Character Analysis Of The Galileo Seven - 1720 Words

The Galileo Seven is the sixteenth episode of the original series of Star Trek. The plot starts when the USS Enterprise starship has a mission to deliver medical supplies to Makus III. A shuttlecraft, called Galileo, is sent out to trace out the formation of four star systems. In that spaceship, a group of research team includes Chief Medical Officer McCoy, Chief Engineer Scott, and four other specialists, under the command of First Officer Spock. Nevertheless, soon after Galileo has launched, the spacecraft is hit by the radiation. They are forced to make an emergency landing on Taurus II. There, crewmembers come across the threat from local inhabitants as well as the challenge to fix the shuttlecraft and return to the Enterprise in†¦show more content†¦For example, Spock tried to supply Scott with all necessary equipment to fix the spaceship. Nonetheless, the situation itself is also significant to determine how favorable it is towards the leader. From this perspective, it is necessary to classify the circumstances into two states, which are normal situation and emergency situation. In normal environment, everybody carries out their typical, routine duties concerning their roles. Spock and his subordinates has established good leader-member relationship, as they treated each other with respect. Furthermore, since the tasks are well-structured, everyone clearly understands what needs to be done and how to do it. Apart from that the chief’s position power is rather strong. Additionally, if the Five Bases of Power by French and Raven (1959) is also taken into account, Spock claimed to have personal power of expertise and referent too. To conclude the routine situational characteristics, good leader-member relations, high task structure, and strong position power lead to situation I (see figure 1), which effectively matches with Spock’s task-oriented style (Jones George, 2012). In contrast, unusual circumstances include the crisis of shutt lecraft accident and the charge from local tribes. Leader-member relations are apparently poor. Most of his decisions seemed to contradict with his subordinates’ opinions and common ethics, which erode their trust and loyalty. Moreover, most crewmembers lackedShow MoreRelated The Mass Media and the Futile Search for Extraterrestrial Life3658 Words   |  15 Pagesthe objective reporting that they gave it. Inside Edition not only showed the digital analysis but demonstrated the work done by scientist Jim Deletosa, which states that the UFO is a real solid object approximately half a mile long and 75,000 feet in the air. They found a second opinion, John Deturo, a computer scientist at the U.S. Military Academy, who uncovered several UFO hoaxes. His conclusions after analysis was, It appears to be an object flying in the sky. The object either emanates lightRead MoreShivaji Maharaj8072 Words   |  33 PagesChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj An Analysis Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 1 A Note of Acknowledgement. . . I would wish to thank Shri. Ambareesh Phadnavis, who painstakingly translated and compiled this article, originally written by Shri. Narahar Kurundkar, as a preface for Shriman Yogi. - Manish Zanpure Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 2 Index Introduction . . . ............................................. 4 Sambhaji, his son... ..............................Read MoreCompilation of Mathematicians and Their Contributions11615 Words   |  47 Pagespendulums, reported in his Cogitata Physico-Mathematica in 1644. He was the first to measure the length of the seconds pendulum, that is a pendulum whose swing takes one second, and the first to observe that a pendulums swings are not isochronous as Galileo thought, but that large swings take longer than small swings. 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The resilience of this locus obscurus is explained both by the power of a new mode of interpreting discourse (as technical or logical analysis) and by the ever more privileged position of the reader (intentio lectoris). Both attitudes are related to modern ideologies and to changes which have occurred in the intersubjective lifeworld, especially in the communication of the scholarly andRead MoreHerbert Spencer Essay13142 Words   |  53 Pagesskilled mechanic: they read Herbert Spencer and Huxley and are speculative in religious and political thought. In the 1880s Spencer was consulted by the Japanese government on education. And in Chekhovs short story The Duel (1891) a female character recalls the beginning of an idyllic relationship: to begin with we had kisses, and calm evenings, and vows, and Spencer, and ideals and interests in common. And, finally, a letter arrived at Spencers home in the early 1890s addressed to HerbtRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 PagesCompany, Inc.: Building a Social Networking Strategy 321 PART III Acquiring Information Systems 327 Chapter 8 Basic Systems Concepts and Tools The Systems View What Is a System? 329 329 330 Seven Key System Elements Organizations as Systems 330 334 Systems Analysis and Design 335 Business Processes 336 Identifying Business Processes 336 Business Process Redesign 336 Processes and Techniques to Develop Information Systems 339 The Information Systems DevelopmentRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 Pagessites on the web so you can explore more about the organisations featured in the case studies †¢ Classic cases – over 30 case studies from previous editions of the book †¢ The Strategy Experience simulation gives you hands-on experience of strategic analysis and putting strategy into action Resources for instructors †¢ Instructor’s manual, including extensive teaching notes for cases and suggested teaching plans †¢ PowerPoint slides, containing key information and figures from the book †¢ Secure testbankRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pages which are the focus of the next section, are neither rules nor recipes; they are pieces of advice that must be applied flexibly. They are called principles only because it sounds odd to call something piece of advice eleven or thing to do seven. Advice for Logical Reasoners All of us use these principles every day, so this discussion is just a reminder of what you already know. One principle is to ask for reasons before accepting a conclusion, unless you already have good enough reasonsRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesmain issues inï ¬â€šuencing the competitive position of a number of organisations in the same industry with a relatively short case. For a case that permits a more comprehensive industry analysis The Pharmaceutical Industry could be used. However, if the purpose is more focused – illustrating the use of ‘ï ¬ ve forces’ analysis – the TUI case study or Illustration 2.3 on The Steel Industry could be used. Some cases are written entirely from published sources but most have been prepared in cooperation with

Louis Pojman`s Perspective of Morality - 685 Words

As we all believe that there is no absolute right or wrong thing in our world. We judge things right or wrong simply base on some other things which are relatively right or wrong things. However, in our moral world, there do exist some rules that most of us would agree with and think it should be the moral thing such that everyone deserves to be respected. In this paper, I will discuss Louis Pojman`s perspective of view on the â€Å"Captive Pursuit†. In Louis Pojman`s â€Å"Who`s to Judge† article, he thinks that there do exist universally- accepted moral principles â€Å"based on a common human nature† and â€Å"a need to solve conflicts of interest and flourish†(Pojman 250). And he thinks while there are some relative differences when people act under the universally accepted moral guidelines, the morality itself is always the same in different societies. In the article, Pojman first talks about the ethical relativism which is that there is no â€Å"universally valid moral principle†. The principles are moral only because they are valid relative to the culture or individual choice. And he discuss the â€Å"diversity thesis† and â€Å"dependency thesis† of ethical relativism. The â€Å"diversity thesis† which claims that moral rules differ from society to society. Hence, there are no moral principles accepted by all societies. However, according to Pojman, there do have some moral rules accepted by all societies which are not considered to have objective status. On the other hand, the† dependency thesis† is thatShow MoreRelated Define Ethics And Social Responsibility Essay1556 Words   |  7 Pagesresponsibility. This essay will define about ethics,social responsibiliy and show how it is going on and how it is importance to manager and global business. So `Ethics or `morality; some people distinguish between ethics and morality: ethics is a standard of conduct for a particular group; morality is a more general standard) is one of those words in our language that we use every day but we find notoriously hard to define. Websters Dictionary defines ethics as 1. the study of standardsRead MoreDefine Ethics and Social Responsibility and Explain Why They Share Common Characteristics in an Organisational Setting. Identify Recent Examples Where Ethical Practices or Social Responsibility Have Not Occurred and the Implications for Stakehold...1651 Words   |  7 Pagessocial responsibility. This essay will define about ethics,social responsibiliy and show how it is going on and how it is importance to manager and global business. So `Ethics or `morality; some people distinguish between ethics and morality: ethics is a standard of conduct for a particular group; morality is a more general standard) is one of those words in our language that we use every day but we find notoriously hard to define. Websters Dictionary defines ethics as 1. the study of standardsRead MoreEssay on Should the Death Penalty be Abolished?3057 Words   |  13 Pagesto analysis, and critique information from evidence presented, and then determines without any doubt whether an individual is guilty or not guilty. The problem is most individuals come with a bias, and will make decisions from their own personal perspectives. And, unfortunately we have a criminal justice system that is flawed, and decisions are made on moral judgment instead of principle fairness. In society, it is expected that everyone is to follow the rules, and, when they are broken, we expect

The Sum Total of the Equipment of the Human Individual Free Essays

Culture in ancient times was defined as â€Å"the sum total of the equipment of the human individual, which enables him to be attuned to his immediate environment on the historical past on the other†. It reflects in effect what humans have added to Nature. It comprises the spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of a society and includes, in addition to the arts and letters, the value systems, traditions, modes of life and beliefs of the society. We will write a custom essay sample on The Sum Total of the Equipment of the Human Individual or any similar topic only for you Order Now It also absorbs from other cultures and undergoes changes with time, sometimes beneficial, sometimes regressive. (Barlas, 15). Culture shock is a severe psychological reaction that results from adjusting to the realities of a society radically different from one†s own. The actual degree of culture shock may vary depending on the differences and similarities between the society studied and the persons† own society. The symptoms may range from mild irritation to surprise or disgust. (Scupin, 124). Usually after the person experiencing culture shock learns the norms, beliefs, and practices of the community, the psychological disorientation of culture shock begins to diminish. This paper will be based upon culture shock and international business. There are three areas where culture shock could affect you: 1. Emotions-you have to cope with the stress of international work and keeping an emotional balance in order to perform in a business. 2. Thinking style- you have to understand how your counterparts think and be able to develop culturally effective solutions. 3. Social skills and social identity- you need effective social skills to establish new business relationships. (Marx, 25). This differs from manager to manager, some managers seem to adapt in an almost chameleon –like way to different countries, whereas others cling desperately to their habits and their national approaches. Working in a new culture can produce a variety of reactions, such as; Inappropriate social behavior Inability to get close to your business partner and clinch the deal All of the above are possible reactions to culture shock, the shock we experience when we are confronted with the unknown the â€Å"foreign†. The term culture shock was coined by the anthropologists Oberg, who explained both the symptoms and the process of adapting to a different culture. The experience of a new culture is seen as an unpleasant surprise or shock- a shock that occur when expectations do not coincide with reality. (Marx, 5). In his original article, Oberg lists six main aspects of culture shock: 1. Strain caused by the effort to adapt. 2. Sense of loss and feelings of deprivation in relation to friends, status, profession and possessions. 3. Feeling rejected by or rejecting members of the new culture. 4. Confusion in role, values and self-identity. 5. Anxiety and even disgust/anger about foreign practices. 6. Feelings of helplessness, not being able to cope with the new environment. Culture shock in all its diverse form is completely normal and is part of a successful process of adaptation. Oberg also developed a model of adaptation that suggests that going abroad or working internationally put you through or cycle of distinct phases on the way to final adaptations. The first stage is the honeymoon phase, where all encounters in a new place are seen as exciting, positive and stimulating. The new life is viewed as providing endless opportunities and the manager is usually in a state of exhilaration. There is openness and curiosity, combined with a readiness to accept whatever comes. Most importantly, at this stage judgment is reserved and even minor irritations are suppressed in favor of concentrating on the n ice things about the job, the country, the colleagues, the food, etc. In the second phase, culture shock sets in- the manager realizes that something is not quite right. This experience of foreignness can start with a creeping awareness of disorientation and a feeling of not quite knowing what is going on. It can also include very negative symptoms, such as stress (being unable to sleep or eat), irritability, and a negative view of the job, the country and colleagues. This phase is characterized by a general unease that can involve being uncomfortable with the new situation but can border on hating everything foreign. The main reason for these symptoms is an uncertainty about our surroundings our future and ourselves. The usual signs if orientation and belonging do not exist, we don†t quite know who we are without the familiar social context, and the way our foreign colleagues behave seems all wrong. How individual managers deal with this particular phase and its emotions, thinking and expectations are essential for their overall adaptation in the long run. The ideal approach is to use the symptoms and the unpleasantness as a clear indicator that it is time to change our approach and to engage in some form of self-development both in dealing with our emotions and in understanding ourselves and others. The worst type of approach is to ignore the symptoms, to resort to superficial solutions or to adapt a rigid stance of believing that only out methods are correct and forcing these methods/management techniques on foreign colleagues. The third phase of recovery usually starts with accepting that we have a problem and that we have to work on it. Both recovery and the final adjustment phase usually involve a compromise between the feeling and thinking of the honeymoon phase and the culture shock phase. This compromise is between our exaggerated expectations and reality. In the final, adjustment stage managers are able to work effectively, know the limitations ways of doing things and most importantly, are able to be more flexible. (Marx, 8). How to cite The Sum Total of the Equipment of the Human Individual, Essay examples

How Animals Should Be Treated free essay sample

Animals should be treated with the same respect as humans†. It is a common belief that a human is superior to any other animal, mainly because of the extended intelligence that the former is gifted with. However, it is my strong conviction that all living things are worthy of the same respect and deserve to be treated with the same consideration. In the first place, I think that people should respect the whole creation of God, including animals. The fact that humans exist with them only means that they are all equals in the eyes of the divine providence, so they should all be respected and protected. Furthermore, it appears that animals have feelings and conscience too and having a pet as a companion can teach one a sense of responsibility. A striking example of their intelligence and nobility is the fact that pets are often specially trained to help their blind or deaf owners. We will write a custom essay sample on How Animals Should Be Treated or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In contrast, there are those who claim that, because animals are less evolved than humans, they do not possess the same awareness of the world and represent potential enemies. Were this true, animals would have already taken over the world as they do in the science fiction movies. While it cannot be denied that humans are the most intelligent and complex creatures on earth, it is my firm belief that animals also deserve respect and appreciation. I believe they are necessary in our lives, as we are in theirs. In 2012 there were 35 000 animal cruelty cases reported in the media all over the world. What is more, there are many atrocious videos posted on the internet in which animals are being ill-treated or killed. Statistically, one fifth of all domestic animals are not well treated. These facts arouse the question: ‘Should animals be treated with the same respect as humans? ’. In spite of the fact that animals are not conscious thinking creatures, they should be treated as humans because they are biologically similar to us and they are our companions. First and foremost, animals are biologically similar to humans. Their genetic code is similar to ours because it is made of the same nucleotides that encode amino acids. DNA is the carrier of genetic information in which our behaviour, appearance and genetic predispositions are encoded. Human and animals’ structure of DNA is almost the same. The best example is the DNA of the great apes which is in 95 percent similar to the human. Even though many people can say that animals do not feel anything, animals are able to feel pain, happiness or anger owing to the developed nervous system. The typical examples of that are a dog which howls when it feels pain and a cat which purrs when it is being stroked. Many experiments were held in which e. g. himpanzees were learnt how to count fruits shown on the screen and with the right answer they were getting a reward, and they were able to learn it which is the clear proof that they are able to learn certain conducts in the course of time. Furthermore, many species of animals are human companions. Choicely trained dogs are used to help blind people function in the world. Jack is one of the many people who without his dog would only have to stay at home and be dependent on his family. However, it is not the life that those people want to live and dogs are the unbeatable mean of helping them in their day-to-day activities.

