Here is another article from CIMA student Nkunde C. Mbong – this time her path to becoming CIMA qualified by taking the Masters gateway route.
Desiring to start CIMA and being given an opportunity to go via an accelerated route (considering all the benefits of the CIMA and CGMA designation) is actually good news for many people, and for me, it was great news!
The accelerated route also known as the Masters gateway route is the route usually awarded to prospective CIMA students who either have a Masters degree in a related field such as Accounting and Finance or from another finance related certification such as CPA, CA or ACCA.
When granted (after studying your transcripts), you are actually required to take the Gateway exam which is also the Management case study exam (MCS) and if successful, move forward to the final CIMA level.
Being faster, it is often a chance many people jump to take.
However, following CIMA released pass rates of gateway students exam as compared to other management level students pass rates percentage as seen here , the remarkably lower pass rate tells you even if you are awarded the gateway route, you should maybe think quite carefully before accepting it because it comes with a number of challenges.
The most obvious challenge which poses problems to gateway students is the knowledge gap. Despite being qualified for the gateway route, there always exists some knowledge gaps because disregarding the normal expectation, no degree syllabus is exactly the same.
Hence, gateway students find themselves struggling (depending on the degree of the gap) to cover up this gap which is sometimes even wider than they actually realise.
Considering that CIMA examines various competences, the people and leadership competencies from the enterprise pillar such as E2 is usually lacking in most degree programs which usually focus on the technical competences, and also less on the business skill as CIMA focuses.
No doubt, I believe this knowledge gap has greatly contributed to the low pass rate for gateway students as they are often confounded when met with some questions, and also struggle to appropriately integrate all competences in their first exam.
Also, sometimes, gateway students are students who may have completed their degree programs a while ago, but are now re-entering studying.
No doubt, it is sometimes hard to give the brain a wake-up call study-wise. Even being a regular student, you know what it means to stay without studying for a month or so and having to get back to your books.
Imagine much more so for most gateway students who stopped learning for maybe years. It starts off slow, adjusting yourself to a study program and trying to re-collect past academic principles.
Add that to the knowledge gap they realise and the unique requirements of the exam to pass and it just becomes a bigger challenge than they bargained for.
Furthermore, lets consider what is unique about the CIMA case studies – as they are unlike any normal exam. The real life scenario and having to respond to the questions as if it were actually happening in your office can be challenging for those who have never been in such an exam setting before.
If you start CIMA at a lower level, such as the certificate level or the operational level, you start becoming familiar with CIMA requirements, mode of questioning and you maybe get to write a case-study at least once, as you subconsciously prepare for it while going through your objective studies.
But then, imagine the gateway student who knows little or nothing about CIMA competencies, mode of questioning, modalities of a case study and is at once faced with such a major exam!!
In addition, knowing there is a pre-seen which is released about 6-7 weeks before the exam actually may misguide a gateway student to think the exam might actually be easier and he/she may succeed in gambling so as not to get across all 3 management level papers, but that is just a huge error which has probably led to many gateway route failures.
I would therefore advice prospective gateway students to think carefully before plunging into the gateway route. I took more than 6 months to study for the gateway exam and was still astounded by the pressure for time. It can mess up your chronological thinking.
Personally, I would have felt more comfortable if I'd taken a previous CIMA exam before being faced with the case study.
So, being awarded the gateway route is not just about grabbing at the opportunity because failure can be discouraging, keeping aside the expense.
Gateway students should be prepared to go through all 3 management level papers to make sure they are familiar with all three pillars and the 4 competences and then get prepared for the case-study with all its own unique requirements before they get too comfortable.
Matter of fact, never get too comfortable.
You can follow Nkunde on twitter here.


Accreditation Prepares Agency for Operational Readiness | CALEA® | The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.
On March 22, 2014, at the Garden Grove CALEA Conference, the Rocklin Police Department led by Chief Ron Lawrence and his Command Staff, proudly received CALEA Accreditation for the third consecutive three-year cycle. During the department's first eight years of CALEA accreditation, Rocklin Police sworn and non-sworn staff grew accustomed to meeting and proving CALEA's standards as well as experiencing the benefits of doing the same. One benefit has been the department's ability to sustain its excellence through a system of quality assurance benchmarks known as our operational readiness.
As a SWAT Team Leader for over 10 years, I have always stressed the importance of being mission or operationally ready at all times. Prior to CALEA, it was difficult to gauge how mission ready the SWAT team and its operators were at any given time. It was typically learned that something was either broken or supplies were low during training or during a critical incident. Somehow we made it work but it was always stressful. Fearing that a piece of equipment would be broken or missing just when it was needed the most was not the way to go into a critical incident.
Then along came CALEA Law Enforcement Standard 53.1.1; this standard requires the department to maintain a written directive for inspections that identifies the person responsible, the frequency, and the procedure used to conduct the inspection. This standard has been a big factor in assuring that our SWAT team's assets are maintained and kept in a state of mission readiness.
As part of my operational readiness responsibilities, I inspect the department's tactical response vehicle, diversionary devices, firearms, ammunition, and the SWAT van's inventory. During one of my inspections in 2013, I learned that one of our less-than-lethal weapon systems was not operating as intended. The air tank on this system was malfunctioning, thusly incapacitating one of the options from the SWAT team's tool box. By not having the right tool for the incident, the team's liability, thus the department's liability, was increased. Thankfully, during the time that the issue with the less than lethal weapon was identified and fixed, the SWAT team did not need the weapon.
The benefits of operational readiness inspections have not only been realized by the SWAT team, they have benefited every division and unit in the department. Rocklin Police Department Technical Assets Coordinator (TAC) Matt Diridoni shares another success story about being in compliance with Law Enforcement Standard 81.3.2. TAC Diridoni is responsible for many operational readiness inspections; one of which is the department's emergency back-up generator. This generator plays a key role in keeping the department's computer system, radio system, and other vital systems up and running in the event of an electrical grid shut down such as a black-out. In April of 2013, while conducting his operational readiness on the department's emergency back-up generator, he discovered that the generator would not operate and was useless if needed in a department emergency. Although TAC Diridoni was able to resolve this issue in a short time, the consequences of this failure could have been catastrophic if the generator would have been needed.
As a law enforcement agency, we are called upon to respond to critical incidents and these responses must be well planned and coordinated. In order to be successful and to limit liability, our employees must be able to trust that the systems and tools they need are functioning as designed. Because the Rocklin Police Department is in compliance with CALEA Law Enforcement Standards, we have the written directives that ensure that we maintain readiness by being able to identify and fix system issues. This helps to build trust in the department's ability in sustaining operational readiness.


Wanting to be a link between the classic tradition and the jazz, these two miniatures constitute an educational "step" respectively for the first and second cycle. The first one, "Clopiano", exposes a rather rigorous theme to evolve gradually in the only one movement towards a harmony jazziez. The second, Boogie class, resumes a movement of persisted bass boogie way to be of use to the various melodic and harmonious interventions of the right hand.


