Does drug treatment reduce recidivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Does drug treatment reduce recidivism - Essay Example Victim awareness, monetary penalties, and juvenile supervision interventions are rating poorly on their effectiveness (MacKenzie, 2006). Guts feelings help inform decisions about many things in life and experience helps sharpen gut feelings. The experience of community correctional officials enables them to infer about the effectiveness of certain aspects of correctional programs. Even so, there are elements about correctional programs that gut feelings cannot capture accurately and that need the input of research. Research provides scientific ways of testing the effectiveness and flaws of a correctional program (Craig et. al., 2013). An added advantage with research is that the findings can be replicated to test for their reliability, something that is difficult with gut feelings. Research uses empirical ways of generating knowledge whereas gut feelings use intuition. Overall, both research and gut feelings are important and community correctional officials should combine them in assessing the effectiveness of a program (White et. al., 2008). The inputs of the two should complement each

The Speeches Of Acts Essay Example for Free

The Speeches Of Acts Essay The two-volume set of Luke-Acts was an ancient scholars attempt at defending Christianity as not only a religion, but also as a way of life. While the first volume focused on the life of Jesus, the second volume, focused on the origins of the Christian Church. The speeches found within the book of Acts are ordered in such a way to plainly demonstrate how Christianity progressed from one mans idea into the dominant religion of the time period in which Acts was written. Each speech given is representative of a theme found in the book of Acts. When studying the speeches from Acts, it is important to keep the broader context in mind. The book of Acts itself is about the spread of Christianity and its church throughout the Roman world. It was the story of a spiritual conquest that eventually spread throughout the entire known world. And as with any epic story, it was made up of many smaller stories. Most of these stories found in the book of Acts revolved around a singular speech or occasionally, a group of speeches. In the second volume of Luke-Acts, these speeches make up about one quarter of the entire text. By inserting these unbroken speeches into the book of Acts, the author was able to convey a sense of immediacy that did not normally exist to the reader. When these speeches are observed in their larger context however, they begin to take on an entirely new meaning and intent. This large group of speeches can easily be sorted into groups and themes by looking at who was orating, what their intent was, who the audience was, and what the audiences reactions were. Because Acts was about the spread of Christian Church, the speakers were predominately Jewish-Christians. Paul and Peter orated the majority of the speeches although they are only part of the many Christian advocates who were spreading the Christian message during this time period. Throughout the time frame that book of Acts hopes to frame, many things were happening that were not recorded. It is important to realize that every recorded event portrayed in Acts, surely created Christianesque ripples that flowed continuously outward from the apostles and other devout followers. Many times, Christian speeches and activities often spurred other speeches that were orated by non-Christians. These non-Christian speeches were mainly negative to the Christian cause and were often preemptive to floggings and violence. Even though these outlying speeches are legitimate, the authors function of these speeches remains fundamentally different than that of the pro-Christian speeches found in Acts. Therefore they should be viewed as mere reactions and complements to the Christian speeches rather than speeches themselves. Many of these negative reactions were spurred when Christian speakers attempted to convert devout Jews into Christians, especially early on in Acts. For example, when Paul spoke to a Sadducees council early on in the book of Acts, the reaction the apostles received was not only a speech negating their preaching, but also a beating at the hands of the council. (Acts 5.29-5.40). The apostles were not deterred by these set backs posed by the council however, and they became more persistent in their witnessing to Jews and non-Jews alike. One method used to persuade Jews to cross over into Christianity was the implementation of history in their arguments and speeches. In Acts 13.16-13.41 Paul explained Jesus Jewish origins and how the same Jews that shared his ancestry had eventually rejected him. This message was extremely effective to small groups of Jews, but when a large group amassed during the next Sabbath day, Paul and the apostles were inevitably rejected once again by the Jews. The apostles were not content with speaking only to Jews because in their opinion, God was universal in his love of humans. They hoped to eventually unify Gentiles and Jews under one religion in which all were equal. In hopes of spreading this message to potential Gentile converts Paul and Barnabas traveled to the town of Lystria and spoke to the inhabitants. (Acts14.8-14.20). By healing a crippled man in public, Paul and Barnabas gained the attention of many Gentiles, who immediately regarded them as the Hellenistic Gods Zeus and Hermes. After convincing the masses about the way of Christianity, they traveled outwards from Jerusalem still into yet another Gentile town called Derbe. This continual path away from Jerusalem into the outer world paralleled what the apostles were attempting to do with Gentiles. By allowing the Gentiles to maintain their customs and culture, the way of worshipping the one Christian god became more appealing to the majority of them than pertaining to the typical Roman Gods. The only thing that Christian law required of Gentiles and Jews was belief in the idea that repentance of sin resulted in the forgiveness of God. As the apostles continued to journey outwards away from Jerusalem, the notion of the Christian church spread with them. In some cases the word of Christianity spread faster than the apostles. When Paul traveled to Ephesus in Acts 19.1 for example, he was met with disciples of Christianity who had been baptized in the name of John, but not yet of Jesus. After Paul had spent considerable time in Ephesus, he began his journey back towards Jerusalem. Once Paul was back in Jerusalem, the style of speeches drastically changed from evangelistic to defensive. Now that Paul was back in the midst of the hub of Jewish activity, he was constantly questioned, attacked, provoked, and arrested. When Paul went on trial before King Agrippa in Acts 26.1-26.32 his speech had a different message than most of his previous ones. Paul attempted to pacify his accusers by reverting to his Jewish roots and demonstrating that he had disobeyed no laws while within the temple. Paul summed up his experiences with the Jews and Gentiles and eventually was allowed freedom once again. The purpose for Pauls arrest in the context of Acts, was to not only sum up the previous themes found in the volume, but to also demonstrate the justification of unity between Jews and Gentiles under the same God. After this was accomplished, Paul was allowed his freedom so that he could continue his travels and repeat all of the subsequent themes that came with his earlier travels. Once Paul was in Rome, he continued his preaching to the Gentiles. While in Rome, he was subject to much of the same treatment he had found elsewhere in the world. On one hand, much praise and jubilation followed him, but on the other, he was also eventually persecuted and sent to jail. He was eventually forced to basically repeat his earlier apologies and arguments to justify his freedom. As before, he was allowed release so he could continue preaching and teaching in Rome. (Acts 28.17 28.28) To summarize the book of Acts, once Paul had conquered Jerusalem in a spiritual sense, he set out to conquer Rome as well. These cities represent both the Jewish capital of the world and the Gentile capital of the world. Upon implementation of Christianity of any giving town, the apostles set out to other towns and cities in order to give their powerful speeches, which signified so much more than the words they contained. Works Cited Ehrman, Bart D., The New Testament: A Historical Introduction To The Early Christian Writers. New York: Oxford, 2000. Harvey, A. E., The New English Bible: Companion To The New Testament. Cambridge: Oxford, 1970. Meeks, Wayne A., et al. ed. The Harper Collins Study Bible. Vol. 44. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. Stendahl, Krister. Paul Among Jews And Gentiles And Other Essays. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1973.

Antigone

Antigone In the play Antigone, written by Sophocels, there are many complications. The most important event is the killing of Antigone’s two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices. It was the main inspiration for the whole play. It all starts after King Oedipus was exiled from the city of Thebes after he learns that he has committed incest and patricide, his younger son Eteocles declares to be the king, exiling his older brother Polyneices. Polyneices then attacks Thebes with a huge army, but none of the two brothers wins the war because they both kill each other in combat. Creon then declares to be the king of Thebes, and he decides that Eteocles should be buried and honored as a hero while Polyneices body shouldn’t be honored, but it should be thrown in the streets of Thebes left for dogs and birds to be eaten in humiliation. Creon decides that the punishment for trying to bury the body of Polyneices will be death. Antigone, Eteocles and Polynices’ sister, insists that her br others body must be buried so that his spirit can rest in peace, in spite of the cautious advice of her younger sister, Ismene. She goes to the battleground, pouring sand over Polyneices body and performing burial rites. After that the guards discovers that someone was trying to bury the body, they uncover the dust from the body, and they starts to look for who does that. Antigone comes back insisting on burying her brother’s body .She finally allows herself to be captured after coming out of hiding when some guards try to uncover the body again, and a rebellious Antigone is brought to Creon. He decides to execute only Antigone since Ismenes is innocent and Antigone is sent outside of Thebes to starve to death in a cave. Even though Antigone was nothing but a girl left alone, she faces many obstacles by herself to do what she believes it is right without any concerns about the consequences. The first obstacle that faces Antigone was her sister, Ismene. They were the only two family members left after their father’s death and their two brothers’ shameful war against each other and killing each other in the battlefield. Instead of supporting her sister, and trying to keep what’s left of the family together, Ismene abandons Antigone and tries to convince her to obey the king’s orders. The author quotes Ismene saying â€Å"The worst of all if we violate the laws and override the fixed decree of the throne, its power- we must be sensible. Remember we are women, we’re not born to contend with men† (Sophocles 1144). It is clear that Ismene is so frightened of Antigone’s decision to bury her brother Polyneices. It is also clear how Creon, the king, put his fear in his people’s minds so he will has full control over his kingdom. Antigone doesn’t worry about Creon’s punishment and decides to continue. The autho r quotes her answering her sister â€Å" So, do as you like, whatever suits you best- I’ll bury him myself. And even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory.† (Sophocles 1144). This quote shows how determined Antigone is to bury her brother without having any concerns about the result. It also shows how she considers the death a glory to her for doing what’s she believes is right. She considers honoring her brother by giving hem the proper burial is her obligation. Antigone overcomes this obstacle by excusing her sister from joining her to bury their brother. The second obstacle that faces Antigone is the king himself. He wanted to force his authority and power over the kingdom after the disturbance that happened in Thebes. He wants his orders and commands to be followed by everyone. Creon creates a monster of himself to scare his people; he likes power, authority, and to be obeyed. That’s why everybody was scared and afraid to disobey Creon except Antigone. She did what’s right; she wasn’t even afraid when the guards arrested her, she bravely surrendered to them (1152). Creon felt that he lost his power and authority once Antigone disobey his orders. Creon says, â€Å"This girl was an old hand at insolence when she overrode the edicts we made public. But once she’d don it- the insolence, twice over- to glory in it, laughing, mocking us to our face with what she’d done† (Sophocles 1154). He considers Antigone’s act an insult to the king without considering that she wants to give her brother the proper burial to honor him as prince. That explains why he was so harsh in his verdict to execute her by starvation. Antigone knows that she is doing what’s right and she surrenders to her destiny to be killed. On the other hand she seems to refuse to be killed by Creon, that’s why she killed herself as if she considers killing herself more honor than Creon kills her. The final obstacle that faces Antigone is her lover, Haemon, who was Creon’s son and who was very sad that he’s going to lose his pride. Antigone thinks about her lover. She doesn’t want to die and leave him because she loves him so much. She is between two difficult decisions. One of them is if she decides to step on what she believes in and forget about her honored brother to stay with her lover, the other decision is to leave her lover and to die for what she believes in. Antigone doesn’t think about her happiness; she rather dies because of what she believes in than stays with Haemon. She overcomes this obstacle by deciding to kill herself. Haemon, on the other hand, was used by Gods to punish Creon for his acts. He was not convinced with his father’s actions. Haemon states, â€Å"I see my father offending justice-wrong† (Sophocles 1161). He continues his conversation asking â€Å"Protect your rights? When you trample down the honors of the gods?† (Sophocles 1611). Haemon realizes the fact that his father doesn’t realize, is that he dishonors the gods. Haemon wants to explain to Creon that no matter what happened don’t disobey or disrespect the gods. Another thing Haemon realizes that Creon doesn’t realize that there is more powerful force than Creon’s force which is the gods force. Creon thinks that he has the ultimate power and authority that’s why he can’t see Haemon point of view. Haemon goes to Antigone’s grave and he couldn’t see her kills herself in the front of him, so he kills himself. In the play, Antigone faces a lot of obstacles, and she overcomes them all. She doesn’t give up, and once she feels that the king’s authority will bring her down, she decides to take her own life rather than the injustice system does. She is determining to do what she feels is right, no matter what the laws of the kingdom says. She is motivating by her obligations towards her family, and by her personal beliefs. She first faces her sister who is against her from the beginning, because she is afraid of Creon’s decrees. Antigone excuses her sister from burying her brother with her. Second obstacle Antigone faces is the rigorous king, Creon, who gives his strict orders that whoever bury Polynices will die. Antigone doesn’t care about Creon’s decrees; she knows the consequences will be the death penalty, but she stands bravely in front of Creon. The final obstacle Antigone faces is her lover who is so in love with her and he can’t see her dieing. Antigone also can’t see her lover cries and she can’t leave him as well. This is the most difficult obstacle that faces Antigone. Finally she kills herself when she finds that it’s more honor to kill herself than Creon kills her. Antigone knows that she will die for what she did. She put what she believes in before her and sacrifices her own life to do what’s right.

bible women :: essays research papers

Rebekah   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The values in Genesis are disobeyed by yet another woman who does not conform to the female model of a fertile mother. While fertility is an overriding value in god’s human construct that women in Genesis threaten to undermine women also obstruct the â€Å"natural† course of history which god has set in motion as part of his ideal world. After god reconstructs the world through Noah and then Abraham, the divine element withdraws from the world slightly, and a natural historical course begins to play out through the momentum that god has initiated. The incident in Genesis in which a woman interferes with this momentum involves Rebekah, who intervenes on behalf of her second born son, Jacob. As a result of Rebekah’s manipulative orders, Jacob, the younger son, inherits the divine blessing from Isaac, though it is clear from the text that Jacob’s brother, Esau, had been Isaac’s favored child. Rebekah’s actions are rebellious because they result in the violation of the law of primogeniture that seems to have been the standard practice of inheritance in the book of Genesis. And by reassigning the inheritance, Rebekah threatens to destroy the course of events god has anticipated en route to the creation of his select nation. While the text shows that Rebekah had received a prophecy that â€Å"the older would serve the younger† (25:23), whenever women in Genesis take assertive actions that ramifications, conflict always ensues. Just because Rebekah received a prophecy, there is no indication that sh e was in any position to actively seek its fulfillment. Jacob, as a result of his mother’s initiative, is forced to flee his home for fear that Esau will kill him. The hate between the brothers endures, and just as Sara’s infertility caused family conflict, Rebekah’s actions likewise cause disruption in the house of Isaac and its descendents. Unlike the instances where the men in genesis take the fate of their family’s lives into their own hands under open direction from god, the rare occasions when women, such as Rebekah, take aggressive action, the result is battles and feuds. As in the case of infertility, a women’s inheritance with the divine scheme can be seen as a multiple threat to the thematic framework of Genesis. Rebekah takes assertive, independent action with regard to her family’s development, and this action clearly crosses over the rigid boundaries of the prescribed female role.

