The Floor Of Lutz Creek High School Essay - 1861 Words

The hallways of Lutz Creek High School were always too loud. The school was just big enough that the shouts and squeals of teenagers confident enough to express themselves tended to drown out the empty gazes of the students who weren’t. It was a hell hole for some and a haven to others, but to Faline Rabe, it was a temporary evil to be dealt with for one more year. â€Å"So I told that bitch that if she had a problem with me, she could either say it to my face or get hit. It doesn’t matter anyway because she’ll be kissing my ass when I’m the lead of the musical this year. Faline. Faline, are you listening?† Faline turned her head from where she had zoned out while staring into her locker. â€Å"Yeah, Sophia, I’m listening.† â€Å"No you weren’t,† Sophia said as she flipped the dyed pink ends of her hair over her slim shoulder. She was constantly surrounded by an aura of nonchalance and imprudence. Perhaps it was what drew Faline to her. â€Å"You’ve been all spaced out and shit for a week. What’s up?† â€Å"Senioritis maybe?† Faline lied. â€Å"I don’t know, man, it just feels like†¦this year is the year. Don’t you feel it?† Sophia inspected her best friend once-over with her huge eyes. â€Å"What are you on and where can I get some?† Faline rolled her eyes as she slammed her locker door. â€Å"I’m being serious!† â€Å"Me too.† Faline rolled her eyes again. After being friends with Sophia for four years, she had gotten used to the motion. â€Å"I don’t drink†¦or smoke,† was added as an afterthought, â€Å"remember?†Show MoreRelatedMethods of Qualitative of Data Collection19658 Words   |  79 Pages13, 1997 Observation 12:40 p.m. Observer’s comments There are 17 children in the room. There are 3 adults: 1 teacher, 1 classroom assistant, and 1 student teacher (the student teacher is an older woman). The room is in the basement of the school. The school is a brick building approximately 90 to 100 years old. The room is about 40 feet by 30 feet. The room is carpeted and is sectioned off by furniture. There is an area with big books and a chart in the left-hand back corner of the room. Next toRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesfor a high growth diversified Russian conglomerate? Alliance Boots – a major merger in the pharmaceutical distribution and retailing sector. Police Mergers – are mergers the best way forward in tackling major crime? Ericsson – innovation from the periphery: the development of mobile telephone systems. Direct Care – strategy development in the multistakeholder context of public sector services. BBC – structural changes to deliver a better service. Sony (B) – more structural changes at the high-tech

Should Steroids Be Legalized Sports - 2108 Words

Many professional athletes in this era rely on performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids, to take their athletic abilities to the next level. Over the years, steroid abuse in sports has only gotten worse. This is where the controversy occurs because some people think that the usage of steroids should be legalized in sports, while others do not like that idea. The National Institute on Drug Abuse stated that, â€Å"Anabolic steroids are related to the male sex hormones such as testosterone. They promote the growth of skeletal muscle and the development of male sexual characteristics in both males and females† (NIDA). This is a brief definition explaining what anabolic steroids are and what they do. Anabolic steroids were first developed in the 1930’s in order to treat a condition in which the testes produced an insufficient amount of testosterone for normal growth and development. Shortly after, lab tests revealed that steroids were very helpful in the growth of musc le tissue. This lead bodybuilders and athletes to use steroids. Steroids are used by athletes in order to improve performance, build lean muscle mass, and increase strength and speed. There are many opinions on whether steroids should be legalized in sports or not. Some people argue that they provide an unfair advantage between athletes, stating that they should be banned. Others argue that steroids don’t provide athletes with skills, emphasizing that athletes achieve them on their own and not with the help ofShow MoreRelatedPerformance Enhancing Drugs Should Not Be Legalized1129 Words   |  5 PagesPerformance enhancing drugs should not be legalized ‘Olympic track star Marion Jones was sentenced in a federal court to six months in prison.’ (Kelly and Rao, 2008) The reason why Jones was guilty is because of the use of performance enhancing drugs since 1999. More and more famous athletes prove to have used banned drugs to enhance their performance. At the same time, the role that the anti-doping agency is more and more important in the world wide games, such as Olympic Game, Tour de FranceRead MoreThe Legalization Of Steroids Should Be Beneficial For The World Of Sport1226 Words   |  5 PagesSteroids seem to to be having a negative view for much of history. Steroids are drugs used by athletes to become stronger and achieve a strong physique. Steroids are illegal and are strongly discouraged to be used and may be seen first expressed during high school with the introduction of organized sport teams. The perspective against the legalization of steroids believes in the many benefits of legalization. The perspective f or the legalization of steroid expresses the harmful effects of steroidsRead MoreWhy Do Scandalous Lawsuits Involving Athletes Abusing Substances Keep Popping Up?976 Words   |  4 Pagesthe quality of sports is basically dependent upon the level of skill of its players. As the skills of the players improve, so too does the quality of the game. So why are substances that would further athletes’ skills beyond human levels so ostracized? Doping is the practice of using steroids and other illegal substances to boost performance in sports and athletics. The debate of the morality of such substances has been going on for decades and continues to affect the world of sports in many ways.Read MoreSteroids Is Not The Ideal Choice For Many Health Reasons1551 Words   |  7 Pages162 games for using steroids (History). The use of steroids has forever changed the world of professional sports, making it a world fueled by drug contacts instead of skill and talent. Steroids could possibly be legalized although there are many risks, people get caught everyday using steroids, people could be harmed from using steroids, and there are negative consequences from the use of steroids. Steroids are not the ideal choice for many health reasons. The use of steroids in men can cause manyRead MoreSteroids Is Not The Ideal Choice For Many Health Reasons1495 Words   |  6 Pages162 games for using steroids† (History). The use of steroids has forever changed the world of professional sports, making it a world fueled by drug contacts instead of skill and talent. Steroids could possibly be legalized although there are many risks, people get caught everyday using steroids, people could be harmed from using steroids, and there are negative consequences from the use of steroids. Steroids are not the ideal choice for many health reasons. The use of steroids in men can cause manyRead MoreSteroids Is Not The Ideal Choice For Many Health Reasons1554 Words   |  7 Pagesgames for using steroids† (History). The use of steroids has forever changed the world of professional sports, making it a world fueled by drug contacts instead of skill and talent. Steroids could possibly be legalized although there are many risks, people are caught everyday using steroids, people could be harmed from using steroids, and many negative consequences are caused from the use of steroids. Steroids are not the ideal choice for many health reasons. The use of steroids in men can causeRead MoreThe Athletes And Professional Athletes1455 Words   |  6 Pagesworld of sports all these aspects are pushed to the side with the discovery of performance enhancing drugs or steroids. Steroids work by allowing the body to produce artificial proteins, which as long as athletes work out, leads to increased muscle size and strength. Basically, this means that athletes can do unlimited repetitions and benefit from every rep. Where as an athlete not using steroids can only benefit from lifting weights when they have consumed enough protein. While using steroids musclesRead MoreEssay Steroid Legalization Rebuttal811 Words   |  4 PagesRebuttal Article â€Å"Why it’s time to legalize steroids in professional sports† written by Chris Smith of Forbes Magazine argues that to level the playing field of professional sports it would be beneficial to legalize the use of performance enhancing drugs. Mr. Smith’s ideals that professional sports would be a fairer, more entertaining version of itself if performance enhancing drugs were legal, is an incredibly irresponsible and impudent declaration. Mr. Smith states â€Å"The primary reason why performanceRead MoreAthletes and Steroids Essay1014 Words   |  5 Pagesincrease his strength. A few years later, after continued use of steroids, his life started to spiral out of control. He was feeling very depressed, struggling academically, and had become very aggressive. That bright, young man with aspirations to play major league baseball ended up taking his own life with a fatal gunshot on October 1, 2002. Ultimately, Rob Garibaldi killed himself but steroids could easily be deemed his accomplice. Steroids have only recently been heavily scrutinized but in actualityRead MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs Should Be Banned1645 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The dream of being a major athlete forms in early childhood while watching a favorite athlete succeeding at any given sport. Once a child sees a professional athlete succeeding and being famous that child believes accomplishing this goal will be easy to accomplish. However, becoming a famous athlete is not as easy as it looks. In fact, many athletes whether at professional, college, or even high school levels will stop at nothing to achieve the most success and gain the most popularity