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More Culture:
Last Night: Ween @ Festival Pier
Review and photos from Gene & Dean's first Philly show since 2007
By Meredith Kleiber
Music Concert Reviews
Meredith Kleiber/for PhillyVoice
Ween plays Festival Pier on Aug. 21.
A 90-percent chance of thunderstorms until 10 p.m. Severe flooding expected. Commutes being delayed as long as possible. These are the last things you want to read a few hours before one of your favorite bands plays their home turf for the first time in nine years.
Witnessing the deluge from a barstool, I worried that the show I bought tickets to see months ago would be canceled and my opportunity to photograph Ween for the first time would be stymied. As luck would have it (as an audience member ecstatically exclaimed, "Praise the Almighty Boognish!"), the ominous gray clouds passed over Festival Pier and the rain ceased about an hour before the boys were scheduled to take the stage.
Ween fans are a unique breed. They are passionate and steadfastly loyal — almost fanatically so. The most dedicated fans may actually believe that Ween is the only band that has ever existed, so you might be able to imagine the unbridled exhilaration when the band sauntered on stage for its first Philadelphia show since 2007 — nine long years that encompassed a four-year breakup so Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman) could get sober.
Joined on stage by their fellow bandmates, keyboardist Glenn McClelland, drummer Claude Coleman, Jr., and bassist Dave Dreiwitz, Gener and Deaner (Mickey Melchiondo) presented themselves with smiles plastered across their faces, Gener draping his arm across Deaner's shoulder, reassuring their admirers that the hurt feelings of the past had been vanquished.
Not a band to tread lightly, they busted things open with the blistering, not-for-the-faint-of-heart "Nan" from their 1990 lo-fi debut album "GodWeenSatan: The Oneness." Transitioning from there into the blissful, beautifully executed "Transdermal Celebration" from "Quebec," followed by a succinct, pulsating rendition of "White Pepper"'s "The Grobe," Ween exhibited their characteristic sonic diversity in just the first three songs. From there they seared through heaps of fan favorites, including "Bananas and Blow," "Spinal Meningitis," "Happy Colored Marbles," "Roses Are Free," "Mutilated Lips," "The Stallion (Part 1)", and tons of other face-melting specimens of their trademark eccentricity.
Dean and Gene switched gears toward the end of the set, treating the crowd to acoustic versions of "The Mollusk," "Kim Smoltz," "Chocolate Town," "Tried and True," and "The HIV Song." Ween closed the set with two of the night's highlights — the scorching "Dr. Rock," during which drummer Claude Coleman, Jr., wowed the audience with an astute, incomprehensibly fast drum solo, and the radiant tribute to Philly, "Freedom of 76."
Belting out nearly 30 songs had understandably put a bit of a strain on Freeman's voice, so he left much of the "Freedom" falsetto to the audience, who gladly accepted the challenge. After nearly a decade of absence, Ween encored with three beloved songs, "Big Jilm," "Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony," and "Buenas Tardes Amigo," painting Philadelphia brown once more.
Meredith Kleiber
Read more Music Concert Reviews Philadelphia Last Night

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We have something in common, can you guess what it is?
It's a musical scale – the pentatonic scale, five notes that can be played on the black keys of a piano. The pentatonic scale has appeared in music throughout history and across the world, from Indian raags, to Chinese music, and from Celtic music to African spirituals to mention just a few.
Pretty amazing isn't it? But what is it about this scale that makes it so powerful?
Well, I've experimented with this scale in one of my own compositions called 'Its Life' and what I've discovered is that the secret of this ubiquitous scale lies in its bittersweet sound. It works equally well in joyful music as it does in sorrowful music or music about suffering.
I think this divine link between happiness and sadness – the yin and yang – is a really important part of being a human being. Sometimes there is a beauty in sadness – death is a sad thing but, without it, life would probably lose any meaning. Though these concepts are often so hard to accept I think somehow deep down we are aware of this link between extreme states – be it subconsciously or consciously.
So in many ways one could describe the human condition as bittersweet – just like the intrinsic sound of the pentatonic scale and maybe that has something to do with our special relationship with it.
I want to know your thoughts about this, so if you have a favourite piece of music that has a bitter-sweet quality to it, then tell us about it below.


Today we'll be testing the new VCSA 6.5 feature allowing to setup active-passive architecture where the active node is your usual VCSA 6.5 which manages your infrastructure, and the passive node is a node which sits there doing nothing, just receiving files from the active node. So today's post will detail VMware VCSA 6.5 Active-Passive Setup With Simple Configuration.
In addition to active and passive nodes, there is also a Witness which will be deployed, so we can consider vCenter HA as a "3-node cluster". The nodes itself have each its own role, but the Witness appliance is used as a tie-break in case there is a network partitioning between Active and Passive nodes. The Witness will never take the active or passive role.
Note that both, vCenter server and PSC (embedded) or vCenter server with separate PSCs are supported.
Basic – minimum info is required through a wizard, like IP information, if you have DRS/storage DRS and then the system will create for you active and passive nodes for you, and create affinity and anti-affinity rules. An additional vNIC is added on the VCSA appliance automatically. Or you can manually select nodes where you want to two VCSAs to run.
In this post, we'll do the Basic scenario and then there will be a follow-up post with the Advanced configuration where the user configures. In any case, we'll have to create a new network called HA network which is used for the heartbeats.
Update: Note that I have updated the post as Adam Eckerle (check comments) pointed out that the vNIC is added automatically when using the Basic option. However, you still have to create the HA network on your hosts (see Step 0).
Step 0: Create a vSphere HA network. Open vSphere web client and select host. > configure > Networking > virtual switches.
If you're on Standard switches, you'll have to do that for all the hosts in the management cluster.
Step 2. You'll have a nice screen telling you that vCenter HA is not configured. Hit the Configure button to start the assistant which has the fist radio button preselected. It is the Basic option. Click the next button. (Note that you'll need to be a member of the SSO Admin group).
And when you click the Advanced button on the Passive node you can see that you can override management network upon failover. (there is a checkbox)..
Next, we move the passive node and the Witness node elsewhere.
And then finally we can hit the Finish button.
Here is the final screenshot…. You can see all 3 nodes up and running.
Maintenance Mode – Replication is enabled but automatic failover is disabled.
Disable vCenter HA – replication and automatic failover are disabled. HA config maintained.
Remove vCenter HA – This option destroys the HA config. Active mode stays as is – up and running.
Note that the last option (Remove vCenter HA) will also give you the option to Delete the VMs that are backing the Passive and Witness nodes.
Update: Here is a video detailing the workflow. Watch in HD and Full Screen…. Here is a video detailing the workflow. Watch in HD and Full Screen….
Nice and clean UI. Good job VMware !!! The only "hard" part was actually to add a second vNIC otherwise the assistant is pretty much-taking care of everything. The next post we'll try the advanced configuration to see how it goes. Check the follow up post which details the "Advanced" configuration – VMware VCSA 6.5 Active-Passive Setup With Advanced Configuration.
How to upgrade an ESXi 6.0 to ESXi 6.5 via VMware Update Manager – New!!
How to deploy VMware VCSA 6.5 (VMware vCenter Server Appliance) – New!!
Vladan, I wanted to point out a small correction. For the Basic workflow we add the second vNIC for you. You do not have to add it yourself. For the Basic workflow you really only need to make sure the VCHA port group is available beforehand.
For the Advanced, however, the user does have to add the second vNIC.
That's even better! Cool. I probably did not read the docs the way I should -:). I'll correct the post Adam, ASAP, to reflect this.
Great post! I have one question about management network. It´s clear to understading that each of 3-nodes will have at least one IP of "HA" network for private communication, right? And about management, how much IPs should I have to configure? One for each or during failover, active node management IP is assigned to passive node like in the old vCenter Heartbeat was done?
Yes, during the failover, the passive node takes the active node's IP.
I like your web site and this post is great. I have exactly the same trouble like sunil. I have already tried lot of things but i always have this error "Failed to ssh connect peer node …" 192.168.3.3 for me, management network is 192.168.2.252 for vcsa01. I don't configure vcenter ha because of that.
Can you please help me? Sunil have you found a solution?
Excellent tutorial, thank you very much!


