Faust and Job Essay Example for Free

Faust and Job Essay While he was yet speaking , there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee† (Bridge Builder’s Bible, Job. 1.12-16). Job loses his possessions, his children,and he suffers health wise. He becomes very ill, but no matter what life brought him he still remained faithful to God. Job could have easily given in as Faust did. In this life we have choices to make whether they be good or evil. We must suffer the consequences for every wrong deed we choose. It takes a strong will power to be determined to do right like Job. Faust believes there is a narrow limitation on the world in which he have been living until he interacts with Mephistopheles. Faust feels he knows enough about philosophy and heros of old legends. He now recalls for a divine law that proves that this action is the ruling force of the universe. This pact deal that was made was set up to fail Faust. Faust did not believe in a heaven or hell, which means he is betting his life rather than selling his soul. In Faust’s mind he is not sure if a eternal life even exists. If he gave up the world that he was living in he really felt that he would be just giving up something that dissatisfied him any way. Faust’s desires is not so much an evil one, but the idea that he has made this pact deal with the devil brings on many concerns about this decision he has made. The devil is unsure of his own ability to fulfill all the request that Faust made to him. However, the devil accepts these challenges and make sure the pact deal is signed in blood. Faust is very eager at this point to taste all the aspects of life that he thinks he have neglected. Although at first Faust rejects the offers made by Mephistopheles, he still ends up given in to this temptation. Faust should have kept his belief when saying, â€Å"the world’s pleasures cannot end his doubts or satisfy his needs† (Cliffnotes:Faust study iii). Faust is being taking advantaged of because Mephistopheles knows Faust’s weaknesses. He knows that Faust is striving to understand the universe and his place in it, while Mephistopheles has something totally different in mind from Faust. Faust just happened to be at the crossroads in his life. He was a very well-esteemed man and an intelligent scholar who was highly looked on. The book of Faust came out during the eighteenth centuries, so attitudes then may have had an impact on how people, in particular Goethe may have viewed life. During that time attitudes were focused more toward earthly life and beyond. Looking at Faust attitude compared to Job’s, I see that Job was strong while Faust was weak. I find them to be different from each other just by viewing who gave in to this trick. It is plain to see that Faust gave in and Job stood his ground. It means a whole lot when someone can stand their grounds and not be moved by nothing in this world. Job’s world was in turmoil, but this did not interfere with his faith nor the confidence he had. Satan was concerned with getting souls that he can keep for eternity. He used any tactics he could to seduce Faust. The Devil offered earthly things to blindfold Faust. The Lord did let Mephistopheles know that when he grants him permission to engage in Faust’s life, Faust will be fully aware of the righteous path, whether he chooses it or not. I believe at this point Faust is beginning to see Mephistopheles for who he really is. I had came to this conclusion personally when I read these lines: â€Å"Your real being no less than your fame Is often shown, sirs, by your name, Which is not hard to analyze When one calls you the Liar, Destroyer, God of Flies. Enough, who are you then? Part of that force which would Do evil evermore, and yet creates the good. What is it that this puzzle indicates? I am the spirit that negates. And rightly so, for all that comes to be Deserves to perish wretchedly;’Twere better nothing would begin. Thus everything that your terms, sin, Destruction, evil represent- That is my proper element. You call yourself a part, yet whole make your debut† (Goethe 705)? Mephistopheles was a smooth talking and slick which reminds me of Satan himself. Job at some point in his life wished he had never been born. How can anyone fault Job for feeling the way he did after going through these horrible