National Bank of Pakistan

PRINCIPLE OF MANAGEMENT SEMESTER FALL ‘10 FINAL REPORT RESEARCH LOCATION: NATIONAL BANK OF PAKISTAN – HEADOFFICE TOPIC: MANAGEMENT PREPARED BY: Nash Jinia – 4456 Sarosh Ejaz – 5050 Irfan Ali – 5129 Jehanzaib – 4591 SUBMITTED TO: MAM AMBER RAZA COURSE ID: 10108 DATED: 14th NOVEMBER,2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS S. NO| PARTICULARS| PAGE NO. | 1| Acknowledgments| 2| 2| An Introduction – NBP| 3| 3| Vision and Mission| 4| 4| Management and Strategic Values| 5| 5| NBP Organizational Structure & Leadership| 7| 6| SWOT Analysis| 10| 7| Questions and Answers| 12| 8| Our Findings| 17| 9| Why work at NBP? | 24| 0| Conclusion| 25| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We start with the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful. We thank Him for giving us the strength and resources to complete this task as He gives all. We would like to thank Mr. Jamil Akhtar (AVP Logistics Wing) who kindly referred us to different departments. We would also like to thank all the s taff members of the National Bank of Pakistan (Head office), who gave us some of their valuable time to answer all the questions we had regarding their job and working of the HR department and also for providing us with such accurate knowledge of their system especially Mr.Mohib-ur-Rehman (Manager Employee Communication). We would also like to thank our teacher and guide, Mam Amber Raza for giving us the research topics as our final term report, which gave us the opportunity to move forward and explore the real world scenarios and the working of the system in the public sector which benefitted us all the more; us being BBA students, and, with whose guidance we were able to put together all the information necessary in forming this report.AN INTRODUCTION – NBP National Bank of Pakistan is the largest commercial bank operating in Pakistan. Its balance sheet size surpasses that of any of the other banks functioning locally. It has redefined its role and has moved from a public s ector organization into a modern commercial bank. The Bank's services are available to individuals, corporate entities and government.While it continues to act as trustee of public funds and as the agent to the State Bank of Pakistan (in places where SBP does not have a presence) it has diversified its business portfolio and is today a major lead player in the debt equity market, corporate investment banking, retail and consumer banking, agricultural financing, treasury services and is showing growing interest in promoting and developing the country's small and medium enterprises and at the same time fulfilling its social responsibilities, as corporate citizen. In today's competitive business environment, NBP needed to redefine its role and shed the public sector bank image, for a modern commercial bank. It is now listed in the Karachi Stock Exchange. National Bank of Pakistan is today a progressive, efficient, and customer focused institution. It has developed a wide range of consu mer products, to enhance business and cater to the different segments of society. Some schemes have been specifically designed for the low to middle income segments of the population.These include NBP Karobar, NBP Advance Salary, NBP Saiban, NBP Kisan Dost, NBP Cash n Gold. A number of initiatives have been taken, in terms of institutional restructuring, changes in the field structure, in policies and procedures, in internal control systems with special emphasis on corporate governance, adoption of Capital Adequacy Standards under Basel II framework, in the up gradation of the IT infrastructure and developing the human resources.National Bank of Pakistan has built an extensive branch network with 1250 branches in Pakistan and operates in major business centre abroad. National Bank has earned recognition and numerous awards internationally. It has been the recipient of The Bank of the Year 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 Award by The Banker Magazine, the Best Foreign Exchange Bank – – Pakistan for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, Global Finance, Best Emerging Market Bank from Pakistan for the year 2005, Global Finance, Kissan Time Awards – 2005 for NBP's services in the agriculture field.It is listed amongst the Region's largest banks and also amongst the largest banks in South Asia 2005, The Asian Banker. It has also been presented a Recognition Award –– 2004 for having a Gender Sensitive Management by WEBCOP AASHA besides other awards. Year 2007 has yet been another outstanding year with the bank recording the highest profit in its history. NBP’s wide range of product offerings, large branch network and committed workforce are some of our fundamental strengths that enabled NBP to achieve exceptional results in a very competitive market. VISION AND MISSIONTo be recognized as a leader and a brand synonymous with trust, highest standards of service quality, international best practices and social responsibility. NBP will aspire to th e values that make NBP truly the Nation’s Bank by: †¢ Institutionalizing a merit and performance culture †¢ Creating a distinctive brand identity by providing the highest standards of services †¢ Adopting the best international management practices †¢ Maximizing stakeholders value †¢ Discharging our responsibility as a good corporate citizen of Pakistan and in countries where we operate. MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC VALUES As told by Dr. Mirza Abrar Baig, Senior Executive Vice President ; Group Chief, HR ; Administration) The management team as a whole, and each member of it, has clearly defined responsibilities and the necessary authority to manage the insurer in a manner consistent with the strategic direction approved by the supervisory board. All members of the management team are required to perform their duties with due care and diligence, and for the purpose of maintaining the insurer’s capacity to meet its obligations to all counterparties and constituencies at all times.Members are free of material conflicts of interest that could unduly influence their judgment. Where management is constituted as a management board, no non-executives should be part of the management board. The NBP team found that the management teams of the insurance companies are professional, with clearly defined responsibilities and adequate authorities to fulfill their duties. Boards of directors (i. e. the management boards) consisted only of executives. Management have sufficient skills and experience in relation to insurance, finance and other disciplines relevant to the management of an insurer.All members of the management team have access to sufficient resources and receive sufficient training to assist them in the performance of their roles. The management of the major NBP bank appears to be highly professional and demonstrates sufficient skills to fulfill their duties. The NBP team did not review the management of the small locally-owned banks that are not members of the banking association. NBP is continuously transforming its image and customer perception as a modern bank through branch renovation and relocation to more convenient and accessible sites.The team at Operations Group commits itself to change the face of the Bank by way of improving its physical outlook, effective implementation of its systems ; controls and the quality of service provided to its customers. Improving operational efficiency is getting more focus given the challenges being faced by the industry. With opening of customer facilitation centers for the collection of utility bills and making payments to pensioners, the bank expects to reduce its counter traffic at branches thereby focusing more on its customer’s business needs.Customer care is a key area of the bank and various training programs have been conducted for employees to improve customer handling and interaction. Special Assets Management Group is primarily responsible for monitoring and settlement of non performing loans (NPLs) portfolio. With NPL coverage of more than 76% we believe that non performing loans can contribute substantially in the bank’s profitability through recoveries and settlements. Rising non-performing loans has been an industry wide phenomenon and due to adverse economic factors, NPLs increased by 26% or Rs. 4. 5 billion. We believe that most of the NPLs are the result of business cycle / circumstantial defaults and with the economy picking up and reduction in interest rates; the quantum of non-performing loans is expected to decline. We are keeping our staunch focus on recovery and reduction in non performing loans is the area of greatest attention. The bank truly values its staff and the vital role they play in successful organizations. The bank gives special attention to attracting, developing and retaining good quality human resource.Our new hiring of top class MBAs as Management Trainees Officers (MTOs) and search for talent within the Bank have helped in preparing second and third tier leadership lines. ‘Female Empowerment’ was launched to empower female employees and impact communities by championing the cause of women’s empowerment in the society. Today, NBP is determined in pursuing the policy of placing females on responsible and challenging position as Branch Managers, Branch Operations Managers and Customer Facilitation Officers. A number of female MTOs have been selected, trained and posted as branch managers.Currently, 60 branches are being headed by females. HR initiatives and strategy is amid at competitive employee compensation, training need assessment and succession planning. NBP is striving to become an employer of choice through improved HR policies and competitive remuneration. NBP ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Organization Structure of the National Bank of Pakistan Main Offices Main Offices of the National Bank of Pakistan are of three types : * Head Office * Reg ional Offices * Branch Office Head Office Head office of the National Bank of Pakistan is located in Karachi.Head office controls and monitors all the activities of the bank. The President of the National Bank of Pakistan seats the head office. A secretariat is established to assist the president in the head office. The head office is divided into twelve Departments. A Group Chief controls a Group. President All Groups/Departments are headed by Group/Department Chiefs. President is the head of all Group Chiefs. All strategic matters are discussed and approved by the president and Group Chiefs. In Head Office following are the Group/Department Chiefs: * Operations Group Chief * Corporate ; Invest.Group Chief * Special Assets ; Remedial Mgt. Group Chief * Strategic Planning ; Economic Research Group Chief * Treasury Mgt Group Chief * Risk Mgt. Group Chief * Commercial ; Retail Banking Group Chief * Audit ; Inspection Group Chief * I. T. Planning Dept. ; Implementation Group Chief * HR M Dept. Chief * Org. Development ; Training Dept Chief * Over-seas Operations Chief NBP HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT â€Å"To provide more talented human resource in relation to competition in all NBP functional areas, creating a motivating environment and maintain industrial harmony†.As evidenced from the Mission Statement, key element of strengthening the HR base of the bank includes the following: * Provision of talented human resource * Employee motivation * Industrial harmony Additionally, all the HR initiative implemented at NBP is in line with the above objectives. VALUES They believe that; * People make the organization * People collectively yield results * People have ambitions and aspirations to be distinguished and rewarded * People form the human capital to be developed and invested in.LEADING POLICIES OF NBP Basically lending policies are governed by SBP lending policies; however, NBP has some discounter powers in respect of lending policies. The advances made by th e NBP have increased so much and are involved in creating a great amount of return for the bank. Deposits and the Advances are the two important functions of any bank. NBP takes deposits from the customers and lend them to the others for earning a profit. The difference between the deposit rate and the lending rate will be the benefit of the bank.Civil line branch of NBP is playing the most important role in this category because it has a separate department to deal with the peoples those who want to have money. Civil line branch is dealing with the corporate sector as well. Working Capital and Short Term Loans: NBP specializes in providing Project Finance – Export Refinance to exporters – Pre-shipment and Post-shipment financing to exporters – Running finance – Cash Finance – Small Finance – Discounting ; Bills Purchased – Export Bills Purchased / Pre-shipment / Post Shipment Agricultural Production Loans Medium term loans and Capita l Expenditure Financing:NBP provides financing for its clients’ capital expenditure and other long-term investment needs. By sharing the risk associated with such long-term investments, NBP expedites clients’ attempt to upgrade and expand their operation thereby making possible the fulfillment of our clients’ vision. This type of long term financing proves the bank’s belief in its client's capabilities, and its commitment to the country. Loan Structuring and Syndication: National Bank’s leadership in loan syndicating stems from ability to forge strong relationships not only with borrowers but also with bank investors.Because we understand our syndicate partners’ asset criteria, we help borrowers meet substantial financing needs by enabling them to reach the banks most interested in lending to their particular industry, geographic location and structure through syndicated debt offerings. Our syndication capabilities are complemented by our ow n capital strength and by industry teams, who bring specialized knowledge to the structure of a transaction. Cash Management Services:With National Bank’s Cash Management Services (in process of being set up), the customer’s sales collection will be channeled through vast network of NBP branched spread across the country. This will enable the customer to manage their company’s total financial position right from your desktop computer. They will also be able to take advantage of our outstanding range of payment, ejection, liquidity and investment services. In fact, with NBP, you’ll be provided everything, which takes to manage your cash flow more accurately. Generally Leading Policies Include: * Clean Credit Report. * Compliance with maximum exposure by the bank. Compliance with maximum exposure that can be allowed to a single party. * Funded = 4 times of equity of the firm. * Non-Funded = 10 times of equity of the firm. SWOT ANALYSIS A SWOT analysis is an effective tool, which can be used to examine the issue that will directly affect the success of alternative delivery mechanism. The emerging banking environment is becoming more competitive with the advancement of new technology. The banks are striving to provide their customers with prominent and efficient services at lower cost in order to get the competitive advantage upon other banks.During the internship program a SWOT analysis was also conducted which is as follow: Strengths * Deposit security that is guaranteed by Government of Pakistan. * Largest contribution toward Government & semi-Government requirements. * Agent to the SBP for handling Treasury/ Currency Chest Functions. * Collaboration with Federal/ Provincial Government organizations for receipts of taxes & other revenues. * Largest network of domestic & overseas branches. * More secured jobs of employees as compared to other commercial banks (Job Security). Sale & Purchase of prize bonds, NIT units, National Defense Saving Certificates (NDSCs) and other government securities. * Heavy project financing, Agriculture, Industrial as well as small loans. * Key role in country’s economic development. * Easy and shortened documented procedure. * Guidance and help of experienced people. Weaknesses * Under utilization of the new technology equipment & procedures of banking. * More formal organizational setup. * Bureaucratic style prevails in the National Bank of Pakistan. Lack of highly skilled, trained and professional personnel. * Fixed deposit rates not compatible with the competitors. * Foreign currency accounts governing rules more restricted & not customer oriented. * Bank staff not highly cooperative among themselves as well as with the customers. * Overall employees’ poor attitude towards work. Opportunities * The ability to obtain a larger customer base. * Global expansion. This is an enormous market, which will be a great opportunity in the future. * The ability to take advantage of the growing popularity of internet banking. Providing Information Technology loans to the students and educational institutions in order to foster the Computer and Management studies. * Providing the personalized services to the customers. * Offering high deposit rates and cutting down the high lending rates. * Financing the educational institutions and general public welfare projects in order to create a good image in general public. Threats * Continual changing technology. * Uncertainty of the banking industry. * Competition from â€Å"lower price† operations. * Possible failure of product due to non-acceptance of customer. General competitiveness of the banking industry. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS In addition to all the theoretical evidences we found which includes many conversations with people involved at NBP as listed in our findings, we luckily got the opportunity to meet the two senior executives in the HR department who gave accurate answers to our several questions. Th e HR function that we were most interested to find about was â€Å"RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION† but we also met with the personnel division head and found out about how HR at NBP handles grievances and compensates its employees.Being students of business administration and on our way to graduation getting into the most eligible organizations remains top priority and of course†¦National Bank of Pakistan remains top of the list. Obviously getting the group chief of HR, Dr. Mirza Abrar Baig, to talk to us still remains a big deal so we remained short of meeting him; instead we got an interview with Mohib-ur-Rehman Khan who is the manager-employee communication of Human resource management and administration group and, we might add, sits right ext to the Group chief who also told us as mentioned earlier what the group chief had to say regarding our research. Here are mentioned some of the questions we asked and his answers. Q: Sir, please tell us what type of hiring takes plac e at NBP? A: Certainly. NBP hires in two different ways. One is Contractual hiring and the other is hiring of the main management trainees. Contractual hiring is when we employ someone for three years and then when the contract is about to end we reconsider and sign a new contract. Main management trainees comprise 50% of the attraction for our pool of candidates.These are the employees to receive proper management training for higher posts. Q: Your external and internal sources for recruiting? A: Currently we don’t consider rehiring but we do focus on employee referrals and if the person who is retiring is valuable to us and no equal has been found out yet to take that place then we often stop the retiree†¦other than this, as I said earlier, reemployment on contract does take place of that person is hired on contract initially. If and when internal candidates are recruited they are applied to the position of MTOs for future top posts.External sources include media adver tising but not through internet. We advertise in the â€Å"National† and â€Å"Daily† newspaper once or twice. But we do college recruiting and have been done so quite successfully in the past. Q: So what is the actual recruitment and selection process? A: It is very simple but often tedious and costly. We publish our criteria in the newspaper. Through various sources of which are mentioned above, applicants fill out application forms and submit it to us. Once the applications are accepted there are written tests which are held by IBP (Institute of Bankers Pakistan).These written tests are both a mix of personality, aptitude and skill tests based on the person’s analytical and communication skills. These are based on the GMAT/GRE format. After the applicants are selected through these tests they are passed through group discussions and panel interviews. These interviews are structured and judged on equal basis. For both types of hiring, first interview consists of a panel of 3 IBP and 1 NBP member and then for the second interview a panel of 2 IBP and 2 NBP members sits. Q: What is NBP’s educational criterion for hiring?A: NBP requires an MBA degree (Masters in Business Administration) with a minimum 3. 0 CGPA. Q: What do you look for when recruiting personnel? A: We like to hire applicants who are team players with excellent interpersonal skills, have knowledge and use of information technology, have strong analytical and problem solving skills and have excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. So when they tell you in graduation school to emphasize on English, they are not wrong. Q: What happens after selection? A: After selection on-the-job training starts.These include simulations and video simulated training. They have 27 weeks training with IBP, then 27 weeks training with NBP staff colleagues, then 54 weeks training on job and then they are on their own aboard. All the while during training they are paid t heir salary. After this they are designated to posts in small cities and sent there for a period of three years and then if a proper appraisal comes in welcomed to work at the head-office. Once they get out of training groups of executives and officers are decided according to their skills and achievement of objectives.Thus NBP follows competency based job analysis. Q: What about EEO laws? A: We follow all rules. Equal employment opportunity is not violated by NBP. We have set the hiring quota for the disabled up to 2%. Recently we hired a blind lady in the telecommunication department. We do hire blind, deaf or applicants who are ill due to polio. Q: What can you tell us about negligent hiring? What does the bank do if it comes across a person who has had, let’s say, a bad record? A: As I said, NBP follows all the rules.As the recruitment and selection is both costly and time consuming we don’t want negligent hiring on our hands. Thus we make sure proper guidelines ar e followed. All the background checks regarding certificates and other educational documents and reference calls are handled by the IBP. Once the salary pay check comes in, first rounds are made and police report is requested from the police department while on the other hand the person for whom verification is being performed is notified of it all. After the police verification report comes in then only the salary is paid.If there is someone who is identified with a criminal background or false referrals he is told so and asked to withdraw. His information is kept secret (need for privacy). Targeted firing has not been started yet or else the employees go to court. Q: How is appraisal linked with recruitment? A: When appraisal comes in, promotions happen. Seats are vacated and we get the number to employ. This was all we discussed here from Mr. Mohib. While wandering about and reading the HR mission statement and vision we tried to look on into other departments but with little suc cess.At around late after lunch we got some little time blessed upon us and ultimately met the AVP/Head of Personnel Administration, Mr. S. Hasan Akber Zaidi, of the Personnel and Industrial Relations Division. We grabbed the opportunity to ask some questions about how the HR at NBP handles the various grievances that come in. Q: Sir, please tell us what actually does the personnel department do? A: We basically look into promotions, leave and absences, whether any mishap occurs and also keep record that all due liabilities of the employees are cleared. Q: Promotions would mean that you also look into appraisal reports (ACRs)?A: We basically have a policy department that makes all the policies for promoting and appraisals and also a separate department who handles appraisals but, yes, we do look into appraisals to know whose being promoted to what extent and how much an increase in salary takes place and how the others would be affected by it. In 1984, when I got hired there was no such thing as a union but now there is and so we keep check as to whether no biasness occurs. Q: Tell us something about the Industrial Relation Department? A: They are the people concerned with the laws of the union.They make sure that no mishap occurs and in the case of employees going to court they keep check that all lawful procedures are followed in. Q: what about the compensation procedures? A: compensations are handled by the compensation committee. There is no concept of overtime here. We tend to provide a whole lot of facilities according to the posts the employees have and that can include medical, logistics