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Backpacking Croatia: Travel Tips and Tricks
Croatia: A Quick Introduction
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, has long been a popular destination for tourists from all over Europe. However, the country's recent joining of the European Union (2013) coupled with the ever-increasing popularity of the television series Game of Thrones has resulted in Croatia quickly becoming a world-renowned tourist destination.
Geographically, Croatia shares land borders with Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. The Adriatic Sea borders the country to the west and contains over a thousand Croatian-owned islands, many of which are extremely popular tourist destinations.
Croatia is highly deserving of this growing popularity. To put it simply, the country is absolutely stunning (there's a very good reason that HBO chose Dubrovnik to be the location for the capital of the Seven Kingdoms). The orange rooftops and pebble beaches along the seemingly impossibly blue Adriatic have become the stuff of dreams for backpackers and tourists alike.
In recent history, Croatia was one of the six republics which constituted the former Yugoslavia. Consequentially, the country has experienced some turmoil in the past twenty years, although bloodshed on Croatian soil during the breakup of Yugoslavia was relatively low compared to its neighbour, Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, the turmoil that was experienced in the country is not to be overlooked. Croatia declared independence in 1991, and in the beginning months of the war in Croatia, heavy shelling by Serb forces affected both Dubrovnik and Split, as well as some surrounding villages. The war in Croatia lasted until the ceasefire in January 1992, with a Croatian victory (although at the loss of around 20,000 lives). The war in Croatia is today referred to as the Homeland War by locals. At the time, the media gave immense attention to the attacks on Dubrovnik, the City Walls of which are recognized world-wide as a UNESCO world heritage site. Evidence of these attacks are still visible on the City Walls, although largely, Croatia's infrastructure has been impressively restored and recovered.
People visiting Croatia today might find it difficult to imagine that the country has been so recently affected by war. As previously stated, the country is beautiful, and it is the perfect spot to unwind with good food and good wine in hand. Whether you are visiting as a tourist for a week or backpacking for a month, there is something in Croatia for everyone, However, as someone who recently spent a month backpacking the country, there are a few things that I wish I had known before going to Croatia, which I will discuss in detail in this article.
Known alternatively as the "Pearl of the Adriatic" by the wider public and by "King's Landing" by Game of Thrones fans, Dubrovnik is a city that most travelers dream of visiting someday. The City Walls of Dubrovnik have long since been a point of pride with the citizens of Dubrovnik. The City Walls were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, constituting one of Croatia's eight UNESCO sites, and they are Croatia's number one tourist attraction. Constructed largely between the 12th to 17th centuries as fortifications for the city, the walls run interrupted for nearly two kilometers around the old city as protections against possible invaders (primarily, the Venetians, according to a local guide). Today, the old city is bustling with shopping and a seemingly endless array of restaurants, cafes, and bars to suit every hour of the day.
Of course, if you are a Game of Thrones fan, signing up for a Game of Thrones tour when you are in Dubrovnik is a must. There is an endless number of companies offering this tour, and not only does the tour take visitors to different sites in the city, but the guides are extremely informative when about the history of Dubrovnik as a whole (the fact that these tours are almost a "two-in-one" tour in this respect sort of helps to offset the cost of the tours). Additionally, the population of Dubrovnik is around only 40,000 citizens, and many residents of Dubrovnik have actually been extras in the show. Thus, the tours are amazing for learning behind the scenes facts about how particular scenes were shot, and how much effort the show puts into making sure that plot developments are not leaked before an episode airs. The tour really gives visitors an added appreciation for just how much time, effort, and talent are poured into the making of the series (plus, some tours even allow you to play with prop replicas!).
Split and the Islands
Second in fame only to Dubrovnik, Split is another stunning coastal city in Croatia. Split is particularly famous for its city center, which is situated in Diocletian's Palace. The Palace was constructed by the Roman emperor Diocletian in the fourth century AD as a retirement home. The Palace today resembles a large fortress, and the Palace is very much alive today, housing Split's city center and old town, and thus drawing tourists from all over the world. It is quite easy to spend several days getting lost in the narrow, winding alleys of the Palace, or to lose an entire afternoon frequenting the cafes and restaurants that are hidden in the nooks and crannies of the Palace. Visitors should be sure to visit the massive statue of Gregory of Nin, and to rub his toe for good luck.
Split is the perfect location in Croatia to visit some of the country's most popular island destination. From Split, it is only an hour and a half by catamaran to Hvar, and just under and hour from Hvar to Vis (it is also possible to go directly from Split to Hvar). The islands are the perfect spot to unwind - a little less hectic than Dubrovnik and Split, gorgeous beaches, stunning sunsets, and unbelievable seafood. They are truly the perfect vacation destination (Hvar is also a well-renowned party destination, if you are so inclined).
Zadar and Plitvice Lakes National Park
Zadar is not a Croatian destination that is widely recognized. Most tourists elect to visit Split or Dubrovnik over Zadar, and that is totally understandable, given that those two cities receive so much worldwide acclaim. However, Zadar is truly a backpacker's (and tourist's!) dream. It is significantly cheaper to stay in Zadar than it is to stay in Split, and especially cheaper than staying in Dubrovnik. It is much smaller and easier to navigate than either Split or Dubrovnik, and still has the classic Croatian seaside charm, complete with its own Roman Forum and ruins. The seaside promenade is perfect, ending in the amazing Sea Organ - an amazing location to sit with a bottle of wine, a few friends, and watch the sunset.
Additionally, Zadar is well-situated geographically for visiting Croatia's second most visited tourist destination, the Plitvice Lakes National Park. While it is completely possible to take an organized tour from Zadar to visit Plitvice, it is not necessary. Catch the early bus at 8:30 AM from the bus station (trust me - you will need all day at the park). Take a picnic, and wander the park on your own. Soaking in this magnificent natural location on your own is equally, if not more so, beneficial than taking a tour guide. It really is something that only needs to be see to be appreciated. The last bus to Zadar leaves Plitvice at 5:00 PM. Also worth considering is staying overnight and spending two days in the park, although for backpackers, that may get pricey. Plitvice Lakes National Park has also been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Swimming is not allowed - it is nearly torture to see water so perfect and not be able to swim in it, but the exchange is a well-conserved and truly beautiful natural location in our increasingly concrete world.
Final Backpacker Tips
An alternate title for this section might have been "What I Wish I Had Known before Visiting Croatia". I read a lot about Croatia before traveling there - mostly backpacking blogs. However, I learned a few things on my own trip that I wish I had been better prepared for, and hopefully others will find these tips helpful as well.
1. Croatia is cheap, but only relative to backpacking in places such as London or Paris. Yes, you can find hostels for cheap in places like Zadar, but if you want a cheap place to stay in Dubrovnik, you are going to be well outside the Old Town. I booked five nights in Dubrovnik, not realizing that Dubrovnik is actually significantly more expensive than Zadar, where I started my trip in Croatia. In hindsight, I wish I had spent only two nights in Dubrovnik - that is really all I needed to see the things I really wanted to see, although of course, there is always something more that could be done.
2. According to most articles that I read, they advised me to travel to Croatia in the off season for better prices. However, although I traveled a month after high season, I found that prices only dropped a little from high season (for instance, the City Walls in Dubrovnik went from 150 kuna to 120 kuna), but the irregularity of public transport the places like Plitvice Lakes also made traveling during this time a little trickier. Also, a lot of hostels that I booked online stated that they included breakfast, but when I arrived, the management said that the breakfast was only during high season. Also, there was still an insane amount of tourists, especially in Dubrovnik, so I don't know that this actually made much difference in the long run.
3. Shop around, or be prepared to pay more than you expected for most things. Eating out in Croatia is a little cheaper than dining out in places like London, but it is still not cheap in backpacker terms. You may pay the equivalent of three euros for a beer in one restaurant, but at the next, the same beer might be five euros, so shop around.
4. Go on your own if you want to save money. In general, Croatia's attractions are not cheap to visit, but they are worth it. Plitvice Lakes is one such example of where this is beneficial. Entrance to the park is 100 kuna, and the bus is around 120 kuna return to Zadar (these were the prices at the end of September in 2016). This is about half the price of any organized tour that I could find. However, with something such as the Game of Thrones tours in Dubrovnik, taking an organized tour is worth it in order to hear the behind the scenes stories - however, the tours are not cheap.
5. A general rule I found to be true was that. the farther south I traveled in Croatia, the pricier everything became. A chocolate croissant in Dubrovnik was twice the price of the same croissant in Zadar from the same bakery chain. Just something to keep in mind.
6. Look up ferry schedules ahead of time and plan accordingly. I was a bit spontaneous when I went to Vis because I hadn't intended on going there, so I just hopped on a ferry and headed there from Hvar. I was there for two nights, and then planned to go back to Hvar to take the ferry to Dubrovnik (I wanted to take the ferry to avoid the border crossing into Bosnia that the bus route takes). However, the ferry only travels from Vis to Hvar one day a week, so I had to take the catamaran from Vis to Split in order to get a bus to Dubrovnik on the day I wanted to head there. It all worked out, but it would definitely have been easier had I planned that more efficiently.
These observations are not meant to discourage anyone from visiting Croatia. Please, please, please, go to Croatia! It really is an amazing country, and there is so much to see and do. However, in backpacking terms, it is not a cheap as I had been led to believe by anything I had read online, so I was a bit alarmed by the prices of everything when I arrived. Still, the trip was worth every dime I spent, and I truly believe that Croatia is a country that everyone will fall madly in love with.