Beloved Interpretation

Music, rhyme and rhythm combine together as a means to fortify the impact of words and poetry. In Beloved the poet is able to genuinely express their longing for a lover through the passing of time, and specifically that of seasons.He uses grey, white and dull imagery to portray the lack-lustre of his life in winter due to the deficiency of figurative color as a result of missing his â€Å"Beloved. † It almost seems as if the speaker’s every moment is spent waiting and hoping. Evidently, the love is reciprocated and is extremely deep.The speaker’s use of seasons is a metaphor for time spent with his lover and away from his lover. Everyday life seems monotonous and dull like winter. He has become numb, lost all physical and emotional sensation. On the other hand, being together with his lover is a â€Å"warm wind† and â€Å"no heights could keep [them] from their reach. † The poet’s image of wings, clouds and the sky is another metaphor for en dless possibilities, uncertainties and the hope to achieve unfulfilled aspirations and dreams.Being together allows both of the lovers to live up to their full potential, inspire each other as well as connect on a strong emotional and spiritual level. Time is a recurring and significant element throughout the poem. Time appears to have slowed down significantly because every second, every minute is spent in longing.The fact that â€Å"eternity awaits† indicates that even though being together and in love may be extremely difficult, it is well worth the wait. I chose this poem because it is packed with raw emotion and talks about powerful love that is able to overcome difficult boundaries and circumstances.These lyrics are relatable and invoke a sense of hope within the reader. People tend to look towards books, words, songs and even movies for emotional strength and encouragement.The speaker tells a very personal story and reaches out to not only his lover but also to the rea ders and listeners. The elusive component of time is alluring and appealing; it manages to draw you in. In a way you hope the lovers and reunited. Overall, the poem is whimsical and sincere, making it unique and pleasant to read, and probably even better when set to a tune.

The Reign of Charles V

Charles V reigned over a vast empire in a tumultuous age. The New World was a relatively recent discovery, and several other factors point to the idea that Charles V's reign coincided with a global transition into the modern age. Although Charles V's focus was primarily domestic (in the sense of Europe and the surrounding territory), the meeting of traditional values and modern ideology was one of many issues Charles faced, independence was another. Consolidating and re-consolidating his power was a problem that sapped much of Charles V's, and by extension his empire's, time and resources. From the papacy to the fiercely independent German coalition of prince-states, Charles often to had to take extra measures to enforce his policy in an empire that varied greatly from one polity to the next. Religion was another obstacle faced by Charles. The Protestant Reformation (steeped in the last vestiges of a somewhat anti-clerical Renaissance movement) appealed to many not only as more pious faith, but as a tool to be used for political maneuvering and opposition against an emperor whose motto was â€Å"Further beyond† (in regards to spreading the Christian faith). These concerns coupled with the always-present threat of foreign invasion made ruling over his empire an incredibly demanding and difficult task. Add to that the largely impractical and complex political process of the time, the question of finance, and a peasantry discontent synonymous with the values of the modern age, and you have a long and arduous list of problems faced by Charles. Although Charles the V was focused primarily on reform and maintenance rather than expansion, his conquering of the Aztecs and Incas can be considered brutal success and added greatly to the territory of New Spain. Cultural, economic, and political disparity throughout the empire, the search for financial backing (as well as questionable fiscal habits), foreign threat, and the problem of enforcing his often conventional policy in an era of change make the reign of Charles the V one worth studying. The empire preceded over by Charles encompassed many different cultures and made the vision of one wholly unified political entity hugely unfeasible, â€Å"By tradition he ruled only with the consent of the Imperial Diet, whose sheer size and diversity of interests made agreement almost impossible† (Maltby 22). As heir to not only the Habsburg dynasty, but a host of other territories (some of which his authority was unrecognized), Charles had to undertake the task of administrating over unique polities that themselves had issues administrating. Peasant unhappiness had long been an issue in medieval Europe, and combined with the scarcity of labor (due to the Black Death) peasants took on a new feeling of self-worth and importance. This often culminated in open revolt and passive resistance when the peasant class's demands were discarded as usual. This caused issues in management for the individual polities and on a larger scale for Charles. Charles had to deal with a huge difference in political process between any given polity, from the loose organization of the German States to the Cortes. Charles dealt with this largely on a by-issue basis, choosing to solve one problem at a time. This was in line with Charles's cautious nature, for a decision made to solve one problem could not be considered without regard to how it would affect the others, such is the nature of the interconnected problems facing him. Even unifying factors such as the church had trouble bringing together polities that were more often concerned with individual well being and privilege then with the welfare of the empire. Charles had too many issues too deal with at once, so he employed viceroys (regional governors) as extensions of imperial will. Many of Charles' problems stem from the lack of a unifying force in the empire, as unrealistic as it would be to imagine one at that time. A constant and expensive threat faced by Charles was that of foreign invasion. Charles was faced with defense of a â€Å"Vast patchwork of principalities that were neither geographically contiguous nor similar†¦ in culture or tradition† (Maltby 8). The frequent clashes with France and it's monarch Francis the I mark the most prominent campaign in â€Å"terms of blood and money† (Maltby 32). Charles developed a personal rivalry with Francis as evidenced by his repeated offers to settle huge disputes with a duel. Sometimes called the Habsburg-Valois rivalry, France was located dead in the center of Charles's empire. And with France's resources and military ambition rivaling that of Charles, conflicts between the two were frequent and costly. France's interest in the Italian peninsula fueled it's military conquests and was a continuation of French interest in the area dating back to Charles VIII's invasion in 1494. The French were defeated in 1525 (culminating in Francis's capture and the treaty of Madrid), inconclusively in 1529 (leading to the Treaty of Cambrai), and again inconclusively in 1538 with a truce (although the conflict would later start up with a renewed Frankish-Ottoman alliance). Charles owed much of his military success to his elite corps the tercios, a cohesive combination of â€Å"pikes with shot.. that would dominate European battlefields until the Thirty Years War† (Maltby 40). Some of the war successes and failures during conflict were directly related to advance in technology such as the bastion. Another threat, and one that endangered his very values, was that of the Islamic Ottoman empire. Starting out as one of many Christian raiding advocates of Islam, the Ottoman empire made territorial acquisitions at an alarming rate, especially alarming to the heavily Christian population at the time. The Ottoman empire found an able leader in Suleyman â€Å"The Magnificent† whose campaigns ended twice at Vienna due to logistical reasons. Failure to conquer the entirety of Charles's empire did not stop the sultan from dominating the Mediterranean and also unleashing the pirates upon Charles, some of who caused serious issues for him (Barbarossa) via harassment and guerrilla techniques. Charles's conflict with religion can be seen in his dealings with the Protestant Reformation (and a general anti-clerical position) as well as his subjugation of the papacy. Holding the title of Holy Roman Emperor had personal meaning to Charles, and his actions were often motivated by his desire to advance and protect the Christian faith. He met with opposition by not only the Protestant Reformation, but by a rebellious papacy concerned first with its own survival and second with the Christian faith. Although the papacy under Clement VII was largely pacified by instilling the Medici in Florence, the Reformation was not so easily quieted. The values behind the reformation attracted opportunists, condemners of the church, and peasant revolts alike, but the movement found a special foothold in the Germanic provinces. Besides using the new religion as a means of resisting imperial control, the princes had a more practical motivation, that by breaking with the church they could â€Å"Increase their revenues, strengthen their reserves of patronage, and gain control of†¦ institutions†¦. without alienating their subjects. † (Maltby 49). Actual proponents of the movement believed that it â€Å"offered a truer interpretation of the Gospels than that provided by the traditions of the Old Church† (Maltby 49). Whatever their justification, Charles V adopted a number of different stances concerning the Protestant Reformation. Domestically, the Inquisition was still active, and destroyed Spanish Protestantism (what little there was), and they also persecuted effectively any other movement that strayed from the accepted doctrine of the time. Concerning his less secure territorial acquisitions, Charles's stance ranged from tolerance to viewing Luther's doctrine as â€Å"False† and â€Å"Evil†, but the conflict manifested itself in the struggle between the Protestant formed Schmalkaldic League and Charles. Formed to be a united Protestant front against the still majority Christian Orthodoxy, The League was allowed to exist only as long as Charles was busy with the Ottomans. Once that threat had been neutralized (via treaty), Charles turned his attention elsewhere, namely to what he viewed as religious rebellion, the Schmalkaldic League. Charles, backed by papal troops, eradicated the league (who was plagued by authoritative indecisiveness) in a fashion reminiscent of the crusades. However the ever-present problem of enforcing his policy appeared in Charles's victory over the league. Many of the prince-states that re-converted remained largely protestant in population, placed no constrictions on the spread or practice of the faith, and some outright reverted back to Protestantism. Charles's legacy is often tainted by his fiscal actions. The empire needed mass amounts of money not only to function, but to finance Charles's martial actions. Charles's often depended on the system of redress after compensation, expected donations, and random windfalls. But by far his most relied upon source for money, were the banks. Charles borrowed heavily from many banks to support his endeavors. Often Charles could not repay the loan by the deadline, which led to a slew of re-negotiations, raised interest rates, and fees instituted by the banks to ensure profit. The relationship between them was initially symbiotic. Charles needed money and the banks were happy to profit off of the high interest rates and continued to supply him even when his credit dropped in the later years of his reign. Later in Charles's reign however, the banks realized he was no longer a safe nor profitable investment, which often forced him to resort to coercion to get the necessary funds. The diverse nature of the problems meant that no one solution would encompass the broad spectrum of issues facing Charles and his empire. Ranging from financial troubles, to foreign threat, to having core values that conflict with the changing times of that age, Charles allowed caution and his deep Christian values to guide him through those troubled times until his abdication and retirement to a monastery. Charles' reign certainly had its share of successes and failures, and Charles has been described as â€Å"not quite a good man, and not quite a great man† (Maltby 129), but he is certainly one worth re-examining, even four centuries later.

Discuss the parent and child relationship in essays

Discuss the parent and child relationship in essays Discuss the parent and child relationship in "Snow Falling on Cedars". One of the most important themes in the book "Snow Falling on Cedars" is the parent-child relationship. Parents' believing and past experiences will influence their children, they wish their beliefs can help their child to be a better person who holds his own dignity and values. Each individual's behaviour and their way of thinking or jugdement is therefore, affected directly or sometimes indirectly by their parents' beliefs in this book. In 1954, after passing through the time of World War II, most people were still holding strongly to their traditional thoughts. While her daughters were growing up, Fujiko, Hatsue's mother, was wary of hakujin, the word she used to refer to white Americans. In addition to her past sufferings and experiences in life, she urged her young daughters to follow their Japanese cultural traditions and roles, and did not want to see them act like white Americans. She told her daughters about the Seattle rooms she had cleaned , the sheets on which hakujin had vomit blood, the toilet full of their excrement, etc. Fujiko stressed that her life had long been difficult under the world of hakijin. Fujiko even sent her daughter to Mrs Shigemura, who told Hatsue to avoid white men, claiming that they treated Japanese girls without respect. However, Hatsue, still in her young age of eighteen, with the growth of her own independent thinking and the influence of Western culture from her hakujin school mates, she disagreed the beliefs of her mother, arguing that people should be judged as individuals rather than stereotyped as members of groups. As Hatsue was once crowned as the Strawberry princess, and she was living harmony with her school mates, she thought that her mother was exaggerating, and she did not see any differences between the white and Japanese, she saw herself more America than Japanese. Fujiko did not wish Hatsue to be tainted by t...