Health Services Administration free essay sample

The control of development and generalization of medical technology is fragmented. Identify control points, and suggest ways to improve them. Distinguish the private and public sectors. Medical technology continues to advance to the highest of levels in recent years; this has brought more and more attention to regulation at the federal, state, and professional level. Medical technology and the control of such technology has also become a controversial issue in healthcare today. The can almost be directly related to the rapidly rising national health care expenses and their relation to the technology. These costs are increasing, whereas, the benefits or effectiveness of the technology still have to prove themselves. The FDA is one control point for medical technologies in the public sector. The FDA reviews and maintains the approval of medical devices and drugs, which is an absolute requirement before the drugs and devices can even be placed on the market. We will write a custom essay sample on Health Services Administration or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition to devices, the FDA also regulates new drugs (Longest Darr, 2008). For example, our Medicare program has developed a process for making reimbursement decisions based on their assessments of the technology. Current debate has raised proposals to shift to the prospective payment based on current technological changes. Though, the private nature of the health care system and the limited leverage of the Medicare program limit the power of our government to make any immediate change. 2) The electronic health record promises to revolutionize the delivery of health services. Identify the advantages and disadvantages for the patient and for providers. Electronic health records (EHR) provide the opportunity for healthcare organizations to improve quality of care and patient safety. They also represent a huge potential for cost savings and can also decrease organizational inefficiencies (Longest, B. J. , Darr, K. 2008). Electronic records have several advantages over paper records, the first being that it creates more space and storage capabilities for longer periods of time. The records can be easily maintained without worry of physical damage. Also, the records are accessible immediately from remote sites, to many people at the same time. The records can be continuously updated and they are available for use everywhere. An EHR can decrease the medical providers charting times and decrease the errors, which in turn, can increase the productivity of healthcare workers and decrease medical errors due to illegible notes (Longest, B. J. , Darr, K. 2008). Electronic records provide more accurate billing information and will allow the providers of care to submit their claims electronically, therefore receiving payment quicker. In contrast, the disadvantages include things, such as the startup costs, which can be excessive, however over the long run, show to be cost effective. Clinicians are the primary users of EHRs as opposed to the main users of the past, which where clerks. Another disadvantage to an EHR is that there can often be a learning difference between providers, clinicians, and medical record keepers so it is found helpful if the users have some type of technical knowledge. In other words, systems must be user friendly; otherwise these systems will not be easily accepted, nor will they be used to their fullest capacity. 3) Competition is a major force in health services, and marketing is critical to HSO/HS success. What are the relationships between marketing and acquisitions and application of medical technology? Give examples from your experience or the literature. According to our text, medical technology and healthcare marketers facilitate the relationships between hospitals, clinics, and the public. As the cost and importance of healthcare continue to increase, competition in the medical industry is taking new forms and becoming more intense. Competition in health services, access, prices, and the amount of care received varies with respect to rural and city areas. Competition would depend not only on factors that affect the demand for health care services, such as the number of people who are insured and the scope of their coverage, but also on factors that affect the supply of those services in these areas. The meth ¬ods of setting prices and paying for services vastly affect the sup ¬ply of health care services by influencing the decisions that providers make about how many patients to serve and which treatments their patients will receive. Competition works well in some types of health care markets however, not so well in others. For example, with scheduled surgery where the care is planned and prepped for, the outcomes can be easily measured and patients have time to consider their options, competition can respond and react to the demands of patients. However, complex services such as emergency quality of care can decrease due to lack of time and preparation.

Free Essays on The Benefits Of Walking

Walking and its benefits Every channel you turn to, every magazine you flip through, and every sports store you go to, shows the concept of exercising. Most people think of exercise as too much work. They make excuses like I don’t have enough time, or I’ll do it later. The purpose of this speech is to persuade my listeners to get out their walking shoes and start reaping the benefits of a healthy life and start walking. First we will discover how walking benefits our bodies, second uncover how easy it is to incorporate walking in to our daily lives, and third reveal the only equipment that one needs to take the first step putting one foot in front of the other. For many of us we are always finding ways to get out of exercising. Either we are too busy or we are putting it off until we have more time, but actually we never get the time to exercise and we just see ourselves jumping from a size 6 to a size 12. Well I have help for you. We were all born with 2 arms and 2 legs, so lets put those legs to the use they were intended. Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise and provides many health benefits. In fact according to an article by Chris Fenn, recent research shows that high-energy workouts combined with a strict diet are not an effective, long term, route to weight loss and fitness. They key to losing a few pounds and staying fit is to eat less and incorporating more moderate exercise such as walking into daily routines. Along with being a daily part of our lives walking is shown to be a catalyst for connecting people with many other aspects of health such as healthy eating, smoking cessation and relaxation. According to www.countryside.gov, people who are fitter have a greater chance of living longer. Research has shown that people who walk approximately 20-25 miles a week outlive those who don’t walk by several years. In addition, every minute of walking can extend you life by 1.5 to 2 minutes acc... Free Essays on The Benefits Of Walking Free Essays on The Benefits Of Walking Walking and its benefits Every channel you turn to, every magazine you flip through, and every sports store you go to, shows the concept of exercising. Most people think of exercise as too much work. They make excuses like I don’t have enough time, or I’ll do it later. The purpose of this speech is to persuade my listeners to get out their walking shoes and start reaping the benefits of a healthy life and start walking. First we will discover how walking benefits our bodies, second uncover how easy it is to incorporate walking in to our daily lives, and third reveal the only equipment that one needs to take the first step putting one foot in front of the other. For many of us we are always finding ways to get out of exercising. Either we are too busy or we are putting it off until we have more time, but actually we never get the time to exercise and we just see ourselves jumping from a size 6 to a size 12. Well I have help for you. We were all born with 2 arms and 2 legs, so lets put those legs to the use they were intended. Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise and provides many health benefits. In fact according to an article by Chris Fenn, recent research shows that high-energy workouts combined with a strict diet are not an effective, long term, route to weight loss and fitness. They key to losing a few pounds and staying fit is to eat less and incorporating more moderate exercise such as walking into daily routines. Along with being a daily part of our lives walking is shown to be a catalyst for connecting people with many other aspects of health such as healthy eating, smoking cessation and relaxation. According to www.countryside.gov, people who are fitter have a greater chance of living longer. Research has shown that people who walk approximately 20-25 miles a week outlive those who don’t walk by several years. In addition, every minute of walking can extend you life by 1.5 to 2 minutes acc...

Spanglish Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Spanglish - Essay Example A striking example is the Spanglish translation of Don Quixote: "In un placete de La Mancha of which nombre no quiero remembrearme, viva, not so long ago, uno de esos gentlemen who always tienen una lanza in the rack, una buckler antigua, a skinny caballo y un grayhound para el chase" (translation of Iln Stavans, "Don Quixote de la Mancha de Miguel de Cervantes", El Heart en la Palabra, http://www.cuadernoscervantes.com). Spanglish is not a language because it has no grammar or vocabulary rules, it is a random language. This will only lead to the bad use and the degradation of both languages. Moreover, countries influenced by English and Spanish have the big advantage of being bilingual, and it makes no sense renouncing to this. Mexicans usually see Spanish as a symbol of colonization. But, does Spanglish have something to do with rejecting domination, or is it more like a trendy use of language In some cases, Spanglish is the language of poor illiterate population trying to adapt their selves to the changing situation.

Megacities of Asia Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Megacities of Asia - Assignment Example As Sen (2001) discusses, women were denied opportunity to study, owner significant assets, have well paying jobs or even have access to significant amenities. A nation such as Japan might be rather egalitarian in issues of basic facilities or demography, and also, to a great level, in higher education, and yet development to eminent levels of occupation and employment appears to be much more difficult for females than for males (Sen, 2001). However, due to the spread of education, this is no longer the case. For instance, India, along with Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, have had women who have headed their governments, of which even the United States and does not appears very liable to have in the near future (Sen, 2001). Certainly, in reference to Bangladesh, where both the president and the official opposition leader are women, one may begin to wonder whether or not any male could ever rise to power there in the immediate

Is the UK Airline Industry Competitive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is the UK Airline Industry Competitive - Essay Example As the paper declares taxation is always a painful and complex issue with reverberations on all elements of the industry. However considering the relatively under-taxed nature of the UK airline industry it is possible that it will not be too badly hurt by the new tax although it might result in a decline in passengers. This essay stresses that this is a significant issue facing the airline industry at the moment. British Airways is recently involved in a struggle to resolve with union officials after it has declared a strike because of BA’s refusal to meet it demands. BA’s after failing to come to an agreement with union over its cost-cutting program now appears to be focusing on wearing down its employees. The company has done whatever it can from out-sourcing to using volunteers and claims that it has managed to keep a lot of its flights running. The impact of regulation on competitiveness is a complicated one. It is also hard to assess whether the regulatory environment will change anytime in the near future specially considering the havoc that lack of regulation played on the financial markets. What is essential however that changes in regulation will definitely impact competitiveness but may impact different players and stake-holders in a different way. If we take a look at finan cial indicators as a measure of the performance of the industry we can see that many firms have reported serious losses indicating troubled times for the industry. British Airways for example been in dire financial straits indicating losses far worse then what many had predicted and with no respite anytime soon.

John Dewey, My Pedagogic Creed

John Dewey, My Pedagogic Creed The ideas of the great American philosopher, John Dewey, transformed the American education system. While all Dewey did was simply apply some of his pragmatist philosophical ideals to the classroom, the results of his work changed education forever. In the short essay, My Pedagogic Creed, Dewey gives his readers great insight into his ideas regarding what education is, how it should be done, and why its important. Today, he is considered a father of education and his views are being adapted in all sorts of ways in classrooms around the world. Dewey first stood out by rejecting the traditional ideal of American education which was built around teachers standing up in the front of the classroom and pouring information into the minds of their students. Instead, Dewey suggested a new form of education that utilized applicable experience as the key element of learning. Thesis sentences here John Dewey embodies many of the pragmatic ideals that define American philosophy. He was born around the time that Charles Darwins Origin of Species book came out, so the debates surrounding that topic had a monumental influence on his philosophy. Along with many other American philosophers of Deweys time, such as Charles Sanders Peirce, there was a desire to respond to these new discoveries in evolutionary science and find out how they related to philosophy. Dewey believed that knowledge was best discovered through the scientific method. As I will later talk about, this is nowhere more prevalent than in Deweys model for education in which he defaults to hands-on experience and inquiry as the paramount key to learning. Going out into the real world and having a live experience that could be tested and criticized by others in order to progress to something better was essential to Deweys view and a foundational belief of many American pragmatists. In the eyes of Dewey, education and life were one in the same. Dewey is quoted as saying, education is a process of living and not a preparation for future life (8, My Pedagogic Creed). A proper education of the individual was essential to the functioning and growth of that individual and the society they lived in, as school was first a social institution. School was to be centered on the community and the student was being developed in school so they could be an active member of the community. Dewey advocated that what a child does in their home life should be incorporated into the curriculum in the classroom. Also for Dewey, the student had to be invested in their education for it to mean anything. The way that he suggested this be accomplished was to let the students learn about something they were interested in. An education could only be valuable if the student was learning material that they could actually apply to their real everyday life as evidenced by Deweys quote, True edu cation comes through the stimulation of the childs powers by the demands of the social situations in which he finds himself (2, My Pedagogic Creed). Dewey believed that education was a process of discovery where students would study what they were interested in at their own pace as they were gradually becoming more aware of where their interests laid. Deweys education system is perhaps most well known for how it stresses the importance of hands on experience in the learning process. Dewey believed that people learned best by going out and interactively doing. Out were the days where teachers would lecture on facts and information, forcing their ideas onto the students. Dewey criticized teachers and the current education system for protecting students too closely and not letting them go out into the real world so they could blossom saying, the situation approaches learning to swim without going too near the water (The Relation of Theory to Practice, Dewey). For Dewey, a teachers job was more about being a facilitator to the students, helping them discover what they were interested in and then creating ways for them to actively do these things. Ultimately for Dewey, learning grounded in experience combined with subject matter that was interesting and applicable to the student would lead to a greater society. I think that both good and bad come from John Deweys ideas for education. First off, I like Deweys movement away from teaching styles that stressed only memorization and the regurgitation of facts. Hands-on experience is a proven way for students to learn. It is much more enjoyable for the student and seems to be directly applicable to their future. I also agree with Deweys view that students should learn about something that interests them. Stuffing facts that kids do not have any desire to learn down their throats is not beneficial to anyone. When students can actually connect with the material they are learning, they are more likely to put in the time and effort that is necessary to fully develop their knowledge and understanding of a subject. Lastly, I believe that its a good idea to focus your studies in one particular area as it is very difficult to master a multitude of subjects. I think its better to be extremely proficient in one subject than to have an average amount of kno wledge in multiple subjects. This way, everyone can pick an area of study that interests them and then, as a community, each person can bring their one unique area of expertise to the table and the rest of the people that arent as fluent in that subject can benefit. With that being said, I think the preceding principles need to be applied in moderation. While memorization and repetition is not a perfect form of teaching, the results are hard to argue with. I believe that there is something to be said for mastering a subject. For example, my major area of study is accounting. It is one thing for me to get hands on experience directly applicable to my major, but learning cannot just come through playing so to speak. I must first study all the foundational information that is out there. There are many people in the world that are much more knowledgeable on the subject than me and there are a lot of valuable things I can learn from them. Secondly, to be a successful accountant, there are other core subjects that I must be competent in. For instance, I need to be knowledgeable in English to be able to communicate with my coworkers and I need to know math so I am able to compute the formulas required in accounting. There is a proven value in having a rounded education. Learning about subjects that may not directly apply to your area of st udy can benefit you in many different ways. As an example, perhaps it could sharpen your critical thinking skills. And on top of that, a student might think they are not interested in a certain subject until they actually take a class and learn about it. Hard work and long hours spent in the library-sometimes memorizing principles and formulas-is necessary for me to be a master of accounting, although I may not enjoy that work. To me, Deweys education system seems to encourage skipping the main course and going straight to dessert. I believe that I first need to master the principles of accounting in order to deserve a shot of going out into the real world and actually doing accounting. Dewey stayed true to his pragmatic ideals by testing out his own education theories in a real-life environment. He created what became to be known as his very own laboratory school. Deweys school was radically different than any other of its time. The students did not sit at desks and listen to a teacher lecture or do homework problems out of a textbook. Instead they would be moving about the classroom doing varying physical activities, such as sewing or cooking. As I stated earlier, Dewey believed that students could learn the critical skills (math and science for example) that they needed by doing these types of activities instead of the more traditional studying the textbook method. The children were broken down by age and every different age group was always doing something different. Dewey had the kids going on field trips, building models, acting out plays, and playing games among many other active things. He preached that teachers should hold off on having kids do things like reading and writing until the student found it necessary and appealing to do so (Dewey Article, Enotes). Deweys school had its successes and failures and there is a lot that can be taken away his grand experiment. While I do admit that a lot of great education practices were first developed at Deweys laboratory school, I cannot help but notice the fundamental flaws that existed in it. If I was to apply what Dewey showcased in his school to todays world of education, I think his system would fail. The reason for this is first that Dewey seemed to be looking at education through rose colored glasses so to speak. In my opinion, a theory on education should be able to apply to any situation. I think about what Dewey had put together in his school, where the home life was heavily incorporated into the class curriculum. But, what about children that come from broken homes, as we see so often in todays society? If a child is being abused or suffering under the watch of alcoholic parents, who could care less about their childs education, how would that fit into Deweys system? Deweys school would probably work well in a case where a child has very supportive parents that are extremely interested in the ir childs education, but how often is that not the case in todays world? Henry Perkinson, an author and educator at New York University, makes a comment about Deweys lab school saying, Deweys educational philosophy depicts a school or school enterprise that never existed and probably never could exist. To carry it out would require superteachers and superstudents (Perkinson). While I believe Dewey is taking education in the right direction, I think he first needs to find a way to develop a theory on education that can apply to each and every student. Another area that I just cant agree with Dewey in is how he resorts to experience as the primary way for a student to learn. Without a doubt, I believe that his method of inquiry can add a lot to a students education. In his school, the kids were doing so many amazing things that I wish I could have done in my years as a young boy. But, looking at the big picture, there seems to be so many things that a child must learn over their lifetime that they cannot possibly discover and do everything. Yes, you can learn math when measuring out the flour required to bake a cake, but can that form of math be applied to everything? There are other things out in the world like measuring liquids or counting coins. How would one child have the time and the means to experience every single thing? I think that at some point, students will need to use some form of memorization of information or facts as a basis of knowledge that they can then use to learn about other things. A quote from a parent that had a child in Deweys school really sums up this problem saying, We have to teach him how to study. He learned to observe last year (Storr). I think that Dewey had the right idea, but he had everything backwards. First, the student should learn a foundation of knowledge, from something like a textbook, and then they can go out and experiment and apply that knowledge to real everyday situations. John Dewey was a great philosopher that made ground-breaking advances in education. He was a man that practiced what he preached and for that I have great respect. I do like Deweys ideas in doses. In the end, I think that a good balance of his experiential learning in combination with a disciplined study of information and textbooks is the best form of education. While his ideas did have their flaws, the direction that he took American education was for the better.

