Marketing Strategies Of Hong Thai Travel

Marketing Strategies Of Hong Thai Travel As the tourism is important industry in Hong Kong, more and more travel agencies use different marketing strategies to attract tourists. These travel agencies have like Hong Thai travel and Smart Holiday. Hong Thai Travel is a big organization. It is established in 1966, and now has more than one thousand employees. On the other hand, Smart Holiday is a small organization. It is established in 2007, its been only two years since it established. They can be existence together through use different marketing strategies. In this proposal, I will compare Hong Thai travel and Smart Holiday can be existence reasons together. I would focus on Hong Thai and Smart Holiday in Hong Kong to deeply know about the marketing strategies, thats mean I would like to compare on marketing strategies of Hong Thai and Smart Holiday as well as what factors will affect /attract tourists, what promotion channels will use for tourists and so on. By using questionnaires, 140 tourists will be asked, in other to investigate which one may attract tourist between Hong Thai and Smart Holiday. Relationship between factors such as package price, travel agency location, service quality and so on. Besides, I will use the data collection method to finish this proposal like communication approach. Beside, sampling method was used by this proposal. I will through interview, telephone, e-mail, internet to study and analysis the marketing strategy of Hong Thai and Smart Holiday. And I would like to use those methods to test what are strategies usefully. In additional, I will be refer to some relevant literature to analysis and study about marketing strategies, such as Medial Tourism Business Plan (Medial Tourism Business Plan 2009) and some reasons lead to consumer to choose travel agency (V. C. S. Heung and R. Chu 2000: 52-59). Aim A comparison of Hong Thai Travel and Smart Holiday concerning about the aspects of marketing strategies is conducted and information regarding of that is going to be shown in this project in which some elicitations hopefully can be given out. Besides, because the marketing strategies must be affect travel agencies sales, I have interest to study their marketing strategies. Background Hong Kong travel agencies developed very rapidly. In the past, Hong Kong has only large organization of travel agency, such as Wing On Travel agency, Hong Thai travel agency and so on. In some survey showed that tourists are rather well education with 34 percent having post secondary school and another 37 percent university qualification or above. (Eturbonews 2009) More and more people have money to travel because much more peoples have high education and they have some pressure in working. Also, they want to reduce a lot of pressure through a trip. Therefore, the travel industry needs larger. In travel agencies, large organizations of travel agency has use difference preferential price to attract more peoples. Besides, small organization of travel agency has use difference marketing strategy to attract more peoples, therefore, these operation are increasingly successful. Now, Hong Kong has more than 133 travel agencies. It is including small and large organizations of travel agency. In the past ten years, Hong Kong has only 105 travel agencies. It meaning travel industry developed very rapidly. In some travel agency make a survey in the past twelve months, 37 percent of tourists went to mainland china and Macau, 34 percent of them want to north and northeast Asia that including Taiwan, 15 percent of them went to south and Southeast Asia. (Eturbonews 2009) It meaning china trip, north trip and south trip and so on, it is very popular trips. Also, travel agency can make above trips to attract peoples. It is a selling point for tourists. In smart holiday travel agency, it is focus on to provide Southeast Asian line for tourist because this line trip has cheap cost price. So, Smart holiday travel agency can establish more and more stores from one to eleven branch stores. Also, south and Southeast Asia line trips have big development areas. In some travel industry survey, it showed that when Customer chose trips, they are considering reliability of the branch, price, quality, customer services and popularity. So, in this situation, Hong Thai travel agency has above superiority. it is large travel agency which have much more experience in operation. So, it can make tourists reliability and satisfaction. For the recently tourism, more and more competitors have different marketing strategies to enhance their sales. Such as Hong Thai Travel and Smart Holiday. They are use different methods to attract consumers. In aspect of Hong Thai Travel, it is established in 1966, and now has more employees around thousand. A branch stores was distributed in different location like Kowloon, Hong Kong, New Territories, Macus and China. There are 30 branch stores because Hong Thai Travel is a big organization. In additional, based on Nielsen Media Index Hong Kong Report of 2001 to 2008 show that Hong Thai Travel has maximum tourists in Hong Kong. Hong Thai travel is a full services travel agency. It provides tour packages, cruise planning to single and groups. Hong Thai travel focus on tourists throughout Asia including Hong Kong, Singapore and so on. Hong Thai of Hong Kong is a full service agency, it offer group and single tour packages, cruise packages to a variety of destinations, ticketing and h otels and more. Hong Thai travel offers the best level of travel services and quality of tourism to customer. It offers quality services as a strategy that it leads business attracts more tourists. It includes business and personal travel. Hong Thai travel agency is a one-stop travel department store to offer wide travel products and services. Travel agency managing director Mr.Jackie Wong is widely recognized as one of the leader in travel industry of Hong Kong. Hong Thai motto we make it for you, that is Hong Thais commitment to continuous to develop better and more innovation and services. In aspect of Smart Holiday, it is established in 2007, which is its been only two years since it established. Although Smart Holiday is only two years operation experience, it has been own important position in travel agency. Smart Holiday have 11 branch stores that was distributed in different place such as Kowloon, Hong Kong and New Territories. Hong Thai Travel and Smart Holiday have differe nt selling point. In aspect of Hong Thai Travel, it always provides much more different trip line to consumer. Thus, Tourists have more choice about tourism. Hong Thai vision has become the customers most beloved travel agent. Hong Thais have ability to develop new products to their success. They work closely with tourism boards and handling agencies worldwide to bring the newest travel destinations to customers. Hong Thais a place of open communication and preferred place to work in. Hong Thais provide concrete service guarantees, namely is department guarantee, price guarantee, and Itinerary guarantee. These promises make their customer worry-free since they always book their trips months in advance. They match up potential opportunities and threats from external environment with their strength and weakness in internal competence, forming strategic initiatives in four aspects. It includes financial, customer, internal business process, learning growth. They use customer touch point strategic for the customers. Its mission is innovative, receptive to changes and socially responsible in offering high quality travel services. In aspect of Smart Holiday, it only focuses on to provide Southeast Asian line for tourist. Because of Smart Holiday is small travel agency, there trip price is cheaper than other big travel agencies. Its mission is providing high quality travel services and cheaper price tourism. Smart holiday enhance network marketing for their successfully. Much smaller travel agency tells us clearly that the market has played an important role and they maintain close contact existing customers and attract new customers. Smart holiday ensure that the company name, logo, message and tone in consistent from a communication tool in other to help strengthen the brand recall. Smart holiday should build a links to their website, blog and social network throughout all their communication channels. And, this makes it easy for interested reader to find out more about their company and what the ir can provides. Smart holiday use an event marketing tool to manage their event, and promote it via their social networks. Smart holiday can provide some discount incentives in shopping event and customer appreciation. Above informations is very important for me. I will refer to above information to compare their marketing strategies, and I would like to know they can be existence reasons together. On the other hand, travel agencies are affected by economic environment factor and