storms in his life. He had to face these mountains and conquer his fears. I do understand Job was human, so he had a right to feel saddened or possibly even lonely. Faust longs to find something absolutely enduring so that he can end his alienation. He rather ignore reality just to have pleasures fulfilled for a few years rather than having something that will please him forever. Faust understands life, but he wants to dig deeper into the truth about supernatural things. In return for his search on this he turns to magic which leads him to making this pact deal with the devil in the first place. Satan plan he had for Job did not work as God said. Mephistopheles tries to criticize God by saying he made an imperfect world. However, he did help God carry out his will through using this pact deal with Faust. Satan main goal and purpose is to defeat God by taking over every soul. It is evidently true just reading: â€Å"And in return, what do you hope to take? There’s so much time so who insist? No, no! The Devil is an egoist And would not just for heaven’s sake Turn into a philanthropist. Make your conditions very clear; Where such a servant lives, danger is near† (Goethe 711). It is obvious that Mephistopheles is not on Faust side. Once he get him right where he wants him he is going to surely take his life. What good can come from someone when they encourage another human being to take their life. No friend would want to see you die. I consider that to be for someone who hates you and they must be cold-hearted. One comes to know good by knowing evil. A person can not come to know God without knowing this knowledge. True knowledge is gotten only from experience. Just like the Devil Mephistopheles often speaks the truth to get what he wants. Faust wanted much and he was never satisfied so greed began to take over his life. Job was satisfied with what God had given him and that is how he was able to stand on the word of God. He return for Job’s pain God restored to him everything that he had lost. He gave him back more than what he had before. Faust struggle with self worth causes him to have an inability to have faith in God. However, God does not give up on Faust. Believe it or not God gives us many chances in this world today because he has not given up on us either. God knew Faust struggled, but he allowed him to reach his low point in order to draw him back. Mephistopheles duty was to lead Faust down a dark road. If Satan could have done the same thing to Job he would have, but Job was too strong for him. Therfore, Satan fault a loosing battle with Job. In the process Faust is responsible for three deaths in this story, although he was influenced by Mephistopheles. God has given us the spirit of unlimited belief.The battle really begins in our mind. It is our will and emotions that control what we do or think. We must stop limiting God by the level of our faith or belief. He is and will always be the God of the impossible. People must demand that Satan leave them alone and not just ask this. It is good to know that by the power of the holy spirit we have authority over Satan to tell him what to do. Satan must be put in his place. Satan is a great pretender, so don’t be deceived by his fierce growl. I am encouraged knowing this scriptures, â€Å"and put on the whole armor of God so that ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked† (Bridge Builder’s Bible, Ephesians6.11-18). After being tested it feels good to know t hat someone passed their test and did not fail. I must be strong myself and not get caught up in the crossroads of my own life. People must have faith in order to make it in this world. Nothing can compare to what God has to offer us in heaven. God is amazing and he is the almighty whom we must answer to. It is great to have Job like attitude and not Faust attitude towards life. I encourage people to be strong in the Lord, having much faith. Works Cited Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Faust. New York:W.W Norton Company, 1984. Lawall, Sarah, ed. The Norton Anthology of world literature .London: Castle House, 1909. Rod Parsley. Bridge Builder’s Bible. Deerfield: International Christian Publishers, 1997. Cliffs Notes -The Fastest Way to Learn. Wiley Publishing, Inc. 2000-2010 Faust, Parts 1 and 2. 11 November 2010 .