Chinese Painting Genres :: essays papers

Chinese Painting Genres Painting Featuring Taoist, Monk and Supernatural This kind of painting described the figure of Taoist, Buddist, ghost or supernatural in legend. Painting Featuring Aquatic Animals This kind of painting described the figure of aquatic animals, such as dragon or insect, etc. Male This kind of painting described the figure of man. It was corresponded with Painting Court Lady. Painting Featuring Birds and Animals This kind of painting described the figure of bird. Court Lady This kind of painting described the figure of woman. Painting Featuring Beast This kind of painting described the figure of wild animals or domestic animals, such as tiger, lion, cow, goat, dog, horse, etc. Painting Featuring Flowers This kind of painting described the figure of flower and grass. Vertical Hanging Scroll Painting One of the mount format of Chinese painting. There have plain edge around the painting and shafts on its top and bottom. It could be hung on wall vertically. Long Handscroll Horizontal painting which was mounted to a scroll could be spread out, there have plain edge around the painting and shafts on its left and right. Long Handscroll should be read from right to left. An Album of Paintings or Calligraphy The album which made up with the small paintings in same size. Usually its number of page was oven, and had various style, such as butterfly style, etc. Fan Face This kind of painting is painted on the face of folding fan or round fan. Blue and Green Landscape The landscapes painting which executed in mineral green and azurite colors was called as Blue and Green Landscape. It divided by Big Blue and Green and Small Blue and Green. On the base of ochre color, Small Blue and Green executed mineral green and azurite colors; on the base of outline, Big Blue and Green executed arranging colors with decorative atmosphere. Ink and Light Colors Landscape On the base of ink draft,this kind of painting was completed by arranging light ochre color.It was called as "Ink and Light Colors Landscape".The painters in the Yuan dynasty were talented in painting the kind of painting,especially Huang Gongwang. Ink Landscape The landscapes painting which executed in ink but not colors was called as "Ink Landscape".It was said that ink landscapes originated from the Tang Dynasty.Later it became the favorite painting style in the literary painters. Literary Painting Differentiated to the painting by professional painter,this kind of painting was painted by the poet or literary.The style of this kind of paintings was called as "Literary Painting" and expressed in elegant and free atmosphere. Chinese Painting Genres :: essays papers Chinese Painting Genres Painting Featuring Taoist, Monk and Supernatural This kind of painting described the figure of Taoist, Buddist, ghost or supernatural in legend. Painting Featuring Aquatic Animals This kind of painting described the figure of aquatic animals, such as dragon or insect, etc. Male This kind of painting described the figure of man. It was corresponded with Painting Court Lady. Painting Featuring Birds and Animals This kind of painting described the figure of bird. Court Lady This kind of painting described the figure of woman. Painting Featuring Beast This kind of painting described the figure of wild animals or domestic animals, such as tiger, lion, cow, goat, dog, horse, etc. Painting Featuring Flowers This kind of painting described the figure of flower and grass. Vertical Hanging Scroll Painting One of the mount format of Chinese painting. There have plain edge around the painting and shafts on its top and bottom. It could be hung on wall vertically. Long Handscroll Horizontal painting which was mounted to a scroll could be spread out, there have plain edge around the painting and shafts on its left and right. Long Handscroll should be read from right to left. An Album of Paintings or Calligraphy The album which made up with the small paintings in same size. Usually its number of page was oven, and had various style, such as butterfly style, etc. Fan Face This kind of painting is painted on the face of folding fan or round fan. Blue and Green Landscape The landscapes painting which executed in mineral green and azurite colors was called as Blue and Green Landscape. It divided by Big Blue and Green and Small Blue and Green. On the base of ochre color, Small Blue and Green executed mineral green and azurite colors; on the base of outline, Big Blue and Green executed arranging colors with decorative atmosphere. Ink and Light Colors Landscape On the base of ink draft,this kind of painting was completed by arranging light ochre color.It was called as "Ink and Light Colors Landscape".The painters in the Yuan dynasty were talented in painting the kind of painting,especially Huang Gongwang. Ink Landscape The landscapes painting which executed in ink but not colors was called as "Ink Landscape".It was said that ink landscapes originated from the Tang Dynasty.Later it became the favorite painting style in the literary painters. Literary Painting Differentiated to the painting by professional painter,this kind of painting was painted by the poet or literary.The style of this kind of paintings was called as "Literary Painting" and expressed in elegant and free atmosphere.

Article Critiques on Counseling Theory

The conduct and process of psychoanalysis are sometimes defined by selfobject transferences that ‘mirror’ the true mind and feeling of the person concerned. In the first example, it is revealed that patients sometimes express ‘cross-sectional snapshot’ when they crave for recognition or admiration, as an effect of not feeling proud with their accomplishments. This ‘opening move’ would progress towards a convergence and then would progress resolutely, while the psychoanalyst deals with the pathognomonic selfobject transference that is reflected in the analytic atmosphere, to come up with the development of ‘trust’ and a ‘feeling of safety’.Analytic relationship needs contribution from each of the individuals, which is why, in the process, accepting, understanding and explaining past experiences are detrimental for a successful psychoanalysis. Understanding the fantasies, needs and demands leads to empathy. In the second example, it was described how patients’ responsiveness stems from accepting ‘their’ reality (Ornstein, 1998, par. 22) as well as accepting ‘their’ meanings and functions of reality (Ornstein, 1998, par. 24). PREMISE: The process of empathy is the best way to conduct clinical psychoanalysis.PROCEDURE: Centrality of the concept of the selfobject transferences was emphasized by means of defining the nature of the process, by focusing on the experiences of the patients, and by coming up with some general statements made out of the details. FINDINGS: Empathy and selfobject transferences are the basis of self psychology. REACTION: This is reasonably true, since psychological treatment can only be successful with both ends (or individuals) meeting at a common point. ARTICLE: Ornstein, P. H. (1998). My current view of the psychoanalytic process. Retrieved April 2, 2007, from the Psychology of the Self database: http://www.selfpsychology. com/1998conf/abstrac ts/pre_Conference_Ornstein. htm. Article Critique #2: Existential theory SUMMARY: The essence of the soul rests on ‘self-motion’, while its reversal rests on passivity (Riker, 2003, par. 13). As disintegrating forces would lead to passivity, then ethical breaks the repression made by passivity, so that there is self-motion and life in the soul. As reason and virtues control desires and emotions, then it leads to growth, development and actualization. However, in the modern concept of the soul’s life, â€Å"[l]ife is that which must disrupt itself in order to live† (Raiker, 2003, par. 18).It must be a free spirit that lives with the will-to-power soul of a child, which exceedingly values life itself†¦ the willingness to live, as life is the motion of the soul. This defines chaos as the proper breeding of a soul’s life, meaning that the most alive soul in the modern era is the ‘alienated individual’ that experiences struggle and isol ation. HYPOTHESIS: There are different versions on how a soul may be able to achieve its life to the fullest, some of which are under self-motion, passivity and chaos. PROCEDURE: Findings come from the classical and modern conceptions of the soul’s life, as well as some ecological resolutions.FINDINGS: Classical theories are very much opposite to the modern theories of today. What deeply nourishes the life of the soul now appears to be under the event of chaos and disruption. But as this means developing a self or ‘I’ that is capable of living in reality without repression or submission, the soul should choose its own way of living, which may be a multitude of various ways and paths. REACTION: I agree that diversity should be valued by all means. This implies that there is no single way in which a soul may live to the fullest. It depends on state of reality. ARTICLE: Riker, J. H. (2003).The life of the soul: an essay in ecological thinking. Retrieved April 2, 200 7, from the Psychology of the Self Online database: http://www. psychologyoftheself. com/papers/riker. htm. Article References: Ornstein, P. H. (1998). My current view of the psychoanalytic process. Retrieved April 2, 2007, from the Psychology of the Self database: http://www. selfpsychology. com/1998conf/abstracts/pre_Conference_Ornstein. htm. Riker, J. H. (2003). The life of the soul: an essay in ecological thinking. Retrieved April 2, 2007, from the Psychology of the Self Online database: http://www. psychologyoftheself. com/papers/riker. htm.

Alcohol Essays - Capital Punishment In The United States

Alcohol Essays - Capital Punishment In The United States Alcohol ...A CAPITAL OR OTHERWISE INFAMOUS CRIME... ... NOR BE DEPRIVED OF LIFE ... WITHOUT DUE PROCESS OF LAW... THE DEATH PENALTY UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION BY PROTECTING THE PUBLIC AND RIDDING THE COUNTRY OF OFFENDERS WITH DUE PROCESS OF LAW. From 1882 through 1951 there were 4,730 recorded lynchings by vigilantes in the U.S, with many of them being highly public affairs. Even when miscreants were afforded a trial and executed in accordance with law, such events were often local in nature. For example, while states such as New York electrocuted condemned prisoners at Sing Sings electric chair as early as the late 19th century, in states such as Missouri hangings were conducted at local county jails as late as 1937. The race and the crime seem to play a huge role in the determination of the sentencing. For example if a black male had stolen like a candy bar out of a store, and got 10 years, that proves its more than likely an issue of race than the crime. But also if a black man murders someone, the death penalty is probably going to be a sentence, and a sentence of justice in my opinion. In a lot of state death penalty cases, the race of the victim is much more important than the prior criminal record of the defendant, or the actual circumstances of the crime. A study by the Bureau of Justice stated that more than one-half of people the people on death row are of color. Race and the crime are a very important factor in determining who is going to be sentenced to die. Several studies have been shown that the role of race in the death penalty, they include a study in 1990, a report from the General Accounting Office that stated that in 82 of the cases reviewed the race of the victim was found to influence the punishment for the crime. A black man who kills a white person is 11 times more likely to receive a death sentence than if a white person kills a black stated John Monty of the Bureau of Justice. And of blacks, which kill blacks, they even have less to worry about; it's almost like saying, oh, well, he needed killing anyhow! In 1991, in Texas, blacks made up 12% of the population, but 48% of the prison population and 55.5% of those on death row are black says the death penalty information center. Since 1988, the federal government has reviewed 92 death penalty cases. Of these cases; 56 defendants were black, 11 were Hispanic, 5 were Asian, and 20 were Caucasian. From 1930 through 1989, 3,939 people were executed in the United States, and 54% of them were black. In my opinion, the death penalty is a must. Baring in mind that the idea of putting another human to death is hard to completely fathom. The physical mechanics involved in the act of execution are easy to grasp, but the emotions involved in carrying out a death sentence on another person, regardless of how much they deserve it, is beyond my own understanding. I know it must be painful, dehumanizing, and sickening. However, this act is sometimes necessary and it is our responsibility

The Exhibiton of brett whitely essays

The Exhibiton of brett whitely essays Exhibitions are deliberately constructed so that they present a point of view to an audience. An example of this concept is the exhibition of Brett Whitely and Lloyd Rees: Affinities. This exhibition was compiled at The Brett Whitely Studio, to present to the audience the relationship between Lloyd Rees and Brett Whitely, and display any commonalities or differences between the artists works. Whitley was known for his phenomenal and somewhat controversial talent, whilst Rees was a classical master at drawing and painting. Whitely was so influenced by Rees that at times Whitely openly paid homage to Rees in his work, in particular one work displayed in Affinities, his collage and gouache work Homage to Rees. A contrast of the nature and style of their works, but the similarities of the love for their surrounding environments is clearly presented to the audience shown in the exhibition. For example, Whitleys bright and inspired landscape painting, Big Orange is truly contrasted with Rees realistically and technically perfect Harbour from McMahons Point. To further the audiences understanding of the two artists relationship, two letters are included in the part of the gallery that Whitely used as his home. The first of the letters is written to Rees from Whitely after he had the new of Rees oncoming death. In it he spoke of the exhibition of Rees landscapes he viewed at fourteen, which had a profound effect on my (Whitelys) understanding of what painting was and could be. Whitely believed that Rees artwork looked...as though they had every influence in the world in them...these little pictures seemed to have filtered and sometimes dredged the whole of Europe through them...they contained nature and ideas. The second letter is Rees reply to his kind words, in which he refers to Whitely as a bea ...

The role of Production department in the organization Essay

The role of Production department in the organization - Essay Example The intention of this study is a Joint venture as an effort to form an entity, jointly together by any two entities, to undertake any economic activity for lawful purposes. Forming joint ventures is therefore one of the most prominent methods of entering into new markets as it provides an opportunity to tap into the local knowledge as well as skills to make a successful entry. Legally, a joint venture is a partnership which takes place for the short period of time by more than one party for any mutually beneficial purposes. As a general rule, each party to the joint venture contribute its assets towards the formation of the joint venture and also at the same time share the risks involved in forming such partnership. One of the benefits of forming a joint venture therefore is to gain access to the new markets as two entities; one foreign and one domestic and as such foreign entity often bring in new technologies which can benefit the domestic entities due to technology transfer. In US , Joint ventures are mostly regulated by Partnership laws, Contract Act as well as commercial transaction laws. In an increasingly complex business environment, the overall role of the organization and its top management is one of the most critical jobs that have to be performed. It is argued that the role of leadership is always to provide the vision for the future therefore the overall purpose and direction of strategic management is relatively different from that of the lower level of management.

