as good as they could be if you just got along. If you don’t like them you still need to get along with them while playing your sport or it wont work. Students who participate in organized sports tend to work harder in school and have greater educational aspirations. It can also be an incentive to get better grades in school. Some schools require minimum grade point averages and attendance to be eligible. Parents can also set certain requirements for their kids. When children participate in these types of activities they learn to communicate and work better with their peers and adults. Organized sports are usually made up of kids who have a lot of different social backgrounds. Which can help teach them about diversity and give them the opportunity to make new friends. It teaches you a strong work ethic as well. They are more likely to be active and hard working students. Organized sports teach kids how to be disciplined during practice and how to focus to the task they are doing at the moment, and how to be patient when things get a little rough. Athletes also have to be able to achieve balance between their schoolwork and sports. There are many ways that benefit kids who participate in organized sports. Perseverance will make them stronger and the will gain the willpower to be the best athlete they can possibly be.

Nurses On A Palliative Care Unit Nursing Essay

Nurses On A Palliative Care Unit Nursing Essay According to Olade (2004), nursing practice using observed phenomena and evidences is an example of education which refers to formalized experiences designed to enlarge the knowledge or skills of nursing educators or practitioners. Through experiences and evidences, the ability to learn actual clinical practice and the orientation in health care protocols and policies in handling patients needs will be achieved. This method is also termed as Evidence-based practice. Evidence-based practice involves a combination of many disciplines, including aspects of multidisciplinary sciences to promote the restoration and maintenance of health in our clients (Davies, 2005). Much literature has been published on this topic in recent years, an evolving subject and concept for specific practices that promote more effective, safer and more efficient ways of caring (Drenkard Cohen, 2004). Maintaining and improving high satisfaction among nurses is an important area to discover (Ebell, 2008). To achieve this, we need a workforce to continually strive for excellence, specifically in caring for clients experiencing loss and bereavement be responsible and flexible enough, have the confidence to face the challenges, and inspire everyone with a shared vision. These are strengths needed by nursing staff to motivate others health care provider to fulfill their potential and achieve goals (Littlefield, 2005). Researches, studies and articles were utilized and analyzed in gathering the necessary information needed. Clinical education, skills and practices are the key concepts used in this paper. Possession of knowledge and competency in performing skills and interventions for clients experiencing grief and bereavement which can be acquired in hands on training are essential in practicing the profession especially in the palliative care unit of NHS hospital is important. As a nursing professional, tangible skills and knowledge in a hospital setting is very important in managing clients and supervising clients (Burns Foley, 2005). Evidences were identified through thorough assessment and research. The challenges discussed below were identified through gathering of recent information in the palliative care unit and data that focuses on this subject. Decisional Teachings and Interventions As a nurse, you need to ensure that the client is treated with dignity, that is, with honor and respect. Dying clients often feel they have lost control over their lives and over life itself. Helping patient die with dignity involves maintaining their humanity, consistent with their values, beliefs, and culture. By introducing available options to the client and significant others, you can restore and support feelings of control. Some choices that clientss family can make are location of care (home, hospital or hospice), time of appointments with health professionals, activity schedule, use of health resources, and times of visit (Matzo and Sherman, 2004). The family of dying patient wants `to be able to manage the events preceding death so she can die peacefully. You can help client to determine her own physical, psychological, and social priorities. Dying people often strive for self fulfillment more than for self preservation, and may need to find meaning in continuing to live whi le suffering. Part of the nurses challenge is to support the clients hope and will (Smeltzer, 2009). Nevertheless, the communication between clients families may not solve all decisional differences, her mother insist on interventions that health care professionals consider inadvisable. In case like this, the initial step is for all parties to focus on having clear goals of care. Hospice Support to facilitate proper bereavement The decision of clients family for home care with hospice support focuses on symptoms control and pain management. Hospice care is always provided by a team of both health professionals and nonprofessionals to ensure a full range of care services. In the case of many patients, palliative care will be the option. This care may be given to meet their physiological