other membership facilities. We also provide loans on land and property as well as other technological things but keep a proper balance of these liabilities.Q: What happens if an employee fails for some reason in paying his liabilities or disappears? A: All employees have accounts. In situations like these, or when a fraud occurs, we seize and freeze the accounts of th ose employees. The matter comes into our hand then and until and unless the reasons will be cleared we don’t let any kind of transaction occur. Q: What happens when you catch some one doing a fraud or someone disappears? What if they do not notify you of the absences? A: There is no concept of rehiring. We decide at the time we catch the fraud what to do with the person and he is notified of our intentions.Most of the time frauds are not tolerated because NBP has a lot on its hands to protect itself from. But there are exceptional cases where we have had some dilemmas and looking into the matter deep has often resulted in a better solution. For example there was a case at Gujranwala where decision making was not easy. An employee of ours didn’t notify us that he was going to take leave, didn’t approve it and stopped coming to work. He was arrested by the police and the bank faced the problem as to let him back or not. The unauthorized absence and an FIR was a da ngerous match. But the personnel department looked into it.Since the police arrest was made on the basis of a family quarrel and had nothing to do with any criminal offence, the bank allowed him back on the job. Such decisions require our foresight and logical reasoning. Again sometimes, retaining an employee is difficult and his grievances have to be handled in a different way and at other times a golden handshake has to be offered in order to let other people take someone else’s place. Q: What about promotions? A: There is a continuous planning going on. Aren’t we all looking for the same things? A raise in salary†¦a better position. It’s a mad race that we are running.Constantly we keep an eye on whose going to replace whom and with how much. Sometimes it’s just not the work that lets you through. It’s the connections as well but then these things happen. The important part is that you have to keep an eye open and know everyone. If your col leagues like you†¦then you are the head of the list. Q: How efficiently does HR keep all these records? A: We have been upgrading and are still in the process of doing so. Everything will become computerized. In all total three hubs will be performed. Q: Are any HR events held? A: Yes a lot of them actually†¦We have conferences and female empowerment workshops.Also many dialogue sessions and quiz programs. With many thanks to the two executives who gave us much to think about we left their departments and headed towards the refreshments. OUR FINDINGS The bank has taken a number of HR initiatives to develop its workforce. Today banks have to survive in a highly competitive environment, where the demand for banking services is highly diversified and growing and changing rapidly. To meet the competitive challenges, NBP felt that it had to enhance the knowledge and skill level of its employees so as to gain a sustainable edge over other banks.Importance is being placed on upgr ading the quality of human resource for higher and better performance and to meet the demand of growing competition. Not only are the employees being provided with the job related training to develop a talented human resource base at the bank, but qualified management trainees have been inducted, professionals have been hired to fill the skill gap, a talent pool has been created by identifying talented employees from within the bank throughout the country and placing them in important positions in all functional areas of the bank.All this was done with one purpose – to develop a talented human resource base at the bank. In addition, the bank has gone a step further and has made concerted efforts to reduce the gender gap. The last four to five years, a change has been witnessed in the employment pattern, where more women have been employed at more responsible managerial positions, like those of female branch managers and female operation managers. While recruiting and selectin g Management Trainee Officers, the bank management ensures that young and qualified females are offered equal employment opportunity. * TALENT MANAGEMENTThe highest emphasis was laid on talent management as it is now globally recognized that talent is the critical driver of corporate performance and that an organization’s ability to attract, develop, motivate and retain talent results in a major competitive advantage. Organizations that do better job for attracting, developing, motivating and retaining their talent boost their performance dramatically. * MANAGEMENT TRAINEE SCHEME Recruitment in the permanent cadre of the bank was kept in abeyance since 1995 and there was induction in the bank for nearly a decade in this category.To fill the skill gap the bank management obtained special permission from GOP for restricted recruitment in the permanent cadre on an annual basis till 2010. About 700 management trainees have been inducted till end 2007 from the start in year 2003. After a vigorous scholastic and on job training the management trainee officers were placed at responsible in high value branches all over the country. Their contributions in furtherance of culture change, infusion of contemporary work practices and overall growth in bank’s performance is noteworthy.The Management Trainee Officers have been placed in the fields of General Banking, HR, Compliance, Risk Management, Treasury, IT and Audit. The Management Trainee Scheme of the bank has thus, proved highly successful and is being emulated by other financial institutions in the country. * TALENT POOL SCHEME There was realization by the bank’s management that there are many existing employees within the bank who had the necessary qualification, experience, skill and talent but due to one reason or the other; their career growth had become stunted.Such employees were dispersed throughout the country and were required to be identified for proper placement. In line with the glob al corporate strategy of leading Fortune 500 Companies that the best people should be placed in responsible and key positions, the implementation of the NBP Talent Pool Scheme has proved to be pioneering efforts in this direction in the Pakistan banking industry. Consequently, the first place over 200 employees were identified on merit through written test and interview and interview for selection in the NBP Talent Pool Scheme and posted in positions of higher responsibility.The implementation of the second phrase is in process and it is envisaged that other batch of about 300 existing bank employees will be available under the scheme for placement in high value branches of the bank. * FEMALE BRANCH MANAGERS The demographics of Pakistan are slightly skewed reflecting a higher female population which to a great extent is underutilized and their contribution to the economic sectors of the country in thus less than optimum level.Currently there is very high scope of including this fema le population in economic activities as many of them are academically qualified to take up challenging job opportunities. In line with the Government’s policy and vision of the bank’s President, NBP implemented a plan to empower the existing female employees of the bank and post them as managers in 10% of the bank’s branches. Around 30 female branch managers were selected from the existing female workforce of the bank while 30 others were recruited for external source.These 60 female managers have been posted at branches after intensive training and initial performance results indicate that they have shown remarkable performance. NBP employees excelling in banking examination of the Institution of Bankers, Pakistan: About four years ago the performance of NBP employees in banking examinations was quite dismal and it was the lowest in the banking sector. On account of the creation if an enabling environment with the management’s encouragement and support f or such academic pursuits besides various incentives, NBP employees today obtain the No. position in the country when compared to any other financial institution in terms of maximum number of NBP employees qualifying in such examination. * AGRICULTURE FIELD OFFICERS The agricultural sector of Pakistan contributes the highest to the GDP of the country. National bank of Pakistan enjoys the greatest strength in term of branch network which is concentrated in the rural areas of the country. The bank was therefore adequately poised to provide a full range of specialized financial services at the doorstep of the farmer.In line with the government policy to boost the agricultural sector with its large untapped potential for growth, NBP the initiative of the of developing adequate HR base in the agriculture dominated regions of the country consequently, 100 agriculture officers were appointed having necessary agriculture based qualifications to guide, facilitate and provide financial access to the farmer for enhancing their agricultural produce. * CASH OFFICERS Counter service to the costumers has been given top priority by the bank in order to improve the promptness in delivery of basic banking service.To improve customer services, 300 cash officers have been posted through internal sources by promoting staff of clerical cadre. This also provided for employee empowerment and motivation; in the past; promotions in clerical cadre took over 10 years. Upon encouraging results of such initiative, we have, once again internally advertised the position to induct another batch of cash officers which is going to be finalized shortly. * HIRING OF PROFESSIONALS Counter service to the costumers has been given top priority by the bank in order to improve the promptness in delivery of basic banking service.To improve customer services, 300 cash officers have been posted through internal sources by promoting staff of clerical cadre. This also provided for employee empowerment and m otivation; in the past; promotions in clerical cadre took over 10 years. Upon encouraging results of such initiative, they have, once again internally advertised the position to induct another batch of cash officers which is going to be finalized shortly. * EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION Human motives are based on conscious and subconscious need filled in individualistic, hierarchical order.Generally, motivation includes the entire class of drives, desire, needs and wishes, all of which are different for different individuals and further differ in their importance at various times for the same individual. Managing employee motivation is always an extremely complex task. To continuously enhance the level of performance of the employees and attain the optimum level for ensuring the growth of the organization, it is the primary responsibility of all HR practitioners to continuously maintain employee satisfaction and high motivation levels.NBP utilized all HRM tools for enhancing employees’ motivation thereby, contributing to the bank’s record growth. Promotion and Career Progression: During the last five years, 98% of the bank have been promoted at least once while, 45% of this total strength have received two promotions. This is a major step towards ensuring employee motivation and high morale. Promotions of employee who perform well are made strictly on merit basis and in the most transparent manner. Such promotions have been made a regular feature so that high performing employees are rewarded and their efforts in the growth of the bank are recognized.Employee Compensation: Pay Packages 2004, 2006 and 2008 were negotiated and implemented to the complete satisfaction of the employees and n the best interest of the bank. This was a major accomplishment in view of the highly charged intra-union and inter-union rivalries compounded by the transaction of HR responsibilities. During last five years increase in pay was a 100% for almost all NBP employees. The ensu re compensation levels of bank employees in relation to the market, salary surveys have been conducted and salary adjustments are being made wherever required. THE BANK’S INTERNAL CUSTOMER In order to provide maximum satisfaction to internal customers, which is vital for motivation and innovation each employee of HR has been given specific responsibility with the agreed upon standard time for each activity. The performance of the individual in then continuously monitored for the actual time taken for each activity against the set standard, to measure the HR performance. This quantification and measurement of each HR activity has resulted in substantial improvement in internal efficiency thereby, contributing to employee satisfaction and motivation. ACHIEVEMENT AND SPOT AWARDS A merit based culture has been established in the bank through implementation of achievement and spot awards for individual employees showing exemplary performance during the year or in an assigned task. The achievement award policy of the bank is a transparent system for rewarding high performing employees through achievement awards to 10% of the total employee strength every year. The policy of spot award is basically for recognizing individual employees their one-off excellent performance.Performance appraisal system has been revised to replace the traditional subjective ACR to provide more objectively in evaluation and recognizing merit. This system has been implemented with effect from January 2007 for all executives and contractual employees. Further; PAS will also be applicable to over 9000 regular officers w. e. f. 01. 