CEU Political Science Department Facebook group for alumni (the new Departmental facebook group, you will need a facebook account to join).
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Georgia McKay, 22, from Strathaven has been appointed Sales Manager at the exclusive venue, with responsibility for bringing in a host of events on non-race days.
Her new position is with Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events, the exclusive catering and hospitality partner at the racecourse. It makes her one of the youngest ever Sales Managers with the company, which partners with 17 exclusive venues across Scotland.
The hospitality specialist has built its reputation on using locally-sourced and sustainable produce wherever possible and is delighted to also be employing the best local talent.
Georgia joined Sodexo after leaving Strathaven Academy, opting for the career move instead of taking up a place on an Event Management degree course at the University of West of Scotland.
Her promotion comes after four years at the racecourse as a Sales Coordinator and the first year of her new position will be spent in a maternity cover role at Hamilton Park.
Georgia said: "I am incredibly lucky to have been employed by Sodexo Prestige and to have had four fantastic years with the company so far. I have loved every minute of it.
"When I first took on the role as Sales Coordinator, I had little to no experience in the field, but Sodexo Prestige and staff at Hamilton Park Racecourse really supported me and helped me get to where I am today.
Bosses at Sodexo Prestige, a proud Investors in People company, say they spotted Georgia's potential early. She won the company's title of 'Sales Coordinator of the Year' for the UK and Ireland in 2012.
Austin Tilsley, Regional Managing Director of Sports, Leisure and Events for Sodexo Prestige, said Georgia's new managerial position was a fitting recognition of her loyalty, dedication and star quality.
He added: "We are delighted to see such great young talent progress within our organisation as we pride ourselves on our ability to spot and nurture the potential of our people.
"Georgia has shown great promise throughout her time at Sodexo Prestige and with her experience at the venue, she made for the perfect candidate to fill the Sales Manager position.
"She has extensive knowledge of the venue and its unique selling points and she is also very driven and full of energy and ideas.
When she arrived at Hamilton Park as a teenager, Georgia started out as Sales Coordinator which included showing round potential customers, dealing with enquiries for the wide variety of events held at the racecourse and organising Christmas parties.
Georgia added: "My main priority now is to keep up the bookings for conferences and events at the venue. I'll be doing that by seeking out new opportunities and introducing unique and exciting packages which will appeal to a wide audience.
"It is great fun to be able to work directly with clients and it's fulfilling to be able to show them the diversity of our venue and how we can adapt it to fit a wide range of events.
"Our aim is also to show that our venue can not only provide excellent race days but also to showcase Hamilton Park Racecourse as a versatile venue for a host of other events.
"Hamilton Park is a scenic and amazingly versatile venue. One day we can host 1000 cyclists camping in the grounds for Ride Across Britain, the next we are transforming one of our marquees into a spectacular wedding setting.


Nicole Hollis is founder of the firm NICOLEHOLLIS, which specializes in luxury hospitality and residential interiors. Bridging the worlds of art, fashion and architecture, Nicole's work is known for its dark glamour, imagination and curatorial vision. With a raw, neutral palette, rich textures and organic materials, Nicole's interiors evoke the natural world transformed through artistic and technological innovation.
The firm's hospitality clients include leading hotels, restaurants and wineries such as Hall Wines, Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Kimpton Hotels and Calafia Café and Market A Go-Go. Large-scale residential projects span locations such as Los Angeles, New York, Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay Area.


text:
package net.minidev.ovh.api.iploadbalancing;

/**
 * Possible values for ssl type
 */
public enum OvhSslTypeEnum {
	built("built"),
	built_not_routed("built_not_routed"),
	custom("custom");

	final String value;

	OvhSslTypeEnum(String s) {
		this.value = s;
	}

	public String toString() {
		return this.value;
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


You must be a hold a current / refreshed Surf Lifeguard Award.
You need to be at least 16 years old at time of examination.
You must be a hold a current / refreshed Surf Lifeguard Award (for more than 6 months).
You must be a hold an IRB Crew persons award (can be gained at the same time as an IRB Drivers award).
Follow this link for information on how to join and fee structure.
There is an additional fee of $35 to cover workbooks and exam fee.
Usually at Orewa Surf Club and several West Coast days will be arranged.


text:
Forums - Gaming Discussion - Epic is doubling down on it's exclusivity initiative
< Prev1 23 4Next >
vivster
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vivster on 09 February 2021
LurkerJ said:
Waiting for the idiots to fall inline and explain to me how EPIC is pro-gamer.
Epic is definitely not pro-gamer. And neither is any other company in the gaming industry. This is capitalism, the best thing we can hope for is an enemy of an enemy.
Last edited by vivster - on 09 February 2021
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sundin13 said:
Normally I'm against exclusivity, but its not like Epic "exclusive" games can only be played on some PC's. It is just a free, universally available storefront so there really isn't a strong consumer drawback to "exclusivity". "I can't buy it from my preferred store" doesn't really seem like a strong enough drawback for me to get worked up about.
I'd be interested to hear from those who are angry about this what the actual cost of exclusivity is to the consumer.
It's mostly on principle and personal slight inconvenience. No one had an issue when almost all PC games were Steam exclusive. Having Epic means having the inconvenience of being on multiple platforms and you can't just inconvenience people who enjoyed the benefits of a monopoly for so long.
The truth is that Epic has the exact same business model as consoles, except it's not nearly as bad. That's why I can hate what consoles are doing and still tolerate what Epic is doing without being a hypocrite.
Mnementh on 09 February 2021
Does EGS support Linux by now? Nope. So Epic still pays to keep games from me.
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jardesonbarbosa on 09 February 2021
I don't even buy third party exclusives on consoles, why would I do that on PC? It's super lame.
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Cerebralbore101 on 09 February 2021
I don't buy digital games until they are either massively on sale, or I am ready to play them. Their 1 year exclusivity BS has no power over me. I'll just go to my backlog and play anyone of my 500+ other games. :D
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Chazore on 09 February 2021
Captain_Yuri said:
Time to sail the 7 seas once again
Meanwhile, me with the ever fucking useful "ignore game/publisher/dev"" button on Steam:
In the end, this just means less games for me to buy, less interest, less desire to support certain indie devs who think they deserve the golden ticket above other devs.
Step right up come on in, feel the buzz in your veins, I'm like an chemical electrical right into your brain and I'm the one who killed the Radio, soon you'll all see
So pay up motherfuckers you belong to "V"
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Vendrom on 09 February 2021
Let's be honest, it's the easiest way to get more people to the platform. If a PC gamer wants a game so badly and it's timed exclusive to the EGS, they'll most likely get it there. Personally, I don't think it's that bad; you're not forced to buy a new console for the game and the third-party "exclusives" are always timed.
By "doubling down" though, I hope they mean that they'll fund more indie developers to create new projects, like the partnerships they started last year with genDESIGN, Playdead and Remedy. That way, timed or permanent exclusives are much more justified, since Epic Games will publish them.
gtotheunit91
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gtotheunit91 on 09 February 2021
Vendrom said:
Let's be honest, it's the easiest way to get more people to the platform. If a PC gamer wants a game so badly and it's timed exclusive to the EGS, they'll most likely get it there. Personally, I don't think it's that bad; you're not forced to buy a new console for the game and the third-party "exclusives" are always timed.
By "doubling down" though, I hope they mean that they'll fund more indie developers to create new projects, like the partnerships they started last year with genDESIGN, Playdead and Remedy. That way, timed or permanent exclusives are much more justified, since Epic Games will publish them.
True, but the ultimate problem many have is that Tim Sweeney is showing Epic as the "good guys" in this, about "breaking up the monopoly held by Steam" only to hypocritically pay for timed or permanent exclusivity just to not have games on Steam. Like, how anti-consumer and egotistical can you get? Being forced to go to a storefront no one asked for, and not even have anywhere near a complete system in place? Irks me the wrong way.
Now if Epic bought exclusivity because they're publishing the game, that's a different story, but so few times has that been the case.
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I don't get your logic in all this. PC already has millions of people on the platform, and we know it gets more every day on the likes of other clients, not only just on Epic's.
We also know that they generated less income via last years exclusivity deals, which proves it's not a stable and healthy business plan, and it's certainly not winning the hearts and minds of everyone.
Epic only funds those that they choose to make deals with. There are thousands of indie devs young and old, that also require funding, and Epic selectively ignores them, because they don't have that lightning in a bottle, hence why, after 2 and a half years, they are still just handing out limited "golden" tickets to selected devs, in the hopes that those devs will also side and vouch for Epic.
We've got other venues that support indie devs as well, why not a want for those to grow?.
You seem to want exclusivity console style to happen on PC, yet you fail to understand why people on PC dislike it, tossing it away on a whim with a faulty excuse like "you don't have to buy a hunk of plastic" (yet you have to buy the game at the end of the day, is what ultimately matters).
gtotheunit91 said:
What some on this forum aren't seeing here, is that Epic doesn't want to play underdog, it wants to become the top player in the industry. Just look at how they took on Apple, Google and Steam, yet allying themselves with the likes of Tencent, a mega holdings company, and Sony, a console company, while Epic seemingly ignores MS, their previous partner, but at the same time, wishing for all cuts to match theirs, even though they haven't stated they will hold that cut until the end of time (and we know all companies change their tactics, so that 12% cut will not last indefinitely, just like how EA's "on the house" deal ended after 4 years and we went from free games, to paying a sub fee).
Some here don't care what they do to an open platform, partly because I think some here believe the console motif somehow fits and should replace PC's current operation, which is wrong, because this is not how an open platform is supposed to work, you don't let someone grow in power, abuse the system, closing parts of it off and passive aggressively seeking to dismantle the competition via slander and court cases.