need (Matzo, 2005). Ventilatory support for patient can improve her respiratory functioning and relieve symptoms of respiratory distress using mechanical ventilation. While the decisions made by the family wanting their family member to be vented are often reached by consensus with the patient and her family, patient does have an opportunity to designate a family member as a healthcare proxy. Family Teachings and Interventions The reaction of any person to another persons impending death depends on all factors regarding loss and the development of the concept of death. In spite of the individual variations in persons view about the cause of death, spiritual beliefs, availability of support systems, or other factor, responses tend to cluster in the process. To help the family, spiritual support is of great importance in dealing with death. Although not all clients identify with specific religious faith or belief, most have a need for meaning in their lives, particularly as they experience a terminal illness. Establish a communication relationship that shows concern for and commitment to the family and client. There are also communication strategies that let client and her family knows that you are available to talk about death (Smeltzer, 2009). Caring for clients family members is an important intervention in caring for the terminally ill patient. Family-centered interventions and care is focused on the goal, needs and values of the family and patient including their understanding of the treatment options, illness, prognosis and their preferences and expectations for decision making and treatment (Matzo and Sherman, 2004). Specific interventions appropriate for clients family includes providing hope within parameters of individual situations without giving false reassurance. Listening to their expressions regarding their perceptions of the situation is also important to determine how they handle the situation (Zerwekh, 2006). Giving honest answers to their questions and giving correct information will assist the family in dealing with the situation. Encouraging strength, promoting support systems and referring to other resources such as pastoral care, counseling and organized support groups will promote wellness and facilitate long term action (Smeltzer, 2009). Communicating effectively at all levels is a common barrier in the implementation of change among health care in various settings (Kleinman, 2004). As a member of the hospital workforce, a nurse must have the capability to communicate effectively in a non-judgmental way and stimulate other colleagues to think critically. They must also arouse enthusiasm and develop quick thinking and imagination. Moreover, they must also demonstrate resourcefulness and professionalism with infinite patience, understanding, confidence and perseverance are also challenges (Bryar et al, 200). Emotional and Physical Support The skills most relevant to this situation of the family are attentive listening, silence, open and close questioning, clarifying and reflecting feeling. Less helpful to family members are responses that give advice and evaluation, those that interpret and analyze, and those that give unwarranted reassurance. To ensure effective communication, the nurse must make an accurate assessment of what is appropriate for the client. Communication with the family needs to be relevant to their feeling and situation. Whether the clients are angry or depressed affects how the client hears messages and how the nurse interprets the clients statement (Matzo, 2005). In facilitating nursing interventions, the nurse must explore and respect the familys ethnic, cultural, religious and personal values inn their expressions of feelings. Teach the family what to expect in the process, such as certain thought and feelings and that labile emotions, feeling of sadness, anger, guilt, loneliness and fear will lessen or stabilize over time. Knowing what to expect may lessen the intensity of some reactions. Encourage her family to express their thoughts and feelings, not to push the family to move on or enforce their own expectations of inappropriate reactions. Encourage the family to resume normal activities after death on schedule that promotes psychological and physical health. Some family member may also try to return to normal activities too quickly. However, a prolonged delay in return may indicate dysfunctional grieving (Matzo and Sherman, 2004). Physiological and other specific end-life care Support Nursing management of the client experiencing a loss is important. Physiological need must be addressed first including palliative care such as pain management and life support. Weakness and paresis are common symptoms that may affect muscle groups. With the loss of muscle innervations the muscles athrophy, paralysis and progressive fatigue result. Dysphagia, dysathria, fasciculations, hyperreflexia, immobility, respiratory failure and aspiration will likely occur. Emotional effects such as lability, loss of control and depression are also common. The goal of management in end-of-life care for every client is the prevention or alleviation of these symptoms. Hygiene and psychological support is also important factor to consider (Zerwekh, 2006). To gather a complete database that allows accurate analysis and identification of appropriate nursing diagnoses for dying client and their family, the nurse first needs to recognize the states of awareness manifested by the client and the famil y members (Smeltzer, 2009). In case of many patients, the state of awareness shared by the dying person and the family affects the nurse ability to communicate freely with clients and other health care team members and to assist in the grieving process. The nurse must also need to be knowledgeable about the clients death related rituals such as last rites, chanting at the bedside and other rituals. The nurse must also recognize the states of awareness manifested by the client and family members. As nurses, we also need to maintain physiologic and psychological comfort and achieving a peaceful and dignified death, which includes maintaining personal control and accepting declining health status (Matzo and Sherman, 2004). The roles of health care team in care management of dying patient are very important. This implies the vital responsibilities of nurse to do the best and competent care to achieve the peaceful death of the patient. The primary role is to ensure that the patient recei ved the highest possible intervention best suited for her. Nurses must include the family of the patient in the care management, emphasizing nurses role as essential factor to maintain dignity of dying client (Matzo, 2005). Conclusions Knowledge and competitiveness is a product of excellent nursing practice. In caring for patient experiencing grief and bereavement, experience and effective learning are essential processes in actual clinical practice of the nursing profession. To be an effective nurse, one should begin with the individual appraisal of ones self competency and enhanced education based on practices and trainings taken previously during undergraduate and graduate studies, workshops, trainings, continuing education, and preparation for teaching seminars or modules including the conceptual, academic and clinical orientation (Foster, 2007). Competitiveness is largely based on innate potentials and motivations afforded by the familiarity of a learning environment. Accordingly, the primary responsibility of the nurse to the patient is to give him/her the kind of care the patient condition needs regardless of race, creed, color, nationality or status (Salsberg, 2008). Advocate the rights and serve as facilit ator of patients well being (Foster, 2007). In doing so, the patients care shall be based on subjective and objective evidence, needs, the physicians order and the ailment; shall involve the patient and the family. It promotes understanding of the differing values held by people in other cultures (Henderson, 2009). For example, it helps client to understand why other people in one culture may regard with approval of their practices of exposing their elderly members to the harmful elements, while people in other cultures may abhor such practice. The strength this critical thinking and decision making is its recognition of the relationship between personal values and a choice of action and it equates personal values and wrong action, it also recognize limits of personal experience and perspective and it implies that a persons moral judgments are infallible. I believe the richness or intensity of the inculcation of knowledge, positive values and skills of a person is not simply based on the innate capacity of one to evaluate, think, reason and interact in a learning situation. It also equally depends on the quality of the nursing experiences which are either limited by the nurses ability and will to choose or by what is desirable to her which is readily accessible in the environment. Nursing education, concepts and programs for improving the knowledge in health facility should also be provided to maintain theoretical and clinical competence of health setting and facilities. From what I have learned in my own area of practice, the key to successful knowledge development is competent learning and effective communication during the practice to achieve the goal of competency. This will determine the path of being an effective and competent nursing professional. In general, the main role of nurses in palliative care unit is focused on providing effective, quality care. Hence, more advanced and competent means of preparing nurses to supervise and manage their patient is important (Briggs et al., 2004). These challenges must be addressed properly by the implementation of appropriate approach and programs to increase the knowledge and experience. Skill development for nursing educators must constantly be framed within the context of individualized patients. Nursing educators should make themselves aware of every situation happening in the field and make it a motivational means to improve the profession by proper preparation and education (Welk, 2007). Therefore, the need for implementing evidenced-based approach to nursing practice is essential in addressing these issues. As nursing profession enter a new era not knowing what to expect. Yes, patient care is the same everywhere, but they must be comfortable with the environment they are placed in. Adaptation is crucial in the clinical arena (Kleinman (2004). Evidenced-based practice and clinical experience may become a highly useful and effective strategy in clinical practice. The nurse becomes less apprehensive about the clinical environment and becomes more client-focused, therefore increasing the effectiveness of care. This also provides the nurse an opportunity for role modeling as the client and family maintains and develops standards of practice and competent care in a familiar environment (Foster, 2007).