01. 2009. Based on the evaluation of individual employees as per their performance appraisal, a system of pay for performance is being implemented to properly compensate relatively high performing employees thereby, strengthening the merit based culture. * EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONCommunication channels within an organization play a very important role in involv ing the employees’ participation in the implementation of policies. Through involvement in the implementation process, employees feel motivated to perform and establish their contribution in the overall growth of the organization. The 1st phase of ECP has been completed by 20 regions and about 8000 employees are already covered under the program. With a view to establish top-down and bottom-up communication, dialogue sessions with field functionaries of high value branches with the President have been held and constructive suggestion incorporated.Further to make the employee communication more effective regular bi-monthly publication of NBP Newsline and monthly publication of the Management Brief have also been introduced. * LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT After the reorganization of the bank’s field structure and decentralization of power, Regional Management Teams (RMT) were formed at all 29 Regional Offices. These leadership positions were filled through a systematic selecti on of RMT Member on merit, in the most transparent manner and after qualifying through a rigorous selection process involving written tests, group discussions and interviews.The empowerment of Regional Management Teams and managers of branches through enhanced discretionary powers for prompts decision making and assumption of higher responsibilities has motivated them to ensure high performance levels. Further, the bank intends to launch a â€Å"NBP Management & Leadership Development Scheme† for internal skilled and qualified employees of the bank for placement in middle and higher management level position in the future. * INDUSTRIAL HARMONYThe implementation of all HR policies depends to a great extent, on continuously maintaining industrial harmony within the organization. This has to be ensured through developing a mutual respect between the management and employee representatives. Mutual respect between the management and the CBAs as well as Officers representatives at NBP has been strengthened through trust building measure. These trust building measures included maintaining a continuous dialogue process with CBAs and Officers representatives.Industrial Relations Conferences were held to build better understanding of IROs and management policies, to ensure a ongoing harmonious environment. Industrial Relations Conferences are planned at Karachi & Islamabad for 2008. Additionally, the Employees Communication Program involving meeting at regional offices for staff are planned to create better awareness of management policies and the bank’s tradition of employee care. WHY WORK AT NBP? * NBP maintains its position as Pakistan’s Premier Bank with a huge network abroad as well. The Bank currently has an employee has of over 15,000 employees worldwide. The various departments include: Consumer Banking – Corporate Finance – Investment Banking – Agricultural Banking – Transactional Banking – Operations â₠¬â€œ Software Development and Automation – Financial Control – Treasury – Internal Audit – Risk Management & Credit – Economic & Business research – Training & Development – Strategic Planning – Human Resources * NBP has started several new programs to train its employees further to be prepared for the dynamic aspect of their job and to meet the challenges ahead. Besides a competitive financial package, NBP offers excellent working conditions, job satisfaction, superior leadership, and a conducive environment for growth. CONCLUSION It seemed impressive with the new HR department at NBP – a major public sector bank, decked out in wood and glass, with people in and out trying to devise plans of how to boost up the morale of each and every working person there and how to recruit the best ones out of a whole lot. The steps taken for the strengthening of the HR base in NBP have been instrumental in achieving record performanc e. This has been empirically proved through KPIs received from the field.Nevertheless, to remain competitive they cannot be complacent and should adequately prepare their human resource for meeting the challenge of competition in the future. A goal setting meeting was held in December 3 and 4, 2007 and a complete road map has been prepared for the year 2008. The goals and objective for the year 2008 were firmed up with a view to identifying the right kind of people socializing them in the right direction, training them; assigning tasks and roles that bring out their best, motivating them to put extra effort and creating conditions whereby the employees have a sense of fulfillment.This highly motivated effort will serve to retain NBP’s positions as the â€Å"Employer of Choice†. In recent times ,under the leadership of president Syed Ali Raza ,the banking has become conscious in promoting empowerment of women within the organization which not only requires a significant change in attitude but also immense modification in working culture. In view of this realization, national bank has accepted the abilities of women as component workers, and has started making the most of these potentials by assigning them managerial responsibilities.Currently, 63 branches are being headed by the females. The management under its female empowerment programme is committed to have 10 percent of NBP branches to be headed by the females. The management also considered the request for transfer of married and unmarried female employees to their desired place of posting which is close to their parents and spouse. The bank management envisaged that a strong human resource injection is essential for the success on a sustained basis .The management trainee's scheme was introduced management for attracting talent from all over the country having professional qualification particularly in the field of business management and commerce having proficiency in computer operation. T he first batch of management trainees joined NBP in July 2003 to translate the idea. Up till now a total of eight batches have been inducted and of them have been posted to region and groups. In view of all these improvements that have been done we still remain controversial on the subject of getting employment in NBP.It is true that all gender biasness has been removed and extensive training has been organized keeping in view that talent needs to be recognized and appreciated. We also remain highly appreciative of the fact that since the development of the HR department and its focus on the issues of recruitment, selection, gender biasness, appraisals, compensation, EEO compliance, grievances and training, the fact that we would not have been able to gain so much cooperation of the people we interviewed at the bank without our own personal source speaks for itself for the kind of resources that still work in the public sectors.HR needs to finish it or maybe it is on its way. We may gather from the data we received that many positive changes have come and are yet to come but are not negligent of the fact how and where what kind of biasness and sincerity is at work. While sitting in any organization you learn to come out of the theoretical meaning of appraisals and learn in real terms. We all saw the positive changes and the zealous way in which the department was at work in NBP and know that strategically it’s trying to achieve the better part of the system, competing against the system in its own way.For the bank itself, the need of HR is being fulfilled which keeps its employees more focused and well looked after. Here are some tips for being better employees than others that during our case study we have gathered: Educate yourself Many people promoted to new, senior position think that they can learn on the job, without any need for education in the new tasks. Yet, if you wanted to indulge in a new hobby, for example if you want to learn how to play a guitar, you would expect to take classes.The same principle applies to taking up a new position or moving to new company. Your natural ability needs reinforcement by learning both general and specifics ways, how to do the work. Many companies fail to insist on this reinforcement. If the employer will not provide the learning, take steps to get it yourself. Master computers However you obtain access to computing power, it is an indispensable extension of your own brain and capabilities. You must quickly master a word processing programme, email and a spreadsheet.Productivity aids like desk diaries and personal databases. Computer in many organizations now provide access to company files, colleges, message, customer, suppliers, collaborative, working and the internet. Strive for excellence The pursuit of the highest possible standards automatically points you towards achieving excellence. It you have achieve perfection in any activity, you must be the best, which is the proper objec tive in any context. In practice, aiming to improve skills means performing significantly better than your present standards, which are always imperfect.Remember that refusal to tolerate imperfection is a powerful force for success. Raise your standards However good you are at something, you can always improve. Similarly, however high the standards you have set for yourself and others, they can always higher. Apply to the total quality principle of continuous improvement to everything that you do. In a new position you may feel daunted by new demands and doubt your ability to tackle the tasks successfully. However, after the few weeks in the new role you will be performing well without difficulty.People tend to underestimate their power, which achieves the opposite of maximizing potential. It is better to overshoot and miss than never to try for the best of which you are capable. Learn a language Mastering other language makes a difference in negotiations and business relationships. It is also a valuable exercise for the mind. Cassettes and videos are effective learning tools but the best learning is interactive. You can sign up for the classes or use interactive media. Then take every chance to improve your skill.It will impress everybody, including your foreign business contacts. Share your knowledge Make sure that any courses you plan to attend are relevant to your work. Then do all you can to apply what you have learnt. Do not be deterred by less enlightened colleagues who may pour scorn on what you have been taught. You can only discover whether those lessons have real value by putting them into practice in your day-to-day work. Pass on your new knowledge to colleagues, and make them your allies. Be the bestJust like runners, managers and organizations needs opponents, or at least pace-setters, to produce their best performance. The process known as benchmarking measure comparable performance to set targets that they seek to exceed. The defect in this app roach is that the benchmarks may themselves be too low. You want to be the best at what you do. That means looking at the performance of the others to see not just what they do well. Being the best means setting new ways, this drive for reform can be very demanding, but also highly rewarding.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 35