Informal Essay Free Essays

I received an education from elementary school through college in Shanghai, China. As Shanghai is an international city, its education authorities greatly value the importance of English learning and English is thus one of the mandatory subjects taught beginning in elementary school. Chinese students can score high marks and even outscore native English speakers on tests such as the GRE and GMAT, but on writing sections, Chinese students’ performance lags far behind the average. We will write a custom essay sample on Informal Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Why does this happen? What should be the proper teaching strategy in an ESL/EFL writing classroom? This paper shares my perspectives on English writing, teaching, and learning, based on my own experiences. My English writing classes started in middle school. Before that, my English classes mostly emphasized the teaching of vocabulary and grammar. However, even though I was now a middle school student, English writing was still not treated as an important part of English learning. There was no separate English writing class. Once or twice every month, my English teacher would give us a 40-minute English writing lecture. The ironic thing is, as I see it today, this lecture was still more of a reading class than a writing class, because most of the time my teacher would assign us a certain amount of reading, ask us to underline the sentences we thought were â€Å"good† and write them into our notebooks. Although I agree that reading is the foundation of writing, I disapprove of this way of teaching writing. In my second year of middle school, teachers started to â€Å"formally† teach writing. We would be given certain simple topics to write about such as â€Å"The most unforgettable thing in your life† or â€Å"My family†. To begin the writing task, my teacher would first read several examples and carefully help the class analyze why each composition was excellent and explain what we should be aware of when writing about this topic. Another thing worth mentioning is that these examples were usually assigned as rote learning. The only criteria for a composition included length, absence of spelling or grammar mistakes, and the use of new vocabulary. As we can see, the content of the compositions was completely overlooked; instead, grammar and vocabulary alone still played the key roles in our writing education. Limiting the scope of this paper, I will not continue on with a summary of my high school and college English writing education, because I believe these early xperiences already suffice to represent the usual methods of teaching writing in China. Today, whenever I reflect on my past learning experiences in writing, I meet with some difficult emotions. I can say I am a skilled writer in my native language, but I still lack confidence in English writing. I feel I am a victim of English education in China because I always have a hard time outputting what is in my mind with decent English. Whenever that difficulty arises, I feel awful, as if I am linguistically and cognitively deficient. Also, having been educated for so long in China, where repeatedly writing model compositions is the fundamental approach in improving writing, another weakness of my writing is its lack of creativity and critical thinking. My thoughts are restricted into a limited space and I am just accustomed to recalling whatever is already filed in my repertoire of writing expressions, drawn from those model compositions. One year ago, I enrolled in a GRE writing course in Shanghai to prepare for my GRE test in which the only materials handed out were two books. One was a 28-page book with all kinds of model sentences this organization had arranged in a list, and the second was a thick book covering all the likely topics (about 130 topics in all) to be tested in the GRE writing section with sample compositions. Although the instructor offered some insightful writing skills, the implication was obvious to everyone—for those unable to write a composition themselves, just repeat the sample sentences and compositions; hopefully, the topic you are tested on happens to be the one you have learned by rote. Having undergone these frustrations and confusions in English writing, I realized that good English writing skills do not come from popular writing instruction books, no matter how appealing the titles—whether â€Å"Learn to Write in 10 Minutes,† or â€Å"Be a Writing King,† one cannot develop into a skilled writer by simply memorizing the tips they offer or memorizing the sentences they list. You can never become a skilled writer by only recalling sample compositions, or even by focusing only on correct grammar and spelling. From my own experience, I do benefit from reading books and newspapers written by native English speakers and recording the brilliant sentences or ideas from these resources. This might be the only aspect of the Chinese English education system I applaud, and I still keep this habit today. However, it should never be the sole method of learning. The second strategy I recommend to ESL writing students is to reject whatever appears first in their mind when searching for writing resources, because this might also be another’s first choice. Seven out of ten students might choose Marie Curie for the topic â€Å"Female Scientists;† erase the thought of Marie Curie and instead choose Ada Byron or Rosalind Franklin. You need to think carefully in order to make your compositions outstanding from others’ and leave your readers with a lasting impression. In my opinion, not everyone can produce the superior sentences or command the vast vocabulary of Mark Twain, but we can certainly distinguish ourselves by our content. Having practiced English writing for several years, I think the two most salient differences from my Chinese writing style and English writing style are the writing tone and the method of organizing a composition. Chinese writing styles are typically reserved while American styles are more often straightforward. Chinese people pursue collectivism while Americans value individualism. To most Chinese, maintaining harmonious interpersonal relationships is vitally important. Moreover, the Chinese government exerts invisible power over people through words, so people are cautious in expressing their opinions in order to avoid unnecessary trouble. As a result, My Chinese writing style is relatively more tactful than my English writing. I tend to call for the collective good in the last sentence of my Chinese compositions. In contrast, when I write in English, I prefer to express my voice without worrying about breaking harmony with others because I know individual rights are highly recognized in Western society. The second difference between my Chinese writing and English writing is the method of organizing compositions. The basic English composition structure follows the pattern of introduction-body-conclusion while the Chinese structure is characterized as beginning-following-turning-concluding, which is the same as the Japanese style. The turning section is expected to be surprising, and the whole composition reaches its climax at this point. This also is related to what I have mentioned above—collectivism and individualism. When writing in Chinese, I like to make my writing beautiful, lively and ornate for my readers. In other words, I feel I have responsibility for my readers and hope they will regard reading my writings as an enjoyment. However, when writing in English, all I think about is how to make my ideas clear to my readers. From my personal experiences of learning and writing in English, I can see what an influential role culture plays in writing in a second language. My students might come from different cultural backgrounds and hold different beliefs. These all have a great influence over both what they write and how they write. As an ESL instructor, I think my job is not simply to teach them to comply with the Western way of writing and tell them to reject their original ways of writing. Instead, I think what is valuable for ESL instructors to know is how to guide our students toward writing truly excellent compositions. Their writing must be clear enough to be appreciated by the Western world, but should also maintain the cultural characteristics of their native language writing, because multiculturalism enriches our writing, bringing it color and vibrancy. How to cite Informal Essay, Essays