social-culture environment factor and so on. For example, a travel agency sale was affected by economic environment badly. Objectives Below are the main points of the objectives of this research: Comparison of 4p marketing strategy of Hong Thai Travel and Smart Holiday (place, price promotion and product) Examine the reasons why they join the trip from that channel? (Hong Thai Travel and Smart Holiday) Examine the relationship between factors (package price, travel agency location, service quality, training between staff etc.) Study the consumer behavior of Hong Thai Travel and Smart Holiday Examine the most beloved tourism lines? (in Hong Thai Travel? In Smart Holiday?) Compare travel services in Hong Thai and Smart Holiday ( customer services quality) Examine Smart Holiday can be existence reasons( have lower cost? Focus on Southeast Asian line?) Research Methods I will use the data collection method to finish this proposal like communication approach. Beside, sampling method was used by this proposal. I use sampling method because it is lower cost. In additional, it has greater accuracy and greater speed. Questionnaires: During doing the project, I need to do a research for collecting the data from manager of Hong Thai and Smart Holiday and some tourists. Therefore, I decide to design the questionnaires for research with my focus group. I will discuss some questions about collecting the data which I want to know from interviewers. Also, I need to think that what kinds of format of questionnaire that will help me to analysis the data more easier, for example, yes/no questions or open-ended questions. After decision in the choice in format of questionnaire, I then print out some questionnaire and make an outdoor research by face to face method or by uploading the questionnaires onto the internet for collecting the useful data. 100-200 interviewers will be asked about the questionnaires. Sampling: First I sample the tourists which are in stores of Hong Thai and Smart Holiday. Those places are many tourist visits that place every day. After that, I sample the manager of Hong Thai and Smart Holiday. When I am doing the survey at that moment, I use convenience sampling the tourists or managers who are male or female. Internet: The Internet is the worldwide, publicly accessible network .On internet, I can find lots of information such as news, also many other services including e-mail, file and sharing. About my report, I will find the primary data or the second data though the discussion areas of internet, on discussion area, I can find the specify one such as travel agencies area .On this area, I can leave the message to people who are the travel lover or I can see whether there are tourist in discussion website, waiting for their response within some days. Sampling: I use the convenience sampling, because I do not know who are on internet, I post the questionnaires on internet and they will doing the survey who are telling me are tour guides. Another way is searching the tourist on the internet forum, I focus on the tourism part to find out the tourist. Telephone: Tele-interviewing is simple process of using a telephone interview as a means of collecting data about the interviewees experience in tourism and lifestyle. I can get the information about the customers satisfaction of tourism though telephone. By telephone, I find friend, family member, colleague, classmates etc. Moreover, different people have different explanations, so, their response to my questions will have different results. Those in formation just only for my reference to more understand tourist and I can gather some primary data about the marketing strategies of Hong Thai and Smart Holiday. Sampling: I will use the quota sampling, first I may be told to Hong Thai and Smart Holiday to ask about the marketing strategies, To interview tourist who are stay in at home at that moment, ask about the marketing strategies of they think. E-Mail: Send the data and questions by e-mail which include my university name, course name, subject title, major questions and our purpose are to tourism hobbyist, leader, tour guides and other relevant persons. Sampling: I will use the quota sampling, first I may be told to Hong Thai and Smart Holiday to ask about the marketing strategies, I sent e-mail to above travel agencies in Hong Kong because I want to know their marketing strategies. Also I do not expect they are asked the question about marketing strategies. Interview: I gather the information by using face to face interview. Interview is a procedure designed to solicit information from a persons oral responses to oral inquiries. I will utilize structured interview for gathering the data from interviewees in that research. I am going to prepare the questions that will be asked before going out. During setting questions on questionnaires, I have to analyze the current situations in the Hong Kong so as to make the questions on questionnaires more updated. Besides of this, I also decide whether the dialogue will be recorded or not. As interview need to be allow by managers, I will send them a require letter, wish they will allow me to conduct interview. Or, maybe to interview tourist who are stay in travel agencies at that moment, ask about the marketing strategies of they think. Project plan Please refer to other paper Critical review of relevant literature The literature review is focused on information search. Referring to that topic, I shall take about travel marketing strategies and choice of Hong Thai and Smart Holiday. According to Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce in 2006, HKGCC Judging Panel said that now is Hong Thai Travel has successfully marketing strategies. It shows that Hong Thai Travel has successfully identified a market role and provided love seeking tour to specific group of consumers who expect companions. Using by a strong innovative culture, Hong Thai Travel is able to develop new gimmicks continually, adding value to its traditional services, and enhancing its leadership in a highest competitive market. Thus, the company can success is demonstrated by remarkable achievement in Hong Kong (HKGCC 2006). After that, Tourism Consultative Council suggests that travel agency may encourage innovation in future. Travel has an integral element in marketing strategies. I think that an integral element can use in marketing strategies of Hong Thai Travel and Smart Holiday Travel. If travel agencies has integral element of marketing strategies, it will explore how this will impact areas of manpower and technology in tourism market (the Tourism Consultative Council 2003). On the other hand, according to Medial Tourism Business Plan information, it shows that Travel agency should offer consumer VIP services and it ensures the highest level of consumer services. Besides of the product strategy, in aspect of promotion strategy, travel agency may hire a professional manager to generate publicity that reinforce their images and attract more consumers by focusing on consumer satisfaction. Thus, it may expect to achieve strong word-of-mouth advertising as consumes share their tourism experience with their close friends. Hence, it may be to minimize advertising cost through this way. Moreover, travel agency can use the internet to promote themselves, they can invest in a best-in-class website that is designed to appeal to the sensibilities of upscale consumers. Other way, travel agency can make limited use of direct mail by creating an extremely high quality mail piece that will be send to the consumers. In aspect of sales strategy, Medial Tourism Business Pl an suggests that travel agency may employ professional case manager who will be first point of contact with prospective consumers. Thus, it can encourage up-selling of their VIP services. Above strategies might be use to Hong Thai and Smart holiday (Medial Tourism Business Plan 2009). In additional, there are many reasons lead to consumer to choose travel agency. A total of 183 Hong Kong consumers were surveyed and were asked to rate 29 attributes that might affect their choice of travel agency for all- inclusive package tours by V. C. S. Heung and R. Chu. The results showed that 29 attributes were affected about choice of travel agency in travel agency reputation. V. C. S. Heung and R. Chu said that Travel agency reputation was rated as the most important attribute in travel agency selection, followed by word-of-mouth communication and staff attitude. V. C. S. Heung and R. Chu suggested that might use seven factors to analysis choice of consumer. Also, Hong Thai and Smart Holiday are use seven factor to analysis choice of travel agency of consumers. It includes namely, Interactive Agent Quality, Formal Communication, Overall Convenience, Pricing, Product Features, and Image. Those factor can use to analysis marketing strategies to consumers (V. C. S. Heung and R. Chu 2000: 52-59). Besides of above strategies and some information, Susskind, A. M., M. A. Bonn, and