Employability as Educational Performance Indicator

Employability as Educational Performance Indicator Definition of Employability Employability has been used as a performance indicator for higher education institutions (Smith et al, 2000) and represents a form of work specific (pro) active adaptability that consists of three dimensions: career identity, personal adaptability and social and human capital (Fugate et al, 2004). At the same time, Knight and Yorke (2004) have put forward the four broad and interlocking components of USEM account of employability: Understanding (of the subject discipline) Skilful practices in context Efficacy beliefs Meta-cognition Nabi (2003) mentioned that employability is about graduates possessing an appropriate level of skills and attributes, and being able to use them to gain and remain in appropriate employment. From a human resource development view, employability is a concept that emerged through the 1990s along with a growing perception among employees that they cannot count on their employers for long-term employment. Employability is a promise to employees that they will have the skills to find new jobs quickly if their jobs end unexpectedly (Baruch, 2001). Prior to this, Harvey (2001) has defined employability in various ways from individual and institutional perspectives. Individual employability is defined as graduates being able to demonstrate the attributes to obtain jobs. Commonly, institutional employability relates to the employment rates of the university graduates. However, Harvey argued that employment outcomes of graduates are not an indicator of institutional employability. He presented an employability-development model shown in Figure 1. The model illustrated a multi-perspectives view of employability with all related stake-holders. Employability and Higher Education: Key issues Despite the burgeoning research on employability and availability of a wide range of models purporting to explain it, employability itself remains a contentious concept open to a ‘plethora of micro-interpretations (Harvey, 2003). This can make the task of curriculum development particularly difficult. [p5] The growing importance of employability According to McNair (2003), graduate employability has become a more important issue for institutions. This is: because of the changing nature of the graduate labour market, mass participation in HE, pressures on student finance, competition to recruit students and expectations of students, employers, parents and government (expressed in quality audit and league tables). On a broader level, it has been noted that higher education, through the generation and dissemination of knowledge, directly impacts economic competitiveness on a national and international level (Brown et al, 2003; CIHE, 2003; UUK, 2007; DIUS, 2008). The significance of the UK HE system to the wider economy has been generally acknowledged since the Robbins Report was published in 1963. However, this relationship has been made more explicit in recent years and it was with the publication of the Dearing Report (1997) that the connection found prominent expression. Dearing strongly expressed the need for a globally competitive economy containing highly skilled, highly trained and highly motivated graduates who could perform effectively on the worlds stage. This coupled with the further development of human-capital theory (Becker, 1975), which asserts that one role of government is to provide and nurture conditions which will increase the pool of skilled labour, has created a fertile forum for the discourse of ‘employability to flourish. The changing nature of the graduate-labour market Dearing (1997) stated that ‘learning should be increasingly responsive to employment needs and include the development of general skills, widely valued in employment; however, the labour market is changing dramatically and at a much faster pace than in the past. Emerging markets and rapid expansion of the knowledge economy means that the same set of employability skills which were in demand ten or even five years ago may not be required in the evolving graduate-employment market. Employers are increasingly seeking flexible recruits who can work effectively in the ‘de-layered, down-sized, information-technology driven and innovative organisations in existence today (Harvey et al, 1997: 1). Employers are seeking people who can do more than just respond to change, they need those who can lead change. McNair (2003) comments on the speed of labour-market development and notes that a higher percentage of the workforce is employed in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), a trend also reflected in graduate-employment statistics. While this may offer opportunities to gain early responsibility in less structured and hierarchical work environments, graduates need to have the skills to create rewarding graduate roles role in what Purcell and Elias (2004) refer to as ‘niche-graduate occupations. Niche-graduate occupations are those: where the majority of incumbents are not graduates, but within which there are stable or growing specialist niches that require higher education skills and knowledge (Purcell and Elias, 2003: 5). Students therefore need to be equipped with skills which enable them to ‘grow jobs to graduate level. HE has been criticised by some as being too slow to recognise the changing nature of the labour market and is producing graduates who are ill equipped to deal with the realities of graduate employment (CBI, 2006). Government policy to widen participation in HE, aiming to increase the proportion of 18-30 year olds to 50 per cent by 2010, will no doubt have a significant impact on the supply of graduates in the labour market. According to Elias and Purcell (2004) participation rates in UK HE almost doubled in the decade 1991-2001, from 1.2 million students to 2.1 million. Such rapid expansion has raised concerns that the increase in the number of highly qualified individuals may not be coupled with an equivalent rise in demand for their skills and qualifications (Brown and Hesketh, 2004; Brynin, 2002; Keep and Mayhew, 1996, 1999 in Elias and Purcell, 2004). While Elias and Purcell (2004) conclude that the expansion of HE at the end of the twentieth century has been primarily positive, Purcell et al (2005: 16) express concern that ‘the fit between the supply of graduates and employers demand for their knowledge and skills clearly falls some way short of ideal. There are mixed reports about whether demand for graduates will be affected by increasing participation in higher education. The supply of graduates has been steadily rising and there