It's been two weeks since we last updated our Power Rankings, and we've only done that because of the strange schedule in the Championship over that time; last week, only the non-FA Cup particpants played last week, and this week was a full schedule (with four clubs playing on Tuesday), which resulted in all but eight clubs reaching 30 matches on the season.
It will likely be some time before all the clubs have the same amount of matches played now, so we're not going to wait to update our rankings. As the rankings are more about recent trends and not overall performance – which is why table leaders Norwich City and Leeds United aren't at the top – only playing once the past two weeks won't damper their performance in these rankings.
Bristol City is currently on an 11-match unbeaten streak (7-4-0), vaulting the Robins from a low point of 14th in the league table to 6th and the final playoff position (by goal differential over Derby County). The last five of those matches were wins, with four of those victories being clean sheets and winning by a combined score of 8-1.
The Robins' hot streak has them within three points of our number one club (and fifth place in the league table) Middlesbrough, who added another win over the weekend to extend their own unbeaten streak to five matches (3-2). And they beat the club directly above them (West Bromwich Albion), and are only behind because West Brom has scored about a million goals more this season.
Finally, a club in the bottom half of our rankings (and the league table) has started to make a move because of their own seven-match unbeaten streak. Brentford spent the first two months in playoff position before losing eight in ten matches (1-1-8) knocked them back to the fringe of the relegation zone. However, a seven-match unbeaten streak (4-3-0), capped by a come-from-behind 5-2 victory on Saturday over Blackburn Rovers, has them moving in the right direction, though they remain 10 points out of the playoffs and it could be a struggle for the Bees to match their 9th place finish from a year ago.
The aforementioned Blackburn Rovers entered that match with Brentford riding a four match winning streak and on the cusp of a playoff position. And things started out great for them on Saturday, as they held a 2-0 victory less than eight minutes into the match. But they were unable to hold on to the victory, and four second half goals sealed their fate and snapped their streak.
Hull City had been a recent favorite of this blog (and others around the Championship) as they climbed from 23rd position to 8th in the league table (and as high as 2nd in our Power Rankings last week) on the strength of a 7-3-0 stretch, which came to an end during the abbreviated schedule last week. A 3-0 loss to those same Blackburn Rovers jumped out among those six matches, and while they were able to return to the winning to start February, the Tigers still have some work left to find some consistency, especially if they want to compete against to dozen or so teams that are fighting for four playoff spots.
A couple of clubs have extended winless streaks, but because of the clubs around them in the Power Rankings, they managed to stay pretty close to where they were last time.
Queens Park Rangers have lost three matches in a row, and are winless in their last five overall (0-2-3), moving them down from 8th to 14th in the league table. QPR finished 16th last season, so they are performing exactly as expected (at least from my perspective), but their last two losses have been to clubs currently below them in the leage table (Wigan Athletic and Preston North End), so the season will likely end with them in a similar spot unless they can rediscover their October groove, when they went 4-1-0 and moved from 19th to 7th.
Finally, if not for Ipswich Town, the Bolton Wanderers would definitely be at the bottom of the league. Though it appears that their ownership situation is close to a resolution, the club has not won since Boxing Day, going 0-2-4 in league play (as well as losing to Bristol City in the FA Cup). Still, they are only three points behind Rotherham United for the coveted (for them) 21st spot which would assure a third consecutive season in the Championship next year. With matches against Norwich City and Leeds United looming in a few weeks, it will be important for the Wanderers to find some points in the interim, otherwise the potential new owner could be acquiring a League One club instead.