C. S. Dev suggested that travel agency must let consumer has trust and trustworthiness of an information sources as well as booking channel (Susskind, A. M., M. A. Bonn, and C. S. Dev 2003: 256-64). Nysveen H suggested that travel agency has on line booking channel, which should be security and trustworthiness. So, Hong Thai Travel has online booking services, which website should be based on added values first of all aimed at the reduction of risk and uncertainty (Nysveen, H. 2003:113-127). On the other hand, Susan Segal-Horn suggests that manager needs to improve operational efficiency which through programs, such as total quality management, time-based competition, and benchmarks. Also, both smaller and large organization may changed how they performance of the activities, to eliminate efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction and successful the best practice. In order to keep pace with changes in the productivity of border management has accepted the continuous improvement, empowerment, change management, and so-called learning organization. (Susan Segal-Horn 2001: 75). In additional, Combes, G.C. and Patel said that the internet offers a potentially low-cost Retail distribution channels to reach customers 24 hours a day anywhere in the world. In addition, as the transfer of customer transactions to electronic channels, the detailed data that can be stepped up to collect Targeted advertising and marketing work, and reduce other operating expenses. The Internet has increased the price of access to information and products, so that Clients determine the best treatment, in the online and traditional channels to improve their communication with suppliers. Hence, Hong Thai travel and Smart Holiday is open 24 hours communication channel for their customers. (Combes, G.C. and Patel 2000: 1) After that, Susan Segal-Horn implies that companies are success that only it can create different strategies, and the need to save the strategic. So, Hong Thai travel and Smart Holiday are must provide greater value to customers or at a lower cost to create a higher value, or both. Arithmetic superior profitability is as follows: to provide greater value, enabling the company to charge higher average unit prices, higher efficiency resulting in lower average unit costs. Lower or higher prices in the cost of time to the creation, production, marketing products and services to them, such as according to customer requirements, can improve the final product assembly and train their employees.( Susan Segal-Horn 2001: 74). Besides, Shohreh A. Kaynama, PhD and Christine I. Black, suggests that many service industries, travel agents believe the Internet is an opportunities and threats. So, some of the smaller agencies like Smart Holiday Travel Agency will choose to use the internet merely as a medium of communication, in order to promote with their business Static web site or as a way to receive e-mail with the customer. These small establishments Wish to participate in the competition and offer highly specialized travel services to customers and attract customers attention. Other traditional travel agencies are in a state of transition. These hybrid organizations also provide individual customers by focusing on Walk in and telephone services, while at the same time through their Web sites to develop automated reservation and booking system. Hence, it can increase company benefits. (Shohreh A. Kaynama, PhD Christine I. Black, MLS 2000:65).

The Issue Of Designer Babies

The Issue Of Designer Babies This research paper discusses designer babies and the science of creating a designer baby. It talks about in-vitro fertilization, SNPs, a success story of crating a designer baby and shows where designer babies stand in todays society. This paper also contains some evidence of ethnic beliefs on designer babies and truly how far some parents will go to get a child that they want. It emphasizes how close we are to successfully creating a one hundred percent designer baby as well as what hinders us from advancing forward. It also goes into how and why designer babies are a very controversial subject and how many parents do not want to manipulate any psychological aspect of their child, yet more are likely to manipulate physical traits. This paper talks about where society stands today about the topic of designer babies and give insight to what society will think of designer babies and if it will be the newest fashion statement in the future. Designer Babies; the Latest Fashion Accessory Science has advanced greatly over the last twenty years. In the past twenty years science has expanded our knowledge drastically in the medical and biological field. A great breakthrough in science is designer babies. A designer baby is when parents are able to choose the traits that their child will inherit. This includes many disease related genes as well as some characteristics, such as; sex, eye color and skin color, a child may inherit. Creating a designer baby is a simple idea but a precise and complicated process. A designer baby is created when an embryo is created through in-vitro fertilization, which is the process of taking an unfertilized egg and injecting the egg with sperm, thus fertilizing the egg outside of the body. Once this is done, the cell begins to multiply into several embryos within the first five days, and then each embryo is removed and tested for a certain trait, such as sex. Once the desired traits are chosen the rest of the embryos that do not carry the g ene or may give the desired trait less probability of showing are terminated and the remaining embryo is placed inside the mothers womb. This process is not always guaranteed but only gives ones child a higher percentage for that trait. Also, this process may need to be repeated incase there are complications with the embryo staying in the mothers womb. (Seibel, 2008) This is a very controversial issue because of its goals of creating a child with pre-selected genes. Since they have a choice of discarding the new embryo there are many controversial issues to this process. Pro-choice activists, people who are against abortion, are against creating designer babies because the embryo is living and by their definition they would be killing a child. (Tuhus-Dubrow, 2007) Many say that they want to have their child the way they are supposed to be and that no one should be able to play as God because curiosity fuels science and science fuels greed for knowledge and cycling back into curiosity. Is it right for one to choose the traits that their child will inherit? What would happen to our society if everyone chose to create designer babies? The process behind creating a designer baby has opened up new doors to the future of our society. If everyone chose to have this treatment done to create a designer baby to prevent disease then our future society would have no health defects. According to Meisenberg, we are very close to finding the genes capable for stroke, coronary heart disease, asthma, Alzheimers disease, and psychosis, as well as other common diseases. (Meisenberg, 2008) This would eliminate disease from society; our immune systems would be super human in a sense and would change dramatically. Would this be the only gain from creating designer babies? Why stop only at disease related traits? Why not chose a child that was tall, had a high IQ, and has freckles. If everyone chose their ideal traits for their child eventually there will be a split in the genome between unaltered humans and genetically altered humans. A theory that an interesting journal article, Genetics and the Definition of Human, states their th oughts on designer babies, Human beings in the future will practice cloning and will manipulate the genomes of their offspring to the point where they will, in effect, produce a new stratum of society. These will be the Genrich people, as opposed to the rest of us who are content (or stuck) with the genes we inherited by normal meansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The Genrich might eventually evolve into a new species: able to mate successfully with each other but not with the [genetically] unmanipulated. (Genetics and the Definition of Human', 2010) This would have a drastic affect on those who are not designer babies. The average normal person would be at a disadvantage in society and would not be as successful in the working world. Everyone would choose the characteristics that they wanted but then the next generation would be limited to the characteristics that they would have. Eventually, everyone in our society and even the world would have the same characteristics and no one would be unique. Yes, this is bound to happen eventually but in-vitro fertilization for creating designer babies would amplify and speed up the process dramatically so that possibly our grandchildrens grandchildren will all be the same if everyone went through with creating only designer babies. Currently, scientists can not provide these options, such as eye color, hair color, IQ etc, because there are different nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs that codes or mark for different traits in different races. Naik finds that the only nucleotide polymorphisms that have been coded for are people of European Caucasian descent, because other ethnicities SNPs have not been recognized yet. (Naik, 2009) Each SNP is a mark for a specific trait. There are thousands of SNPs embedded within the human genome. During in-vitro fertilization the embryo is testes for these exact markers for the desired trait, such as specific diseases. This is done in the early stages of the embryo so that when the cells continue to replicate the desired trait is present or removed depending on if the traits goal was to be removed or not. Many parents wish to have designer babies to help with another child who has a threatening disease. Others wish to make their child deaf because both parents are deaf and they want to share the experience. Sanghavi quotes a woman who thinks differently about defects. A hearing baby would be a blessing, Ms. Duchesneau was quoted as saying. A deaf baby would be a special blessing.'