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What Hero's do you envy?
Wally is your average 30 year old comic book geek. J.D. is his obnoxious, muscle bound, cartoon loving friend. Together they live in a run down tenement owned by J.D.'s uncle. These two protagonists are constantly visited by Orson the intellectual, Star Trek fan and Dekker the Horror loving comic book store owner. Welcome to the world of "Hero Envy" !!!

subset: commoncrawl


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So now that the rules have been cleared up, what's eating me? Social media and blogging...I have a few pet peeves
1- Constantly changing your Facebook relationship status from "single" to "it's complicated" to "in a relationship" then back and forth, seriously if your relationship is that tumultuous you may want to consider other options.
2- Starting a fight on someone else's status, seriously what is this? If you want to have words with someone, take it to your own wall this is annoying.
3- Airing your dirty laundry- some things need to never be shared, please keep it to yourself.
4- In regards to blogging there are many things, like a LOT but one big one, never go onto someones blog and leave rude/racist/derogatory comments, it is really uncalled for!
That is about all I can come up with now, so what's eating you about social media and blogging? I know you have something you are dying to share, so write a post, post the button and link up.


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My mom always says, "statistics are like puppets, you can get them to say whatever you want." I kind of think statistics (and Twitter stats) are like art – everyone interprets them a bit differently and you have to know what you're looking at.
When it comes to Twitter stats there is so much information, sometimes too much. Sometimes it feels like you're drowning under a pile of numbers and percentages. How many people retweeted me today? How many new followers have I picked up? How many people found my link to a video of a cat on a highwire entertaining? I don't know about you guys, but when faced with information overload I shut down (or more like melt down), so I learned long ago to streamline and focus on the Twitter stats that matter most (for the sake of my sanity and the general wellbeing of everyone around me).
Keep what's important. Toss out the rest. (That's another one of my mom's favorite expressions. She's a wise woman.)
So what did I keep? Let's see.
Stat: # of Clicks
Why do I care? When someone clicks on my tweet they might be checking out the image I included (because a picture worth a thousand words is one way to circumvent140 characters!) or they might be clicking on a link. Either way, they're engaging with my content, which is a good indicator that something I said struck a chord.
Stat: # of Favorites & Retweets
Why do I care? Favorites and retweets are the difference between dating (clicks) and falling in love. When someone favorites my tweet they're telling me they liked my post. They're offering up a virtual high-five (amazing because high-fives are pretty much my go-to response IRL). They leave me feeling like Sally Field at the Oscars, circa 1985.
If they retweet me, well, that's next level stuff. Not only are they saying they like what I have to say, but they found it interesting/entertaining/relevant enough to share with their followers and friends. Retweets let me know what I'm sharing has value, plus it's a great way to gain even more followers, two, three, or six degrees of separation away.
Stat: # of Replies
Why do I care? Twitter isn't a soap box (although some people use it that way). At its most powerful, Twitter is designed to be a two-way (or multi-way) conversation, where you can start a dialogue with people (supporters, debaters, current or future customers), unhindered by distance or time. How amazing is that?? That's why I track the number of replies to my tweets, so I can respond and initiate conversations. Social media engagement is where it's at.
Stat: Tweet time vs Engagement
Why do I care? I might have insightful things to say (okay, more often just cool cat videos to post), but if I'm posting them in the middle of the night, it's doubtful anyone will see them in all their glory. That's why I keep track of tweet time versus engagement, so I can determine the best times to tweet.
Stat: Me vs My Competition
Why do I care? It's safe to say I'm somewhat competitive (I once threw a set of dice at a friend's head during a particularly intense game of Settlers of Catan – I'm not proud of that moment, but it happened, sorry Tom!), so comparing my Twitter stats to my competition is a bit of a no-brainer. I want to see when I need to kick my social media marketing into a new gear and when I'm coming out ahead.
Stat: My Followers' Interests
Why do I care? I feel like this should be obvious, but in case it's early in the morning when you're reading this and you haven't yet caffeinated to kickstart your brain and the day, let me explain. If I can see what my followers are interested in (info that Twitter Analytics provides), I can tailor my messages to fit the things they like, creating content that's more relevant and more likely to spark engagement. Win-win.
Some of you may be thinking, "wait a minute, 'stats' sounds dangerously close to 'statistics' and I'm having flash backs back to grade 11 math class, when I swore I'd say goodbye to stats (and boring Mr. Pederson) forever." Trust me, I've been there (well, not in your actual math class, that would be weird), but it's not as scary as it sounds. Another way of saying stats is 'metrics' and that's basically just measuring what's happening in your interactions with your friends/followers/anyone at all.
You could do the same thing in real life if you kept track of every time someone engaged you in conversation, it would definitely be a bit odd, but it's possible. And when you think of it that way, it seems much less intimidating, right? Which is good because these metrics are the cornerstone for improving the quality and impact of what you're putting out on Twitter.
So go forth, brave tweeters. Gather data. Track your stats. Grow and learn and compare and be bold. You can do this! Have fun and have faith.
Did you know that Twitter Counter provides stats on all this and more? Track engagement. Track followers. Track performance. If you tweet – whether as a company, a brand, or an individual – you can find all sorts of actionable information with useful insights into your activity. Achieve your Twitter marketing goals. Sign up for a free trial at TwitterCounter.com


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NY generates 60 percent of its electricity from natural gas
By Janis Kreilis
Last week, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NY DEC) denied approval to Northern Access, an approximately 100-mile pipeline that would have transported natural gas from the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania to the Erie County in New York, connecting to additional markets in the Midwest and Canada.
The developer of the project, National Fuel, had been working with the NY DEC for 34 months to solve engineering and environmental challenges related to the crossing of streams in the way of the pipeline.
As for the reason for not issuing a water quality certification and wetland permits and thereby rejecting the $500-million project, the NY DEC stated that Northern Access would have "adverse impacts to wetlands, streams, and fish and other wildlife habitats."
The company's CEO Ronald Tanski was stern in his statement in response to the decision, raising concerns about "the ability of utilities in the state to meet the future energy needs."
As the price of natural gas in the U.S. has fallen thanks to the boom in production from the Marcellus and other shale regions in the nation, a growing number of electricity generators have been converted from coal to gas, in addition to a large number of new natural gas-fueled plants built in recent years.
As a result, the fuel mix in the electricity markets in the Northeast and the Midwest, namely, ISO-NE, NYISO, and PJM, has changed considerably. New York currently generates about 60 percent of its electricity from natural gas, and the figure stood at close to 50 percent for New England in 2015. More gas-fueled capacity is planned for 2017 and 2018.
In October 2016, both PJM and ISO-NE voiced their concerns that local opposition to the development of natural gas pipeline infrastructure could adversely impact the reliability of the electric grid in the region. Other projects, such as Duke Energy's Atlantic Coast Pipeline, have faced protests or court battles, as was the case with Spectra Energy's Access Northeast project, where the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court forbade the Department of Public Utilities to approve contracts making electric utility customers pay for the development of gas pipelines.
Meanwhile, environmental advocates would rather see renewable energy and demand-side management increase their share in the generation mix, arguing against expanded pipeline capacity. The Natural Resources Defense Council has described the several projects in the region as "wasteful buildout of unnecessary oil and gas infrastructure", especially in the cases where paths have to be cleared for the right-of-way of new pipelines. The Council has also warned of explosions and gas leaks that can occur more frequently if the infrastructure is expanded. And ultimately, the question is about greenhouse gas emissions – although methane is a cleaner-burning fuel than oil or coal, it does not have the same track record as solar or wind power.
However, with the existing supply mix, not having the gas when it is needed most – typically, in the winter months – means that generators have to switch back to oil. Consumers pay extra during the peak demand periods when the constrained capacity occasionally makes prices shoot through the roof.
The debate on expanded pipeline capacity epitomizes the status of natural gas as a transition fuel from the "dirty days of coal" to the clean energy future. On one hand, gas is clearly better for the environment than coal or oil, and the current shale gas boom provides a great opportunity to switch from the environmentally worst fossil fuels to the best. On the other, there is the hope that solar, wind and other renewables would allow us to cease relying on fossil fuels altogether. As with many other issues, so it seems, the main question on expanded pipeline capacity is "when?"