text:
Notification (19)
Act Rules (4) Orders (0) Notification (19) Circulars (5) Register (0) Return (0) Schedule (1)
Section 149. Company to have Board of Directors
Regulation 17 of LODR
Every shall have a consisting of individuals as and shall have—
(a) a minimum number of three directors in the case of a , two directors in the case of a , and one director in the case of a ; and
a maximum of fifteen directors:
that a company may appoint more than fifteen directors after passing a special resolution:
that such class or classes of companies as , shall have at least one woman director.
(2) Every company existing on or before the date of commencement of this Act shall within one year from such commencement comply with the requirements of the provisions of sub-section (1).
(3) Every company shall have at least one director who has stayed in India for a total period of not less than one hundred and eighty-two days in the previous
that this sub-section shall apply to a Specified IFSC public company in respect of other than the first financial year from the date of its incorporation.
that this sub-section shall apply to the Specified IFSC private company in respect of financial years other than the first financial year from the date of its incorporation.
Every listed public company shall have at least one-third of the total number of directors as and the Central Government may , the minimum number of independent directors in case of any class or classes of public companies.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, any fraction contained in such one-third number shall be rounded off as one.
Every company existing on or before the date of commencement of this Act shall, within one year from such commencement or from the date of of the rules in this regard as may be applicable, comply with the requirements of the provisions of sub-section (4).
An independent director in relation to a company, means a director other than a or a or a nominee director,—
(a) who, in the opinion of the is a person of integrity and possesses relevant expertise and experience;
(b) (i) who is or was not a of the company or its , or subsidiaries associate company
(ii) who is not related to promoters or directors in the company, its holding, subsidiary or associate company;
who has or had no with the company, its holding, subsidiary or associate company, or their promoters, or directors, during the two immediately preceding financial years or during the current financial year;
none of whose relatives—
(i) is holding any security of or interest in the company, its holding, subsidiary or during the two immediately preceding financial years or during the current financial year:
Provided that the relative may hold security or interest in the company of face value not exceeding fifty lakh rupees or two per cent. of the paid-up capital of the company, its holding, subsidiary or associate company or such higher sum as may be prescribed;
(ii) is indebted to the company, its holding, subsidiary or associate company or their promoters, or directors, in excess of such amount as may be prescribed during the two immediately preceding financial years or during the current ;
(iii) has given a guarantee or provided any security in connection with the indebtedness of any third person to the company, its holding, subsidiary or associate company or their promoters, or directors of such holding company, for such amount as may be prescribed during the two immediately preceding financial years or during the current financial year; or
(iv) has any other pecuniary transaction or relationship with the company, or its subsidiary, or its holding or associate company amounting to two per cent. or more of its gross turnover or total income singly or in combination with the transactions referred to in sub-clause (i), (ii) or (iii);
(d) none of whose has or had pecuniary relationship or transaction with the company, its holding, subsidiary or associate company, or their promoters, or directors, amounting to two per cent. or more of its gross or total income or fifty lakh rupees or such higher amount as may be prescribed, whichever is lower, during the two immediately preceding financial years or during the current financial year;
(e) who, neither himself nor any of his relatives—
(i) holds or has held the position of a or is or has been employee of the company or its holding, subsidiary or associate company in any of the three financial years immediately preceding the financial year in which he is proposed to be appointed;
in case of a relative who is an employee, the restriction under this clause shall not apply for his employment during preceding three financial years.
(ii) is or has been an employee or proprietor or a partner, in any of the three financial years immediately preceding the financial year in which he is proposed to be appointed, of—
(A) a firm of auditors or company secretaries in practice or cost auditors of the company or its holding, subsidiary or associate company; or
(B) any legal or a consulting firm that has or had any transaction with the company, its holding, subsidiary or associate company amounting to ten per cent. or more of the gross turnover of such firm;
(iii) holds together with his relatives two per cent. or more of the of the company; or
(iv) is a Chief Executive or director, by whatever name called, of any non-profit organisation that receives twenty-five per cent. or more of its receipts from the company, any of its promoters, directors or its holding, subsidiary or associate company or that holds two per cent. or more of the total voting power of the company; or
(f) who possesses such other qualifications
Every independent director shall at the first meeting of the Board in which he participates as a director and thereafter at the first meeting of the Board in every financial year or whenever there is any change in the circumstances which may affect his status as an independent director, give a declaration that he meets the criteria of independence as provided in sub-section (6).
Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, "nominee director" means a director nominated by any in pursuance of the provisions of any law for the time being in force, or of any agreement, or appointed by any Government, or any other person to represent its interests.
The company and independent directors shall abide by the provisions specified in Schedule IV.
Notwithstanding anything contained in any other provision of this Act, but subject to the provisions of sections 197 and 198, an independent director shall not be entitled to any stock option and may receive by way of fee provided under sub-section (5) of section 197, reimbursement of expenses for participation in the Board and other meetings and profit related commission as may be approved by the .
if a company has no profits or its profits are inadequate, an independent director may receive remuneration, exclusive of any fees payable under sub-section (5) of section 197, in accordance with the provisions of Schedule V.
Subject to the provisions of section 152, an independent director shall hold office for a term up to on the Board of a company, but shall be eligible for reappointment on passing of a special resolution by the company and disclosure of such appointment in the Board's report.
Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (10), no independent director shall hold office , but such independent director shall be eligible for appointment after the expiration of three years of ceasing to become an independent director:
Provided that an independent director shall not, during the said period of three years, be appointed in or be associated with the company in any other capacity, either directly or indirectly.
Explanation.—For the purposes of sub-sections (10) and (11), any tenure of an independent director on the date of commencement of this Act shall not be counted as a term under those sub-sections.
(12) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act,—
an independent director;
(ii) a non-executive director not being promoter or key managerial personnel, shall be held liable, only in respect of such acts of omission or commission by a company which had occurred with his knowledge, attributable through Board processes, and with his consent or connivance or where he had not acted diligently.
The provisions of sub-sections (6) and (7) of section 152 in respect of retirement of directors by rotation shall not be applicable to appointment of independent directors.
1. Section 149(1) shall not apply to section 8 companies vide notification no. G.S.R. 466(E) dated 5th June, 2015.(Substituted vide below mentioned notification)
2. Section 149(1) is applicable to section 8 companies except clause (b) and first proviso, vide exemption notification to section 8 companies dated 13th June, 2017.
2(10) Board of Directors, in relation to a company, means the collective body of the directors of the company
2(71) Public company means a company which—
(a) is not a private company; and
(b) has a minimum paid-up share capital, as may be prescribed:
Provided that a company which is a subsidiary of a company, not being a private company, shall be deemed to be public company for the purposes of this Act even where such subsidiary company continues to be a private company in its articles
2(68) Private company means a company having a minimum paid-up share capital as may be prescribed, and which by its articles, —
(i) restricts the right to transfer its shares;
(ii) except in case of One Person Company, limits the number of its members to two hundred:
Provided that where two or more persons hold one or more shares in a company jointly, they shall, for the purposes of this clause, be treated as a single member:
Provided further that—
(A) persons who are in the employment of the company; and
(B) persons who, having been formerly in the employment of the company, were members of the company while in that employment and have continued to be members after the employment ceased, shall not be included in the number of members; and
(iii) prohibits any invitation to the public to subscribe for any securities of the company
2(62) One Person Company means a company which has only one person as a member
1. 149(1)(b) is not applicable to a Government Company – vide notification no. G.S.R. 463(E) dated 5th June, 2015.
(The exceptions, modifications and adaptations provided above shall be applicable only to those Government Companies which has not committed a default in filing its financial statements under section 137 of the said act or annual return under section 92 of the said act with the registrar, vide notification dated 13th June, 2017)
2. 149(1)(b) is not applicable to section 8 companies- vide exemption notification to section 8 companies dated 13th June, 2017.
First Proviso shall not apply to section 8 and Government companies vide notification no. G.S.R. 466(E) and G.S.R. 463(E) respectively dated 5th June, 2015 and exemption notification to section 8 companies dated 13th June, 2017.
(The exceptions, modifications and adaptations provided above shall be applicable only to those Government Companies and companies covered under section 8 of the said act which has not committed a default in filing its financial statements under section 137 of the said act or annual return under section 92 of the said act with the registrar, vide notification dated 13th June, 2017)
This proviso is not applicable for specified IFSC Public Companies vide Exemption Notification to specified IFSC Public Companies, GSR 08 (E) dated 04.01.2017. To view the notification Click Here
Refer rule 3 of the Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) rules,2014. To view the rule,Click Here
Non-compliance of minimum residency in India for a period of at least 182 days by at least one director of every company shall not be treated as a non-compliance for the financial year 2020-21. To view the relaxation circular dated 20.10.2020, Click Here.
Substituted vide Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017 dated 03.01.2018.Effective from 07-05-2018
To view commencement notification,Click Here
To view the notification of Companies Amendment Act,2017 Click Here
For stay in India in calendar year 2014, and appointment on or after 01 October 2014 of a resident director, refer Circular 25/2014 dated 26 June 2014.To view the clarification,Click Here
Inserted vide Exemption Notification to specified IFSC Public Companies, GSR 08 (E) dated 04.01.2017. To view the notification Click Here
2(42) Financial year, in relation to any company or body corporate, means the period ending on the 31st day of March every year, and where it has been incorporated on or after the 1st day of January of a year, the period ending on the 31st day of March of the following year, in respect whereof financial statement of the company or body corporate is made up:
Provided that on an application made by a company or body corporate, which is a holding company or a subsidiary of a company incorporated outside India and is required to follow a different financial year for consolidation of its accounts outside India, the Tribunal may, if it is satisfied, allow any period as its financial year, whether or not that period is a year:
Provided further that a company or body corporate, existing on the commencement of this Act, shall, within a period of two years from such commencement, align its financial year as per the provisions of this clause
Provided also that in case of a Specified IFSC public company, which is a subsidiary of a foreign company, the financial year of the subsidiary may be same as the financial year of its holding company and approval of the Tribunal shall not be required.
Provided also that in case of a Specified IFSC private company, which is a subsidiary of a foreign company, the financial year of the subsidiary may be same as the financial year of its holding company and approval of the Tribunal shall not be required.
Inserted vide Exemption Notification to specified IFSC Private Companies, GSR 09 (E) dated 04.01.2017. To view the notification Click Here
Section 149(4) shall not apply to section 8 companies and specified IFSC Public Companies vide notification no. G.S.R. 466(E) dated 5th June, 2015 and GSR 08(E) dated 4th January, 2017 respectively.
2(47) Independent director means an independent director referred to in sub-section (5) of section 149
2(58) Notification means a notification published in the Official Gazette and the expression "notify" shall be construed accordingly
Section 149(6)shall not apply to section 8 companies and specified IFSC Public Companies vide notification no. G.S.R. 466(E) dated 5th June, 2015 and GSR 08(E) dated 4th January, 2017 respectively.
2(54) Managing Director means a director who, by virtue of the articles of a company or an agreement with the company or a resolution passed in its general meeting, or by its Board of Directors, is entrusted with substantial powers of management of the affairs of the company and includes a director occupying the position of managing director, by whatever name called.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause, the power to do administrative acts of a routine nature when so authorised by the Board such as the power to affix the common seal of the company to any document or to draw and endorse any cheque on the account of the company in any bank or to draw and endorse any negotiable instrument or to sign any certificate of share or to direct registration of transfer of any share, shall not be deemed to be included within the substantial powers of management.
2(94) Whole-time director includes a director in the whole-time employment of the company
For a Government Company, in.section 149(6)(a) – for the word "Board", the words "Ministry or Department of the Central Government which is administratively in charge of the company, or, as the case may be, the State Government" shall be substituted – vide notification no. G.S.R. 463(E) dated 5th June,2015.