(Sanghavi, 2006) This event has been followed through with. The child is mostly deaf and his parents do not allow hearing aids. One may say that that is not fair to the child and it is the childs life but then that opens up another issue of parenting and ethics. Some would only choose things like eye color, hair color, possible even the sex of the child because they want the child to look like them. Any kind of manipulation of genes requires going again ones ethics to some extent, some more than others. There are many different attitudes toward creating designer babies. There was a study at Ross University, Medical School on the Caribbean island of Dominica taken by Meisenberg that expressed different first year students attitudes towards designer babies. This study was taken to see what the educated decisions of the medical students were on designer babies. Meisenberg created a survey determining different attributes that could be changed and it asked the students on a scale of zero to four, zero being the lowest priority four being the highest, to rank each attribute of priority and/or wants for their own child. Each questions pertained to one product and/or subject. Product 1: A DNA chip that tests for 5000 recessive disease-causing mutations. Product 2: A DNA chip that tests for 5000 genetic risk factors for common diseases. Product 3: A DNA chip that tests for 5000 genetic variants causing normal variation in physical traits. Product 4: A DNA chip that tests for 5000 genetic variants causing normal variation in psychological traits. Product 5: A human artificial chromosome with extra copies of tumor suppressor genes to reduce the cancer risk, and genes that extends the life span and delay age-related degenerative diseases such as Alzheimers. The chromosome cannot be used in adults but can be injected in the fertilized egg. It can be transmitted to ones children. Product 6: The same chromosome as product 5, but for use in adults. This product cannot enter the germ line and is not transmitted to ones children. (Meisenberg, 2008) Meisenbergs results showed that Products 1 and 2 (prevention of single-gene disorders and polygenic diseases) were most acceptable with scores of 2.88 and 2.83 Products 3 and 4 got low scores of 1.41 and 1.66. Respectively; products 5 and 6, got somewhat lower scores of 2.27 and 2.35. Also, the respondents seemed no more opposed to the introduction of heritable genetic modifications (product 5) than to embryo screening (products 1 to 4) and somatic cell genetic engineering in adults (product 6). Principal components analysis showed that 56.8 percent of the total variance was due to the unrotated first principal component, which represents a single factor of general acceptance. (Meisenberg, 2008) Meisenberg is stating results from a poll that he has given. It seems the results lean toward mainly health related enhancements rather than physical and psychological enhancements, many of the students made decisions in hopes that their child would be widely accepted rather than genetically superior. Our views and feelings toward manipulation of specific genes are interfered by ones ethics, thus interfering with further experimentation. Some may have chosen not to change the childs physical or psychological appearance because they do not wish to play God, but in any sense when you manipulate any gene you are playing God even if it is to eliminate disease. This then snowballs into ones personal beliefs and limits. Every parent wants what is best for their child but is manipulating their childs genetics really whats best for them? Or is it just what the parents want. These very thoughts influence scientists to testing their limits and beliefs. Im not going to do designer babiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I wont sell my soul for a dollar.' (Naik, 2009) Some scientists, as Naik has quoted, take a stand on where they will draw the line due to their beliefs of what is too far. Trait selection in babies is a service, says Dr. Steinberg. We intend to offer it soon.' (Naik, 2009) Others see it as a sc ientific gain and it is the parents choice to do what they want to as long as they pay the money needed. This is still a controversial issue even between scientists. Currently, we do not have the knowledge to single out specific traits such as eye color due to the fact that eye color is determined by multiple genes not just being dominant or recessive. The process however is fully understood and the only thing that could go wrong in the process is if there are complications with the embryo and the mother. Our knowledge of designer babies was thought to take at least twenty to fifty years to gain the knowledge we have now. It has only taken ten years into the significant progress to understand what was supposed to take twenty to fifty years; whos to say that we can not have these traits such as eye color, IQ, and personality traits within the next twenty years? The knowledge we currently have is not vast enough to single out specific traits in all ethnicities. Of the traits that are known for specific diseases, it is not guaranteed for success, there is only a high percentage that the chosen trait will be present and/or eliminated if that is the o bjective. There is also still a strong barrier between creating designer babies and playing God that keeps science from breaking through into full understanding of designer babies. The price for just screening an embryo for determining its sex was $12,400 in 2006. (Snow, 2006) The price for choosing specific traits would be drastically higher because there are so many other variables and markers to identify. In designer babies current state it is more widely accepted for parents to want their child to be healthy and to live without any kind of disease that may run in the family but to find someone who is going through the process is extremely rare. In the future, it will be more widely accepted and more popular that parents go through in-vitro fertilization to eliminate disease but highly frowned upon for choosing luxury traits such as psychological and physical appearance unlike today where either of the two are hard to come by. If an average family had the choice of customizing their child with todays knowledge, there would be no need to do so. The procedure would be expensive and, as some people may think of it, the child may not be who they are meant to be. This is a great variable to the success of designer babies because every parent wants their child to be who they are meant to be and to grow into their own person. Also, not many countries may allow this procedure to take place due to the advancement in technology and how it may hinder society. There will probably be more designer babies in the future but not enough to drastically hinder society due to the cost, personal beliefs and the accessibility of creating designer babies. To make this thought from science fiction into reality we would need more advanced technology to advance our knowledge in the realm of designer babies because the technology that we have now can only take us so far. We have already done as much as we can with the technology we have today to understand and experiment with designer babies. This would mean more experiments are required to fuel the research needed to achieve the new technology and new ways of understanding the designer baby. There is no doubt that as technology advances designer babies will become the newest fashion accessories in the future. But is this what our society will allow, is this really what our society wants? There is no way to predict how the future will turn out. One can only hope that ethics with always overcome science because without ethics science would destroy society and life as we know it.