Contract law, Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Contract law, - Case Study Example Date of contract: The date should be provided very clearly on the contract that is agreed between the two parties. Names of Parties involved: The names as well as their implied expressions should be mentioned very clearly in the contract. Details of Services: The exchange of services should be very clearly documented - under within scope. For more clarity, an out of scope section should be mentioned. Payment amounts & terms: The payment amounts (including mode of payment, taxes and interest/penalties if any) should be clearly mentioned. Deadlines: All deadlines should be clearly mentioned in the contract. Expiration Date: The expiration date of the contract should be very clearly mentioned which shall be treated as an automatic end of contract even if written exchanges have not occurred. Damages against breach: The damages against breaches as per the provisions of law within the jurisdiction where the contract is signed should be included if agreed. Termination conditions: The conditions against which the contract is terminated should be clearly mentioned and should again be as per the provisions of the law. Signatures: Both parties should sign on all pages and the end of the contract. It is mandatory to include signatures of number of witnesses as required by the law of the land. A typical contract is presented in the following sample: This Agreement (hereafter referred to as "Agreement") is made on the ___________ day of _________, by and between: , a company registered under Companies Act , having its registered office at , through its authorised signatory, Mr./Ms. (hereinafter called "Company" which expression shall where the context so admits...Verbal contracts cannot be proved in the courts of law unless recorded on a valid machine and experts prove that the voices are of the representatives of the two parties (some call telemarketing companies use this mechanism when selling goods/services over phone). Both parties should sign on every page of the contract and on the last page which also needs to include more details (like designation, full address, etc.). Contracts can be executed on plain papers, stamp papers, E-mails and approved contracting applications. Normally, every contract should have the following content: , a company registered under Companies Act , having its registered office at , through its authorised signatory, Mr./Ms. (hereinafter called "Company" which expression shall where the context so admits include its successors and assigns), of the First Part; , a company registered under Companies Act , having its registered office at , through its authorised signatory, Mr./Ms. (hereinafter called ">" which expression shall where the context so admits include its successors and permitted assigns), of the Second Part. The courts shall look into all the terms and the t

Derivative Instruments, Debt, and Contingencies Essay

Derivative Instruments, Debt, and Contingencies - Essay Example The third issue that the company must deal with is the possibility of patent impairment. This memo will discuss the topics of contingencies, debt rewritten based on bankruptcy protection, and impairment of patents. A contingency can be defined as a possible loss/liability or gain/asset, which may or may not be realized in the future (Ecfa, 2011). There are different types of contingencies such as obsolesce of inventory, employee claims, impairment of machinery and equipment, and lawsuits. Your company is currently facing a legal contingency resulting from the possibility of a lawsuit. The accounting statement that deals with contingency is SFAS No. 5 (Pwc). There are different scenarios that the firm must analyze in order to determine whether or not the contingency must be reported in the financial statements or as notes to the financial statements of the company. SFAS No. 5 establishes precise rules and guidelines that accountants must follow in order to comply with the generally accepted accounting principles. The probability of occurrence of the lawsuit is one of the determining factors on whether or not it the lawsuit should be reported within the financial statements of the company. The second factor to consider is whether of not the loss contingency can be estimated. The general rules to follow in relation to loss contingencies are illustrated in the table below: Based on the table above the company can determine the proper accounting treatment. I recommend that the accounting department have a close meeting with the lawyers of the firm to determine the actual probability of the lawsuit occurring. If the lawyers are not able to determine this data then the firm should proceed to hire a risk management consultant to determine the probability of losing the lawsuit. The table in this memo provides the exact guidelines the company should follow to comply with the generally accepted accounting principles.

Free

Free Will and Determinism Can Coexist Essay Discuss the claim that we humans have no real freedom of choice. Throughout history, the problem of freewill vs. determinism has sparked major debates between philosophers. The debate between freewill and determinism stems from the apparent conflict between the universal rule of causality that is deeply rooted in nature, and between the apparent ability of human beings to choose between multiple courses of action in order to lead to the most desirable outcome. The universal rule of causality simply claims that inorganic matter such as tables, chairs and rocks are acted upon by whatever forces affect it, however, human beings seem to be an exception to this rule by their unique ability to ponder about how to go about making decisions in their life and which principles and morals to live by. In simple terms, determinism is the thesis that everything is caused whereas on the other hand, the doctrine of freewill maintains that some of our actions are free. It is for this reason that the problem of freewill and determinism is a paradox because these two equally evident assumptions seem to lead to inconsistent results and leads to the question about whether or not freewill and determinism can co-exist. It is for this reason also that nowadays one must accept as a fait accompli that the problem of finding out whether free will and determinism are compatible or whether freedom of choice actually does exist is a large part, perhaps the major part of the problem of free will and determinism; Van Inwagen book. On the other hand, other such incompatibilists accept freewill and disagree with the determinist position; these incompatibilists are known as â€Å"Metaphysical libertarians,† such as Thomas Reid and Peter Van Inwagen. Van Inwagen ( ) in his book claims that many philosophers hold not only that free will is compatible with determinism but that free will entails determinism. Determinism is the thesis that there is at any instant exactly one physically possible future. However, if there is more than one way which the world could go, then indeterminism is true and so human beings do have a freedom of choice. Another such view is that of hard incompatibilism, which asserts that, free will is incompatible with both determinism and indeterminism; this view is defended by Derk Pereboom. He claims in his book â€Å"Living without free will† that the best scientific theories have the consequence that individuals are not morally responsible for their actions. However, Pereboom argues that if this was correct, morality would have no place,and human life would be meaningless and without value. He then goes onto saying that by adopting a position that morality, meaning and value remain intact even if we are not morally responsible, then this would benefit our lives. Pereboom and morally responsibility: Claiming that freewill and determinism cannot xoexisit. The problem about moral responsibility arises from a conflict between two powerful consdiderations. On the one hand, we human beings feel that we are the source of our actions in a particularly weighty sense. We feel that the way in which we are the source of our actions is very different from the way a machine is the source of what is produces. We express this sense of difference by attributing moral responsibility to human beings but not to machines. Traditionally, it has been assumed that moral responsibility requires us to have some type of free will in producing our actins. At the same time, there are reasons for regarding human beings as more like machines than we ordinarily suppose. These reasons stem from various sources, most prominently, from scientific views that consider human beings to be parts of nature and therefore governed by natural laws and from theological concerns that require everything that happens to be causally determined by God. Causal (or Nomological) determinism[1] generally assumes that every event has an antecedent cause in an infinite causal chain going back to Aristotles Prime Mover or the beginning of the universe. Determinists believe that there is nothing uncaused or self-caused (causa sui). Arguments for determinism, Science: Free will:Van Invagen- free will: â€Å"when man has to choose between two or more mutally incompatible courses of action†¦has it within his power to carry it out. † Free will can be defined with reference to the term ‘can. ’ The concept f the power or ability of an agent to act is not the concept of physical possibility nor is it entailed by physical possibility; (van Inwagen). This can be shown by a simple example- John Locker example. Suppose I have been locked in a certain room and suppose that the lock on the door of that room is a device whose behaviour is physically undetermined; itin other words, it may be locked or unlocked. It is physically possible that I shall leave the room but it does not follow that in any relevant sense I CAN leave the room. Argument for incompatibilism: Consequence argument: If determinism is true, then our acts are the consequences of the laws o nature and events in the remote past. But it is not up to us what went on before we were born and neither is it up to us what the laws of nature are. Therefore the consequcnes of these things are not up to us. Free will compatible with determinism: The mind argument proceeds by identifying indeterminism with chance and by arguing that an act that occurs by chance, cannot be under the control of its alleged agent and hence cannot be performed freely. Proponents of this argument conclude therefore that free will is not only compatible with determinism but entails. Believing in dtermininisng determinism. One might believe in determinism because one believes that science has shown determinism to be true. One might believe that determinism is a truth of reason, on the ground that it is a logical consequnce of the Principle of Sufficient reason. Support of free will: Van Inwagen- it cannot be seriously maintained that we can know by some sort of introspection that we have or that we do not have free will. Even when we empirically study human beings we still do not know! However, if we do have free will, then there is no such thing as moral responsibility. However, since there is such a thing as moral responsibility, there is such a thing as free will. Moreover, since free will is incompatible wth determinism, determinism is false. Therefore they simply cannot coexist. However, anyone who accepts fatalism must regard all ascriptions of moral responsibility as false/incorrect and must refrain from deliberating about future courses of action. (6) But moral responsibility is extremely important and it is hard to imagine what human life would be like without it. Free will: Robert Kane Nothing could be more important than freedom to the modern world; Robert Kane. We want freedom because we are human beings who want to feel that we are in control of our own actions. This gives one the opportunity to satisfy more of our desires. Having free will is about being your own person.

Use of Transition Metals in Nanotechnology

Use of Transition Metals in Nanotechnology Part 1: Introduction 1.1Â   Nanotechnology or nanotech is the branch of engineering that deals with things smaller than 100 nanometers. It is the study of the controlling of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. It deals with creating of nanoparticles and of manufacturing machines which have sizes within the range of 1 to 100 nanometres. Nanotechnology offers the potential to overcome many of the serious issues facing mankind over the coming decades. Climate change, pollution control and prevention, access to clean water, falling energy reserves and the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer all represent significant challenges to man and the planet. New scientific and technological breakthroughs will be needed to deliver solutions. Over the last decade almost $50 billion of government funding has been invested into nanotechnologies, and this investment is now starting to bear fruit with a steady stream of commercially viable nanotechnologies which are positively impacting human health, the environment and technology. Gold is at the forefront of this nanotechnology revolution. 1.2 What are Transition Metals? Elements whose atom has an incomplete d sub-shell, or which can give rise to cations with an incomplete d sub-shell. They are ductile, malleable, and conduct electricity and heat. Their valence electrons are found in more than one shell, that is why they have more than one oxidation number. Some of the transition metals that are used in nanotechnology are Gold, Platinum, Iron, Cadmium, Nickel, Cobalt. 1.3 Transition Metals which are used in Nanotechnology Gold Platinum Nickel Cobalt Iron Cadmium Part 2: Project Overview 2.1: Why Transition Metals can be used in nanotechnology? Explanation of some of transition metals which can be used in nanotechnology:- 2.1.1: Gold Gold is widely used to build nanostructures because it is relatively chemically inert, although gold clusters can become quite reactive as they get smaller. Indeed, positive gold ions can react with noble gases, and gold particles just a few nanometres in diameter can act as catalysts in many reactions, as can single gold atoms bound in suitable complexes. The nobility of gold and its resistance to surface oxidation which makes it ideal material for wide range applications in nanotechnology. Gold nanoparticles have a colour varying from red to purple depending on particle size, a property that can be successfully exploited in a range of applications. 2.1.2: Nickel The reason for working with nickel is that it responds to electrochemistry, has good mechanical and corrosion properties and is inexpensive. It is strong and cheap and easily processed in this particular style. 2.1.3: Iron Iron oxide nanoparticles are considered promising because they are maneuverable by remote magnetic fields, and can be coated with various marker molecules to make them stick selectively to tumors and other targets within the body. The particles can also be made to carry anti-cancer drugs or radioactive materials directly to a tumor. Magnetic nanoparticles designed to attach to cancerous tissue can also be made to heat up by using a remote, alternating magnetic field, thereby selectively killing cancer cells in a process called magnetic hyperthermia. 2.2 Use of Transition metals in nanotechnology 2.2.1: Gold Gold nanoparticles are a popular choice for medical research, diagnostic testing and cancer treatment. By using gold nanoparticles it improves the drug delivery efficiency of anticancer drug. It may sound odd, but the dye in your blue jeans or your ballpoint pen has also been paired with gold nanoparticles to fight cancer. This dye, known as phthalocyanine, reacts with light. The nanoparticles take the dye directly to cancer cells while normal cells reject the dye. Once the particles are inside, scientists activate them with light to destroy the cancer. Similar therapies have existed to treat skin cancers with light-activated dye, but scientists are now working to use nanoparticles and dye to treat tumors deep in the body. 2.2.2: Platinum The researches in their latest word incorporated platinum metals into their nanotubes structures. Platinum can add useful catalytic, electronic, luminescent, and magnetic functionalities to the nanotubes. Catalysts are used with fuels such as hydrogen or methanol to produce hydrogen ions. Platinum, which is very expensive, is the catalyst typically used in this process. Companies are using nanoparticles of platinum to reduce the amount of platinum needed, or using nanoparticles of other materials to replace platinum entirely and thereby lower costs. 2.2.3: Nickel Applications for nickel nanocrystals include numerous catalytic functions such as in the anode of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) or in the conductive electrolytic layer of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, in replacement of platinum. Also, substituting all or a portion of the platinum with nickel nano particles in automotive catalytic converters would significantly reduce their cost and in coatings, plastics, nanowire, nanofiber and textiles and in certain alloy and catalyst applications . Further research is being done for their potential electrical, dielectric, magnetic, optical, imaging, biomedical and bioscience properties. Nickel Nano Particles are generally immediately available in most volumes. Nickel nanoparticles could even be used in biomedical applications, such as implants that dispense drugs, though the metal would likely be coated to prevent possible allergic reactions. The metals magnetic properties make it a natural choice for magnetic applications. 2.2.4: Cobalt The nanoparticle films of transition metals such as iron, nickel, or cobalt may be used to catalyse the growth of carbon nanotube. The Nickel or Cobalt nanotubes with larger diameters(around 160 nm) show a nearly isotropic magnetic moments arranged in a vortex state at zero field. 2.2.5: Iron Hot iron nanoparticles could be used to carve electronic circuits out of graphene sheets. The excellent electronic properties of graphene have prompted scientists to try cutting it into nanoribbons, which might be used in electronic devices of the future. Attempts with lithography, however, have left rough edges to the nanoribbons that could affect their performance. Widely used iron nanoparticles exhibit toxic effects on neuronal cells. Iron is an essential nutrient for mammals and most life forms and iron oxide nanoparticles were generally assumed to be safe Part 3: Analysis 3.1 Nanotechnology and Cancer In a study published in the July 2007 issue of Analytical Chemistry, scientists from Purdue University detailed their use of gold nanoparticles to detect breast cancer. Their work, along with similar studies at other universities, has the potential to radically change breast cancer detection. The procedure works by identifying the proteins found on the exteriors of cancer cells. Different types of cancer have different proteins on their surfaces that serve as unique markers. Nanorods, gold nanoparticles shaped like rods, use specialized antibodies to latch onto the protein markers for breast cancer, or for another cancer type. After the nanorods bind to proteins in a blood sample, scientists examine how they scatter light. Each protein-nanorod combination scatters light in a unique way, allowing for precise diagnoses. The use of gold nanoparticles is not new to this study. These tiny particles it would take 500 of them to span the width of a human hair are particularly suited to detect toxins, pathogens and cancers and are a subject of much experimentation. The scientists at Purdue used nanorods capable of attaching to three types of breast cancer markers, with two of the markers identifying how invasive the cancer is. The lead researcher on the study, Joseph Irudayaraji, said that these nanorods could one day form part of a much more thorough test, binding to up to 15 unique markers. Using nanorods cuts the price of the diagnosis by two-thirds compared to the similar method of flow cytometry, in which fluorescent markers bind to cancer cells. Flow cytometry requires a bigger sample size with thousands of times more cells than is needed for nanorods, meaning that nanorods are capable of helping to determine earlier diagnoses. Nanorods prove much less invasive than some other methods because they use blood samples and dont require a biopsy. Part of the cost savings comes from scientists being able to use a conventional microscope and light source to view the samples, unlike other methods that employ expensive microscopes or lasers. In a different study, Dr. Irudayaraj showed that gold nanorods could be used to detect cancer stem cells. The discovery is particularly valuable because cancer stem cells cause the out-of-control growth that makes malignant tumors so deadly. Dr. Irudayaraji said that gold nanoparticles could be widely available for cancer diagnoses sometime in 2011. Besides being part of exhaustive tests that can detect cancers early on, nanoparticles may also form the basis of future cancer treatments. Lasers that react with gold nanoparticles could be used to destroy cancer cells. Or, nanoparticles could be used as targeted drug-delivery systems. Part 4: Conclusion After the completion of the term paper on Use of Transition Metals in Nanotechnology I got many new things to learn about. The term paper helped me to know more about nanotechnology and the different transition metals and about its use in nanotechnology. The nanoparticles, how it is useful in treatment of cancer, and its uses in biomedicals and others. The term paper also gives the structures of some of the transition metals nanoparticles and about the extensive use of the transition metals in nanotechnology. I have worked very hard on this project and wanted to build it in a very simple and lucid manner so that it could be easy for the reader to go through and understand the term paper. Hopefully, I think that you would have gained some knowledge on transition metals nanoparticles and could have well understood it. I grant a sincere apologize if any mistake would have crept in my work.