Technical Skills for Social and Cultural Concerns- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theTechnical Skills for Social and Cultural Concerns. Answer: Business skills are defined as the different techniques through which the marketing managers can solve the issues at workplace. Proper technical as well as analytical skills are required to be present in the marketing managers, as it will help them in dealing with various situations. The business skills are essential to be present in the marketing individuals, as this will analyze their strengths that have to be implemented by them in various situations at workplace. The main aim and purpose of the essay is to analyze the different business skills that need to be adopted by the individuals in the workplace. Proper skills are to be determined, as this will help in analyzing the opportunities and threats faced by the individuals. The structure includes identification of the skills that has to be adopted by the marketing managers and the impacts faced by them in the future. In this essay, two business skills are identified and justified which are necessary for employment in business, as it also describes how these business skills can be taught by universities to undergraduate students. Technical skills are the ones that help in accomplishing the specific tasks that are related to the information technology. In different kind of businesses, technical skills are important as this helps in analyzing the skills and perform the specific tasks well. In order to meet the objectives and developing various strategies proper planning is done by the marketing managers in the organization (Sekaran, Uma and Roger 2016). Firstly, technical skills is one of the business skills of the marketing managers as it helps them in understanding and developing various strategies that helps the organization in gaining profit in the future. Technical skills are essential that has to be possessed by the marketing managers. Technical skills of the marketing manager help in determining and identifying the area wherein improvement is required. The improvement has to be such that it helps in devising the strategy such as emailing the target customers in order to make them aware about the differen t offers provided by the respective company on various purchases made by them. Proper launching has to be done by the marketing officials in order to attract more customers and make the customer base strong in nature. The results need to be evaluated properly with the help of email as well as ecommerce data as to understand the estimate of the sales of the company. The technical department of the company needs to analyze the results of the sales of the company and it will help them to automate the success for the future. The database has to be created by the technical department that will help in development of web as well as designing of the web that will help in analyzing the strategies of pricing and innovation in the company. This will enhance the issues and it will help them in making understand the students about the issues that can be resolved easily. As the technical skills of the managers also help them in forecasting the improvements that are required to be implemented by them in their products and services to target more customers. For instance: The universities teach such technical skills to the students who are ready to work and take up challenges as well. The universities can help the students in searching the job with proper implementation of information technology. These improvements help in understanding their position in the competitive marketing environment and analyze the growth of the company with proper implementation of strategies such as reviewing the pricing as well as diversifying the offerings to the target customers (Sekaran, Uma and Roger 2016). Proper database has to be created for identifying the target customers in the respective company, as this will help in wire framing the copies of the databases of the target customers of the company. Proper emailing has to be done by the technical department wherein t he marketing officials will mail the different discounts provided by them and other extra benefits provided by them to their special customers who have made many purchases in the last few months (Sekaran, Uma and Roger 2016). The forecasting of the statistics is essential to be done by the employees of the technical department, as this will help in researching about the technology of the market (Perreault et al. 2013). For instance: In a respective organization, technical skills are important in nature, as this will them in gaining sales in the competitive market. The technical department needs to implement strategies relating to the expansion of the company as well as other strategies that will help in creating various options that will help the customers shopping the items that are necessary for them (McDonagh, Pierre and Andrea 2014). According to Perreault et al. (2013), proper implementation has to be done that will help the company in getting access of the various technologies that can provide the respective company with various competitive strategies that will help in gaining profit in the future. Furthermore, the other business skill that has to be possessed by the marketing managers is analytical skills that helps in understanding the various analytics required in the marketing jobs. The marketing managers need to adopt proper ability to visualize as well as articulate the problems that can create issues for the entire company (Ali, Melewar and Charles 2013). The marketing managers need to possess the analytical skills as it helps in solving the problems with analyzing the entire situation. The marketing officials as well as the managers need to analyze the information, as this will help in understanding the political, economic as well as personal decisions that can create huge impact on the marketing decisions taken by them in the organization (Csikosova et al. 2014). With proper implementation of analytical skills, it will help in enhancing the decisions of the business and create more opportunities for the business as well. The marketing officials need to ask proper quest ions to the customers about the various queries faced by them regarding various products and services of the respective company. The expected results need to be analyzed, as this will help the marketing department to understand the loopholes and rectify them accordingly (Lovelock, Christopher and Paul 2015). Proper analytical skills of marketing have to be effective in nature for the various tech savvy individuals who are interested in online marketing and it is helpful for those who are also familiar with emails for receiving various notifications of different offers provided by the companies in the future (Baker, Michael and Michael 2016). The analytical skills are to be properly understood by the individuals as this will help them in overcoming the issues that will be faced by them in the workspace and it will help in resolving such issues.. The analytical skills are implemented by the company can help in understanding the performances of other competitors in the market. The universities are required to teach the analytical skills as well to their students as this is a huge requirement that has to be properly taught in order to make them independent in nature. Fir instance: The universities need to help the students in handling the assignments effectively as well as collecting information properly as well. Proper organizing of data as well as strategies related to strategies help in understanding the behavior of customers in their database. There are sources of analytical data that is used by the companies in order to understand the focus of the competitors through various surveys with help of questionnaires and online tracking of customers as well. In order to manage the interactions of the customers, it is necessary for the company to implement marketing analytical plan in order to satisfy the needs of the customers (A rsel, Kirsi and Johanna 2015). For instance,in a respective organization, the marketing manager needs to implement technologies that will help in increasing their sales and revenues in the future. In the electronics store, proper advancement in technology is necessary as to gain competitive advantage in the business against the competitors. The respective electronics company needs to implement various technologies that will help the company in analyzing the loopholes and they can implement strategies that will help them in generating emails or other techniques that can generate sales in the business. These business skills can be taught to the students with sharing practical examples about the marketing strategies that can help the company to gain profit in the business. The students will be able to learn various strategies with proper practice provided to me on the basis of on the job training to them and this will help them in understanding the entire job profile of the marketing o fficials. The marketing officials need to ascertain such issues and solve them with proper usage of the analytical skills and solve them properly as well. Conclusion Therefore, it can be inferred that proper implementation of strategies is essential to be adopted by the company, as this will help in understanding the loopholes of the company. The respective company needs to implement such policies and procedures that will help them in analyzing the business skills such as analytical as well as technical skills. The companies need to implement business skills as this helps them to understand the marketing characteristics that are helpful for them in the future for understanding the needs of the company. The main motive of the company has to understand the tastes and preferences of the company as it will help them in analyzing the competencies of other competitors in the market. The universities need to teach both the skills to their students as this will help them in understanding the skills and will have huge impact on them as this will make them capable of handling different challenges in the work field. References Ali, Maged, T. C. Melewar, and Charles Dennis. "Special issue on CRM: Technology adoption, business implications, and social and cultural concerns." (2013): 391-392. Arsel, Zeynep, KirsiErranta, and Johanna Moisander. "Introduction: theorising gender and gendering theory in marketing and consumer research." (2015): 1553-1558. Baker, Michael J., and Michael Saren, eds.Marketing theory: a student text. Sage, 2016. Csikosova, Adriana, MriaAntoov, and Katarna?ulkov. "Strategy in direct and interactive marketing and integrated marketing communications."Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences116 (2014): 1615-1619. Lovelock, Christopher, and Paul Patterson.Services marketing. Pearson Australia, 2015. McDonagh, Pierre, and Andrea Prothero. 2014"Sustainability marketing research: Past, present and future."Journal of Marketing Management 30 (2014): 1186-1219 Perreault Jr, William, Joseph Cannon, and E. Jerome McCarthy.Basic marketing. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2013. Sekaran, Uma, and Roger Bougie.Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John Wiley Sons, 2016.