Free Essays on Columbus

which they grasped by the blades, and cut themselves through ignorance†¦. But they seemed on the whole to me, to be a very poor people. They all go completely naked, even the women,†¦ I was very attentive to them, and strove to learn if they had any gold. Seeing some of them with little bits of this metal hanging at their noses† As you can see it was very easy for Columbus to take them over and treat them badly because they had no protection. That is a good example to show how cruel Columbus could act toward people he knew couldn’t fight back. This is one proof of Christopher Columbus being a conqueror. In the movie we watched in class, it told us how Columbus was just out to get gold, and riches. He ordered the natives to proclaim him governor of the lands. Since he was governor he made a law that said the natives had to bring him one bag of gold dust every three months. If they did not give him this gold(simply because their wasn’t that much gold... Free Essays on Columbus Free Essays on Columbus Christopher Columbus is the most well known explorer by most school age children. When children are young, teachers tell them that Columbus was a very good person, a hero even. To be politically correct though, Christopher Columbus brought death and destruction with him to the Americas. He stole , killed, and tortured the natives. Christopher Columbus was not a true explorer, but he was a conqueror of people. When Christopher Columbus set out on his voyage(August 3rd, 1492) to find a new route to the Indies there was no way that he could know that it would turn out the way it did. When he landed at the Caribbean Islands(October 12th, 1492), the people there were scared, but still friendly toward him. This next quote is from Columbus’ journal: â€Å"As I saw that they were very friendly to us, and perceived that they could be much more easily converted to our holy faith by gentle means than by force,†¦ Weapons they have none, nor are acquainted with them, for I showed them swords which they grasped by the blades, and cut themselves through ignorance†¦. But they seemed on the whole to me, to be a very poor people. They all go completely naked, even the women,†¦ I was very attentive to them, and strove to learn if they had any gold. Seeing some of them with little bits of this metal hanging at their noses† As you can see it was very easy for Columbus to take them over and treat them badly bec! ause they had no protection. That is a good example to show how cruel Columbus could act toward people he knew couldn’t fight back. This is one proof of Christopher Columbus being a conqueror. In the movie we watched in class, it told us how Columbus was just out to get gold, and riches. He ordered the natives to proclaim him governor of the lands. Since he was governor he made a law that said the natives had to bring him one bag of gold dust every three months. If they did not give him this gold(simply because their wasn’t that much g... Free Essays on Columbus Christopher Columbus is the most well known explorer by most school age children. When children are young, teachers tell them that Columbus was a very good person, a hero even. To be politically correct though, Christopher Columbus brought death and destruction with him to the Americas. He stole , killed, and tortured the natives. Christopher Columbus was not a true explorer, but he was a conqueror of people. When Christopher Columbus set out on his voyage(August 3rd, 1492) to find a new route to the Indies there was no way that he could know that it would turn out the way it did. When he landed at the Caribbean Islands(October 12th, 1492), the people there were scared, but still friendly toward him. This next quote is from Columbus’ journal: â€Å"As I saw that they were very friendly to us, and perceived that they could be much more easily converted to our holy faith by gentle means than by force,†¦ Weapons they have none, nor are acquainted with them, for I showed them swords which they grasped by the blades, and cut themselves through ignorance†¦. But they seemed on the whole to me, to be a very poor people. They all go completely naked, even the women,†¦ I was very attentive to them, and strove to learn if they had any gold. Seeing some of them with little bits of this metal hanging at their noses† As you can see it was very easy for Columbus to take them over and treat them badly because they had no protection. That is a good example to show how cruel Columbus could act toward people he knew couldn’t fight back. This is one proof of Christopher Columbus being a conqueror. In the movie we watched in class, it told us how Columbus was just out to get gold, and riches. He ordered the natives to proclaim him governor of the lands. Since he was governor he made a law that said the natives had to bring him one bag of gold dust every three months. If they did not give him this gold(simply because their wasn’t that much gold... Free Essays on Columbus Columbus and the Indians Christopher Columbus is easily one of the most famous and most well known men in the world. Although people learn about Columbus in school, they don’t learn enough about him to realize that he wasn’t such a hero. He wasn’t that great, brave, kind man that people picture when they hear his name; he was a slave driver and a murderer. In this paper, I am going to talk about why Columbus killed so many innocent people, and why he acted the way he did towards the people who could have helped him. All Columbus was looking for was power. Wherever he went, and who ever he saw, he would picture them as slaves, and try to imagine how they could make his life better. In Columbus’s journey to the Bahamas he wrote: â€Å"They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. The have no iron. Their spears are made of cane†¦.They would make fine servants†¦.With fifty men, we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.† Columbus wrote this when he first met the Arawak Indians. Later, he wrote: â€Å"As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first island which I found, I took some of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me some information of whatever there is in these parts.† Columbus’s journals have told us many things about him. They have told us that he believes in slavery, and that he is a very hostile man. However, his journals make you wonder one thing; what was Columbus looking for? Columbus was looking for gold. He was sent on a mission by the king and queen of Spain. His mission was to find gold. Columbus didn’t know how to do this, so he used his great power, against little, harmless tribes, in an attempt to get information. When the tribes wouldn’t help him either because they didn’t speak the right language, or because they didn’t know, Columbus would kill...

Analysis of a Media Source’s Coverage on a Research

The Wall Street Journal published an article regarding a recent psychopharmacology study on depression done by Dr. Hunter that investigated whether pre-medication brain activity corresponded with treatment outcome. In addition, the article discusses the interesting results garnered from the placebo group v. medicated group analysis. While the news piece does a fair job in representing the study’s findings, the author does delve into extrapolations not statistically supported in the actual study. Fifty-one adults who were diagnosed with major depression were used in the study, and this was accurately reported by the news article (Wang, 2006). Hunter et al. investigated whether there were significant differences in â€Å"demographic characteristics, illness history, baseline illness severity, [and] final response[s],† and finding none, pooled the subjects for analysis (2006, p. 1427). This does give the Journal, who must condense the findings for the public, good reason to fail in reporting this. The study is experimental in nature, also using double-blind and randomized assignment to help rid the results of confounding variable input. All of the subjects were given a placebo anti-depressant for a one-week lead-in; after this, half of the individuals were continued on the placebo while the others were given one of two anti-depressants. Electroencephalograph (EEG) readings were taken at the time of enrollment, after the lead-in period, and several times later (over an eight week period). The Wall Street Journal condenses this explanation down, and while the article abandons the jargon of an experimenter, it does give the impression of an experimental method being followed. When the news article explains how the researchers defined their variables they leave out valuable information. The author states that patients with certain brain-patterns â€Å"ended up responding better to antidepressant treatment[s],† but fails to mention how this was evaluated (Wang, 2006, p. 1). A Hamilton depression scale was given to judge improvement, giving reliability to the study’s findings. However, the news piece does accurately report that EEG was also used, in an attempt to find a decrease in prefrontal lobe activity. This study uses a control group, those maintained on the placebo, and compares their EEGs to those of the medicated group, but the main focus of the research was the search for experimental evidence supporting that the commonly used one-week lead-in can predict treatment outcome via brain imaging. The Wall Street Journal article focuses on only a facet of the study, and one that the researcher’s claim to have nonsignificant support for. Wang states that, â€Å"patients who developed this brain-pattern change ended up responding better †¦ than patients who didn’t,† which is misleading to an audience that has not read the actual research (2006, p. 1). While Hunter et al. do find that their EEG scans were a good indicator of treatment success, they also caution that: Although the placebo and medication group analyses yielded different brain regional predictors of outcomes, because of the absence of statistical group interaction we cannot conclude that changes in †¦ [the differing brain regions] †¦ differentially predicted outcomes (2006, p. 430). The news article wrongly insinuates that the study provided evidence for a brain-pattern that is linked to a good treatment outcome in depression. It is certainly true that this study offered outcomes that encourage research in this direction, and that the author also seems to believe that the EEG-pattern found is â€Å"a good indicator† for success, but after reading the actual experiment, Wang seems to have inflated the actual findings. Having critiqued the insinuations of the news piece, the extrapolations made by the author do have some merit. The researchers discovered that both the medicated and the placebo groups had a similar variance â€Å"predicted by the neurophysiological changes occurring during the placebo lead-in phase† (Hunter et al. , 2006, p. 1429). They offered some possible causal factors such as â€Å"pharmacotherapeutic alliance and pretreatment expectations,† these results seem to demonstrate a placebo-treatment effect, which offers even more reason to further investigate how a patient’s treatment induction affects his/her progress (Hunter et al. , 2006, p. 1429). Though not mentioned or referenced in the Wall Street Journal item, the ethical issues surrounding this experiment are noted by Hunter et al. Providing individuals suffering from major depression placebos for eight weeks is risky, using a double-blind procedure makes it even more dangerous. While the IRB board of UCLA did require a 15-25 minute counseling session during each patient’s visit, this is a massive step down from the psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic support offered at the recruitment area (a psychiatric outpatient hospital) (Hunter et al. 2006). Conversely though, this ethical â€Å"patch† does raise an interesting question for further research, lightly touched on by the study’s authors; if this psychotherapy (however minute) was responsible for a pre-treatment neurophysiological shift, and the shifts that were indicatory of better treatment outcomes could be identified, research could be done to more effectively meld psychotherapy and medic al psychiatry. It is understandable why media reports often leave out details of a research study, often the conclusions and discussion by the author/s of the study are of more interest to the public. However, when a media piece merely latches onto a nonsignificant observation or a suggestion for future research found in the study, the true findings of the experiment are overshadowed by the speculation of the piece’s author. When a media source offers information about a study, it is vital to maintain a skeptical and critical mindset towards the findings until they are corroborated by the primary source. It is important to look for information that supports the generalizability of the study’s findings. In the piece presented above, it is worth noting that the study was done on depressed individuals, other psychopathologies may not have any correlation to the results or conclusions provided. The media also commonly jumps from correlation to causation, whether directly or implicitly. While scientific information is the goal of research, sensitization by the media will usually occur to some degree.

Macroeconomic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Macroeconomic - Essay Example ces and damaged confidence of the investors, while the Federal Reserve has tried to help US recover its GDP and consumption rate by offering money at interest rates which are as low as zero percent (CBO, 2013 & FRB, 2013). Another huge problem that the US is currently trying to counter is the budget deficit and the trade deficit which continues to threaten US as a nightmare. There are various steps that can assist US in solving their problems, one of the steps US can take is that it can implement an expansionary monetary policy. Expansionary monetary policy is one in which the government injects fund into the economy (Arnold, 2011, p.393). When funds will be injected into the economy of US, investors will start getting loans on easy terms and they will be able to invest more. Due to their increase in investments, employment opportunities will be created and due to increase in employment, consumption will increase. Increase in consumption will further elevate the confidence of the investors and they will invest more. Newsroom - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (n.d.). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved February 17, 2013, from

Planning of Instruction in a Systematic Way Assignment

Planning of Instruction in a Systematic Way - Assignment Example To guide them through the college application process and how the needy students can apply for aid. The supervisors must oversee this guidance and counselling process. After reviewing the learning objectives stated above, I have come to the conclusion that they are sound. This is because I am aiming to achieve specific objectives such as the learner acquiring skills and knowledge in writing college application letters and essays. The first objective, however, sounds a little subjective. After thinking about it critically, I have decided to change it from â€Å"Demonstrate knowledge of high school courses that prepare them for college† to â€Å"List at least five high school courses that prepare them for college.† I have arrived at this conclusion realizing that a learning objective should be measurable. When the students are asked to actually list those specific courses then the supervisors will be able to determine whether or not the learning objectives have been met. A colleague commented that my objectives are too few. Even though I am looking to have a full day’s training, I intend to have breaks in between (it is important that learners get time to have lunch and to interact with one another). In my experience as a teacher, I have learnt that students learn better when they get time to interact and discuss issues taught in class. I will also make a PowerPoint presentation in class. I will also show the students a video in class to further clarify the points presented in class. This is because students learn better when they get a chance to view real-life situations on video. It is important for me to establish whether or not the content taught in the classroom is effective. I would want those admitting these students to college to actually report that the students are able to enrol better after the guidance and counselling sessions. I am of the opinion that the best way to determine whether or not the sessions are successful is by conducting random interviews on campus to establish the level of success of these sessions.  Ã‚  

Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Literature - Essay Example Yu Hua has drawn inspiration for his novel from an American folk song about an elderly slave â€Å"who experienced a life’s worth of hardships, including the passing of his entire family—yet he still looked upon the world with eyes of kindness, offering not the slightest complaint†. (Hua, P.249) At the end of the novel, Xu Fugui is left alone, with his only companion being an ox that he names after himself. He uses the mutual identity between man and beast as a metaphor for the human condition. The novel begins and ends the story through the mechanism of a double narration: one a young student collecting songs and folk stories from the peasants in the countryside and the other, old Fugui and his ox telling their story to the student. Zhang Yimou, a noted Chinese film director, has gained notoriety among his own people due to his recurring acts of exposing a dark side of his country to the outside world. But he persists with his mission in the same manner through the film adaptation of To Live. He attempts to convey several profound messages through this movie, in an attempt to prod the viewers’ conscience to awareness of injustice in the Chinese society. Though in this context, the novel as well as its film adaptation serves the same purpose there are several charact eristics that distinguishes one from the other. The film and the novel are significantly different even though Yu Hua participated in writing the screenplay. Each medium offers different possibilities and at the same time suffers from different limitations too and these are reflected in the differences between the novel and the film. The novel has Fugui telling his story in installments, chronologically, with returns to the narrative present. This aspect is attributed to the novel’s being first published in serial form in a literary journal. The film has no second narrator to whom Fugui will

INTERPRETING CRIME AND CRIMINALS 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

INTERPRETING CRIME AND CRIMINALS 2 - Essay Example My research was able to establish that there is not much difference in the experiences of male and female victims of cyber-stalking. One distinct difference between the male and female victim is that males are more likely not to report incidents of stalking to the police or law enforcers. The findings in this research imply that stereotypes in cyber-crimes have been firmly entrenched in our minds; little information is known about male victims of cyber-stalking-about how they became victims, how they dealt with it, and how they learned to live with it. Cyber-stalking is an old crime given new teeth. It used to be just plain stalking-following and watching a person doing his or her routine activities. But now that we are in the age of cyber technology, it has evolved into a much more sophisticated crime. I have chosen this topic because it is very interesting to explore the unconventional angle in the commission of this crime. People are familiar about the statistics in this crime-there are both male and female victims—however, they tend to focus more on the female victim, and dismiss the male victim to be of lesser importance and concern. This crime is also considered one of the newer crimes created by cyber-technology. It largely explains why legislation and implementation has not caught up with it yet. There are many countries right now that have yet to make this act a punishable offence. Although the UK has firmly entrenched legislation to address this crime, it has the same problems as other countries--the implementatio n of these laws. This topic also interests me because I would like to find out how the victim became a victim, how he felt about being a victim, and how he was dealt with by police officers when he eventually reported the crime. I used the qualitative method of research in this study. More specifically I

Latin influence in America social and cultural differences in Business Essay

Latin influence in America social and cultural differences in Business - Essay Example With regard to them, inside cohesiveness is important in that they want to guarantee that there are no betrayals within business. Apart from these attitudes of loyalty and brotherhood in a business, they also tend to have a sense of fair competition which is achieved through agreeing with the competitors and setting the standard of competition. These cultural attitudes towards business are founded on the earlier foundation of Latin business which would be more included to mafia like associations with string completion which went beyond just business competition. Americans have a different culture with regard business which conducts open competition, open membership which mean that the associates of a business do not necessarily have to be close members. Dogmatic loyalty is not necessary as the business are driven by a common agreement which is professional and written on paper as per the ay the business is supposed to be run. The Latin culture has been regarded by Americans as wrong and not good for business. It has also influenced American business in a number of ways. To begin with, most of these businesses have also invested in the American economy. Most mafia-like organizations which are of Latin origin and run in accordance with Latin culture can be seen as establishing their businesses in United States America. Unlike in earlier days where such businesses would operate unofficially and in most cases illegally due to their nature which was more criminal than anything else, today most of these businesses can invest in legitimate businesses such as the real estate (Forbes, Inc). In the modern America, these mafia-like busses own a substantive amount of the real estate wealth in major cities such as Los Angeles. They are able to operate legitimately and to have assets that are legal. This has influenced the way business is done in America, especially

Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Literature - Essay Example Yu Hua has drawn inspiration for his novel from an American folk song about an elderly slave â€Å"who experienced a life’s worth of hardships, including the passing of his entire family—yet he still looked upon the world with eyes of kindness, offering not the slightest complaint†. (Hua, P.249) At the end of the novel, Xu Fugui is left alone, with his only companion being an ox that he names after himself. He uses the mutual identity between man and beast as a metaphor for the human condition. The novel begins and ends the story through the mechanism of a double narration: one a young student collecting songs and folk stories from the peasants in the countryside and the other, old Fugui and his ox telling their story to the student. Zhang Yimou, a noted Chinese film director, has gained notoriety among his own people due to his recurring acts of exposing a dark side of his country to the outside world. But he persists with his mission in the same manner through the film adaptation of To Live. He attempts to convey several profound messages through this movie, in an attempt to prod the viewers’ conscience to awareness of injustice in the Chinese society. Though in this context, the novel as well as its film adaptation serves the same purpose there are several charact eristics that distinguishes one from the other. The film and the novel are significantly different even though Yu Hua participated in writing the screenplay. Each medium offers different possibilities and at the same time suffers from different limitations too and these are reflected in the differences between the novel and the film. The novel has Fugui telling his story in installments, chronologically, with returns to the narrative present. This aspect is attributed to the novel’s being first published in serial form in a literary journal. The film has no second narrator to whom Fugui will

Latin influence in America social and cultural differences in Business Essay

Latin influence in America social and cultural differences in Business - Essay Example With regard to them, inside cohesiveness is important in that they want to guarantee that there are no betrayals within business. Apart from these attitudes of loyalty and brotherhood in a business, they also tend to have a sense of fair competition which is achieved through agreeing with the competitors and setting the standard of competition. These cultural attitudes towards business are founded on the earlier foundation of Latin business which would be more included to mafia like associations with string completion which went beyond just business competition. Americans have a different culture with regard business which conducts open competition, open membership which mean that the associates of a business do not necessarily have to be close members. Dogmatic loyalty is not necessary as the business are driven by a common agreement which is professional and written on paper as per the ay the business is supposed to be run. The Latin culture has been regarded by Americans as wrong and not good for business. It has also influenced American business in a number of ways. To begin with, most of these businesses have also invested in the American economy. Most mafia-like organizations which are of Latin origin and run in accordance with Latin culture can be seen as establishing their businesses in United States America. Unlike in earlier days where such businesses would operate unofficially and in most cases illegally due to their nature which was more criminal than anything else, today most of these businesses can invest in legitimate businesses such as the real estate (Forbes, Inc). In the modern America, these mafia-like busses own a substantive amount of the real estate wealth in major cities such as Los Angeles. They are able to operate legitimately and to have assets that are legal. This has influenced the way business is done in America, especially

Difference Between CML and SML Essay Example for Free

Difference Between CML and SML Essay CML stands for Capital Market Line, and SML stands for Security Market Line. The CML is a line that is used to show the rates of return, which depends on risk-free rates of return and levels of risk for a specific portfolio. SML, which is also called a Characteristic Line, is a graphical representation of the market’s risk and return at a given time. One of the differences between CML and SML, is how the risk factors are measured. While standard deviation is the measure of risk for CML, Beta coefficient determines the risk factors of the SML. The CML measures the risk through standard deviation, or through a total risk factor. On the other hand, the SML measures the risk through beta, which helps to find the security’s risk contribution for the portfolio. While the Capital Market Line graphs define efficient portfolios, the Security Market Line graphs define both efficient and non-efficient portfolios. While calculating the returns, the expected return of the portfolio for CML is shown along the Y- axis. On the contrary, for SML, the return of the securities is shown along the Y-axis. The standard deviation of the portfolio is shown along the X-axis for CML, whereas, the Beta of security is shown along the X-axis for SML. Where the market portfolio and risk free assets are determined by the CML, all security factors are determined by the SML. Unlike the Capital Market Line, the Security Market Line shows the expected returns of individual assets. The CML determines the risk or return for efficient portfolios, and the SML demonstrates the risk or return for individual stocks. Well, the Capital Market Line is considered to be superior when measuring the risk factors. Summary: 1. The CML is a line that is used to show the rates of return, which depends on risk-free rates of return and levels of risk for a specific portfolio. SML, which is also called a Characteristic Line, is a graphical representation of the market’s risk and return at a given time. 2. While standard deviation is the measure of risk in CML, Beta coefficient determines the risk factors of the SML. 3. While the Capital Market Line graphs define efficient portfolios, the Security Market Line graphs define both efficient and non-efficient portfolios. 4. The Capital Market Line is considered to be superior when measuring the risk factors. 5. Where the  market portfolio and risk free assets are determined by the CML, all security factors are determined by the SML.

Protect the Rights of Children

Protect the Rights of Children A large majority of the Indian children continue to remain in distress and turmoil. The problem of emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children in India is increasing; child abuse is usually classified into three major types: physical, sexual, emotional. The public and the government also are yet to recognize it as a serious problem. Public indignation and professional concern is yet to be translated into positive and realistic action. CHILD ABUSE The major cause of child abuse is adaption or environmental maladjustment mostly on the part of adult perpetrators but some extent on the of adult responsible for family socialization as well. Most child abuse occurs in a childs home which a smaller amount occurring in the organization, schools or communities the child interacts with. There are four major categories of child abuse: Neglect, physical abuse, psychological/emotional abuse, sexual abuse NEGLECT Child neglect is where the responsible adult fails to provide adequately for various needs, including physical: failure to provide adequate food, clothing, emotional: failure provide nurturing or affection, educational: failure to enroll a child in school, or medical: failure to medicate the child or take him or her to the doctor. PHYSICAL ABUSE Physical abuse is physically aggression directed at child by an adult. It can involve punching, striking, kicking, showing, slapping, burning, pulling ears or hair, stabbing, choking or shaking a child. Shaking child can cause shaken baby syndrome. Boys are more battered than girls, the transmission of toxins to child through its mother (such as with fetal alcohol syndrome) can also be considered physical abuse in some jurisdictions. SEXUAL ABUSE Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual stimulation. Girls are victims of sexual abuse than boys a high proportion of children become victims of sexual abuse when they are fourteen or above 14 years of age. Form of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities, indecent exposure of the genitals to a child, actual sexual contact against a child, physical contact with the childs genitals, viewing of the childs genitalia without physical contact, or using a child to produce child pornography. Effect of child sexual abuse include guilt and self-blame, flash back, nightmares, fear of things associated with the abuse , self- esteem issues, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain , addiction, self-injury, depression, anxiety EMOTIONAL ABUSE Emotional abuse is the hardest to define. It could include name-calling, ridicule, degradation, destruction of personal belongings, torture or destruction of a pet, excessive criticism, inappropriate or excessive demands, withholding communication, and routine labeling or humiliation. A large number of parents who ill-treat their children are those who are aggressive, irritable and domineering in their behavioral characteristics: fickle-minded, inflexible and less tolerant in their emotional characteristics: and have low-esteem, feeling of alienation, and lack of ability empathize in social characteristics. CHILD LABOUR Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries Child labourers are exploited, exposed to hazardous work conditions and paid a pittance for their long hours of work. Forced to forego education, shouldering responsibilities far beyond their years, becoming worldly wise when their peers have yet to leave the cocoons of parental protection, these children never know what child hood is. CHILD WELFARE Childrens Development is as important as the development of material resources and the best way to develop national human resources is to take care of children.   India has the largest child population in the world.   All out efforts are being made by India for the development and welfare of children specific concentration is being given to the efforts to improve the life and opportunities of the Girl Child. Significant progress has been made in many fields in assuring children their basic rights.   However, much remains to be done.   The country renews its commitment and determination to give the highest priority to the basic needs and rights of all children.   Children are most vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.   A lot more has to be done for the health, nutrition and education of children.   It is unfortunate that girls in particular face debilitating discrimination at all stages.   JUVENILE JUSTICE (Care and Protection of Children) Act Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 was enacted in discharge of the Constitutional mandate that it is the primary responsibility of the state to ensure that all the needs of children are met and that their basic human rights are fully protected The Act further provides for the establishment of Juvenile Justice Board to deal with the Juvenile in conflict with law. The Act further provides for punishment of person who commits an offence against the juvenile. In case a juvenile is assaulted, abandoned, exposed or neglected in any manner so as to cause unnecessary mental or physical suffering, by any person in custody of the juvenile, he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to six months with or without fine Child in need of care and protection Child in need of care and protection means a child who:- Is found without any home or settled places or abode and without any ostensible means of subsistence, Is mentally or physically challenged or ill, suffering from primary diseases or incurable diseases having no one to support or look after, Is a victim of any armed conflict, civil or natural calamity or is being or likely to be abused for unconscionable gains. The Act further provides for the constitution of the Child Welfare Committees for every district or group of districts for exercising the power and discharging the duties in relation to child in need of care and protection. The committee shall consist of a chairman and four other members, of which one shall be woman and another, an expert on matters concerning children. The committee shall function as a Bench of Magistrates and shall have powers conferred on a judicial Magistrate of the 1st class under the code of Criminal Procedure. The committee is the final authority to deal with matters of care, protection, treatment, development and rehabilitation of the children so produced. Legal Right and Provisions to Protect the Rights of Children CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS Article 14: Right to equality-equality before law and equal protection of law Article 15: No discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, sex or place of birth. Gender discrimination still exists. Article 21: right to life. Exploitation of children in any form is curbing their right to life. Right to education is also considered as a right to life after the 86th amendment in 2002 Article 23: Right against exploitation-prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour. Article 24: prohibition of employment of children in children in factories, etc-no child below the age of 14 shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or any hazardous employment. Article 45: Provision for child hood care and education: establishment of anganwadis, adolescent clubs are established on this basis. INTERNATIONAL CONVENANTS ON CHILD RIGHTS United Nations Convention On rights, 1989(ratified by India in 1992) Article relevant for protecting children:- Article 19 makes provision for state parties take protective measures for protecting children from all forms of mental, sexual and physical abuse. Article 20 21 provides for alternative care (adoption, foster care) etc for children. Article 32 recognizes the need for protection of children from economic exploitation and from performing hazardous work. Article 33 provides for appropriate measures including legislative administrative social and educational measures to protect children from illicit use of narcotic drugs. Article 34 urges the state to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. TWO OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS TO THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD:- Optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. Optional protocol on the sale of children, prostitution and pornography. SAARC Convention on Preventing and combating Trafficking in women and children. Penal provisions to protect children. 366a IPC Buying minor children, non bail able offence- 10 years imprisonment. 366B IPC- Importing minors for the purpose of the prostitution. 372- Buying or selling any girl below 18 for the purpose of prostitution. 376- Rape of minor girl below 15 377- Unnatural sexual offence. 354- Outraging the modesty of women. We dont have special provisions to protect children from child sexual abuse; we usually make use of these provisions to charge the case against the culprit. SPECIAL ENACTMENTS TO PROTECT CHILD RIGHT 1. Child labour(prevention and regulation) act 1986. 2. Child Marriage Restraint Act 1978. 3. Immoral traffic prevention act 1956. 4. Pre-natal diagnostic techniques regulation act 1994. 5. Juvenile Justice Act 2000. CONCLUSION The political and social problems of Indian children become increased phenomena. The Child problems or child right violations increasing day by day. There are several written laws to protect their rights, but unfortunately most of them are violated. The state itself is a child right violator. The labour ministry of India has analyzed that it is not easy to prohibit child labour, in such a situation of child right crisis, the government, social agencies, social workers has to go miles through the path of elimination process of social problems of children

Listening Report Essay -- essays research papers fc

Concert Analysis: Songs Around the Word I Offer Thee by Allen Ridout 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gregorian chant consists of a single-lined melody and is monophonic in texture. This piece also consists of these basic structures as well as not having any harmory or counterpoint. This piece performed by U of I faculty member Steven Rickards, is sung a cappella. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This piece differs from the traditional Gregorian chant of the Middle ages because of the jumps and leaps presented in the piece, which show that the piece was written after the period. Another reason it differs from chant is because this is plainchant rather than Gregorian. It is also sung in English, rather than the traditional Latin text. Ahavant Olam by Ben Steinburg 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cantillation, according to the Harvard Music Dictionary, is to chant or recite (a liturgical text) in a musical monotone; recitation or reading with musical modulations. One of its features is that the piece is straight out of the torah 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the main reasons why this piece has a Jewish sound is it is in minor key, giving it the drama of a jewish piece. It also has a monotonic sound present. In some parts of the piece, the vocalist embellishes some of the long syllables, making it melismatic. Mizi Westra did a great job of bringing out the main idea of the text which is peace and love. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main role of the piano on this piece is to establish the melodic idea. The pianist, Amy Eggelston, lets the vocalist take over but makes it like they are singing together. The pianist plays just as an important role as the vocalist, making her not an accompanist. Leit etter livet by Christian Sinding 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe that the piece is talking about happiness and fulfillment. The piece is entitled Leit etter livet which translated means â€Å"Seek after Life and Live it.† The performer exemplifies this with his happy singing and the piano has an ascending line that also portrays happiness. Det forste by Edvard Grieg 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Samuelson interprets the piece in a few ways. First, with his urgency. He displays his passion and oneness of the music. He uses lots of dynamics and also in some cases bends the pitch, which makes the piece more interesting. He also displays a gre... ...he violin. It was raspy in nature and did not flow with the violin. What really impressed me about the duo of Hunt and Enzinger was their patience. They never rushed tempos and took their time with melodies, making the outcome a beautiful performance. The music was simple and could have been rushed but never did. Overall, this concert was very well put together and the musicians were very classy and talented. I wish we had that many talented musicians here at this university. I would recommend this concert to anyone who has an interest in vocal music. Bibliography Sacred sound and social change : liturgical music in Jewish and Christian experience By:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lawrence A Hoffman; Janet Roland Walton Notre Dame : University of Notre Dame Press, 1992. The Triumph of Pierrot, The Commedia dell'Arte and the Modern Imagination, Martin Green and John Swan, rev.ed. 1993, Penn State Press. The Life of Debussy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Author: Nichols, Roger 184 pages Pub. Date: Jun 1998, Publisher: Cambridge Univ Press Joseph machlis,Kristine Forney. The enjoyment of music. 9th edition. Ww Norton and company, 2003. new york Websters Music dictionary of music,

Dominique LaPierres The City of Joy Essay -- Dominique LaPierre City

Dominique LaPierre's The City of Joy â€Å"His suffering was transformed into surprise then peace, the peace that comes from being loved† (C.O.J. p. 254). In the book the City of Joy, Hasari, Mother Theresa, Stephan Kolvaski and Max Loeb all experienced the joy and helpfulness that comes from being loved. Their problems and troubles through out the book help them to understand how to make it through tough times. Examples from this book and life show that modern medicine is not always the best way to help the sick or injured. Peoples love and kindness for each other is the most valuable gift you can give someone. â€Å"This city isn’t all that inhuman† (C.O.J. p. 82). Hasari said this when he was able to become a rickshawpuller. When Pam Chander befriended Hasari he saved him and his family from starvation. Ram showed Hasari that there was a still king person in a city, that was thought of as cruel. After Hasari started his job he was able to feed and buy treats for his family. Ram and Hasari’s friendship continued to grow while working together. They also continued to help each other out in times of need. Ram Chandler not only got Hasari a job, he helped teach him about the rickshaw business and life in Calcutta. Ram showed Hasari where to get business and how to help the soreness from pulling. Another thing he taught Hasari was how to hide any illness he got. Ram also reminded Hasari how lucky he was to have what he did have. â€Å"Good old Ram, there wa...