2(69) Promoter means a person—
(a) who has been named as such in a prospectus or is identified by the company in the annual return referred to in section 92; or
(b) who has control over the affairs of the company, directly or indirectly whether as a shareholder, director or otherwise; or
(c) in accordance with whose advice, directions or instructions the Board of Directors of the company is accustomed to act:
Provided that nothing in sub-clause (c) shall apply to a person who is acting merely in a professional capacity
2(46) Holding Company, in relation to one or more other companies, means a company of which such companies are subsidiary companies.
Explanation.- For the purposes of this clause, the expression "company" includes any body corporate;
2(87) Subsidiary Company or Subsidiary, in relation to any other company (that is to say the holding company), means a company in which the holding company—
(i) controls the composition of the Board of Directors; or
(ii) exercises or controls more than one-half of the total voting power either at its own or together with one or more of its subsidiary companies:
Provided that such class or classes of holding companies as may be prescribed shall not have layers of subsidiaries beyond such numbers as may be prescribed.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause,—
(a) a company shall be deemed to be a subsidiary company of the holding company even if the control referred to in sub-clause (i) or sub-clause (ii) is of another subsidiary company of the holding company;
(b) the composition of a company's Board of Directors shall be deemed to be controlled by another company if that other company by exercise of some power exercisable by it at its discretion can appoint or remove all or a majority of the directors;
(c) the expression "company" includes any body corporate;
(d) "layer" in relation to a holding company means its subsidiary or subsidiaries.
shall not apply to government companies vide notification no. G.S.R. 463(E) dated 5th June, 2015.
Refer General Circular 14/2014. To view the clarification,Click Here
Substituted vide Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017 dated 03.01.2018. Effective from 07-05-2018
2(6) Associate Company, in relation to another company, means a company in which that other company has a significant influence, but which is not a subsidiary company of the company having such influence and includes a joint venture company.
Explanation.—For the purpose of this clause—
(a) the expression "significant influence" means control of at least twenty per cent. of total voting power, or control of or participation in business decisions under an agreement;
(b) the expression "joint venture" means a joint arrangement whereby the parties that have joint control of the arrangement have rights to the net assets of the arrangement;
Provided that on an application made by a company or body corporate, which is a holding company or a subsidiary or associate company of a company incorporated outside India and is required to follow a different financial year for consolidation of its accounts outside India, the Tribunal may, if it is satisfied, allow any period as its financial year, whether or not that period is a year:
2(77) Relative, with reference to any person, means any one who is related to another, if—
(i) they are members of a Hindu Undivided Family;
(ii) they are husband and wife; or
(iii) one person is related to the other in such manner as may be prescribed
2(91) Turnover means the aggregate value of the realisation of amount made from the sale, supply or distribution of goods or on account of services rendered, or both, by the company during a financial year
(iv) the Chief Financial Officer;
(v) such other officer, not more than one level below the directors who is in whole-time employment, designated as key managerial personnel by the Board; and
(vi) such other officer as may be prescribed;
Inserted vide Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017 dated 03.01.2018. Effective from 07-05-2018
2(89) Total voting power, in relation to any matter, means the total number of votes which may be cast in regard to that matter on a poll at a meeting of a company if all the members thereof or their proxies having a right to vote on that matter are present at the meeting and cast their votes
2(39) Financial Institution includes a scheduled bank, and any other financial institution defined or notified under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (2 of 1934)
2(78) Remuneration means any money or its equivalent given or passed to any person for services rendered by him and includes perquisites as defined under the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961)
2(55) Member in relation to a company, means—
Inserted vide Companies (Amendment) Act, 2020 dated 28.09.2020. To view the notification Click Here . Notified vide commencement notification dated 18.03.2021. To view the notification Click Here
Section 149(10)shall not apply to section 8 companies and specified IFSC Public Companies vide notification no. G.S.R. 466(E) dated 5th June, 2015 and GSR 08(E) dated 4th January, 2017 respectively.
Section 149(11) shall not apply to section 8 companies and specified IFSC Public Companies vide notification no. G.S.R. 466(E) dated 5th June, 2015 and GSR 08(E) dated 4th January, 2017 respectively.
11.1.3-Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Rules,2014
3.Woman director on the Board.—
The following class of companies shall appoint at least one woman director-
every listed company;
every other public company having –
paid–up share capital of one hundred crore rupees or more; or
turnover of three hundred crore rupees or more:
Provided that a company, which has been incorporated under the Act and is covered under provisions of second proviso to sub-section (1) of section 149 shall comply with such provisions within a period of six months from the date of its incorporation:
Provided further that any intermittent vacancy of a woman director shall be filled-up by the Board at the earliest but not later than immediate next Board meeting or three months from the date of such vacancy whichever is later.
Explanation.– For the purposes of this rule, it is hereby clarified that the paid up share capital or turnover, as the case may be, as on the last date of latest audited financial statements shall be taken into account.
4. Number of Independent directors.—
The following class or classes of companies shall have at least two directors as independent directors
(i) the Public Companies having paid up share capital of ten crore rupees or more; or
(ii)the Public Companies having turnover of one hundred crore rupees or more; or
(iii)the Public Companies which have, in aggregate, outstanding loans, debentures and deposits, exceeding fifty crore rupees.
Provided that in case a company covered under this rule is required to appoint a higher number of independent directors due to composition of its audit committee, such higher number of independent directors shall be applicable to it:
Provided further that any intermittent vacancy of an independent director shall be filled-up by the Board at the earliest but not later than immediate next Board meeting or three months from the date of such vacancy, whichever is later:
Provided also that where a company ceases to fulfil any of three conditions laid down in sub-rule (1) for three consecutive years, it shall not be required to comply with these provisions until such time as it meets any of such conditions;
Explanation. – For the purposes of this rule, it is here by clarified that, the paid up share capital or turnover or outstanding loans, debentures and deposits, as the case may be, as existing on the last date of latest audited financial statements shall be taken into account:
Provided that a company belonging to any class of companies for which a higher number of independent directors has been specified in the law for the time being in force shall comply with the requirements specified in such law.
The following classes of unlisted public company shall not be covered under sub-rule (1), namely:-
(a) a
(b) a wholly owned subsidiary; and
(c) a dormant company as defined under section 455 of the Act
This sub-rule is numbered vide Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Amendment Rules, 2017 dated 05.06.2017 . To view the notification,Click Here
Inserted vide Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Amendment Rules, 2017 dated 05.06.2017 . To view the notification,Click Here
The term joint venture is clarified vide circular no. 9/2017 dated 5th September 2017. To view the circular,Click Here
5. Qualifications of independent director.—
An independent director shall possess appropriate skills, experience and knowledge in one or more fields of finance, law, management, sales, marketing, administration, research, corporate governance, technical operations or other disciplines related to the company's business.
None of the relatives of an independent director, for the purposes of sub-clauses (ii) and (iii) of clause (d) of sub-section (6) of section 149,-
(i) is indebted to the company, its holding, subsidiary or associate company or their promoters, or directors; or
(ii) has given a guarantee or provided any security in connection with the indebtedness of any third person to the company, its holding, subsidiary or associate company or their promoters, or directors of such holding company, for an amount of fifty lakhs rupees, at any time during the two immediately preceding financial years or during the current financial year.
Numbered vide Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Second Amendment Rules, 2018 dated 07.05.2018 . To view the notification,Click Here
Inserted vide Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Second Amendment Rules, 2018 dated 07.05.2018 . To view the notification,Click Here
Compliances required by a person eligible and willing to be appointed as an independent director. —
(1) Every individual –
(a) who has been appointed as an independent director in a company, on the date of commencement of the Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Fifth Amendment Rules, 2019, shall within a period of three months from such commencement; or
(b)who intends to get appointed as an independent director in a company after such commencement, shall before such appointment,
apply online to the institute for inclusion of his name in the data bank for a period of one year or five years or for his life-time, and from time to time take steps as specified in sub-rule (2), till he continues to hold the office of an independent director in any company:
Provided that any individual, including an individual not having DIN, may voluntarily apply to the institute for inclusion of his name in the data bank.
(2)Every individual whose name has been so included in the data bank shall file an application for renewal for a further period of one year or five years or for his life-time, within a period of thirty days from the date of expiry of the period upto which the name of the individual was applied for inclusion in the data bank, failing which, the name of such individual shall stand removed from the data bank of the institute:
Provided that no application for renewal shall be filed by an individual who has paid life-time fees for inclusion of his name in the data bank.
(3) Every independent director shall submit a declaration of compliance of sub-rule (1) and sub-rule (2) to the Board, each time he submits the declaration required under sub-section (7) of section 149 of the Act.
(4) Every individual whose name is so included in the data bank under sub-rule (1) shall pass an online proficiency self-assessment test conducted by the institute within a period of one year from the date of inclusion of his name in the data bank, failing which, his name shall stand removed from the data bank of the institute:
an individual shall not be required to pass the online proficiency self-assessment test when he has served for a total period of not less than three years as on the date of inclusion of his name in the data bank,-
(A) as a director or key managerial personnel, as on the date of inclusion of his name in the databank, in one or more of the following, namely:-
(a) listed public company; or
(b) unlisted public company having a paid-up share capital of rupees ten crore or more; or
(c) body corporate listed on any recognized stock exchange or in a country which is a member State of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering and the regulator of the securities market in such member State is a member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions; or
(d) bodies corporate incorporated outside India having a paid-up share capital of US$ 2 million or more; or
(e) statutory corporations set up under an Act of Parliament or any State Legislature carrying on commercial activities; or
in the pay scale of Director or equivalent or above in any Ministry or Department, of the Central Government or any State Government, and having experience in handling,—
(i)the matters relating to commerce, corporate affairs, finance, industry or public enterprises; or
(ii)the affairs related to Government companies or statutory corporations set up under an Act of Parliament or any State Act and carrying on commercial activities.
(B) in the pay scale of Director or above in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs or the Ministry of Finance or Ministry of Commerce and Industry or the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and having experience in handling the matters relating to corporate laws or securities laws or economic laws; or
(C) in the pay scale of Chief General Manager or above in the Securities and Exchange Board or the Reserve Bank of India or the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India or the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority and having experience in handling the matters relating to corporate laws or securities laws or economic laws :
Provided further that for the purpose of calculation of the period of three years referred to in the first proviso, any period during which an individual was acting as a director or as a key managerial personnel in two or more companies or bodies corporate or statutory corporations at the same time shall be counted only once.
the following individuals, who are or have been, for at least ten years :—
(A) an advocate of a court; or
(B) in practice as a chartered accountant; or(
C) in practice as a cost accountant; or(D) in practice as a company secretary, shall not be required to pass the online proficiency self-assessment test.
(b) unlisted public company having a paid-up share capital or rupees ten crore or more; or
(c) body corporate listed on a recognized stock exchange:
Provided further that for the purpose of calculation of the period of ten years referred to in the first proviso, any period during which an individual was acting as a director or as a key managerial personnel in two or more companies at the same time shall be counted only once.
Provided that the individual who has served for a period of not less than ten years as on the date of inclusion of his name in the databank as director or key managerial personnel in a listed public company or in an unlisted public company having a paid-up share capital of rupees ten crore or more shall not be required to pass the online proficiency self-assessment test:
Explanation: For the purposes of this rule,-
(a) the expression "institute" means the 'Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs at Manesar' notified under sub-section (1) of section 150 of the Companies Act, 2013 as the institute for the creation and maintenance of data bank of Independent Directors;
(b) an individual who has obtained a score of not less than sixty percent. in aggregate in the online proficiency self-assessment test shall be deemed to have passed such test;
