Group project outline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Group project outline - Essay Example In addition to this, the market demand and needs of the customer towards this product segment is changing at a continuous rate. Now-a-days, people are trying to consume fuel efficient cars due to the hike in fuel prices. Recently, several automobile organizations are implementing green strategies in business. Moreover, several leading organizations, such as Ford and Toyota introduced electric car to reduce the consumption level of fossil fuel. Lack of use of fossil fuel can reduce the emission level of carbon. In addition to this, it reduces the operating cost of an organization. Therefore, the organization can use economic pricing strategy. Now-a-days, people are trying to consume fuel-efficient low priced cars due to their low disposable income. However, research on this product will help all the group members to learn about the market demand of this product. There are several types of cars, such as hatchback, Sedan, SUV and MUV. Research on each car segment will help the group mem bers to understand about the purchasing behaviour of people and strategies that are implemented by several automobile manufacturing organizations (Noel, 2009, p.117). The objective of research is to know the purchasing behaviour of people towards this product. Project Plan There are four members in this group. Each group member has different roles and responsibilities to complete the project. Primary and secondary data collection method has been utilized in order to gather appropriate data. Both these data collection methods have significant advantages. Primary data collection method will help this group to gather real time and valid data (Mooi and Sarstedt, 2011, p.39). On the other hand, secondary data collection method will help to gather a large number of data set (Malhotra, 2008, p.25). Both of these data collection method will help this group to achieve successful and expected research outcome. 2 members from the group have taken the responsibility to gather primary data. They are going to take interview of 10 people to gather valuable primary data and information. Total sample size has been considered for this research is 10. Out of the 10 individuals, 6 are common people who have cars and 4 are store managers of different car making and distributing organizations. 1 member will take the interview of 6 customers and other will take the interview of 4 managers. Another group member is responsible for gathering secondary data. Therefore, it is clear that 3 members of the group are engaged in the data collection process. The fourth group member will be responsible for analyzing the collected data and provide a research outcome based on his or her analysis. Key Challenges The key challenges that have been faced in the group activity for the project on studying the purchasing behaviour of the customers for various types of cars have been explained as follows. The challenges could be faced in the individual level as well as the group level while conducting th e tasks involved in the project plan. Since four different people were engaged in the separate tasks of data collection as per the primary and secondary research methods, the data analysis and the evaluation, difficulties could be faced due to the mismatch of the expectations of the people that have collected data and the people who have conducted the analysis and evaluation. The various parameters on which

Pe pep on swimming Essay Example for Free

Pe pep on swimming Essay have chosen the activity swimming because I am very interested in it. I have been doing it since early primary school and have continued onto now the end of secondary school. I think that it is the sport I no most about and I am most interested in doing. I swim in school and also out, I have progressed through out the years in my level of performance and I believe completing a personal exercise programme will improve my performance in all areas even more to a higher level. I have swam with people at higher standards than myself and also lower. I have been swimming for 12 years and it has developed to become one of my favourite physical activities. This has included watching England swim and participating with high level people my self. I personally enjoy this sport so much because of the techniques needed. It is a very exciting activity and does need a lot of taking part. Your body has to be thinking in different ways and working at high standards. I like the involvement that is expected from you in training sessions and the exciting in races and competitions. It is an individual activity and you must focus on you and only. I dont just like to swim I also take part by swimming very frequently. I previously swam for the school team and have also took part in outside of school teams. I would also like to now proceed further into swimming and sign on to a local team. This will hopefully help me to become a stronger swimmer as I will be around others with a lot of skill and devotion. I have training once or twice a week and competition come up quite often. My most preferred lane when racing is the outside left lane To be successful in Swimming   A swimmer needs to have the following qualities and components of fitness as with out these they wont be able to play up to the standards of the other competators and this is essential to win.Another one of my strong components would be agility. I believe coming out strong in half of my tests is a good because then I can focus on the other three and hopefully improve my performance in swimming. I have pointed out my weak areas and they are speed endurance and especially strength. I think strength is my main area that I need to work on. Even though the other components relate into swimming more this area still needs improving on to make my swimming standards higher.  I have decided I am going to use the school fitness suite at least three times a week for five weeks. This is as well as doing my usually training and sports. I am going to start of by building up my body on a cardiovascular machine. This would be a bike, a treadmill, a steeper machine, or a cross trainer. I will start on the first day by completing 10 minutes on a medium speed and then push my self to the faster level my body will take me for the last two minutes. I will then go onto another cardio vascular machine mentioned above different machine to what I started on and complete 10 minutes on a medium speed and also in the remaining two minutes push my body to the limit.  As I am working on me strength I am going to focus on the weight machines in my arms. The more power I can build up in my arms the stronger my strokes will become. I am going to start at around 20 reps per machine. I am going to begin my weight work out by using an arm weight machine then changing to my legs then finishing once again on an arm. This is making me work more on arm machines which will hopefully lead to an improvement in my weak area. I will then end each session by warming my body down once again on a cardiovascular machine. One of which I listed earlier. I will start by working on a steady speed for 10 minutes and then pushing the speed to the highest my can take for five minutes. I will go up a km each 40 seconds until my body reaches the limit.  Each time I go into the fitness suite I am going to build on my goal. On my first session the work out plan will be what I have explained above. Then the following I will add more reps and more machines. This is to push my body gradually to the limit. This will also help on my endurance because I am pushing my body more and more each time making myself work harder and for longer periods of time. Training Programme.  The following is what I did in the fitness suite for five weeks. As I went in three times I week I completed the same work out in the same week. As I went in to the next week I then pushed my self harder. This was so I wasnt building up my body to fast and to prevent injury.