Invisible Man Essays (968 words) - Invisibility In Fiction

Invisible Man The Invisible Man, by H.G. Wells, is composed of many small themes that combined to form two major themes in the novel. Some of the minor themes are acting before thinking and denial of unexplainable events. It is based on the two major themes of science experiments gone wrong and the ignorance of society. The most important theme in the novel was the experiment that Griffin, the invisible man, was working and it was not going exactly as planned. The way that the experiment went bad was not by accident; instead it was Griffin who had made the mistake of turning himself invisible. The reason that the invisible man had for becoming invisible was that he was suspected as to be a vivesectionalist and he did not want to be punished for it. The reason for the final decision of becoming invisible was that Griffin thought there were many advantages. He finds out after becoming invisible that the whole thing was not thought through enough and being invisible had many more disadvantages than what he was expecting. This was an example of Griffin acting upon something before adding up all of the consequences of his actions. If he would have thought the process through Griffin would have, at least, made things invisible so he could use them and still be disguised. For instance he could have made some clothes invisible and even some common supplies that could have been handy along his travels. Griffin did not realize how many disadvantages his invisibility had until it was too late. After becoming invisible Griffin realized that he could not sneak around people very easy and people still knew he was around even though they could not see him. The people could see his footprints and see him if he became dirty. Another thing that Griffin did not realize before his experiment back fired was that he could not eat if he wanted to stay invisible. The people around him could see the food inside his stomach, until his body absorbed it. The experiment that Griffin went through was his own fault and also sealed his own fate. The major problem with his invisibility was that Griffin was not able to keep or have any friends. His only contact was after he was all bandaged up and looked as though he had been in a bad accident. Without any human contact or support Griffin was destined to become crazy. In the ending chapters of the novel it is obvious that Griffin has lost his mind and is completely insane. Not wanton killing, but a judicious slaying. The point is, they know there is an Invisible Man -- as well as we know there is an Invisible Man. And that Invisible Man, Kemp, must now establish a Reign of Terror.'? (Pg. 114) The previous quote was taken as the invisible man was talking to Kemp about his plans of judicial killing. This proves that Griffin has gone completely insane and it is his way of getting back at society for excluding him. He does not realize that if he had never made himself invisible nothing like this would be happening. Everything that has gone wrong was because of his experimentation with invisibility. The second most important theme is societies ignorance, contributed to the invisible man's fate. Society is always afraid of things that they do not understand or cannot explain. The reason they were so afraid of the invisible man was the fact that nobody could explain why he was invisible. The people of the town did not even give the man time to explain what had happened to him; everyone just started to chase him down. I believe that if the people would have been more open minded about his invisibility that the man might not have become crazy and killed in the end. Society cannot deal with things that cannot be explained as they are used to hearing them. There was skepticism even after the man vanished and there were witnesses to it. ?Scepticism suddenly reared its head -- rather nervous scepticism, not at all assured of its back, but scepticism nevertheless. It is so much easier not to believe in an invisible man;