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SOURCE: Northwest Pipe Company
January 15, 2015 18:54 ET
VANCOUVER, WA--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - Northwest Pipe Company (NASDAQ: NWPX), an industry leader of engineered welded steel pipe products, was selected to provide 77,089 feet of cement mortar lined and tape coated spiral welded pipe ranging in diameter from 24 to 36 inches for the Davis Woodland Water Supply Project. The pipeline is being constructed by Mountain Cascade, Inc. out of Livermore, CA. The pipeline will transport raw water from the Sacramento River and provide an expanded infrastructure capacity to this Northern California region.
"The Davis Woodland project was a very unique project as it utilized the Design-Build-Operate (DBO) procurement method for one of the largest 2015 pipeline jobs in the State of California," said Scott Montross, President and CEO of Northwest Pipe Company. CH2M Hill is leading the design and construction management effort for the project and Mountain Cascade will lead the pipe installation.
"The ability of Northwest Pipe to work through numerous design modifications quickly and provide cost saving recommendations proved Northwest Pipe Company to be a valuable partner," said Duke Fuller, President of Mountain Cascade.
The pipeline installation is anticipated to commence by the end of March 2015 and be in operation by the middle of 2016. The water supply will be owned by the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency.
About Northwest Pipe Company
Northwest Pipe Company is a leading manufacturer of welded steel pipe and tube products. The Water Transmission Group is the largest manufacturer of engineered steel pipe water systems in North America. With eight Water Transmission manufacturing facilities, the Group is positioned to meet North America's growing needs for water and wastewater infrastructure. The Water Transmission Group serves a wide-range of markets and their solution-based products are a perfect fit for applications including: water transmission, plant piping, energy, tunnels, river crossings, structural, industrial and construction. The Tubular Products Group operates a state of the art electric resistance weld mill facility. The Tubular Products portfolio serves a wide-range of markets and its quality certified pipe and tube products are good for applications including: oil and gas, structural industrial, fire protection, low pressure and agricultural. The Company is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington and has manufacturing facilities in the United States and Mexico.
Robin Gantt
Chief Financial Officer
Robin Gantt
Chief Financial Officer
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"We live as if doing for Jesus is more important than being with Jesus. We work as though everything depends on us rather than everything depending on God." James Lawrence
God loves you.
No really, God loves you.
Not the you, you want to be. Not the you, you pretend that you are. God loves the real you.
The flawed, messed up version. The you that sometimes gets things really right & sometimes completely wrong.
God loves you.
There is no more fundamental truth. And from personal & pastoral experience I suggest that there is no truth less easily believed or so easily forgotten.
God loves you.
When we lose sight of this we begin to work for God's love, rather than from God's love.
You are a child of the living God... not because you are worthy or have earned His favour anymore than you earned the right to be born. You are adopted into His family because of the love of God the Father, Christ's generous self-giving & the work of God's Spirit.
Your identity is not rooted in what you do, but in relationship with Him. You are significant because you are made by God, because you are loved by God & because God has great plans for your life.
Chew over the following passage & savour its goodness deep within.
"It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat.
It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing." Ephesians 2v1-10
Stuck... Unstuck. Polluted... Cleaned up. Sin-dead... Alive in Christ. Deeply loved... Deeply loved.
God loves you!


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Jewel-Osco is pulling the plug on Urban Fresh, the small format grocery store aimed at city dwellers.
The store at 1910 N. Clybourn Ave. in Lincoln Park -- Jewel's first and only Urban Fresh -- is slated to close Oct. 30, confirmed Karen May, spokeswoman for the Itasca-based supermarket chain. There are no plans to build more, she said.
"After gathering key sales data and customer feedback, we decided to close the store," May said, declining to elaborate.
Jewel-Osco parent Supervalu Inc. opened the 16,000-square-foot test store in September 2008 with ready-to-eat gourmet meals, organic produce, a wine and cheese shop for folks who "don't have time to shop for groceries, much less take time to plan a meal," according to the Urban Fresh Web site.


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Originally posted by ShadowMaster
The melting pot of what America was is broken and the fires are being stoked by those that shouldn't have matches.
I am saying that is what this thread has become about.
Originally posted by tallcool1
So what your saying K.K. is that since a few obviously uninformed people tried to turn this into a right-wing protest against Obama, that is what it was?
Originally posted by JohnnyCanuck
Originally posted by Tentickles
reply to post by JohnnyCanuck
Other than trying to derail this thread, I am not sure what point you are trying to make?
There is no evidence that the Houston Tea Party was set up by these people and they cant have set up every single Tea Party.
How is drawing attention to an apparent partisan interest in these protests an attempt to derail the thread? It looks to me like there's a lot more to these 'spontaneous' outbursts than meets the eye. Is it wrong to interupt this rah-rah session with a suggestion to check out the man behind the curtain?
The points speak to themselves...I'm just rather surprised you consider them irrelevant.
Originally posted by tallcool1 We are united against the reckless ways of both sides and hopefully our "revolt" will come to a head in 2010 when we sweep out both sides of the aisle and put in responsible people.
Originally posted by antar
Kudo's to youTentickles, you did a great job bringing this to the forum, gives one a different perspective on the momentum just reading your report and looking at the pictures. Thanks for bringing this to the forum.
I have only read the first page or two so far, but how were the police reacting to such a large unexpected crowd?
Originally posted by JohnnyCanuck
Just because I don't drink the koolaide doesn't mean I'm stupid.
Originally posted by JohnnyCanuck
Cut out the lobbyists and the biased media...(and the tallcool1 might want to consider Fox in that discussion)...and you have a positive force. As is, I think your good intentions are being hijacked by the Right. And that's Wrong.


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€12,50Incl. tax
Integrated with the StayOpen™ flip cap, the adjustable carry loop lets you hold more when your hands are full and offers a convenient place to attach keys while at the gym.
The Classic's screw-on lid and secure flip cap keep your gym bag and car seat dry. With a snug twist of the lid and the assuring "snap" of the flip cap, you're ready to roll.
Made from only the highest-quality materials, BlenderBottle® brand shaker cups are — and always have been — BPA and Phthalate free.