Essay on Pointing the Finger in John Milton’s Paradise Lost

Pointing the Finger in Paradise Lost  Ã‚   After the fall in Milton’s Paradise Lost, Adam and Eve bicker and blame one another for their decent. First, Adam accuses Eve for her physical act of accepting the apple from Satan and eating it, thus defying God’s decree not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. In retaliation, Eve responds and attempts to not only justify her act, but also to place the blame on Adam. Eve’s reaction is typical of someone who does not like to admit he is wrong. Eve begins by challenging Adam with an argument that he would have done the same thing had he been in her situation. "[Had’st] thou been there,/ Or here th’ attempt, thou couldst not have discern’d/ Fraud in the Serpent, speaking as he spake" (IX 1148-1150). She is trying to justify her action in Adam’s mind by making him realize he would have acted the same way, and in effect she also hopes to gain his sympathy. This tactic is often effective because we do not tend to choose to recognize faults in others when we realize we are susceptible to the same mistakes. Aristotle recognizes the relationship between eliciting sympathy and making the audience relate to the situation in his Poetics when he describes the ideal character as one who is "true to life" (81). An audience must be able to relate to a falling character, or else they will not pity his plight. In other words, if a speaker wants sympathy from his audience, he must make them "feel his pain." Eve proceeds in her rebuttal with justification for her action based on the circumstances of the scenario. She argues, "No ground of enmity between us known,/ Why hee should me ill of seek to harm" (II 1151-1152). She seems to imply that a less trusting person would not have listened to the se... ...ccusation that he did not try hard enough to keep her at his side when he asks, "What could I more?/ I warn’d thee, I admonish’d thee, foretold/ The danger, and the lurking Enemy/ That lay in wait" (IX 1170-1172). No matter how developed any one piece of Aristotle’s triangle seems, it is useless without the other two parts. If you take a step back and observe this scene of Paradise Lost with your own experiences in mind, you realize how petty the "blame game" can be. Eve tries very hard to use persuasion as a "finger pointing" tool so she can alleviate any guilt of her own. However, she fails. We all must know what it feels like to fail in an argument, yet we still test situations like these sometimes when we do not want to accept full responsibility for something that has gone wrong. Works Cited   Milton, John. Paradise Lost. New York: W.W. Norton, 1993.   

Pledge of Allegiance in School Essay

Pledge of Allegiance in School My choice of writing for the Rogerian essay is on the topic of the Pledge of Allegiance in School. â€Å"In a decision that stunned the nation, a federal appeals court in June ruled that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because the pledge contains the words â€Å"under God† â€Å" (Chmielewski). The banning of the Pledge of Allegiance is a very large controversial topic because one side believes that while the foundation of our country is religion, the other side believes that the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance is an infringement on our First Amendment right. The Pledge of Allegiance began in 1892. It was a way of showing a sense of celebration for being an American. Since 1892 the â€Å"Pledge† has been changed four times, and in 1954 the words â€Å"under God† were added (Chmielewski). A cause of the Pledge of Allegiance being banned from school is mostly because of these two words â€Å"under God†. An Atheist by the name, Newdow, filed the claim against the pledge because he did not want his second grade daughter pressured into saying something that he does not believe (Chmielewski). I believe that this topic has quite a bit of historic meaning because it basis is on our historical beginning. I think that because the times of our country and have changed so much, in that, religion is not just based on Christianity for our country anymore, it does way on peoples mind. I would like to show in this essay that the Pledge of Allegiance is an important part, not just in our schools, but in our nation. My research on this is going to be a bit strenuous. There are so many articles about court proceedings and individual states that it might be difficult to find a common ground. Most of what I have read has just been the individual states versus the Supreme Court or, as in the case above, the Nine District Court. I have read articles from Massachusetts, California, Washington, and Nevada, to name a few. Most of the articles also are very one sided. Meaning that the author shows what the problem in question is and then turns the article to what they believe.

Police and SWAT Teams

SWAT stands for Special Weapons and Tactics, and is an extremely important branch of Law Enforcement that is primarily designed for subduing heavily armed criminals and saving the lives of many. SWAT is even considered the most important job in the Law Enforcement branch, and for convincing reasons. Some have the opinion that SWAT teams are intimidating to the public do to their military-styled tactics and operational procedures. However, it is these frightening tactics that save lives and eliminate serious criminal threats. These days there are extremely violent criminals, heavily armed gangs, large drug cartels, and the public needs capable units for protection. It is SWAT’s job to come in when the situation is considered out of regular police officer abilities. These situations include hostage rescue, high risk search warrants and anti terrorism. Is SWAT really necessary? The answer is an outrageous YES, SWAT is a necessity! Couldn’t police officers take care of the situations that we have SWAT for? The answer is an incredible NO; the regular police force does not have what it takes to fulfill SWAT duties. With the threat of terrorism on the rise and the new technology this century has brought about, the role of SWAT teams has expanded, and their importance has never been greater. Police officers are not enough when it comes down to the safety of USA citizens, and SWAT teams are needed to take care of the deadly criminals and resolve high risk situations that today may present in the quickest and most effective way possible. Without SWAT, it would be like August 1, 1966 all over again, a tragic incident that showed the need for a special team designed for high risk situations. SWAT is simply a necessity to keep all American citizens from being victims of dangerous criminals. Without SWAT, our defense against crime would depend primarily on the regular the police force, and as The Texas Clock Tower Shooting showed, that is not enough. On august 1, 1966, a man named Charles Joseph Whitman randomly killed over a dozen people and wounded another 30 or more from the top of the University of Texas clock tower in Austin in under 90 min with his high powered rifle. The police force was so uncoordinated for a situation like this, that even though they got there within minutes, they were unable to stop the rampage of the â€Å"Texas Tower Sniper† for over 90 minutes. It is even said that there was a large amount of luck involved in stopping him when they did. August 1 was the birth date of SWAT because it was on that day that Law Enforcement realized that they needed special plans for these types of situations. Though the police officers involved