The Ethics of Cloning Essay -- Genetics Biology Genes Essays Papers

Imagine a world where everyone looked like you and was related to you as a sibling, cousin, or any form of relation, wouldn’t that be freaky? Although cloning is not an important issue presently, it could potentially replace sexual reproduction as our method of producing children. Cloning is a dangerous possibility because it could lead to an over-emphasis on the importance of the genotype, no guaranteed live births, and present risks to both the cloned child and surrogate mother. It also violates the biological parent-child relationship and can cause the destruction of the normal structure of a family. The cloning of the deceased is another problem with cloning because it displays the inability of the parents to accept the child’s death and does not ensure a successful procedure. Along with the risks, there are benefits to Human Reproductive Cloning. It allows couples who cannot have a baby otherwise to enjoy parenthood and have a child who is directly related to them. It also limits the risk of transmitting genetic diseases to the cloned child and the risk of genetic defects in the cloned child. Although the government has banned Human Reproductive Cloning, the issue will eventually come to the surface and force us to consider the 1st commandment of God, all men are equal in the eyes of god, but does this also include clones? That is the question that we must answer in the near future in order to resolve a controversy that has plagued us for many years. In the world today, issues such as Global Warming and the War in Iraq take the front cover on any newspaper, but in the world tomorrow, the concept of cloning will become an ever-more pressing issue. How do you define the term cloning? Well, in the words of Jac... ...e pressing issue that will question our morals, ethics, and view on human dignity. As a society, we must come to a decision regarding Human Cloning and stand by it, whether it is the right decision or not. Our actions will have a profound impact on the methods of reproduction used by future generations. Works Cited Page Cibelli, Jose, et al. Principles of Cloning. San Diego: Academic Press (AP), 2002. Brannigan, C. Michael. Ethical Issues in Human Cloning. New York: Seven Bridges Press, Chatham House Publishers, 2001. "Arguments for "Reproductive Cloning." The Presidents Council on Bioethics. Vers. 3a. 7/12/07. http://bioethicsprint.bioethics.gov/background/workpaper3a.html â€Å"Arguments against â€Å"Reproductive Cloning.† The Presidents Council on Bioethics. Vers. 3b. 7/12/07. http://www.bioethics.gov/background/workpaper3b.html

Food Regulations in the Usa Essay

Everyone has heard the stories about mad cow disease and other food-borne diseases coming into the United States from countries such as United Kingdom and China. Besides that locally, foodborne illnesses are among the top of deaths within the United States. Cause of these deaths, most could be prevented if better rules and regulations were in place federally and locally in the United States. In this paper I will be discussing insight on how the US Government can improve the effectiveness of state and local food safety programs. Food safety responsibilities at the state and local levels reside in too many agencies (health, agricultural, industry, etc. ) With all of these agencies it is hard for all of them to cooperate together when detecting and reporting said incidences to the federal level. Without an effort to build a comprehensive national regulation that cover the three basic elements of prevention, detection, and rapid response. When it comes to the area of surveillance, there is a lack in the communication chain between federal agencies, state, and local health agencies. A good example of this lack of surveillance was back in 2008, when Federal Drug Administration found traces of melamine in infant milk products. However, the FDA concluded melamine or cyanuric acid alone, â€Å"at or below 1 part per million in infant formula do not raise public health concerns† in babies. (2008 Chinese milk scandal) Melamine is a toxic chemical that can be harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. According to FDA scientists, melamine can be absorbed into the blood stream forming clots that can cause kidneys to malfunction. United States FDA’s limit was put at 0. 63 mg, but was later reduced to 0. 63 mg daily. The World Health Organization’s food safety director estimated that the amount of melamine a person could stand per day without incurring a bigger health risk, the â€Å"tolerable daily intake† (TDI), was 0. 2 mg per kg of body mass (â€Å"Melamine†) To eliminate such risks from entering into the United States, FDA needs to improve on monitoring and/or inspection of the food safety practices of foreign food producers and suppliers. A solution to this surveillance problem would be improved communications and collaboration between federal agencies, state, and local health jurisdictions involved in food safety surveillance. As well as promote access to information from multiple passive foodborne outbreak surveillance databases by federal, state, and local health jurisdictions such as Pulse-Net. With better surveillances put into place, the next step would to concentrate on the inspection and regulation phases. There was an article written in 1956 (Eat, drink, & be wary, 1956) that explains how FDA does not regulate everything the same. The article goes on to explain about how Florida oranges and the additives that are used and how three of the dyes were deemed â€Å"highly toxic. It also states that if the FDA were to make new laws, which can take years for them to be passed. Another way is to mandate uniformity in product dating so consumers and regulators can differentiate between production dates, â€Å"sell by† dates, â€Å"use by† dates, and if dates are based on food safety concerns or product freshness considerations. Woteki & Kineman wrote an article entitled â€Å"Challenges and approaches to reducing foodborne illness† how the science of foodborne illnesses are accelerating faster than laws that can protects against said illnesses. While American consumers benefit from one of the world’s safest food supplies, the existing framework is a patchwork of laws and regulations that are frequently inconsistent and lag far behind current scientific knowledge of the risks posed by foodborne pathogens and toxic chemicals. (Woteki, Kineman, 2003) With proper regulations now in place, working on proper inspection procedures would be the next step to ensure safer food being imported and exported within the United States. Federal government needs to support continued development of a uniformed food safety inspection program for all state and local health jurisdictions and encourage its adoption through federal funding. The FDA has been working on this by developing Model Retail Food Standards. (NEHA, 2011) However, to improve the regulations that are needed the FDA have areas for improvement; such as encouraging (but not mandate) more uniformity in regulatory codes nationwide. Another solution in the inspection process would be to have a secure database where all the proper documents to be accessible by user-defined personnel. There was an incident where a local health department had to file a request for a copy of the most recent inspection of a food manufacturing plant from a certain federal agency. By the time that request was processed, six months had passed and the inspection was outdated and useless. (NEHA, 2011) Overall, the United States does ok in the prevention and detection of severe cases of foodborne illnesses. However, I believe that the FDA should do a better job in communicating with state and local government to better prevent and detect said type illnesses. Again some ways that could happen is to try to get a uniformed code of regulations across nationally. Now by doing this I am not saying we will prevent foodborne illnesses totally but we, as a nation, would be better off to indicate and be able to take the corrective actions needed.

Free Essays on Are DJ’s True Artists

Are DJ’s True Artists, and How Have They Effected American Music? The crowd cheers and pushes their way closer to the Disc Jockey (DJ) booth, and the lights start to lower in anticipation for the music that will lead their night. The DJ leaves the backstage and makes his way towards the 4 Technic turntables, 2 Pioneer CD players, 3 Pioneer mixers, and 2000 vinyl records from various genres. He slips on his Sony MDR-V700 headphones and places his first vinyl record on the turntable to his left. Sliding it back and forth under his fingers to find the first beat of the song, he lets go and slides the cross-fader towards that table. The crowd goes crazy as the first beat pounds through the speakers into their bodies. Glow sticks are now being waved, break-dancing boys/girls (b-boys/b-girls) are breakin’ out their moves, and the DJ has started his next vinyl in motion. Matching the next song’s beat to the song currently being played, the DJ can now play both songs at the same time. With songs playing simultaneously, the DJ can now trade be ats, create new sounds, and control treble, mid, and bass. After transferring from vinyl to vinyl, the DJ puts down a special record for scratching. This record will have certain phrases, sounds, and voices, made specifically for scratching. By manipulating the sounds on the record, the DJ can create new sound effects, stutter sentences, and even create a sentence from two records. The crowd doesn’t even know how he does it, but that doesn’t matter, he keeps them dancing all night long to the beats of the vinyl. This story happens every night across the world as DJs use their talent in creating an atmosphere for dance. They know what to play, when to play it, and how to play it. Records are their tools, whether used at a club, rave, hip-hop show, or turntable competition. DJ’s create music and express other artist’s music in a one time original form. This paper will state specific poi... Free Essays on Are DJ’s True Artists Free Essays on Are DJ’s True Artists Are DJ’s True Artists, and How Have They Effected American Music? The crowd cheers and pushes their way closer to the Disc Jockey (DJ) booth, and the lights start to lower in anticipation for the music that will lead their night. The DJ leaves the backstage and makes his way towards the 4 Technic turntables, 2 Pioneer CD players, 3 Pioneer mixers, and 2000 vinyl records from various genres. He slips on his Sony MDR-V700 headphones and places his first vinyl record on the turntable to his left. Sliding it back and forth under his fingers to find the first beat of the song, he lets go and slides the cross-fader towards that table. The crowd goes crazy as the first beat pounds through the speakers into their bodies. Glow sticks are now being waved, break-dancing boys/girls (b-boys/b-girls) are breakin’ out their moves, and the DJ has started his next vinyl in motion. Matching the next song’s beat to the song currently being played, the DJ can now play both songs at the same time. With songs playing simultaneously, the DJ can now trade be ats, create new sounds, and control treble, mid, and bass. After transferring from vinyl to vinyl, the DJ puts down a special record for scratching. This record will have certain phrases, sounds, and voices, made specifically for scratching. By manipulating the sounds on the record, the DJ can create new sound effects, stutter sentences, and even create a sentence from two records. The crowd doesn’t even know how he does it, but that doesn’t matter, he keeps them dancing all night long to the beats of the vinyl. This story happens every night across the world as DJs use their talent in creating an atmosphere for dance. They know what to play, when to play it, and how to play it. Records are their tools, whether used at a club, rave, hip-hop show, or turntable competition. DJ’s create music and express other artist’s music in a one time original form. This paper will state specific poi...

snapes puzzle essays

snape's puzzle essays Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind Two of us will help you, whichever you would find, One among us seven will let you move ahead, Another will transport the drinker back instead, Two among our number hold only nettle wine, Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line. Choose unless you wish to stay here for evermore, To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four: First, however slyly the poison tries to hide You will always find some on nettle wines left side; Second, different are those who stand at either end, But if you would move onwards, neither is your friend; Third, as you see clearly, all are different size, Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides; Fourth, the second left and the second on the right Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight. JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, from chapter 16, Through the Trapdoor. The first thing to realise is that the puzzle is different for us than for Hermione. Hermione can see which bottle is smallest and which bottle is largest, and we cant. On the other hand, we know that the back bottle is at the right hand end of the line, and that the forward bottle is the smallest one, which, at the beginning, Hermione didnt. We also know that Hermione was able to solve the puzzle, at least for the two important bottles, which means that the total information available to her is consistent with only one solution for those bottles. For Hermione, the puzzle is to find out which bottles contain what. For us, it is to try to find out what the complete arrangement of potions was, and where the smallest and largest bottles were. Its also possible that, if we cant completely solve those, we can still find out where the forward potion was and what was in the largest bottle. We also need to make a couple of reasonable assumptions about wha...

