The Effects Of Drinking On College Students - 1225 Words

During the day and age of being a youth, it is very common to make decisions without thinking and not understanding the risks that come with them. Alcohol has been a major influence on college students and many of these students are unaware of the damage that is being caused by abusing it. What students in this age group do not understand is that their brain is still developing slowly and this process does not finish until they reach adulthood. Drinking can have harmful effects on the development of the brain, which has a major impact on the student as they age. College is a very stressful time period for some and a common mistake is students abusing the amount of alcohol they consume to cope with the stress they have. The question that comes to my mind is why do those who are fully aware of what they re doing to themselves continue to drink? This issue needs to be addressed more strictly to prevent damage on college students. They are working their hardest to achieve the goals that they want and find themselves potentially being affected by a destructive habit. Alcohol can affect a student past the textbook since some effects are permanent. Peer pressure is a commonly associated term to describe others in a group pressuring you to do something because a majority is. When the question of drinking comes to my mind, I believe that the most common reason that students drink is simply the fact that everybody else is associating themselves with it too and they are trying toShow MoreRelatedEffect Of Drinking On College Students1947 Words   |  8 PagesAbout 1,800 students die every year of alcohol related causes. An additional 600,000 injured drunk and roughly 100,000 become victims of alcohol related sexual assaults (McMurtrie). Students often fail to complete their college credentials because students are overwhelmed, overextended, underfunded and under prepared due to a recent survey of students that did not complete their studies. Though 65% of students drop out plan to return, but only 38% do return to their college studies (â€Å"Each One HelpRead MoreThe Effects Of Drinking On College Students Essay2325 Words   |  10 Pagesbecame alcoholic by drinking at a young age. Throughout our younger years, it is very common for us to make decisions without thinking. What many of us fail to understand is that with some of those decisions come risk and consequence that may follow us for our entire life. Alcohol has been a major influence on college students. Many of these students are unaware of the damage that is being caused by its abuse and what effects it can have on others. Drinking can have harmful effects on the developmentRead MoreThe Effects Of Binge Drinking On College Students1290 Words   |  6 Pagescommunicating the evidence that comes from alcoholic abuse in college students. The academic environment has its impact on the undergraduate student at some point or another, it is to some the only way to have fun, unknowingly the impact of binge drinking on their life can negatively affect their future while jeopardizing their career goals at the same time this type of substance abuse is nega tive. â€Å"The highest ratio of binge drinking can be found on college campuses† (Wechsler and Austin, 1998). There is aRead MoreEffects of Binge Drinking on College Students600 Words   |  3 PagesVeronica Harper’s Effects of Binge Drinking on College Students College students are more likely to consume alcohol more than people of the same age who are not attending college. Almost half of the college students that consume alcohol are considered binge drinkers (Five drinks in a row at one sitting for a man and four drinks in a row at one sitting for women). Many students believe the use of alcohol is a big part of the college experience, thus can be concluded that the college atmosphere may influenceRead MoreThe Effects Of Binge Drinking On College Students1139 Words   |  5 PagesThe Effects of Binge Drinking in College Students Binge drinking is when a person has more than four drinks, if female and five if male, in one sitting. While researching texts written about the negative effects of binge drinking in college students, I found articles and scholarly journals written by specialists in this specific field of study. These authors mainly focus on the fact that excessive binge drinking is detrimental to the quality of life and can alter your state of health in a negativeRead MoreThe Effects Of Binge Drinking On College Students Essay1697 Words   |  7 Pagesfor society, and college students are no exception to this problem, especially when it comes to binge drinking. Binge drinking is classified at 5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more drinks for women within 2 hours. According to a study by Ikes, â€Å"more than 40% of college students have engaged in heavy episodic drinking (HED)† or binge drinking (find pg number) and â€Å"19% engage in frequent binge drinking† (Iconis 243). There are very large implications for college students drinking this much alcoholRead MoreThe Effects Of Binge Drinking On College Students Essay825 Words   |  4 PagesBinge Drinking would have various of ways to define what in reality means. As for college students would define it as a way to drink non-stop, just for fun, or excessively drinking until drunk. Binge drinking can be interpreted in a scientific form, like NIAAA defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08 g/dL. This typically occurs after 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men—in about 2 hours. (National Institute on Alcohol AbuseRead MoreThe Effects Of Binge Drinking On College Students849 Words   |  4 PagesCollege is arguably the single most important transition in an individual’s live which they experience many forms of peer pressure and specific growth patterns. Those individuals fortunate enough to pay for their studies are able to further education far and wide across the globe, not while coming at the cost of many positives stringing some negative. With increased peer pressure and opportunity, some are introduced to a parent’s worst nightmare that being the cause and effects of binge drinkingRead MoreEffects Of Binge Drinking On College Students Essay968 Words   |  4 PagesHenry Wechsler in Getting Serious about Eradicating Binge Drinking, stresses how modern college students think that binge drinking is a norm in college life. I agree with Wechsler that the modern college student thinks binge drinking is normal. In High School, people would binge drink on a regular basis, and that eventually carried over into collegiate life. After being in college for about a month now, I realized that every night students binge drink either at bars, fraternity houses, or tailgatesRead MoreEffects Of On Campus Housing On College Students Drinking Behavior1565 Words   |  7 PagesEffects of on-campus housing on colleg e students’ drinking behavior: A Literature Review Educational scholars have widely researched the effects of on-campus housing on the behavior of college students and one of the behavioral effects is on drinking behavior. Researchers from both the United States and New Zealand have found that students living in residential halls on campus demonstrate the greatest rates for drinking and peer pressure for drinking (Rickwood, et al., 2011.). Leontini, et al.