Elena felt as if she had been doing nothing in al her life except walk under a shady canopy of high branches. It wasn't cold here, but it was cool. It wasn't dark, but it was dim. Instead of the constant crimson sunlight from the bloated red sun in the first Dark Dimension, they were walking in a constant dusk. It was unnerving, always looking up for the sky and never seeing the moon – or moons – or the planet – that might well be up there. Rather than sky, there was nothing but tangled tree branches, clearly heavy and so intricately entwined as to take up every bit of space above. Was she crazy, thinking that maybe they were on that moon, the diamond bright tiny moon that you could see from the outside of the Nether World Gatehouse? Was it too tiny to have an atmosphere? Too smal for proper gravity? She had noticed that she felt lighter here and that even Bonnie's steps seemed quite long. Could she†¦? She tensed her legs, let go of Stefan's hand, and jumped. It was a long jump, but it hadn't taken her anywhere near the canopy of woven branches above. And she didn't land neatly on her toes, either. Her feet flew out from under her on mil ennia of leaf mold and she skidded on her rear end for maybe three feet, before she could dig her fingers and feet in and stop. â€Å"Elena! Are you All right?†She could hear Stefan and Bonnie cal ing from behind her, and a quick, impatient: Are you crazy? from Damon. â€Å"I was trying to figure out where we were by testing the gravity,†she said, standing up on her own and brushing leaves off the seat of her jeans, mortified. Damn! Those leaves had gone up the back of her T-shirt, had even gotten inside her camisole. The group had left most of their furs behind at the Gatehouse, where Sage could guard them, and Elena didn't even have spare clothes. That had been stupid, she told herself angrily now. Embarrassed, she tried to walk and shimmy at the same time, to get the crumbled leaves out of her top. Final y she had to say, â€Å"Just a second, everybody. Guys, could you turn around? Bonnie, could you come back here and help me?†Bonnie was glad to help and Elena was astonished at how long it took to pick gunk away from her own flinching back. Next time you want a scientific opinion, try asking, Damon's scornful telepathy commented. Aloud, he added, â€Å"I'd say it's about eighty percent Earth's gravity here and we could well be on a moon. Doesn't signify. If Sage hadn't helped us with this compass, we'd never be able to find the tree's trunk – at least not in time.† â€Å"And remember,†Elena said, â€Å"that the idea that the star bal is near the trunk is just a guess. We have to keep our eyes open!† â€Å"But what should we look for?†Once, Bonnie would have wailed this. Now she simply asked quietly. â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Elena turned to Stefan. â€Å"It wil look bright, won't it? Against this horrible half-light?† â€Å"This horrible camouflage-green half-light,†Stefan agreed. â€Å"It should look like a slightly shifting bright light.† â€Å"But put it like this,†Damon said, walking backward graceful y and flashing his old 250-kilowatt smile for a second at them. â€Å"If we don't fol ow Sage's suggestion, we'l never find the trunk. If we try to wander randomly around this world, we wil never find anything – including our way back. And then not only Fel ‘s Church, but we wil al die, in this order. First, we two vampires wil break with al civilized behavior, as starvation – â€Å" â€Å"Stefan won't,†cried Elena, and Bonnie said, â€Å"You're just as bad as Shinichi, with his ‘revelations'about us!† Damon smiled subtly. â€Å"If I were as bad as Shinichi, little redbird, you would already be punctured like an empty juice box – or I would be sitting back with Sage, enjoying Black Magic – â€Å" â€Å"Look, this is pointless,†Stefan said. Damon feigned sympathy. â€Å"Maybe you have†¦problems†¦in the canine area, but I do not, little brother.†He deliberately held the smile this time so everyone could see his pointed teeth. Stefan wouldn't be baited. â€Å"And it's holding us up – â€Å" â€Å"Wrong, little brother. Some of us have mastered the art of speaking and walking at the same time.† â€Å"Damon – stop it! Just stop!†Elena said, rubbing her hot forehead with cold fingers. Damon shrugged, Stillmoving backward. â€Å"You only had to ask,†he said, with just the slightest emphasis on the first word. Elena said nothing in return. She felt feverish. It wasn't al just straight walking. Frequently there were huge mounds of knotted roots in their way that had to be climbed. Sometimes Stefan had to use the axe from his backpack to make footholds. Elena had come to hate the deep green demi-light more than anything. It played tricks on her eyes, just as the muffled sound of their feet on the leaf-strewn ground played tricks on her ears. Several times she stopped – and once Stefan did – to say, â€Å"There's someone else here! Fol owing us!† Each time they had al stopped and listened intently. Stefan and Damon sent telepathic probes of Power as far as they could reach, seeking another mind. But either it was so well disguised as to be invisible or it didn't exist at all. And then, after Elena felt as if she had been walking her whole life, and would keep walking until eternity ended, Damon stopped abruptly. Bonnie, just behind him, sucked in her breath. Elena and Stefan hurried forward to see what it was. What Elena saw made her say, unsteadily, â€Å"I think maybe we missed the trunk and†¦found†¦the edge†¦Ã¢â‚¬  On the ground in front of her and as far as she could see, was the star-studded darkness of space. But washing out the light of the stars was a huge planet and two huge moons, one swirled blue and white and one silver. Stefan was holding her hand, sharing the wonder with her, and tingles ran up her arm and into her suddenly weak knees, just from his feather-light touch on her fingers. Then Damon said caustical y, â€Å"Look up.† Elena did and gasped. For just an instant her body was completely unmoored. She and Stefan automatical y wound their arms around each other. And then Elena realized what they were seeing, both above and below. â€Å"It's water,†she said, staring at the pool spread out before them. â€Å"One of those freshwater seas Sage told us about. And not a ripple on it. Not a breath of wind.† â€Å"But it does look as if we're on that smal est moon,†Stefan said mildly, his eyes deceptively innocent as he looked at Damon. â€Å"Yes, Well, then there's something exceedingly heavy at the core of this moonlet, to al ow for eight-tenths the gravity we normal y experience, and to hang on to so much atmosphere – but who cares about logic? This is a world we reached through the Nether World. Why should logic apply?†He looked at Elena with slightly narrowed, hooded eyes. â€Å"Where is the third one? The grave one?† The voice came from behind them – Elena thought. She was – they al were – turning from looking at bril iant light into half-darkness. Everything shimmered and danced before her eyes. â€Å"Grave Meredith; laughing Bonnie; And Elena with golden hair. They whisper and then are silent†¦ They plot and I no longer care†¦ But I must have Elena, Elena with the Golden Hair†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well, you're not going to have me!†cried Elena. â€Å"And that poem is a complete misquote, anyway. I remember it from freshman English class. And you're crazy! â€Å"Even through her anger and fear she wondered about Fel ‘s Church. If Shinichi was here, could he bring about the Last Midnight there? Or could Misao simply set it off with a languid wave? â€Å"But I will have you, golden Elena,†the kitsune said. Both Stefan and Damon had knives out. â€Å"That's just where you're wrong, Shinichi,†Stefan said. â€Å"You wil never, ever touch Elena again.† â€Å"I have to try. You've taken everything else.† Elena's heart was pounding now. If he'l talk sense to any of us, he'l talk to me, she thought. â€Å"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the Last Midnight, Shinichi?†she asked in a friendly tone, inwardly trembling in case he should say, â€Å"It's already over.† â€Å"She doesn't need me. She wouldn't protect Misao. Why should I help Her?† For a moment Elena couldn't speak. She? She? Other than Misao, what other She was involved in this? Damon had a crossbow out now, with a quarrel loaded in it. But Shinichi just went rambling on. â€Å"Misao couldn't move anymore. She had put al her Power into her star bal , you see. She never laughed or sang any longer – never made up any plots with me. She just†¦sat. â€Å"Final y she asked me to put her into myself. She thought we'd become one that way. So she dissolved and merged right into me. But it didn't help. Now†¦I can barely hear her. I've come to get my star bal . I've been using its energy to travel through the dimensions. If I put Misao into my star bal , she'l recover. Then I'l hide it again – but not where I left it last. I'l put it farther up where no one else wil ever find it.†He seemed to focus on his listeners. â€Å"So I guess it's Misao and I who are talking to you right now. Except that I'm so lonely – I can't feel her at all.† â€Å"You wil not touch Elena,†Stefan said quietly. Damon was looking grimly at the rest of the group at Shinichi's words, â€Å"†¦I'l put it farther up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Go on, Bonnie, keep moving,†Stefan added. â€Å"You too, Elena. We'l fol ow.† Elena let Bonnie go some feet ahead before saying telepathical y, We can't break up, Stefan; there's only one compass. Watch out, Elena! He might hear you! came Stefan's voice, and Damon added flatly, Shut up! â€Å"Don't bother tel ing her to shut up,†Shinichi said. â€Å"You're mad if you think that I can't just pick your thoughts right out of your minds. I didn't think you were that stupid.† â€Å"We're not stupid,†Bonnie said hotly. â€Å"No? Then did you figure out my riddles for you?† â€Å"This is hardly the time for that,†Elena snapped. It was a mistake, for it caused Shinichi to focus on her again. â€Å"Did you tel them what you think about the tragedy of Camelot, Elena? No, I didn't think you'd have the courage. I'l tel them, then, shal I? I'l read it as you put it in your diary.† â€Å"No! You can't have read my diary! Anyway – it's no longer applicable! â€Å"Elena flared. â€Å"Let me see†¦these are your own words now.†He assumed a reading voice. ‘Dear Diary, one of Shinichi's riddles was what I thought of Camelot. You know, the legend of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and the knight she loved, Lancelot. And here's what I thought. A lot of innocent people died and were miserable because three selfish people – a king, a queen, and a knight – couldn't behave in a civilized way. They couldn't understand that the more you love, the more you find to love. But those three couldn't give in to love and just share – al three of them†¦'† â€Å"Shut up!†screamed Elena. â€Å"Shut up!† My God, Damon said, my life just lapped itself. So did mine. Stefan sounded dizzy. Just forget about all of it, Elena told them. It's not true anymore. Stefan, I'm yours forever, and I always was. And right now w e've got to get rid of this bastard, and run for the trunk. â€Å"Misao and I used to do that,†Shinichi said. â€Å"Talk alone together on a special frequency. You're certainly a good manipulator, Elena, to keep them from kil ing each other over you.† â€Å"Yes, it's a special frequency I cal the truth,†Elena said. â€Å"But I'm not half as good a manipulator as Damon is. Now attack us or let us go away. We're in a hurry!† â€Å"Attack you?