Corporate Governance Exam Paper

Games Directors play While analysing the Reality of Boardroom we say many games and tactics often employed by directors so that they don’t lose power. Some such games were alliance, coalition, lobbying, scaremongering, log rolling etc. Here also majority of BOD were near and dear ones of Bright so everybody chose to stay quiet about what is going on. Under-reserving Like we say in the HLL case under-reserving is a tactic used by firms but in the long run it cant stop companies from collapsing. Role of independent directors The question Are independent directors really independent has been topic of debate for ages.In the case the role played by independent directors is insignificant. Also it is questionable whether independent directors were present and in the number advised by law or not. Audit Committee The case talks about KPMG and the arguable role it played but what about the audit committee, was it existent, if so how was it functioning. Its composition and leadership nee ds attention. Manipulation Most of the cases of accounting frauds, falsifying records, deceiving shareholders and bankruptcy rest upon the manipulation of the balance sheet and the tactics used to fudge the data.Ex: Enron The company needs to take inspiration from firms like GSK, Infy, and tata which serve as examples of good CG. GSK * Chairman of board is independent director along with 5 others in in board. Transparency is valued Infosys * Creating wealth legally and ethically Tata * One of the giants and still fascinating governance * In sync with the values * Very elaborate code of conduct Board composition and structure One of the major flaw ways in the board structure is everyone was quiet about the rising storm dominated by power and status of Bright.There should be some independent directors with ability to question the acts and deeds and the following structures are recommended. European Two Tier model Shareholders Supervisory board Executive board Management Employees and staff The supervisory board overlooks functions of executive board and can question and alter the function This model is preferred over unitary board. Chinese model Here we see the presence of the state as a whole also takes society into account along with shareholders Board Leadership One of the major causes of the downfall was the role played by Bright.He was forceful and rigid and thus not a true leader. The features desired for a leader are: Integrity The ability to differentiate between right and wrong and govern in a manner that it is morally correct and sustainable Independence The board was like a dummy/puppet with no or very less degree of independence Intellect The creativity must not come out in form of manipulation and fraud but the betterment of the firm Character He must be ethical and strong character Personality A leader must be flexible and open to new ideas and suggestions. The personality is the holistic perspective.Communication skills, good listener, motivator e tc. Board level information Desired CG was not in place and there was no clear information pathway. The board did not check or authenticate the actions. Control systems The case clearly shows violation of many acts and laws. The board was not conforming to the supervisory work. The control system was not in place. Auditors at fault: In cases like Enron and worldcom it has been seen that the external auditors are able to flee away leaving the company in distress. Usually there are tie ups between management and auditors, some internal settlement that leads to uch actions. Role of internal audit committee is arguable. The company should have gone to auditors like Delloitte who are reliable and tested. Risks that should be considered – Financial risk. Operational, compliance, Business Four aspects of CG Internal control, risk management, behavioural governance, independence Sarbax – oxley act This is one of the landmark acts that came in 2002 after Enron and Worldcomm It says criminal and civil penalties for compliances and accounting frauds, certificate for internal audits and annual report is to submitted by all public and private listed companies.Also introduce PCAOBA (Public company accounting oversight board of America) Was criticized for high cost of compliance CG is a process by which companies are directed and controlled Many attempts have been made to define CG and this one by Cadbury is one of the most comprehensive . Cadbury’s definition – â€Å"Corporate governance is the system by which companies are directed and controlled. The boards of directors are responsible for the governance of their companies. The shareholder’s role in governance is to appoint the directors and the auditors to satisfy themselves that an appropriate governance structure is in place.The responsibilities of the board include setting the company’s strategic aims, providing the leadership to put them into effect, supervising the manageme nt of the business and reporting to shareholders on their stewardship. The board’s actions are subject to laws, regulations and the shareholders in general meeting. † Mike and Minnow: Corporate Governance is a process of governing and directing the performance of any company and the major actors involved are directors, management, society and shareholders CG is basically to overlook, monitor, control and direct the functioning of the management.For this we have BOD and the code of conduct. Some acts, laws and norms facilitate this process of governance. Scope from least to highest Society Media and Press Shareholders Regulatory bodies Contractual Stakeholders Auditors Governance and Management (Diagram) As it is clear that the scope of CG is very wide. It is crucial that CG is acceptable and answerable to many. Functions of the board Majorly there are four functions of the board depending upon the conformity to past or existing and the performance expected for future.Th e four functions are accountability, strategy formulation, supervising and monitoring and policy making Matrix The accountability along with monitoring and supervising is the conformance part i. e. to past or existing situation. The policy making and strategy formulation comes under the performance part with focus on future value. Usually it is seen that independent directors are forced to conformance because they only understand what is going on. Strategic Formulation * This is the most crucial step of governance There must be shared view according to which governance and management abide * It involves SWOT, PEST, Porter analysis and asking of crucial questions of long term strategic importance * It is important to have helicopter vision balanced of long and short term * San Tzu â€Å"Think the mind alike of your enemy† Policy making * This comes from the strategic formulation * Policies are rules, regulation and procedures that must be followed and abided Supervision & moni toring This is the conformance part to check that everything is happening as per the policies and rules or not Accountability * Accountability is to have proper system wherein respective people are accountable for any error or aberration * Only the top management is not accountable but usually is held responsible. Normative: How board thinks directors should spend their time How directors actually do spend their time Relation between functions Strategy formulation Policy making supervision and monitoring Accountability Roles: Agents and Stewards Agency theoryPrincipal shareholders contract with agents seek self interest It says that it is not possible that agents take care of other money with as much vigilance of vow. They seek personal interest and detrimental effect on shareholders Stewardship theory Owners chose and elect stewards(directors) who play the role of stewards Contrary to agency theory it says owners vest their trust in directors who act as stewards of shareholders mon ey. Along with the board the following roles are performed by the director Managing the board Managing the meeting Strategic leadership Cooperation between board and management Company’s face to publicBy means of all these functions and roles the board makes an effort towards fair and equitable distribution of profit, ethical governance of firm and deters any unethical behaviour It lays clear rules, norms, laws and code of conduct to facilitate governance Maxwell communication 1991 – Risky acquisition using pension funds leading to bankruptcy Bank of credit and commerce international Cadbury report 1992 – best practices suggested How to implement it? For a company to enter in stockmarket it has to that it follows Cadbury suggestions Corporate governance is directly related to market valuation of a company.Better managed companies are valued more. Enron failure 2001 – faulty accounting policies; creation of special purpose entities to conceal losses; exces sive executive compensation Worldcom 2002 – The BOD did not oppose the ambitious investment of Worldcom in fiber optic cables and infrastructure to become a market leader (a short term goal). This led to huge losses when the boom for dot com ended. Measures to check such scenarios * Make BOD accountable to stakeholders * Make changes in structure * Clearly explain the responsibilities of Board Make them active board – in giving a leadership to the company * Make the BOD to meet more frequently – listed company at least 4 times a year * Lay down an agenda about what must be discussed Placing constraints, checks on management power including the CEO Eg: SKF micro finance – CEO was sacked as he is no good There should be separation of position of chairman and CEO Ensuring a sound system of internal control and proper disclosure of financial information and executive compensation Auditors are continuing from 20 years Approaches to strengthen the CG 002 â€⠀œ there was a proposal to change companies act 1956 2012 – the bill was proposed in loksabha Very lengthy process to make a law But then one law for all companies reduces flexibility In 1998 CII appointed a committee under Rahul bajaj to create guidelines for cg which is only voluntary. Only 0. 1% adopted them. Voluntary Purely legal approach Cg code Code – a set of practices, guidelines which are expected to be followed by the companies 2 approaches for cg code 1) Principle based – lay down broad principles; comply or explain principles link it with listing.Make the companies which are not adopting explain why they are not adopting 2) Rule based approach – comply or get prosecuted; in extreme cases companies are delisted. But then the shareholders are effected. Rule based approach is rigidity. The companies will try to outsmart the rules if they are rigid. Eg: BJP chief Nitin Gadkari driver was shown as a director in a company. The directors get huge mo ney for just attending 4 meetings, so they agree with whatever the companies say to earn easy money or else they would be removed from the board.CG in India * The issue of CG has come up mainly in the wake up economic reforms characterized by liberalization, privitization and globalization. * The way foreign investments is CG * The last point in previous year * SEBI committee on CG headed by SHri Kumara Mangalam Birla submitted its report in Feb 2000 * Clause 49 in listing agreement with stock exchanges made it mandatory for companies to follow recommendations by Kumara M B committee * Then Naresh Chandra committee is appointed by the †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Indian Code Inspired by Cadbury code, 1992 * CII code – 1998 (voluntary compliance could not make much difference) Implementation 2005 – all the companies above 3 crore revenues Audit committee * As an interface between the board and auditors atleast 3 members (NED) majority of independent dire ctors * Looks after all the activities related to auditors i. e. appointment of reappointement of auditors * Reviewing of internal reports * Audit committee must meet 4 times a year * Gap should not be more than 4 months Disclosures Management discussions and analysis report * Related party transactions * Remuneration to NEDs Clause 49 Case of satyam First biggest and most shocking scam involving †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Modus operandi of the scam * Super user login to some employees * Entering fake invoices * Boost revenues and profits * Falsified bank statements * Falsified interest income Role of board in satyam’s case Overlooking the reports The board said ok to all proposals by raju to direct funds to acquire lands in hyd Directors had a salary of rs 12 lakh annually