were undoubtedly performing to the best of their abilities, they did not have the type of tactical training or special weapons needed to quickly suppress this type of violent crime. This devastating massacre opened the eyes of America, and put a spot light on how truly vulnerable the everyday person really was. No one could feel safe if something didn’t change, for as Charles Whitman showed, even an honor student could create such a tragic scene. It was then that Chiefs of police decided that they needed to have teams of officers with equipment and training to carry out special plans for these types of incidents. In this day, 2010, our country would be devastated by deadly crime sprees without SWAT teams. If one man could create such havoc in 1966 with a hunting rifle, imagine what would happen in this day and age with the new technology and groups of organized crime such as terrorists. Police officers do not have the training to deal with dangerous hostage situations. Nor do police officers have the ability to eliminate terrorist threats, or subdue heavily armed criminals. SWAT teams are a necessity for the protection of innocent American citizens. One main reason why police officers are insufficient for carrying out SWAT duties is their training and abilities. SWAT officers are trained specifically to work as a team, usually consisting of four officers, to carry out their duties in the fastest way possible, with the absolute most organization in any given situation, and to do so with the very minimum number of casualties attainable. Team members have to gel and work together as a cohesive unit and this is accomplished by training, training, and more training†(http://ezinearticles. com/? The-Swat-Team&id=646368). Swat Training or Tests include a written exam, fitness test, firearms test, review board, and psychological evaluation. The fitness test consists of maximum bench press rep, maximum leg press rep, most pushups acquired within one mi nute with perfect form, maximum sit-ups reached within a one minute time period, a timed 1. 5 mile run, 300 yard sprint, and 150 lb dummy exercises are the bare minimum. Some teams have more difficult fitness training or tests that can even involve swimming. The firearms test consists of target acquisition drills, rapid fire sequences drills, shooting on the move drills, and mechanical knowledge of weapon operation testing. Review board is an exercise or test to see if the individual has the ability to â€Å"think on their feet and gain insight into their suitability for assignment. A great amount of information may be gained from a candidate including personality type, the amount of preparation they put into testing, their ability to work as part of a team, and their level of commitment. Some interviews may also require the candidate make a presentation on a SWAT-related topic† (http://www. specialoperations. com/Domestic/SWAT/swattraining. html). Special Weapons and Tactics teams are on call every hour of every day, even when considered â€Å"off duty†. SWAT duties are all of high risk, requiring SWAT officers to be a person that is not flustered easily, and with a very high level of maturity. What’s great about SWAT officers is that they are often also police officers as well. Police officers that fit the criteria are trained to be SWAT officers. When a situation needing the SWAT profession is presented, then the officers of the Special Weapons and Tactics team are called upon. This means that not only do you have a SWAT team, but you get well trained officers on duty until their SWAT duties call. SWAT duties include, but are not limited to, â€Å"Sniper Situations, Barricaded Suspects, Hostage Situations, Dignitary Protection, Civil Disturbance, Search & Arrest Warrants, Armed Suspect, Narcotics Raids, Anti Terrorism† (http://www. hollywoodpolice. org/special_units/swatteam. tm). It is plain to see, that SWAT teams are not around for directing traffic or calming domestic disputes, but only serious and deadly conditions that involve high stress and need to be eliminated as quickly and safely as possible. However, training to be a police officer is much different than training to be a SWAT officer, as is their duties. Policemen aren’t tested nearly as much for physical ability, how well they can â€Å"think on t heir feet† or problem solve fast and efficiently, or even how well they can shoot. Police officers are trained to perform or take care of situations that most likely include, â€Å"conducting patrol duties on foot and by car and bicycle, responding to calls and requests from the public to assist, domestic disputes, fires and public disorder, attending road-related incidents including collision scenes, vehicle check points and traffic offences, delivering death and hospital messages to families, conducting initial investigations, gathering evidence, taking statements, interviewing suspects and victims as well as witnesses, searching individuals or personal property like vehicles, and conducting arrests† (http://www. rospects. ac. uk/p/types_of_job/police_officer_job_description. jsp). If one was to look, one would find that police officers are not qualified for even the very basic SWAT situation. Police training just simply doesn’t prepare officers to carry out SWAT duties proficiently, if even at all. Simply put, police officers are around to keep the peace and prevent serious situations from breaking out. In general, policemen are here to, â€Å"protect and serve† (http://ezinearticles. com/? Duties-of-a-Police-Officer&id=1835924). What if the peace is already gone, and can no longer be kept? What happens when protecting and serving isn’t enough, for the people of America are already in harm’s way? That is the core reason for the existence of SWAT teams all around the United States. When the serious situations find ways around the defense of the police force and present themselves, it is then that SWAT, Law Enforcement’s best defense, is called upon by the people of America for protection. Another reason why SWAT teams are needed, and police officers alone are not enough, is this day and age we live in. In 1966, just one man was able to raise havoc with just an arsenal of, â€Å"three rifles, a sawed-off shotgun, two handguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a five gallon container of water, some sandwiches, and a can of gasoline†(Captain Robert L. Snow, pp. 1-7). The police force could not stop one man before he randomly killed over a dozen innocent people passing by the University on a beautiful summer day, and wound close to forty victims enjoying the sun. There is no doubt in my mind that if police officers were not enough then, they are not enough now. It is especially critical that we don’t just depend on the police force now as we did back then do to the new technology. If the events of august 1st 1966 were to reoccur in the present with our new resources and improved arsenal, but no SWAT team, the outcome would be devastating. Imagine the number of casualties if a man went on a rampage today as happened on august 1st, but instead was equipped with assault rifles, sniper rifles, explosives, and even deadly chemical threats like anthrax. For example, a weapon under development called the â€Å"Metal Storm† fires an excess of one million rounds per minute. One burst of over a thousand bullets is fired so quickly that it sounds as if one bullet was shot. It is said that, â€Å"A computerized fire control system precisely controls the firing signal to each round in the barrel. As there is no need to mechanically