Perfomance Management System in Ntpc Essays

Perfomance Management System in Ntpc Essays Perfomance Management System in Ntpc Essay Perfomance Management System in Ntpc Essay ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This project would not have been possible without the help of many people who have contributed their efforts in this project. Firstly, I would like to convey my profound indebtness to my project guide at NTPC ltd. , MR. TANMOY DUTTA, HR dept. , for his invaluable advice, guidance and time that he has offered in the completion of this project. This project would not have been possible without his guidance and support. I would also like to thank Mr. BADRUDDIN ANSARI, NTPC ltd. who also helped me in the fulfillment of this project. Not to forget, the employees of NTPC, the project would not have been completed if they not helped me with filling up the questionnaires. Finally, I would like to thank our Mentor â€Å"Miss tejbir kaur† for her valuable guidance and suggestions in the making and improvement of this project report MOUMITA BOSE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PACE is the performance management system for the executive employees at NTPC. This system was implemented in the year 2004 in NTPC. Earlier the performance appraisal system was more of a subjective type of system i. e. , earlier there weren’t any set targets or key performance areas for the employees, it was just the performance they made and the feedback on it was given to the employees on a yearly basis. Now the PACE has become more objective and behavior based, i. e. , there are set KPA’s for the employees and scores for the core values exhibited in the work behavior. The key performance areas include; Technical knowledge, Business attitude, Strategic thinking, Resource management, Communication skills, System thinking, Interpersonal competencies, Employment skills There is a basic question that would come to anyone’s mind that why is PACE only for the executive employees and why not for the non-executive employees as well. It is so because the employees at the non-executive levels may not be able to understand the whole PMS system as some of them at different levels may not be that educated to understand the system; i. . , they might not be well-versed with the system, and therefore will not be able to work according to the system and therefore they have a different appraisal system. NTPC has been striving to meet the objective of developing performance culture through this system called â€Å"Performance And Competence for Excellence† i. e. â€Å"PACE†. This report concentrates on the study of the â€Å"Performance and Comp etence for Excellence† system at NTPC and to check its effectiveness and further to suggest and recommend any possible ways to improve and strengthen its PMS. To check the effectiveness of this system a survey with a help of questionnaires had been conducted. Around 60 executive employees had filled up the questionnaire with the help of which analysis had been done. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objective of the study is basically to know about the effectiveness of performance management system – PACE at NTPC. This objective has been further divided into the following key areas; * To carry out an assessment on the performance appraisal of the company and what kind of performance management system has been implemented in the company. To examine the gap between the required performance and the actual performance. * To determine the key places in the performance management system of the company which are supposed to be enhanced. * To forecast the performance management system at NTPC. * To find out the effectiveness of performance management system on NTPC. * To find out key points in satisfaction and improve the ways of satisfying the e mployees. * To provide an overall sketch of how effective the performance management system has been. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The present study is confined to the Executive employees of NTPC Ltd. wherein all the executives of different sections of NTPC come under the purview of this study. All the major aspects that affect the assessment of performance appraisal needs in an organization fall under the purview of the study. CONTENTS: S. NO| TOPIC| PAGE NO. | 1. | Acknowledgement| | 2. | Executive summary| | 3. | Objective of the study| | 4. | Scope of the study| | 5. | Chapter 1 COMPANY PROFILE| | | 1. 1 A brief introduction of the organization| | | 1. 2 Vision and mission of the organization| | | 1. 3 The core values| | | 1. 4 Corporate objectives| | | 1. 5 List of awards| | | 1. HR vision| | | | | | | | 6. | Chapter 2 | | | 2. 1 Research topic(Introduction)| | | 2. 2 PMS at NTPC (PACE)| | | | | 7. | Chapter 3 LITERATURE REVIEW| | | | | 8. | Chapter 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY| | | 4. 1 Sampl ing Design| | | 4. 2 Data used in study| | | 4. 3 Tool and Techniques used| | | | | 9. | Chapter 5 DATA ANALYSIS AND MAJOR FINDINGS| | | 5. 1 Question wise analysis and interpretation| | | 5. 2 Grade wise analysis and interpretation| | | 5. 3 TEST(SPSS)| | | 5. 4 Major Findings| | | 5. 5 Limitations| | | | | 10. | Chapter 5 SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION| | 11. | BIBLIOGRAPHY| | CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION STUDY OF ORGANIZATION’S HISTORY ORGANISATION CULTURE Overview of Organization: It was started in1975, NTPC the largest power company and it has been consistently powering the growth of India. With an installed capacity of the company is 32,694 MW with 15 coal based and 7 gas based stations, located across the country . NTPC today contributes 28. 36 % of the nations power generation with only 18. 09 % of Indias total installed capacity. An ISO certified company, it is second most efficient in capacity utilization and world’s 6th largest thermal power generator. It is expected that by 2017, the power generation portfolio have a diversified fuel mix with coal based capacity of around 53000 MW, 10000 MW through gas, 9000 MW through Hydro generation, about 2000 MW from nuclear sources and around 1000 MW from Renewable Energy Sources (RES). The corporation recorded a generation of 218. 84 billion units (Bus) in 2009 10,through 15 coal based ,7 gas based power plant and joint venture projects spread all over the country. Although the company has 18. 09% of the total national capacity it contributes 28. 6% of total power generation because its focus is on high efficiency. NTPC has been awarded as one of the top most â€Å"Best employer â€Å"of the country for the year 2003, 2004,2005. In 2008 NTPC has been rated no. 1 best workplace among other large organization in India . In NTPC culture the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) is deeply ingrained. NTPC try to develop mutual trust with the communities that surround its power stat ions. These achievements have been made possible by the 24955 strong and motivated work force who with their dedication are ever willing to take NTPC to greater heights. Profile of the Company: In 1975, after the 4th five year plan, the company power generating capacity that is available in the country was around 17000 MW too less to meet the requirement for country’s industrial development. To top it all, a bad become worse cost crunch was faced due to commissioning delays and still become worse by inefficient functioning of installed unit and thus bold strategic measures were called for acce. NTPC thus became a company listed with Government holding 89. 5% of the equity share capital and rest held by Institutional Investors and Public. NTPC is among the largest five companies in India in terms of market capitalization At present, Government of India holds 84. 5% of the total equity shares of the company and the balance 15. 5% is held by FIIs, Domestic Banks, Public and others. Within a span of 30 years, NTPC Ltd. In 2007 NTPC was the world 2000 largest company which occupies 411th place in Forbes list. It has also been awarded as one of the â€Å"Best Companies to Work for in India† by Mercer Consulting – Business Today Survey 2004. NTPC have come a long way since that day in spite of facing a severe liquidity crunch in 1991-1992. NTPC’s first 200 MW power plant was commissioned in Singrauli within 48 months of starting. NTPC, true to the expectation, played a key role in the development of the sector and has emerged as the power utility, lighting every third bulb in the country. Powering the growth of the country was the prime motto and the vision had been to make available power in plenty. The growth of the organization had been phenomenal and with the passage of time the batons of leadership started changing to new hands at different level of organization. Therefore as it happens in large families there is need for continuous reminder of the values and tradition so that the performance culture remain unaffected and all the member of the organization share the values and vision and live the same for realizing the vision of the company. As a part of HR-business strategy organization focused on evolving a codified vision and values statement to be the guiding compass for all the employees. The first exercise was made in 1995-96 and the same were widely shared with all the sections of employees. Vision of NTPC: â€Å"To be the world’s largest and best power producer, powering India’s growth. Mission of NTPC: â€Å"Develop and provide reliable power, related products and services at competitive prices, integrating multiple energy sources with innovative and eco – friendly technologies and contribute to society† The Core Values (BE-COMITTED): B| -| Business Ethics| E| -| Environmentally Economically Sustainable| C| -| Customer Focus| O| -| Organisational Professional Pride| M| -| Mutual Respect Trust| M| -| Motivating Self Others| I| -| Innovation Speed| T| -| Total Quality for Excellence| T| -| Transparent Respected Organisation| E| -| Enterprising | D| -| Devoted| Corporate Objectives: In pursuance of the Vision and Mission, the following are the Corporate Objectives of NTPC: To realize the vision and mission, eight key corporate objectives have been identified. These objectives would provide the link between the defined mission and the functional strategies. * Business Portfolio Growth * To further consolidate NTPC’s position as the leading thermal power generation company in India and establish a presence in Hydro power segment. * To broad base the generation mix by evaluating conventional and non – conventional sources of energy to ensure long run competitiveness and mitigate fuel risk. To diversify across the power value chain in India by considering backward and forward integration into areas such as power trading, transmission, distribution, coal mining, coal beneficiation, etc. * To establish a strong services brand in the domestic and international markets. * Customer Focus * To foster a collaborative style of working wit h customers, growing to be a preferred brand for supply of quality power. * To expand the relationship with existing customers by offering a bouquet of services in addition to supply of power e. g. trading, energy consulting, distribution consulting, management practices. To expand the future customer portfolio through profitable diversification into downstream businesses, inter alia retail distribution and direct supply. * Ensure rapid commercial decision making, using customer specific information, with adequate concern for the interests of the customer. * Performance Leadership * To continuously improve on project execution time and cost in order to sustain long run competitiveness in generation. * To operate and maintain NTPC stations at par with the best run utilities in the world with respect to availability, reliability, efficiency, productivity and costs. To effectively leverage information technology to drive process efficiencies. * To aim for performance excellence in th e diversification businesses. * To embed quality in all systems and processes. * Human Resource Development * To enhance organizational performance by institutionalizing an objective and open performance management system. * To align individual and organizational needs and develop business leaders by implementing a career development system. * To enhance commitment of employees by recognizing and rewarding high performance. To build and sustain a learning organization of competent world – class professionals. * To institutionalize core values and create a culture of team – building, empowerment, equity, innovation, and openness which would motivate employees and enable achievement of strategic objectives. * Sustainable Power Development * To contribute to sustainable power development by discharging corporate social responsibilities. * To lead the sector in the areas of resettlement and rehabilitation and environment protection including effective ash – mutilati on, peripheral development and energy conservation practices. To lead development efforts in the Indian power sector through efforts at policy advocacy, assisting customers in reform, disseminating best practices in the operations and management of power plants etc. * Research and Development * To pioneer the adoption of reliable, efficient and cost – effective technologies by carrying out fundamental and applied research in alternate fuels and technologies. * To carry out research and development of breakthrough techniques in power plant construction and operation that can lead to more efficient, reliable and environment friendly operation of power plants in the country. To disseminate the technologies to other players in the sector and in the long run generating revenue through proprietary technologies. TOTAL CAPACITY TOTAL GENERATION NTPC 28840 MW All India 130558 MW NTPC 552. 712BUs All India 218. 84 BUs STATIONS -WISE GENERATION 2009-10| STATIONS| FUEL TYPE| CAPACITY(MW) | GEN. (MU)GROSS| NORTHERN REGION| | 5490| 45515| Singrauli| Coal| 2000| 16264| Rihand| Coal| 2000| 16743| Unchahar| Coal| 1050| 8952| Tanda| Coal| 440| 3555| National capital region 4347 29285| Badarpur| Coal| 705| 5108| Dadri| Coal| 1330| 7829| Anta| Gas| 413| 3002| Auraiya| Gas| 652| 4528| Dadri| Gas| 817| 5607| Faridabad| Gas| 430| 3212| Western Region 7653 62532| Korba| Coal| 2100| 17955| Vindhayachal| Coal| 3260| 27586| Sipat| Coal| 1000| 8175| Kawas| Gas| 645| 4327| Jhanor gandhar| Gas| 648| 4488| Eastern region 7400 48974| Farakka| Coal| 1600| 10239| Kahalgaon| Coal| 2340| 11314| Talcher-Kaniha| Coal| 3000| 23759| Talcher-Thermal| Coal| 460| 3662| Southern Region 3950 32533| Ramagundan| Coal| 2600| 21595| Simhadri| Coal| 1000| 8521| Rajiv Gandhi CCP| Liquid Fuel| 350| 2418| TOTAL 28840 218840| NTPC PLF Vs Average PLF Of other Generators in India Growth in Generation NTPC vs Rest of India FINANCING OF NEW PROJECTS The capacity addition programs shall be financed with a debt to equity ratio of 70:30. Directors of NTPC believe that internal accruals of the company would be sufficient to finance the equity component for the new projects. Given its low gearing and strong credit ratings, your company is well positioned to raise the required borrowings. NTPC is exploring domestic as well as international borrowing options including overseas development assistance provided by bilateral agencies to mobilize the debt required for the planned capacity expansion program. During the year 2009-10, NTPC has tied up loans of Rs. 168,190 million including a large ticket loan of Rs. 85,000 million with State Bank of India and Rs. 7,500 million with Canara Bank for part funding of debt requirement in respect of cap ex for next 3 years. In addition, loans amounting to Rs. 55,690 million have also been tied with other banks to fulfill the debt requirement for next three years. Bonds amounting to Rs. 15,000 million were raised from domestic market for financing the capital expenditure and refinancin g of the loans. FIXED DEPOSITS The cumulative deposits received by NTPC from 277 depositors as at march 31st, 20210 stood at 13. 39 million. Further, an amount of Rs 4 million has not been claimed on maturity by 33 depositors as on that date. FUEL SECURITY coal supplies NTPC has signed Long Term Model Coal Supply Agreement ( CSA) with Coal India Limited ( CIL) on May 29, 2009 for supply of coal to its stations for 20 years. Based on the revised model CSA, coal agreements have been signed with the various subsidiary coal companies of CIL by coal based stations except Farakka and Kahalgaon. Additional 7. 35 MMT of coal has been tied up with CIL and singareni collieries Co. Ltd for Farakka, Kahalgaon and other projects. This include 0. 55 MMT of coal procured through E- auction. During the year 2009-10 NTPC has received 136. million tonnes of coal consisting of domestic coal of 129. 9 million tonnes ( about 4. 5% higher than the coal received in previous year) in imported coal to the tune 6. 3 million tonnes, at the stations. During 2009-10, NTPC has entered into agreement with MMTC for supply of about 12. 5 MMT of imported coal which is highest ever in NTPC till date. Further, in order to bridge the short fall in coal suppl y, Central Electricity Authority advised the power utilities to set target for import of coal during 2010-11 NTPC has been advised by CEA to place the orders for import of coal aggregating to 13. 0 Mts during 2010-11. GAS SUPPLIES During the year 2009-10 NTPC received 13. 8 MMSCMD of gas/RLNG as against 10. 75 MMSCMD received during 2008-09 registering an increase of 29. 12%. the gas off take in 2009-10 includes 9. 08 MMSCMD APM/PMT gas, 4. 45 MMSCMD RLNG and 0. 35 MMSCMD of KG D6 basin gas. NTPC renewed APM gas agreement up to the year 2021 PMT gas agreements up to the year 2019 for its gas station. NTPC has also signed long term contract for supply of RLNG of 2. 0 MMSCMD on firm basis and 0. MMSCMD on fall back basis with GAIL for a period of 10 years for NCR gas station viz Anta, Auraiya, Dadri and Faridabad. Further, Government Of India allocated additional gas 4. 46 MMNSCMD form KG-D6 basin. Out of this quantity, 1. 81 MMSCMD has already been tied up and the balance would be ti ed up during the year 2010-11. NTPC has arranged for tying up of spot RLNG on reasonable endeavour basis based on requirement. Also, NTPC has fallback RLNG supply agreements at pooled price with GAIL, AIOCL, BPCL and GSPCL. DEVELPOMENT OF COAL OF MINING PROJECT Coal mining being integral to NTPCs fuel strategies, is being developed in project mode all notifications for mining area land acquistion have been completed for Pakri Barwadih, Chatti-Barriyatu, Keredari and Talipalli coal blocks. Rehabilitation action plans were approved by board for Pakri Barwadih, Chatti- Barriyatu and Keredari coal blocks and disbursement of land plant compensation commenced with approval of mining plan for Dulanga (7MTPA) and Talaipalli (18MTPA) by ministry of coal this year, mining plan approval total 53 MTPA was recived. Enviornmental clearance was accorded for Pakri- Barwadih, Chatti- Barriyatu and Keredari coal blocks. Stage-l forest clearance for Pakri barwadih coal block was accorded by MOEF. NTPC has tied up with NESCD for permanent power arrangement for coal mining project. With completion of detailed exploration in two coal blocks that is Talaipalli which was unexplored and Dulanga which was partly explored, Geographical Reports are available for all coal blocks. NTPC has taken a no. Of CSR measures for the benefit of the people around its coal mining sites. Under community development activities, it is planned to set up an ITI at Barkagaon district Hazaribag, Jharkhand and also to adopt and upgrade another ITI at Pussore district Raighar, Chattisghar besides undertaking other community development activities. OTHER INITIATIVES FOR SECURING COAL SUPPLIES To leverage the strength of established players in mining and related areas, NTPC has formed following joint venture companies . Name of the company| J V Partners| Purpose| CIL NTPC Urja Private Limited (incorporated on 27. 04. 010)| Coal India Limited| For Undertaking the Development, OM of Brahmini and Chichro Patsimal coal blocks and integrated power projects| NTPC SCCL Global Ventures pvt Ltd, (incorporated on 31. 07. 2007)| The Singareni Collieries company Ltd. | For undertaking development and OM of coal blocks in India and abroad| International Coal Ventures Pvt. Ltd. (incorporated on 20. 05. 