The Wage Gap And Gender Inequality Essay - 1760 Words

INTRODUCTION Women as a minority group concerning the wage gap, also known as the gender pay gap, is an older phenomenon that has gradually become more of a topic of concern since the 1960s. The wage gap is recognized as the difference between male and female earnings that is identified as a percentage of male earnings. In 1963 the Equal Pay Act was instituted declaring that it would be illegal to pay women lower wages simply based on their gender. The wage gap remains a popular area of active and innovative study and has been investigated for numerous decades. By further examining the ongoing discussion individuals can distinguish a connection between how women are rarely employed in high-paying positions, have superior educational achievements, and by some means still have significantly less earnings than men do. There are individuals who believe that women of different races are even more affected by the wage gap. This paper concerning the wage gap uncovers various opinions about what specific ally prevents women from generating as much wealth as men. Although there are diverse analyses regarding what lies within the complexities of the wage gap, there is an understanding that women do suffer from a difference in wages compared to men. The wage gap for women constructs a critical function in our society, and is worth studying to recognize where our economy provides unequal opportunities for women in the labor force while including their education, training, race, andShow MoreRelatedGender Wage Gap And Gender Inequality1740 Words   |  7 PagesThe gender wage gap is defined as the relative difference in earnings between men and women in the economy as a whole. For every dollar a man makes, his female counterpart makes roughly seventy-seven cents. Even if a men and women have the same educational background and work history the man will go home with a higher paycheck than the woman. This may actually lead to tension in the workplace and cause conflict in the office. This also includes female dominated industries- most notably, nursingRead MoreGender Wage Gap Inequality And Gender Inequality Essay1880 Words   |  8 PagesArmando Suqui-Carchi Professor Pantano English 201 13 December 2016 Gender Wage Gap Inequality The gender wage inequality topic is one that has quietly laid in Americas closet of problems for decades. A female worker in Louisiana makes on average an alarming sixty-six cents compared to the dollar a man makes in twenty sixteen. When a father comes home after a forty-hour long work week making fifteen dollars an hour, he will open up a paycheck to six hundred dollars. When a mother comes home afterRead MoreGender Wage Gap And Gender Inequality1738 Words   |  7 PagesThe Gender Wage Gap is defined as the different amounts of money that is paid to women and men, often for doing the same work. Women who work full time, year round earn 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. Over a year women make $11,500 less than men and throughout their life this wage gap can affect women by making them earn anywhere from $400,000-$2 million less than men do. (Miller 2008, 6) The wage gap varies for women of different races. On average African-American women are paid 60 centsRead MoreGender Wage Gap And Gender Inequality2164 Words   |  9 Pages Throughout history, discrimination has wielded its ugly head in many different forms. Things such as, but not limited to, race, religion, appearance, beliefs and gender have consistently oppressed minorities. A continual discrimination that the women of the world are dealing with takes place in what has been promised to be a fair and unprejudiced environment: the work place. This issue deals with women not being paid the same amount of money as men even though they may be equally, if not more soRead MoreGender Wage Gaps And Gender Inequality1115 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to Boris Hirsch and associates, gender wage gaps should vary among densely populated regions and less densely populated regions. Using an estimating Mincerian earnings function that controls for individual characteristics and reflecting the productivity of the worker, we are able to get the ceteris paribus of the gender pay gap that will not be able to be explained by any differences in the productivity of wor kers. They also used the approach developed by Oaxaca and Blinder which estimatedRead MoreGender Wage Gap And Gender Inequality855 Words   |  4 Pages In general, the wage gap has narrowed at a slow, and uneven, pace over last three decades. Recent data shows that women in the American workforce earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns (Trevino). The existence of this â€Å"gender wage gap† has been an issue since women entered the workforce. The ongoing issue of the past has now become an apparent problem in our modern-day, progressive society. Women nowadays have opportunities that were not obtainable in past decades but must overcome, or ignoreRead MoreGender Wage Gap And Gender Inequality Essay912 Words   |  4 Pagespay† by Lanier Isom is about the gender wage gap. The gender wage gap is the difference between male and female earnings. Isom basically states in this article that the wage gap exists because of gender, however many experts state that the wage gap simple does exists do to a factor such as gender, but of multiple factors. These factors being that the statistics presented in favor of a Wage gap ar e incorrect and manipulated to seem correct. That the so called wage gap may be in fact do to