were 258,000 graduates in 1997 compared with 319,000 in 2007 (HESA, 2007). Despite rising numbers leaving HE, according to DIUS (2008), demand for graduates remains high and the latest report by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR 2007) suggests that the number of graduate vacancies increased by 15.1 per cent in 2007. Both DIUS and AGR do however raise concerns about the mismatch between what employers are looking for and the skills graduates possess (see Chapter 2 for a more detailed analysis of skills). Despite much controversy about the impact of increasing student numbers, it is indisputable that graduates are facing a changing, more competitive labour market and they need to be prepared accordingly. The changing nature of the higher education landscape Beyond pressures facing graduates in the labour market, universities are facing increasing demands to account for what they do and prospective students and parents are becoming discerning ‘customers when shopping for the most suitable HEI (McNair, 2003). Given the importance of employability in the equation, institutions cannot overlook the significance of developing this aspect of provision. Allison et al (2002) allude to the pressures facing HEIs as evidenced by the publication of increasing numbers of performance indicators and guidance documents such as the QAA Code of Practice for Careers Education, Information and Guidance (2001) and the Harris Review of Careers Services (2001). Yorke and Knight (2002: 4) have expressed some concern about the way in which statistics on employment rates used in league tables can distract HEIs from the important task of enhancing employability. They state that: once employment rates become an institutional performance indicator (HEFCE, 2001), there is a pernicious backwash as institutions seek to ‘improve their scores since they know that these scores will end up in the so-called ‘league tables published in the press. Consequently: there is a danger that maximising the score will command more institutional attention than fulfilling the educational aim of enhancing employability. Higher Education in the UK has gone through considerable change during the last two decades. The move from an elitist system to one of mass participation has been highly significant. Shelley (2005) indicates that the number of 18-30 year olds in HE rose from 12 per cent in the 1980s to 43 per cent by 2002. This he points out has not been matched with commensurate levels of funding and between 1977 and 1997 government expenditure per student fell by 40 per cent. In recent years however funding levels have improved with HEFCE announcing a figure of  £6,706 million in recurrent funding for 2006-07 to universities and colleges in England (HEFCE, 2006). Increased funding levels have led to systems of accountability being put in place. These in turn have led to the development of managerial practices intended to promote new efficiency and customer-focused, customer-led policy frameworks which should ensure success in a new competitive market. In the eyes of commentators such as Bekhradnia (2005) the last decade has seen a mixture of successes and failures of managerial initiatives. For some commentators (e.g. Brown and Lauder, 1999; Green, 1993) these policy directives coupled with the emphasis placed on the contribution of HE to the global economy has led to the ‘marketisation and the ‘commodification of HE and its teaching. Brown and Lauder (1999) contend that there has been a movement towards a ‘neo-Fordist approach to HE in which teaching and learning is now emulating the Fordist manufacturing processes of the early twentieth century. This concept was characterised by the production assembly line ‘just-in-time unitisation production methods of manufacturing industries. For HE this manifests itself in several ways which Brown and Lauder describe as: learner organisations with emphasis on ‘numerical flexibility (i.e. outcome-related education and cost-driven agendas), mass production of standardised products (i.e. modularisation/unitisation of curricula), and emphasis on quality systems to ensure standardisation which result in a bland mechanistic experience of learning. [p9] Given the apparent consensus among the key stakeholders about which skills are important and on the need to address employability in HE, it seems strange that there is so little commonality in approaches taken by universities to enhance employability. There remains considerable debate on how best enhancement of employability can be achieved, and indeed the extent to which HE can influence this aspect of student development. In an extensive review of HE provision, Little (2004: 4) concludes that while there is: international concern that higher education should enhance graduate employability, there is little evidence of systematic thinking about how best to do it, let alone any model that can be badged as ‘best practice and adopted wholesale. Developing a common understanding of how to enhance employability is a highly complex issue, although Knight (2001) believes government and others persist in treating it in much the same way as ‘innovation, as ‘something simple, to be planned, delivered and evaluated (Knight, 2001 cited in Lees, 2002: 1). Attempting to form a coordinated and holistic approach to skill development, government has introduced many programmes and initiatives to promote skill development and these seem to have had some impact. The DfEE Higher Education Projects Fund 1998-2000, for example, included projects to develop key and transferable skills and Harvey, Locke and Morey (2002) have reviewed the trends in institutions approaches to embedding employability. They note that there has been a shift in HE from developing the specific employability skills within specialist modules to a more holistic approach where institutions are embedding employability and skills throughout the curriculum. They present examples of employability initiatives from different HEIs which were highly varied and based on differing philosophies. Perhaps it is inevitable that institutions and even individual departments and academics will vary widely in their approaches to developing employability as they will be operating in the context of their own frame of reference about education, and will be dealing with students who will vary hugely in their ability and ambitions. However, it is clear from the research on employability skills that the attributes which employers value and educators recognise as important are very similar, and there is hope that such consensus in thinking can contribute to a more coherent approach to curriculum development.