(c) there shall be no limit on the number of attempts an individual may take for passing the online proficiency self-assessment test.
6.Creation and maintenance of data bank of persons offering to become independent directors,—
(1) Any body, institute or association (hereinafter to be referred as "the agency"), which has been authorised in this behalf by the Central Government shall create and maintain a data bank of persons willing and eligible to be appointed as independent director and such data bank shall be placed on the website of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs or on any other website as may be approved or notified by the Central Government.
(2) The data bank referred to in sub-rule (1) shall contain the following details in respect of each person included in the data bank to be eligible and willing to be appointed as independent director—
DIN (Director Identification Number);
the name and surname in full;
the father's name
the date of Birth;
the nationality;
the occupation;
full Address with PIN Code (present and permanent);
e-mail id;
the educational and professional qualifications;
experience or expertise, if any;
any legal proceedings initiated or pending against such person;
the list of limited liability partnerships in which he is or was a designated partner along with—
(i)the name of the limited liability partnership;
(ii)the nature of industry; and
(iii)the duration- with dates;
the list of companies in which he is or was director along with —
the name of the company;
(i) the name of the company;
(ii) the nature of industry;
(iii) the nature of directorship – Executive or Non-executive or Managing Director or Independent Director or Nominee Director; and
(iv) duration – with dates.
(3) A disclaimer shall be conspicuously displayed on the website hosting the databank that a company must carry out its own due diligence before appointment of any person as an independent director and "the agency" maintaining the databank or the Central Government shall not be held responsible for the accuracy of information or lack of suitability of the person whose particulars form part of the databank.
(4) Any person who desires to get his name included in the data bank of independent directors shall make an application to "the agency"
(5) The agency may charge a reasonable fee from the applicant for inclusion of his name in the data bank of independent directors.
(6) Any person who has applied for inclusion of his name in the data bank of independent directors or any person whose name appears in the data bank, shall intimate to the agency about any changes in his particulars within fifteen days of such change.
(7) The databank posted on the website shall –
(a) be accessible at the specified website;
(b) be substantially identical to the physical version of the data bank;
(c) be searchable on the parameters specified in sub-rule (2);
(d) be presented in a format or formats convenient for both printing and viewing online; and
(e) contain a link to obtain the software required to view or print the particulars free of charge.
Substituted vide Companies (Appointment & Qualification of Directors) Fifth Amendment Rules, 2019 dated 22.10.2019 (Effective from 01.12.2019). To view the notification,Click Here
Substituted vide the Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Fourth Amendment Rules, 2020 dated 28.09.2020. To view the Notification, Click Here
Substituted vide the Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Third Amendment Rules, 2020 dated 23.06.2020. To view the Notification, Click Here
Substituted vide the Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Second Amendment Rules, 2020 dated 29.04.2020. To view the Notification, Click Here
Substituted vide Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Amendment Rules, 2020 dated 28.02.2020. To view the notification, Click Here.
Substituted vide the Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Fifth Amendment Rules, 2020 dated 18.12.2020. To view the Notification, Click Here
Substituted vide Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Amendment Rules, 2021 dated 19.08.2021. To view the notification, Click Here
Inserted vide Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Amendment Rules, 2021 dated 19.08.2021. To view the notification, Click Here
Omitted by Notification No. G. S. R. 671 (E) dated 18 September 2014. To view the notification,Click Here
Amendment in Schedule IV of the Companies Act 2013 [GSR 584(E)] dated 05/07/2017
Commencement Notification [S.O.1255(E)] dated 18.03.2021
Commencement Notification dated 07/05/2018
Companies (Amendment) Act, 2020 dated 28.09.2020
Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Amendment Rules, 2017 dated 05/07/2017
Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Amendment Rules, 2020 dated 28.02.2020
Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Fifth Amendment Rules, 2020 dated 18.12.2020
Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Fourth Amendment Rules, 2020 dated 28.09.2020
Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Second Amendment Rules, 2018 dated 07/05/2018
Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Third Amendment Rules, 2020 dated 23.06.2020
Exemption to Govt Companies G.S.R. 463(E) dated 05/06/2015
Exemption to Specified IFSC Private company [GSR 09(E)] dated 04/01/2017
Exemption to Specified IFSC Public company [GSR 08(E)] dated 04/01/2017
Exemptions to Government Companies [Amendment to GSR 463(E)] dated 13/06/2017
The Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017 (Effective from 03.01.2018)
The Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Second Amendment Rules, 2020 dated 29.04.2020
General Circular 09/2017
MCA Circular dated 20.10.2020 regarding Special Measures under Companies Act, 2013 & Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008 in view of COVID – 19 outbreak – Extension reg
MCA Circular dated 24.03.2020 on Special Measures under CA-2013 and LLP Act, 2008 in view of COVID-19 outbreak
[See section 149(8)]
CODE FOR INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS
The Code is a guide to professional conduct for independent directors. Adherence to these standards by independent directors and fulfilment of their responsibilities in a professional and faithful manner will promote confidence of the investment community, particularly minority shareholders, regulators and companies in the institution of independent directors.
I. Guidelines of professional conduct:
An independent director shall:
(1) uphold ethical standards of integrity and probity;
(2) act objectively and constructively while exercising his duties;
(3) exercise his responsibilities in a bona fide manner in the interest of the company;
(4) devote sufficient time and attention to his professional obligations for informed and balanced decision making;
(5) not allow any extraneous considerations that will vitiate his exercise of objective independent judgment in the paramount interest of the company as a whole, while concurring in or dissenting from the collective judgment of the Board in its decision making;
(6) not abuse his position to the detriment of the company or its shareholders or for the purpose of gaining direct or indirect personal advantage or advantage for any associated person;
(7) refrain from any action that would lead to loss of his independence;
(8) where circumstances arise which make an independent director lose his independence, the independent director must immediately inform the Board accordingly;
(9) assist the company in implementing the best corporate governance practices.
II. Role and functions:
The independent directors shall:
(1) help in bringing an independent judgment to bear on the Board's deliberations especially on issues of strategy, performance, risk management, resources, key appointments and standards of conduct;
bring an objective view in the evaluation of the performance of board and management;
(3) scrutinise the performance of management in meeting agreed goals and objectives and monitor the reporting of performance;
(4) satisfy themselves on the integrity of financial information and that financial controls and the systems of risk management are robust and defensible;
(5) safeguard the interests of all stakeholders, particularly the minority shareholders;
(6) balance the conflicting interest of the stakeholders;
determine appropriate levels of remuneration of executive directors, key managerial personnel and senior management and have a prime role in appointing and where necessary recommend removal of executive directors, key managerial personnel and senior management;
(8) moderate and arbitrate in the interest of the company as a whole, in situations of conflict between management and shareholder's interest.
III. Duties :
The independent directors shall—
(1) undertake appropriate induction and regularly update and refresh their skills, knowledge and familiarity with the company;
(2) seek appropriate clarification or amplification of information and, where necessary, take and follow appropriate professional advice and opinion of outside experts at the expense of the company;
(3) strive to attend all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the Board committees of which he is a member;
(4) participate constructively and actively in the committees of the Board in which they are chairpersons or members;
(5) strive to attend the general meetings of the company;
(6) where they have concerns about the running of the company or a proposed action, ensure that these are addressed by the Board and, to the extent that they are not resolved, insist that their concerns are recorded in the minutes of the Board meeting;
(7) keep themselves well informed about the company and the external environment in which it operates;
(8) not to unfairly obstruct the functioning of an otherwise proper Board or committee of the Board;
(9) pay sufficient attention and ensure that adequate deliberations are held before approving related party transactions and assure themselves that the same are in the interest of the company;
(10) ascertain and ensure that the company has an adequate and functional vigil mechanism and to ensure that the interests of a person who uses such mechanism are not prejudicially affected on account of such use;
(11) report concerns about unethical behaviour, actual or suspected fraud or violation of the company's code of conduct or ethics policy;
(12) acting within his authority , assist in protecting the legitimate interests of the company, shareholders and its employees;
(13) not disclose confidential information, including commercial secrets, technologies, advertising and sales promotion plans, unpublished price sensitive information, unless such disclosure is expressly approved by the Board or required by law.
(1) Appointment process of independent directors shall be independent of the company management; while selecting independent directors the Board shall ensure that there is appropriate balance of skills, experience and knowledge in the Board so as to enable the Board to discharge its functions and duties effectively.
(2) The appointment of independent director(s) of the company shall be approved at the meeting of the shareholders.
(3) The explanatory statement attached to the notice of the meeting for approving the appointment of independent director shall include a statement that in the opinion of the Board, the independent director proposed to be appointed fulfils the conditions specified in the Act and the rules made thereunder and that the proposed director is independent of the management.
(4) The appointment of independent directors shall be formalised through a letter of appointment, which shall set out :
(a) the term of appointment;
(b) the expectation of the Board from the appointed director; the Board-level committee(s) in which the director is expected to serve and its tasks;
(c) the fiduciary duties that come with such an appointment along with accompanying liabilities;
(d) provision for Directors and Officers (D and O) insurance, if any;
(e) the Code of Business Ethics that the company expects its directors and employees to follow;
(f) the list of actions that a director should not do while functioning as such in the company; and
(g) the remuneration, mentioning periodic fees, reimbursement of expenses for participation in the Boards and other meetings and profit related commission, if any.
(5) The terms and conditions of appointment of independent directors shall be open for inspection at the registered office of the company by any member during normal business hours.
(6) The terms and conditions of appointment of independent directors shall also be posted on the company's website.
The re-appointment of independent director shall be on the basis of report of performance evaluation.
VI. Resignation or removal:
(1) The resignation or removal of an independent director shall be in the same manner as is provided in sections 168 and 169 of the Act.
(2) An independent director who resigns or is removed from the Board of the company shall be replaced by a new independent director within a period of not more than one hundred and eighty days from the date of such resignation or removal, as the case may be.
(3) Where the company fulfils the requirement of independent directors in its Board even without filling the vacancy created by such resignation or removal, as the case may be, the requirement of replacement by a new independent director shall not apply.
VII. Separate meetings:
(1) The independent directors of the company shall hold meeting in a year , without the attendance of non-independent directors and members of management;
(2) All the independent directors of the company shall strive to be present at such meeting;
(3) The meeting shall:
review the performance of non-independent directors and the Board as a whole;
review the performance of the Chairperson of the company, taking into account the views of executive directors and non-executive directors;
(c) assess the quality, quantity and timeliness of flow of information between the company management and the Board that is necessary for the Board to effectively and reasonably perform their duties.
(1) The performance evaluation of independent directors shall be done by the entire Board of Directors, excluding the director being evaluated.
(2) On the basis of the report of performance evaluation, it shall be determined whether to extend or continue the term of appointment of the independent director.
The provisions of sub-paragraph (2) and (7) of paragraph II, paragraph IV, paragraph V, clauses (a) and (b) of sub-paragraph (3) of paragraph VII and paragraph VIII shall not apply in the case of a Government company as defined under clause(45) of section 2 of the Companies Act,2013 (18 of 2013), if the requirements in respect of matters specified in these paragraphs are specified by the concerned Ministries or Departments of the Central Govemment or as the case may be, the State Governments and such requirements are complied with by the Government companies.
Shall not apply in the case of a Government company as defined under clause(45) of section 2 of the Companies Act,2013 (18 of 2013), if the requirements in respect of matters specified in this paragraphs is specified by the concerned Ministries or Departments of the Central Govemment or as the case may be, the State Governments and such requirements are complied with by the Government companies, vide Amendment Notification GSR 584(E) dated 05.07.2017 . To view the notification,Click Here
Substituted vide Amendment Notification, GSR 584(E) dated 05.07.2017. To view the notification,Click Here
Failure to hold the mandatory one meeting during the financial year 2019-20 shall not be viewed as a violation. To view the exemption circular dated 24.03.2020, Click Here.
Inserted vide Amendment Notification, GSR 584(E) dated 05.07.2017. To view the notification,Click Here