Free sample - BOCHK Risk Management and Financial Performance. translation missing

BOCHK Risk Management and Financial Performance. BOCHK Risk Management and Financial PerformanceBank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (BOCHK) The Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (BOCHK) is among the largest commercial banking groups in Hong Kong. The Bank has over 300 branches. Despite the Bank’s magnitude and systemic risk management, it witnessed a decline in operational income and suffered a negative shock in 2008. Thus, it is critical to analyze the Company’s risk management policies, the measurement and management risk, and comparing the 2008 results with the previous year’s results. The annual comparisons will utilize the Company’s calculated ROE, and will be critical in understanding the Bank’s performance relative to the earlier periods.  Ã‚  Ã‚   I. Overall Risk Management The Bank for International Settlements (2004) provides guidelines for conducting interest risk management. Additionally, it provides the measures that can be used in managing the overall risk to a financial institution. The analysis of BOCHK will be based on the standards provided in the above book. The aim of the analysis will be to determine whether, the company adheres to the international standards of risk management. BOCHK’s 2008 report indicates that BOCHK’s risk-management governance structure is structured to cover the entire operations of the business. The Bank adopts a swift and prudent manner in managing its various risk exposures. The risk management structure meets the standards stipulated by BIS. Initially, the report indicates that to align the management strategies with the corporate strategies the Chief Risk Officer (CFO) reports directly to the Risk Committee and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). CFO’s responsibilities are to ensure the proper implementation of policies and procedures and oversee the effective management and control of risk. The Bank publishes reports on a regular basis; this guarantees a timely assessment of the effectiveness of the risk control strategies. The determination of the effectiveness of the risk control measures lies with the Board of Directors. Additionally, the independent operation between the business units and the risk assessme nt units complies with the principle of segregation of duties. Independence is both sufficient and necessary for risk management (Khambata , Dara 2006). However, BIS requires that risk control functions report directly to the Board of Directors. Otherwise, there is a risk that the CRO and CEOmay conspire to fake the risk management reports; this would impair the objectivity of the risk management system. Secondly, BOCHK’s principal banking subsidiaries Nanyang and Chiyu, execute their risk management strategies independently. They adopt similar risk management strategies with their parent company and report to BOCHK’s management on a regular basis. Additionally, the company’s 2004 report indicates that the Bank utilizes stress testing. Stress testing is a risk management tool used in estimating risk exposure under stressed conditions, which arise from extreme but plausible macroeconomic conditions.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bank’s information systems are well established to provide timely reports within different levels of management. The CRO stipulates specific procedures concerning the promotion of new products and activities. In addition, BOCHK prudently enacts and administers operating limits so that risk exposures are consistent with internal policies. However, the mere existence of risk management mechanisms does not guarantee sufficiency or effectiveness. Enforcement of risk control policies should be applied to ensure an efficient risk management system. II. Measurement and Management of Credit Risk According to note 4 of BOCHK’s 2008 financial statements, BOCHK manages two broad classes of assets: loans and advances, and debt securities and derivatives. The Company’s overall assets exposure to credit risk in 2008 was HK$1,364,462 million. This figure includes HK$1,111,073 million on-balance-sheet exposures and HK$253,389 million off-balance-sheet exposures. To safeguard its corporate interest, BOCHK should manage the credit risk that is related to these assets in a prudent manner, especially during a financial crisis. This part of the report will investigate how BOCHK measures and manages credit risk of these assets. To minimize the credit risk BOCHK adopted credit approval policies and procedures (BOCHK, 2008). These measures are evaluated and updated by the risk management department and other relevant departments. Regarding the loans and advances, BOCHK adopts different credit control procedures and credit grading systems depending on the level of risk exposure to the customers. Additionally, the Company utilizes bank scorecard for financial institutions, credit-scoring system for retail credit transactions, and small business credit scorecard for small firms. BOCHK identifies credit concentration risk by industry, customer, geographically, and counterparty risk. For instance, the Bank’s â€Å"classified or impaired† advances are HK$1,792 million in Hong Kong, HK$323 million in Mainland China, and HK$23 million elsewhere. Besides, loans and advances are classified in five categories to improve the Bank’s ability to identify and assess credit risk: â€Å"pass,† †Å"special mention,† â€Å"substandard,† â€Å"doubtable,† and â€Å"loss.† For example, the total assets marked as substandard or below the high-risk category, accounted for 0.08% (HK$379 million). As for debt securities and securitized assets, the 2008 report indicates that BOCHK adopts external credit rating systems, such as Moody’s, to manage the Bank’s credit risk. Moody’s ratings for 2008 showed that 19.34% of BOCHK’s debt securities rated as â€Å"AAA† compared to 2.36% â€Å"lower than A3† debt securities. Particularly, BOCHK applied a comprehensive methodology to establish whether a certain asset/mortgage backed security, (ABS/MBS) is impaired. This was determined based on such factors as the mark-to-market price, external rating, and delinquencies. In addition to these factors, ABS/MBS are further required to pass the credit enhancement coverage ratio set by BOCHK. To manage credit risk in a dynamic market environment, the Bank has established policies, procedures, and appropriate credit risk limits. The corporate organization structure should define a clear line of authority and responsibility for supervising compliance with relevant rules (Khambata , Dara 2006). BOCHK’s Credit Risk Assessment Committee takes charge of assessing all credit-scoring facilities and reviewing reports submitted by risk management units independently. In addition, Khambata , Dara (2006) argue that collateral is another key element to manage credit risk. An independent appraiser determines the value of collateral for acquiring a new loan. Thus, the value of collateralized loans is determined based on the loan-to-value ratio limits. Additionally, BOCHK revalues and manages its collaterals periodically. BOCHK documents the acceptance criteria, the validity of collateral, and the revaluation of collateral on a regular basis. This is done to watch the status of co llateral. III. Financial Performance Comparison According to the 2008 reports, BOCHK’s ROA and ROE were 0.26% and 3.56% in 2008, and 1.48% and 16.64% in 2007 respectively. Additionally, BOCHK’s Profit Margin declined in 2008 to 5.97% compared to 24.24% in 2007. These were substantial declines within a year; they were attributed to the increase in impairment charges on the US non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities and other securities investment. Furthermore, a significant increase in Provision for loan losses/Total operating income from 2.22% to 24.95% and a dramatic decline in the investment-related commission income produced a negative impact on the Company’s profit in 2008. The sluggish investment environment that resulted from the global financial crisis led to increments in the provision for loan losses. As customers steered clear from the investment products, the investment, and insurance fee income decreased by 34.3% to HK$2,964 million. Note 12 shows that the net charge of impairment allowances increased from HK$1,448 in 2007 to HK$ 12, 573 in 2008. Despite the bleak financial environment, the ineffective credit risk management was still to blame for the sudden increase in loan impairment losses. From the perspective of overall risk management, it can be suggested that BOCHK should undertake more strict stress testing measures and scenario analysis to predict the sensitivity of risk factors with various degrees of severity. References Bank for International Settlements. (2004). Triennial Central Bank Survey: Foreign  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Exchange and Derivatives Market Activity in 2004. BOCHK. (2008). Financial Report 2008. Khambata, M., Dara, Y. (2006). The Performance of Multinational Banking: Macro-Policy  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Issues and Key International Concepts. (2nd ed.). New York: Quorum Books.