†Shinichi seemed to be thinking over the idea. And then, faster than Elena could track it, he went for Bonnie. The vampires, who had been expecting him to try to get to Elena, were caught off guard, but Elena, who had seen the flicker of his eyes toward the weaker girl, was already diving for him. He moved back so quickly that she found herself heading for his legs, but then she realized she had a chance to throw him off balance. She deliberately went for a headbutt with his kneecap, at the same time stabbing deep into his foot with her knife. Forgive me, Bonnie, she thought, knowing what he would do. It was the same as what he'd had his puppet, Damon, do when he'd held Elena and Matt hostage before – except that he didn't need a pine branch to direct the pain. Black energy erupted directly from his hands into Bonnie's smal body. But there was another factor he hadn't taken into account. When he'd had Damon attack Matt and Elena he'd had the sense to keep away from them while directing agony into their bodies. This time, he'd seized Bonnie and wrapped his arms around her. And Bonnie was a most excel ent telepath herself, especial y at projecting. When the first wave of agony hit her, she screamed – and redirected the pain toward Shinichi. It was like completing a circuit. It didn't hurt Bonnie any less, but it meant that anything Shinichi did to her he felt in his own body, amplified by Bonnie's terror. That was the system that Elena slammed into as hard as she could. When her head impacted with his knee, his kneebone was the more fragile of the two, and something inside it crackled. Dazed, she concentrated on twisting the knife she'd stabbed through his foot and into the soil below. It wouldn't have worked if she hadn't had two extremely agile vampires right behind her. Since Shinichi didn't fal over, she would just have been putting her neck at the perfect level for him to snap cleanly. But Stefan was only a split second behind her. He seized her and was out of Shinichi's reach before the kitsune could even assess the situation properly. â€Å"Let me go,†Elena gasped at Stefan. She was determined to get Bonnie. â€Å"I left my knife,†she added craftily, finding a more concrete reason for forcing Stefan to let her back into the fray. â€Å"Where?† â€Å"In his foot, of course.† She could feel Stefan trying not to laugh out loud. â€Å"I think that's a good place to leave it. Take one of mine,†he added. If you've quite finished your little chat, you might get rid of his tails, came Damon's cold telepathy. At that moment Bonnie passed out, but with her own telepathic circuits Stillwide open and directed back toward Shinichi. And now Damon had gone into offensive mode, as if he cared nothing about Bonnie's well-being, as long as he could get through her to Shinichi. Stefan, quick as a striking snake, went for one of the many tails that now waved behind Shinichi, advertising his tremendous Power. Most of them were translucent, and they surrounded his real tail – the flesh-and-blood tail that every fox had. Stefan's knife went snick and one of the phantom tails fel to the ground and then disappeared. There was no blood, but Shinichi keened in fury and pain. Damon, meanwhile, was ruthlessly attacking from the front. As soon as Stefan had distracted the kitsune from the back, Damon slashed both Shinichi's wrists – one quickly on the upstroke, the other just as fast on the down-stroke. Then he went for a body blow just at the moment that Stefan, with Elena held like a baby on his hip, snicked away another phantom tail. Elena was struggling. She was seriously worried that Damon would kill Bonnie to get to Shinichi. And besides, she herself would not be toted around like a piece of luggage! Civilization had tumbled down al around her and she was reacting from her deepest instincts: protect Stefan, protect Bonnie, protect Fel ‘s Church. Put the enemy down. She hardly realized that in her heightened state she had sunk her unfortunately Still-human teeth into Stefan's shoulder. He winced slightly, but he listened to her. All right! Try to get Bonnie, then – see if you can ease her. He let go of her just as Shinichi whirled to deal with him, channeling the black pain that, back on Earth, had flung Matt and Elena off their feet in seizures, directly toward Stefan. Elena, just released, found that everyone was making a half turn, as if to oblige her, and suddenly she saw a chance. She snatched at the limp form of Bonnie, and Shinichi dropped the smal er girl into her arms. Words were echoing in Elena's brain. Get Bonnie. See if you can ease her. Well, she had Bonnie now. Her own sense split Stefan's two orders with another – get her away from Shinichi. She's the priceless hostage. Elena found that she could almost scream with fury even now. She had to keep Bonnie safe – but that meant leaving Stefan, gentle Stefan, at the mercy of Shinichi. She scrambled away with Bonnie – so smal and light – and at the same time threw a backward glance at Stefan. He was wearing a slight frown of concentration now, but he was not only not overwhelmed with pain, he was pressing forward the attack. Even though Shinichi's head was on fire. The bril iant crimson tips of his black hair had burst into flames, as if nothing else would express his enmity and his certainty of winning. He was crowning himself with a flaming garland, a hel ish halo. Elena's anger at that turned into chil s down her spine as she watched something most people never lived to analyze: two vampires attacking together, perfectly in sync. There was the elemental savagery in it of a pair of raptors or wolves, but there was also the awesome beauty of two creatures working as a single, unified body. The distance in Stefan's and Damon's expressions said that this was a fight to the death. The occasional frown from Stefan or vicious smile from Damon meant that Shinichi was sending his searing dark Power through one or the other of them. But these weren't weak humans Shinichi was playing with now. They were both vampires with bodies that healed almost instantly – and vampires who had both fed recently – from her – Elena. Her extraordinary blood was feuling them now. So I'm already a part of this, Elena thought. I'm helping them right now. That would have to satisfy the savagery this no-holds-barred fight elicited in her. To ruin the perfect synchronicity with which the two vampires were handling Shinichi would be a crime, especial y when Bonnie was Stilllimp in her arms. As humans, we're both liabilities, she thought. And Damon wouldn't hesitate to tel me so, even if al I wanted was to get in one single stroke. Bonnie, come on, Bonnie, she thought. Hold on to me. We're getting farther away. She picked up the smal er girl under the armpits and dragged her. She backed up into the olive dimness that stretched in al directions. When she tripped over a root and accidental y sat down, she decided that she'd gone far enough, and maneuvered Bonnie into her lap. Then she cupped her hands around Bonnie's little heart-shaped face and she thought of the most soothing things she could imagine. A cool plunge at Warm Springs back home. A hot bath at Lady Ulma's and then a four-handed massage, lying comfortably on a drying couch with the scent of floral incense rising around her. A cuddle with Saber in Mrs. Flowers's informal den. The decadence of sleeping late and waking up in her own bed – with her own mother and father and sister in the house. As Elena thought of this last, she couldn't help giving a tiny gasp, and a teardrop fel onto Bonnie's forehead. Bonnie's eyelashes fluttered. â€Å"Now, don't you be sad,†she whispered. â€Å"Elena?† â€Å"I've got you, and nobody's going to hurt you again. Do you Stillfeel bad?† â€Å"A little. But I could hear you, in my mind, and it made me feel better. I want a long bath and a pizza. And to hold baby Adara. She can almost talk, you know. Elena – you're not listening to me!† Elena wasn't. She was watching the denouement of the fight between Stefan and Damon and Shinichi. The vampires had the kitsune down now and were squabbling over him like a couple of fledglings over a particularly tasty worm. Or maybe like a pair of baby dragons – Elena wasn't sure if birds hissed at each other. â€Å"Oh, no – yuck!†Bonnie saw what Elena was watching and col apsed, hiding her head against Elena's shoulder. Okay, Elena thought. I get it. There's no savagery at allin you, is there, Bonnie? Mischief, but nothing like bloodlust. And that's good. Even as she thought this, Bonnie abruptly sat up straight, bumping Elena's chin, and pointing into the distance. â€Å"Wait!†she cried. â€Å"Do you see that?† That was a very bright light, which flared brighter as each vampire found a place to his liking on Shinichi's body and bit simultaneously. â€Å"Stay here,†Elena said, a little thickly, because when Bonnie had bumped her chin she'd accidental y bitten her tongue. She ran back to the two vampires and knocked them as hard as she could over the heads. She had to get their attention before they got completely locked into feeding mode. Not surprisingly, Stefan detached first, and then helped her to pul Damon off his defeated enemy. Damon snarled and paced, never taking his eyes off Shinichi as the beaten kitsune slowly sat up. Elena noticed drops of blood scattered around. Then she saw it, tucked into Damon's belt, black and crimson-tipped and sleek: Shinichi's real tail. Savagery fled†¦fast. Elena wanted to hide her head against Stefan's shoulder but instead turned up her face for a kiss. Stefan obliged. Then Elena stepped back so that they formed a triangle around Shinichi. â€Å"Don't even think of attacking,†Damon said pleasantly. Shinichi gave a weak shrug. â€Å"Attack you? Why bother? You'l have nothing to go back to, even if I die. The children are pre-programmed to kil . But† – with sudden vehemence – â€Å"I wish we'd never come to your damned little town at all – and I wish we'd never fol owed Her orders. I wish I'd never let Misao near Her! I wish we hadn't – â€Å"He stopped speaking suddenly. No, it was more than that, Elena thought. He froze, eyes wide open and staring. â€Å"Oh, no,†he whispered. â€Å"Oh, no, I didn't mean that! I didn't mean it! I have no regrets – â€Å" Elena had the feeling of something coming at them at tremendous speed, so fast, in fact, that she just had time to open her mouth before it hit Shinichi. Whatever it was, it kil ed him cleanly and passed by without touching anyone else. Shinichi fel facedown onto the dirt. â€Å"Don't bother,†Elena said softly, as Stefan reflexively moved toward the corpse. â€Å"He's dead. He did it to himself.† â€Å"But how?†Stefan and Damon demanded in chorus. â€Å"I'm not the expert,†Elena said. â€Å"Meredith is the expert on this. But she told me that kitsune could only be kil ed by destroying their star bal s, shooting them with a blessed bul et†¦or by the ‘Sin of Regret.'Meredith and I didn't know what that meant back then – it was before we had even gone into the Dark Dimension. But I think we just now saw it in action.† â€Å"So you can't be a kitsune and regret anything you've done? That's – harsh,†Stefan said. â€Å"Not at all,†Damon said crisply. â€Å"Although, if it had operated for vampires, no doubt you would have been permanently dead when you woke up in the family vault.† â€Å"Earlier,†Stefan said expressionlessly. â€Å"I regreted striking you a mortal blow, even as I was dying. You've always said I feel too guilty, but that is one thing I would give my life to take back.† There was a silence that stretched and stretched. Damon was at the front of the group now, and no one but Bonnie could see his face. Suddenly Elena grabbed Stefan's hand. â€Å"We Stillhave a chance!†she told him. â€Å"Bonnie and I saw something bright that way! Let's run!†He and Elena passed Damon running and he grabbed Bonnie's hand too. â€Å"Like the wind, Bonnie!† â€Å"But with Shinichi dead – Well, do we real y have to find his star bal or the biggest star bal or whatever is hidden in this awful place?†Bonnie asked. Once, she would have whined, Elena thought. Now, despite whatever pain she felt, she was running. â€Å"We do have to find it, I'm afraid,†Stefan said. â€Å"Because from what he said, Shinichi wasn't at the top of the ladder after al . He and his sister were working for someone, someone female. And whoever She is, She may be attacking Fel ‘s Church right now.† â€Å"The odds have just shifted,†Elena said. â€Å"We have an unknown enemy.† â€Å"But Still – â€Å" â€Å"Al bets,†Elena said, â€Å"are off.†

