Love is stronger than hate Essay

Nobody who has either heard or seen the tale of â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† can deny that two of the strongest themes found within it are love and hate – in many different forms. Even in the beginning of the play, this is made known to the audience, primarily by the lines, â€Å"From forth the fated loins of these two foes, A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life† (Prologue). This clearly shows both the hatred and love which can be found, but is not the only example. â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† not only has the love between the two main characters, but the brotherly love and sinister hatred between many others. It is harder to say whether love or hate is more prominent in â€Å"Romeo and Juliet†, but love plays an extremely important role – especially when the two lovers meet for the first time. Right away, Romeo is awestruck at Juliet’s beauty, proclaiming, â€Å"Did my heart love til now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night!† (I.v). Although he claims to be ‘in love’ with Rosaline, he becomes a victim of falling ‘in love at first sight’. This love is certainly not unrequited love though – although Juliet did not even know his name, she still asks, â€Å"Go ask his name. If he be married, my grave is to be like my wedding bed† (I.v). Clearly, she is already so much in love that she shall ‘die from grief’ if she finds out Romeo is already married. Although Romeo is in love with Juliet so much that he refuses to fight his one-time enemy, the murder of a close friend (whether accidental or not) forces a violent reaction out of him. When originally ‘taunted’ by Tybalt, he refuses to fight, saying, â€Å"I do protest I have never injured thee, but love thee better than thou canst devise†¦And so, good Capulet†¦be satisfied† (III.i). He further continues in this way, by saying, â€Å"Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up† (III.i). However, Tybalt does not listen to reason, as was proven earlier on by his stating, â€Å"Peace? I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee† (I.i). Onlookers to the fight cannot deny, although Romeo starts off with no intention to fight, he turns violent at the slaying of Mercutio. Challenging Tybalt, he shouts, â€Å"Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him† (III.i). It is at this point that both the hatred for Tybalt, and his love for Mercutio, overpower him, resulting in the murder of Tybalt. The constant feuding the Montagues and the Capulets is well known to the citizens of Verona – it is a common practice. In street fights, even the heads of the houses cannot stay out of it, with Capulet demanding, â€Å"My sword, I say! Old Montague is come† (I.i). These fights force the Prince to step in, telling them it has to stop and stating, â€Å"Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word by thee, Old Capulet and Montague† (I.i). Even the citizens of Verona are aware of the fact that the feuding is on-going. This is one of the major examples of the hatred that is present throughout the play. It is a wonder that Romeo and Juliet were able to overcome this hate, but both were able to accomplish it. Juliet, in one of the most famous scenes from the play, says, â€Å"Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet† (II.ii). She then goes on to say, â€Å"‘Tis but thy name which is my enemy†¦What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called† (II.ii). Juliet is asking herself about the differences between the Capulets and the Montagues, and saying that it does not matter about their backgrounds. All that matters is their love for each other. It is their love for each other, certainly, which makes the two lovers kill themselves. It is a much harder thing to kill yourself than to kill others – killing yourself make sit final, whereas killing others, while still hard, is slightly easier, as they have motivations, and sometimes also hatred for the person. The death of Mercutio, and in turn the death of Tybalt is an example of that, where Romeo states in anger, â€Å"Alive and triumph, and Mercutio slain! Away to heaven respective lenity, And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now† (III.i). However, both Romeo and Juliet killed themselves due to the strong love they both felt for each other. Overall, it is hard to say which is the stronger emotion – love or hate. Personally, I believe that love is stronger than hate, but it is really a matter of opinion – there is evidence to support both sides all throughout the play. One of the main things supporting that love is stronger than hate  is Juliet’s reaction at finding out who Romeo is. She says to herself, â€Å"My only love, sprung from my only hate! To early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy† (I.v).