reload the barrel after each round is fired, Metal Storm has complete control over the timing and rate of fire. As a result, the weapon can be used to deliver a single round or dozens of rounds instantaneously at the target. † (http://www. metalstorm. com/content/view/64/109/). Aside from that, there are even such things as automatic pistols today such as the â€Å"Ingram M11† that can fire 1200 rounds per minute. This new technology allows a frenzy of over one million bullets to be hurled at a target. The fastest firearms of the 1960’s were automatic assault rifles like the AK-47. These automatic assault rifles fired close to six hundred rounds a minute, which doesn’t even come close to competing with the rate of fire of newly discovered weapons. With an unorganized and badly prepared police force, people may keep dying until the criminal runs out of ammunition and materials, and that is not expectable. With a SWAT team however, America can breathe a bit easier for many reasons. SWAT teams are trained specifically to prevent these certain tragedies, and they too have an adequate arsenal. The basic SWAT team is equipped with, â€Å"the Heckler & Koch 9mm MP5 Submachine Gun, the Colt . 45, Glock . 40-. 45, or the Smith & Wesson . 40-. 45, CS gas, flash bangs, tear gas, Tactical vests, and sometimes helmets†(http://fcswat. tripod. com/faq. htm). This equipment is also why SWAT is called upon, as shown in this following situation that could have turned very bad if not for SWAT. â€Å"Officers said they heard the sound of ammunition eing chambered in a shotgun (or racked), according to CPD Sgt. Rich Weiner. Officers backed off, set up a perimeter and called in SWAT. SWAT arrived at the complex shortly after 12:30 p. m. Medics already were on the scene. Police blocked off the apartment complex; no one could enter or exit the complex. Residents also were evacuated from their apartm ents during the standoff. SWAT shot tear gas into the apartment and arrested the suspect without further incident before 3 p. m. † (http://www2. nbc4i. com/cmh/news/crime/article/cpd_swat_responds_to_apartment_complex/32010/). I can say with confidence, that had there been SWAT teams available on august 1st, 1966, Charles Whitman would have been stopped at least twice as quick, maybe even prevented. Finally, we must have SWAT teams to deal the increase in terrorist activities. SWAT teams have not been called on for many terrorist activities yet, for there haven’t been many terrorist attacks on United States soil. SWAT training for Terrorist attacks is mostly a plan, but a very important plan. In already having an organized and thought out plan, SWAT will be prepared to protect America if terrorists do attempt anything in the United States of America. As SWAT Officer Lt. Andrew Esposito says, â€Å"The threat of an international terrorist attack against our country is not to be taken lightly by law enforcement professionals† and also states â€Å"As professional police officers we are all aware of the threat. The training is out there to provide information and resources on how to deal with terrorism, whether it is domestic or foreign. †(http://www. infowars. com/swat-officer-says-posse-comitatus-makes-u-s-vulnerable-to-terror/). Thanks to SWAT teams, we have a defense if terrorists’ attacks start to break out in our nation due to the training and existence of a plan. Before SWAT teams, there wasn’t even a plan, or a single idea of what to do in case of a terrorist attack. Terrorism isn’t taken lightly, especially since 911, which is why courses have been provided. â€Å"From October 2008 to October 2009, Security Solutions International (SSI) conducted 12 SWAT Counter Terrorism courses around the country with hosting agencies. The courses have been taught on the East Coast, on the West Coast and in the Midwest, with a total of 48 LE agencies. †(http://www. thecounterterroristmag. com/pdf/CTMAG. DecJan09. SWAT. Trai ningReview. ores. pdf). That’s the most important thing, a well organized plan, with officers trained and capable of carrying the plan out. In brief, 2010 brings a new threat to the safety of anyone and everyone in the United States of America. The Law Enforcement we currently have is of utmost certainly a necessity to protect Americans from any threats. The twenty-first century brings new technology to the desperate hands of deadly criminals, and gives these Law breakers the opportunity to pose much more of a threat than they ever could in 1966 or anytime before now. Improved automatic rifles bring unlawful citizens the ability to hurl monumental amounts of bullets into crowds of people in less than half the time. Improved technology in ballistics and scopes allows criminals to post up with high powered sniper rifles and carelessly pluck off innocent victim after victim from a mile away with deadly accuracy. New and easier ways of manufacturing more powerful explosives have made it easier for murderers to demolish whole buildings full of people, a massacre of grate loss in less than 10 seconds. Toxic chemical threats, an invisible airborne killer, could be released in densely populated areas, killing all exposed to it with no mercy. Organizations bent on burning down America could strike at any opportune moment, and it would take more than police officers to save our friends and family from their ruthless attacks. The list is a sad one, and it could keep going, but it doesn’t need to. Any one of those scenarios is creditable of being able to take lives, and to save those lives is more than just a worthy reason to have SWAT teams in full swing. It is the purpose of SWAT’s existence.

Financial Analysis on National Bank Ltd. Essays

Financial Analysis on National Bank Ltd. Essays Financial Analysis on National Bank Ltd. Essay Financial Analysis on National Bank Ltd. Essay The then President of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh Justice Ahsanuddin Chowdhury inaugurated the bank formally on March 28, 1983 but the first branch at 48, Dilkusha Commercial Area, Dhaka started commercial operation on March 23, 1983. The 2nd Branch was opened on 11th May 1983 at Khatungonj, Chittagong. At present, NBL has been carrying on business through its 124 branches and 11 SME / Krishi centers (total 135 service locations) spread all over the country. It has drawing arrangements with 415 correspondents in 75 countries of the world, as well as with 37 overseas Exchange Companies located in 13 countries. NBL was the first domestic bank to establish agency arrangements ith the world famous Western Union in order to facilitate quick and safe remittance of the valuable foreign exchanges earned by the expatriate Bangladeshi National NBL was also the first among domestic banks to introduce international Master Card in Bangladesh. Despite shaken domestic economic condition due to global recession, performance of 2009, the year under review was noteworthy. In 2009, the pretax profit of National Bank stood at 3,197. 50 million, registering a growth of 13. 03 percent over the previous year and profit after tax other provisions stood at Taka 2,070. 47 million reflecting a growth of 36. 45 percent. Further, banks revenue, loans advances, deposit and assets registered a growth of 22. 98, 28. 55, 27. 6 and 27. 53 percent respectively. Capital adequacy maintained at Tk. 9,124. 62 million, which was 13. 56 percent against statutory requirement of 10 percent. The earning per share for the year 2009 was Tk. 72. 74 compared to Tk. 53. 31 of previous year. Being a regular tax payer, the bank made a direct contribution of Tk. 1, 366. 