Ancient China Essay

Q1. How did China’s environment help a civilization to develop there? Because of the areas with a good climate and rich soil, China’s civilization was able to flourish. Although most of china is made up of mountains and deserts, there are some places like the river valleys with good climate and soil that is perfect for farming. These river valleys are formed by the Huang, Yangtze, and Xi Rivers. When they knew they could farm there, people began to settling along the Huang about 5000bc. They learned to make dikes and irrigation systems and started jobs like herding sheep and cattle. Sometimes, the dikes created would not be enough to hold the water, and the Huang would destroy towns and crops. The trials and rewards that the Huang River brought gave it its name, The River of Sorrows. Along with civilization came invasion. China’s civilization was invaded many times by nomads from Mongolia and Manchuria. But even if some of these invaders worked their way up to government, they kept the Chinese culture because it was so strong. Q2. What do we know of China’s first historic dynasty? The Shang Dynasty was China’s first historic dynasty. It began in the Huang River Valley at about 1500bc. They started off only ruling a small portion around the city of Anyang, but even though they didn’t rule certain places, they still promised to fight against all invaders. They had bronze weapons and chariots to help in battle. They slowly gained more power as the population grew, and by 1200bc, the Shang rulers became great. Q3. How was China governed during the Zhou Dynasty? The Zhou Dynasty began at about 1027bc and because of their strong dynasty, they ruled for 800 years. They took over the Shang Dynasty with the help of a few Chinese city-states whose leaders where very powerful, so the ruled their city-states independently. The Zhou Dynasty weakened because of small wars within kingdoms. By 400s bc the Zhou Dynasty was so weak the only ruled over their own city state. These years of weakening were called the Years of the Warring States. China’s government developed the Mandate of Heaven which said that each dynasty would have their own government. A dynasty could rule only as long as it kept its mandate. When a dynasty’s mandate was taken by the gods, the new ruler would have to defeat the old to begin his own dynasty.

A comparing and contrasting paper about the work,lives and the impact Research

A comparing and contrasting about the work,lives and the impact on society of Kate Chopin and Winslow Homer - Research Paper Example However, the standard for a piece of work to qualify as art is the essence of aesthetics in the work. For instance, when a painter derives his imagination in the form of a painting, or an actor presents his work on a stage drama, or a writer consummates his feelings in the form of a story, these are all forms of art, and those producing such work with a sense of aesthetics are the artists. In this context, both Kate Chopin and Winslow Homer are distinguished artists in their respective fields with valuable contributions in the field. Kate Chopin was an American story writer and novelist, whose work consists of feminist elements. Her stories were targeted for almost all age groups, particularly for children, and were often published in magazines like the Atlantic Monthly and The Century Magazine. Her work led towards the attainment of the St Louis Walk of Fame Award for her diverse array of publications during the era (Tothe 1990). On the other hand, Winslow Homer was an American Landscape painter and also a printmaker. Working as a commercial illustrator, he eventually took up oil painting to produce studio work seeking advantage of the weight and density of the medium he was using. Later, he also utilized water colors for producing paintings and other studio works. One of his earliest works includes the painting of Prisoners from the front which was exhibited in Pari s. The main subject of interest was the life of the peasants and indulged into the marine themed paintings once he moved to Maine (Goodriche 1959). The greatest achievement of his work tends to be the commemorative stamp released by the US post office to honor his art. Though both the artists have immense contributions in the field of art during the initial phase of the twentieth century, yet their works differ to a large extent. On one hand where Chopin`s work focused on contemporary yet typical themes like