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Individual Tutoring
If your child has a noted weakness in reading, writing or math, or you would like to enrich these skills, we strongly recommend that you let us tutor your child throughout the summer to ensure that they expand their skill set and do not lose any academic ground. (Cost is $40/hour)
Assigned Summer Reading Assistance
Do you dread having to remind your child all summer long to read their assigned books only to find out the day before school starts that they haven't read them? Our teachers will do read-along tutoring to help your child complete their assigned books and prepare them for their summer reading exam. (Cost is $40/hour)
One-on-One Summer School
If your child has been told that they will require summer school, we can sign a letter of agreement with your school in which we will provide the required hours of tutoring for successful completion of the course requirements. (Cost is based on the number of hours required by school at $40/hour)
Cogmed Working Memory Training
Cogmed is a cutting edge computer-based intervention for children with working memory deficits such as those seen in ADHD, Learning Disabilities, and Dyslexia. Cogmed improves attention and working memory, reduces impulsivity, and increases reading comprehension and math performance. Please call the office for pricing.
Psycho-educational Evaluation
Summer is a perfect time to have your child evaluated. Identify your child's academic strengths and weaknesses. Determine if your child has any special academic needs so that interventions can be applied at the onset of the next school year. ($1200 if paid by bank draft/cash-insurance may cover all or part of fee—our office is happy to check your benefits.)
Other Services
We also offer individual counseling and have consultants in speech and occupational therapy on-site to meet your child's emotional, language, and occupational therapy needs.
4517 Lorino Street Metairie, LA 70006


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Originally collected in Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs and Chuck Klosterman IV, and now available both as a stand-alone essay and in the ebook collection Chuck Klosterman on Pop, these essays are about Billy Joel.Essays from Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs and Chuck Klosterman IV Chuck Klosterman ... One of them wrote that the quality of apatriotisma was on par with a regularly listening to Cat Stevensa and aloves Robin Williams movies.a Comparisonsanbsp;...
|The Billy Joel Essays
|Chuck Klosterman
|Simon and Schuster - 2010-09-14
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Ian Eagle knows this Brooklyn Nets season will be far different from the way it was all too often in New Jersey.
"I could literally hear conversations from fans taking place behind me," Eagle told the Rumble. "Not just a few words here and there — I could hear complete conversations about vacation plans, how the kids were doing in school. There were times during timeouts I would turn around and join in on the discussion: 'I agree, I think the Bahamas would be a great spot…' "
Eagle will begin his 20th year calling Nets games Wednesday night (with Mike Fratello) on YES when the season begins in Cleveland.
"There's a legitimate buzz around this team, not just in New York, but around the league," Eagle said. "There's a curiosity as to how this team will gel."
All thanks to owner Mikhail Prokhorov.
"I think he's the world's most interesting man," Eagle said.
His reaction when the trade for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry was made?
"They're legitimately trying to win a title," Eagle said. "It's one thing to say it, it's another thing to go out and do it."
Eagle said he believes that Jason Kidd will succeed as Nets head coach.
"He's been put in a situation to succeed," he said. "He's been given everything he needs to take on this challenge. Jason as a player thought two steps ahead, and I think that will serve him well. He doesn't fail. He doesn't know what that word means."
As for the rivalry with the Knicks, Eagle said: "I think the rivalry will take off once the teams meet in the playoffs. You need to have something at stake, so if the basketball gods have any say, these two teams will play in the postseason."
No matter what happens, Eagle will bring the same exact professionalism that has gotten him here.
"I've always approached the job the same way," he said. "There's somebody watching who's never heard me and doesn't know anything about me who is forming an opinion based on what they hear."
You'll like what you hear.
MLB Network's Ryan finds time to train for marathon
MLB Network's Sam Ryan is set to run the first marathon of her life in next Sunday's New York City Marathon, and she won't let her job get in the way of her training.
Ryan, who is based out of the network's home base in Secaucus, N.J., has been training for the 26.2-mile race by running in the different cities she travels to for her job as a reporter — including inside Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
"I asked the Cardinals, 'Is it OK to run in the stadium?' " Ryan told the Rumble's John DeMarzo. "They let me in, and I did laps along the warning track. It was really neat. They were painting the white stripes down the lines and I was jumping over the paint and the guys were giving me high-fives."
Of all the cities Ryan has been to recently, she says Chicago was her favorite to run in.
"You can go to Lake Michigan on Lakeshore Drive and run with a thousand people," she said.
Ryan is hoping to complete the marathon in 5:30.
"With my long training runs, my 18-miler, I ran 3:40, and my 20-miler, 4:05," she said. "I may be able to hit 5:15. I don't want to go too fast and burn out."
Ryan will be running for Tri-ing for Kids, a non-profit group that completes endurance events while raising money for a cause.
Race coverage hitting stride
ESPN is pulling out all the stops with an all-star lineup for its telecast of the ING New York City Marathon next Sunday on ESPN2 (ABC7 will broadcast the race in the New York market). The five-borough event has not been seen live on national television for 20 years. "SportsCenter" anchors Hannah Storm and John Anderson will serve as co-hosts, and reporters and analysts include Jeremy Schaap; Tim Hutchings, a former 5,000 meter Olympian who has covered the last six Olympics; Carrie Tollefson, an Olympian and five-time NCAA champion; Runner's World Editor-in-Chief David Willey reporting while running the course; Juli Benson, an Olympian and NCAA All-American, serving as lead women's reporter; Toni Reavis, a journalist and member of the Running USA Hall of Champions, who will handle the men's lead reporting; and Lewis Johnson, an All-American in track, who will provide updates from the start and finish lines.
Locally, ABC7 will have a crew including sports anchors Rob Powers and Laura Behnke, with reporters Jim Dolan (not the MSG chief) and Kemberly Richardson on the course.
Mets workers get All-Star rings
What do Matt Harvey, David Wright and Chris Brown have in common? All three have All-Star rings. Brown, a long-time Mets employee and now the club's senior director of guest experiences, was one of 200 Mets employees who were fitted for commemorative staff All-Star rings The fittings took place at Citt this week.
"Everyone I spoke to got a great kick out of the rings," Brown said. "We had a great time hosting the All-Star Game. It was a lot of hard work and ownership appreciated the what we all did. It's something that all of us can treasure for the rest of our lives."
What will Brown say to Wright or Harvey the next time he sees either of them?
"I might laugh and say I got an All-Star ring and never had to play one game in the minors," Brown said.
Stars about town for appearances
Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur will be joined Sunday at noon by former teammates Ken Daneyko, Bruce Driver and Jim Dowd at McLoones Boathouse in West Orange, N.J., where he will be on hand to help save the lives of children with cancer and blood disorders. The Devils will be joined by ESPN personality Chris Broussard and renowned physical therapist/athletic trainer John Gallucci Jr. as they gather to support The Valerie Fund. To purchase tickets for this event, log onto http://www.mcloonesboathouse.com. … Raymond Felton, Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih will be at the Riverdale Chase Branch in The Bronx Monday as part of Chase's Basketball in the Boroughs and Beyond. … Larry Johnson will be at Katch in Astoria Katch Tuesday night for NBA Kickoff Party.


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TCNJ takes thriller vs. Stevens Inst.
400-yard freestyle relay, the final event, sealed the victory
HOBOKEN, N.J. – No. 10 The College of New Jersey defeated 11th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology 133-129 on Sunday in a thrilling women's swimming dual-meet at the De Baun Aquatic Center. The Lions (8-2) earned a win in the final event of the afternoon, the 400-yard freestyle relay to seal the victory.
The Ducks opened the meet with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay. Sophomore Louise Moores, freshman Brittany Geyer, junior Marissa Douglas and senior Hayley Hatfield teamed to clock a 1:50.93.
Senior co-captain Kim McCaffrey was Stevens' top finisher in the 1,000-yard freestyle, placing second with a time of 11:09.22.
Douglas, senior Sian Pearson and freshman Nicole Miller swept the top-three spots in the 200-yard freestyle (1:59.14, 1:59.42, 2:00.26), and Moores carded a victory in the 100-yard backstroke, touching at 58.82. Sophomore Megan Lisbon was third in the event with a 1:02.44.
Geyer notched a second-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:09.27, and Pearson did the same in the 200-yard butterfly (2:13.13). Hatfield checked in No. 2 in the 50-yard freestyle with a 25.18 and came back to earn the win in the 100-yard freestyle, clocking a 54.38.
Lisbon got a victory in 200-yard backstroke with her time of 2:11.00, with Geyer recording a second-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:28.19).
Pearson and Miller went one-two in the 500-yard freestyle (5:16.11, 5:20.82) and Moores was second in the 100-yard butterfly (59.19). Douglas took the final individual event of the day, the 200-yard individual medley, with a time of 2:12.78 and Geyer was second, turning in a 2:13.51.That first and second gave Stevens a 123-122 edge heading into the final event, but the winner would be whichever relay squad could win the 400-free relay. The Lions edged Stevens' top team 3:35.39 to 3:35.88 to clinch the meet.
The Lions improve to 8-2 with the win and Stevens falls to 5-2.


