Only the Truth Essay

Truthfulness for a patient enables effective goal attainment while in the healthcare system. However, according to Zahedi (2011) states, â€Å"not telling the truth about cancer consisted of: worry that patients could not take the emotional impact, concern about not being able to manage the patients’ emotional reaction after learning the truth, and protecting patients from harm† (p. 4). Yet, according to Bok (2007), â€Å" an overwhelming majority of patients do want to be told the truth, even about grave illness, and feel betrayed when they learn that they have been misled† (p.489). Doctors should tell their patients the truth because is supports trusting doctor-patient relationships, upholds patients autonomy, and provides time to make end of life decisions. Truth is a foundation for doctor-patient relationships. Bok (2007) states â€Å"truthful information, humanely conveyed, helps patients cope with illness† (p. 489). An exchange of information is key in a patient feeling comfortable within the healthcare system, which is attainable from being told the truth. Wells and Kaptchuk (2012) indicate, â€Å"truthful and meaningful communication is paramount in patient care as it affects not only patient satisfaction with care, but also patient knowledge and behaviour† (p. 26). Patient require to have low levels of anxiety when dealing with a disease, truth enables the decrease of distress. Eisen et al (2008) states, â€Å"[h]ealth care settings is extremely important in contributing to the healing process, it is vitally important to identify what type of art supports stress reduction† (p. 173). Patients dealing with discomfort can manage it more easily after being told the truth due to it being the more vocalized. Milligan (2012) states, â€Å"[r]elief of pain and other symptoms might be expected to be among the most prevalent† (p. 49). Truth telling stimulates hope for a patient by allowing them to have optimism toward their diagnosis, and that their aimed goal is achievable. Begley and Blackwood (2000) state that hope is, â€Å"a mental state characterized by the desire to gain or accomplish a goal combined with some degree of expectation that what is desired or sought is attainable† (p.28). Security for a patient allows for them to create decisions they are confident about when dealing with procedures. Silva et al (2003) indicates that truth, â€Å"increases the feeling of safety and the capacity of mature co-operation for decision making† (p. 420). In addition, truth upholds patients’ autonomy. Bok (2007) indicates that it allows them â€Å"to make informed choices about whether or not to be a patient (p. 489). Truthfulness for a patient allows them to follow directions during treatment and procedures more willingly. Torres et al (2013) indicates, â€Å"meta-analyses discussing this subject have suggested that compliance depends on the involvement of patients and healthcare providers in follow-up tasks† (p. 3). An autonomous individual has a ability to make his/her own decisions including decisions about how much information they would like to receive. Slowther (2009) writes, â€Å"[p]roviding relevant information in a form that a patient can understand, minimizing barriers to decision-making caused by illness or medication† (p. 174-175). Patients seek the knowledge and advice of more than one doctor to confirm a diagnosis and evaluate treatment options. Hall et al (2002) writes, â€Å"general trust is related to certain patient attitudes and behaviours such as satisfaction with care, willingness to follow doctors’ recommendations, desire to seek second opinions, and prior disputes with physicians† (p. 1422). Complimentary treatments for a disease are being used by patients for the reason of allowing them to minimize signs and symptoms themselves outside of the healthcare system. Burstein (2000) states, â€Å"[p]atients identified their desire to â€Å"boost the immune system,† enhance their quality of life, gain control over their life, prevent or treat their cancer, and treat side effects of cancer therapy as the principal reasons for using CAM. Patients credited their conventional practitioners with truth- fulness and technical knowledge† (p. 2501). Patient that are truthfully informed about procedure options are given the opportunity to decide if they think it will be benefit for them. Hall et al (2002) indicates, â€Å"[t]rust is critical to patients’ willingness to seek care, reveal sensitive information, submit to treatment† (p. 1419). Denying any procedures or treatments is capable from a patient that has been truthfully advised. O’Brien (2012) states, â€Å"[t]he autonomous right of competent adults to decide what happens to their own body and the corresponding right to consent to or refuse medical treatment are cornerstones of modern health care† (p. 7). Moreover, truth provides patients with time to make end of life decisions. Bok (2007) writes they consider â€Å"whether or not the enter a hospital† (p. 489). Patients that have been told the truth are made more comfortable to practice their spirituality in order to come in contact with a sense of worth when dealing with a terminating prognosis. Rahnama et al (2012) states spirituality, â€Å"is a way through which human beings recognize the exalted meaning and value of their lives† (p. 21). Patients that require to enter a palliative care unit rely on being told to truth in order for the conversion to be done with ease. Ingleton et al (2011) indicates, â€Å"continuity of care and multidisciplinary collaboration are crucial in order to improve the experience of patients making the transition† (p.57). Arrangements must be made for a patient once in the stage of end-of-life, to secure unresolved personal affairs. Hash and Netting (2007) writes, â€Å"legal rights, financial and property concerns require intentional planning, for once the partner dies it may be too late to rectify ownership issues† (p. 72). The remaining time for a patient is crucial for making decisions about how to establish any preparations to avoid any distress. Conway (2008) indicates that, â€Å"emphasizing the inevitability of death in old age as a normal part of human existence and the importance of registration procedures and funeral arrangements† (p.406). Truthfulness for a patient allows them to have a comfortable experience when in their remaining days. Paulus states, â€Å"[a]n integral part of palliative care, therefore, is to regard dying as a normal process and to help patients achieve a peaceful death. † In conclusion, truth is a vital feature of self governed choices. Interpersonal relations among patients and healthcare professionals creates a fundamental base which enables security. Capacity for a patient to make decisions on their own allows for the obtainment of knowledge for treatments. Preparations to brace for one’s passing gives a patient the ability to experience a tranquil moment preceding entering the afterlife. Truth reinforces patients’ freedom and strengthens the ability to make provisions before bereavement. References Begley, A. , Begley, A. , & Blackwood, B. (2000). Truth-telling versus hope: A dilemma in practice. International Journal Of Nursing Practice, 6(1), 26-31. doi:10. 1046/j. 1440-172X. 2000. 00178. x Burstein, H. J. (2000). Discussing complementary therapies with cancer patients: What should we be talking about? Journal of Clinical Oncology, 18(13), 2501-2504. Conway, S. (2008). Public health and palliative care: principles into practice?. Critical Public Health, 18(3), 405-415. doi:10. 1080/09581590802191906 Da Silva, C. , Cunha, R. , Tonaco, R. , Cunha, T. , Diniz, A. , Domingos, G. , & †¦ De Paula, R. (2003). Not Telling the Truth in the Patient–Physician Relationship. Bioethics, 17(5/6), 417. doi:10. 1111/1467-8519. 00357 Eisen, S. L. , Ulrich, R. S. , Shepley, M. M. , Varni, J. W. , & Sherman, S. (2008). The stress-reducing effects of art in pediatric health care: Art preferences of healthy children and hospitalized children. J Child Health Care, 12(3), 173-190. doi:10. 1177/1367493508092507 Gardiner, C. , Ingleton. C. , Gott. M. , & Ryan. T. (2011). Exploring the transition from curative care to palliative care: a systematic review of the literature. BMJ Support Palliative Care, 1(1), 56-63. doi:10. 1136/bmjspcare-2010-000001 Hall, M. A. , Camacho, F. F. , Dugan, E. E. , & Balkrishnan, R. R. (2002). Trust in the Medical Profession: Conceptual and Measurement Issues. Health Services Research, 37(5), 1419-1439. Hash, K. M. , & Netting, F. (2007). Long-term planning and decision-making among midlife and older gay men and lesbians. Journal Of Social Work In End-Of-Life & Palliative Care, 3(2), 59-77. doi:10. 1300/J457v03n02-05 Lopez-Torres, J. , Parraga, I., Del Campo, J. M. , & Villena, A. (2013). Follow up of patients who start treatment with antidepressants: treatment satisfaction, treatment compliance, efficacy and safety. BMC Psychiatry, 13(1), 1-9. doi:10. 1186/1471-244X-13-65 Milligan, S. (2012). Optimizing palliative and end of life care in hospital. Nursing Standard, 26(41), 48-56. O’Brien, S. (2012). Minors and refusal of medical treatment: a critique of the law regarding the current lack of meaningful consent with regards to minors and recommendations for future change. Clinical Ethics, 7(2), 67-72. doi:10. 1258/ce. 2012. 012007 Paulus. S. C. (2008). Palliative care: An ethical obligation. Retrieved from http://scu. edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/medical/palliative. html Philip, J. , Gold, M. , Schwarz, M. , & Komesaroff, P. (2011). An exploration of the dynamics and influences upon second medical opinion consultations in cancer care. Asia Pacific Journal Of Clinical Oncology, 7(1), 41-46. doi:10. 1111/j. 1743-7563. 2010. 01330. x Rahnama, M. , Khoshknab, M. , Maddah, S. , & Ahmadi, F. (2012). Iranian cancer patients’ perception of spirituality: a qualitative content analysis study. BMC Nursing, 11(1), 19-26. doi:10. 1186/1472-6955-11-19 Sharma, H. , Jagdish, V., Anusha, P. , & Bharti, S. (2013). End-of-life care: Indian perspective. Indian Journal Of Psychiatry, S293-S298. Doi:10. 4103/0019-5545. 105554 Slowther, A. (2009). Truth-telling in health care. Clinical Ethics, 4(4), 173-175. doi:10. 1258/ce. 2009. 009033 Wells, R. , & Kaptchuk, T. J. (2012). To Tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, May Do Patients Harm: The Problem of the Nocebo Effect for Informed Consent. American Journal Of Bioethics, 12(3), 22-29. doi:10. 1080/15265161. 2011. 652798 Zahedi, F. (2011). The challenge of truth telling across cultures: a case study. Journal Of Medical Ethics & History Of Medicine, 4(1), 1-9.