2009)| SAIL, CIL, RINL and NMDC| For exploring various opportunities in Australia, Mozamb ique, Canada , Indonesia and USA, etc for acquisition of stake in coal mining and thermal coal mines. | Exploration Activities Under NEPL 7,company has been allotted one block at combay basin as a sole operator and three blocks out of which two blocks are in KG basin and another in Andaman, as a member of consortium led by ONGC with 10% participating interest in each block. Renovation Modernization(R M) NTPC undertakes RM under project mode with focus on feasible and cost effective technology upgrade,efficiency improvement to bring the latest design to old vintage unit . It gi ves an opportunity to leverage the technological advancement which has taken place in power industry so as to continue economical power generation. It may also help to reduce emission to green house gases and avail clean Development Mechanism benefits apart from life extension of plants.. Apart from the above ,Company is providing consultancy services for RM of old units of state electricity boards through a department â€Å"ARDP-RM†. Vigilance Company is striving to bring more transparency to its business processes and as a step in this direction has signed a memorandum of understanding with Transparency International India December 2008 . The Integrity Pact is being implemented for all contracts having value exceeding Rs 100 millions. Two independent External Monitors have been nominated by the Commission for all contracts values exceeding Rs 1000 million. Human Resource Management Company takes pride in its highly motivated and competent human resource that has contributed its best to bring the company to its present heights. The productivity of employees is reflected in the consistent improvement of MAN- MW ratio of the year. The overall Man MW ratio for the year 2009-10 excluding JV / subsidiaries capacity is 0. 82 and 0. 80 including capacity of JV /subsidiary. Generation per employee has increased to 9. 22 MUs registering an increase of 5. 37 % over the last year. The total employee strength of the company stood that 24,955 as on 31. 3. 2010 against 24,713 as on 31st march 2009. The attrition rate executives during the year reduced to 1% from 1. 88% from the previous year. | Fiscal 2010| Fiscal 2009| NTPC| Number of employees| 23743| 23639| Subsidiaries Joint Ventures| Employees of NTPC in subsidiaries Joint Ventures| 1212| 1074| Total employees| 24955| 24713| EMPLOYEE RELATION During the year employees relation scenario in the company continued to be conducive marked by industrial harmony and mutual trust. Regular interactions takes place amongst the management and apex forums of workmen called National Bipartite committee and with the executive forum named NTPC Executive Federation of India. Employees participation in management has been boosting morale of employees. The process of pay revision of wage and benefits structure for employees in executive category and workmen category was completed on 16. 09. 2009 and 7. 07. 2010 respectively TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Inline with its long term objectives of being a learning organization company has policy of continuously investing in training and development of not only its own employee but also of its professionals of the power sectors. The imparts training at its sites as well as at the corporate level in diverse areas including general management,power station operations and maintenance,project constructions,erection and commissioning and information technology. Training imparted is always in tune with new emerging needs in diverse areas like nuclear ,coal mining,hydro power,super critical technology,power trading etc. Growth of NTPC: NTPC has set new benchmarks for the power industry both in the area of power plants construction and operations. It is providing power at the cheapest average tariffs in the country. With its experience and expertise in the power sector, NTPC is extending Consultancy services to various organizations in the power businesses. NTPC is committed to the environment generating power at minimal environment cost and preserving the ecology in the vicinity of the plants. NTPC has undertaken massive afforestation in the vicinity of its plants. Plantations have increased forest area and reduced barren land. The massive afforestation of NTPC in and around its Ramakundam power station (2100 MW) has contributed in reducing the surrounding area temperature by about 3 degree c. NTPC has also undertaken proactive steps for ash utilization. In 1991, it set up ash utilization Division to manage efficient use of the ash produced at its coal stations. This quality of ash produced is ideal for use in cement, concrete, cellular, building material. â€Å"centre for power efficiency and environment protection (CENPEEP)† has been established in NTPC with the assistance of United states Agency for International Development. (USAID). Company is efficiency oriented, eco-friendly and eco-nurturing initiative a symbol of NTPCs concern towards environment protection and continued commitment to sustainable power development in India. As a responsible corporate citizen, NTPC is making constant efforts to improve the socio-economic status of the people affected by its projects. Through its Rehabilitation and Resettlement program the company endeavors to improve the overall socio-economic status of project affected population. NTPC was among the first Public sector enterprises to enter into a Memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Government in 1987-88. NTPC has been placed under the Excellent category (the best category) every year since the MOU system became operative. Recognizing the excellent performance and vast potential, Government of the India has identified NTPC as one of the jewels of Public sector Maharatnas- a potential global giant. Inspired by its glorious past and vibrant, NTPC is well on its way to realize its vision of being â€Å"one of the worlds largest and best power utilities, powering Indias growth†. NTPC registered yet another impressive performance and has earned a provisional profit of 8826. 6 crore in financial year 2010-11 as compared to 8728. 2 crore last year. The highest ever capacity addition of 2490 MW (including 500 MW in JV) and the operational excellence is achieved during the financial year. There are sixteen coal based stations of NTPC which has achieved a plant load factor of more then 88. 29%. Overview- Installed capacity Growth in Capacity: Installed capacity reaches 34,194 MW ( inclu ding 3364 MW under Jvs) Highest ever capacity addition of 2490 MW (including 500 MW IN JV) 14,748 MW is under construction at 15 locations. Projects| No. f projects| Commissioned capacity (MW)| Coal | 15| 24395| Gas/ liquid fuel| 7| 3955| Total| 22| 28350| Owned by JVCs Coal and gas | 4| 2294| Grand Total| 26| 30644| Regional Spread of generating Facilities: Region | Coal| Gas| Total| Northern| 7035| 2312| 9347| Western| 6360| 1293| 7653| Southern| 3600| 350| 3950| Eastern| 7400| -| 7400| JVs| 814| 1480| 2294| Total| 25209| 5435| 30644| SL No. | Coal based (owned by NTPC)| State| Commissioned Capacity (MW)| 1| Singrauli| Uttar Pradesh| 2000| 2| Korba| Chhattisgarh| 2100| 3| Ramakundam| Andhra Pradesh| 2600| | Farakka| West Bengal| 1600| 5| Vindhyachal| Madhya Pradesh| 3260| 6| Rihand| Uttar Pradesh| 2000| 7| Kahalgaon| Bihar| 2340| 8| Dadri| Uttar Pradesh| 840| 9| Talcher Kaniha| Orissa| 3000| 10| Unchahar| Uttar Pradesh| 1050| 11| Talcher Thermal| Orissa| 460| 12| Simhadri| Andhr a Pradesh| 1000| 13| Tanda| Uttar Pradesh| 440| 14| Badarpur| Delhi| 705| 15| Sipat- II| Chhattisgarh| 1000| Total| 24,395| Coal based Joint Ventures: SL No. | Coal Based (owned by JVs)| State| Commissioned Capacity| 1| Durgapur| West Bengal| 120| 2| Rourkela| Orissa| 120| | Bhilai| Chhattisgarh| 574| Total| 814| Hydro based Power Projects (Under Implementation): NTPC has increased thrust on hydro development for a balanced portfolio for long term sustainability. The first step in this direction was taken by initiating investment in Koldam Hydroelectric Power Project located on Satluj river in Bilaspur district of Himachal pradesh. Two other hydro projects construction are Tapovan Vishnugad and Loharinag Pala. On all these projects construction activities are in full swing. SL No. | Hydro Based| State| Approved Capacity (MW)| | Koldam (HEPP)| Himachal Pradesh| 800| 2| Loharinag Pala| Uttarakhand| 600| 3| Tapovan Vishnugad (HEPP)| Uttarakhand| 520| Total| 1920| Gas /Liquid Fuel Base d Power Stations: NTPC Ltd. has a combined gas based commissioned capacity of 3955 MW. NTPC caters to the peeking demand of power. SL No. | Gas Based (owned by NTPC)| State| Commissioned Capacity (MW)| 1| Anta| Rajasthan| 413| 2| Auriya| Uttar Pradesh| 652| 3| Kawas| Gujarat| 645| 4| Dadri| Uttar Pradesh| 817| 5| Jhanor-Gandhar| Gujarat| 648| 6| Rajiv Gandhi CCPP Kayamkulam| Kerala| 350| | Faridabad| Haryana| 430| Total| 3955| Gas based joint ventures: SL No. | Coal Based (owned by JVs)| State| Commissioned Capacity| 1| RGPPL| Maharashtra| 1480| Total| 1480| The energy conservation parameters like specific oil consumption and auxiliary power consumption have also shown considerable improvement over the years. Renewable Distributed Generation: Renewable Energy: Renewable energy (RE) is being perceived as an alternative source of energy for â€Å"Energy Security† and subsequently â€Å"Energy Independence† by 2020. Renewable energy technologies provide not only electricity but offer an environmentally clean and low noise source of power. Objectives: NTPC plans to broad base generation mix by evaluating conventional and non-conventional sources of energy to ensure long run competitiveness and mitigate fuel risks Portfolio of Renewable Power: NTPC has also formulated its businesses plan of capacity addition of about 1,000 MW through renewable resources. SL No. | Renewable Energy Sources| Capacity| 1| Wind Energy Farms| 650 MW| 2| Small Hydro Project| 300 MW| | Solar Power Project| 704 MW| 4| Biomass Power Project| 15 MW| 5| Geothermal Power Project| 30 MW| Total| 1010 MW| Long Term Growth Plans: NTPC has prepared a corporate plan setting a targer of becoming a 1,28,000 MW company by 2032 with 28% capacity from non-fossil sources. NTPC is working on a basket of new projects of more then 45,000 MW for implementation. Government of India has approved allocation of 50% power to the home states from f ourteen power projects of NTPC, with total capacity of 35,680 MW. Sustaining Market Leadership: Highest ever generation of 220. 4 BU from NTPC units as against 218. 84 BU in 2009-2010. NTPCs share in countrys generation was 27. 4% in 2010-11, with 17. 75% of the national capacity. World class capacity utilization: Seven NTPC coal stations figure among the top 10 stations in the country in terms of PLF (Plant Load Factor). It has achieved PLF of 88. 29% during 2010-11 (National PLF 75. 07%). Three coal stations achieved PLF of over 95%, seven other stations achieved more than 90% PLF. Robust Financials: 100% realization of the billing is there for the eighth consecutive year. Provisional and unaudited net sales of Rs. 4,488 crore in Q4 2010-11 as against Rs. 12,305 crore (unaudited) in Q4 2009-1, registering an increase of 17. 74%. Provisional and unaudited Gross revenue of Rs. 15,106 crore in Q4 2010-11 as against Rs. 12,981 crore (unaudited) in Q4 2009-10, registering an increase o f 16. 37%. Sustaining Market Leadership: Total electricity available in the country| 811. 104 BUs| Electricity import from Bhutan| 5. 61 BUs| Total electricity generation in the country| 805. 494 BUs| Total generation from NTPC| 220. 54 BUs| NTPCs share in total electricity generation in the country| 27. 40%| Financial Performance: Capital expenditure of Rs. 12,817. 61 crore during 2010-11, an increase of 22. 46% over the last years figure of rs. 10,467. 13 crore. NTPC Groups Capital Expenditure was rs. 16,326. 58 crore as against Rs. 14,334. 54 crore over the last year, an increase of 14%. It has declared an interim dividend of Rs. 3 per equity share having face value of rs. 10 being 30% of paid-up capital translating into a dividend payout of Rs. 2,473. 64 crore. New loans aggregating to Rs. 3,479 crore tied up with domestic Banks and other Financials institutions during 2010-11 including Rs. 000 crore from HUDCO and Rs. 1000 crore from HDFC Bank. Cumulative loans of Rs. 52,787. 35 crore tied up so far. Five series of bonds on Private Placements Basis issued to eligible institutions aggregating Rs. 720 crore. Out of the five series of Bonds issued during the year, four series of Bonds aggregating to Rs. 420 crore have been issued to Army Group Insurance Fund (AGIF) under the funding lin e extended by AGIF for Rs. 1,200 crore. Outstanding amounts of Bonds as on 31. 03. 2011 is Rs. 9. 570 crore as against total amount of Rs. 14,755. 35 crore raised so far. NTPC PAKRI-BARWADIHS ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE The NTPC Ltd, the sixty largest company of the world in thermal power generation has taken up Pakri-Barwadih Coal Mining Project as a basket mine for all its projects located in eastern and northern regions. The project is going to affect 19 villages including 16 from Barkagaon block and 3 from Keradari block in the district of Hazaribag, Jharkhand. In the wake of the setting up of the project, large acres of residential and agriculture lands will be acquired, besides the acquisition of government and forest land. The Pakri-Barwadih Coal Mining block is the NTPCs first mining venture located at North Karanpura coalfields of Hazaribagh district in Jharkhand state. It is bounded by longitudes 85? 10 to 85? 15E and latitude 23 ? 5130† to 23 ? 5530†. In 2004-05, the ministry of coal, Government of India has allocated the 43. 27sq. km Pakri-Barwadih block to national thermal power corporation now NTPC Ltd. For captive mining for supply of coal to their super thermal power stations. The entire block of Pakri-PBarwadih blocks falls in the Hazaribagh district. The Hazaribagh -Khelar-Ranchi state highway passes through the eastern part of the block touching Barkagaon and Tandwa villages. The nearest township is Hazaribag located at a distance of 25km from Barkagaon in the southern part of the block. The nearest rail stations are Ranchi Road and chitarpur on the Gomoh-Barkahana-Dehri-on sone loop lines of SE Railway both around 70-75 km from the block. Ranchi, The state capital, is around 120-130 km from the block. The mine is planned for annual production capacity of 15 million tones (MT) The geological reserves of the coal block are estimated at 1436MT. Project Highlights Salient Features of Pakri Barwadih Coal Mining Project Total project area : 3319. 42 hectare Production : 15 Million tons per year Mineable Reserves : 519. 35 M. Te (? 300 m Depth Five coal seams, Avg. thickness : 2-3 m D to G grade coal Method of Work : Mechanized open-cast mining Life of mine : 39 years Environment clearance obtained : On 19. 05. 09 Forest clearance(stage-II) obtained : On 17. 09. 10 The Project: The Pakri-Barwadih Coal Mining Project is going to acquire about 8787 acres of land of which about 62% is private land including residential and agricultural land and the rest is government land. NTPC and Coal Mining: To broad -base its businesses and also to ensure growth, diversification in the areas related to NTPCs core businesses of power generation such as hydro power, distribution, trading, Coal Mining , LNG, etc. ave been identified as priority areas. The power majors foray into cal mining is aimed at ensuring timely availability of fuel for its stations and at controlling fuel costs. â€Å"NTPC has eight blocks in all. It has been allotted two coal blocks-Brahmini and Chicharao Patsimal both in Jharkhand where coal would be extracted through a 50:50 joint ventures with CIL. The centre has also allotted five more blocks to NTPC. These are Kerandari and chatti Baria tu in North Karanpura, Chhatrasal in Singrauli, Dulanga in the ib valley and Talaipalli in Chhattisgarh. â€Å"All the eight block, including the Pakri-Barwadih block that was allotted earlier, have a total mineable reserves of about 5. 7 billion Tonnes of coal. † Production is expected by 2008 in Pakri Barwadih block. NTPC is all set to emerge as a coal mining major with production capacities of at least 60 MT in the next eight years. Mine developer and Operator for Pakri-Barwadih Coal Mining Block (311. 7 Million MT over 27 years). NTPCs objectives for foraying into Coal mining: 1) To have fuel security. 2) To secure assured Quality and Quantity of coal supply. 3) To attain price competitiveness on the delivered coal. Key Thrust Area: To develop and operate the mine in and efficient manner, using latest technology. So as to produce coal of required quantity and of desired quality parameters , in a cost effective and environment friendly manner, with due regard to safety and compliance of all legal aspects. Impoverishment Risk Assessment: In mining-induced displacement and resettlement projects, eight categories of risks are identified that the PAPs are likely to suffer from. They are: a) Landlessness b) Joblessness c) Homelessness d) Marginalization e) Increased Morbidity f) Loss of access to common property resources g) Food insecurity ) Community disarticulation HR- Employee Benefits (EB)-(Establishment): This section of the HR department looks after the employees and their benefits right from joining the company till the retirement. It deals with the following: Employee Development Centre-Training Section: The training section shall cover all regular employees of the company nominated for train ing. It shall be endeavor of the company to provide seven man days of training in a training year to every employee. Employees shall make full use of the training systems to support this endeavor to create a learning organization. It has following objectives: Public Relation Section: Legal Section: Industrial Engineering Department: Employee services (General Administration): NTPC LIST OF AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN PERFORMANCE: NTPC Limited has been ranked top awarded for MoU Award for Excellence in Performance, instituted by DPE, consecutively for two years, 2004-05 and 2005-06 with Excellent rating. Dr. Manmohan Singh, Honble Prime Minister of India presented the MoU Awards to Shri T. Sankaralingam, CMD, NTPC Ltd. * NTPC-AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE: NTPC has been ranked fifth among the top ten â€Å"Best companies to work for in India† by Mercer HR Consulting-Business Today Survey 2005. CONSULTANCY: NTPC provides consultancy in all its aspects of power plant construction and management right from concept of commissioning and beyond. Combining the technical, managerial and financial skills, it provides the holistic solutions to power businesses all over the world, * NTPC DISTRIBUTED GENERATION: NTPC Limited has initiated the concept of el ectrification of remote villages by setting up Distributed Generation projects and demonstrating a sustainable business model leading to integrated growth of villages for achieving the goal of Electricity for all. ENVIRONMENT-GREEN POWER: NTPC delivers power at minimal environment cost, and achieves it. Right from the stage of its project conceptualization, technology selection to operations, care is taken to preserve the natural ecology and minimize environmental impact. * CENPEEP: (The Center for Power Efficiency ; Environmental Protection) , resource center for state of art technologies for performance optimization, continues to strive for performance optimization of power plants. NTPC Limited has been presented Scope Meritorious Award for Best Practices in Human Resource Management – Shri presented 2004-05 for Innovative Human Resource Management Practices well integrated with the business requirements of the Company. Sontosh Mohan Dev, Hon’ble Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises to Shri T. Sankaralingam, CMD, NTPC Limited in New Delhi, on 8th November 2006. Shri Chandan Roy, Director (Operations), NTPC Limited has been conferred with Eminent Engineer Award by the Institution of Engineers (India), for his distinguished services in Engineering Sector during the year 2006 in the area of NCT of Delhi. On the occasion of Power Line magazine’s Tenth Anniversary celebrations, on 11th October, 2006 in New Delhi, Mr. Sushi Kumar Shinde, and Union Minister of Power presented â€Å"Expert Choice Awards† to honor the leading achievers in the power sector. NTPC was recognized as the Best Organization in Central Sector. NTPC WINS GOLDEN PEACOCK AWARD FOR CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY NTPC has been bestowed with Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 2012 constituted by Institute of Directors (IOD), New Delhi. Shri Arup Roy Choudhury, CMD, NTPC figures at # 56 in the listing of India Incs 100 Most Powerful CEOs, 2012 by the Economics Times, Indias leading business newspaper. He