A Short Definition of Landscape Archaeology

A Short Definition of Landscape Archaeology Landscape archaeology has been defined in a number of ways over the past couple of decades. It is both an archaeological technique and a theoretical construct- a way for archaeologists to look at the past as the integration of people and their surroundings. Born in part as the result of new technologies (geographic information systems, remote sensing, and geophysical surveys have all contributed greatly to this study) landscape archaeological studies have facilitated broad regional studies and the examination of elements not readily visible in traditional studies such as roads and agricultural fields. Although landscape archaeology in its present form is decidedly a modern investigative study, its roots can be found as early as the 18th century antiquarian studies of William Stukely and in the early 20th century with work by the geographer Carl Sauer. World War II impacted the study by making aerial photography more accessible to scholars. Settlement pattern studies created by Julian Steward and Gordon R. Willey in the mid-century influenced later scholars, who collaborated with geographers on such landscape-based studies as central place theory and statistical models of spatial archaeology. Critiques of Landscape Archaeology By the 1970s, the term landscape archaeology came into use and the idea began to take shape. By the 1990s, the post-processual movement was underway and landscape archaeology, in particular, took its lumps. Criticisms suggested that landscape archaeology focused on the geographical features of the landscape but, like much of processual archaeology, left the people out. What was missing was the influence people have on shaping environments and the way both people and environment intersect and affect one another. Other critical objections were with the technologies themselves, that the GIS, satellite imagery, and air photos used to define the landscape were distancing the study from the researchers by privileging the research with the visual aspects of a landscape over other sensual aspects. Looking at a map- even a large scale and detailed one- defines and limits the analysis of a region into a specific data set, allowing researchers to hide behind scientific objectivity and ignore the sensual aspects associated with actually living within a landscape. New Aspects Again, as a result of new technologies, some landscape archaeologists have attempted to build in the sensuality of a landscape and the people who inhabit it using hypertext theories. The impact of the Internet, oddly enough, has led to a broader, non-linear representation of archaeology as a whole, and landscape archaeology in particular. That involves inserting into standard texts such sidebar elements as reconstruction drawings, alternative explanations, oral histories, or imagined events as well as attempts to free the ideas from text-bound strategies by using three-dimensional software-supported reconstructions. These sidebars allow the scholar to continue to present the data in a scholarly manner but reach for a broader interpretive discourse. Of course, following that (explicitly phenomenological) path requires that the scholar apply liberal amounts of imagination. The scholar by definition is based in the modern world and carries with him or her the background and biases of his or her cultural history. With the inclusion of more and more international studies (that is, those that are less dependent on Western scholarship), landscape archaeology has the potential to provide the public with comprehensible presentations of what can otherwise be dry, inaccessible papers. Landscape Archaeology in the 21st Century The science of landscape archaeology today melds theoretical underpinnings from ecology, economic geography, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, and social theory from Marxism to feminism. The social theory portion of landscape archaeology points to the ideas of the landscape as a social construct- that is, the same piece of ground holds different meanings to different people, and that idea should be explored. The dangers and delights of phenomenologically-based landscape archaeology are outlined in an article by MH Johnson in the 2012 Annual Review of Anthropology, which should be read by any scholar working in the field. Sources Ashmore W, and Blackmore C. 2008. Landscape Archaeology. In: Pearsall DM, editor-in-chief. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 1569-1578. Fleming A. 2006. Post-processual landscape archaeology: A critique. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 16(3):267-280. Johnson MH. 2012. Phenomenological Approaches in Landscape Archaeology. Annual Review of Anthropology 41(1):269-284. Kvamme KL. 2003. Geophysical Surveys as Landscape Archaeology. American Antiquity 68(3):435-457. McCoy, Mark D. New Developments in the Use of Spatial Technology in Archaeology. Journal of Archaeological Research, Thegn N. Ladefoged, Volume 17, Issue 3, SpringerLink, September 2009. Wickstead H. 2009. The Uber Archaeologist: Art, GIS and the male gaze revisited. Journal of Social Archaeology 9(2):249-271.