How are women portrayed in The Millers Tale Essay

The Miller’s Tale was written and is set in medieval England, a time when women had much fewer rights than men, and were more or less just owned by their fathers, and then by their husbands when they got married. 17th century United States in The Crucible has a slightly different society but also has the similar male dominance. The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a dystopian future where women are also heavily dominated by men, but in a completely different way. This essay is about the ways that women in general are portrayed and perceived in these three stories, as well as touching on the characters of the individual women in these tales. The Miller’s Tale is one of the stories from the Canterbury Tales series, all written in poetic form, by Geoffrey Chaucer. These tales in the series are all told by different pilgrims, who are also fictional, so this uses a story-within-a-story literary device. Their tales are part of a contest to entertain each other on their pilgrimage from Southwark to Canterbury Cathedral. In The Miller’s Tale, it is the miller’s turn to tell a tale, and he tells the story of a devious young student called Nicholas, who is attracted to the much younger wife of a carpenter, his neighbour, and plots a cunning plan to sleep with her. He does this by telling the dim and simple carpenter that a flood is coming, and that he must tie some tubs to the ceiling of his home for the three of them in order to keep them safe. Whilst the carpenter is away at work on these orders, Nicholas takes the carpenter’s wife Alison downstairs and manages to seduce her until she very willingly has sex with him. Alison from The Miller’s Tale is eighteen years old, and described as passionate and highly attractive. Her faithfulness in marriage to her husband is very questionable when she allows herself to be easily taken in by this other man, her neighbour, and commits adultery with him without much care for her own husband. Near the beginning of the Miller’s Tale, there is a clear, physical description of Alison, being a lively woman who might want to have an affair. For she is â€Å"wilde and yonge†, meaning that her behaviour is rather uncontrolled, and her older husband is jealous and possessive of her. The miller describes her as having a â€Å"body gent and smal† as a weasel’s, meaning that she has an attractive slim figure, and that suggests that she is also a very sly character just like a weasel. Alison is also vain and very concerned about her appearance. She is selfish and cares more about herself than of other people, and she does not even think much of all the men that take a strong liking to her. She has established herself as a not at all a likeable character in this story. The fact that she sleeps with Nicholas right in her very own marital home, whilst her own husband is just upstairs at work at the very same time, must show how very daring she is, because he could have easily come downstairs and catch them in the act. But it could also mean that she does not actually really mind or care much about the carpenter’s feelings or whether he knows that she is being unfaithful to him or not. We feel some sympathy for the carpenter, who is being conned like this by two people, as well as being cheated on by his wife and having to bear the shameful title of a â€Å"cuckold†. Alison is certainly one to take risks in exchange for her own selfish sexual desires, going against the female stereotypes of the time by being rebellious and free-spirited and instead of being faithful and modest like a woman should be in her time. Alison from The Miller’s Tale is a lot like Abigail Williams from The Crucible. They are similar ages, and are both selfish and sexually immoral women who both have illicit sexual affairs and go against societal and moral rules that are expected of them for their own personal gain and pleasure. Also, neither Alison nor Abigail show any shred of remorse for their sinful actions. Where Alison goes behind her albeit dim husband’s back to sleep with her neighbour Nicholas, she is in turn fulfilling his desiring lustful plan. Sex outside of marriage was very wrong in her time, let alone committing adultery. Alison might have just married the carpenter for the sake of security, since he is described in the story as a â€Å"rich gnof†, but obviously cannot control her extramarital sexual urges and is very open to acting on them whenever the chance arises. Seventeen year old Abigail betrays her position as a house servant in the Proctor’s home by having an affair with John Proctor whilst he is still married to his kind wife Elizabeth, who happens to be ill at the time the affair occurs. However, there is much more to Abigail than involvements in adultery, as this leads to her seemingly falling in love and becoming obsessed with John Proctor. She says to him in Act One before the trials: â€Å"I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near†¦ It’s she put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now†. Abigail has seriously formed an impression that John is just as infatuated with her and she is with him, even though he constantly denies it and tells her she is speaking a â€Å"wild thing†. So at the very start of the play, she is casting a spell to kill Elizabeth so that she can be out of the way for herself and John to be together, as she believes that Elizabeth is the only person in her way of having John. We can sympathise a little with Abigail, as we know she has had a very troubled past. She is an orphan, who had watched both her parents being viciously murdered by Indians one night a long time ago. She reveals this in Act One, after ordering the girls to lie about their activities in the woods, she viciously threatens to get them in the night, and in her own words says â€Å"you know I can do it: I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down! â€Å". This traumatic event that was imposed upon her at such a young age does provide some explanation and understanding as to why her personality seems rather unstable, and why she acts so brutally towards other people. On the other hand, we don’t really know anything about Alison’s past, so we assume she is just a nasty sly character and though her crimes are not as dire as Abigail’s, we do not really have the evidence to feel as much sympathy for her behaviour. Though I think we can like Alison to some extent, as even though we condemn her behaviour, the men in her story are not as admirable as John Proctor so maybe her behaviour does not seem so bad. She even has the advantage of being secure in a marriage, unlike Abigail who is an unmarried orphan living with her uncle. The presentation of Abigail in The Crucible is rather dark and frightening, a good example of this being at the court scene, where she is deliberately causing hysteria by throwing around accusations of witchcraft, and even going as far as pretending to be bewitched by Mary, and getting all the other girls to make believe the very same thing and repeat Abigail’s exact chants and actions.

Youth and Juvenile Justice Draft Submission Research Paper

Youth and Juvenile Justice Draft Submission - Research Paper Example Literary Analysis Essay on Short Fiction Selections The authors through the short stories portray how characters use love and a sense of belonging to experience the imaginary world and escape everyday harsh realities. For example, in The Last Speaker of the Language, Darlyn comments, â€Å"It’s just about—even for a day—being this purely happy. Like, happy to be a carbon-based life form† (Anshaw 7). In another short story, Pilgrim Life, one quote that relates to this topic says, â€Å"Pilgrim Life† starts with that calming view, that apartment, my millionaire roommate, my wine magazine job. The rest of it I entirely made up (I swear) over a three-month stretch in the midst of the worst financial crisis I’ve ever lived through† (Atrim 67). These quotes clearly illustrate how the characters create their own imagination in order to avoid real world. For instance, Darlyn expresses how she values happiness, and acknowledge that it may be for a short time, but is so important. This happiness h elps her to escape from the problems with her alcoholic mum as well as job related problems. Similarly, in Pilgrim Life quote, the character acknowledges that not all the good things that he mentions are real, which shows that he sometimes seek imaginary experiences in order to escape from the problems that he has with his-girlfriend among other problems. Dreams and illusions is another strategy used by the authors to demonstrate how the characters uses imagine space to forget their problems. ... t contribute to juvenile delinquency is critical in coming up with ways to address the problem and to reduce the eminent ethical issues and economic losses. Juvenile Delinquency in its context To get a clear understanding of the contribution of all stakeholders involved in Juvenile delinquency to identify the main divisions in which it occur. These include individual delinquency, situational delinquency, organized delinquency and group supported delinquency. Individual delinquency occurs when a single person commits a criminal act on his or her own. Group supported delinquency results from both personal attributes and the neighborhood of an individual usually out of close companionship of a young person with other delinquents. Organized delinquency refers to the commitment of crime by organized groups, in situations where juveniles happen to be members of a criminal gang. Situational delinquency occurs when young people engage in crime without a strong sense of commitment. One of the key factors contributing to juvenile delinquency is the social setting juveniles are placed especially at family level (Iravani, 2012). The kind of guidance that youths are given, the love and care they are shown and openness in the family setting go a long way in good citizens molding such that delinquency is less likely. Where love and discussion are not stressed on in the family and youths are neglected they are become at risk of being easily lured into crime. Most researchers suggest that most young people engage in crime in an effort to seek solutions for their family problems (Rosenheim. et al, 2002). Iravani (2012) also found out that where both parents are available at home and engage their children in discussion and guidance delinquency is less unlikely. The risk to delinquency

Positive Impact of Nursing Leadership Research Paper

Positive Impact of Nursing Leadership - Research Paper Example Recent studies had revealed the fact that, some of the leadership components had a greater and positive influence on the psychosocial working environment. This paper will analyze the article, Nursing Leadership Style and Psychosocial Work Environment written by Terry Malloy and Barbara Penprase. This article mainly focuses on the service industry, and a group of nurses are taken as sample group to conduct the research through questionnaires. Among the industrial sectors, the healthcare sector plays a vital role in saving the lives of the people. Next to the physicians, the nurses are considered to be the life savers, as they attend to the patients very keenly and they assist the doctors in proceeding with the proper treatment to the patients. Due to their extensive work, nurses are prone to mental stress, job repetition, boredom, etc., which have a negative impact in their performances. Hence various researches have been conducted to explore the ways, whereby the performance of the n urses can be enhanced, resulting in increased job satisfaction. One such research article would be, Nursing Leadership Style and Psychosocial Work Environment. ... Basically nursing process can be described as a modified version of scientific process. It is mainly utilized in the medical field to assess the needs of the patients and to formulate a course of action whereby the problems of the patients can be addressed and solved respectively. â€Å"Developed by Ida Jean Orlando in 1958, this method is used by nurses to balance out the usage of scientific evidence and personal interpretation when diagnosing and treating.† (â€Å"An In-Depth Look into the Nursing Process†, n. d). Thus, the nursing process includes five major steps namely assessing the problems of the patients, diagnosing the issues, planning the course of action to address the problem, implementing the solution effectively and evaluating the results. From the above sentence, it is obvious that the nursing process involves five major steps in attending to the problems of the patients. However in the article, it has been revealed that there is an effective correlation between the healthy working environment and the nursing process, which also impacts the well being of the patients and their health. Moreover, it is very much apparent from the article that the entire nursing process mainly depends on the various dimensions of the psychosocial environment. Generally, the process of nursing can be described as a cyclic that can come to an end at any of the five stages if the problem is solved. Above all, the nursing process not only focuses on attending the physical needs of the patients but also attend to their social and emotional needs considerably. Hence, the article very well highlights the positive relationship between the contingent reward leadership with that of the psychosocial work