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Performance Appraisal Practices in Employee Motivation
Published: Last Edited:
Disclaimer: This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers. You can view samples of our professional work here.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UK Essays.
1. Introduction
This chapter will give the reader with the clear background of research study, research question, research objectives, justification of research, organisation of study, research framework and brief overview of what will present later in the whole dissertation.
1.1. Background of research study:
All organizations evaluate the performance of their employees to find out their relative worth for the job they are doing. Performance is being related to the productivity, it is crucial for the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. Effective performance for the organization means that output can be maintained with fewer numbers of employees. Performing effectively is also of crucial importance to the employee because organizations can no longer tolerate poor performance, they (employees) are more likely to be dismissed. The effective management performance, therefore, is not only vital for the long-term survival of the organizations but is also a moral obligation on the employees.
Performance appraisal is considered as the systematic evaluation of individuals to their performance on the job and their potentials for development (Dale S. Beach, 1980: 290). Wendell French has defined performance appraisal as a systematic and periodic assessment of how employees are doing their jobs in relation to established norms and the communication of that kind of assessment to employees. It is a process of evaluation an employee's job performance with respect to its requirements.
A systematic performance appraisal provides information for making decisions about various issues such as promotions, pay increases, layoffs, training and development and transfers. It is management's powerful tool in controlling human resource and productivity. Managers can improve an employee's job performance through clarifying expectations and evaluating performance. Employees also, in general, prefer having some kind of appraisal to develop an appropriate vision of their own effectiveness and opportunities (Wood, 1988). Formal performance appraisal can meet the three needs, one of the organization and the other two of the individuals within the organization:
- It provides systematic judgments to back up salary increase, transfer, demotion or termination.
- It is the means of communicating to subordinates the behavior, attitudes, skills or job knowledge and let him know where he stands.
- It is used as a base for coaching and counseling the individual by his superior
1.2. Selected organisation of study
Beginning of tea plantation in Nepal dates back to the year 1863, when Mr. Gajraj Singh Thapa, the 'Badahakim' (Chief Administrator) of Ilam, initiated tea plantation for the first time at Ilam. It is said that he was very much impressed by the taste of tea and fascinating beauty of tea gardens of Darjeeling. So he brought tea-technicians from Darjeeling and made local people join hands in tea plantation. His effort was later followed by planting tea in Ilam and Soktim in the year 1865 (both plantations are still under commercial production). It is believed that the tea seedlings were given by the Chinese government as gift to the then prime minister Jung Bahadur Rana. The first tea processing factory was established in the year 1872, in Ilam Tea Estate.
But the further expansion of tea plantation lay virtually stagnant for about a century. No efforts were found to be made by the government or private sector in this direction. It was only in 1959 when Budhkaran Tea Estate was established at Rangiadanga (Maheshpur VDC, Jhapa), the first tea estate in private sector. Soon after this venture, a few other landlords also started tea plantation in Jhapa district, which gave birth to some tea estates such as Satighatta Tea Estate, Himalaya Tea Garden, Nakkalbanda Tea Estate, Mittal Tea Estate, Giribandhu Tea Estate. These tea estates are still among the leading private sector tea companies of Nepal. However, these plantations were done more with the motivation of saving the land from land ceiling being imposed under the Land Ceiling Act in 1963, because all the plantations during that period were started by big land holding families. This can be seen in some of the plantation fields of those days having the tea bushes at the distance of more than two feet. These ventures, however, opened the door for other entrepreneurs in tea sector.
In the history of tea development in Nepal, the establishment of Nepal Tea Development Corporation (NTDC) is considered to be a landmark to augment the tea cultivation. NTDC was established in 1966, with the joint effort of the Government and Overseas Development Administration (ODA), Britain with the objective of making the country self-reliant in tea by producing more tea, thereby, substituting import of tea and earn foreign currency by exporting quality tea. Soon after its establishment, NTDC took over the first two tea plantations, namely, Ilam and Soktim tea estates. NTDC then extended tea plantation in Kanyam (Ilam) in the year 1971, with the aim of producing exportable quality tea. One year later, another tea garden was established in Tokia (Jhapa) in 1972. Keeping in view of the increasing internal demand of tea another tea estate was established in Barne (Shantinagar VDC, Jhapa). Later, two more tea estates, namely, Barradashi (Jhapa) and Chilingkot (Ilam) were established; making altogether seven tea estates under the ownership and management of NTDC. Despite its significant contribution for the development of tea cultivation, the only government owned corporation faced acute financial and managerial problems in the latter years, and eventually NTDC was leased out to the private sector in the year 2000. The management of NTDC was handed over for 50 years to Triveni Group, with the condition of keeping all workers in 'as it was' form and terminating all staff under voluntary retirement scheme with extra two months' salary as a golden handshake.
Besides these plantations by government and private sectors, small growers started tea cultivation in the nearby VDCs of Kanyam, when NTDC established Kanyam Tea Estate. Some 40 small farmers started tea cultivation in some VDCs of Ilam district, such as, SriAntu, Kolbung, Kanyam, Fikkal, Pashupatinagar, Panchakanya, Laxmipur, and Godak. With the encouragement and technical support provided by NTDC, tea cultivation at small farmers' level, expanded gradually in different parts of other districts, namely, Panchthar, Terhathum, Dhankuta, and Jhapa. In view of good prospect of tea cultivation in the Eastern Region, the Government declared these five districts as "Tea Zone" in the year 1982 and accordingly adopted a favourable policy to encourage tea farmers in private sector. The facilities incorporated in the policy included: providing easy loan to tea cultivators from Agriculture Development Bank with 50 percent subsidy in the interest on loan for the first 5 years in Terai and 7 years in hills, exemption from land-ceiling for tea cultivation and 90 percent rebate on land-tax. With the objective of extending technical services, seedlings and transport facilities, small farmers' offices were established under NTDC in Fikkal, Manglabare and Jasbire of Ilam; Chilingden of Panchathar; Solma of Terhathum; and Hile of Dhankuta districts. All these efforts contributed quite positively to the expansion of tea cultivation, which consequently gave birth to the concept of "Bought Leaf Factory". The first processing unit of this kind was established in the year 1989, at Fikkal of Ilam district.
The enactment of Industrial Enterprise Act by the Government encouraged and facilitated more to the extension of tea cultivation. Industrial Enterprise Act, 1992 (amended in 1998) has an objective of encouraging the promotion of manufacturing industries in the country by making the environment of industrial investment more congenial and straight forward. The Act has categorized tea cultivation and processing industry as an agro-based industry which fall under national priority industries like horticulture and fruit processing, vegetable and seed farming, sericulture and silk production, animal husbandry etc.
The Act has proposed some concessions to the agro-industries with an income tax exemption for a period of five years from the date of commercial production. If the tea industry wants to invest in the pollution controlling mechanism or equipment, then a reduction of up to 50 percent is granted in the taxable income. Such remission may be deducted on a lump sum or an installment with a period of three years.
The Ninth Five Year Plan (1997-2002) gave a high priority to agro-based industries such as tea plantation and processing. The plan recognized agro-based industries as the basis of industrialization in the country. This plan emphasized on the plantation of high-valued Orthodox tea for export. Similarly it placed importance on the promotion of CTC tea for domestic consumption. During the plan period, total tea area was projected to be 4564 hectare and total tea production was projected to be 4101 mt. from 3156 ha.
Agriculture Development Bank actively disbursed credit to the tea sector during 1996-1997. As a result, the number of CTC planters under tea estates and out grower's category increased rapidly. The reasons for increase in plantations, as responded by the tea planters, were:
- Good rate of returns as compared to traditional farming.
- Availability of bank credit attracted tea plantation.
- High demand for tea in both domestic and foreign market (esp Orthodox tea).
- Peer pressures also motivated out growers to start tea plantation.
- The other reason was that other food crops could not be grown in the land adjoining tea plantation. By the use of insecticides and pesticides in the tea plantation, insects are flushed out and take refuge in the nearby land which devours the crops.
1.2.1. Types of Tea:
Generally two types of tea are produced in Nepal. One variety that is grown in the hilly region is called Orthodox tea. Orthodox tea has a huge demand in overseas countries and its export is increasing over the years. The major markets of Nepalese Orthodox tea are Western Europe and North America. Similarly, tea grown in Terai (plain area) especially in Jhapa district is called CTC (Crush, tear and Curl) tea, which accounts for more than 95% of the total domestic tea consumption.
188.8.131.52. Orthodox Tea:
Black tea, in the form of traditional leaf tea produced from hill grown tea, particularly Chinese type of tea is known as Orthodox tea. The Orthodox tea, particularly popular for its aroma, is considered as premium tea all over the world (Singh, 2001). This tea is produced from the leaves of tea bushes in the eastern hilly region. Despite its long plantation history, the production and productivity of Orthodox tea have been low due to lack of conducive govt. policy, high cost of production (and therefore expensive) lack of technical know-how, and CTC oriented domestic market. However, the increasing demand of hill-orthodox tea in the overseas market provides good prospect of tea cultivation in the hilly region of Nepal.
18.104.22.168. CTC Tea:
CTC tea, commonly used by majority of tea consumers of the world (produced in Jhapa district) is popular for its color. The manufacturing process of CTC tea consists of withering of leaves, rolling, fermenting, and drying through mechanical devices. Furthermore, sorting is done with the help of machine in different grades such as brokens, fannings, and dust.
1.2.2. Present Status of Tea Industry:
Tea Industry includes all Tea Estates, processing plants, small growers, Packeters and marketers that are directly involved in production and marketing of tea. National Tea Policy-2000 defines 'Tea Industry' as the tea cultivation with the registration of industry in the land availed under the concession of land ceiling facilities and having one's own processing plant. Although tea industry has a long history of more than a century, in real sense it is only after the establishment of Nepal Tea Development Corporation. Ltd. in 1966, that tea cultivation flourished in Nepal.
At present, there are 128 tea estates and 45 tea processing factories as registered in NTCDB. Out of these 24 tea estates have their own processing factories whereas 21 tea processing factories do not have their own tea gardens. In addition to these, there are 20 tea packaging industries and export import agencies related to tea marketing.
Tea industry in Nepal has developed under three different ownership status and management, namely, Public Estates, Private Estates and Small Holders. The only government owned and managed, NTDC was privatized in the year 2000. All these three types of tea producers have contributed significantly for the expansion of tea cultivation. The efforts made by Government and private sector entrepreneurs including small farmers have been the driving force for the extension of tea in the hills and Terai. Some of the important steps taken by the Government over the last 25 years include establishment of NTDC, implementation of outgrows scheme, declaration of tea zone, and policy package including facilities like providing loan and subsidy on bank rate, exemption from land ceiling and land tax etc., establishment of NTCDB, and issuing of National Tea Policy-2000.
1.3. Research question
Is the performance appraisal practice key to pay rise, training and development, promotion or termination of the employee in the tea industry of Nepal?
1.4. Research objectives
The specific objectives of this study were:
- To examine how employee performance is appraised in an organization.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of performance appraisal system in the organization.
- To analyze the relationship between performance appraisal and the factors like pay rise, training and development, promotion or termination of employee in an organization.
1.5. Justification of research
Tea industry which occupies an important position in the national economy is growing extensively mainly in the eastern region of Nepal. It is, being one of the most labor intensive, agro-based industries; it involves a great deal of workforce, which provides direct employment to about 41000 workforces. After the privatization of Nepal Tea Development Corporation in 2000, the change in ownership is also accompanied by deep changes in organizational procedures and culture that could have a profound effect on enterprise behavior and performance (Manandhar, 2002: 37).
There have been only a few research studies in the field of human resource management in private enterprises of Nepal. And there has not yet been any specific research conducted in performance appraisal in tea industry of Nepal. So, in view of the poor research-based on performance appraisal and the lack of knowledge existing in this field, the research work is virtually called for the streamlining of performance appraisal practices. Research can lead to an increased understanding of and improvement in performance appraisal practices. It can provide insights for managers as they attempt to increase employee productivity and satisfaction while reducing absences and turnover. Research can also identify potential problem areas related to performance appraisal
Lack of specific research in this field has encouraged the researcher to take up the task of conducting a comprehensive research with the purpose of examining and analyzing the actual performance appraisal practices in tea industry of Nepal. This study will reveal a clear picture about the existing state of performance appraisal practices in tea industry. The outcome of the study may serve as a research infrastructure on which further researches can be built. And the information and conclusions derived from this study may be useful and helpful for practicing managers, as well as planners, policy makers and other agencies concerned, through better understanding of performance appraisal practices relating to tea industry. Thus, it is a modest attempt towards examining and understanding performance appraisal practices in tea industry of Nepal.
1.6. Structure of dissertation
Chapter 1: Introduction: In the first chapter of dissertation covers with background information followed by the selected organisation of study, research question, research objectives, justification of study, structure of dissertation and end with research framework.
Chapter 2: Literature review: The second chapter reviews relevant literature of performance appraisal consisting of academic and institutional researches, seminar and survey reports, and articles. Also it includes purpose of performance appraisal and methods of PA. The literature showed that there is positive and strong relationship between performance appraisal and pay rise, promotion or termination, and training and development of employee.
Chapter 3: Methodology: This chapter deals with the general theories of research like phenomenology and positivism and shows the relevance of phenomenology for this research study. Apart from this, it includes the types of research like inductive and deductive research where the researcher applies the inductive research approach. Finally the data collection tools, techniques, analysis and interpretation methods are dealt briefly in this chapter.
Chapter 4.Finding/result: This chapter presents all collected data from primary and secondary sources in tabular form for analysis in order to achieve the goal of the dissertation.
Chapter 5: Analysis and discuss of finding: This chapter deals with the results of the data analysis and discussion on the findings.
Chapter 6: Conclusion and recommendation: This chapter deals with summarizes major findings of the study and forwards some suggestions
1.7. Research framework
Figure 1.1. Research framework:
Literature Review
2.1. Performance Appraisal
The essence of the concept of the HRM is that people working in the organization are viewed as a valuable resource. If these people are managed properly, they can boost productivity through commitment and capability. HRM lays emphasis on the importance of integrating personnel functions (recruitment, selection, appraisal, reward, development, industrial relations, grievance and discipline, retirement, redundancy, dismissal) into the overall strategic management of the organization. All organizations evaluate the performance of their employees to find out their relative worth for the job they are doing. Performance is being related to the productivity, it is crucial for the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. Effective performance for the organization means that output can be maintained with fewer numbers of employees. Performing effectively is also of crucial importance to the employee because organizations can no longer tolerate poor performance, they (employees) are more likely to be dismissed. The effective management performance, therefore, is not only vital for the long-term survival of the organizations but is also a moral obligation on the employees.
Performance appraisal is considered as the systematic evaluation of individuals to their performance on the job and their potentials for development (Dale S. Beach, 1980: 290). Wendell French has defined performance appraisal as a systematic and periodic assessment of how employees are doing their jobs in relation to established norms and the communication of that kind of assessment to employees. It is a process of evaluation an employee's job performance with respect to its requirements.
A systematic performance appraisal provides information for making decisions about various issues such as promotions, pay increases, layoffs, training and development and transfers. It is management's powerful tool in controlling human resource and productivity. Managers can improve an employee's job performance through clarifying expectations and evaluating performance. Employees also, in general, prefer having some kind of appraisal to develop an appropriate vision of their own effectiveness and opportunities (Wood, 1988). Formal performance appraisal can meet the three needs, one of the organization and the other two of the individuals within the organization:
- It provides systematic judgments to back up salary increase, transfer, demotion or termination.
- It is the means of communicating to subordinates the behavior, attitudes, skills or job knowledge and let him know where he stands.
- It is used as a base for coaching and counseling the individual by his superior.
The effective management of performance is not only vital for the survival of the organization but is also in the best interest of the employees. The underlying assumption of performance management is that the individual employees can satisfy their needs and objectives by contributing to the attainment of the organization's objectives. This may result in employee's motivation and greater job-satisfaction which is at the core of HRM (Foot and Hook 2008).
The performance appraisal process generally consists of the following six steps as depicted in Figure 1 (Decenzo and Robbins, 1998).
Performance appraisal begins with the establishment of clear and objective standards of performance evolved out of job analysis and job description. These standards need to be communicated to the employees. Subordinates have to receive and understand the information properly. The third step is the measurement of the actual performance. For this, four measures can be utilized by managers, namely, personal observation, satisfied reports, oval reports and written reports. The fourth step is the comparing of the actual performance with standards. If any deviations are found between standards and actual performance, the manager may proceed to the fifth step to discuss the appraisal with the employees. Final step of appraisal is taking corrective action when it requires
The objectives of performance appraisal can be classified by different ways but according to (Harrison, 1995) to the objectives of performance appraisal are i. administrative: which determine orderly way of promotion, transfers and increase of payment. ii. Informative: supplying the relevant data to management team according to performance of subordinates and weakness and strengths of individual. iii. Motivational: create good environment to employee which motivate staff to develop themselves and to improve their performance
According to (Randell, et al. 1972) the main purpose of staff appraisal is to evaluate, auditing, constructing succession plans, motivating staff, developing individuals and
checking. Similarly according to (Lefton, 1997 ) performance appraisal can be defined by mainly four characteristics a. its formal b. it tries to find out why and how a subordinates is doing the job c. it tries to explore how subordinate can do better way in a job d.it always tries to produce benefits for subordinate, the organization and the superior.
Performance evaluation systems in Nepalese organizations are mandatory. The results of performance appraisal are not used in terms of career development, reward management and employee training and development. The results are mostly used to decide whether to promote employees or not (Adhikari, 2006).The main purpose of performance evaluation in government and public enterprises is the promotion of employees. It is not used for performance feedback to employees, reward management and identifying the needs of training and development. In civil service, 40 percent of performance appraisal is confidential and thus non transparent to employee (Agrawal, 2001).
Three different approaches exist for doing appraisals. Employees can be appraised against (i) absolute standards, (ii) relative standards, or (iii) objectives (MBO). However, no one approach is always best. Absolute standards are individual oriented whereas relative standards rank individuals. Management by objectives facilitates continuous improvement of performance results.
Most of the private sector enterprises in Nepal lack systematic performance appraisal system. Personal judgment and subjective assessment of owner-manager serves as the key criteria for performance appraisal (Agrawal, 1982). Formal and systematic performance appraisal system was non-existent in tea industry of Nepal.
Promotion is the vertical movement of an individual in an organization's hierarchy, enhanced status, accompanied by increased responsibilities, and usually with increased income, though it is not always so (Monappa and Engineer, 1999). It is the advancement of an employee to a higher job-rank in the organizational hierarchy accompanied by a pay rise (Pigors and Myers, 1981: 303). Employees consider their ultimate success of their career and performance in terms of the number and frequency of promotion they get during their service. Yoder et al observed that promotion gives incentive to initiative, ambition and enterprise, unrest and minimizes discontent, attracts capable personalities, appropriate logical training of advancement, and forms and effective reward for cooperation and loyalty, long term service, etc. (Yoder,1979). It increases satisfaction in the employees that their talents and capabilities are being recognized. In turn, they trust the organization and devote for the accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives.
In Nepal, the Civil Service Act was promulgated in 1956 which stated that promotion should be given to civil service personnel on the basis of work efficiency (Civil Service rule, 1993). Many changes have been done in the promotion system of the employee in the government organization since that time. The Administrative Reform Commission formed under the chairmanship of Mr. Vedananda Jha suggested that the promotion criteria for civil service personnel should include (a) seniority, (b) experience, (c) academic qualification and training, and (d) departmental performance report including co-operative attitude. Another Administration Reform Commission formed under the chairmanship of Mr. B.B. Thapa noted as promotion occupied special importance in the career development of employees, so capability to hold higher promotion and the capacity to perform the work satisfactory in the present position were the main criteria of promotion (Government of Nepal, 1996, Report of Commission). Amendments were done in the Civil Service Rules in 1978 and 1983. Similarly the Administrative Reform Committee formed under the chairmanship of the then prime-minister Mr. G.P. Koirala in 1991 emphasized performance oriented promotion system. The new Civil Service Act, 1993 laid stress on performance ability with criteria such as past performance, seniority, work experience of remote area, and academic qualification. Similarly, the comparative weight-ages of promotion criteria of civil service employees were changed after 1992.
NASC's study on promotion system of civil services stated that there was lack of clarity in its purpose and no consistency in the average promotion period between level and services. The risk of subjectivity in merit rating was a major apprehension in the minds of civil servants for giving more weight to merit rating. Even the performance evaluators' views were in favor of 'no link of the promotion with the performance'. Basic perquisites for sound performance appraisal practices, such as clear organizational and sectional objectives, individual job descriptions, adequate and reliable information system etc. were not properly provided in the civil service. Majorities were in favor of number allotting 50 percent of seats to the promotion by competitive examination as compared to the exiting 25 percent, in some cases even less.
Williams (1972) ascertained that managers lacked adequate means or determination to control the motivation and productivity of their workforce. Job description, performance appraisal and output indicators were non-existent; rewards and sanctions were irrationally applied; salaries were not genuinely related to knowledge and or effort requirements; offices had inadequate facilities; poor co-operation and limited delegation. The top of the decision making level was congested by trivialities while middle-level staff were in a soporific frenzy over the responsibilities for complex planning and fiscal matter. The review presented above fairly indicates that the limited attempts have been made to study personnel / HR management practices in public and private enterprises of Nepal. Those studies have shed light on some aspects of personnel / HR management, however, the concluding remark indicates that personnel /HR management in the past remained neglected areas of management. This review also indicates that no systematic attempts have been made to study HRM practices in tea industry of Nepal. This knowledge gap has called for a systematic study which could bridge up such a gap. The present study is an attempt in that direction.
Purpose of performance appraisal
It can be appeared at first glance that performance appraisals are applied for a kind id narrow purpose to assess who is doing a better job (or not). Even so genuinely performance appraisals are one of the most various tools available to managers. They may operate many purposes that profit both the employee whose performance is being appraised and the organisation.
Table 2.1.. Purpose of performance appraisal
* Decide on lay offs
* Describe individuals weaknesses and strengths
* Determine retention and termination
* Describe individual training needs
* Document personal decisions
* Provide performance feedback
* Find out promotion conditions
* Acknowledge individual performance
* Determine transfers and assignments
* Measure goal achievement
* Describe poor performance
* Assist in goal identification
* Evaluate training progress/program
* Determine the organizational training needs
* Personal planning
* Reinforce authority design
* Meet legal requirements
* Improve communication
* Validate selection criteria
* Allow employee to discuss concerns
* Make compensation/reward decisions
* Provide a forum for leaders to help
2.2.1. Administrative Purposes
From the administrative outlook, appraisal programs supply inputs which can be used for total range of HRM activities. Performance appraisal is directly connected to sum other measure HR function, such as transfer, promotion and layoffs decisions. The performance data may use in HR planning in regulating the relative value of jobs under a job measure programme and as a criteria for supporting selection tests. It also supply a paper trial for documenting HRM action which can be result in lawful action because employers should keep up exact objective records of employee performance, in order to support themselves from possible target of discrimination in touch with such HRM action as salary determination, promotion and termination. Lastly it is most important to acknowledge that the success of total HR programme rely on understanding how the performance of employee weight up with goals set up for them. Appraisal systems have the ability to effect employee manners, by guiding directly to make better organizational performance.
2.2. Developmental purposes:
From the individual development outlook, appraisal supplies the feedback which is necessary for discussing weakness and strength as well as making better performance. Irrespective of the employee's level of performance, appraisal process supply a chance to describe issues for discussion, remove any essential problems and arrange new goals for fulfilling high performance. A developmental reach to appraisal acknowledge that the intention of managers is to make better job manners, not only to judge past performance, having a sound basis for making better performance is one of the major merit of an appraisal programs.
2.3. Who must appraise performance?
Nowadays, jobs are getting more and more challengeable so it is often not sensible to presume that one person can fully watch and judge an employee's performance. The raters can include team members, supervisors, peers subordinates, self and customers.
2.3.1. Managers/supervisor appraisal:
Managers/supervisor appraisal become the traditional reach the judging an employee's performance.in most cases, supervisors are in the finest position to carry out this function, although it can't be possible every time to do so for them. Most of the time managers protest that they don't have time to fully watch the performance of employee as such they depends on performance data to judge an employee's performance. Generally, the supervisor's superior examine the evaluation once informed by the managers. Having appraisal examined by a supervisor's superior minimize the possibility of superficial or biased evaluation. Examine by superiors normally are more objective and supply a wider prospective of employee performance than do appraisal by instant supervisors.
2.3.2. Self-appraisal:
When the manager search to extend an employee's participation in the review process, the self-appraisal is advantageous. It requires an employee to finish the appraisal form earlier to appraisal interview. At the lowest level this gets employee view about his or her weakness and strength and may guide to discussion about barriers to successful performance. The performance interview, the employee and the manager discuss the job performance and they agree the last appraisal. When the employee and the manager together set up future performance goals of employee progress plan than this approach also works well.
2.3.3. Subordinate appraisal:
The subordinate are in an excellent position to judge their managers since they are in often touch with their superiors and occupy a special position, from which to watch many performance connected manners. Since, subordinate appraisals present with employee's activity over their managers, the managers themselves can be hesitant to support such a system, especially when it can be used as a basis for amends decisions. Even so, managers intend to be more open to the concept when the information is used for progressive purposes. In addition, available proof suggests that when pay attention to the advice of their subordinates, their personal performance may get better substantially. However, to keep away from potential problems, subordinates appraisal should submit unnamed and mixed across sum individual raters.
2.3.4. Peer appraisal:
Individuals of same positions who works jointly was asked to judge each other. A peer appraisal supplies information that contrasts to some degree from ratings by a superior, since peers frequently see dissimilar dimensions of performance. Peers may readily describe leadership and interpersonal talent along with other weakness and strengths of their co-workers.
The merit of peer appraisal is the trust that they fit out more exact and logical information than appraisals by superiors. The supervisors frequently notice employees, putting their better foot ahead, while a usual basis can be seen a more genuine pictures those who work with their fellow employees. Even so, peer appraisal can't be wise able for administrative decisions such as bonuses and salary. Employers who used peer appraisal should also be confident to safeguard confidentiality in handling the review forms.
2.3.5. Customers appraisal:
A customer appraisal is same to team appraisal, which is post on TQM ideas and seeks judgements from both internal and external customers. In differ to internal customers; external customers include anyone inside the organization who rely on an employees work output eg. Managers who depend upon the HR department for choice and training services could be applicant for coordinating internal customer's judgement of that department. For both administrative and developmental purposes internal customer may supply must useful feedback regarding the value attached from an employee or group of employee.
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Capping off a summer of brilliant PR moves, LeBron James has hired Rabbi Yishayahu Yosef Pinto, a Hebrew-only-speaking, 37-year-old rabbi-to-the-minor-stars who also may be a sketchy businessman who may also have been somewhat involved in the suspicious death of a wealthy Bobover Hasid real-estate maven. Apparently James paid Pinto six figures for "spiritual guidance" during a merchandising meeting. This is sort of like the whole Amar'e Stoudemire thing, except without the charm and good intentions. Nice Yankees shirt, by the way.
King James Goes Old Testament, LeBron Hires Rabbi [TMZ]
Related: Charismatic Moroccan Kabbalish Draws Crowds and Questions [Forward]
Earlier: Celebrity Rabbi Maybe Related to Death