End of Course Assignment. Financial Markets and Risk Assignment

End of Course . Financial Markets and Risk - Assignment Example A number of recessions or financial crisis that has been witnessed across the globe is as a result of the Systematically Important Financial Institutions. It is axiomatic to argue that the financial crises of 2007/2008 just like the financial crisis of the 1930’s post a great dilemma for many observers and the world at large. Whether unprecedented or otherwise, the truth is that it brought with it great damage to the society. (Taylor, 2011) Adopting some of the best priorities to deal with the issues and avoid a repeat of the same is the main focus of different policy makers globally. The first section of the paper discusses the Systematically Important Financial Institution and threat they pose to the economy. The second phase looks at the 2007/2008 economic crisis and how the Systematically Important Financial Institution was responsible for it. It goes further to recommend some of the best ways to deal with the problem in the future. The definition and structure of the Systematically Important Financial Institution is dependent on the potential of the institution to cause financial destruction. An institution becomes more relevant when it has a high level or probability to cause serious destruction to the economy. On the positive side, Systematically Important Financial Institution is defined going by their relevant viability in leading to a smooth growth and functioning of an economy. Therefore the positive looks at the good part with regards to positive effects to the entire population. Both negative and positive sides reflect the question on whether the Systematically Important Financial Institution are necessary and are indispensable to any financial system or whether they are dangerous and should be done away with. In other words, Systematically Important Financial Institution can create some of the best sides of the

Power and Politics Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Power and Politics - Term Paper Example 160). However, power manifests in situations in which one imposes actions or interests toward another and does not exist only in political organizations. The objective of the research is to compare and contrast power and politics in organizations. The discourse includes an analysis of organizational management and leadership practices that influence organizations. Finally, a minimum of two real-world examples of the relationship between power and politics provide information on how this relates to management and leadership practices. Power and Politics in Organizations Robbins and Judge (2007) define power as â€Å"the ability to get someone to do something you want done or the ability to make things happen in the way you want them to. The essence of power is control over the behavior of others† (p. 214). On the other hand, organizational politics means â€Å"the management of influence to obtain ends not sanctioned by the organization or to obtain sanctioned ends through non sanctioned means† (p. 227). The common elements for both power and politics are the presence of an influencing factor or control toward the achievement of some predefined goal. For essence and measurement of power is toward determining the ability to make others move toward the desired objective in which leaders could exemplify as the medium to possess power. On the other hand, politics in organization sometimes presume some negative aspect in terms of identifying conflicting elements in the organization (self-interest versus organizational goals, nonsanctioned methods to achieve goals) to effect a change or transformation. Otherwise, organizational power is seen as a neutral force that aims to resolve differences and conflicts. Organizational Management and Leadership Practices Power in organizations practices a more predominant transformational leadership style. Empowerment is implemented when leaders exercise willingness and capabilities of influencing subordinates and auth orizing them to be involved in strategies or in decision-making processes. Diverse researches have supported the benefits of power in organizations in which participation and involvement have contributed to improved productivity, motivation, and financial performance. The feeling of fulfillment, acknowledgement of job well done and recognition as rewards for exemplary achievement satisfies an individual’s self-actualization needs; especially when employees are given appropriate motivation to enhance their overall performance. Likewise, leaders who have empowered others are found to gain benefits in terms of: personal satisfaction, enhanced self-worth and confidence, perceived increase in personal value and power, reinforces improved ability to choose, and proactively accepts the repercussions of potential outcomes from empowering others (Holistic, 2000). Politics in organization, on the other hand, have benefits in terms of managing change and conflicts through addressing ina dequacies in leadership skills. As emphasized by Robbins and Judge (2007), â€Å"organizational politics can help identify problems and move ambitious, problem-solving managers into the breach. It is quicker than restructuring. It allows the firm to meet unanticipated problems with people and resources quickly, before small headaches become major problems. Finally, when a person’s formal authority breaks down or fails to apply to a particular situation, political actions can be used to prevent a loss of influence†