Dickinsons If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking

Dickinson's 'If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking' Emily Dickinson is a towering figure in American literature. This 19th-century poet, though a prolific writer, remained secluded from the world for most of her life. Emily Dickinsons poetry has a rare quality of truthful observation. Her words echo the images around her. She did not stick to any particular genre, as she wrote whatever intrigued her the most. The diminutive, introverted poet wrote more than 1800 poems during her lifetime. However, fewer than a dozen got published while she was still alive. Most of her work was discovered by her sister Lavinia after Emilys death. The bulk of her poems were published by Thomas Higginson and Mabel Todd in  1890.   The Poem Most of Emily Dickinsons poems are short, with no titles. Her poems leave you yearning for more, wanting to delve deep into the mind of the poet. If I can stop one heart from breaking,I shall not live in vain;If I can ease one life the aching,Or cool one pain,Or help one fainting robinUnto his nest again,I shall not live in vain. If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking Analysis To understand the poem, one needs to understand the poet and her life. Emily Dickinson was a recluse who had barely any interaction with people outside of her home. Most of her adult life was spent shut away from the world, where she attended to her ill mother and the affairs of her home. Emily Dickinson expressed her sentiments through poems. Selfless Love Is the Theme This poem can be categorized as a love poem, though the love expressed is hardly romantic. It talks about a love so deep that it places others before self. Selfless love is the true form of love. In this poem, the poet talks about how she would happily spend her life helping those who suffer from heartbreak, deep sadness, and despair. By wishing to help a fainting robin back into the nest, she reveals her vulnerable and sensitive side. Her deep sensitivity for the welfare of others, even before personal self, is the message conveyed in the poem. It is a message of kindness, compassion that one human should afford another human without the need for display or drama. A life that is devoted to anothers welfare is a life well-lived. Saints Who Followed the Path of Selfless Love A striking example of the kind of person Emily Dickinson talks about in this poem is Mother Teresa. She was a saint for thousands of homeless, sick, and orphaned people. She worked hard to bring happiness into the lives of the terminally ill, the miserable, and the destitute who had no place in society. Mother Teresa dedicated her entire life to feed the hungry, tend to the sick, and wipe a tear from the faces of those in despair. Another person who lived for the welfare of others is Helen Keller. Having lost her ability to hear and talk at a very early age, Helen Keller had to struggle hard to educate herself. She went on to inspire, teach, and guide hundreds of people who were physically challenged. Her noble work helped to change the lives of millions of people around the world. Angels in Your Life If you look around, you will find that you, too, are surrounded by angels who have taken care of you in the past. These angels could be your friends, parents, teachers, or loved ones. They support you when you need a shoulder to cry on, help you bounce back when you give up, and ease your pain when you are going through a bad phase. These good Samaritans are the reason you are doing fine today. Find the opportunity to thank these blessed souls. And if you want to give back to the world, read this poem by Emily Dickinson again and reflect on her words. Find an opportunity to help another person. Help another person to redeem his or her life, and that is how you can redeem yours.

Increase in Sexual violations against children from [year] to [year] Essay

Increase in Sexual violations against children from [year] to [year] (must be recent) - Essay Example Many people wonder what has become of our society and what the future generation will be like, are there mistakes somewhere that need to be addressed to combat the problem? Combating the problem calls for dealing with the root causes of the increasing sexual violations among children. The increase in sexual violations against children in the recent years has been attributed to increase use of internet, poverty, and the family environment the child is exposed. A number of researches show an increase in the number of sexual violations against children over the past years. Even though the exact numbers of sexual offence are not known, facts show an increase in the number of such cases. Most of the research work on the sexual offences relies on information from the police department although most of the sexual violations against children and youths are not reported to the police. Information from statistics Canada shows that there was an increase of three percent in the number of sexual violations against children reported between 2010 and 2011. Statistics has since then show a steady increase at an alarming rate, which call for drastic measures to be taken. The knowledge of the underlying causes for the increase is important since it is the first step towards combating the problem. Although the improved technology is something that calls for a celebration, it has come with the limitations to the society. The increased internet use exposes children to pornography, which is considered the basic factor contributing to increased sexual violations against children. According to Jaffer and Brazeau (2011), the internet has facilitated pornography and the sale and purchase of sexual activities (p.11). Children watching pornographic pictures over the internet tend to mimic what they see and may in turn practice the act on other vulnerable children around them. This is a form of sexual violation even though the offender who in this case is a child may not have bad intension s. There have been increased cases where perpetrators of the sexual offences children against themselves. In addition, there are older people who create the children pornography as reported by the police department (Canada, 2009). According to building a Europe for and with children (2010), there have been cases where adults entice children over the internet to sexual activities (p.304). The direct contact between a