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A group of UK universities, with support from Government and industry, has launched an interdisciplinary research hub to drive forward UK research in the Internet of Things (IoT).
The PETRAS hub is a consortium of nine universities led by UCL with Imperial College London, University of Oxford, University of Warwick, Lancaster University, University of Southampton, University of Surrey, University of Edinburgh and Cardiff University. Working together over the next three years to explore IoT related challenges such as privacy, ethics, trust and security, it will draw in support from over 47 industry and public sector partners.
Funding for the hub includes a £9.8 million grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) which will be boosted by partner contributions to approximately £23 million in total.
The project is part of IoTUK, an integrated £40 million, three-year, Government programme that seeks to advance the UK's global leadership in IoT and increase the adoption of high-quality IoT technologies and services throughout businesses and the public sector.
Initial hub projects include large-scale experiments at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park; the cybersecurity of low-power body sensors and implants; understanding how individuals and companies can increase IoT security through better day-to-day practices; and ensuring that connected smart meters are not a threat to home security.
Future projects will adapt and respond to new issues, trends and innovations, as and when they emerge.
"In the not too distant future almost all of our daily lives will be connected, in one way or another, to the digital world. Physical objects and devices will be able to interact with each other, ourselves, and the wider virtual world. But, before this can happen, there must be trust and confidence in how the Internet of Things works, its security and its resilience," notes EPSRC chief executive Professor Philip Nelson.
"By harnessing our world-leading research excellence this PETRAS research hub will accelerate IoT technology innovation and bring benefit to society and business."