the choiceRead MoreGender Wage Gap And Gender Inequality Essay1519 Words   |  7 PagesGender Wage Gap Lydia Ogles November 2016 Introduction/Abstract The gender wage gap has been a nationwide problem since women were able to enter the workforce. Women have begun to speak out more about the issue and evaluate what they can do to change the industries and how they personally present themselves to help this change. Currently there is a wide range of opinions on this issue, with some saying it does not exist while others think it will ruin the economy if not fixed immediately. This makesRead MoreGender Wage Gap And Gender Inequality1697 Words   |  7 Pagesto be paid less wages than men, but this paper will argue in the U.S. today the gender wage gap still exists. The definition of gender wage gap as stated by the U.S. government is defined as women who work full time or salary based jobs who receive less earnings than their male counterparts who work equal level jobs (â€Å"Equal Pay,† n.d.).[] This analysis will focus on the years of 2012 to 2014, and in these years it is clear that the gender wage gap exists. The topic of gender wage gap sociologicallyRead MoreGender Inequality And Gender Wage Gap2375 Words   |  10 PagesThis is known as gender income difference i.e. the ratio of female to male median yearly earnings among full time year round workers. It is also the average difference between men’s and women’s hourly earnings, the gender pay gap has grown from 14.8 per cent last year to 19.7per cent this year, overtime not included.( Warren 2005) .Studies have shown that this gap has increased over the years, hence widening the gap in the society. These figures must act as a wake-up call for the government. Women’s

Corporate Finance Fund Managers

Question: Discuss about the Corporate Finance for Fund Managers. Answer: Responsibilities of CFO of RCG Corporation Limited A Chief Financial Officers (CFO) responsibilities are deemed quite difficult. The CFO of a company is accountable for several aspects. Such things are considered factors like a skilled and successful CFO will have differing characteristics from a CFO who is not that effective in gaining the objectives of the company in a superior way. This is for the reason that increasingly successful CFOs will be skilled in estimating the long-term financial view of any company and the manner in which a company sustains depending on their suitable analysis. The three vital responsibilities of CFO of RCG Corporation Limited include: Treasury Responsibilities- RCG Corporation Limiteds CFO is held accountable fo preparing report on financial information of the company that facilitates the shareholders in deciding whether they should invest in the business by taking into account risk and liquidity within the company. RCG Corporation Limited declared in the year 2015 that the companys financial situation remains profitable over the current years. This can be depicted through operating cash flow increase by 11%. Financial report that was prepared by the companys CFO depicted that the business acquires steady dividends at the time of transitioning payout ratio of 80% (Popescu et al. 2013). Controllership Duties- These responsibilities of RCG Corporation Limited encompass reporting and offering appropriate as well as quick historical financial information of a business. All the stakeholders of RCG Corporation Limited encompass employees, shareholders, analytics, management and creditors those rely on quick and accurate information on the financial situation of the business for taking vial strategic decisions for the company. Economic Strategies and Related Forecasting- CFO of RCG Corporation Limited is held accountable for its previous and recent financial situation and takes into account anticipating the companys future financial position. The CFO is highly capable in recognizing and reporting the aspects of the companys business those are gaining huge profits and the ways in which the business is capable to capitalize on the information for improving financial position. CFO of RCG Corporation Limited has efficiently recorded that the business is meeting high growth in revenue and its earnings are affecting by certain strategic investments. The companys CFO report signifies that they have estimated that the company can gain high growth in EBITIDA margin by its major business divisions that will attain high performance in the future years. CFO Responsibilities Effect on the Organizational Objectives An organizations CFO is held accountable in obtaining business and the financial objectives of the company. These authorities find themselves in managing unrelated, incompatible and increasingly conflicting objectives of an organization. Such lack in alignment of financial and operating objectives leads to inefficient and high costs (Rcgcorp.com.au., 2016). CFO possesses the responsibility of obtaining a huge outlook within the overall organization and is situated in an efficient manner, which will make sure in developing efficient strategic plan, financial budgets and reporting systems those are integrated in a better manner considering all the aspects of the companys operations. Figure 1: Responsibilities of CFO and Company Objectives (Source: Tricker 2015) In RCG Corporation Limited, the CFO fulfills responsibilities of identifying issues at the time they occur and work in alignment to the in-line officers all over the company for improving standardization, quality, agility, efficiency and operational agility. The companys CFO has a great focus on short duration financial consequences