20 million to Government Exchequer in 2009 representing an increase of 79. 35 percent over 2008. Detailed facts-figures and disclosures are available in the financial statements and notes of accounts for the year 2009. Products and Service ? Deposit product. ? Credit product. ? Cards. Deposit Product 1. Saving Deposit National Bank Limited offers customers a hassle free and low charges savings account through the branches all over Bangladesh. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Interest rate of 6. 00% on minimum monthly balance. ? Minimum balance Tk. 1000. ? Maintenance charge yearly Tk. 400. ? No hidden costs. ? Standing Instruction Arrangement are available for operating account. Account Opening ? 2 copies of recent photograph of account holder. ? Nominees Photograph. ? Valid photocopy of Voter ID Card. 2. Current Deposit National Bank Limited offers customers current deposit facility for day-to-day business transactions without any restriction. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Minimum balance Tk. 2000. ? Minimum maintenance charge yearly Tk. 800. No hidden costs. ? Standing Instruction Arrangement are available for operating account. ? Easy access to our other facilities. Account Opening ? 2 copies of recent photograph of account holder. ? TIN certificate. ? Nominees Photograph. ? Valid photocopy of Voter ID Card. 3. Term Deposit ? Short Term Deposit. ? Fixed Deposit. a) Short Term Deposit National Bank Limited offers interest on customers short term savings and gives facility to withdraw money any time. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Minimum balance Tk. 2000. ? Minimum maintenance charge yearly Tk. 800. ? Standing Instruction Arrangement are available for operating account. Account Opening 2 copies of recent photograph of account holder. ? Nominees Photograph. ? Valid photocopy of Voter ID Card. b) Fixed Deposit National Bank Limited offers fixed term savings that will scale up your savings amount wtih the time. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Any amount can be deposited. ? Premature encashment facility is available. ? Overdraft facility available against term receipt. Account Opening ? 1 copy of recent photograph of account holder. ? Nominees Photograph. 4. Foreign Currency Deposit ? RFC Deposit ? NFC Deposit. a) RFC Deposit National Bank Limited gives opportunity to maintain foreign c urrency account through its Authorized Dealer Branches. : Bangladesh nationals residing abroad or foreign nationals residing abroad or Bangladesh and foreign firms operating in Bangladesh or abroad or Foreign missions and their expatriate employees. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? No initial deposit is required to open the account. ? Interest will be offered 1. 75% for US Dollar Account , 3. 00 % for EURO Account and 3. 25% for GBP Account. ? They will get interest on daily product basis on the credit balance (minimum balance of US$ 1,000/- or GBP 500/- at least for 30 days) maintaining in the account. Account Opening ? 2 copies of recent photograph of account holder. ? Nominees Photograph. ? Passport Copy. ? ID of residence in abroad. b) NFC Deposit National Bank Limited gives opportunity to maintain foreign currency account through its Authorized Dealer Branches. All non – resident Bangladeshi nationals and persons of Bangladesh origin including those having dual nationality and ordinarily residing abroad may maintain interest bearing NFCD Account. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? NFCD Account can be opened for One month, Three months, Six months and One Year through US Dollar, Pound Starling, Japanese Yen and Euro. ? The initial minimum amount of $1000 or 500 Pound Starling or equivalent other designated currency. ? Interest is paid on the balance maintain in the Account. This interest is tax free in Bangladesh. Account Opening ? 2 copies of recent photograph of account holder. ? Nominees Photograph. ? Passport Copy. ? ID of residence in abroad. 5. NBL Monthly Saving Scheme National Bank Limited offers monthly savings scheme for its retail customers. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Monthly installments of deposit will be Tk. 500/-, Tk. 1,000/- , Tk. 2,000/- ,Tk. 3,000, Tk. 4000/- , Tk. 5,000/- and Tk. 10,0000 ? Account may be opened for any installment and term, which is not changeable. ? A person is allowed to open more than one account for different installment in a Branch/ Bank. |Sl no |Monthly Installments (Taka) |Amount to be paid on completion of Term | | | |3(Three) years @9. 00% |5(Five) years @9. 25% |8(Eight) years @9. 0% | |01 |500/- |20,627/- |37,896/- |70,849/- | |02 |1,000/- |41,255/- |75,791/- |1,41,691/- | |03 |2,000/- |82,510/- |1,51,583/- |2,83,394/- | |04 |3,000/- |1,23,765/- |2,27,374/- |4,25,091/- | |05 |4,000/- |1,65,020/- |3,03,166/- |5,66,788/- | |06 |5,000/- |2,06,274/- |3,78,957/- |7,08,485/- | |07 |10,000/- |4,12,549/- |7,57,914/- |14,16,970/- | Credit Product 1. Overdraft BL offers overdraft facility for corporate customers for day-to day business operations. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Low charges in overdraft account maintenance. ? Facility is available against deposit receipt or mortgage property. ? Low interest rate 13-16%. Account Opening ? Introductory current account. ? Others necessary documents as per loan requirement. 2. Lease Financing National Bank Limited offers leasing facility for clients with easy installment facility. Financing Area ? Capital machinery. ? Different equipments. ? Gas, Diesel generator and Power plant. ? Medical equipments. ? Lift or elevator. ? Inroformantion Technology equipments. ? Construction equipments. Consumer durables. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Competitive monthly rental. ? Tax benefit. ? Fast processing. ? Easy handover after leasing period. 3. House Building NBL offers home loan facility for purchasing flats or construction of house. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Financing amount extends up to 70% or Tk. 7 5, 00,000 which is highest of total construction cost. ? Grace period available up to 9 months in flat purchase or 12 months in construction. ? Competitive interest rate. ? No application or processing fee. Eligibility ? Any Bangladeshi citizen or NRB, who is capable of repayment, can apply for this loan. 4. Small medium Enterprise NBL offers financial support to small businessmen/enterprise with new products named Festival Small Business Loan and NBL Small Business Loan has been introduced in the Bank. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Maximum Tk. 3. 00 lac (Festival Scheme) and Maximum Tk. 5. 00 lac (Small Business Scheme) ? 3 Months (Festival Scheme) and 5 years (including 1 month grace period (Small Business Scheme)) ? Collateral Free Advance. Eligibility ? Any genuine and small businessmen/ entrepreneurs/enterprise having honesty, sincerity, and integrity. 5. Consumer Credit Scheme NBL offers consumer credit facility for retail customers. Financing items ? Electronics consumer products. Computer or Computer accessories. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Fast processing. ? Competitive interest rate. ? No application or processing fee. ? Easy monthly installment. 6. Trade Finance NBL provides comprehensive banking services to all. types of commercial concerns such as in the industrial sector for export-import purpose as working capital, packing credit, trade finance, Issuance of Import L/Cs, Advising and confirming Export L/Cs. Bonds and Guarantees . Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Low interest rate 13. 00%-14. 50%. ? Minimum processing time. ? Low service charges. Cards 1. Credit card NBL Credit Card is accepted in many merchant outlets around the world. Our wide range of merchants include hotels, restaurants, airlines, travel agents, shopping malls and departmental stores, hospitals diagnostic centers, jewelers, electronics computer shops and many more. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Dual Currency Card Facility. ? Lowest Rate of Interest. ? Lowest Card Fees. Special Discount of Card Fee *** condition applicable. ? You can transfer 80% amount of your Local Card Limit to any NBL A/c or have Pay Order Facility. ? No Excess Limit Charge. ? No Hidden Charges. 2. NBL Power Card NBL Power Card is the first debit card for which you don’t have to maintain any account with our any branch. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? It is a Pre-paid Card. ? Annual / Renewal Fee Tk. 200/- only. ? May be issued and refilled from RFCD/FC Account. ? Accepted at all VISA POS merchants. Cash withdrawal at all ATM booths bearing VISA and Q-cash logo(Except HSBC in Bangladesh). ? Drawing of Cash: (i) from NBL ATMs Free of charges (ii) From ATMs under Q-cash network- Tk. 10. 00 per transaction (iii) From other ATM Tk. 100. 00 per transaction. ? Cash Withdrawal Fee (aboard)-2. 00% on the cash drawn amount or US$2. 00, whichever is higher. ? Only 1% loading fee against both International and Local Power Card at the time of Refilling. ? Yearly Tk. 100 for enrollment of SMS service. Account Opening ? 2 copies of your recent photograph. ? Nominees Photograph. ? National ID Card ? Birth Certificate BALANCE SHEET As at 31 December 2009 |PROPERTY ASSETS |2009 2008 | |Cash |6,843,689,881 |5,421,055,640 | |Balance with other Banks Financial Institution |2,490,371,694 |1,174,813,554 | |Money at call short notice |1,359,800,000 |3,089,900,000 | |Investments |12,315,204,277 |9,156,612,128 | |Loans advances |64,962,312,154 |50,665,074,783 | |Fixed assets including land, building, furniture fixtures |1,815,564,664 |1,583,387,810 | |Other assets |1,740,385,536 |716,430,198 | |Non-banking assets |384,788,241 |397,763,841 | |TOTAL ASSETS |91,912,1 16,447 |72,205,037,954 | | | | | |LIABILITIES CAPITAL |2009 |2008 | |Liabilities-Borrowing from other Banks, Financial Institution |1,390,919,847 |1,256,555,900 | |Agents | | | |Deposits other accounts |76,814,651,280 |60,187,435,050 | |Other liabilities |4,789,781,786 |4,634,780,266 | |TOTAL LIABILITIES |82,995,352,913 |66,078,771,216 | |TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY |8,916,763,534 |6,126,266,738 | |TOTAL LIABILITIES SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY |91,912,116,447 |72,205,037,954 | Liquidity statement (Assets liabilities maturity analysis) As at 31 December 2009 |Particulars |Not more than 1 month |1-3 month term |3-12 months term |1-5 years term |Above 5-years term |total | | |term | | | | | | Assets Cash in hand |1,290,177,054 |- |- |- |- |1,290,177,054 | |Balance with |5,553,512,827 |- |- |- |- |5,553,512,827 | |Bangladesh Bank | | | | | | | |its agent Bank | | | | | | | |Balance with other |1,919,750,009 |295,821,685 |200,000,000 |74,800,000 |- |2,490,371,694 | |Banks financial | | | | | | | |institutions | | | | | | | |Money at call |1,359,800,000 |- |- |- |- |1,359,800,000 | |short notice | | | | | | |Investments |276,548,223 |821,213,870 |2,433,641,609 |1,004,424,171 |7,779,376,404 |12,315,204,277 | |Loans Advances |251,369,000 |6,428,422,500 |23,499,478,750 |27,813,652,000 |4,649,389,904 |64,962,312,154 | |Fixed assets |26,401,403 |52,802,806 |237,612,627 |1,203,447,457 |295,300,371 |1,815,564,664 | |Other assets |333,886,810 |667,409,160 |739,089,567 |- |- |1,740,385,536 | |Non-banking assets |- |- |- |384,788,241 |- |384,788,241 | |TOTAL ASSETS |13,331,445,326 |8,265,670,020 |27,109,822,552 |30,481,111,869 |12,724,006,679 |91,912,116,447 | Liabilities Borrowings from other |315,909,987 |231,819,974 |843,189,886 |- |- |1,390,919,847 | |Banks,Financial Institution | | | | | | | |Agents | | | | | | | |Deposits other accounts |12,327,012,687 |6,789,670,173 |23,763,845,604 |30,624,351,651 |3,309,771,165 |76,814,651,280 | |Other liabilities |409,713,507 |828,671,700 |1,758,041,643 |1,751,983,422 |41,371,514 |4,789,781,786 | |TOTAL LIABILITIES |13,052,636,181 |7850,161,847 |26,365,077,133 |32,376,335,073 |3,351,142,679 |82,995,352,913 | |NET LIQUIDITY GAP |278,809,145 |415,508,174 |744,745,419 |(1,895,223,204) |9,372,924,000 |8,916,763,534 | INCOME STATEMENT For the year ended 31 December 2009 PROFIT LOSS ACCOUNTs |2009 |2008 | |Interest income |6,818,466,566 |5,786,710,797 | |Less: Interest paid on deposits borrowings |4,489,636,114 |3,594,841,261 | |Net interest income |2,328,830,452 |2,191,869,536 | |Investment income |1,779,316,931 |938,915,231 | |Commission, exchange brokerage |1,448,972,295 |1,510,479,954 | |Other operating income |935,365,402 |654,912,889 | |TOTAL OPERATING INCOME |6,492,485,080 |52,961,776,101 | |TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES |3,114,118,992 |2,173,109,713 | |Profit before provision |3,378,366,088 |3,123,067,897 | |Specific provision |25,000,000 |25,000,000 | |General provision |175,000,000 |270,000,000 | |TOT AL PROVISION |200,000,000 |295,000,000 | |Profit before taxes |3,178,366,088 |2,828,067,897 | |Profit transferred from off shore Banking Unit |19,129,827 |756,516 | Profit before taxes (including) |3,197,495,915 |2,828,824,413 | |Provision for taxation |1,150,000,000 |1,310,000,000 | |Deferred taxes |(22,974,549) |1,389,931 | | |1,127,025,451 |1,311,389,931 | |Net profit after taxation |2,070,470,464 |1,517,434,482 | |Retained earnings brought forward from previous year |975,132,271 |687,825,162 | | |3,045,602,735 |2,205,259,644 | |Statutory reserve |(639,499,183) |(565,613,366) | |Transfer from general reserve |135,000,000 |- | |Dividend |(973,815,007) |(664,514,007) | | |(1,478,314,190) |(1,230,127,373) | |Retained earnings carried forward |1,567,288,545 |975,132,271 | |Earnings per share |72. 74 |53. 1 | RATIO ANALAYSIS FOR 2009 ? Current ratio : current assets/current liabilities = 35,388,824,017/47,267,875,161 = 0. 748 times. FOR 2008 ? Current ratio : current assets/current li abilities = 23,228,911,038/18,569,065,016 = 1. 249 times. 2008 is better than 2008. FOR 2009 ? Return on assets : Net income(profit)/total assets = 2,070,470,464/91,912,116,447 = 0. 022*100 = 2. 2%. FOR 2008 Return on assets : Net income(profit)/total assets = 1,517,434,482/72,205,037,954 = 2. 1%. 2009 is better than 2008. FOR 2009 ? Return on equity : Net income(profit)/total stock holder equity = 2,070,470,464/8,916,763,534 = 0. 232*100 = 23. 2%. FOR 2008 ? Return on equity : Net income(profit)/total stock holder equity = 1,517,434,482/6,126,266,738 = 0. 247*100 = 24. 7%. 2008 is better than 2009. FOR 2009 ? Debt to total assets : total debt/total assets 82,995,352,913/91,912,116,442 = 0. 902*100 = 90. 2%. FOR 2008 ? Debt to total assets : total debt/total assets = 66,075,037,954 = 0. 915*100 = 91. 5%. Less debt 2009 than 2008. Financial Statement Analysis Comparative analysis |Item |Year |Year |Comparative |Percentage | | |2009 |2008 |analysis | | |Cash |6,843,689,881 |5,421, 055,640 |1,422,634,241 |26. 4% | |Balance with other bank and |2,490,371,694 |1,174,813,554 |1,315,558,140 |111. 96% | |Financial Institution | | | | | |Money at call and short notice |1,359,800,000 |3,089,900,000 |(1,730,100,000) |55. 99% | |Investment |12,315,204,277 |9,156,612,128 |3,158,592,149 |34. 