What is freedom of speech and why, if it all, is it a good thing Essay

What is freedom of speech and why, if it all, is it a good thing - Essay Example Freedom of speech is a right that is cherished all over the world. However it is quite limited or nonexistent in some countries or regions and this has resulted to constant struggle to expand or attain it. Currently, Middle East and Northern African countries like Bahrain and Libya respectively, are undergoing revolutions that aim at liberalising people from decades, if not centuries, of infringement of human rights one of them being freedom of speech. Although these current cases have received huge media, political and humanitarian attention, struggles of this nature happened in the western countries for people to enjoy the freedom currently enjoyed here. Freedom of speech is heavily attributed to the European enlightenment which revolved around numerous historical, socio-political and intellectual transformations. This enlightenment resulted to every person being regarded as a rational being who is in a position to make sensible decisions at will. The state has the obligation of cr eating conditions that facilitate the enjoyment of such liberties within the confines of set laws in consideration of general state of peace. This paper looks into what constitutes freedom of speech and why, if at all, it is a good thing. An individual’s right to freely present their views if discontented with the status quo and when they wish to see changes happening is referred to as freedom of speech (Feinberg 1994). Freedom of speech is increasingly becoming a benchmark of creativity and advancement of societies and countries at large. It is difficult for people to express their creativity and bring forth innovation where freedom of speech is hugely curtailed. The basic reason behind this is that a society deficient of freedom of speech limits people’s willingness to offer their views and explore choices to situations facing them. Speech in this understanding basically translates to the message that one is transmitting or intending to convey. In the last four decad es freedom of speech has gained correlation with freedom of press with increased roles of the media. Looking into the US laws for example, The Congress is disallowed from making legislation that hinders ‘†¦ the freedom of speech, or of the press’ (Feinberg 1994). Based on the definition offered above, freedom of speech threatens governments’ actions hugely making it a highly likely target for curtailment. A good scenario lies in the events occurring in the Arab World where citizens of countries are holding persistent demonstrations demanding for resignations of their presidents/leaders and cabinets while seizing government property like oil fields in Libya. This shows that speech needs to be protected at all cost in order to ensure societal transformation and coherence with the changing times. There has been wide debate as to whether some forms of speech need to be prohibited. This debate for years has led to development of various principles that assist in elaborating the above statement. The Harm Principal is one which originated from enlightenment thinkers. They argued that a person has the right to express their opinion or convey a message as long as in doing so no one is harmed. This principal came about as a result of British-American constitutionalism and it is well portrayed in the United States constitution where, as briefly stated earlier, Congress is to make no law that is based on respect of religious establishments or that which abridges freedom of speech or press (Warburton 2001). The French Revolution also brought with it a law that states that a person shall not be discriminated against based on their opinions and religion as long as these are in line with public order and the existing laws. A notable thinker, John Stuart Mill stated that freedom is important towards realisation of truth and that suppressing opinions is tantamount to infallibility (Schauer 1982). He also stressed that even if an opinion seems untrue it may still hold some degree of truth therefore its suppression will hold the little truth in it. However,

Literature Review on Learning Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Literature Review on Learning - Dissertation Example It has been estimated that around 1 billion people around the world use English everyday (Crystal, 1996). These same individuals would be speaking or writing the language in a wide variety of settings such as the business world or the academe. Such a scenario reinforces the fact that teaching English can be a very daunting task. Prospective teachers must not only deal with the sheer complexity of the language itself but also due to its global nature, the differences in each pupil’s capabilities and learning preferences that are becoming broader. Over the years, various scholars of different nationalities have attempted to formulate their own methods to improve instruction in a native language or to introduce a second language. A careful study and comparison of their works especially the researches on improving English instruction, may aid in the formulation of a successful teaching program.James Asher (1966) was known for his studies which became known as the Total Physical Response experiments. This proceeded with students listening to commands being given in a specific target language, where the whole class including the instructor, would immediately respond by performing the appropriate physical action. When these commands become familiar, the teacher would remain seated and only the students will continue responding to the given commands. Sometimes, a few unfamiliar utterances may also be given. Verbal responses by the students would only be initiated when the students feel they are ready. Many of the grammatical featur es in a language can be introduced through this method with almost any grammatical constituent being able to get taught.

Accounting ratio analysis for Hysan Development Company Limited Essay

Accounting ratio analysis for Hysan Development Company Limited - Essay Example The company has three segments in operating as such in the industry. First, is has its Office segment, which is in charge of leasing of office space and related facilities to various customers from office users. Second, it has its Retail segment, which takes charge of the leasing of space and related facilities, this time to a wide range of retail of retail and leisure operators. Third, it has its Residential segment, which takes charge of the leasing of luxury residential properties and related facilities. The company has continued to expand over the years and as of December 31, 2012, its investment property portfolio has reached an approximate level of more than 4 million gross square feet of office, retail and residential space in Hong Kong. The Companys subsidiaries as of 2012 included HD Treasury Limited, Admmore investments Limited, Hysan China Holdings Limited, Hysan Corporate Services Limited, Hysan (MTN) Limited and Hysan Leasing Company, among others (Reuters, 2014a). Profits are created from the surplus of revenues over expenses. This would require a way to gauge revenues and expenses which are extracted from the financial statements of the companies under study. Various categories of expenses according to functions, get deducted from the revenues for purposes of computing profit or income. First is the direct cost or called cost of sales or revenues is deducted first from revenues to arrive at gross profit. From gross profit, operating income will be derived after deducting further selling and administrative expenses will be deducted to arrive at operating income. From the operating income, net income determination will follow after non-operating incomes or expenses are added/deducted accordingly from the operating income (Johnson, et al, 2003). After producing the various categories of income --- gross profit, operating income and net income, each result

Production Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Production Management - Essay Example According to Hill (1991), ‘The production/operations management (POM) task is concerned with the transformation process which takes inputs and converts them into outputs, together with the various support functions closely associated with this basic task’ (cited Brown, 2000; p.7). Such transformation processes can be applied to three main categories, materials, customers and information. Brown (2000) describes that Production Management encompasses the most vital activities of production, beginning from and including, planning and design, production processes of goods and services, and also effective integration of marketing, finance, human resources management and strategy in order to enable a business to enter and compete with both new and existing markets. In other words, a business’s success and sustainability largely depend on the operational capabilities, including efficiency and quality. Production management is a comprehensive phenomenon including distinct and complex activities that need to be performed in order to achieve a firm’s goals. Besides the processes itself, there is a strategic aspect linked to the production management process, without which aligning production processes with the firm’s actual goals, tracking performance of the firm and its processes, and gaining profits become difficult or even impossible. The entire production management can be illustrated in the following manner: Each of these activities requires planning in great detail. The present discussion will be focused on production process in a normal readymade clothes manufacturing unit. Although the focus is on production process, it should be noted that production process is further dependent on the other functions, i.e. strategic planning and tactical planning. For instance, the raw materials required for the production process are procured from

Lieutenant Calley Essay Example for Free

Lieutenant Calley Essay There is a big difference between known facts and the reality especially when it comes to military matters. There is a definite chain of command in place and in most cases soldiers do not do their own bidding but have to obey orders from above. The case of Lieutenant William Calley in the My Lai Massacre is one of the cases that expose the kind of leadership that we have in our military which comes at the backdrop of many public outcry against such cowboy actions. To many civilians, this is seen as a frame where someone has to take the fall and this person is usually down in the chain of command. The interesting thing is that in these cases, there is no evidences to prove who actually gives command for execution of orders that are detrimental to human rights. Lieutenant Calley was an average person in education and military service and therefore there was nothing extra ordinary about him. Many of the fellow soldiers in his troop seemed to distance themselves from him since the media had found a perfect example to portray what was happening in Vietnam (Collins Williams, 2000). What he did was ethically and morally wrong but he alleges that a command had come from above and he was simply following orders from above (Allyne 2000). His character here comes out as someone who follows orders and is obedient although we cannot rule out the opposite. The in Vietnam was very unpopular and not many people supported it and looking at issue from sides, the case and evidence was going against the lieutenant. Soldiers are known to be people of high integrity and who regard morality highly and therefore there must have been other compelling external factors that caused him to call for the massacre. Family and friends had a different opinion on his character and mental sanity. They regarded him as an average boy who was incapable of committing the atrocities in Vietnam. Looking at his background, there was a lot that was happening and some of it might be evidence enough to suggest that it clouded and interfered with his actions. Calley’s parents were not doing well health wise with both of them suffering from diseases that are associated with old ages. diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer and his father suffered from health complications due to diabetes. Human psychology is very complex and the way people react to situations differently and the happenings at home might have led to mental instability. The environment in the war front exerts a lot of pressure on soldiers and added pressure from home or other external source is enough to reduce the credence of anyone in a position of leadership. Members of the public with knowledge of the case continue to have a negative a view of Lt. William Calley considering his role in My Lai massacre in Vietnam. The public’s feeling toward Lt. Calley is further influenced by the media coverage of his case since 1970s, especially considering that prosecution of the case was accusing of acting on the influence of senior decision makers in the military. The increase in the amount of information available to the public is aiding in the shift of public perception in favor of Calley. Indeed, the American people are coming to the understanding that yes, Calley was deeply involved in My Lai massacre, but he was not alone; those at their higher levels of the military’s decision making brogans who were never prosecuted. Despite the increase in the information available to the public, Calley is still regarded as a blood stained master minder of the massacre. This perception will only change if Calley himself tells the public of the My Lai story. As for the prosecutor, Lt. Calley was simply guilty. To critics, this form of incriminating stance was adopted by the prosecutor, based on the accounts which were issued to him by the Senior Army Personnel who were in control at the moment. To this effect, that Lt. Calley ordered the massacre in M y Lai is taken as the premise of the case, rather than the need to examine the chain of command under which Lt. Calley was acting and issuing orders. Many of soldiers that were in war at the time in Vietnam concur that the case of the massacre was not an isolated case but may have been one of the many happenings that are alleged to have taken place around that time. The situation on ground in a war zone is usually different from an ideal situation and therefore civilians are the worse people to judge military personnel. The happenings back at home might have interfered with his thinking which supports that he was acting on his own and not orders from above. It is therefore not easy to determine the basis upon which he used to instigate the massacre. References Allyne, W. (2002). A Look at the Vietnam Court Cases New York: McGraw Hill. Collins, P. and William, A. (2000). Lt. Calley’s Court Cases. New York: Prentice Hall. Trevino, Linda Nelson, K. (2007). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right (4e). New York: Wiley and Sons.