and centers on enforcing strategies in attaining expense reduction and considers the vision of long-term business advancement. Integrated business planning with support of the CFO objectives in RCG Corporation Limited ensures that the findings address the companys expectations and objectives. The CFO of RCG Corporation Limited has several responsibilities that supports in gaining organizational objectives. The companys CFO serves to be a catalyst for stimulating behaviors all through the business for gaining strategic and financial goals. In consideration to the vital goals of the company is to center on the performance management depending on the histori cal findings. The companys CFO has greatly focuses on the partnerships and several operating frameworks for obtaining increased business goals. RCG Corporation Limiteds CFO possesses increased capability in taking effective short and extended term decisions and attaining the vital goals of the organization in accord to highly volatile financial markets. Playing the role of a financial caretaker, CFO of RCG Corporation Limited has a great role in guiding the company in the direction of objective attainment. As an aspect of leadership within the company, CFO of the organization facilitates increase in the supports in the area of operational and strategic decision-making in the business partnership ability with attaining traditional stewardship related with control, governance, business ethics and compliance. Considering RCG Corporation Limited is future looking company, the CFO has attained its responsibilities in sustaining cost and transactional effectiveness of the organization and focus greatly on strategic value adding of the business (Bedard et al. 2014). The CFO of RCG Corporation Limited attains the board responsibility along with external financial reporting, capital controlling and tax planning management in the organization and sustaining relations with investors. Additionally, CFO has the responsibility for making sure of performance management property and offering advices on mergers and acquisitions. The CFO of RCG Corporation Limited is held responsible in achieving strategic and financial goals of the company by taking decisions on strategic changes being experienced currently by the global retail industry. This encompasses evaluation of impact of several regulations, competition and technology that does not take place frequently within the company. The companys CFO made strategic decisions in positioning the organization as a successful retail chain with diversified portfolio and advanced heritage of providing advanced quality retail services to all its customers. For superior attainment of CFO responsibilities, the company is situated profitably in adapting and addressing regular changes. The CFO of RCG Corporation Limited has achieved the companys financial objectives effectively by implementing his superior experience in the business and financial aspects. The individual has attained his role effectively being the CFO of RCG Corporation Limited. Michael Hirschowitz is the CFO of RCG Corporation Limited is the person responsible for achieving growth to the company. CFO of the company is highly experience in the retail sector. He is appointed by the company since 2006. CFO of the company had taken the decision of having acquisition of taking over 100% share of Hype DC in July 2016. The CFO of RCG had analyzed a high growth in the domestic as well as international market. CFO of the RCG is the person responsible for achieving high return as well profitability. CFO of the company is attaining high growth in the company. CFO has taken effective and useful decision for achieving higher growth of the company. CFO of the company is the responsible person for fulfilling the financial objective of the company. CFO of RCG has taken effective strategy for improving the financial position of the company. CFO has a duty for managing the financial statement is such way that company will be attaining successful growth of the company (Bedard et al., 2014). RCG has given a final dividend of 2.50 cents. He is also the board member of the company the company. Due to an effective strategy of the CFO has reduced the expense of the share which has helped the company in giving high return to the shareholders of the company. The effective decision of CFO has helped in the company in decreasing the expense of the sundry items. The CFO of the company has taken an effective decision about the fair vale measurement concept which has helped the company in getting good value of the company. CFO of the company has forecasted the cash flow will be ranging from 4%-5% by the year 2012. As compared to the previous year it has been observed that the company does not have any acquisition cost. Further, it has been observed that there is no existence of the vendor of Accent Group Limited, which implies that company is no more owing to that group. Further, it has been observed that loan taken by the company has decreased by 20%. As well as a loan to the vendor is no more existing. All these features show that CFO of the company has performed satisfactorily and truly from his perspective. So from the above discussion and analysis, it has been observed that CFO of the company is highly capable of fulfilling responsibilities and duty in the perspective of fulfilling the financial objective of the company. Role of Pension Fund Manager: The pension fund manager is responsible for effective functioning of pension scheme. The pension fund manager is entirely responsible for implementing the fund