Is American Patriotism Also Blind Patriotism? Essay examples -- Americ

It seems that patriotism is one of the most common terms used during times of war. Governments often use propaganda about nationalism to advocate their political views of the hostilities. Sometimes they even force patriotism on their constituents with fear-mongering techniques, which can have dangerous implications. That’s not to say that patriotism is inherently bad—many wars have been won for just causes because of it. However, it is a mistake to only think of war at a national level. There are devastating effects on the soldiers, families, and victims of war hostilities. The stories read this week discuss the struggle between concern for macro-society (patriotism) and micro-society (family/personal interests) during war. While no narrative completely rejects the idea of macro-society, they clearly emphasize the greater importance of micro-society and the consequences of patriotism. â€Å"Loyalties† is the first story which discusses the concept of macro and micro-society. It centers on a family living in an African village during the Nigerian civil war. The father and schoolmaster seem to be the most loyal characters from the beginning, as they are large supporters of the new Biafra. However, by the end of the tale they have switched their allegiances back to Nigeria. Their perspectives clearly reflect the bigger concept of the macro-society. There is an element of humor in the way they switch so drastically from one side to the next. The mother, on the other hand, represents concern for the micro-society, because she only cares about the tasks of everyday life. The tone of the story clearly favors the mother’s perspective. After all, she is the only character whose loyalties remain true throughout the entire story, and the author pokes fun at the politics of the men. Even the mother sees the humor in it all, telling her son, â€Å"Go and collect the goat†¦after all he is now a Biafran goat so we must take better care of it† (144). At the conclusion of this story it is apparent that the concept of macro-society during war has certain limitations and weaknesses, which can greatly impact the individuals and families involved. Just as â€Å"Loyalties† discusses the flaws of patriotism, â€Å"Peace and War† explains the failings of micro-society. It depicts two men who go to war every day and treat it as business. They are casual about their job because the war is at a ... ...e and honor when they are far from the field of battle, as this girl is. Yet when there are personal ties, it is much harder to accept the concept, just as Biyumi struggles with his sense of nationalism. Although many of these stories have specific settings and historical significance, they also speak to today’s world. We have seen a great shift toward patriotism in the years following the attacks of September 11, 2001. It would be wrong not to respect the soldiers who have fought bravely for the United States since that time, just as it was wrong for the wife in â€Å"Peace and War† to underestimate the dangers around her. However, we must also honor the micro-society, both here and in other parts of the world. Will our actions as a nation lead our soldiers into traumatic situations like the soldier in â€Å"An Easy Death†? Or will we consider the families and communities involved, saving ourselves from micro-societal damage? I only hope that we can learn from stories such as these and not take our â€Å"blind† patriotism too far. Works Cited Global Cultures. A Transnational Short Fiction Reader, ed. by Elisabeth Young-Bruehl (University Press of New England, Hanover and London, 1994)

Elements of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

Elements of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter    200 Words of Teacher’s Praise and Comments  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Nathaniel Hawthorne uses several literary devices to give his novel The Scarlet Letter depth. One of these devices is symbolism. Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to convey certain points or themes to the reader by using ordinary objects. Three of the elements he uses as symbols are the settings of the Puritan town and the forest and weather.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The first of the two main settings is the Puritan town that includes the prison and the scaffold. The Puritan law is based on their religion. The town maintains a sense of strict moral values and disciplinary measures in accordance with the Puritan religion. Therefore, the town stands for lawfulness and purity. It serves as a contrast to Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter. The prison that the city was built around serves as a symbol as well. It represents guilt and the human tendency to sin, and it also symbolizes penance. Hester is forced to spend time in jail for committing the sin of adultery, and it is the starting point of Hester’s trek of shame to the scaffold in the market place. The scaffold itself is another symbol Hawthorne uses. Like the prison, it also symbolizes sin and guilt. â€Å"The very ideal of ignominy was embodied and made manifest in this contrivance of wood and iron† (60). It provides the setting of several important scenes in the novel. It is where Hester is forced to stand for three hours as punishment, where Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Hester stand in the night, and where Dimmesdale reveals himself and dies. It is also a symbol of truth because Dimmesdale’s great revelation occurred there.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second setting is the forest just outside of the town. It proves to be a kind of dramatic foil to the idealistic Puritan society. The Puritans maintain a community that thrives on purity and lack of sin. The forest, on the other hand, is a symbol of lawlessness and desecration. It is shrouded in mystery and retains a dark and foreboding air. The Puritans abhor the forest because it stands as a perfect example of evil. However, the witches that live in the town view it very differently. They appreciate the anonymity the forest provides them. Thus they are free to pay homage to the Black Man in secret. Their presence reiterates the fact that the forest is a symbol of darkness. Elements of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays Elements of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter    200 Words of Teacher’s Praise and Comments  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Nathaniel Hawthorne uses several literary devices to give his novel The Scarlet Letter depth. One of these devices is symbolism. Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to convey certain points or themes to the reader by using ordinary objects. Three of the elements he uses as symbols are the settings of the Puritan town and the forest and weather.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The first of the two main settings is the Puritan town that includes the prison and the scaffold. The Puritan law is based on their religion. The town maintains a sense of strict moral values and disciplinary measures in accordance with the Puritan religion. Therefore, the town stands for lawfulness and purity. It serves as a contrast to Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter. The prison that the city was built around serves as a symbol as well. It represents guilt and the human tendency to sin, and it also symbolizes penance. Hester is forced to spend time in jail for committing the sin of adultery, and it is the starting point of Hester’s trek of shame to the scaffold in the market place. The scaffold itself is another symbol Hawthorne uses. Like the prison, it also symbolizes sin and guilt. â€Å"The very ideal of ignominy was embodied and made manifest in this contrivance of wood and iron† (60). It provides the setting of several important scenes in the novel. It is where Hester is forced to stand for three hours as punishment, where Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Hester stand in the night, and where Dimmesdale reveals himself and dies. It is also a symbol of truth because Dimmesdale’s great revelation occurred there.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second setting is the forest just outside of the town. It proves to be a kind of dramatic foil to the idealistic Puritan society. The Puritans maintain a community that thrives on purity and lack of sin. The forest, on the other hand, is a symbol of lawlessness and desecration. It is shrouded in mystery and retains a dark and foreboding air. The Puritans abhor the forest because it stands as a perfect example of evil. However, the witches that live in the town view it very differently. They appreciate the anonymity the forest provides them. Thus they are free to pay homage to the Black Man in secret. Their presence reiterates the fact that the forest is a symbol of darkness.