Personal Values Development Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Personal Values Development Paper - Essay Example Values may differ between individuals and values emerge because we are not satisfied with something at some point in life. Values affect decisions and actions in our life. It is important to understand them and ensure that our behavior is in line with the values that we have. The first institution that we inculcate value from is the family. I grew up in a big family including grandparents and this instilled in me the importance of a family in the development of an individual. I learnt to value human beings above things; I learnt to value relationships above everything else. Values have immense power to energize everything concerned with it (Gurunet, n.d.) and applying values releases fresh energies. Through a family we learn to share the joys and sorrows; we learn what it means to have someone by your side. Family value to me is way above the conservative ideology where religion is the source of morality and nuclear family is the essential (Wikipedia). It is even above the liberals’ view of affordable child care and family planning. To me a family is the first priority and the family teaches us the value of sacrifice, the importance of sharing, the joy of receiving and the pleasure in giving. A family teaches us to live in harmony – harmony not just with others but harmony within our own self. We learn to live in peace with our self. The human mind is a bundle of thoughts and emotions and constantly reeling under an agony of indecision. The family teaches us to live in harmony with our own self. We learn to respect each other; we understand that even a small child of 3-4 years needs to be respected and should be respected. As I grew up and went to school, I interacted with children from different walks of life and strata of society. I realized people do not always say what they mean. They often want to hide something, or many times to save themselves or others. I contemplated and realized that if one has to lie in order to save

Affected Business Ethics For Nike

Affected Business Ethics For Nike Globalisation is the process of transformation of regional phenomena into globalthorough communications (8). Due to globalisation organisations trade and communicate on an international level through integration. Causing the Flattering of the Globe (9) as said by T. L Friedman mentioning how the world is becoming a smaller place, people argue globalisation has affected people worldwide for the best and for the worst. Multi-national Corporations (MNCs) have been affected positively because they can operate in Less Economically Developed Country (LEDC) allowing them to cut costs resulting in a more prosperous profits. A MNC is an organisation that operates internationally in more than one country. The advantage of operating globally is firstly that the country accommodating the MNC benefits through job opportunities which will assist the economy and this can show a reduction of the gap between the MEDCs (More Economically Developed Country) and LEDCs. However MNCs can exploit the international workforce in LEDCs, because regulations in LEDCs differ from MEDCs so MNCs such as Nike use this to their advantage. Nike is a MNC that has been seen as operating in an unethical manner worldwide. So the ethical argument begins here towards the ethical considerations that MNCs face when operating in LEDCs around the world and how globalisation has actually affected Nikes business ethics. This essay will look at different aspects of ethics towards Nike and the reaction to globalisation. And whether Nike have helped or hindered LEDCs economies. The meaning of ethics is based around the difference of right and wrong as described by Aristotle in his doctrine of mean. There is no universal definition of ethics as Peter Singer proves by asking a simple question of why should I act morally? (5). It is impossible to have a fixed answer to the question because it is dependant on what an individuals perception of ethics is. Aristotelian ethics is termed by self realization (10) and explains how a person acts in accordance to their nature and realizes his full potential and also how nature does nothing in vain. So a person will be bad because of the un-natural upbringing. Naturally everyone is good, so for someone to be unethical it is the un-natural means that cause this. So relating to Nike and the individuals making the decisions, have they had an un-natural upbringing that has made them act unethically globally? Morally have they not developed or matured enough? As explained by Kohlberg and his analysis of the levels of moral development (1) (appendix A) Nike in LEDCs is in a situation where they are not forced to be ethical on how they should treat their workforce. With the workforce unaware of their rights and how they should be treated puts Nike in a predicament and questions Nikes business ethics due to globalisation. Globalisation can be seen as affecting Nikes ethics in a positive way for both company and employees in the LEDCs. Nike moving into a LEDC leads to employment opportunities, e.g. The Nike plant in China employees 4000 people meaning an extra 4000 employed in that country. Deontological ethics which is the Science of duty (7) meaning that some actions are obligatory regardless of the consequences would see this as ethical behaviour displayed by Nike globally. Nike are accomplishing their duty by contributing to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by providing jobs. Kantianism also follows deontological ethics and believes that consequences are irrelevant to how ethical someone is (1).Kantianism(1)argues the outcomes are irrelevant because someone can have bad intentions but can result in good consequences, this does not make the situation ethical due to unethical intentions. Regardless it has to be considered the argument can work both ways, intentions could be good but the ou tcomes could be bad which would be acceptable to Deontology/Kantianism. Nike is following their ethical duty according to Deontological ethics by providing employment in those LEDCs where employment is scarce and the economy is deprived. Another view to show that Nike is behaving ethically is if we look at it from a Hedonistic view point. Hedonism means the minimising of pain and maximizing of pleasure (11) and believes that the majority people pleased is the most ethical. Relating it to Nike, exploiting and making 4000 employees unhappy in the China plant is this better than making millions of customers unhappy because they cant deliver or deliver the product at a low price. So according to Hedonism ethics Nike is operating ethically because it is opting to please the majority and doing what it sees as the greater good (1). So in the point made above globalisation has affected Nikes business ethics in a positive way . To add to Hedonism there is Cyrenaic Hedonism(7)view point which looks at instant gratification rather than deferred gratification. (12) (Appendix B) This viewpoint looks at the short term affects or pleasing people only with the thinking of here and know and that tomorrow is another day and we should worry about that when it comes. A man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry You could say that Nike looks at its company way of life using this view point because of the way it is acting. It doesnt necessarily means that they are behaving unethically; it just means that they are only living for today which a lot of people do in general so you cannot hold it against a company for its way of life. However Nike is currently till this day polluting the environment, it may not of had a great impact yet but more than likely it will have a detrimental effect on them same employees and environment causing further problems with global warming in the long-term (13). There isnt a problem with Nike according to Cyrenaic Hedonism, but it is unethical behaviour because of the selfishness because they are not considering the future when it comes to it affecting other people because of their current actions. This leads to the Consequentialist view point of how Nike is behaving unethically because it is not thinking of the consequences of their actions. There is the point of how they are providing jobs for LEDCs but this does not mean they are helping LEDC. Nike is simply increasing the gap between the LEDCs and the MEDC in the long-term. So all the LEDCs are consumed in an evil cycle of global capitalism where the rich stay rich and the poor remain poor(3). Bringing us back to the argument of good and bad and we can link this to Consequentialist way of thought, where the most ethical path is not following intentions but what the consequences of their actions are. So if we were to see Nikes ethics from a Consequentialist point of view it would seem that they are not following business ethics due to globalisation because of the consequences of their actions being negative in the sense that the people in the LEDCs are working slave labour with no option but to take Nikes employment offer up(2). With the wages Nike provides to the workforce it is something that maintains them but not remove them from the poverty cycle. If they really w anted to follow business ethics globally they would pay wages that will actually benefit employees and that will make a difference to their economy. This could be associated with Utilitarianism point of view which is a type of Consequentialist theory. And it mainly focuses on once again the utility of the action and motives (1). As Bentham quoted as utilitarianism is the greatest good for the greatest number, this relates to the perception of Hedonistic views. So Utilitarianism and Hedonism do complement each other well hence creating Hedonistic Utilitarianism(14). The two individuals surrounding Hedonistic Utilitarianism are Bentham and Mills. Benthams view around Nikes business ethics is the greatest happiness for the greatest number, as previously mentioned, it is better to please millions of Nike customers at the cost of a few thousand employees be given pain. Mill however would argue it is the quality of the pleasure and pain that is crucial for Nike to be following business ethics globally. Mill would rather see millions of Nike customers unsatisfied with the Nike products than to see thousands of Nike employees going through slave labour. So Nike needs to not only consider the quantity of their business ethics but additionally the quality of their ethics. As Mill would say globalisation in Nikes scena rio has caused Nikes business ethics to be unethical because of the pain and frustration the Nike workforce is going through due to Nike not considering the consequences. However the argument could once again be perceived from a different angle, as i have stated previously about Hedonist views and how placing 4000 employees in suffering may be justifiable to some because of the pleasure the millions of customers may get when they have the ability to purchase the Nike product or purchase at a low price. In this moment in time Nike is attempting to display their business ethics globally due to a plummet in sales and profit. This was due to the bad media coverage Nike received about their poor wages, poor working conditions, Sweatshops, child labourthe list goes on. Conveniently their interest in CSR only increased when profits decreased(15+16). This according to Virtue Ethics school of thought is seen as unethical behaviour. Virtue ethics does not look at motives or consequences like Deontology and Consequentialist but rather it looks at the moral character of a person or in this situation the moral character of Nike. Virtue Ethics would label Nike for its attempt of having a new approach to CSR as ultimately unethical. Even if Nike is benefiting their employees worldwide, because of the sudden pull towards CSR to someone who thinks from a Virtue Ethics perspective, it doesnt matter, because they have still got a bad moral character and their approach towards CSR and ethics are for t he wrong reasons and are only there for their overall personal gains which is profits. However Consequentialist and Deontological views would not agree with the Virtue Ethics approach to ethical behaviour, Consequentialist main thought is the outcomes and deontology is the science of duty. In this essay i have mentioned different view points and how they would perceive MNCs such as Nike and judge it according to their beliefs as being ethical or unethical globally. The main schools of thoughts being Deontology, Consequentialist and Virtue Ethics. Nikes situation could be looked at with a non-cognitive attitude, meaning that the statements made cannot be determined whether they are right or wrong universally, and the answer is dependent on personal beliefs(Appendix) there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so'(17) Once again thought needs to surround the fact that one mans terrorist, is another mans savoir. The world is discouraging with Nikes operations but at the same time those same people may be supporting Nike by purchasing their products. This shows the world is a hypocrite so you cannot judge ethical behaviour especially globally because of the level of diversity. Even though there is an understanding of natural Law, which is like unwritten rules that have been passed from generation to generation and that go without saying. Overall I think that Nike is not helping the people of LEDCs regardless of the employment provided and the only reasons for them to operate abroad is to maximise their own benefits even if it means to ruin someones life and to keep them LEDCs poorly developed. The points made about Nikes unethical behaviour above can be argued depending on the ethical view point but in my opinion some of the acts carried out by Nike such as slave labour are seen as universally wrong and I am unable to understand how they have managed to justify it till this day. If Nike really wants promote CSR they should attempt to eliminate poverty by intervening in the poverty cycle for these LEDCs.