is at # 2 among the CEOs of the State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) * NTPC Limited has been ranked 7th overall in ‘India’s Best Companies to Work for 2010’, a study by The Great Places to Work In stitute India and The Economic Times. The Company is also ranked 1st among large organizations’ with over 10,000 employees, 1st in the Public Sector Enterprises segment and 1st in the Manufacturing and Production Industry segment. Shri R K Rustagi, Executive Director (HR ; PMI), Shri N N Misra, Executive Director (HR ; ER), Shri A K Bhatnagar, GM (HR ; Corporate Communications) NTPC received the awards from Mr Prasenjit Bhattacharya of Great Places to Work Institute, India. * Study conducted by Great Place to Work Institute, India in collaboration with The Economic Times. NTPC, New Delhi has been ranked 7th in the Top 10 Great Places to Work (GPTW) and has the distinction of being only PSU in the Top 10 Best Companies to Work For. NTPC also has the distinction of being a part of the Best Workplaces List continuously for the last six studies. This years Top 50 list has emerged from 427 organizations belonging to 17 different industries with employee strength in the range of 100 to 33,000. HR VISION â€Å"To enable our people to be a family of committed world class professionals, making NTPC a learning organization†. Research Topic – PACE THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM @ NTPC PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: AN INTRODUCTION The role of HR in the present scenario has undergone a sea change and its focus is on evolving such functional strategies which enable successful implementation of the major corporate strategies. In a way, HR and corporate strategies function in alignment. Today, HR works towards facilitating and improving the performance of the employees by building a conducive work environment and providing maximum opportunities to the employees for participating in organizational planning and decision making process. Today, all the major activities of HR are driven towards development of high performance leaders and fostering employee motivation. So, it can be interpreted that the role of HR has evolved from merely an appraiser to a facilitator and an enabler. Performance management is the current buzzword and is the need in the current times of cut throat competition and the organizational battle for leadership. Performance management is a much broader and a complicated function of HR, as it encompasses activities such as joint goal setting, continuous progress review and frequent communication, feedback and coaching for improved performance, implementation of employee development programmes and rewarding achievements. The process of performance management starts with the joining of a new incumbent in a system and ends when an employee quits the organization. Performance management can be regarded as a systematic process by which the overall performance of an organization can be improved by improving the performance of individuals within a team framework. It is a means for promoting superior performance by communicating expectations, defining roles within a required competence framework and establishing achievable benchmarks. Objectives: To accomplish organizational goals through a system of performance assessment linked to company’s objectives. * To facilitate fulfillment of individual aspirations and promotion of professional excellence. * To encourage a two – way communication process between the appraise and the reporting officer for binging objectivity in performance appraisal system. * To evaluate the potential of the executive to assume higher responsibilities along the hierarc hy. * To involve the appraise through various stages of performance management, thereby reducing the performance gaps. To map competencies and potential of executives for enabling the organization to source the talent generally from within the company for meeting organizational growth. * To involve the executive to share the responsibility and become accountable for efficient management of the business for result oriented performance through mutual involvement. * To provide a transparent system to help each executive to evaluate his own performance and develop himself with the help of reporting officer. * To provide for removal of differences, if any, in performance appraisal through intervention of the reviewing officer. To conclude, performance management can be regarded as a proactive system of managing employee performance for driving the individuals and the organizations towards desired performance and results. It’s about striking a harmonious alignment between individual and organizational objectives for accomplishment of excellence in performance ESTABLISHING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS PROCESS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL COMMUNICATING STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS MEASURING THE ACTUAL PERFORMANCE COMPARING WITH STANDARDS DISCUSSING RESULTS (PROVIDING FEEDBACK) DECISION MAKING – TAKING CORRECTIVE ACTIONS Focus of Performance Management: * The focus of the performance management system for senior executives is to appraise them on different components of managerial responsibilities, consisting of performance, generic managerial competencies, values and potential, totaling to 100 marks. * The performance component as identified and measures evolved would have 50% wieghtage in total appraisal. * The company’s concern for actualization of organizational core values is reflected in the performance management . Generic Managerial competencies exhibited by an Appraise while discharging duties have been given . * The Company’s concern for actualization of organizational Core Values is reflected in the Performance Management . * The Performance Management System brings to focus important managerial attributes and strikes a balance between ‘Performance’ and other aspects of managerial talents/skills. Executives will h ave a set of Key Performance Areas to be identified through discussion and achieve them during the performance period. The system is to develop the competencies by involving the executive in setting targets and identifying Key Performance Areas. * To utilize the Performance Management System for facilitating individual career development and bring organization wide HR intervention at senior levels to bridge competency gaps. PERIODICITY: * The Performance Appraisal Period would run concurrent with the financial year i. e. from 1st April to 31st March. * The System provides for setting up of Key Performance Areas (KPAs) and reviewing the same in two half-yearly periods. The first half year is from 1st April to 30th September and the second half- year is from 1st Oct. to 31st March. * While reviewing the KPAs of the first half-year, the targets for Key Performance Areas for the second half year are evolved. * While reviewing the KPAs of the first half year, the targets for Key Perform ance Areas for the second half year are evolved. * At the end of the Performance Appraisal year, the review for the second half of the year is undertaken. The review would also involve annual appraisal of KPAs, Competencies, Values and Potential Appraisal. COMPONENTS OF PERFORMANCE REVIEW: * The Performance Management System, consisting of the following components is implemented through ‘Performance Appraisal Form’. * PART I – PERFORMANCE * Part IA: first half year performance * Part IB: second year performance Review of KPA’s for 2nd half year * Part IC: annual performance * Part ID: comments on performance * PART II – competencies * PART III – values * PART IV – potential appraisal * PART V – performance and potential profile PART I-PERFORMANCE: Part IA: FIRST HALFYEAR PERFROMANCE The System provides for the Reporting Officer (Appraiser) and the executive (Appraise) to identify through discussion and agree upon a set of Key Performance Areas (KPAs) in brief at the beginning of the first half-year. * While identifying KPAs, actual ‘Measures’ for each KPA is to be defined and written. The Measure could have Quantitative Targets, Time Schedule for achieving KPAs fully/p artially, Qualitative Improvements etc. , based on the nature of the KPA item * The KPA Targets may be having different weightings and limited to 8 Key Performance Areas only. The idea is to enable the executive to focus on given deliverables and not miss important critical areas. The KPAs should be more focused, concrete and measureable. They should be more than the â€Å"Norm† i. e. normal standard of performance expected. The KPAs reflect ‘Stretch Standard’ which is in excess of â€Å"Norm†. The KPAs should be ‘SMART’ i. e. Specific, Measurable, Agreed (mutually arrived at by the Appraiser and the Appraise), Realistic and Time-Bound. * One of the KPAs should be â€Å"Staff Development†, as building a performing team is an essential target for senior executives. The measures for this could be man days of training development activities for the Unit/ Department/function vis-a-vis the Company’s training targets, HR initiatives like Professional Circles, Quality Circles, and Suggestion Scheme etc. * The Appraiser and Appraise jointly evolve KPAs, define measures and allocate marks for each KPA at the beginning of first half-year by 15th April. * The Performance under Part IA is jointly reviewed and performance evaluated at the beginning of 2nd half year and not later than 15th October. At the time of joint review, actual achievement is briefly recorded against each KPA and marks obtained w. r. t. each KPA is indicated in relevant column. * The aggregate of marks obtained for different KPAs is worked out and indicated as aggregate of IA. Both the Appraise and the Reporting Officer sign the Part IA. PART IB – SECOND HALF YEAR PERFORMANCE * The System helps to review the Key Performance Area Targets for the Second Half-Year based on the evaluation of 1st half-year KPAs depending on actual achievements. The reworked KPA targets are briefly recorded, ‘Measures’ for each KPA defined and Marks allocated. KPAs which extend beyond the 1st half year may be re-recorded in the targets of the 2nd half-year. * The KPAs may undergo change owing to target accomplished, new targets coming up, change of role etc. * The Performance Evaluation of 2nd half-year Performance is jointly undertaken on completion of 2nd half year/Annual Performance year and not later than 15th April. * During the Performance Evaluation, the actual achievement is assessed against each KPA and marks obtained against each KPA are indicated. The marks obtained are aggregated at the bottom out of 50 marks as aggregate. PART IC: ANNUAL PERFORMANCE * This part consolidates the 1st half-year and 2nd half-year Performance of the Appraise by aggregating Performance Marks obtained in Part IA and Part IB. * The Annual Performance Marks out of 50 ma rks be computed based on the formula mentioned in Part 1C and marks obtained be indicated in the Box. * The marks so obtained out of 50 would be the marks secured for â€Å"Annual Performance† in the achievement of KPAs. The Appraise and the Reporting Officer would jointly endorse the Annual Performance by signatures. Normalization Process: Objectives of Normalization Process: Ensure parity and integrity by minimizing rater variation various departments. Enhance objectivity and transparency in the appraisal system. PMS Scores from Reporting Reviewer to check integrity Top 30% Middle 65% Performance Management Assess the overall achievement of the businesses unit MoUs and functional goals; normalization would be done in view of the overall achievement of these goals. Plot distribution of scores for the cluster to check for skewing within and across departments. Checks to be made whether employees have been overrated or underrated on various PMS parameters such as: (a) KPA assessment (b) Competencies, value and Potential assessment Make suitable adjustments to scores, where necessary. Scores (revised and unchanged) and reasons for normalization to be documented in the PMS form. All executives in the cluster must be categorized into Top 30%, Middle 65%and Bottom 5%. COMPANY VALUES AND RATINGS: The Corporate Values ‘COMIT’ and the indicative observable behavior in respect of each value is as under: A. Customer focus: The Executive has conviction that the customer (Internal External) is the center of all activity; he is courteous, sincere, patient and sensitive to the customers and honours commitments on time. B. Organizational pride: The Executive holds the company in high esteem and rejoices in belonging to it; he demonstrates loyalty and commitment to the organisation and has a sense of ownership and belongingness with it. C. Mutual respect and trust: The Executive has high regard for and faith in the fellow organisational members; he believes in collaboration and openness and has good team spirit. D. Initiative and Speed: The Executive believes in taking the first step, thinking new and ahead and being swift without compromising on quality; he is creative and innovative and has the willingness to experiment and take risks. E. Total Quality: The Executive believes in pursuing excellence in all spheres of activity; he makes continuous efforts in improving standards of performance, systems and processes. LITERATURE REVIEW: Performance Management System: * Performance management is one of the most important requirement for successful business and human resource policy (Kessler, 2003). During the performance management revolution , many PMSs were developed such as the balanced scorecard (Kaplan, Norton, 1992), Performance pyramid (Lynch, cross, 1991) and the performance prism (Neely Adams , 2000) The objective of such systems is to help organizations define a set of measures that reflect their objectives and assess their performance accordingly. These system is usually multidimensional. * Rewarding and promoting effective performance in organizations, as well as identifying ineffective performers for developmental programs or other personnel actions, are essential to effective to human resource management (Pulakas, 2003). The ability to conduct Performance appraisals relies on the ability to assess an employees’s performance in a fair and accurate manner. Evaluating employee performance is a difficult task. Performance evaluations have been conducted since the time of Aristotle (Landy, Zedeck, cleveland, 1983). The earliest formal employee Performance evaluation program is thought to have originated in the united states of military establishment shortly after the birth of the republic ( Lopex, 1968). The measurement of an employees performance allows for rational administrative decisions at the individual employee level. It also provides raw data for the evaluation of the effectiveness of such personnel-system compone nts and processes as recruiting policies, training programs , selection rules, promotional strategies and reward allocations (Landy, Zecleck, cleveland, 1983). In addition it provides the foundation for behaviorally based employee counseling. In the counseling setting , performance information provides the vehicles for increasing satisfaction , commitment * and motivation of the employees. Performance management and feedback can play a valuable role in effecting the grand compromise between the needs of the indivisual and the needs of the organization ( Landy, Zecleck, cleveland, 1983). * Kennerley, M. Neely, A, 2002. A framework of the factors affecting the evolution of performance measurement systems. International journal of operations and production management 22(11). 1222-1245. Laitinen E. K, 2002. A dynamic performance measurement system: evidence from small finnish technology firms. Scandinavian journal of management 18, 65-99. Pritchard R. D, Holling H, Lammers, F. Clark, B. D 2002. Improving organization performance with the productivity measurement and enhancement system : an international collaboration Nova Science, New York. Lebas, M. J, 1995, Performance management system. Jornal of production economics 41, 23-35. Neely, A. D. Adams . C, Crowe, P, 2001. The performance system revolution : why not and what next? Journal 19(2), 205-228. Rouse, P, Putterill , M, 2003. An integral framework for performance appraisal Management Decision 41(8), 791-805. * Performance appraisal is the process of obtaining, analyzing and recording information about the relative worth of an employee. The focus of the performance appraisal is measuring and improving the actual performance of the employee and also the future potential of the employee. Its aim is to measure what an employee does. It is a powerful tool to calibrate, refine and reward the performance of the employee. It helps to analyze his achievements and evaluate his contribution towards the achievements of the overall organizational goals. By focusing the attention on performance, performance appraisal goes to the heart of personnel management and reflects the management’s interest in the progress of the employees. * Performance in a job is a matter, which ne eds to be considered both in terms of results achieved and behavior demonstrated. Results required in relation to quantity, quality or timing can be established in most aspects if a large number of jobs. Comparing results reached to results required is essential in evaluating the performance. Reviewing results in the context of actions and behavior is necessary to develop a full understanding of individual performance. In determining what actions have led to success or the lack of it, this aspect of examining performance will represent a significant element in forming plans for the future, so that strengths can be built upon and weakness addressed. There are, of course, certain jobs or features of certain jobs, where it is not always possible to state a required result or standard that clearly. In these instances considering behavior assumes a greater significance when appraising the performance. * The most important part of such job however, would concern the health and * In this case, examples of such action might be ensuring that specialized help is summoned wh en necessary, listening to residents who want to talk about their problems, or perhaps arranging appropriate diversions and entertainment. Performance appraisal appraises performance of an operating unit, like department or section, or of an individual. The Government of India may appraise the performance of the BARC as an organization. The Director of BARC may appraise the performance or any department of division. These Performance appraisals start from facts/data, lead to opinions on adequacy/ appropriateness and should lead further to some decisions being made on whether any changes are necessary in the manner or direction of work of the appraised unit, individual. At the operating unit level the decision may relate to the allocations of resources. * * The decisions may also relate to the continuance. In the case of the individual, the appraisal may be of :- * (a) His outputs (how well has the work been done). * (b) Inputs (what are his skills, behavior patterns, motivation etc. ) * A face-to-face discussion in which one employees work is discussed, reviewed, and appraised by another, using an agreed and understood framework. Usually, line managers conduct the appraisals of their staff, although peers can appraise each other, and line managers can themselves be appraised by their staff through 360 degree appraisal. Performance management is a whole work system that begins when a job is defined as needed. It ends when an employee leaves your organization. Many writers and consultants are using the term â€Å"performance management† as a substitution for the traditional appraisal system. I encourage you to think of the term in this broader work system context. Performance appraisal is a method of acquiring and processing the information needed to improve an individual employee’s performance and accomplishments. -(Douglass) * It is the process of evaluating the performance of employees, sharing that information with them and searching for ways to improve their performance. -(Newstrom ) * A prominent personality in the field of Human resources, â€Å"performance appraisal is the systematic, per iodic and an impartial rating of an employee’s excellence in the matters pertaining to his present job and his potential for a better job. Performance appraisal is a systematic way of reviewing and assessing the performance of an employee during a given period of time and planning -(Flippo) * According to Lawler (2000) when using the merit pay method, individual performance is appraised, usually by a supervisor, and as a resul