Osmosis :: Papers

Osmosis Introduction Osmosis is the passage of water from a region of high water concentration through a semi-permeable membrane to a region of low water concentration. The aim of the investigation is to find the variables that affect the rate of osmosis and how they affect the rate of reaction. The variables that affect the rate of reaction of osmosis are, Â · The surface area of the object, Â · The concentration of the solution, Â · Temperature of the experiment Surface area If the surface area of the object is larger then more molecules can pass through the semi-permeable membrane. This will ultimately increase the rate of reaction. [IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE][IMAGE] Small surface area Large surface area Concentration If the concentration of the solution is high then it will contain more molecules and so the rate of reaction will be shorter. [IMAGE] [IMAGE] Low concentration High concentration Temperature of the experiment Generally the higher the temperature, the less time it takes for a reaction. But with living cells there is a point at which the cell will be denatured therefore the rate of reaction will be altered, as the cells are no longer functioning. Hypothesis ========== Osmosis is defined as the movement of water or any other solution's molecules from a region of highly concentrated solution to a region of less concentrated solution. This movement must take place across a partially permeable membrane such as a cell wall, which lets smaller molecules such as water through but does not allow bigger molecules to pass through. The molecules will continue to diffuse until the area in which the molecules are found reaches a state of equilibrium, meaning that the molecules are randomly distributed throughout an object, with no area having a higher or lower concentration than any other. To make this investigation fair, the conditions will be as follows: Changed variable Constants

Factors Influencing Employer-Employee Relationship in Strategy Execution in Non-Govermental Organizations in Nairobi Kenya

FACTORS INFLUENCING EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP IN STRATEGY EXECUTION IN NON-GOVERMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN NAIROBI KENYA TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE3 1. 0 INTRODUCTION3 1. 1 Background of the Study3 1. 2 Statement of the Problem7 1. 3 Objectives of the Study8 1. 4 Research Questions8 1. 5 Importance of the Study9 1. 6 Limitations of the Study10 1. 7 Definition of Operational Terms10 1. 8 Chapter Summary10 CHAPTER TWO12 2. 0 LITERATURE REVIEW12 2. 1 Introduction12 2. 2 Approaches of Performance Appraisal12 2. 3 Effect of Performance Appraisal Accuracy on Staff Performance18 2. Effects of Employee Appraisal Feedback Management on Staff Performance24 2. 5 Effects of Appraisers’ Competence on Employee Performance26 2. 6 Conceptual Framework29 CHAPTER THREE31 3. 0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY31 3. 1 Introduction31 3. 2 Research Design31 3. 3 Population and Sampling Design32 3. 4 Data Collection Methods34 3. 5 Research Procedures34 3. 6 Data Analysis Methods35 3. 7 Chapter Summary35 REF ERENCES37 CHAPTER ONE 1. 0INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Background of the Study Performance appraisals can mean different things to different people.In general, a Performance appraisal is defined as an evaluation of an employee’s job performance to measure how effectively this employee is performing at their job (Becton, Portis, & Schraeder, 2007). The traditional format of a performance appraisal is an employee meeting with their supervisor annually or twice a year to go over how well the employee is doing their job. Usually the company the employee is working for provides a form for the supervisor to fill out and go over with the employee. This form list goals and objectives of the company and how well the employee is meeting these.In modern times performance appraisal systems are increasingly being used in both public and private sector to evaluate the performance of employees. Appraisal, according to Smith, (2000), involves the identification of cause and effect relationships on whic h employment and labour policies are based or can be based and are a routine process that organizations use to evaluate their employees. It is a systematic assessment that is as objective as possible of an ongoing programme or policy, its design, implementation and results.Its aim is to appraise the relevance and fulfillment of objectives, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. The appraisal systems usually involves evaluating performance based on the judgements and opinions of subordinates, peers, supervisors, other managers and even workers themselves (Jackson & Schuler 2003). An employee appraisal, performance review, or career development discussion is a method by which the job performance of an employee is evaluated in terms of quality, quantity, cost and time.Performance appraisal is also part of career development. Performance appraisals are regular reviews of employee performance within organizations. Performance appraisal as a process is seen as a key contrib utor to successful human resource management, as it is strongly related to organisational performance (Erdogan, 2002). Murphy and Cleveland (1995) believe that performance appraisals can help organizations in four ways. First, they can enhance the quality of organizational decisions, ranging from promotions, layoffs, compensation and transfers.Second, they can enhance the quality of individual decisions, ranging from career choices to decisions about where to direct one's time and effort. Third, they provide a set of tools for organizational diagnosis and development. Finally, performance appraisals can affect employees' views of and attachment to their organization. Performance appraisal is a tool of management that can lead to better communication, motivation and feedback (Stivers and Joyce, 2000). A common process for managing employees is the traditional practice of annual performance reviews.While these annual reviews have their shortcomings, companies around the globe continue to use them. However, to increase accuracy and to get a comprehensive and balanced feedback about employee performance, 360-degree feedback system is becoming more popular. In this system peers, subordinates and customers also do the appraisal. This is particularly relevant in the light of research, which has empirically proved that 360-degree feedback system improves employee performance significantly (Rai & Singh 2005).Performance appraisal is centrally managed by the human resource department in National Cereals and Produce Board. The aims of a performance appraisal are to give feedback on performance of employees, identify employee training needs, allocate rewards, forms a basis for personal decisions; salary increases, promotions, disciplinary actions, provide the opportunity for organizational diagnosis and development, facilitate communication between employee and administration and validate selection techniques and human resource policies to meet equal employment opportunit y requirements.Performance appraisal is an ongoing communication process between employees and supervisors. Supervisors should set expectations, monitor performance, and provide feedback to employees. By having this information, they will direct and develop employee performance by identifying training and development needs, correcting, and determining raises and promotions (Seldon, Ingraham, & Jacobson, 2001). Performance appraisal is evaluating employee’s current and past performance relative to his or her performance standards.Therefore, if performance appraisal is successfully carried out in an organization, the employees would be able to know how well they are performing and what is expected of them in future in terms of effort and task direction through an established plan for performance improvement Dessler (2005). To appreciate the purpose of performance appraisal one has to look at it from the different viewpoints of the employee and the organization.From the employee s view point, the purpose of performance appraisal is to enable the employee be guided on what is to be done and that he or she should receive a comprehensive feedback on how he or she performed. The employee also requires that the manager should help him or her improve on areas where gaps were identified in his or her performance and finally, expect to have appropriate recognition for good performance (NCPB Human Resource Policies and Procedures Issue 2010).From the organizations view point, one of the most important reasons for having a system of performance appraisal is to establish and uphold the principle of accountability. For decades, it has been known that one of the chief causes of organizational failure is non-alignment of responsibility and accountability. Non-alignment occurs where employees are given responsibilities and duties, but are not held accountable for the way in which the responsibilities and duties are performed (NCPB Human Resource Policies and Procedures Is sue 2010).The National Cereals and Produce Board which is the organization selected for this study is a body corporate that was established in 1985 under Cap. 338 of the Laws of Kenya. However, this organization has been in existence since 1939 when it was established by the then Colonial