49% | |Loan and Advance |64,962,312,154 |50,665,074,783 |14,297,237,371 |28. 1% | |Fixed Assets |1,815,564,664 |1,583,387,810 |232,176,854 |14. 66% | |Including land, building, | | | | | |furniture, and fixtures | | | | | |Other Assets |1,740,385,536 |716,430,198 |1,023,955,338 |142. 92% | |Non-Banking assets |384,788,241 |397,763,841 |(12,975,600) |3. 6% | |Total Assets |91,912,116,447 |72,205,037,954 |19,707,078,493 |27. 29% | |Liabilities(borrowing from other|1,390,919,847 |1,256,555,900 |134,363,947 |10. 69% | |bank, Financial Institution and | | | | | |agent | | | | | |Deposit and other account |76,814,651,280 |60,187,435,050 |16,627,216,230 |27. 2% | |Other liabilities |4,789,7 81,786 |4,634,780,266 |155,001,520 |3. 34% | |Total liabilities |82,995,352,913 |66,078,771,216 |16,916,581,697 |25. 60% | |Shareholders Equity |8,916,763,534 |6,126,266,738 |2,790,496,796 |45. 54% | |Total liabilities and share |91,912,116,447 |72,205,037,954 |19,707,078,493 |27. 29% | |holder equity | | | | | Financial Statement Analysis Common size analysis |Item |Year |Year | | |2009 |2008 | |Cash |7. 44% |7. 50% | |Balance with other bank and Financial Institution |2. 70% |1. 62% | |Money at call and short notice |1. 47% |4. 7% | |Investment |13. 39% |12. 68% | |Loan and Advance |70. 67% |70. 16% | |Fixed Assets |1. 97% |2. 19% | |Including land, building, furniture, and fixtures | | | |Other Assets |1. 89% |0. 9% | |Non-Banking assets |0. 41% |0. 55% | |Total Assets |100% |100% | |Liabilities(borrowing from other bank, Financial |1. 51% |1. 74% | |Institution and agent | | | |Deposit and other account |83. 7% |83. 35% | |Other liabilities |5. 21% |6. 41% | |Total liabilities |90. 29% |91. 51% | |Shareholders Equity |90. 29% |8. 48% | |Total liabilities and share holder equity |100% |100% | SWAT ANALAYSIS Every organization has some strength that helps it to survive, some weakness that push it backward, some opportunities that helps it to compete and also some threats that keeps it aware. NBL also has some SWOTs. These are mentioned below. Strengths of organization ? Stakeholder and customer are main Strength. ? Strong branch network. ? Committed to ensure high customer service. ? True accountability. ? Efficiency and loyalty of all sorts. ? Enough human resources. ? Knowledge enhancement. ? New technology. ? Enough local and foreign branches. ? Good management. ? Enough current money collection periods. ? Priorities identified the Corporate Plan to be implemented: ? Enhancing national and international presence as envisaged in the Vision of the Bank. Consolidation of the Bangladesh Operations by opening more branches. ? Maintain the most preferred bank status for Trade Finance. ? Increase the present credit card base. ? Improve exchange turnover and market share. ? Improve the risk m anagement infrastructure. ? Improve key performance ratio. ? Focus the new business by talking the opportunities favoring the Bangladesh economy. Weakness of organization The organization does not have a diversified range of products services. Still the bank is not fully computerized. Manual registers are used in some cases. However, the income of the business is still heavily dependent upon its share on the retail market. It caters less the corporate market than the SCB. This may leave it vulnerable if for any reason its market share erodes. The retail sector is very price sensitive. But it pays very less interest than other banks. So, if they found higher interest rate offering by other private banks of Bangladesh then they will loose customers. It has less promotion campaign than the other bank, because they believe brand value is the top promoting entity for the company. Opportunity of organization National Bank Limited is a customer oriented financial institution. It remains dedicated to meet up with the ever growing expectations of the customer because at National Bank, customer is always at the center. NBL has a goodwill that it provides different banking services to the people with a minimum cost and cut a very little charge on its transactions. Although it already has 100 branches to provide services to its customers, it also has the opportunity to build up more branches to make more convenient for the customers. The banking business of NBL and its other social activities have increased day by day. Sophisticate customer service scheme of the NBL more preferable to customers than other banks. Products services development offers NBL many opportunities. There is the opportunity to develop products and services such as insurance business huge investment in capital market etc. Such high value items will tend to have associated with them, high profits. There are also global marketing events that can be utilized to support the brand such as the sports other cultural activities. Threats of Organization NBL is exposed to the international nature of trade. It has to deals in different currencies and so costs and margins are not stable over long periods of time. Such an exposure could mean that NBL may be doing banking business at a loss. The new technology emerges to protecting the currency value use options for better credit rate earnings. The market for banking sector is very competitive. The model developed by NBL to be world’s local bank is now commonly used and to an extent is no longer a basis for sustainable competitive advantage. Competitors are developing alternative brands to take away the market share of NBL. The roles and regulation of the government and conventional laws of Bangladesh are also act as threats for the growth of banking business development in Bangladesh. As discussed above in weaknesses, the retail banking sector is becoming price competitive. This ultimately means that retail consumers are transacting in bank around for a better deal. So if NBL charges a comparative high price for a bank account service, or loan rate service, then the customers could go to the other bank to compare fees charges for the exactly the same services, and will take decision the cheaper of the two. Such customer’s price sensitivity is a potential external threat to HSBC. Converting Threats into Opportunities NBL has to expose its international nature of trade more efficiently. It has to recover costs and maintains margins over long periods of time. The new technology has to use to protecting the currency value use options for better credit rate earnings. NBL has to come to with other sort of criterion that’s why the competitor have to fight very long to copy that exposure. NBL has to give a better deal in the banking fees charges for the customers for the retail banking sector. Converting Weakness into Strength NBL has to focus equally to both ranges of customers either retail or corporate. It has to build up a proper strategy that’s why the corporate customers can be interested to open more of corporate account in NBL. NBL also has to give higher interest rate for various products services to gain more market share in banking business. They have to advertise their brand name more . They can sponsor their name for various social activities which will bring up NBL value more to the local customers. They can also make social awareness to the local customers. CONCLUSION Today National Bank Limited has proved the long way of continuous success. This Bank not only concentrates on business growth, but also concern about Corporate Social Responsibility. In line with that NBL foundation long ago in 1989. It has experienced successive growth in the recent past. As all the activities those are required to provide valuable services to its customers to make them satisfy, are related with the fund management system, NBL is so much careful about its fund management system. NBL always gives its highest attention in monitoring and managing the bank fund, which is consists of fund, capital, reserve, deposit, loan and advance. At present NBL is successful in effectively and efficiently managing these vital issues. In spite of that, in order to keep its success continue and reach at the pinnacle of success it, its managers, board of directors and employee must have the comprehensive and clear idea about the reserve, fund, loan, capital, deposit and liquidity regarding the smooth control of bank and continue its vital operation toward country’s economic[pic][pic][pic][pic] Page2