child and an anonymous is pointed out to be common. Usually the adult predators build trust with the victim then entice them to meet at a place where the offence is committed. Such predators also use webcam to send pictures of sexual malpractices to their victims who in most cases are children. Recruiting young girls into prostitution has also been done through internet. This can be termed, as child luring which according to the Canada statistics no much documentation is available. According to the centers for research and education on violence against women and children (2010), the greater percentages of sexual predator over the internet are male who lure adolescent girls (p.9). It is with no doubt that something needs to be done to combat sexual violations through the internet. Poverty is another factor seen to have contributed to the increase in the number of sexual offences against children (Holtz, 2013 p.327). Research show that, children from families with low income are more at risk of being abused sexually. Children who come from poor background, where life is unbearable, lack of education and

Performing arts project film and drama Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Performing arts project film and drama - Essay Example By referring instead to a French Film, such as Jeunet's Amelie, we can eliminate this bias. This approach presumes that essentially, Shakespeare's play, though technically English, feels as though it were written in a language other than our own. Shakespearean scholars probably don't find this to be a problem, but since we want to examine the elements of spectatorship rather than differences in language here, it is best that we eliminate the analysis of language all together. That said, Amelie is a good choice for contrast to theatre because of its reliance on both cinematic structure and theatricality to convey the message of the film. Moreover, the brilliant use of cinematography in the film provides an inherent contrast to theatre. In addition, since both Amelie and Much Ado About Nothing can be considered romantic comedies as it were, we analyze the experiences of a particular genre, rather than comparing apples and oranges. The most obvious and visible difference between the experiences incurred in theatre and cinema is that between static and alternating perspectives. That is to say, that when we watch a play, the action of the play remains directly in front of us at all times. It's possible that different things may be occurring on different parts of the stage, but the perspective of the audience spectator never shifts. When we watch a film, our perspective as a spectator is constantly shifting. In Amelie, it is interesting that we almost always share the perspective of the title character, Amelie herself , except for when the director decides that he wants to offer his audience more information than he offers his heroine. This aspect provides opportunities for both cinema and theatre to maximize the performance's relationship with the audience. For theatre, the director can choose to have a scene in the background or on a separate part of the stage from the primary action which the audience may or may not be required to see to enhance their understanding of the play. In Much Ado About Nothing, when two characters are downstage carrying on a conversation, this does not mean that the rest of the actors on stage stand still. Rather, action continues upstage and to the right and left of the primary action, as though it were all occurring in real time. For films, the capability of the camera offers new and exciting ways to tell the story. At different parts in the film, we view the world through different perspectives, such as the "Glass Man's" telescope, or Amelie's window. By providing these different perspectives for the spectator, the director is often able to make his audience feel like a voyeur upon the lives of the characters in the film. The shifting perspectives not only offer us new and important pieces of information, but present a visually dynamic piece of film. We enjoy watching specifically because of the bright colors and beautiful scenery that changes throughout the film; this would not be possible in theatre, as we are only ever offered one view from our seats in the auditorium. Similarly, film allows the audience to witness expressions of emotions on the faces of the characters. Again, due to the capabilities of camera angles and camera work, we have a front row seat, so to speak, to the emotions that the characters are feeling, whether it be surprise, anguish

Ancient Chinese Contributions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ancient Chinese Contributions - Essay Example Gunpowder is considered as the most important invention of the ancient Chinese, according to the legend, the invention of gunpowder was an accident (McClellan, 2011, p.125). Those who were responsible for inventing gunpowder were actually trying to locate a method through which human beings could remain immortal and by accident, they produced gunpowder which has the ability to take human life easier. Gunpowder is an essential contribution of the ancient Chinese because it has helped human beings in defending themselves against loss of life and loss of property for several years. Gunpowder has been used by militia and defense forces of the western world to protect themselves at the time of war and to protect loss of property and life against enemy attacks. The use of gunpowder in the field of warfare started taking place during the 14th century. Ancienct Chinese have even gained heavy recognition for the creation of compass. If the compass would not have been invented then individuals would have suffered great difficulty in moving from one end to another. They would have faced difficulty in finding their local destinations and destinations they intended to reach. Chinese should be thanked for their invention of compass because without this invention people would not have been able to fly aircrafts and condcut adventorours activities such as hiking. The early compass devloped by the ancient Chinese was created to help the chinese population in finding the location to the southern regions as these regions were considered as significant areas for them (McClellan, 2011, p.126). The compasses that were manufactured during the 4th century were created with the useof lodestone. Today education is considered as one of the most