Government. The Board previously operated under diverse names which included West Kenya Maize Marketing Board, Maize Marketing and Control Board, Maize and Produce Board. It acquired its current name after the amalgamation of the Maize and Produce Board with the defunct Wheat Board in 1980 (NCPB Act, Cap 338).The Board’s main function over time has been to provide grain farmers with a marketing outlet, while at the same time it is charged with undertaking the food supply functions of the State. The Board trades in maize, wheat, beans and other scheduled produce such as millet, sorghum and rice. It also offers services like drying, grading, cleaning, pest control and storage of grain as well as weighing. Additionally, the Board offers for sale, such items like weighing scales, gunny bags, pesticides and tarpaulins.More recently the Board had engaged in the trading in farm inputs more specifically fertilizer with the aim of reducing the cost of production for the farmer and also diversify its products range to make it more profitable (NCPB Strategic Plan, 2009-2013). The organization has a network of 110 stations spread all over Kenya; in both the high potential agricultural areas like most parts of Rift Valley, Western and Central Provinces, as well as the low potential (food deficit) areas like North Eastern and parts of Eastern Provinces.The network is divided into six administrative regions which are Nairobi/Eastern, Northern, Coast, North Rift, South Rift, South Rift and Lake/Western (NCPB Strategic Plan 2009-13). The Board has since the early 1990’s been undergoing major restructuring and rationalization of its operations under the Civil Service Reform Progr amme. This included the downsizing of work force, with the objective of reducing its bloated staff strength to retain a leaner workforce, which could deliver the required services more efficiently and effectively.In a period of ten years (1993-2003), the Board released more than 70% of its total workforce through a Staff Voluntary Early Retirement Scheme and other methods of leaving. This reduced its staff strength from approximately 4,500 it had at the beginning of the retrenchment exercise to a mere 930 at the end of the exercise. The Board currently has an establishment of about 1020 employees falling under four broad categories, namely Senior Management (Job Group M and above), Middle Level Management (Job Group K-L), Supervisory Management (Job Group G-J) and Operatives (Job Group A-F) (NCPB Staff Establishment Audit Report, 2004).The organization has a fully-fledged Human Resource Department, which uses a detailed Resource Manual that contains policies and procedures that basi cally defines the relationship of the organization. The Board recognizes that human resource constitute its most assets, because people grow and develop over time and without them all the other resources (materials, money, methods and machines) will not be effectively utilized.According to the manual, Board’s Human Resources Management function is primarily concerned with the human relationship fields. It aims at bringing together and developing the human resource cohesive and an effective unit to complement all the other functions in the Board, while regard to the well being of the individual and groups of workers enabling them to make maximum contribution towards the successful attainment and sustenance of the Board’s corporate goals and objectives (NCPB Human Resource Policies and Procedures Issue, 2010).National Cereals and Produce Board has two forms of performance appraisals with the main one being carried out annually and involves the appraiser and the appraisee sitting together to review the latter’s performance in the preceding one year. They evaluate the extent to which the employee met the targets agreed upon at the beginning of the appraisal period.The other type of performance appraisal target employees on probation and those appointed to various higher capacities on trial basis and is conducted to determine their suitability or otherwise for confirmation on their respective positions (NCPB Human Resource Policies and Procedures Issue, 2010). 1. 2Statement of the Problem At an organizational level, the performance appraisal system impacts other HR systems as well as organizational strategy.Latham and Wexley (2001) assert that the effectiveness of an organization's performance appraisal system is a prerequisite for ensuring the success of its selection, training, and employee motivation practices. At a strategic level, the need for rapid and effective organizational change in today's dynamic social, economic, and political envi ronment requires that employees continually re-align their performance with the evolving goals and objectives of the organization (O'Donnell and Shields, 2002).The need to continually re-align performance characterizes many organizational departments which continue to struggle with getting their members to embrace the philosophy and practices that are geared at enhancing performance (Scrivner, 1995; Vinzant and Crothers, 1994). The organization since early 1990’s has been undergoing major restructuring and rationalization of its operations under the Civil Service Reform Programme. This included the downsizing of work force, with the objective of reducing its bloated staff strength to retain a leaner workforce, which could deliver the required services more efficiently and effectively.The Board has in a period of ten years (1993-2003), released more than 70% of its total workforce through a Staff Voluntary Early Retirement Scheme and other methods of leaving. This has reduced its staff strength from approximately 4,500 it had at the beginning of the retrenchment exercise to a mere 1020 at present. The organization has frozen recruitment except for professionals and replacement of essential employees which has led to the re-allocation of the duties that were earlier being performed by higher number of employees to fewer people.In order to enhance employee performance the Board introduced employee appraisal system was introduced in 2010. At National cereal and Produce board, performance appraisals have been conducted but they have faced many challenges. Instead of boosting staff performance, they have ended up frustrating staff until some have ended up leaving because of the high level of disatisfaction. NCPB has offices in several locations including Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret, Moisbridge, Kitale among other major town.In order to improve the effectiveness of performance appraisals, the organization has tried to apply different approaches of performance app raisals but the result has not been any different. The study seeks to investigate the effects of performance appraisal system on staff performance at National Cereals and Produce Board. 1. 3Objectives of the Study 1. 3. 1Broad Objective of the Study The broad objective of the study is to investigate the effects of performance appraisal systems on staff performance at the National Cereals and Produce Board. . Specific objectives 1. 3. 2. 1To determine the types of performance appraisal approaches used at the Kenya National Cereals and Produce Board. 1. 3. 2. 2To determine the effect of performance appraisal accuracy on staff performance at the National Cereals and Produce Board. 3. To establish the effects of employee appraisal feedback management on staff performance at the National Cereals and Produce Board. 4. To assess the effects of appraisers’ competence on employee performance at the National Cereals and Produce Board. . 4 Research Questions 1. What are the types of per formance appraisal approaches used at the Kenya National Cereals and Produce Board? 2. What are the effects of performance appraisal accuracy on staff performance at the National Cereals and Produce Board? 3. How does employee appraisal feedback management affect staff performance at the National Cereals and Produce Board? 4. How does appraisers’ competence affect employee performance at the National Cereals and Produce Board? Methods Population/SampleThe population in this research is all employees’ program participants, their supervisors, and management team. The sample for this research will be forty employees participants, 20 supervisors participants and 10 management participants and performance appraisal evaluators. Data Collection A survey will be used to collect all of the information for the research project. Surveys will be handed out to performance appraisal evaluators and turned in when the performance appraisal is complete to the researcher.Also, employees ’ participants and their supervisors’ participants and managers’ participants will complete surveys at semi-annual performance reviews. The surveys will be filled out at the end of the performance appraisal session and turned in to the research evaluator. Data Analysis Qualitative analysis will be used to analyze the open-ended questions on the survey. Common subjects and similarities will be examined to draw conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of the performance appraisal. 1. 5Importance of the Study 1. 5. 1National Cereals and Produce BoardThe research will be of importance to the Board as it will advocate for the importance of performance appraisal in the organization and will enable the management of NCPB to come up with a streamlined performance appraisal system and at the same time communicate to employees what they are expected to do in order to achieve the organization corporate goals. 