SHORT STORY ESSAY

SHORT STORY ESSAY SHORT STORY ESSAY Dhesi 1 Ranvir Dhesi Mr.Depew ENG3U November 10th , 2014 Initiation Symbolism and Conflict In the short story Initiation written by Sylvia Plath the protagonist Millicent Arnold is undergoing a long and difficult set of trials and tribulations with the hopes of being accepted into the most elite sorority at her high school. One of the challenges has Millicent asking people on the bus what they had eaten for breakfast. While doing this she learns about the Heather birds which essentially do whatever they want to. The Heather birds becomes a symbol of freedom and independence that helps develop the internal conflict that Millicent has on whether or not she should join the sorority. Millicent questions whether or not she should be joining the sorority shortly after her conversation with the man on the bus. The man explains to Millicent that Heather birds â€Å"...live on the mythological moors and fly about all day long singing wild and sweet in the sun†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Vi ewpoints, 205). This quote shows how free and independent the Heather birds are as they are living wild and free with no worries. Millicent now thinks about becoming more like the Heather bird in terms of independance and does not see herself wanting to be a part of the sorority as much as she had previously wanted to. However, her mind is not completely made up yet and she continues to participate in the sororities challenges. She contemplates her future and Dhesi 2 knows that her friendship with her friend Tracy would be put in jeopardy if she joins the sorority because she would be at the top of the high school hierarchy and would not be allowed to associate with people below her. At this point Millicent is completely torn between what she wants to do and has very limited time to make up her mind. She wants to be part of the popular group but at the same time does not want to lose her friend Tracy in the progress. As the day of judgement comes closer and closer Millicent makes up her mind. She realizes that the sorority was not all what she thought it would be like. Millicent now sees the sorority as an exclusive social group that gives girls a false sense of superiority over everybody else and no longer wants anything to do with it. She realizes now that because of this label that was put on her it may have been the only reason Herb even talked to her in the first place. Millicent questions if Herb actually likes her for he rself or if it was just to benefit from her soon being a part of the sorority. This leads Millicent to think about the Heather birds that live care free and far from any drama created by the other birds. She sees the sorority girls as â€Å"...pale grey ­brown birds in a flock , Short Story Essay Short Story Essay Imaginative Text – Short Story Unit: The Gold Watch Hope on the Battlefield By Sarah Ryland As the evening skies embraced hints of aqua and cobalt, Mark strode through the raw deserted grounds and reminisced about what had once been. Not a day below 60, Mark was rather feeble in his stance, with a house full of memoirs as old as the scars upon his skin. Burying his old, nimble fingers into his trouser pockets, he breathed in the fresh, clean air and turned his head towards the wide stretch of ocean accompanying him. Such tranquil, such serenity – it allowed a feeling of gratitude, or even synchronization between what the shallow shores had seen, and what Mark could remember. But his thoughts were stolen. A glimmer had caught his eye, at the moment where the almost-dead grass met the sandy shore. Walking over and carefully uprooting the object from the soil, Mark became enthralled by what resembled a pocket watch - revealing shades of chestnut, and tiny flecks of gold as he scratched off earth from the ornament. There was no clock on the watch – just a circle f ull of dirt and grass. Buried in the middle of the Gallipoli battlefield, the watch brought memories of what had happened in that exact spot on that exact day many years ago, and softly brought a tear to his eye. *** â€Å"Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!† As Mark covered his face, he turned around to see some men still yelling and stumbling – floundering ecstatically through the misty panes and thick olive light. Under a green sea, the brave men choked and drowned. Looking up, the sky was swallowed in shadows of burgundy and copper – or maybe that was just his imagination. War on the Western front had sunk into stalemate. Both sides were peering at each other from fortified trenches as machine guns fired, forced to spill precious blood in futile frontal attacks. The battlefield was a living hell – the inescapable groans were heartrending. The soldiers were constantly the unavoidable victims of the growing fear that they would never see their homes or families again, while fatigue and psychological trauma ruined the brave souls for life just as badly as the mutilation from the gunshot wounds. There were so many gunshots that Mark could not tell where each was coming from. While looking to the left, he could be struck from the right and vice versa. There was a reason they called the ground between trenches ‘No Man’s Land’. A young man who played ‘footer’ was shot when running out. He started trying to crawl back to our lines and was so close, when he was hit again. He was dead within a few minutes. Mark had a gut feeling it was not safe to be where he was. He knew that he had to move. Shouting out to his fellows to stop firing to allow him to travel, he lifted his weapon from his side and prayed to God he would survive. Chaos and confusion menaced his mind as he imagined the possible fate of his actions. Stepping out of his harbor, he made a mad dash to the next trench. As he slid into the dirt and watched dust rise past his face, an excruciating burn encompassed his left side – pulling all thoughts to an abrupt halt as blood spilled out and clung to the material of his uniform. He suffered a splinter of a bullet in the side – deeply slicing his torso. Breathing through the seamless agony, Mark turned around to see he was joined by another solider by the name of Lex. From what Mark could see, he was suffering horribly with open wounds, blood-stained bandages falling from his head, leg and shoulder and a struggle for air. Mark knew he had to help, or else Lex could be just another number for the death count to feast on. No one else was there, and no stretch- bearers of any sort, so he threw the poor soldier’s arm around his neck and helped him down the ridge. With a swollen knee – either another splinter of a bullet, or cut by the rocks, Mark could hardly walk. He passed Lex on, to other soldiers, as he wiped the sweat