essential parts of humanwellbeing and if it would not have been the contribution of paper made by the anci ent Chinese, human beings would have remained uneducated for a very long period of time. If paper would not have been created by the great ancient chinese, record keeping would have never existed as there is no humanbeing who can hold huge amount of data in their memories for a long period of time. Paper has assisted in managing reocrds and has helped humanbeings in managing important information. The modern day paper used by the entire world is an achievment that was created by Cai Lun, he was the inventor of paper and during A.D 105, he invented paper by mixing fibers obtained from wood and water (Ho, 2000, p.216). The fourth greatest invention made by the ancient chinese was the Chinese abacus which is a simple tool for conducting calculations that are mathematical in nature. The four main mathematical functions that are performed with the assistance of abacus includes: multiplication, divison, addition and subtraction. The abacus was an invention of Chentg Dawei and this inventi on was created during the era in which the Ming Dynasty was in power (Ho, 2000, p.85). Abacus proved to be very

Formulate And Conduct Monetary Policy In Malaysia Information Technology Essay

Formulate And Conduct Monetary Policy In Malaysia Information Technology Essay The selected company for this paper is the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. The organization is popularly known by its widely accepted acronym HSBC. To-date, this multi-national company is a giant financial conglomerate that operates from more than 7,500 offices spread across 87 countries world-wide with more than 330,000 employees (www.hsbc.com). Briefly, the historical background of Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) was that it was founded in 1865. Its formation was to cater to primarily for the China trade. In 1876, it opened its Singapore branch followed by the Penang branch in 1884. The main banking activities then during the turn of the century in the Straits Settlements were to cater for trading activities in China. As the British presence in the Malay states in the Malay Peninsular grew through tin mining and during the later stages through rubber cultivation as well as other commodity plantations such as cocoa, tobacco and spices, Hongkong bank grew larger as demand for banking support to the business communities grew (HSBC. Its Malaysian Story, text by Douglas Wong, Editions Didier Millet, 2003). The financial industry in Malaysia has demonstrated a vibrant development since its announcement to open up the industry for foreign participation via increased equity and to hold a major stake in insurance companies, investment banks and commercial banks. Amongst the foreign players that has made a big inroad into the financial industry of Malaysia is HSBC, Standard Chartered and Citibank. (www.chinapost.com). The industry is controlled by the central bank of Malaysia known as Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). BNM formulates policies, sets out controls for the banking lending activities in the country and implements the Banking Financial Institutions Act 1989. Its main primary functions are:- Formulate and conduct monetary policy in Malaysia; Issue currency in Malaysia; Regulate and supervise financial institutions which are subject to the laws enforced by the Bank; Provide oversight over money and foreign exchange markets; Exercise oversight over payment systems; Promote a sound, progressive and inclusive financial system; Hold and manage the foreign reserves of Malaysia; Promote an exchange rate regime consistent with the fundamentals of the economy; and Act as financial adviser, banker and financial agent of the Government. (www.mida.gov.my) The major competitors to HSBC in Malaysia comprises of the foreign banks in Malaysia such as Standard Chartered Bank, Citibank, OCBC Bank and UOB Bank. The local banks that competes with HSBC are larger in terms of branch network, customer accessibility, capitalization, systems, loan spread as well as human capital. Part 2 The early era of modernization in the bank is through implementation of accounting machines in 1959 with the use of National Cash Register Corporation (NCR) Machine called NCR Class 32s for the general ledger and current accounts in Hongkong banks branches. The savings accounts were done using the NCR 42. The NCR 32 were later replaced by NCR Postronic machines in the larger branches in Malaya. The second phase of mechanization or early computerization in Hongkong bank started in 1976 through out to 1980. This phase involved the use of IBM mainframe such as IBM 360 which cost USD450,000 in 1977, Philips terminals, Racal modems and telecommunication provide by Telekon Malaysia. By 1988-89, the Philips banking terminal has been replaced by a Unisys system used by the HSBC group worldwide (HSBC. Its Malaysian Story, text by Douglas Wong, Editions Didier Millet, 2003). The Data Management and Storage system of HSBC are based mainly on its mainframe system that has been retained largely from its era of computerization in the 1976 era up until mid 1984/5. The mainframes are its key machines in storage of data and information which comprises of customer information, loan advances, staff information including its compensation payroll data. The Windows NT server is one HSBCs key data management and storage system. Another system in HSBCs data management and storage is its Windows 2000 SP4 server and Windows 2003 SP1 server. These three systems forms the core data management and storage for HSBC. The advantages of these systems are their storage capacity that is large enough for HSBCs customer information. The dependability of these systems has proven stable and dependable against unnecessary data losses. The IT Support teams constantly provide cumulative security update such as its Outlook Express. The flexibility of these three systems can be demonstrated in the series of pack and patches that was downloaded for the Windows 2000 SP4. Among those patches to address the system are:- Vulnerability in the Web View to allow Remote Code Execution. Vulnerability in HTML Help to allow Remote Code Execution. Vulnerability in Remote Desktop Protocol could allow denial of service. Vulnerability in the Microsift Data Access Components (MDAC) Function Could Allow Code Execution. (HSBC Intranet) The ability