1. 5. 2Human Resource Department The results of the resear ch will enable the Human Resource Department to examine the existing performance appraisal system, highlight the main deficiencies affecting the system and point out possible ways of improvement.The system would then transform the employees into a hardworking and highly committed workforce that will enable the organization achieve its objectives efficiently and effectively and thus create a competitive advantage. 1. 5. 3Other Organizations Parastatals within the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders in the grain sub-sector will use the research findings to improve their employee performance appraisal systems and the use of performance appraisal system as a management tool. The performance appraisal system will be a useful tool in complementing performance contracting currently used in all Government ffiliated offices. 1. 5. 4Future Researchers Future researchers will also be able to use the research findings as a benchmark to their research on performance appraisal system a nd its effects on staff performance. In addition, the findings of this study will serve as a source of reference in future research. The study will also suggest other areas where future researchers can further their knowledge. 1. 5Scope of Study The study will be carried out within the National Cereals and Produce Board Headquarters, Industrial Area, Nairobi. 1. 6Limitations of the Study 1. 6. Non response because of fear to reveal detailed information concerning the organization due to fear of exposing the weaknesses the organization is facing and the confidentiality of such information in terms of business practices. The researcher foresees a challenge in collecting the required data from the respondents. The respondents may fear giving information stating that the information requested may be used against them. To limit the effects of this limitation, the researcher will carry with her an introduction letter from the University confirming that the data requested will be used for academic purposes only. . 6. 2Lack of co-operation from some of the respondents for fear of victimization from their supervisors. 1. 6. 3 The researcher also foresees a challenge where the respondents are likely to give the ideal scenario instead of providing the situation they way it is now. This may affect research finding as it will distort the study findings. 1. 7 Definition of Operational Terms Respondents- the persons from whom information were sought in the study Public sector-the civil service and organizations operating under the State Corporations Act Appraisal-to evaluate or assess the worth of somethingPerformance -is the act of carrying out something Research-to make a detailed study or investigation of something 1. 8Chapter Summary This chapter covered introduction of the study where it discussed the key concepts in the study including performance appraisal and employee performance and how they relate to one another. It then provided statement of the problem where it d iscussed the importance of performance appraisals to organizations, what the situation is at the Kenya National Cereal and Produce Board and what the research gap for the study is.The chapter then presents the study objectives including main and specific before presenting the research questions. The chapter then presented the importance of the study, limitations of the study, definition of terms and chapter summary. REFERENCES Aswathapa, K. (2006). Human Resource Management and Personnel Management, 4th Edition, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited. Armstrong, M. (2006). A Handbook of Personnel Management Practice, 8th Edition, British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data, USA. Armstrong, M. and Stephens, T. (2005).A Handbook of Employee Reward Management and Practice, Kigan Page Limited, USA. Bannister, B. D. (1986) Performance Outcome Feedback and Attribution Feedback: Interactive Effects on Recipient Responses, Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 71. Baron, R. A. (198 8) Negative Effects of Destructive Criticism: Impact on Conflict, Self-Efficacy, and Task Performance, Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 73. Byars L. and Rue Leslie, W. (1997). Human Resource Management, 2nd Edition, Irwin/McGraw Hill Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data, USA. Byars L. Lloyd and Rue W. Leslie, (2000).Human Resource Management, 6th Edition, New York: McGraw Hill. Casio W. (2003) Managing Human Resources: Productivity, Quality of Work Life, Profits, 6th Edition. New York: McGraw Hill. Cash M. (1993) Effective Management, CCH International Sydney. Cardy R. L. & Dobbins G. H. (1994) Performance Appraisal: Alternative Perspectives, South Western Publishing Company. Cincinnati, OH. Corbridge Marjorie and Pilbeam (1998) Employment Resourcing, London: Financial Times Management. Department of Human Resources of University, West Virginia (2004) Human Resources Policies and Administrative Procedures.Dessler, G. (2005) Human Resource Management. New Delhi: P rentice Hall. Dulewicz, V. (1989) Performance Appraisal and Counselling, John Wiley and Sons Limited, New York, USA. Erdogan B. (2002) Antecedents and consequences of Justice perceptions in performance appraisals. Human Resource Management Review, 12 (4). Flippo B. Edwin (1984). Essentials of Human Resource Management, MacGraw-Hill Company, New York. Graham H. T. (1989) Human Resource Management (sixth Edition), UK: Pitman Publishing Longman Group. Harris, D. M. & DeSimone. R. L. (1994) Human Resource Development, Dryden Press, Forth Worth.Jackson S. E. & Schuler R. S. (2003) Managing Human Resources through Strategic Partnerships (8th Edition) Manson, Ohio: Thomson –Southwestern. J. Mullins (2002) Organization Behaviour and Management, Seventh Edition, Prentice Hall; Publications, New Delhi India. Javitch David G. (2005) Appraising Employee Performance, in The Entrepreneur, March 2005. Lawrie, J. (1990) Prepare for Performance Appraisal, Personnel Journal, Volume 69. Longene cker, C. O. (1989) Truth or Consequences: Politics and Performance Appraisal, Business Horizons, Volume 32.Mugenda G. Abel and Mugenda M. Olive, (2003). Research Methods – Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, 2nd Edition, Acts Press, Kenya. Nemoroff, W. F. & Wexley, K. N. (1979) An Exploration of the Relationships Between the Performance Feedback Interview Characteristics and Interview Outcomes as Perceived by Managers and Subordinates, Journal of Occupational Psychology, Volume 52. North, Archer. (2004) Performance Appraisal: Complete Online Guide, Archer North and Associates. Oberg W (2005). Making Performance Appraisal Relevant, 2nd Edition.Penny Hackett. (1979) Success in Management: Personnel, Kingston, Surrey: Kingston Polytechnic. Rai H. & Singh M. (2005) Mediating effects in the relationship between 360-degree Feedback and Employee Performance. Working Paper No. 2005-04-06. Rao P. Subba and Rao V. S. P. (1990) Personnel/Human Resource Management, New Delhi: Konark Publishers PVT Limited. Saleemi N. A. (2005). Personnel Management, 2nd Edition, N. A. Saleemi Printers, Nairobi, Kenya. San Joaquin County, Human Resources Division. (2002) Human Resources Handbook. Tripathi P. C. 1989) Personnel Management and Industrial Relations, India: Sultan Chand and Sons. To determine the types of performance appraisal approaches used at the Kenya National Cereals and Produce Board. To determine the effect of performance appraisal accuracy on staff performance at the National Cereals and Produce Board. To establish the effects of employee appraisal feedback management on staff performance at the National Cereals and Produce Board. To assess the effects of appraisers’ competence on employee performance at the National Cereals and Produce Board.

Education and Forthcoming English Olympiad

P. T. M. T. T. I MARUTHOORKONAM, BALARAMAPURAM Attention Students!!! ENGLISH OLYMPIAD-2012-13 P. T. M. T. T. I wishes to inform all teacher trainees the details of the forthcoming English Olympiad 2012 on 12th Dec 2012 at T. T. I Auditorium. Items for competition 1. Skit 2. Choreography 3. Book Review 4. Group discussion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Details 1. A Skit of about 15 minutes can be staged by 10 participants. The dialogue, stage settings etc. hould be decided by the Trainees under the guidance of Teachers. Theme: Human Values 2. A poem composed by a student /a group of students of the school may be staged. Maximum 10 students can participate among whom not less than two students may be for recitation. Theme: Love. (Time. 10 Minutes) 3. Book Review.Three Books will be suggested for reading. The selected student can read the books and come prepared to answer the questions of the panel of judges. Time: 10 Minutes. Books will be informed. . Group Discussion. Time: 20 Minutes A group of ten trainees will be selected to participate in the discussion. G. D. Topic will be announced on the spot. Evaluation: All the items will be assessed based on the criteria in the English Source books. The decision of the judges will be final and may not be questioned. Please register the name and the participating items by 5th Nov 2012 to Smt. Sheeba Rani, Club Convener. Best of luck to all participants! R,Anu Krishnan, Teacher Educator.