Amy's Bread Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Amy's Bread - Essay Example Wholesale provides her steady demand because of lead time in making orders, while retail is essentially walk-in and uncertain. The secondary problem is how Amy could improve her profit margin. Amy’s Bread’s competitive advantage lies in its manual baking process. This causes it to incur higher manpower costs and keeps profit margin low. Amy has not made any cost or price analysis, or comparison with competitors, but only charges what she feels is right. Amy’s Bread was established in 1992 and is located in Manhattan. It serves 50 regular wholesale customers with waiting list of more than 30 wholesale customers, all quality hotels, gourmet food shops and restaurants. As to competitiveness, Amy’s competitive advantage is in her hand-baking method, which produces excellent bread of high quality that could otherwise not be attained. She has also been given excellent press and the reviews have improved her track record and clientele. Furthermore, competitive advantage also resides in Amy’s dedicated and engaged baking staff who has been trained well, and who remain loyal to the business. The solution to the main problem is to expand, since Amy’s Bread has already reached full capacity, and its potential wholesale market will assuredly bring sales to almost twice the former wholesale volume (additional 30 customers to the existing 50). Amy must expand to capture the large wholesale demand and to try to attain economies of scale. It is recommended that Amy should acquire the building she could renovate for $300,000, then move all the wholesale production facilities there and operate the present location for retail. In that manner, Amy could expand both her wholesale and retail businesses. This way she assumes only the additional capital expenses she could afford ($300,000 versus $500,000), she does not acquire additional extra space she does not need (6,000 versus

Preparation for Value Management Study designed for TechWatt Essay

Preparation for Value Management Study designed for TechWatt Corporation - Essay Example In preparation for the Value Management Study, TMK Services has determined the need for this preliminary report that will address the specific issues that should be evaluated during the first meeting of the project briefing stage. This report will include details of what should be contributed to the Value Management Study, and who will be involved in the process. In addition, TechWatt will need to provide certain information for the Study, which will be addressed. Finally, a proposed agenda will be submitted for approval. Top managers of TechWatt must be involved in every aspect of this process and, since the company is not large, they will be directly monitoring each feature of the process without exception. At the early stages of decision making, there is no need for any delegation of responsibility. As the process proceeds to the construction phase, At the outset, TMK Services has been informed that the funds allocated by TechWatt for the proposed HQ total approximately five million pounds. With that in mind, the first logical step in this process must be to determine a suitable location for building and determine what the cost of the land will be. While some locations may seem more desirable from a strictly logistical or geographical standpoint, consideration must be given to the relative cost of land in any given area being considered. We would suggest that TechWatt management not limit themselves to only one possible location at this stage. Going into the Value Management Study meeting, it would be beneficial to have at least two, if not three possible locations on the table. Considering what has been occurring with the price of land in recent years, it becomes imperative to make the proper decision on location. For example: From 1983 to 2002 the cost of one hectare of land in London went from 0.76m to 5.5m. However, in the South West, the price went from 0.18m to 1.7m. Finally, the lowest prices for land are found in Yorkshire with prices raising from 0.1m to only 0.87m per hectare. (UK Land Prices Rocket, 2003) Prices for land vary throughout additional areas of the country, and specific numbers can be provided upon request, however the purpose of providing these statistics is simply to provide the basis for TechWatt management to understand the importance of this part of the decision making process. Obviously, the cost of the land on which the HQ will be constructed will play a major roll in determining the amount of finances remaining for the building process. 3 Although a full hectare of land may not be necessary for this project - that is a determination that will be made at a later date - understanding the cost of land in various locations must be a vital part of the process for TechWatt management. Other factors will need to be considered regarding location, as well. These include: accessibility of location (is it close to majors thoroughfares and easily accessible from airport); quality of surrounding area

REFERENCE Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

REFERENCE - Article Example His clients also have the utmost esteem for Mr X. They consider Mr X the consummate professional, an exemplar of the vocation, and they are struck by his affability and graciousness during what must be a time of considerable stress. Mr X is extremely liberal with his valuable time. For example, he has attended at my pharmacy once a week for over six years. Considering the enormous distances he must travel to do so it heartens me that he always treats both my customers and myself with enthusiasm and vigour; more so as he does this without any monetary recompense whatsoever, such is his enthusiasm to return to the register. Mr X is fervent in his desire to gain valuable experience under my tutelage – something that I actively encourage. Mr X, while obviously on restricted duties, performs a variety of valuable tasks while working in the pharmacy. These include providing homeopathic remedies as well as dispensing conventional medicines. Mr X also enjoys working at the counter as it allows him to interact with patients as well as allowing him to keep up to date with changes in regulations regarding many over the counter medicines. Mr X is very active in preventive care. He encourages customers to engage in healthy lifestyle pursuits - advising patients about the potential dangers associated with cigarette smoking for example – and is fully versed in all the smoking cessation programs that our pharmacy offers. Indeed, Mr X’s customer service is outstanding. He is always engaging and energetic when dealing with patients. Moreover, Mr X explains in clear simple English exactly what each prescription does, whether there will be any complications or potential side-effects, and whether there are any better or cheaper generic medications available. Overall, Mr X’s customer service skills are exemplary. I rely on Mr X’s discretion and professionalism at all

CASE 1 MGT- 412 Developing and Enforcing ADA Policy Essay

CASE 1 MGT- 412 Developing and Enforcing ADA Policy - Essay Example uideline for the company for my new employee handbook (ADA Policy Review Urged In Light of EEOC Enforcement Actions 2011).The procedures incorporated are, the position statement, Nature, and Scope of policy, systems, and the role of ADA committee. The policy also includes the role of the employee, part of the job and the employee records. North America midway entertainment perceives and bolsters the norms put forward in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. And the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, and comparative state laws (from now on "applicable law" or "law[s]"). These laws are intended to eliminate oppression on qualified people with disabilities. Disabilities may incorporate physical or mental debilitations, which substantially confine one, or more an individuals significant life exercises, and which require alterations to the offices, projects, or administrations of the Company As noted in the Position Statement, North America midway entertainment perceives and bolsters the benchmarks put forward in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Also the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as changed and is focused on making sensible facilities for employees and workers with qualifying incapacities as needed by these laws. Since the Company’s Position and Policy are expected to be concurrent with the prerequisites of pertinent laws, nothing in this strategy is planned to give less substantive advantages or procedural protections than are needed by these laws. In like manner, nothing in this approach is proposed to give more prominent substantive advantages or procedural assurances that are needed by these laws. North America midway entertainment has received the accompanying two-stage process for making sensible carnival rides to advance the openness of its projects for employees. Before registration, every conceded employee gets a Special Needs Identification Form. Every employee asking for employment must finish this

Network monitoring and analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Network monitoring and analysis - Assignment Example 214). Indiscriminate requests for entry into the network at such a rate that the servers fail to respond in a timely manner leading to congestion formation is one of the characteristic features of Denial of Service action. Tear Dropping and peer to peer attacks are commonly known actions and activities that are entailed in the domain of DoS attacks on the networks. Different actions may be undertaken as counter measures against DoS. The installation of an effective firewall is one possible solution against this menace. Firewall allows sequential entry of traffic and requests and subsequently prevents the system from overflow and flooding of requests. Other possible options of security include techniques such as Black holding, or simply use of switches as an alternate. The technique of Internet Based Prevention System is also an option against the DoS activity which allows running a smooth operational

Cross cultural issues in international business Essay

Cross cultural issues in international business - Essay Example Intense competition at the global level therefore requires that firms should effectively manage their cross cultural team work most efficiently. Failure to do so may create more problems for the firms and may ultimately result into the downfall of the firms. It has been suggested that working in an environment which is diverse in nature pose significant challenges for the firms to overcome those obstacles and operate with same level of efficiency and competitiveness they usually perform with in their local markets. AB Volvo is a Swedish Manufacturer of trucks, buses, construction equipment and cars. It also offers marine systems and financial services in different markets thus diversifying itself at product as well as at market level. Being one of the well-known global brands for trucks, Volvo Track, its brand for trucks, has been setting a manufacturing plant in China. This paper will discuss and explore the cross cultural management issues for Volvo in Chinese market. VOLVO  œ A Brief Introduction AB Volvo is a Swedish Manufacturer of Trucks, buses and cars and has been operating in European market. It also offers financial services in markets where it operates thus have been diversifying itself into different products and markets. The company was officially formulated in 1927 when it rolled out its first car and since then has really transformed itself as one of the leading manufacturers of trucks in the world. It operates various business including Volvo Trucks, Mack Trucks, Renault, Volvo Construction Equipment, Financial services as well as other business segments. It has been manufacturing and exporting buses and trucks since 1930s and really became successful outside Sweden after the World War II. It has also been manufacturing marine engines and became one of the leading manufacturers of marine engines in the world. Over the period of time, the firm has either acquired new businesses or sold its existing business. Firm sold its car business back in 1999 to Ford Motors. This sell out was considered as necessary to refocus the firm’s business strategy on the production and marketing of commercial vehicles only. It has now proved itself as one of the leading manufacturers of Trucks and Buses at the global level. It has also decided to set up its manufacturing facilities in China with the aim to capture the Chinese market as well as set up the base to serve Asian market. Volvo in China China represents one of the most important markets for Volvo as it anticipates selling more trucks in the future in Chinese market. Though there are already other foreign and local players in the market however, the firm is expecting an increase in its sales of trucks in the Chinese market. Apart from the truck business, Volvo Cars have also been purchased by a Chinese manufacturer from Ford Motors Co however it has been hard for the Chinese firm to establish the factories and start the production on normal footings in order to get a footh old in the Chinese markets. China being culturally and linguistically different country however, also offers significant cross cultural management issues also. From managing employee relations, customer services to having relationship with the government officials, China pose a