of the server to accommodate the above patched identified from the list of Microsoft Service Pack and Patches for Windows 2000 SP4 demonstrated the flexibility of the server to take patches in the system. These are aimed to ensure the server remains stable to support the banks requirement in data management and storage. In addition to the data management, the operating systems platforms are based mainly on Microsoft Windows. (www.hsbc.com.my) The bank placed high importance to ensure its operating systems are sound, dependable to its business needs, safeguard customer information, enables continuous product enhancement as well as maintaining employees information which are considered sensitive and crucial. Policies on internet usage for HSBC are highly regulated. The banks policy on the usage of email and internet is regulated and the policies can be found in the banks intranet accessible by all staff. The usage of email and internet is based on conditions laid down in the banks group policies. Its usage is for business correspondences and is to be conducted in a business-like and professional manner. The use of email and use of external computer access over the internet is subject to the banks policies and Code of Conduct. (HSBC Intranet). The networking and telecommunications aspect of HSBC is controlled and careful attention is given to the access to internal software and hardware of the organization. This manner of control is reflected in the organizations LAN security where all software installation is authorized through formal procedures. This would include LAN administrator guide strictly enforced, service patches on latest Microsoft updates are monitored and using approved anti-virus software (inclusive of updates). In terms of controlling the organizations network, strict password usage and control is enforced. This is evident in the organizations policy on placing ownership and accountability on individual user of their password. This includes frequent changing of password every 60 days (HSBC Intranet). In broad terms regarding consultants, system integrator and vendors, HSBC maintains strict regulations on outside equipment by consultants and vendors. In addition, the bank enforces strict controls on third party data transfer, maintenance of customer and staff personal data within the mainframe system and serves are not accessed by third parties such as external consultants and contract employees without proper clearance (HSBC Intranet/PC Security Guidelines). These strict controls are put in place to protect customer and staff data privacy as well as data security from being compromised by external or third parties that comes in contact with the banks systems or servers. In terms of the banks computer hardware platforms, these equipments are maintained through tight policy and guidelines that governs administration of the banks IBM servers, the computer hardware especially PCs and laptops used by the staff, comprising mainly of IBM machines (HSBC Intranet). Part 3 This report will proceed to present the concept on cloud computing, outlining its key features, current trends, future developments and consider its benefits to business (making direct reference to banking) and the cost of cloud computing to HSBC. Cloud computing comes into focus only when companies think about the IT needs/requirements. Companies started to explore ways to increase capacity or add capabilities on the go with business-as-usual operations without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends ITs existing capabilities (www.infoworld.com) (Based on an article by Eric Knorr Galen Gruman adapted from Infoworld). Prior to the availability of cloud computing, the traditional business applications have been complicated and expensive. The amount and variety of hardware and software required to run these applications and systems are daunting. The organization requires a whole team of experts to install, configure, test, run, secure, and update them. When the organization begins to multiply this effort across dozens or hundreds of applications, it is easy to observe the reason why the biggest companies with the best IT departments are not getting the applications they require. Given this reality, the small and mid-sized businesses will obviously face even bigger challenges (www.salesforce.com). While the concept of cloud computing was recognized to be spearheaded by Salesforce.com, there has been other companies that have dived into the business of providing CRM solutions in the form of software-as-a-service. A Google search produced several key service providers in cloud computing such as Gogrid, ORACLE, IBM, SAP cloud computing.com, vads.com and rimuhosting.com. The published benefits of cloud computing are the ability of the concept to leverage on cost while providing customized options to the subscribers. The list of benefits provided by cloud computing given the fundamental infra structure of cloud computing is as follows:- The level of Web-services integration has been proven. Cloud computing technology has demonstrated itself to be much easier and faster to integrate with the organizations existing enterprise applications (both traditional software and cloud computing infrastructure-based), whether third-party or applications that has been developed internally by the organization. Advanced service delivery. Cloud computing infrastructures offer greater scalability, complete disaster recovery, and demonstrated an impressive uptime figures. Lack of requirement to install additional hardware or software: There is no requirement for additional hardware or software in a fully cloud computing infrastructure. The positive features of cloud computing technology is in its overall simplicity and it requires significantly fewer capital expenditure to set up and get the whole system running. Faster and lower-risk deployment. The organization can set up and run the whole system much faster with a cloud computing infrastructure. It also saves the organization substantial expenses and allows employees/users to log into the new solution quickly. The cloud computing technology applications are live in a matter of weeks or months, even with extensive customization or integration included. Support for deep customizations. Cloud computing infrastructure allows deep customization and application configuration and it also preserves all those customizations even during upgrades. In