Performance Appraisal System

â€Å"A STUDY ON PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM† DONE FOR â€Å"BAJAJ FINSERV LIMITED† PROJECT REPORT Submitted in the partial fulfillment for the award of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Submitted By SOFIYA TARRANNUM (Roll No- 2128-11-672-018) Under the guidance of ASHARA ANJUM HYDERABAD PRESIDENCY P. G. COLLEGE (Affiliated to Osmania University Hyderabad, and approved by AICTE. DECLARATION I here by declare that the project work entitled â€Å"A STUDY ON PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM†, submitted by me under the supervision of, ASHARA ANJUM, Department of MBA, HYDERABAD PRESIDENCY P.G COLLEGE. HYDERABAD submitted for the requirement for the award of the Master of Business Administration of OSMANIA UNIVERSITY and it is entirely original and has not been submitted earlier by any one for any Degree or Diploma. PLACE: HYDERABAD DATE: (SOFIYA TARRANNUM) ROLL NO : 2128-11-672-018 CERTIFICATE This is certify that the project work entitled â€Å"A STUDY ON PERFORMANCE A PPRAISAL SYSTEM† is bonafide work done and submitted by SOFIYA TARRANNUM, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of â€Å"MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION† in â€Å"HYDERABAD PRESIDENCY P.G COLLEGE† (Affiliated to Osmania University, Hyderabad and approved by AICTE, during the year 2012-2013. ASHARA ANJUM ARSHAD UR REHMAN Project Guid Head of Department Hyderabad Presidency P. G College Hyderabad Presidency P. G College Hyderabad-500089. Hyderabad -500089. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all, I think almighty god who has blessed me all through my life. I wish to express my sincere indebtedness to our principal, prof.ARSHAD UR RAHMAN. HYDERABAD PRESIDENCY COLLEGE. My profound thanks and deep sense of gratitude of , Head of the Department, HPC for his valuable support and encouragement . I express my sincere thanks to my guide, ASHARA ANJUM, associate professor for their valuable guidance and suggestions and being instrumental in having sh ape to my project work. I would like to thank entire faculty members in Hyderabad Presidency p. g college. for their support and inspiration for successful completion of the project they were the most caring and the best critics during the course of y project and enabled me to be creative and multi-dimensional in my approach. I will remain always debited to them. Last but not the least, I wish to acknowledge with gratitude for the support and encouragement extended by my family members for the successful completion of the project. (SOFIYA TARRANNUM) EXECUTIVE SYNOPSIS HYDERABAD PRESIDENCY P. G COLLEGE A STUDY ON PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL DONE FOR BAJAJ FINSERV LIMITED. NAME: SOFIYA TARRANNUM UNDER THE GUIDENCE OF ROLL NO -2128-11-672-018 ASHARA ANJUM TABLE OF CONTENTTOPICSPAGE NO. CHAPTER-1 †¢INTRODUCTION 9-16 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY17-19 CHAPTER-2 †¢LITERATURE REVIEW14-25 CHAPTER-3 †¢THE COMPANY/ ORGANIZATION/ SYSTEM26-43 CHAPTER-4 DATA ANALYSIS44-68 CHAPTER-5 FINDINGS,SUGG ESTION & CONCLUSION 69-74 BIBLIOGRAPHY76 QUESTIONARE 77 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPH Sl No. FiguresPage No 1. Project Goals are different from functional Goal45 2. Position on the basis of performance46 3. Scope of using the innovating skills in making Decesion47 4. Percentage of Target matching with Goal48 5. Discuss personal problem with superior49 6.Superior contribute to see their goal50 7. Methods of appraisal51 8. Interpersonal team Relationship 52 9. Employee appreciation53 10. Feedback given by appraiser54 11. Employee opinion about frequency of appraisal system55 12. Opinion on performance linked performance policy56 13. Training needs57 14. Employee opinion on appraisal system58 15. Appraisal System59 16. Rating system60 17. Planning61 18. Value of employee in the organization62 19. Improvement in Job performance63 20. Self appraisal64 21. Effectiveness of Appraisal65 22. Employee Satisfiction66LIST OF CHARTS Sl No. FiguresPage No 1. Process Flow Chart of Appraisal24 2. Servic e at Bajaj Finserv Limited25 3. Performance Rating against individual item 27 4. Summary detail of portfolio32 5. Organization Structure of Bajaj Finserv35 6. Appraisal by first Assessor37 7. Appraisal by second Assessor38 CHAPTER-1 INTRODUCTION RESEARCH METODOLOGY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: Research design : Descriptive in nature Research instrument : A well structured questionnaire Population size : 275 Sample size : 100Sampling unit : Technical Sample procedure : convenience sampling Sources of data : Primary & Secondary data Primary data : Primary data is collected from the respondents through Questionnaire & interacting with the associates. Secondary data : Secondary data is collected from the various text books On performance appraisal, Company reports, company Broachers and company websites. ww. bajajfinserv. com Statistical tool : weighted average method and simple percentage method. This chapter deals with the Title of the study, the Need of the study i. e. for what purpose the study is actually carried out, the Scope of the study, the Objectives of the study, the Various sources of data collection, the Study instruments used for conducting survey like Questionnaire, Interview etc, the way the data is analyzed, the Presentation of the study and finally the limitation involved in the study.TITLE OF THE STUDY: The Title of the study is â€Å"STUDY ON PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM† At â€Å"BAJAJ FINSERV LIMITED †, Hyderabad, and Andhra Pradesh. NEED FOR THE STUDY: ?Performance appraisal has been considered as a most significant and dispensable tool for an organization. It is highly useful in making decisions regarding various personal aspects. Performance appraisal developing criteria for promotion and career development. ?It provide a synthetic feed back to the employees regarding there performance with in a limited period of time.It prevent grievances and increases the analytical abilities of the supervisors The overall objectives of performan ce appraisal is to improve the efficiency of an enterprise by attempting to mobilize the best possible effort from individuals employed SCOPE OF THE STUDY: The scope of the study has been confined to the associates of Bajaj Finserv limited. It includes associates of various departments with different cadres only top-level executives are excluded from the study. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: ?To study the existing performance appraisal system at B F L. ?To evaluate the effectiveness of appraisal system. To offer suggestion for improvement in performance appraisal system. RESEARCH DESIGN: Descriptive study â€Å"A research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure†. RESEARCH INSTRUMENT: Making researches have a choice of two main research instruments in collecting primary data. They are questionnaire and mechanical devices. Hear the research instrument used in a structure questionnaire, which is carefully and well designed. It includes both open and close ended questions.The questionnaire is personally administered to the respondents and clarify the doubts if any , and the responses were solicited. SAMPLING DESIGN: POPULATION: In statistical uses the term population is any finite or infinite collection of individuals. The populations of this study are associates of the technical department of the company. Population size: Population size constitutes 275 associates Sample size: A sample size is 100 Sample unit: A sample unit is service department. SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION Data for the present study is collected through two sources i. e. through primary data and secondary data.Primary Data: The primary data is collected through Questionnaires and interacting with the associates. Secondary Data: For the study on performance Appraisal System the secondary Sources used are various Textbooks on Performance Appraisal, company reports, company policies, brochures and various websites. STUDY INSTRUMENTS: The questionnaire is framed to find out the effectiveness of Performance Appraisal of Bajaj Finserv Limited. It contains 24 questions. It is distributed into four sections. †¢Setting Of Goals †¢Role Of Superior †¢Feedback and Evaluation †¢Organizational EffectivenessANALYSIS OF DATA: The collected data is tabulated and then analyzed by simple percentage, weighted average and represented by different types of graphs and charts. The analysis of data is on the basis of the questionnaire collected from the associates. CHAPTER-2 LITERATURE REVIEW CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK DEFINITION OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL To define the concept of performance appraisal the management gurus have taken certain common parameters and on the basis of that they have defined the term. The terminology of the definitions may differ but the overall meaning of the definition remains same.Some of the leading definitions are given below ?Pe rformance appraisal is a systematic review of a person’s work and achievements over a recent period, usually leading to plans for the future. ?In, its most basic form, performance appraisal includes documenting achieve results (Hopefully, by also including use of examples to clarify documentation) and indicating if standards were met or not. ?The appraisal usually includes some form of development plan to address insufficient performance. ?The evaluation of an individual’s work performance in order to arrive at objective personnel decisions.PURPOSE OF TRADITIONAL PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS Performance appraisal for evaluation using a traditional approach has served the following purposes: ?Promotion, separation, and transfer decisions. ?Feedback to the employee regarding how to organization viewed the employee’s performance. ?Evaluation of relative contributions made by individuals and departments in achieving higher organization goals. ?Criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of selection and placement decisions, including the relevance of the information used in the decisions within the organization. Reward decisions, including merit increases promotions and other rewards. ?Ascertaining and diagnosing, training and development decisions. ?Criteria for evaluating the success of training and development decisions. INSIGHT INTO APPRAISAL THEORY Organizations in their day-to-day activities working handle loads of activities. The employees working in the organizations carry on these activities. Organization activities done by the employees are termed as â€Å"performance† the buzzword that is all time in the heads of the management. â€Å"The success of the organization depends upon the performance of its employees†Earlier organizations did not have any kind of specific methodology to handle the issues relating to measuring of performance because they did not had an understanding that the performance of the employees plays an sign ificant role in the overall functioning and meeting goals and objectives of the organizations. Performance is measured basically on the basis of the goals by an individual, which contribute to the overall organizational goals. The main focus is on meeting the overall goals and objectives of the organization in the specific time span.In doing so the organization must also see that the individual self-development and personal goals are also fulfilled. When the individual is able to synchronize his personal goals with that of the organizational goals then the working of the system will be apt. PREFACE OF THE APPRAISAL SYSTEMS The appraisal is both inevitable and universal. In the absence of carefully structured system of appraisal, people tend to judge the work performance of others ,including subordinates, naturally, informally and arbitrarily.Without a structured appraisal system there is a little chance of ensuring that the judgments made will be lawful, fair, defensible and accurat e. The history of performance appraisal is quite brief. Its roots in the early 20th century can be traced to Taylor’s pioneering time and motion studies. But this is not very helpful, for the same may be said about almost everything in the field of modern human resource management. The practice of appraisal is an ancient art. In the scale of things historical , it might well lay claim that appraisal is the world’ second oldest profession.Performance appraisal systems began as simple methods of income justification. That is, appraisal was used to decide whether or not the salary or wage of an individual employee Was justified. Little consideration, if any, was given to the developmental possibilities of appraisal. It was felt that a cut in a pay, or a rise, should provide the only required impetus for an employee to either improve or continue to perform well. Pay rates were important, yes; but they were not only the element that had an impact on employee performance.It was found that other issues, such as morale and self-esteem, could also have a major influence. APPRAISALS IN TODAY’S CORPORATE WORLD The modern system of performance appraisal is defined as a structured formal interaction between a subordinate and supervisor, that usually takes the form of a periodic interview (annual or semi-annual), in which the work performance of the subordinate is examined and discussed, with a view to identifying weaknesses and strengths as well as opportunities for improvements and skill development.In many organizations – but not all – appraisal results are used, either directly or indirectly, to help determine reward outcomes. That is, the appraisal results are used to identify the better performing employees who should get the majority of available merit pay increases, bonuses and promotions. By the same token, appraisal results are used to identify the poorer performers who may require some form of counseling, or in some cases demoti on, dismissal or decreases in pay. (Organizations need to be aware of laws in their country that might restrict their capacity to dismiss employees or decrease pay. FLAW EXIST IN TRADITIONAL PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM oWork scheduling plans oBudgeting oHuman Resource planning MOSTLY USED METHODS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL RATING SCALES: The rating scale method offers a high degree of structure for appraisals. Each employee trait or characteristics is rated on the bipolar scale that usually has several points ranging from â€Å"poor† to â€Å"excellent â€Å". The traits assessed on these scales include: ? Cooperation ?Communication ability ?Initiative ?Punctuality ?Technical competenceThe nature and scope of the traits selected for inclusion is limited only by the imagination of the scale’s designer or by the organization’s need. BEHAVIORAL ANCHORED RATING SCALES The term used to describe a performance rating that focused on specific behaviors or sets as indic ators of effective or ineffective performance, rather than on broadly stated adjectives such as â€Å" average, above average, or below average â€Å". GRAPHIC RATING SCALES The term used to define the oldest and the most widely used performance appraisal method.The evaluator are given a graph and asked to rate the employees on each of the characteristics. The number of characteristics varies from one to hundred. The rating can be a matrix of boxes for the evaluator to check off or a bar graph where the evaluator checked off a location relative to evaluators rating. CHECKLIST The term used to define a set of adjectives or descriptive statements. If the rater believed the employee possessed a trait listed, the rater checked the item; if not, the rater left the item blank. The rating score from the checklist equaled the number of checks.WEIGHTED CHECKLIST The term is used to describe an alternative method of performance appraisal where the supervisor or personal specialists familiar with the job being evaluated prepare a large list of descriptive statements about effective and ineffective behavior of jobs. RANKING METHOD The term ranking has been used to describe an alternative method of performance appraisal where the supervisor has been asked to order his or her employees in terms of performance from highest to lowest. CRITICAL INCIDENT METHODThe term is used to define a method of appraisal that made lists of statements very effective and very ineffective behavior for employees. The lists have been combined into categories, which vary with the job. Once these categories are developed and a statement of effective and ineffective behavior has been provided, the evaluator recorded examples of critical behaviors, and the log has been used to evaluate the employees at the end of evaluation period. NARRATIVE OR ESSAY EVALUATION This method requires the evaluator to write a short essay describing each employee’s performance during the raring period.This form at emphasizes evaluation of overall performance, based on the strengths and weaknesses of an employee performance. Some companies still use this method exclusively, whereas in others, the method has been combined with the graphic rating scale. MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES The management by objectives performance appraisal method has the supervisor and the employee get together to set objectives in quantifiable terms. The appraisal method has worked to eliminate communication problems by the establishments of regular meetings, emphasizing results, and by being an ongoing process. Cascading of organizational objectives oSetting up of subordinate objectives oReviewing and evaluating the performance oFeedback and rewards oSetting up of new MBO. 360 DEGREE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Performance Appraisal by all the parties like supervisors, peers, subordinates, employees themselves, users of service and consultants is called 360 degree Performance Appraisal. The appraiser should be capable of det ermining what is more important and what is less important. He should prepare reports and make judgments without any bias. SELF APPRAISALIf individuals understand the objectives they are expected to achieve and the standards by which they are to be evaluated, they are to a great extent in the best position to appraise their own performance. Also, since employee development means self-development employee who appraises his or her own performance may become highly motivated. MERITS OF AN APPRAISAL SYSTEM Perhaps the most significant benefit of appraisal is that, in the rush and bustle of daily working life, it offers a rare chance for a supervisor and subordinate to have â€Å" time out â€Å" for a one-on-one discussion of important work issues that might not otherwise be addressed.Almost universally, where performance appraisal is conducted properly, both supervisors and subordinates have reported the experience as beneficial and positive. Appraisal offers a valuable opportunity t o focus on work activities and goals, to identify and correct the existing problems, and to encourage better future performance. Thus the performance of the whole organization is enhanced. The value of this intense and purposeful interaction between a supervisor and subordinate should not be underestimated. Motivation and SatisfactionPerformance appraisal can have a profound effect on levels of employee motivation and satisfaction. It provides employees with recognition as an incentive has been long noted. In fact, there is evidence that human beings will even prefer negative recognition