Economies Of Scale Scope Essay Example for Free

Economies Of Scale Scope Essay Economies of Scope: An economic theory stating that the average total cost of production decreases as a result of increasing the number of different goods produced. For example, McDonalds can produce both hamburgers and French fries at a lower average cost than what it would cost two separate firms to produce the same goods. This is because McDonalds hamburgers and French fries share the use of food storage, preparation facilities, and so forth during production. Another example is a company such as Proctor Gamble, which produces hundreds of products from razors to toothpaste. They can afford to hire expensive graphic designers and marketing experts who will use their skills across the product lines. Because the costs are spread out, this lowers the average total cost of production for each product. Economies of scale are the cost advantages that a business can exploit by expanding their scale of production. The effect of economies of scale is to reduce the average (unit) costs of production. Here are some examples of how economies of scale work: Technical economies of scale: Large-scale businesses can afford to invest in expensive and specialist capital machinery. For example, a supermarket chain such as Tesco or Sainsbury’s can invest in technology that improves stock control. It might not, however, be viable or cost-efficient for a small corner shop to buy this technology. Specialisation of the workforce Larger businesses split complex production processes into separate tasks to boost productivity. By specialising in certain tasks or processes, the workforce is able to produce more output in the same time.

Quality Circle Activities at Hindustan Zinc Lilmited

Quality Circle Activities at Hindustan Zinc Lilmited A PROJECT ON VALIDATING â€Å"COMPETENCY MAPPING† FOR ATTAINING THE BEST â€Å"QUALITY CIRCLE PRACTICES† AT HZL Executive Summary Successful quality circles offer a wide variety of benefits for businesses. They talk about the perceptions as well as employees awareness, increase managements awareness of employee ideas, as well as employee awareness of the need for innovation within the company. Adding on, quality circles can improve a businesss competitiveness by reducing costs, improving quality, and promoting innovation.HZL with the above motives, implemented the Quality Circles. The Quality Circles lead t self development, mutual development, quality improvement , cost reduction, waste reduction, productivity improvement, improvement in safety, job satisfaction , problem solving opportunities, people involvement and participation in team building. But, at present the Quality Circles are not able reciprocate the same. Therefore the present study aims at two basic objectives Phase I: To understand the Quality Circle activities at Hindustan Zinc Lilmited. To understand the perceptions of the Quality Circles facilitators and leaders in respect to the formation of the of the Quality Circles So the quality circles being not up to the mark ,the project aims to streamline the Quality Circle activities at Debari and to provide impetus so that the members get onto self-motivated mode. Further, to facilitate the environment for the activities and conduct appropriate guidance structures at Hindustan Zinc Limited .There must be support based on the respect of humanity, aiming at participation by everybody .Also, to develop capabilities and capacities of the Quality Circle members and to make the work place full of vitality. Phase II: The second phase explored Competency Mapping of the employees.Competency plays an important role in shaping up the perceptions of the employees.It is basically a measure to avoid making the mistake of hiring a round peg for a square hole. One of the underlying principles of Competency Mapping is finding the right person for the right job (specially the Facilitators of the quality circles). After the detailed study on reasons behind the non effectiveness of Quality Circles, Competency Mapping Study was taken up. The facilitators competencies were taken into account for the same. An effort was taken up to relate the individual competencies to the competencies required for the best Quality Circle Practices at HZL. Identifying, assessing and linking people competency with the Quality Circle competency from the core mapping. Competency Mapping is a process of identifying key competencies for a particular position in an organization. Therefore, the executives opinion about the competencies required for the Quality Circles was taken into account. The relevance and role of HR Managers is going through a flux. The new generation HR Manager attempts to link their individual competency with those set of competencies, which make them successful in their leadership role. In the present study, executives from various departments were selected randomly and were included in the sample. Questionnaires were filled by only those executives who had a free will. The find outcome of this project is in the development of a suggested framework to unable them to bridge the gap between the prevalent and required set of competencies. Hindustan Zinc Smelter (Debari) at present is not making use of the Competency Mappi ng tool. Therefore the executives were made aware of this tool of HR and to make them know the benefits of Competency Mapping as a tool to help their growth in an organization. Various formats to get the Quality Circles get streamlined are also suggested which include Evaluation Criteria, Format for the meetings and the minutes ,Introduction for of the commandments of QCs, relating awards and recognition to the same. As a result the company organized a Quality Circle gathering with a lunch in which a briefing for the Quality Circles was again given ,besides bags to all the quality circle members were given so as to give them recognition by differentiating them from the non members. Certificate From Industry Guide Certificate From Faculty Guide This is to certify that, Ms Arushi Chauhan from MBA (HR) class of 2009 is a Bonafide student of Amity Business School, Amity University Uttar Pradesh and is presently pursuing a Post Graduate Programme in Management. Under my guidance, she has submitted her project titled â€Å"Validating Competency Mapping for Attaining Best Quality Circle Practices at HZL†, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the summer internship project from Hindustan Zinc Limited, Udaipur, from May 1, 2008 to June 30, 2008 during the Post Graduate Programme in Management. This report has not been previously submitted as part of another degree or diploma of another business school or university. (Date July 24, 2008) Dr. R. Sujatha Senior Faculty (HR) Amity Business School CHAPTER: 1 INTRODUCTION Company Profile Introduction to Quality Circles Competency Mapping Objective Rationale COMPANY PROFILE VEDANTA GROUP Welcome To The Vedanta Group Vedanta an over US $ 8.2 billion, Vedanta Resources plc (â€Å"Vedanta†) is a London listed FTSE 100 diversified metals and mining major. The group produces aluminium, copper, zinc, lead and iron ore and also commercial energy. Vedanta has operations in India, Zambia and Australia and a strong organic growth pipeline of projects. With an empowered talent pool of 30,000 employees globally, Vedanta places strong emphasis on partnering with all its stakeholders based on the core values of entrepreneurship, excellence, trust, inclusiveness and growth. Chairman Mr. Anil Agarwal Deputy Chairman Mr. Navin Agarwal Chief Executive Officer Mr. Kuldeep Kumar Kaura Vedanta Group is a well established name in the corporate world. Vedanta has a strong track record in managing operations and improving costs and output. Its zinc and copper operations rank in the top quartile of global cost efficiency. Its principal operations are located in India, where they have a major market share in each of their main metals: aluminum, copper, zinc and lead. There are also substantial copper operations in Zambia and a copper mine in Australia. Vedanta Resources plc was listed in London in December 2003. At the time of listing, Vedanta set out a carefully structured strategy, to which the board and management remain committed. The group comprises three major businesses: Aluminium comprising bauxite mining, alumina refining aluminium smelting operations in India. Copper comprising smelting refining operations in India, copper ore mining in Australia, an integrated copper production in Zambia. Zinc comprising zinc-lead mining smelting operations in India. Sterlite Industries is an important segment of Vedanta Group. Sterlite Industries (India) Limited was  acquired in 1986, bringing together several metal related activities managed by the Agarwal family.   In 2001 it acquired a 26% stake in Hindustan Zinc Ltd., an integrated zinc and lead producer, from the Government of India and a further 20% through a compulsory open market offer. Vedanta is successfully operating in India in collaboration with Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL). The Zinc business of Vedanta is managed within Hindustan Zinc Limited.   HZL is Indias only integrated Zinc Company, operating from mine to finished metal and supplied around 80% of Indias zinc requirements in 2007-08. Vedanta Resources Plc A Snapshot National presence Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd (SIIL) Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (BALCO) The Madras Aluminium Company Ltd (MALCO) Vedanta Aluminium Ltd. (VAL) Lanjigarh Sesa Goa Limited Sterlite Energy Limited 2) Global presence Copper Mines of Tasmania, Tasmania Konkola Copper Mines, Zambia 3) Sterlite Group has also strong presence in Optical cables business through Sterlite Optical Technologies Ltd. (a non Vedanta Company) 4) A leading producer of key commodities in India FY2007-08 Group turnover : US $ 8,203 million FY2007-08 Group EBITDA : US $ 3,010 million $7.5 billion investment programme. First phase of $2.2 billion completed on time and within budget. The next phase of $5.3 billion under implementation and on schedule. STERLITE INDUSTRIES Sterlite Energy Limited (SEL) is a part of Vedanta Resources plc , a London listed metals and mining major with Aluminium, Copper, Zinc and Iron ore operations in India, Australia and Zambia, and a subsidiary of Vedanta group flagship company, Sterlite Industries (India) Limited. SEL was established to develop, construct and operate power plants and seeks to become one of Indias leading commercial power generation companies. SEL is well positioned to capitalize on Indias economic growth, power deficit and large coal reserves to develop a commercial power generation business. It shall benefit from Vedanta groups experienced and focused management with strong project execution skills, experience in building and operating captive power plants, substantial experience in mining activities and the capacity to finance world-class projects. Various objectives of Sterlite group regarding HZL are: To make Chanderiya Smelter, Rampura Agucha mines known for its world class operations. To make Zawar mines, RDM, ZSP and ZSV internationally competitive HINDUSTAN ZINC LTD. PROFILE Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) is one of Indias leading Zinc-lead producers and exceptional in its extent of its technology coupled with vertical integration in other non-ferrous metals. Hindustan Zinc Limited was incorporated from the erstwhile Metal Corporation of India on 10th January 1966 as a Public Sector Undertaking. Hindustan Zinc is a vertically integrated company with mining and smelting operations located mainly in the State of Rajasthan and in the State of Andhra Pradesh. Hindustan Zinc is Indias only integrated producer of Zinc and Lead and is among the worlds leading integrated Zinc and Lead producers. Its metal production capacity is currently 754000 tones per annum. The smelters are situated at Chanderia, Debari and Visakhapatnam .The mines are situated at Zawar, Dariba and Rampura Agucha VISION OF HZL To be a world-class zinc company, creating value, leveraging mineral resources and related core competencies. MISSION OF HZL Be a lowest cost zinc producer on a global scale, maintaining market leadership One million tones zinc-lead metal capacity by 2010 Be innovative, customer oriented and eco-friendly, maximizing stake-holder value Introduction to Quality Circle A Quality Circle is a small group in which people who work in the first line work place, continually improve and maintain the quality of products, services, job. This small group promotes the activity in such a way as to autonomously administer it, utilize the QC concept and technique and others, display creativity and make self development and mutual development. This activity intent to: †¢Develop workers capability; perform the self-actualization for QC Circle members, make the work place full of brightness and vitality. †¢Enhance customer satisfaction and make a social contribution. The executives and the mangers in order to make QC Circle activities successful, contribute to improving the enterprises, constitute and implement company wide TQM or similar one by themselves. Facilitate the environment for the activity and continually, conduct appropriate guidance and support based on the respect for humanity, aiming at the participation by everybody and positioning the activity as important for human resources development and work place utilization Quality Circles Functioning: A typical quality circle consists of 5 to 10 members from the same working area. A leader is either elected by the members or the senior most people assumes the leaders role. The quality circle meets once every week, usually outside working hours. The meeting lasts for half hour to one hour. The quality circle is assisted by a facilitator or a coordinator, who is from the executive cadre. The facilitator helps in ensuring that the requirements for the quality circle meetings are met. He also is the contact between the quality circles and the senior management. In many cases, the facilitator helps the team in case they face difficult in solving a problem. MANAGEMENT ACTION FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTAION OF QUALITY CIRCLE CONCEPT FORMATION OF APEX LEVEL STEERING COMMITTEE. ABOVE COMMITTEE WILL DECIDE TO FORM ZONE WISE STEERING COMMITTEE (TWO TO FIVE SUCH COMMITTEES MAY BE FORMED DEPENDING UPON ORGANISATIONAL SET UP). NOMINATE ZONE CHAIRPERSON FOR EACH ZONE. ZONE CO-ORDINATOR AND OVER ALL CHIEF CO-ORDINATOR. DECIDE DATE/DAY OF MONTHLY AREA STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING. APEX