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The Lalu
The Lalu leads the way in sleek, Zen-style hotel design. With the help of award-winning Australian architect, Kerry Hill, the Lalu seamlessly blends traditional Asian with contemporary architecture, putting it on the map of luxury design hotels. Its emphasis on lighting and space is magnified by its commanding views over the majestic Sun Moon Lake, making your stay here as relaxing and rejuvenating as ever.
Situated at the foot of Taiwan's Central Mountain Range, the Lalu is near the town of Yuchi, a 1.5 hour drive from Taichung domestic airport. The surrounding area offers the chance to explore its temples, garden and ancient towers, and for the more adventurous, a hike up into its stunning mountains.
your room
At Lalu there are 98 rooms, suites and villas to ensure your stay is luxurious and personal. The Lake View suite is large, spacious and airy giving you expansive views of the lake from every room. The lounge comes with an open fire to keep you warm on chillier nights and a balcony with a large day bed provides the perfect place to get stuck into a book or watch the sun set into the lake. The Courtyard Villa is simply paradise. Enclosed by a 3 meters tall bamboo wall, you are ensured complete privacy during your stay. A tranquil 12 meter pool is located within your courtyard to cool off during those hot summer days. For the ultimate luxurious stay, hole up in the Presidential suite. This isn't a suite but a home for your vacation which includes a bedroom, lounge, reading room, dining room, and kitchen. Expect soft silk walls, Chinese antiques and breathtaking views.
why we like it
The Lalu's alpine setting with panoramic views over the mystical lake makes it perfect for a tranquil getaway. We love the contemporary design and unforgettable 60 meter infinity pool, making this resort a true Asian gem. Serenity, simplicity and elegance – what more could you need?