Botox Essay -- Fashion Health Appearance Botox Essays

Botox When people think of new fashion trends they normally think of clothes, but the newest beauty craze that has hit the middle age market is Botox. Botox injection therapy, although not completely new, has come out swinging since being approved for use in cosmetic improvements in 2002. Botox is used to eliminate the look of aging by reducing the appearance of wrinkles on the face, neck and hands. Most commonly, patients use Botox to eliminate crow’s feet around the eyes, wrinkles on the forehead, and frown or laugh lines. It has become such a popular and ‘user friendly’ alternative to traditional cosmetic surgery, many women and even celebrities host Botox parties to share the experience with their friends. Botox parties are held in private homes, in doctor's suites, at hotels and even spas. Celebrities such as Celine Dion, Cher, Madonna and even Sylvester Stallone are rumored to have gone under the Botox needle; but only a few such as Joan Rivers have credited Botox to helping their skin look younger. Although Botox has been promoted as the miracle cure for aging, for many people who suffer from debilitating disorders or chronic pain, it has proven to be a wonder drug. So, what is Botox? Botox is the market name for type A botulinum toxin which is a purified form of the toxin produced by the bacteria, clostridium botulinum. This bacteria is commonly associated with food poisoning and is lethal in large doses. The botulism toxin could paralyze vital muscles needed for breathing. Although related to botulism food poisoning, the amounts of Botox given are so minimal and localized, that the toxin will not spread to any other muscles in the body, thus making it a safe and harmless procedure. When used cosmetically, tiny amo... ...octor to go through voice therapy. The therapy was to help her extend the effects of injection as well as to give her control over her new voice. So although Botox may be the newest beauty craze sweeping Hollywood, it’s important not to overlook its importance as treatment for many illnesses and disorders. It not only has the ability to take years off someone’s face, but it can also save lives. Botox has provided relief for my mom from a disorder that was taking over her life and it has given her the opportunity to communicate again. The first time my mom was able to speak without any interruptions was a special moment; it brought tears to my eyes and it brought a brighter future for her. The ability to talk is something that most of us take for granted. Botox has allowed my mom to keep her job. Botox is a miracle drug and should be given the credit it deserves.