LEVEL STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING MAY BE HELD BI-MONTHLY. PROPOSED AGENDA MAY BE: ADOPTION/FOLLOW-UP OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES. IN APEX LEVEL STEERING COMMITTEE CHAIRED BY HEAD OF PLANT, CHAIRMEN OF AREA STEERING COMMITTEE WILL PRESENT THE STATUS OF QUALITY CIRCLES STATUS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE AREAS. STATUS OF CIRCLE ACTIVITIES IN EACH ZONE FOLLOWED BY IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF APPROVED PROJECTS. TRAINING PROGRAMME/REFRESHER PROGRAMME STATUS. PROJECT FOR APPROVAL ANY OTHER POINTS IN CASE OF â€Å"PROJECTS FOR APPROVAL† CIRCLE WILL PRESENT ONE BY ONE. THEY WILL SIMPLY EXLAIN THE PROJECT TAKEN, HOW THEY HAVE SOLVED AND GAINS (WITH IN 5 TO 7 MINUTES). A GROUP OF NOMINATED EXECUTIVES WILL AUDIT THE SAME AT WORK PLACE. THEY WILL ASK FEW QUESTIONS TO THE EMPLOYEES OF THAT AREA TO ENCOURAGE THEM. PROJECT MAY BE APPROVED AFTER SEEING THE IMPLEMENTATION STATUS, IF NO FURTHER MODIFICATION IS REQUIRED. IF PROJECT IS APPROVED, THIS SHOULD BE PRESENTED IN PROPER WAY. A TOKEN GIFT MAY BE GIVEN TO EACH MEMBER INCLUDING FACILITATOR/ DY. FACILITATOR. THIS GIFT MAY BE RESTRICTED TO THOSE WHO HAVE ATTENDED 60% OR MORE MEETINGS HELD FOR THIS PROJECT DURATION. THIS WILL ENCOURAGE THE MEMBER TO ATTEND MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MEETINGS. AFTER APPROVAL OF THE PROJECT, STEERING COMMITTEE OF THAT ZONE WILL ASK THE HOD OF THAT ZONE, TO MAKE TENTATIVE PLANNING OF IMPLEMENTAION OF PROJECTS IN TOTALITY. EVALUATION OF EACH AREA AND BEST CIRCLE IN EACH AREA MAY BE DONE EVERY SIX MONTHS VIZ. JANUARY TO JUNE AND JULY TO DECEMBER OF EACH YEAR AS PER PRE FIXED CRITERIA. A RUNNING SHIELD TO BEST, AREA AND PRIZES TO BEST CIRCLE IN EACH AREA MAY BE GIVEN ON THE BASIS OF SIX MONTHLY EVALUATION ON 15TH AUGUST AND 26TH JANUARY RESPECTIVELY. QC MELA, QUIZ COMPETITION, KAVI SAMMELAN, POSTER/ESSAY/SLOGAN/POEM COMPETITION ETC. MAY BE ORANISED BY QUALITY CIRCLE INITIATIVE TRAINING/ REFRESHER PROGRAMME, FACILITATORS MEET, LEADERS MEET ETC. MAY BE ORGANISED AT REGULAR INTERVAL. TO CREATE QUALITY CIRCLE ENVIRONMENT, TRY TO ENCOURAGE QC IN HOME, COLONY, HOSPITAL, SCHOOL TEACHER, STUDENT ETC. SURRONDING VILLAGES MAY BE TAKEN TO IMPLEMENT QC CONCEPT IN VILLAGES Quality Circle Policy at Hindustan Zinc Limited Introduction: This policy provides objectives of the Companys Quality Circle Program and outlines a broad framework for operations of quality circles in the company for its continuity and consistency amongst the units. It provides the strategic direction for the efforts to achieve sustainable operations of quality circles in the company and qualitative aspects embedded in the companys vision and mission statements. It incorporates the basic approach of quality circles concept appropriately to improve the work culture. Objectives: The quality circles will have the following objectives: To enhance employees job satisfaction and belongingness. To provide an effective platform to the employees to contribute through their ideas knowledge in a healthy environment so as to use their full potential. To promote team work and improve communication at all levels. To develop problem solving analytical approach at shop floor to solve day to day problems. To improve work culture through reduced waste and enhanced quality and productivity. To further expand employee development through education and awareness. The Set Up: QC BASICS Quality circles will have four to eight workmen of same work area involved in doing similar kind of activities as members. They will meet as per schedule preferably at least once in 21 days, and identify, select, prioritise the problems. Analyze the causes of problems after discussions in the meetings and then make recommendations of solutions through discussions a nd /or brif Presentations. The QC members will then work together to implement the approved solutions in their work area would be facilitated by the management wherever necessary. Role of QC Leader The leader of the QC will be chosen from the group by the group members only. QC can have different leaders for different problems. The leaders of the QCs will be given necessary inputs by the shop flor facilitator so the leader becomes competent enough to take responsibility for the operation of the QC and can explain proper uses of QC techniques to the circle members. The leader should ensure that the meetings are held as per schedule and a report of each QC meeting is made covering all aspects. Role of Facilitator An executive of shop floor will facilitate each QC.This executive The Facilitator will be responsible in following ways: Be primarily an advisor to the QC of his department /Section/Sub Section. Be active and helpful to the extent the group wants his involvement and keep him informed through interactions / reports of the QC meetings etc. Constantly promote encourage the circle concept extend all facilities to QCs for organizing meeting as per schedule. These facilities will include meeting place, stationary other material for arranging presentations. Maintain liaison, contacts and provide feedback on requests in a timely manner towards ‘Solutions-implementation. Educate encourage other employees of the area to join the QCs /Form new QC. Role of Convenor For overall coordination facilitating jobs at unit level, the HOD of Unit I.E. Dept. will act as the UNIT convenor (s) to expedite the coordination process. He will be responsible for: Smooth and uninterrupted operations of Unit Quality Circle Program. Education / Training to facilitators, Leaders and Members. Coordinating circle operations by acting as an interface between facilitators /circles and Unit Steering Committee Unit Management. Providing feedback to steering Committee and extend help as and when required by the facilitators/circles. Maintaining records of all QCs of the unit based on QC meeting. Helping facilitators /HODs in evaluation of QC performance. Organizing Units Annual QC Convention preferably in the quality month i.e. November and declaration of the best quality circles of the year. Attending circle meetings occasionally and organizing QC leader meetings periodically. Coordinating with Convenor of Corporate QC Steering Group.(CQCSG) Sending a monthly report to the convenor of CQCSG i.e. HOD of Corporate IE Department Corporate office giving all the details regarding Unit Quality Circle operations .The details will include number of QCs ,their strength ,meeting frequency ,areas identified / approved for analysis, Q.C. Techniques employed, presentations made, No. of improvements effected their brief details ,designation of Sr. Level Officers of the unit who extended visible support ,the evaluation sheets of QCs performance etc. Unit Steering Group (USG) USG will be chaired by Unit Head and will consist of HODs of major functions of the unit viz. production, maintenance, personnel, accounts, stores etc. USG will be responsible in conformance to units operational requirements consistent with broad guidelines of QC Policy. USG shall provide guidance direction to QC program within the unit. USG will also publicize the circle activities /achievements within outside the unit .Their objective will be to promote QCs in all areas of the unit. The members of the group will show their visible support by attending meetings regularly with the facilitators and the circle members for encouragement advises. They will also allocate higher priority for attending presentation of quality circles as when requested. CQCSG: Corporate support to all QC activities in the Units would be extended through a Corporate QC Steering Group. The Operative Framework: The membership of the circles will be open to all workmen on voluntary basis QC members will work in coordinated team manner to accomplish the activities taken on their own initiative by sharing responsibilities among themselves. QC members will identify, select, prioritize and analyze the problems. QC members will participate in all QC activities including presentation set for other fellow workmen to emulate. QC members will be in constant touch with the facilitator. QC members will set up schedules for meetings and presentations within the framework of known company work loads in consultation with the facilitator send minutes of meetings promptly to the Unit Convenor with a copy to the facilitator. The circle will maintain continuous communication amongst all members. QC members will present the identified problems along-with alternative solutions to management for acceptance. QC members will pursue to implement the solutions of the problems as approved by management. QC members will make presentation on the progress of implemented solutions to management. Circles will not address the following subjects: Employees Complaints Personal Grievances Personality related issues Role of Unit Steering Group: USG may participate in circles actions and will address to circles requests. USG will also support all implementation activities. USG may also suggest problems to the quality circles for further exploration. USG will encourage formation of quality circles on other areas of the unit. Performance Evaluation: The performance of each quality circle will be evaluated based on following guidelines: Evaluation Period: 1 Year Parameters Weightage % (a) No. of Meetings (Frequency at least once 15(Maximum 17 in 21 days) meetings in a year) Attendance of members 15 (in percentage) Regular submission of minutes of 10 meetings/reports to Unit Convenor No. of new problems identified and their 10 selection process Analysis ,effective use of QC tools, 10 workload distribution among the members Quality of solved problems with respect to 10 potential of the groups (g) No. of solutions implemented 10 (h) No. of presentations made, quality of 20 presentation, participation of members special features in the presentation. Comparison among circles will be done on the basis of the marks scored by different QCs of the unit. Recognition Facilitations Aspects: The efforts of circles attract non -financial awards only which could be in terms of recognition /publicity and the others as outlined below: i) At the time of formation registration of quality circles: Inauguration of QC by Unit Head. Introduction of QC members to Unit Head in presence of their Departmental Head. Displaying the details of newly formed QC on all notice boards of the Unit. Provision of stationary (writing pad, pen/pencil) to QC members. ii) After 10 meetings or completing at least one useful project whichever is later inviting QC members with spouse on a ‘tea† by HOD. iii) After 1st presentation to HOD of Respective Department, a certificate would be given to all QC members on a tea-get-together of the department. iv) Presentation of selected QCs to Unit Head in presence of all QCS of the unit where certificates shall be awarded to circle members signed by Convenor chairman of USG together. v) Honour at important occasions where QC member could be invited with the spouse. vi) QC page will be included in monthly departmental and unit report giving highlights of implemented solutions. vii) After annual performance review of QCs in the unit publication of details of completed projects by QC members with their photographs for circulation in all the units of HZL. viii) Two best QCs will be selected in the unit convention after 1 year of their operations based on performance criteria will be awarded accordingly (Preferably in quality month i.e. November). ix) Awarding QCFI membership to members of best two circles judged by evaluation committee constituted by Unit Steering Group Subject to eligibility. x) Sending Units best two QCs to other units for presentation on some important occasion of the unit. xi) Recognition to QCs standing 1st or 2nd in Unit consecutively for two years by CQCSG. xii) Best quality circle judged by CQCSG at Corporate level matching with corporate image be considered for sending for participation in national competition organized by QCFI when the opportunity comes. Introduction to Competency Mapping In the modern competitive world, business managers are required to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the business operations. As there are several factors that affect efficiency and effectiveness of operations the improvement is required to be carried out in every factor. These factors are required to bring every factor in synchronization with other factors. To improve synchronization between different elements is an important approach to improve effectiveness and efficiency of the operations. Manpower, technical and managerial abilities are the most important resource of any organization .The most important resource is the most difficult to manage as no two persons are similar. Every person has different Qualities, attitude, motives, personality traits, skills, knowledge etc. which has effect on their performance at work. Organizations in order to facilitate excellence in the performance of the people in the organization are required to identify the right person for every job. This matching between jobs and people is an important avenue for organizational improvement efforts. HR professional are entrusted with the responsibility for selection, training and development, administration deployment support, performance appraisal and performance diagnostics of the employees. The most important part of these responsibilities is assessment of the individuals for their superiority for different functional tasks, and development of their potential to be effective and excel in the assigned tasks. Currently most of the organizations are using personal interview, written tests and group discussion for the purpose of assessment. These approaches were mostly based on personality tests/psychometric tests. These tests have improved assessment of candidates but still the reliability of the results is not adequate to forecast effectiveness of the selected candidate for the job. Research conducted by Industrial and organizational psychologists have found that effectiveness of a person to carry out a job depends not only on single or isolated factors but on set of many different factors. Such set of factors that help the possessor to be effective in a particular job is termed as competency for that particular job is termed as competency for that particular job. HR function entrusted with the responsibility of finding right person for every job and development of the employed person to do the assigned job effectively, have found competency mapping assessment as a very effective