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Donald Trump Promotes Classical Liberalism Essay -- Classical Liberali

Classical liberalism was the dominant ideology of capitalism during the periods of eighteenth century. It view was widely accepted. It said that government should just sit back and watch business so they do not cheat the government also to enforce contracts. The classical had many creeds they were Psychological, economic, and ,political. Each view has its own points. In this paper I will discuss those points and show you how Donald Trump is a classical liberalist. Psychological creed of classical liberalism is based on four assumptions of human nature. People were believed to be egoistic, coldly calculating, essential inert, and atomistic. Hobbes a economics argued that people were motivated by the desire for pleasure and to avoid pain. Jeremy Bentham believed pleasure differ in intensity but there was no qualitative difference. He argued that "quality of pleasure being equal, to a pushpin is as good as poetry," The theory he is trying to say about human motivation is that the we are lazy and selfish. A big part of classical liberalism is that we are coldly calculating. Being coldly calculating means that when a situation comes about we dissever what will make us receive less pain and more pleasure. Although the human motivation is by pleasure it is the decision that are cold, selfish, dispassionate, and rational assessment of the situation to choose how to avoid the pain and receive the pleasure. The emphasis on the importance of rational measurement... Donald Trump Promotes Classical Liberalism Essay -- Classical Liberali Classical liberalism was the dominant ideology of capitalism during the periods of eighteenth century. It view was widely accepted. It said that government should just sit back and watch business so they do not cheat the government also to enforce contracts. The classical had many creeds they were Psychological, economic, and ,political. Each view has its own points. In this paper I will discuss those points and show you how Donald Trump is a classical liberalist. Psychological creed of classical liberalism is based on four assumptions of human nature. People were believed to be egoistic, coldly calculating, essential inert, and atomistic. Hobbes a economics argued that people were motivated by the desire for pleasure and to avoid pain. Jeremy Bentham believed pleasure differ in intensity but there was no qualitative difference. He argued that "quality of pleasure being equal, to a pushpin is as good as poetry," The theory he is trying to say about human motivation is that the we are lazy and selfish. A big part of classical liberalism is that we are coldly calculating. Being coldly calculating means that when a situation comes about we dissever what will make us receive less pain and more pleasure. Although the human motivation is by pleasure it is the decision that are cold, selfish, dispassionate, and rational assessment of the situation to choose how to avoid the pain and receive the pleasure. The emphasis on the importance of rational measurement...

Monday, August 19, 2019

Rosemarie Meghan Miller :: Personal Narrative Cancer

Rosemarie Meghan Miller In the middle of my junior year of high school I transferred from Glouster County Institute of Technology Southern New Jersey Academy of Performing Arts to Wildwood Catholic High School. When I transferred schools at the beginning of every class we said a prayer for John and Rosemarie. For the longest time I did not know why we were praying for these classmates. About a week later Rosemarie returned to class and I met her for the first time. She was such a wonderful person and helped me so much with my transition my new school. She and I had become relatively close over about the next month or so. When we became closer friends I decided I would ask her a personal question. First I asked her why we always said prayers for her and then I asked her why she always wore a bandana on her head. With this she replied, â€Å"Are you serious? You really don’t know?† I was serious; in the month I had got to know her I still had no idea. She then went on to tell me how f reshman year she and John were both diagnosed with Leukemia. At first I was shocked and then apologized because at this point I felt horrible. Then she asked me â€Å"didn’t you realize when you transferred to Wildwood Catholic John and I weren’t in class.† I said, â€Å"No you returned to school about three days after I arrived here so I never even realized it.† We both laughed about it, but I still felt awful. I was able to figure out about John because I don’t think he ever returned for a full day of school while I attended Wildwood Catholic. Rosemarie said this situation was funny, because at first she thought I befriended her because I felt bad for her. But in actuality I had no idea that she was sick. How could I be so inconsiderate and ask her a question about that? Not long after this incident we got an announcement over the loud speaker â€Å"Would the Junior class please report to the auditorium immediately after prayers, Thank You.† I was scared because I had not yet seen Rosemarie that morning, I was just praying that nothing had happened to her.