addition, cloud computing technology is ideal for application development to support the organizations evolving needs. Empowered business users. Cloud computing technology allows on-the-fly, point-and-click customization and report generation for business users. As a result, IT is not required to spend a large amount of time and resource making minor changes and running reports. Automatic upgrades that dont impact IT resources. Cloud computing infrastructures put an end to a huge IT dilemma: If the organization upgrades to the latest version of the application, the organization is required to spend time and resources to rebuild their customizations and integrations. Cloud computing technology doesnt force an organization to decide between upgrading and preserving all its applications, because those customizations and integrations are automatically preserved during an upgrade. Pre-built, pre-integrated apps for cloud computing technology. The involvement of more companies in providing cloud computing infrastructure and applications will be able to multiply and provide more applications in either pre-built or post-built requirement to suit clients requirement. (www.salesforce.com). Malaysias IT infrastructure. The availability of better infrastructure compared to other countries in the region such as the availability of broadband indicates that the country is a suitable platform to embrace cloud computing with the assurance and support from the government. An example of this support is the entrance of Microsofts full range of cloud computing capabilities in Malaysia as well as other established parts in this region. (www.nst.com.my). While the concept and published reports and opinions have advocated various benefits from cloud computing, there are obvious down side to the concept compared to the more established traditional business applications that are more supported by the applications provider. One of the major online company that adopted cloud computing is Amazon.com. Recently, there have been technical problems and interruptions by the company starting on 21 April 2011. This has prompted industry analysts and observers to ask organizations to seriously reconsider relying on remote computers that are beyond their control. Matthew Eastwood, an analyst for the research firm IDC has called this incident involving Amazon.com as a wake-up call for cloud computing. The incident has started discussion on the concerns for cloud computing as such:- The amount organizations are required to pay for backup and recovery services. This concern also covers other areas, including paying extra for data centers in different locations. That is because the companies that were apparently hit hardest by the Amazon interruption were start-ups that, analysts said, are focused on moving fast in pursuit of growth, and less apt to pay for extensive backup and recovery services. (www.nytimes.com). The actual flexibility of cloud computing. While cloud computing has demonstrated its flexibility in terms of adaptability to organizations requirement and cost, there is a real concern amongst industry analysts on the claim of actual infinite elasticity of cloud computing. Arising from the recent Amazon.com interruption, there are serious concern on the ability of cloud computing to provide stability beyond the security from the traditional business applications provider that has seen proven reliability. This will be severe for what the analysts are concern for larger industry such as the entertainment industry (http://cloudcomputing.sys-con.com). Taking this argument a step further, this report also raises the concern arising from the Amazon.com incident to the banking industry. Would HSBC depart from the major players in banking to embrace cloud computing given this latest discussion in the IT industry. Part 4 In my analysis of the present structure of HSBC, the idea of adopting cloud computing needs to be pursued with a certain degree of caution and optimism. I am recommending the following options for your consideration in adopting cloud computing into the applications support, maintenance and storage for HSBC:- Limited participation in the Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) by putting in the new applications via cloud computing whilst keeping the existing applications to be enhanced, supported and stored by the existing system. The bank will continue to work our vendors and system support providers to maintain the existing applications. This dual approach is aimed to venture quickly into cloud computing and at the same time in assuring senior management, Asia Pacific Group IT as well as the Global team on our prudence to continue maintain the existing system for our current applications. This recommendation is to maintain status quo in our level of customer service with any unexpected disruption to our clients arising from technical problems. In addition, the VPC is relatively simple to implement and the cost of the subscription to SKALI Cloud Servers a minimal fee while having pre-build features which HSBC can use immediately. (www.skalicloud.com). This approach also eases up our GTLM (subsidiary providing IT support to HSBC) who is having attrition of IT personnel and simultaneously struggling to backfill the vacancies. In considering the IT infrastructure of our competitors, our proposed investment into cloud computing would be timely to ease off more capital investment into applications management and storage. The savings can be channeled to other IT requirement such as upgrade of our servers and other interface channel to the front end to give better support to our users. This will enable faster turnaround time and increase productivity of backroom / support staff and also better customer service for our sales service staff to our clients. Our overall business strategy under the Medium Term Outlook (MTO) three year plan from 2010 to 2012 emphasize the importance of improving productivity and cost savings to complement the bigger business revenue aim for the bank. Under this plan, the proposed adoption of cloud computing is to enable HSBC to have a quick support for its application support, minimize over dependence on staff, service providers and vendors. Many banks have spent time and money building an internal infrastructure. Such large infrastructure investment makes it difficult to cost justify moving for such infrastructure to be moved to an outside