Decrypting Cryptography Essay -- E-Commerce Internet Papers

Decrypting Cryptography Cryptography is the study of techniques and implementation dedicated to the solving of complex problems. Today, its primary use is to protect sensitive information by maintaining the privacy of communications. In general, the secret information is transformed into an altered text by a process referred to as encryption, thus preventing the message from being read by anyone besides the intended receiver. It is this cipher text that is transmitted to the intended recipient, who must use the proper key to reverse the process, that is convert the encoded message back into its plain text form. Cryptography has seen a recent rise in popularity due to the expanding nature of communications technology, the Internet, and the inherent security needs of such systems. Cryptography has many practical uses besides providing a code for secret communications. A major contributor to the many current applications of cryptology is the status of computers. Cryptology provides the tools to create a large-scale network of individuals who can communicate with each other confidentially without the threat of an unintended party being able to receive the transmission. The electronically intangible nature of e-mail messages makes them particularly susceptible to attack. Cryptography provides encryption for e-mails, so that only the intended recipient can access the plain text. Cryptographic applications have been augmented with the recent increase of business conducted over the Internet, otherwise known as e-commerce. Online banking, brokerage accounts, and shopping have increased the need for protection against fraud, theft and corruption of the vital information that is sent via the Internet with each electronic transa... ...lobe. Whether you are trading stocks at the office, talking on a cellular phone in the car, or just purchasing a CD at home, cryptography provides the necessary security to insure that your sensitive information will not fall into the wrong hands. Works Cited [1] Daepp, Ulrich. â€Å"Public Key Encryption Scheme.† 14 October 1999. [2] â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions About Today’s Cryptology.† RSA Security. [FTP] ftp://ftp.rsasecurity.com/pub/labsfaq/labsfaq4.pdf. 1 December 1999. [3] â€Å"Leonard Adleman.† The University of Southern California. [WWW] http://www-hto.usc.edu/people/Adleman.html. 3 December 1999. [4] McHugh, Josh. â€Å"People-Innovators, Smart People, Smart Ideas: Leonard Adleman.† Forbes 7 July 1997. [5] â€Å"RSA† [WWW] http://www.whatis.com/rsa.htm. 3 December 1999 [6] Shamir, Adi. â€Å"RSA for Paranoids.† CryptoBytes vol.1, no.3 Autumn 1995: 1-4.

together :: essays research papers

Organizational Behavior Organizational behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations (Robbins, p.9). Organizational behavior helps build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objective and social objective. Robbins, S. P. (2000). Organizational Behavior. Ninth Edition. Organizational Culture Organizational culture is something intangible, but can influences our work environments. In the workplace we can refer organizational culture as combination of its policies, beliefs, activities, and rituals. An organizational culture can support or hinder individual learning, encourage or discourage creativity, etc. Diversity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diversity is everywhere in the United States. Individuals need to understand the dimensions of culture to be effective in the multicultural environments. To achieve business excellence, corporate decisions must be based on a wide range of contributions from people with diversity in idea, backgrounds and perspectives. The various cultures in the workplace today bring richness to the environment, as the exposure to various cultures and even beyond racial and ethical differences allow people to view ideas from various perspectives to grow as a people and a corporation. Communication Communication is defined as the process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior. Communication is also a technique for expressing idea effectively. A well-established communication can strengthen a group’s collective intelligence, as well as finding insights in which people often miss through traditional forms of conversation. Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency Organizational effectiveness and efficiency http://www.politicalreviewnet.com/polrev/reviews/PUAR/R_0033_3352_001_20620.asp Organizational Learning The field of organizational learning explores ways to make organizations function more effectively by encourages employees to teach their full potential.