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Mozambique Locations
Bazaruto Archipelago
Experience some of the best dive spots in the world, relax on deserted beaches and watch loggerhead turtles in the wild.
Inhambane & Barra Peninsula
Dare to explore Inhambane City's rich history, relax on gorgeous beaches, scuba dive and discover manta ray and whale shark.
Manda Wilderness & Lake Malawi
Experience superb diving and snorkelling, take in phenomenal birding and discover breath-taking scenery.
Maputo & Surrounds
The capital of Mozambique, expect a lively bustling atmosphere and an explorable surrounding area.
Nampula & Ilha de Mocambique
For superb history and culture visit Mozambique's only UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ilha do Moçambique.
Quirimbas Archipelago
A paradise archipelago, experience spectacular diving, glorious beaches and luxury villas.


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Sunday, July 3, 2016
Sunday Selfie: Me & Old Mr. Blue
12 comments:
You sure know how to have a good time Spitty!ReplyDelete
Another Oscar-winning performance, Spitty. Born to be a star, I feel.ReplyDelete
Sydney, Australia
You were having a grand ol' time, Spitty!ReplyDelete
That was fun! I'd like that toy too.ReplyDelete
It that all there is? I was just getting all turned on by the video when it was over.ReplyDelete
That looks like a pretty fun toy, Spitty! We can understand why you gotted all worned out, dude!ReplyDelete
You should have been in goal for Iceland last night!ReplyDelete
SQUEEEEEE! Spitty in action!!! Looks like you love that toy a lot! You're so cute, Spitty! Smooches!ReplyDelete
Hi, Spitty, old pal. Sorry we haven't been around much. What with BP, Fiona's CKD, Dad going away as soon as he and Mom got home from BP, and we just haven't been making it around much. Saw your title says Sunday Selfie, so if you don't mind, Mom is going to add you to the blog hop. Lots of friends are still doing selfies but not joining the hop. If this isn't okay, let Mom know and she will remove you. Lots of hugs and kisses from Misty May. She's looking forward to her date with you to Mau and Allie's wedding on the 23rd. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista JoReplyDelete
That looked like fun! We hope you have fun like that all week!ReplyDelete
Spitty, you handled that masterfully!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 6, 2016 at 1:12 AM
So much fun, Spitty and such a beautiful furr :D Pawkisses :) <3ReplyDelete