provider. There may be long-term savings but in the short-term, the difficulty is justifying the large investment into a cloud computing arrangement. In addition, moving the whole application systems from internal to eternal source via a cloud-based platform has a certain cost in itself which makes it even less attractive and even more difficult to justify. (http://thefinanser.co.uk) Issues with regulators. A recent report appearing in the UK Financier highlighted that Microsoft is often asked about Security by share holders as well as regulators. Companies would naturally due to their interest in protecting data privacy, will be determined to know how organizations protect their data. Among the questions posed to the organizations is the location of the cloud, the standards used by the organization in selecting the cloud that is located remotely away from the host country. In this respect, Microsoft is heavily geared towards security and is one of the largest firms in the development space in this area. Some issues do arise however with regulators in key markets, particularly in finance. For example, in Turkey, they regulate that data must be held on bank premises. Thats hard to overcome but is a key reason Microsoft continues to provide on premise solutions banks can implement while regulations catch up. (http://thefinanser.co.uk) Security of the information maintained within the cloud that is located away from the bank. In view that the cloud is not part of the banks organization or a subsidiary where the bank has partial or majority ownership, there remain questions on the control the bank has over the information, data or applications stored in the cloud (Interview with Mr Peter Ng, Manager IT Development/Support Office Automation on 12 April 2011). In addition, there is a provision within the Banking And Financial Institutions Act 1989 (BAFIA) that prohibits any director, employee or agent appointed by the bank who has access to the banks information made available such information to any other person or parties (S.97 of the Banking And Financial Institutions Act 1989). The concern raised by Mr Peter Ng is amplified by the fact that banks information, data or applications stored in the cloud outside the management purview of the bank. In view that the facility and commercial ownership of the cloud does not come under the definition of an agent appointed by the bank, there is no locus standi on the part of the cloud being accountable for any legal action that can be taken in the event there is a breach of S.97 of BAFIA. Section 97 of BAFIA states as follows:- 97.  Ã‚   (1)  Ã‚   No director or officer of any licensed institution or of any external bureau established, or any agent appointed, by the licensed institution to undertake any part of its business, whether during his tenure of office, or during his employment, or thereafter, and no person who for any reason, has by any means access to any record, book, register, correspondence, or other document whatsoever, or material, relating to the affairs or, in particular, the account, of any particular customer of the institution, shall give, produce, divulge, reveal, publish or otherwise disclose, to any person, or make a record for any person, of any information or document whatsoever relating to the affairs or account of such customer. (Banking and Financial Institutions Act 1989). Part 5 In summary, HSBC has a complex IT system that has been build over the years of our existence in Malaysia since the computerization of our banking system. The availability of cloud computing as an alternative in our on-going challenges in application management should be carefully considered in terms of expanding our IT capabilities to move into bigger areas of banking. This will provide HSBC with the opportunity to have better flexibility in managing our overall applications system to be able to provide better support to our users. This will in turn, enable our staff to provide better customer service and engagement. The adoption of cloud computing by the bank can be implemented with the following strategies:- Adopting a hybrid cloud where major vendors such as IBM, ORACLE and Hewlett Packard offers hybrid delivery with their existing technology to manage complexity of HSBCs diverse application systems that caters to different business groups where different applications for business segments such as Personal Financial Services, Commercial Banking, Treasury and Global Banking are different. The dedicated servers and applications can be better managed through public cloud (for lower cost applications storage with medium or low risks) and managed dedicated servers (for higher risks applications and data) that can be managed in partnership with the major vendor. This combined approach mitigates risks portfolio for the bank in terms of spreading evenly its storage in cloud computing where external parties and vendors cannot be fully controlled compared to internally managed servers and storage facilities (Interview with Mr Lim Wei Hup, Senior Manager IT Operations/Support conducted on 14 April 2011). Co-venturing into cloud computing by adopting a strategic partner to mitigate risks as well as leverage on common areas and different technical expertise to harness effective teamwork for selecting external applications from various clouds. An example of a recent tie-up and cooperation in the financial industry is the venture of Polaris Software Lab, one of the leading global financial technology companies announced a strategic investment in IdenTrust, a global financial institution. IdenTrust is one of the premier service providers of digital identity authentication services to several key banks such as Citibank, Bank of America, Deutsche, HSBC and even Barclays Bank. (www.siliconindia.com). The concern of being the first bank in Malaysia to embrace cloud computing need not arise as the government has provided ample support, key service provider such as Telekom Malaysia has been upgrading its broadband services and the availability of fiber optic infrastructure will ensure adequate bandwidth and speed. HSBC has always been a pioneer in various aspect in banking be it technology, products and services and even bringing environmental issues into part of its global commitments. With our rich history and forward optimism, venturing into cloud computing is an option management seriously need to consider in view our future growth strategy.