investment strategy and management of portfolio trading activities. The pension fund manager is responsible to manage and administer the accounts related to the pension fund. Pension fund manager also plays an important role in maximising the pension fund that creates an impact on the operational functions of an organisation. According to Clark and Urwin (2016) the pension fund manager enables the business to mobilise the funds for any business entity. The pension fund managers are paid a subsequent amount for their services which aggregates the average assets under the management. Below listed are the key responsibilities for the pension fund manager. Development of pension policies: As stated by the pension fund manager is under the obligations of developing the pension scheme benefits along with developing the packages for the retired personnel in the organisation. The central area of responsibility for pension fund manager is to effectively mobile the resources for investment and encouraging savings for the growth and development of business. Implementing pension fund strategy: It is responsibility of the pension fund manager to implement pension fund strategy after reviewing and evaluating the savings and the organisational objectives so that it can meet the goals of the organisation. As stated by any such pension scheme should be implemented after taking into the consideration the elements of inherent financial strength of the personnel and the propensity of savings. Pension schemes: The pension fund manager is under the obligations of ensuring that the pension fund schemes should operate effectively and must be in accordance with the performance standard. The pension fund manager should ensure that such standards set out by the organisation should meet the anticipations of the organisation. Thus, the pension fund scheme should be developed in consideration with the elements of financial savings of the business entity. Management of the pension scheme for a particular individual is one of the central responsibilities of the pension fund manager. Providing updated reports to the manager: It is the sole duty of the pension fund manager to provide the trustees of the business with the updated reports. This helps the concerned business authorities to understand the intrinsic details of the pension fund. As stated by the updated report should be presented quarterly or either on half-yearly basis. Recruitment: The pension fund manager is also under the obligations of recruiting and developing a team of professionals comprising of pension fund administrators. This enables the pension fund managers to develop effectual investment strategies. As mentioned by pension fund manager implements numerous recruitment strategies so that it can select best personnel for the organisation. It should be noted that it is necessary for the business enterprise to develop and grow management strategies for successful business enterprise. This helps in mobilising the savings generated by the organisation so as to facilitate the pension schemes for the workforce. Reference Bibliography Apostolakis, G., Kraanen, F. and van Dijk, G., 2016. Pension beneficiaries and fund managers perceptions of responsible investment: a focus group study.Corporate Governance,16(1), pp.1-20. Arnold, G., 2014.Corporate financial management. Pearson Higher Ed. Bedard, J.C., Hoitash, R. and Hoitash, U., 2014. Chief financial officers as inside directors.Contemporary Accounting Research,31(3), pp.787-817. Bedard, J.C., Hoitash, R. and Hoitash, U., 2014. Chief financial officers as inside directors.Contemporary Accounting Research,31(3), pp.787-817. Clark, G.L. and Urwin, R., 2016. Best-Practice Pension Fund Governance. InAsset Management(pp. 295-322). Springer International Publishing. Cremers, M., Ferreira, M.A., Matos, P. and Starks, L., 2016. Indexing and active fund management: International evidence.Journal of Financial Economics,120(3), pp.539-560. Harris, M.D., 2015.Handbook of home health care administration. Jones Bartlett Publishers. Maucher, H., Malik, F. and Farschtschian, F., 2013.Maucher and Malik on Management: Maxims of Corporate Management-Best of Helmut Maucher  s Speeches, Essays and Interviews. Campus Verlag. McCarthy, M.A., Sorsa, V.P. and van der Zwan, N., 2016. Investment preferences and patient capital: financing, governance, and regulation in pension fund capitalism.Socio-Economic Review, p.mww020. Podnar, K. and Balmer, J., 2013.Contemplating corporate marketing, identity and communication. Routledge. Popescu, M.L., Oancea-Negescu, M.D. and Predescu, A., 2013. Investor RelationsA Crucial Strategic Management Responsibility Tool For Succesful Investor SearchOn Capital Markets. InProceedings of the International Management Conference(Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 664-673). Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania. Rcgcorp.com.au., 2016.RCG Corporation. [online] Available at: https://rcgcorp.com.au [Accessed 27 Sep. 2016]. Strand, R., 2013. The chief officer of corporate social responsibility: A study of its presence in top management teams.Journal of Business Ethics,112(4), pp.721-734. Tricker, B., 2015.Corporate governance: Principles, policies, and practices. Oxford University Press, USA. Watson, J., Delaney, J., Dempsey, M. and Wickramanayake, J., 2016. Australian superannuation (pension) fund product ratings and performance: A guide for fund managers.Australian Journal of Management,41(2), pp.189-211. Williams, D.A. and Wade-Golden, K.C., 2013.The Chief Diversity Officer. Stylus Publishing, LLC..