tool. Definition: Competency mapping is the process of identification of the competencies required to perform successfully a given job or role or a set of tasks at a given point of time. It consists of breaking a given role or job into its constituent tasks or activities and identifying the competencies (technical, managerial, behavioral, conceptual knowledge, an attitudes, skills, etc.) needed to perform the same successfully. Competency assessment is the assessment of the extent to which a given individual or a set of individuals possess these competencies required by a given role or set of roles or levels of roles. Assessment centers use multiple methods and multiple assessors to assess the competencies of a given individual or a group of individuals. In order to enhance objectivity they use trained assessors and multiple methods including psych Quality Circle Activities at Hindustan Zinc Lilmited Quality Circle Activities at Hindustan Zinc Lilmited A PROJECT ON VALIDATING â€Å"COMPETENCY MAPPING† FOR ATTAINING THE BEST â€Å"QUALITY CIRCLE PRACTICES† AT HZL Executive Summary Successful quality circles offer a wide variety of benefits for businesses. They talk about the perceptions as well as employees awareness, increase managements awareness of employee ideas, as well as employee awareness of the need for innovation within the company. Adding on, quality circles can improve a businesss competitiveness by reducing costs, improving quality, and promoting innovation.HZL with the above motives, implemented the Quality Circles. The Quality Circles lead t self development, mutual development, quality improvement , cost reduction, waste reduction, productivity improvement, improvement in safety, job satisfaction , problem solving opportunities, people involvement and participation in team building. But, at present the Quality Circles are not able reciprocate the same. Therefore the present study aims at two basic objectives Phase I: To understand the Quality Circle activities at Hindustan Zinc Lilmited. To understand the perceptions of the Quality Circles facilitators and leaders in respect to the formation of the of the Quality Circles So the quality circles being not up to the mark ,the project aims to streamline the Quality Circle activities at Debari and to provide impetus so that the members get onto self-motivated mode. Further, to facilitate the environment for the activities and conduct appropriate guidance structures at Hindustan Zinc Limited .There must be support based on the respect of humanity, aiming at participation by everybody .Also, to develop capabilities and capacities of the Quality Circle members and to make the work place full of vitality. Phase II: The second phase explored Competency Mapping of the employees.Competency plays an important role in shaping up the perceptions of the employees.It is basically a measure to avoid making the mistake of hiring a round peg for a square hole. One of the underlying principles of Competency Mapping is finding the right person for the right job (specially the Facilitators of the quality circles). After the detailed study on reasons behind the non effectiveness of Quality Circles, Competency Mapping Study was taken up. The facilitators competencies were taken into account for the same. An effort was taken up to relate the individual competencies to the competencies required for the best Quality Circle Practices at HZL. Identifying, assessing and linking people competency with the Quality Circle competency from the core mapping. Competency Mapping is a process of identifying key competencies for a particular position in an organization. Therefore, the executives opinion about the competencies required for the Quality Circles was taken into account. The relevance and role of HR Managers is going through a flux. The new generation HR Manager attempts to link their individual competency with those set of competencies, which make them successful in their leadership role. In the present study, executives from various departments were selected randomly and were included in the sample. Questionnaires were filled by only those executives who had a free will. The find outcome of this project is in the development of a suggested framework to unable them to bridge the gap between the prevalent and required set of competencies. Hindustan Zinc Smelter (Debari) at present is not making use of the Competency Mappi ng tool. Therefore the executives were made aware of this tool of HR and to make them know the benefits of Competency Mapping as a tool to help their growth in an organization. Various formats to get the Quality Circles get streamlined are also suggested which include Evaluation Criteria, Format for the meetings and the minutes ,Introduction for of the commandments of QCs, relating awards and recognition to the same. As a result the company organized a Quality Circle gathering with a lunch in which a briefing for the Quality Circles was again given ,besides bags to all the quality circle members were given so as to give them recognition by differentiating them from the non members. Certificate From Industry Guide Certificate From Faculty Guide This is to certify that, Ms Arushi Chauhan from MBA (HR) class of 2009 is a Bonafide student of Amity Business School, Amity University Uttar Pradesh and is presently pursuing a Post Graduate Programme in Management. Under my guidance, she has submitted her project titled â€Å"Validating Competency Mapping for Attaining Best Quality Circle Practices at HZL†, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the summer internship project from Hindustan Zinc Limited, Udaipur, from May 1, 2008 to June 30, 2008 during the Post Graduate Programme in Management. This report has not been previously submitted as part of another degree or diploma of another business school or university. (Date July 24, 2008) Dr. R. Sujatha Senior Faculty (HR) Amity Business School CHAPTER: 1 INTRODUCTION Company Profile Introduction to Quality Circles Competency Mapping Objective Rationale COMPANY PROFILE VEDANTA GROUP Welcome To The Vedanta Group Vedanta an over US $ 8.2 billion, Vedanta Resources plc (â€Å"Vedanta†) is a London listed FTSE 100 diversified metals and mining major. The group produces aluminium, copper, zinc, lead and iron ore and also commercial energy. Vedanta has operations in India, Zambia and Australia and a strong organic growth pipeline of projects. With an empowered talent pool of 30,000 employees globally, Vedanta places strong emphasis on partnering with all its stakeholders based on the core values of entrepreneurship, excellence, trust, inclusiveness and growth. Chairman Mr. Anil Agarwal Deputy Chairman Mr. Navin Agarwal Chief Executive Officer Mr. Kuldeep Kumar Kaura Vedanta Group is a well established name in the corporate world. Vedanta has a strong track record in managing operations and improving costs and output. Its zinc and copper operations rank in the top quartile of global cost efficiency. Its principal operations are located in India, where they have a major market share in each of their main metals: aluminum, copper, zinc and lead. There are also substantial copper operations in Zambia and a copper mine in Australia. Vedanta Resources plc was listed in London in December 2003. At the time of listing, Vedanta set out a carefully structured strategy, to which the board and management remain committed. The group comprises three major businesses: Aluminium comprising bauxite mining, alumina refining aluminium smelting operations in India. Copper comprising smelting refining operations in India, copper ore mining in Australia, an integrated copper production in Zambia. Zinc comprising zinc-lead mining smelting operations in India. Sterlite Industries is an important segment of Vedanta Group. Sterlite Industries (India) Limited was  acquired in 1986, bringing together several metal related activities managed by the Agarwal family.   In 2001 it acquired a 26% stake in Hindustan Zinc Ltd., an integrated zinc and lead producer, from the Government of India and a further 20% through a compulsory open market offer. Vedanta is successfully operating in India in collaboration with Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL). The Zinc business of Vedanta is managed within Hindustan Zinc Limited.   HZL is Indias only integrated Zinc Company, operating from mine to finished metal and supplied around 80% of Indias zinc requirements in 2007-08. Vedanta Resources Plc A Snapshot National presence Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd (SIIL) Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (BALCO) The Madras Aluminium Company Ltd (MALCO) Vedanta Aluminium Ltd. (VAL) Lanjigarh Sesa Goa Limited Sterlite Energy Limited 2) Global presence Copper Mines of Tasmania, Tasmania Konkola Copper Mines, Zambia 3) Sterlite Group has also strong presence in Optical cables business through Sterlite Optical Technologies Ltd. (a non Vedanta Company) 4) A leading producer of key commodities in India FY2007-08 Group turnover : US $ 8,203 million FY2007-08 Group EBITDA : US $ 3,010 million $7.5 billion investment programme. First phase of $2.2 billion completed on time and within budget. The next phase of $5.3 billion under implementation and on schedule. STERLITE INDUSTRIES Sterlite Energy Limited (SEL) is a part of Vedanta Resources plc , a London listed metals and mining major with Aluminium, Copper, Zinc and Iron ore operations in India, Australia and Zambia, and a subsidiary of Vedanta group flagship company, Sterlite Industries (India) Limited. SEL was established to develop, construct and operate power plants and seeks to become one of Indias leading commercial power generation companies. SEL is well positioned to capitalize on Indias economic growth, power deficit and large coal reserves to develop a commercial power generation business. It shall benefit from Vedanta groups experienced and focused management with strong project execution skills, experience in building and operating captive power plants, substantial experience in mining activities and the capacity to finance world-class projects. Various objectives of Sterlite group regarding HZL are: To make Chanderiya Smelter, Rampura Agucha mines known for its world class operations. To make Zawar mines, RDM, ZSP and ZSV internationally competitive HINDUSTAN ZINC LTD. PROFILE Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) is one of Indias leading Zinc-lead producers and exceptional in its extent of its technology coupled with vertical integration in other non-ferrous metals. Hindustan Zinc Limited was incorporated from the erstwhile Metal Corporation of India on 10th January 1966 as a Public Sector Undertaking. Hindustan Zinc is a vertically integrated company with mining and smelting operations located mainly in the State of Rajasthan and in the State of Andhra Pradesh. Hindustan Zinc is Indias only integrated producer of Zinc and Lead and is among the worlds leading integrated Zinc and Lead producers. Its metal production capacity is currently 754000 tones per annum. The smelters are situated at Chanderia, Debari and Visakhapatnam .The mines are situated at Zawar, Dariba and Rampura Agucha VISION OF HZL To be a world-class zinc company, creating value, leveraging mineral resources and related core competencies. MISSION OF HZL Be a lowest cost zinc producer on a global scale, maintaining market leadership One million tones zinc-lead metal capacity by 2010 Be innovative, customer oriented and eco-friendly, maximizing stake-holder value Introduction to Quality Circle A Quality Circle is a small group in which people who work in the first line work place, continually improve and maintain the quality of products, services, job. This small group promotes the activity in such a way as to autonomously administer it, utilize the QC concept and technique and others, display creativity and make self development and mutual development. This activity intent to: †¢Develop workers capability; perform the self-actualization for QC Circle members, make the work place full of brightness and vitality. †¢Enhance customer satisfaction and make a social contribution. The executives and the mangers in order to make QC Circle activities successful, contribute to improving the enterprises, constitute and implement company wide TQM or similar one by themselves. Facilitate the environment for the activity and continually, conduct appropriate guidance and support based on the respect for humanity, aiming at the participation by everybody and positioning the activity as important for human resources development and work place utilization Quality Circles Functioning: A typical quality circle consists of 5 to 10 members from the same working area. A leader is either elected by the members or the senior most people assumes the leaders role. The quality circle meets once every week, usually outside working hours. The meeting lasts for half hour to one hour. The quality circle is assisted by a facilitator or a coordinator, who is from the executive cadre. The facilitator helps in ensuring that the requirements for the quality circle meetings are met. He also is the contact between the quality circles and the senior management. In many cases, the facilitator helps the team in case they face difficult in solving a problem. MANAGEMENT ACTION FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTAION OF QUALITY CIRCLE CONCEPT FORMATION OF APEX LEVEL STEERING COMMITTEE. ABOVE COMMITTEE WILL DECIDE TO FORM ZONE WISE STEERING COMMITTEE (TWO TO FIVE SUCH COMMITTEES MAY BE FORMED DEPENDING UPON ORGANISATIONAL SET UP). NOMINATE ZONE CHAIRPERSON FOR EACH ZONE. ZONE CO-ORDINATOR AND OVER ALL CHIEF CO-ORDINATOR. DECIDE DATE/DAY OF MONTHLY AREA STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING. APEX LEVEL STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING MAY BE HELD BI-MONTHLY. PROPOSED AGENDA MAY BE: ADOPTION/FOLLOW-UP OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES. IN APEX LEVEL STEERING COMMITTEE CHAIRED BY HEAD OF PLANT, CHAIRMEN OF AREA STEERING COMMITTEE WILL PRESENT THE STATUS OF QUALITY CIRCLES STATUS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE AREAS. STATUS OF CIRCLE ACTIVITIES IN EACH ZONE FOLLOWED BY IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF APPROVED PROJECTS. TRAINING PROGRAMME/REFRESHER PROGRAMME STATUS. PROJECT FOR APPROVAL ANY OTHER POINTS IN CASE OF â€Å"PROJECTS FOR APPROVAL† CIRCLE WILL PRESENT ONE BY ONE. THEY WILL SIMPLY EXLAIN THE PROJECT TAKEN, HOW THEY HAVE SOLVED AND GAINS (WITH IN 5 TO 7 MINUTES). A GROUP OF NOMINATED EXECUTIVES WILL AUDIT THE SAME AT