in preference to no recognition at all. Training and Development Performance Appraisal offers an excellent opportunity – perhaps the best that will ever occur – for a supervisor and subordinate to recognize and agree upon individual training and development needs. Recruitment and inductionAppraisal data can be used to monitor the success of the organization’s recruitment and ind uction practices. For example, how well are the employees performing who were hired in the past two years? Appraisal data can also be used to monitor the effectiveness of changes in recruitment strategies. By following the yearly data related to new hires it is possible to assess whether the general quality of work force is improving, staying steady, or declining. Employee Evaluation Though often understated or even denied, evaluation is a legitimate and major objective of performance appraisal.But the need to evaluate is also an ongoing source of tension, since evaluative and developmental priorities appear to frequently clash. Yet at its most basic level, performance appraisal is the process of examining and evaluating the performance of an individual. It is been said by some that appraisal cannot serve the needs of evaluation and development at the same time; it must one or other. EXPECTATIONS FROM MANAGER IN DOING PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL †¢Translate organizational goals into individual job objectives †¢Communicate management expectations regarding employee performance. Provide feedback to the employee about the job performance in light of management’s objectives. †¢Coach the employee on how to achieve job objectives/requirements. †¢Diagnose the employee’s strengths and weaknesses. †¢Determine what kind of development activities might help the employee better utilize his or her skills to improve performance on the current job. CRITERIA OF A SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE Specific; What specifically is to be achieved? Not just what actions are to be performed, but what results are to be achieved through these actions? Keeping objectives simple ensures they are clear and specific.This also reduces the chance for disputes or confusion come performance appraisal time. Measurable How will you know how well an objective has been achieved? Although it may not be readily apparent, every object can be measured. Some measures ca n be measured quantitatively; others must be measured qualitatively. Accountable Accountability for performance objectives must be crystal clear and specifically state who is accountable. The more detail the better. A clear definition of what he or she is specifically accountable for will help reduce confusion cum performance appraisal time.Defining accountability will ensure a sense of urgency and purpose on the part of the employee. Realistic For an objective to be meaningful, it must be realistic and reasonable. A well-written performance objective focuses on the goals and objectives required to meet the objective. In highly efficient organizations, performance objectives ultimately link back to the company’s overall strategy and business plan. Objectives should challenge employees towards continuous improvement, but should not be unrealistic or unattainable. Time based An achievable time frame must be set for reaching the objectives.Consider assigning specific target date s not only for the performance objective itself, but also each lesser milestone linking the entire goal. Remember to be specific towards achieving results and guide action in a results oriented ways towards the objective. PROCESS FLOW CHART OF APPRAISAL GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS The performance rating against individual item in the appraisal is to be done on a 1-5 point scale as follows: RATINGEXPLANATION 5OUTSTANDING- Exceeds requirements significantly and consistently in all critical work aspects. Showed tremendous initiative and is very proactive . 5EXCELLENT- Performance at the highest standards. possesses and effectively utilized where needed, the knowledge in areas beyond those required for the discharge of critical responsibilities. Exceed requirements in most critical areas. Plans and executes well 4VERY GOOD- Demonstrates effective skills in most and essential responsibilities. Some skill areas still need improvement in order to excel at the job. 3. 5GOOD- Demonstrates skills in some essential areas. There is scope for improvement in some critical responsibility areas. Shows initiative. ABOVE AVERAGE- Demonstrates skills in some of the essential responsibilities. Performance is adequate for the current review period. Supervision is required to execute tasks in many areas. 2AVERAGE- Demonstrates average skills in most of the essential responsibilities. Meets targets with continuous supervision. Intensive training is required, 1 BELOW AVERAGE- Demonstrates Level of skills that has been unsatisfactory and inadequate for the discharge of the essential responsibilities. Consistently fall short of requirements. High level of supervision is required.Assessments duly completed in all respects, are to be forwarded to HR, in sealed envelopes. CHAPTER-3 The Company/ Organization/ System COMPANY PROFILE AN INTRODUCTION TO BAJAJ FINSERV LIMITED INTRODUCTION  ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬INTRODUCTION: Bajaj FinServ will strive to be one of the top financial services businesses in Ind ia focused on delivering superior customer experience through competitive products and class leading services while providing consistent and superior returns to our shareholders and maintaining the high levels of integrity of Bajaj. Company profile:Bajaj Finserv Limited (Bajaj Finserv) is a holding company. Bajaj Finserv is the financial services arm of the Bajaj group. Its financial services businesses include lending, protection, and financial advisory and wealth management. The Company operates in four segments: Insurance, Windmill, Retail Financing and Investments & others. It does lending business Under Bajaj Finance Limited (BFL). Its protection business consists of life insurance, under the Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company (BALIC), and general insurance, under the Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company (BAGIC).The Company’s Financial Advisory and Wealth Management business consists of Bajaj Financial Solutions Limited (Bajaj Finsol), which offers financial product s and advises clients on financial and wealth management. In addition, as of March 31, 2012, Bajaj Finserv had wind-farm assets, incorporating 138 windmills in Maharashtra with an installed capacity of 65. 2 megawatt. Bajaj Finserv endeavors to become a full fledged financial services company and be the financial partner to the Indian consumer and help him across his financial needs throughout his lifecycle.Bajaj Finserv is a consumer focused company with emphasis on profitable growth and operational efficiency to deliver best results to all its stakeholders. Bajaj Finserv Group companies share common values of Reliability, Innovation and Efficiency and provide customers with high quality products and services. Key focus areas for Bajaj Finserv are Lending, Investment, Protection and Advisory. Bajaj Finserv also has interests in Wind farms with 138 windmills and a total installed capacity of 65. 2 MW BAJAJ FINSERV LIMITED VISION:Bajaj Finserv has a vision to become a full fledged fi nancial services company and be the financial partner to the Indian consumer and help him across his financial needs, whether for finance, for investment management, for protection or for post retirement support, throughout his lifecycle. Bajaj Finserv is a consumer focused company with emphasis on profitable growth and operational efficiency to deliver best results to all its stakeholders. MISSION: â€Å"Bajaj Finserv is a consumer focused company with emphasis on profitable growth and operational efficiency to deliver best results to all its stakeholders. COREVALUES: ?Trust ?Integrity ?Commitment ?Respect for people ?Innovation OBJECTIVE: â€Å"To create value and delight for our stake holders† QUALITY POLICY: â€Å"To excel in providing Financial services that meets or Exceeds customer requirements through continual improvements† NATURE OF ACTIVITY ?Our Products & Services: ?Loans Against Property ? Personal Loans ? Business Loans ? Home Loans ? Infrastructure Equi pment Finance ? Loans Against Securities ? Consumer Durable Loans As a value-added service we also provide insurance services like ‘Group Term Policy’ and ‘Group Term Suraksha’ bundled with our products.VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS ?Operations ?Human resources ?Finance ?Networking and systems ?Quality ?Corporate services ?Collection ?Sales ?Product ?Marketing PEOPLE: considered as â€Å"Associates† BAJAJ FINSERV believes â€Å"our people are our strength,† & this is the very reason why Bajaj term them as â€Å"Associates† rather than employees. The work culture is people oriented, where individual aspirations are matched with organizational Objectives. Our associates exemplify our customer-oriented work style.The employees at BFL are comfortable working across cultures and across contexts; their consistency and dependability lies in their emphasis on creating solutions that are problem-focused, high on quality and quick in terms of time-to-marke t. Bajaj Group. Its insurance joint ventures with Allianz SE, Germany namely Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Limited and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited are engaged in life and general insurance business respectively. Its subsidiary Bajaj Finance Limited is a Non Banking Finance Company engaged in consumer finance, SME finance and commercial lending.Bajaj Financial Solutions Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bajaj Finserv Limited is engaged in wealth advisory business. SERVICES AT BAJAJ FINSERV LIMITED Bajaj Finance Limited We are the most diversifed non-bank in the country, the largest financier of consumer durables in India and one of the most profitable firms in the category. Hereunder are summary details of our portfolio of businesses, with a brief description on each. Consumer FinanceConsumer Durables Finance Lifestyle Finance EMI Card Personal Loans Cross Sell Co-branded Credit Cards Two and three wheeler FinanceSalaried Personal Loans SME FinanceMortg age Business Loans Commercial LendingConstruction Equipment Finance Infrastructure Finance Vendor Financing Awards and Accomplishments The recognition that matters the most to us is the one we receive from our customers. That was how it was when we started. That will be even when we have a treasure trove of Industry Recognition and awards Awards: Recently, we won the CIO 100 Innovation award for two of our innovations – countries such as Canada, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Hungary and India, the CIO 100 Awards is a truly global recognition.It is an acknowledged mark of excellence in enterprise IT. Management Profile Sanjiv Bajaj: Managing Director Kevin D’Sa: CFO and President – Business development Ranjit Gupta: President (Insurance) S. Sreenivasan: President (Finance) V. Rajagopalan: President (Legal) Sonal R Tiwari: Company Secretary OFF SHORE POLICIES PERSONAL BENEFITS ?Leave ?Onsite return leave policy ?Personal leave policy ?Loans for house rent al deposit ?Home pc ?Telephone at residence ?Facilities to the associates TRAVEL RELATED ?International travel ?Domestic travel ?Conveyance reimbursement ?Car hire Relocation policy ?Relocation allowance WORK PLACE BASIS ?Working hour ?Dress code ?Identity card ?Business card ?Late/holiday working ?Work ethics ?Shift allowance OTHER POLICIES ?Reward and recognition ?Staff welfare allowance ?Associate referral ?Work ethics ?Higher education BAJAJ FINSERV LIMITED OFFERINGS Organisation Structure Performance Appraisal System at Bajaj Finserv Ltd: PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: APPRAISAL PROCEDURE: PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL FOR ASSOCIATES OF HOD LEVEL: PURPOSE: To appraise the performance of all the associates at HOD level in BAJAJ FINSERV LIMITED PROCEDURE: General: Annual appraisal is done during the month of April, every year for all the confirmed associates who are on the rolls as on 31st December of the previous year. †¢Distribution of Appraisal Forms: for annual appraisal, the HR will d istribute the appraisal forms to the CEO for further distribution to the concerned appraisers. †¢Self-Documentation: At the start of the appraisal process, every assessee will fill a self-documentation form and give it to the concerned Appraiser. †¢Appraisal by Assessor: The Assessor will perform the assessment upon receiving the self Appraisal Form from the assessee.The forms to be used for appraisal is as given in the table below: Sl. NoTitle of the formUsed for Appraisal of 1Self Documentation formAll Associates at HOD Level 2Performance Appraisal Form(HOD)All Associates at HOD level †¢Acceptance of Appraisal: The Assessor will discuss the assessment results with the assessee. If the assessee agrees to the assessment, then the assessee and the concerned assessor will sign on the Performance Appraisal Form and the first assessor (CEO) will also give his final authorization.The appraisal form, complete in all respects is received from the CEO. †¢Follow-up of App raisal: The HOD (HR) will issue the revised salary/ promotion letters to the assesse based on the performance Appraisal form and discussions with the concerned first assessor. HR informs the revised salary/ promotion details of an assessee to finance for processing the same by updating the Associate database. †¢Appraisal Records: the HOD (HR) will maintain the performance appraisal records in the personal file of each associate. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL FOR ASSOCIATES BELOW HOD LEVEL:PURPOSE: To appraise the performance of all the associates below HOD level in BAJAJ FINSERV LIMITED. PROCEDURE: †¢General: Annual appraisal is done during the month of April, every year for all the confirmed associates who are on the rolls as on 31st December of the previous year. †¢Distribution of Appraisal Forms: For annual appraisal, the HR will distribute the appraisal forms to the HOD for further distribution to the concerned appraisers. †¢Self-Documentation: At the start of the ap praisal process, every assessee will fill a self-documentation form and give it to the concerned Appraiser. Appraisal by Assessor: the Appraiser first assessor) will perform the assessment upon receiving the self Appraisal Form from the assessee and forward the performance appraisal form to the reviewer (second assessor). The forms to be used for appraisal is as given in the table below: Sl noTitle of the formUsed for appraisal of 1Self Documentation form – technicalAll technical Associates below HOD Level 2Self Documentation form – Non technicalAll non- technical Associates below HOD Level 3Performance Appraisal Form (PL/PM)All associates at designer and above level but below HOD Performance Appraisal Form (Team members)All Associates at Team member (Manager/asst manager) level 5Performance Appraisal Form (Non – Technical)All Associates below HOD Level in non- technical Dept The level of the associate to be appraised in areas other than technical is as per the policy Guidelines . †¢Appraisal by second Assessor: The reviewer (second Assessor) will review the assessment upon receiving the performance appraisal form from the appraiser (first assessor). During annual appraisal, the first/ second assessor will give the performance rating based on joint assessment. Acceptance of Appraisal: The appraiser (first assessor) will discuss the assessment results with the assessee. If the assessee agrees to the assessment, then the assessee and the concerned appraiser (first assessor) will sign on the performance appraisal form and the form will be forwarded to the second assessor/ – HOD for final authorization. In case of conflict, the appraisal form will be referred to the concerned reviewer (second assessor). The second assessor will be responsible for further action on the same.For all cases of conflict and where no second assessor exists, concerned HODs will act as the second assessor. The appraisal form, complete in all respects is re ceived by HR form the respective head of the department. †¢Follow-up of Appraisal: The HOD (HR) will issue the revised salary/ promotion letters through reporting managers to the assesses based on the performance Appraisal form and discussions with the concerned head of the department. HR informs the revised salary/ promotion a detail of an assessee to finance for processing the same by updating the Associate database. Appraisal Records: the HOD (HR) will maintain the performance appraisal records in the personal file of each associate. APPRAISAL FORMAT: SELF DOCUMENT FORM: †¢The self-document form mainly includes all those contents, which are needed for the evaluation of performance appraisal. †¢The employees through the online facility fill this document form. †¢This includes the general information like the associate id, name, designation, department, role/level, qualification, and date of joining, location, and relevant experience. †¢This form also inclu des the assessee remarks that have evaluated the form. The various areas like the employees achievement, area where the employee have not performed up to the expectation, assessee’s strengths, areas of improvement are also included. These areas are evaluated both by the Assessee, Assessor 1 and Assessor 2. †¢The training programs attended and which the employee would like to attend is also included. †¢The career aspiration of the employee is also a part of the self-document form . GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FORTECHNICAL ASSOCIATES The Self-documentation form should be complete in all respects. 1. What do you see as your major achievements for the period under review? . What Factor(s) enabled you in your achievement? 3. Constraints, which affected your overall performance. List your own efforts to exploit the opportunities and overcome the difficulties? (Include your strategies and tactics) 4. Your initiatives and contributions to the organization during the review period e. g. Cost savings, revenues, profits, technology enhancements, process improvements etc 5. Project related data for the periodic review, which includes name of the project, role played by you in each of the project and number of hours put in. 6.What have you gained from the training programmes you have attended and where you have applied the learning? 