Marco Polo Essays - Marco Polo, Eurasia, Asia,

Marco Polo Marco Polo is one of the most well-known heroic travelers and traders around the world. In my paper I will discuss with you Marco Polo's life, his travels, and his visit to China to see the great Khan. Marco Polo was born in c.1254 in Venice. He was a Venetian explorer and merchant whose account of his travels in Asia was the primary source for the European image of the Far East until the late 19th century. Marco's father, Niccol?, and his uncle Maffeo had traveled to China (1260-69) as merchants. When they left (1271) Venice to return to China, they were accompanied by 17-year-old Marco and two priests. Early Life Despite his enduring fame, very little was known about the personal life of Marco Polo. It is known that he was born into a leading Venetian family of merchants. He also lived during a propitious time in world history, when the height of Venice's influence as a city-state coincided with the greatest extent of Mongol conquest of Asia(Li Man Kin 9). Ruled by Kublai Khan, the Mongol Empire stretched all the way from China to Russia and the Levant. The Mongol hordes also threatened other parts of Europe, particularly Poland and Hungary, inspiring fear everywhere by their bloodthirsty advances. Yet the ruthless methods brought a measure of stability to the lands they controlled, opening up trade routes such as the famous Silk Road. Eventually ,the Mongols discovered that it was more profitable to collect tribute from people than to kill them outright, and this policy too stimulated trade(Hull 23). Into this favorable atmosphere a number of European traders ventured, including the family of Marco Polo. The Polos had long-established ties in the Levant and around the Black Sea: for example, they owned property in Constantinople, and Marco's uncle, for whom he was named, had a home in Sudak in the Crimea(Rugoff 8). From Sudak, around 1260, another uncle, Maffeo, and Marco's father, Niccol?, made a trading visit into Mongol territory, the land of the Golden Horde(Russia), ruled by Berke Khan. While they were there, a war broke out between Berke and the Cowan of Levant , blocking their return home. Thus Niccol? and Maffeo traveled deeper into mongol territory, moving southeast to Bukhara, which was ruled by a third Cowan. While waiting there, they met an emissary traveling farther eastward who invited them to accompany him to the court of the great Cowan, Kublai, in Cathay(modern China). In Cathay, Kublai Khan gave the Polos a friendly reception, appointed them his emissaries to th e pope, and ensured their safe travel back to Europe(Steffof 10). They were to return to Cathay with one hundred learned men who could instruct the Mongols in the Christian religion and the liberal arts. In 1269, Niccol? and Maffeo Polo arrived back in Venice, where Niccol? found out his wife had died while he was gone(Rugoff 5). Their son, Marco, who was only about fifteen years old, had been only six or younger when his father left home:thus; Marco was reared primarily by his mother and the extended Polo family-and the streets of Venice. After his mother's death, Marco had probably begun to think of himself as something of a orphan(Rugoff 6). Then his father and uncle suddenly reappeared, as if from the dead, after nine years of traveling in far-off, romantic lands. These experiences were the formative influences on young Marco, and one can see their effects mirrored in his character: a combination of sensitivity and toughness, independence and loyalty, motivated by an eagerness for adventure, a love of stories, and a desire to please or impress(Li Man Kin 10). Life's Work In 1268, Pope Clement IV died, and a two- or three-year delay while another pope was being elected gave young Marco time to mature and to absorb the tales of his father and uncle. Marco was seventeen years old when he, his father and uncle finally set out for the court of Kublai Khan(Stefoff 13). They were accompanied not by one hundred wise men but by two Dominican friars, and the two good friars turned back at the first sign of adversity, another local war in the Levant. Aside from the pope's messages, the only spiritual gift Europe was able