WORK PLACE. THEY WILL ASK FEW QUESTIONS TO THE EMPLOYEES OF THAT AREA TO ENCOURAGE THEM. PROJECT MAY BE APPROVED AFTER SEEING THE IMPLEMENTATION STATUS, IF NO FURTHER MODIFICATION IS REQUIRED. IF PROJECT IS APPROVED, THIS SHOULD BE PRESENTED IN PROPER WAY. A TOKEN GIFT MAY BE GIVEN TO EACH MEMBER INCLUDING FACILITATOR/ DY. FACILITATOR. THIS GIFT MAY BE RESTRICTED TO THOSE WHO HAVE ATTENDED 60% OR MORE MEETINGS HELD FOR THIS PROJECT DURATION. THIS WILL ENCOURAGE THE MEMBER TO ATTEND MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MEETINGS. AFTER APPROVAL OF THE PROJECT, STEERING COMMITTEE OF THAT ZONE WILL ASK THE HOD OF THAT ZONE, TO MAKE TENTATIVE PLANNING OF IMPLEMENTAION OF PROJECTS IN TOTALITY. EVALUATION OF EACH AREA AND BEST CIRCLE IN EACH AREA MAY BE DONE EVERY SIX MONTHS VIZ. JANUARY TO JUNE AND JULY TO DECEMBER OF EACH YEAR AS PER PRE FIXED CRITERIA. A RUNNING SHIELD TO BEST, AREA AND PRIZES TO BEST CIRCLE IN EACH AREA MAY BE GIVEN ON THE BASIS OF SIX MONTHLY EVALUATION ON 15TH AUGUST AND 26TH JANUARY RESPECTIVELY. QC MELA, QUIZ COMPETITION, KAVI SAMMELAN, POSTER/ESSAY/SLOGAN/POEM COMPETITION ETC. MAY BE ORANISED BY QUALITY CIRCLE INITIATIVE TRAINING/ REFRESHER PROGRAMME, FACILITATORS MEET, LEADERS MEET ETC. MAY BE ORGANISED AT REGULAR INTERVAL. TO CREATE QUALITY CIRCLE ENVIRONMENT, TRY TO ENCOURAGE QC IN HOME, COLONY, HOSPITAL, SCHOOL TEACHER, STUDENT ETC. SURRONDING VILLAGES MAY BE TAKEN TO IMPLEMENT QC CONCEPT IN VILLAGES Quality Circle Policy at Hindustan Zinc Limited Introduction: This policy provides objectives of the Companys Quality Circle Program and outlines a broad framework for operations of quality circles in the company for its continuity and consistency amongst the units. It provides the strategic direction for the efforts to achieve sustainable operations of quality circles in the company and qualitative aspects embedded in the companys vision and mission statements. It incorporates the basic approach of quality circles concept appropriately to improve the work culture. Objectives: The quality circles will have the following objectives: To enhance employees job satisfaction and belongingness. To provide an effective platform to the employees to contribute through their ideas knowledge in a healthy environment so as to use their full potential. To promote team work and improve communication at all levels. To develop problem solving analytical approach at shop floor to solve day to day problems. To improve work culture through reduced waste and enhanced quality and productivity. To further expand employee development through education and awareness. The Set Up: QC BASICS Quality circles will have four to eight workmen of same work area involved in doing similar kind of activities as members. They will meet as per schedule preferably at least once in 21 days, and identify, select, prioritise the problems. Analyze the causes of problems after discussions in the meetings and then make recommendations of solutions through discussions a nd /or brif Presentations. The QC members will then work together to implement the approved solutions in their work area would be facilitated by the management wherever necessary. Role of QC Leader The leader of the QC will be chosen from the group by the group members only. QC can have different leaders for different problems. The leaders of the QCs will be given necessary inputs by the shop flor facilitator so the leader becomes competent enough to take responsibility for the operation of the QC and can explain proper uses of QC techniques to the circle members. The leader should ensure that the meetings are held as per schedule and a report of each QC meeting is made covering all aspects. Role of Facilitator An executive of shop floor will facilitate each QC.This executive The Facilitator will be responsible in following ways: Be primarily an advisor to the QC of his department /Section/Sub Section. Be active and helpful to the extent the group wants his involvement and keep him informed through interactions / reports of the QC meetings etc. Constantly promote encourage the circle concept extend all facilities to QCs for organizing meeting as per schedule. These facilities will include meeting place, stationary other material for arranging presentations. Maintain liaison, contacts and provide feedback on requests in a timely manner towards ‘Solutions-implementation. Educate encourage other employees of the area to join the QCs /Form new QC. Role of Convenor For overall coordination facilitating jobs at unit level, the HOD of Unit I.E. Dept. will act as the UNIT convenor (s) to expedite the coordination process. He will be responsible for: Smooth and uninterrupted operations of Unit Quality Circle Program. Education / Training to facilitators, Leaders and Members. Coordinating circle operations by acting as an interface between facilitators /circles and Unit Steering Committee Unit Management. Providing feedback to steering Committee and extend help as and when required by the facilitators/circles. Maintaining records of all QCs of the unit based on QC meeting. Helping facilitators /HODs in evaluation of QC performance. Organizing Units Annual QC Convention preferably in the quality month i.e. November and declaration of the best quality circles of the year. Attending circle meetings occasionally and organizing QC leader meetings periodically. Coordinating with Convenor of Corporate QC Steering Group.(CQCSG) Sending a monthly report to the convenor of CQCSG i.e. HOD of Corporate IE Department Corporate office giving all the details regarding Unit Quality Circle operations .The details will include number of QCs ,their strength ,meeting frequency ,areas identified / approved for analysis, Q.C. Techniques employed, presentations made, No. of improvements effected their brief details ,designation of Sr. Level Officers of the unit who extended visible support ,the evaluation sheets of QCs performance etc. Unit Steering Group (USG) USG will be chaired by Unit Head and will consist of HODs of major functions of the unit viz. production, maintenance, personnel, accounts, stores etc. USG will be responsible in conformance to units operational requirements consistent with broad guidelines of QC Policy. USG shall provide guidance direction to QC program within the unit. USG will also publicize the circle activities /achievements within outside the unit .Their objective will be to promote QCs in all areas of the unit. The members of the group will show their visible support by attending meetings regularly with the facilitators and the circle members for encouragement advises. They will also allocate higher priority for attending presentation of quality circles as when requested. CQCSG: Corporate support to all QC activities in the Units would be extended through a Corporate QC Steering Group. The Operative Framework: The membership of the circles will be open to all workmen on voluntary basis QC members will work in coordinated team manner to accomplish the activities taken on their own initiative by sharing responsibilities among themselves. QC members will identify, select, prioritize and analyze the problems. QC members will participate in all QC activities including presentation set for other fellow workmen to emulate. QC members will be in constant touch with the facilitator. QC members will set up schedules for meetings and presentations within the framework of known company work loads in consultation with the facilitator send minutes of meetings promptly to the Unit Convenor with a copy to the facilitator. The circle will maintain continuous communication amongst all members. QC members will present the identified problems along-with alternative solutions to management for acceptance. QC members will pursue to implement the solutions of the problems as approved by management. QC members will make presentation on the progress of implemented solutions to management. Circles will not address the following subjects: Employees Complaints Personal Grievances Personality related issues Role of Unit Steering Group: USG may participate in circles actions and will address to circles requests. USG will also support all implementation activities. USG may also suggest problems to the quality circles for further exploration. USG will encourage formation of quality circles on other areas of the unit. Performance Evaluation: The performance of each quality circle will be evaluated based on following guidelines: Evaluation Period: 1 Year Parameters Weightage % (a) No. of Meetings (Frequency at least once 15(Maximum 17 in 21 days) meetings in a year) Attendance of members 15 (in percentage) Regular submission of minutes of 10 meetings/reports to Unit Convenor No. of new problems identified and their 10 selection process Analysis ,effective use of QC tools, 10 workload distribution among the members Quality of solved problems with respect to 10 potential of the groups (g) No. of solutions implemented 10 (h) No. of presentations made, quality of 20 presentation, participation of members special features in the presentation. Comparison among circles will be done on the basis of the marks scored by different QCs of the unit. Recognition Facilitations Aspects: The efforts of circles attract non -financial awards only which could be in terms of recognition /publicity and the others as outlined below: i) At the time of formation registration of quality circles: Inauguration of QC by Unit Head. Introduction of QC members to Unit Head in presence of their Departmental Head. Displaying the details of newly formed QC on all notice boards of the Unit. Provision of stationary (writing pad, pen/pencil) to QC members. ii) After 10 meetings or completing at least one useful project whichever is later inviting QC members with spouse on a ‘tea† by HOD. iii) After 1st presentation to HOD of Respective Department, a certificate would be given to all QC members on a tea-get-together of the department. iv) Presentation of selected QCs to Unit Head in presence of all QCS of the unit where certificates shall be awarded to circle members signed by Convenor chairman of USG together. v) Honour at important occasions where QC member could be invited with the spouse. vi) QC page will be included in monthly departmental and unit report giving highlights of implemented solutions. vii) After annual performance review of QCs in the unit publication of details of completed projects by QC members with their photographs for circulation in all the units of HZL. viii) Two best QCs will be selected in the unit convention after 1 year of their operations based on performance criteria will be awarded accordingly (Preferably in quality month i.e. November). ix) Awarding QCFI membership to members of best two circles judged by evaluation committee constituted by Unit Steering Group Subject to eligibility. x) Sending Units best two QCs to other units for presentation on some important occasion of the unit. xi) Recognition to QCs standing 1st or 2nd in Unit consecutively for two years by CQCSG. xii) Best quality circle judged by CQCSG at Corporate level matching with corporate image be considered for sending for participation in national competition organized by QCFI when the opportunity comes. Introduction to Competency Mapping In the modern competitive world, business managers are required to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the business operations. As there are several factors that affect efficiency and effectiveness of operations the improvement is required to be carried out in every factor. These factors are required to bring every factor in synchronization with other factors. To improve synchronization between different elements is an important approach to improve effectiveness and efficiency of the operations. Manpower, technical and managerial abilities are the most important resource of any organization .The most important resource is the most difficult to manage as no two persons are similar. Every person has different Qualities, attitude, motives, personality traits, skills, knowledge etc. which has effect on their performance at work. Organizations in order to facilitate excellence in the performance of the people in the organization are required to identify the right person for every job. This matching between jobs and people is an important avenue for organizational improvement efforts. HR professional are entrusted with the responsibility for selection, training and development, administration deployment support, performance appraisal and performance diagnostics of the employees. The most important part of these responsibilities is assessment of the individuals for their superiority for different functional tasks, and development of their potential to be effective and excel in the assigned tasks. Currently most of the organizations are using personal interview, written tests and group discussion for the purpose of assessment. These approaches were mostly based on personality tests/psychometric tests. These tests have improved assessment of candidates but still the reliability of the results is not adequate to forecast effectiveness of the selected candidate for the job. Research conducted by Industrial and organizational psychologists have found that effectiveness of a person to carry out a job depends not only on single or isolated factors but on set of many different factors. Such set of factors that help the possessor to be effective in a particular job is termed as competency for that particular job is termed as competency for that particular job. HR function entrusted with the responsibility of finding right person for every job and development of the employed person to do the assigned job effectively, have found competency mapping assessment as a very effective tool. Definition: Competency mapping is the process of identification of the competencies required to perform successfully a given job or role or a set of tasks at a given point of time. It consists of breaking a given role or job into its constituent tasks or activities and identifying the competencies (technical, managerial, behavioral, conceptual knowledge, an attitudes, skills, etc.) needed to perform the same successfully. Competency assessment is the assessment of the extent to which a given individual or a set of individuals possess these competencies required by a given role or set of roles or levels of roles. Assessment centers use multiple methods and multiple assessors to assess the competencies of a given individual or a group of individuals. In order to enhance objectivity they use trained assessors and multiple methods including psych