How do Jane’s experiences at Lowood contribute to her development? Essa

How do Jane’s experiences at Lowood contribute to her development? Before arriving at Lowood Jane lived at Gateshead, with her aunt and three cousins. She was unloved and treated badly, and had already developed a determination to stand up for herself and fight for her independence. The young Jane had baffled Mrs Reed, who could obviously not understand â€Å"how for nine years you could be patient and quiescent under any treatment, and in the tenth break out all fire and violence†. At Gateshead she is unhappy and when Mr Lloyd questions her after the â€Å"red-room incident†, she is shown to be naà ¯ve and ignorant of life. She has no real picture of honest, decent, working people and her experience of poverty is limited to her aunt’s nasty comments about her relatives and to the few poor villagers she has seen. Jane is not religious yet, as the logical answer to Mr Brocklehursts question reveals, and she again shocks him with her comments about the psalms. Her sense of injustice, would not allow Mrs Reed to insult her and call her deceitful, forcing her to speak her mind. Jane identifies herself with the role of mutinous slave, likening her cousin to a slave driver. She appears to be afraid that she will never find a true sense of home or community, Jane feels the need to belong somewhere, to find "kin", or at least "kindred spirits." After Jane’s open act of rebellion, she is sent to Lowood. An institution run by Mr Brocklehurst, whose mission it is to â€Å"mortify in these girls the lusts of flesh†. Lowood institution is based upon Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s own experiences at the Clergy Daughters School, Cowan Bridge, which she attended at the age of 8, with her sisters. As in â€Å"Jane Eyre†, typhus broke out at the school,... ...brance of God† is the same as when she acknowledges to herself her love for Rochester, where she says that Rochester has become so important in her life that he even displaces religion and stands between her and God. Jane also has the power of forgiveness in her. She is ready to forgive Mrs Reed for her wrongs and she returns to Thornfield to find and forgive Rochester. It is possible for her learnings from Lowood to be forgotten or ignored in a trice. She stoops low to begging when she leaves Rochester and when she lets St. John take over her feelings, but regains them at both times, refusing his proposal of marriage and being taken in by the Rivers. Lowood made Jane a capable woman with morals, who knew her place. It was all that she needed to have back in the 19th century when at the time the book was written, women were considered inferior to men.

Behaviors related to microeconomics concepts

Most of us have always wondered why this always happen when they visit a barber. This is just because of the economic concept. The cost of operations in shaving the beards is even more because more care is needed while shaving and different customers have different styles on how they it to be shaved. This wastes time and energy and to pay for this, the price has really to be high. The expenses that are incurred when perfuming this service is the same with that one that you will apply when performing other services and hence there is no reason whatsoever for its price being low.Another factor is the skill factor in that while shaving the beards, more skill is required and this is reflected in price. As much as in shaving the head any other barber can do it the beard shaving requires potential and qualified barbers and it is this that makes the prices improve upwards. (Perloff, M. J 1999) Why does it cost higher for a woman delivering in a private hospital than that one delivering in a government hospital? Most of the women who go in private hospitals are considered as working class.Although the services rendered may be the same as those in public hospital most of them will prefer going I n private hospitals because of their status. most of the consumers do consider social class as a factor while purchasing products or services in the market like if a dress is sold in the market at $8, and the same dress of the same quality from the same company is sold in a beauty mall at a price of $ 15, a consumer who considers herself as from high class will rather go for that dress in a shopping mall than that one in the market because she tends to think that her status does not allow her to purchase in markets.In fact producers take this as opportunities that they think should be utilized and increase prices in high class shops and reduce in low class shops to just increase the total sales in their organization. The doctors on the other hand, will want to serve more clients within a short time to increase their portfolio income but affect the customers by attending more in less time. The real money in a consumer’s portfolio is the one that will determine where he should seek his service. It is actually this factor that determine where and what a consumer should purchase depending on his capability to pay for the services rendered.That is why high qualified doctors can decide to open their own clinic that will cater for another class of people thus serving the needs of most of the consumers in the market. In today’s market, the key point is actually identifying the need of the customer and fulfilling it. (Mas-Colell. A. et al 1995). Why are veils quite expensive in US than in Saudi Arabia? If there are so many customers in Saudi Arabia who need to purchase this commodity, then how come it is still cheap there yet the demand is also high! The prices should have actually gone up to cut down on the demand .This is not the case because of thi s culture factor that most organizations need to consider. Most of the people in Saudi Arabia are Muslims and thus most of them need veil as a requirement because of their faiths. This is unlike the customers us who may be assumed as just those who want it for luxury. The way the veil is taken as a cloth required during the worship is not the way it will be taken in the US market hence the prices will probably go high. Culture being important in the consumer behavior has a real impact in any organization.If a customer perceives that a certain commodity is the best however much it may tend to be expensive, a customer will sacrifice and ay the premium price for this commodity than purchasing another commodity that he has no confidence with it. (Pindyck, R. et al, 2004) Bibliography Mas-Colell. A. et al (1995), Microeconomics Theory, Oxford University Press Perloff, M. J (1999), Microeconomics: Incentives in an Imperfect World, Addison-Wesley Longman. Pindyck, R. et al, (2004), Microec onomics, Pearson Prentice hall

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.