7. Your key result areas for next review period. One of the key result areas should be for self-development. GENERAL INSURANCE FOR NON TECHNICAL ASSOCIATES The Self-documentation form should be complete in all respects. I. What do you see as your major achievements for the period under review? II. What Factor(s) enabled you in your achievement? III. Constraints, which affected your overall performance. List your own efforts to exploit the opportunities and overcome the difficulties? Include your strategies and tactics) IV. Your initiatives and contributions to the organization during the review period e. g. Cost savings, revenues, pro fits, technology enhancements, process improvements etc V. What have you gained from the training programmes you have attended and where you have applied the learning? VI. Your key result areas for next review period. One of the key result areas should be for self-development. CRITERIA OF APRRAISAL RELATED AREAS Task related areas: Achievement of results Output of work Quality of work Quality system Conceptual skills: Total perspective Integrated skillsProactive skills Analytical and Planning skills Human skills Leadership Ability to inspire and motivate Interpersonal relationship Tact and cooperation Training and development of subordinates Communication Resolution of conflict Functional skills: Job knowledge Planning and organizing Decision-making Personality attributes: Openness Empathy and sensitivity Integrity (intellectual and moral) Flexibility/Adaptability/Positive outlook Perseverance Creativity/Innovativeness Capacity to withstand stress Discipline Dependability Loyalty an d Commitment Self-confidence Appearance and Bearing. CHAPTER-4DATA ANALYSIS & INFERENCES Section -I : Regarding Setting Goals 1. Project goals are different from functional goals a)Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 1 OptionsNo of respondentsWeightsTotal score Strongly agree9218 Agree61161 Strongly disagree7-2-14 Disagree23-1-23 GRAPH 2. 1 Inference:Majority of the respondents opined that project goals and functional goals are one and the same with a mean of 0. 42. 2. If I can perform consistently it will see me in higher position sooner than later a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree22+244 Agree54+154 Strongly disagree12-2-24 Disagree12-1-12 GRAPH 2. 2 Inference: Majority of the respondents are agreeing that they can expect themselves in higher position if they perform consistently with a weighted average of 0. 62. 3. My job presents scope for using my innovating skills in making my Decisions a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 3 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree22+244 Agree13+113 Strongly disagree11-2-22 Disagree51-1-51 GRAPH 2. 3Inference: Majority of the respondents opined their job does not showing present scope for using their innovating skills in making decisions with a mean of 0. 16. 4. Percent of target matching with goals in 2008 – 09 a) 80%-100% b) 60%-80% c) 40%-60% d) 20%-40% TABLE 2. 4 OpinionNo of respondentsValue in percentage 80%-100%3333% 60%-80%2929% 40%-60%3131% 20%-40%77% GRAPH 2. 4 Inference: 33% of respondents 80%-100%, 31% of respondents 40%-60%, 29% of respondents 60%-80% and 7% of respondents 20%-40%. The analysis shows that only few employees can meet their target on time.Section B: About the role of superior 5. I don’t hesitate to discuss any of my personal problems with my Superior a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TA BLE 2. 5 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree14+228 Agree61+161 Strongly disagree5-2-10 Disagree20-1-20 GRAPH 2. 5 Inference: Majority of the respondents agree that they do not hesitate to discuss their personal problems with their superior with a weighted score of 0. 6. 6. My superior acknowledging and contributing to set the goals a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. Options No of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree9+218 Agree 77+177 Strongly disagree5-2-10 Disagree 9-1-9 GRAPH 2. 6 Inference :Majority of the respondents agree that their superiors acknowledge and contribute to set their goals with a weighted average of 0. 76. 7. My immediate superior frequently motivates me a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 7 Options No of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree15+230 Agree 67+167 Strongly disagree6-2-12 Disagree 12-1-12 GRAPH 2. 7 Inference: Most of the respondents agree that the ir immediate superior frequently otivates them with a mean of 0. 73. 8. I want my appraisal to be a) Confidential b) open TABLE 2. 8 OpinionNo of respondentsValue in percentage Confidential6666% Open3434% Total100100 GRAPH 2. 8 Inference: 66% of employees desire that their Performance Appraisal must be confidential and remaining 34% accept it to be open. 9. My interpersonal team relationship with peer, superiors and subordinates a) Very good b) good c) adequate d) inadequate TABLE 2. 9 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree29+258 Agree59+159 Strongly disagree12-2-24 Disagree0-10 GRAPH 2. 9 Inference:Majority of the respondents have a positive opinion towards the interpersonal team relationship with peer, superiors and sub- ordinates is good with a mean of 0. 93 . 10. I feel proud and motivated when my superior appreciates my work a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 10 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree35+242 Agree57+162 Strongly disagree4-2-18 Disagree4-1-8 GRAPH 2. 10 Inference: Majority of the respondents feel proud and get motivated when their superior appreciates their work with weighted average of 1. 15. Section c: feedback and evaluation: 1. Iam open to the feedback given by the appraiser a) Always b) sometimes c) rarely TABLE 2. 11 OpinionNo of respondentsValue in percentage Always6464% Some times3030% Rarely66% GRAPH 2. 11 Inference: 64% of the respondents always, 30% of the respondents sometimes, 6% of the respondents rarely. Majority of the respondents are open to their feedback â€Å"always†. 12. Employee opinion about frequency of appraisal system a) Annually b) half-yearly c) quarterly TABLE 2. 12 OpinionNo of respondentsValue in percentage Annually2828% Half-yearly5858% Quarterly1414% GRAPH 2. 12 Inference: 8% of the respondent’s half-yearly. 28% of the respondents annually, 14% of the respondents quarterly. The analyst gives a clear picture that most of the associates like to get appraisal â€Å"half-yearly†. 13. Opinion on performance linked promotional policy a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 13 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree21+242 Agree62+162 Strongly disagree9-2-18 Disagree8-1-8 GRAPH 2. 13 Inference: Majority of the respondents agree that the promotions are based on the rating derived from performance appraisal with weighted average of 0. 8. 14. The HRD department follows up the training needs Identified using appraisal seriously a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 14 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree7+214 Agree21+121 Strongly disagree18-2-36 Disagree54-1 -54 GRAPH 2. 14 Inference: Majority of the respondents are moderately agreed that the HRD dept follows the training needs identify the appraisal with a mean of 0. 55. 15. According to my opinion the following system is useful for our organization a) Team a ppraisal b) 360 degree appraisal c) self appraisal TABLE 2. 15OpinionNo of respondentsValue in percentage Team appraisal2929% 360 degree appraisal3636% Self appraisal3535% GRAPH 2. 15 Inference: 36% of respondents 360 degree appraisal, 35 % of the respondents self appraisal , 29% of the respondents team appraisal, majority of the respondents opined that the 360 degree appraisal is suitable for their organization. 16. Team work is considered as a factor in appraising employee performance a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 16 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree24+248 Agree58+158 Strongly disagree8-2-16 Disagree10-1 10 GRAPH 2. 16 Inference: Most of the respondents agree that team work is considered as a factor in appraising their employee performance with a mean of 0. 8. 17. My opinion on present rating system a) Very good b) good c) fair d) poor TABLE 2. 17 OptionsNo of respondentsWeightsTotal score Very good13339 Good562112 Fai r18118 Poor13-1-13 GRAPH 2. 17 Inference: Most of the respondents are opined that their present rating system is good with a weight age score of 1. 56 Section D: organization effectiveness: 18. At BFL the appraisal system provides for an open discussion between the Appraiser and appraise ) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 18 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree18+236 Agree67+167 Strongly disagree8-2-14 Disagree7-1 -7 GRAPH 2. 18 Inference: Majority of the respondents are agree that at BFL the appraisal system provides for a open discussion between the appraiser and appraise with a mean of 0. 82. 19. The appraisal system at BFL given each appraise an idea of what is expected Of him next year a) Very true b) true c) partly true d) not true TABLE 2. 19 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal scoreVery true15345 True532106 Partly true22122 Not true10-1-10 GRAPH 2. 19 Inference: Majority of the respondents opined that A. S at BFL given e ach appraise an idea of what is expected of him next year with a weighted average of 1. 63 20. Up to what extent do the higher authority implement the Suggestions provide By employee a) All times b) some times c) none TABLE 2. 20 OpinionNo of respondentsValue in percentage All times1818 Some times6767 None1515 GRAPH 2. 20 Inference: 67% of the respondents sometimes, 18% of the respondents all times, 15% of the respondents none.Majority of the respondents agreeing that the higher authority implement the suggestion provide by employee â€Å"sometimes†. 21. Management support to improve the job performance a) strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 21 OptionsNo of respondentsWeightsTotal score Strongly agree20+240 Agree67+167 Strongly disagree5-2-10 Disagree8-1 -8 GRAPH 2. 21 Inference: Majority of the respondents are agree that the management supports to improve their job performance of employees with a mean of 0. 89. 22. Performance appraisal helps me to know my strengths and weakness after the Appraisal ) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 22 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree17+234 Agree61+161 Strongly disagree11-2-22 Disagree11-1 -11 GRAPH 2. 22 Inference: Majority of the respondents opined performance appraisal helps to know their strengths and weakness after the appraisal with a mean of 0. 62. 23. The performance appraisal is based on the real records and facts but not on Impressions a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 23 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTotal score Strongly agree14+228Agree66+166 Strongly disagree9-2-18 Disagree11-1-11 GRAPH 2. 23 Inference: Most of the respondents agree that performance appraisal is based on the real records and facts but not an impressions with a weighted of 0. 65. 24. Iam paid worth my contribution a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree TABLE 2. 24 OptionsNo of respondentsweightsTot al score Strongly agree10+220 Agree66+166 Strongly disagree13-2-26 Disagree11-1-11 GRAPH 2. 24 Inference: Most of the respondents are moderately accepting they paid worth their contribution with a weighted average of 0. 49. CHAPTER-6Findings, Suggestions & Conclusion Findings 1 Majority of the respondents opined that project goals and functional goals are one and the same with a mean of 0. 42. 2. Majority of the respondents are agree that they can expect themselves in higher position if they perform consistently with a weighted average of 0. 62. 3. Majority of the respondents opined their job does not showing present scope for using their innovating skills in making decisions with a mean of 0. 16. 4. 33% of respondents 80%-100%, 31% of respondents 40%-60%, 29% of respondents 60%-80% and 7% of respondents 20%-40%.The analysis shows that only few employees can meet their target on time. 5. Majority of the respondents agree that they do not hesitate to discuss their personal problems w ith their superior with a weighted score of 0. 6. 6. Majority of the respondents agree that their superiors acknowledge and contribute to set their goals with a weighted average of 0. 76. 7. Most of the respondents agree that their immediate superior frequently motivates them with a mean of 0. 73. 8. 66% of employees desire that their Performance Appraisal must be confidential and remaining 34% accept it to be open. . Majority of the respondents have a positive opinion towards the interpersonal team relationship with peer, superiors and sub- ordinates is good with a mean of 0. 93 . 10. Majority of the respondents feels proud and get motivated when their superior appreciates their work with weighted average of 1. 15. 11. 64% of the respondents always, 30% of the respondents sometimes, 6% of the respondents rarely. Majority of the respondents are open to their feedback â€Å"always†. 12. 58% of the respondent’s half-yearly. 28% of the respondents annually, 14% of the res pondents quarterly.The analyst gives a clear picture that most of the associates like to get appraisal â€Å"half-yearly†. 13. Majority of the respondents agree that the promotions are based on the rating derived from performance appraisal with weighted average of 0. 78. 14. Majority of the respondents are moderately agree that the HRD dept follows the training needs identify the appraisal with a mean of 0. 55. 15. 36% of respondents 360 degree appraisal, 35 % of the respondents self appraisal, 29% of the respondents team appraisal, majority of the respondents opined that the 360 degree appraisal is suitable for their organisation. 6. Most of the respondents agree that team work is considered as a factor in appraising their employee performance with a mean of 0. 8. 17. Most of the respondents are opined that their present rating system is good with a weight avg score of 1. 56 18. Majority of the respondents is agree that at BFL the appraisal system provides for an open discus sion between the appraiser and appraise with a mean of 0. 82. 19. Majority of the respondents opined that A. S at BFL given each appraise an idea of what is expected of him next year with a weighted average of 1. 3. 20. 67% of the respondents sometimes, 18% of the respondents all times, 15% of the respondents none. Majority of the respondents agreeing that the higher authority implement the suggestion provide by employee â€Å"sometimes†. 21. Majority of the respondents are agreeing that the management supports to improve their job performance of employees with a mean of 0. 89. 22. Majority of the respondents opined performance appraisal helps to know their strengths and weakness after the appraisal with a mean of 0. 62. 23.Most of the respondents agree that performance appraisal is based on the real records and facts but not an impressions with a weighted of 0. 65. 24. Most of the respondents are moderately accepting they paid worth their contribution with a weighted average of 0. 49. SUGGESTIONS 1. Implementation of innovative ideas in decision making may be encouraged by the management. 2. The management may design the performance linked promotions. 3. The involvement of HRD department may be considered by management in assessing the training needs of employees based performance appraisal system. 4.The superiors should be more approachable when the employees come to them with improvement technique. On the whole the Performance Appraisal system at Bajaj Finserv Limited is Satisfactory. There are few areas which need due attention. The rating must be based purely on the performance. CONCLUSION: The conclusions that emerged from the study of Performance Appraisal System at Bajaj Finserv Limited are that the sampled associates prefer that some change should be brought down in the existing system. The associates feel that the best source of motivation is encouragement by superiors.A 360-degree appraisal system has been recommended by some of the associate s. Training needs to be identified based on the ratings and effective training programs must be conducted where in the associates can fulfill self development needs as well as organizational needs. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY: ?Options expressed by the employee in the questionnaire may not be very genuine. ?What the associates actually feel may not be truly expressed and hence there is the conclusion drawn from them need not apply to the whole organization. Could reach to a limited number of documents of different insurance companies in regard to the management and other policies and resultant figures so as to identify the exact cause of their lag in performance. ?Non-Proficiency in technical aspects of insurance companies might have hindered the best analysis of the findings. . Bibliography WEBSITES: www. bajajfinserv. com www. answers. com www. performanceappraisal. com www. google. com www. yahoo. com NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINE: The Hindu Personnel management Business today ICFAI magazi nes BOOKS: Personnel Management – Edwin FlippoHuman Resources and Personnel Management-k. Ashwathappa Essential of Human Resource Management-P. SubbaRao Personnel Management-C. Memoria Performance Management and Coaching-Prem Chadda Appendices Questionnaire Section -I : Regarding Setting Goals 1. Project goals are different from functional goals a)Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 2. If I can perform consistently it will see me in higher position sooner than later a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 3. My job presents scope for using my innovating skills in making my Decisions ) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 4. Percent of target matching with goals in 2007 – 08 a) 80%-100% b) 60%-80% c) 40%-60% d) 20%-40% Section-II: About the role of Superior 5. I don’t hesitate to discuss any of my personal problems with my Superior a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 6. My superi or acknowledging and contributing to set the goals a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 7. My immediate superior frequently motivates me a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 8.I want my appraisal to be a) Confidential b) open 9. My interpersonal team relationship with peer, superiors and subordinates a) Very good b) good c) adequate d) inadequate 10. I feel proud and motivated when my superior appreciates my work a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 11. Iam open to the feedback given by the appraiser a) Always b) sometimes c) rarely Section-III: Regarding Feedback and Evaluation 11. Iam open to the feedback given by the appraiser a) Always b) sometimes c) rarely 12. Employee opinion about frequency of appraisal system ) Annually b) half-yearly c) quarterly 13. Opinion on performance linked promotional policy a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 14. The HRD department follows up the training n eeds Identified using appraisal seriously a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree 15. According to my opinion the following system is useful for our organization a) Team appraisal b) 360 degree appraisal c) self appraisal 16. Team work is considered as a factor in appraising employee performance a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 17.My opinion on present rating system a) Very good b) good c) fair d) poor Section –IV organization effectiveness 18. At BFL the appraisal system provides for an open discussion between the Appraiser and appraise a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 19. The appraisal system at BFL given each appraise an idea of what is expected Of him next year a) Very true b) true c) partly true d) not true 20. Up to what extent do the higher authority implement the Suggestions provide By employee a) All times b) some times c) none 1. Management support to improve the job performance a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree .22. Performance appraisal helps me to know my strengths and weakness after the Appraisal a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 23. The performance appraisal is based on the real records and facts but not on Impressions a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree 24. Iam paid worth my contribution a) Strongly agree b) agree c) strongly disagree d) disagree