Film Review of Poseidon :: essays research papers

Poseidon, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, is an action-packed adventure thriller that is loosely the remake of the 1970s movie The Poseidon Adventure. It has the same basic story idea, but has completely different characters. And although the characters end up being dull and seemingly useless, the movie is very fun and exciting to watch. It takes place on New Year’s Eve aboard the cruise ship â€Å"Poseidon.† As the guests are counting down the seconds until midnight, a very large rogue wave is spotted. It hits the cruise ship and flips the entire thing upside-down, but it remains afloat. Most of the crew and some passengers die instantly, others are badly injured, and the rest are fine with the exception of minor injuries. One man, Dylan (Josh Lucas) decides he is going to get out of the ship through the bottom, knowing the ship wasn’t meant to stay afloat upside-down. And although reluctant at first, he allows a few others to join him, including Robert (Kurt Russel) – a former mayor and firefighter, Richard (Richard Dreyfuss) – a lonely gay man, Valentin (Freddy Rodriguez) – a ship employee, and Maggie and her son (Jacinda Barrett and Jimmy Bennett). Along the way, they pick up Robert’s daughter, Jennifer (Emmy Rassum) and her fiancà © Christian (Mike Vogel), Elena (Mia Maestro) – a friend of Valentin, and Lucky Larry (Kevin Dillon) – a poker player. While trying to make it through the ship, they are faced with many obstacles. The ship is filled with water, flash fires, debris, dead bodies, and more. And time is running out, they need to make it to the bottom of the ship before the entire thing sinks. Poseidon is basically based on the same concept as The Poseidon Adventure, being that the ship gets hit by a monstrous-sized rogue wave and flips over, and people try to get out. However, there are many differences. For example, the characters are completely different – i.e.: instead of a brother and sister, it’s a girl and her fiancà ©, instead of an old couple, its two people that meet for the first time and have an attraction towards each other. And you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone on the ship the size of Shelly Winters. The characters also seem quite dull in this remake. There really is no set-up to tell us why they are on the ship or how they got there compared to the original.