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Q: Embedding PowerPoint into Wordpress while also preventing hotlinking I need to embed an interactive PowerPoint presentation onto my Wordpress Site. I am currently using a plugin called "Embed Any Document", which uses the PowerPoint Online viewer for displaying my presentation.
I display the presentation on a password protected page, but it is unfortunately possible to download my presentation by using a hotlink. If I use an htaccess file for preventing hotlinks, the PowerPoint Online viewer can't find the file anymore.
Is there any way to embed the presentation while keeping it password protected and impossible to hotlink?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Building games allow us to fulfil our dreams by designing fascinating structures like settlements, buildings and cities without any financial hindrance. Although they share similar attributes with strategy games, the main emphasis in building games is financial health instead of physical survival. Moreover, these games allow us to perfect our problem-solving instincts by providing challenges that require the application of critical thinking in resource management. If you want to be a concrete restoration consultant and love cherish building games, this article has compiled a list of the most premium options from this genre.
Cities Skylines is the best city constructor game that is currently in the market. It offers a myriad of alternatives and features that enable players to design what they imagine to be great cities. Moreover, the game tests the creative and administrative skills of a player through challenges that involve solving problems. The management challenges include infrastructure planning, taxation, policies, traffic problems, resources and expansion strategies.
If you enjoy city builder games that do not subject players to a lot of regulations, then the Tropic 5 is ideal for you. This game allows players to assume the role of a mayor on a fantasy island before building a society as they please. Furthermore, the mayor is tasked with overseeing trading activities, managing politics and distributing resources. Tropico 5 is a very interesting game which generates unique outcomes that depend on the decisions of the player.
Banished is a city construction game that involves the creation of a thriving community that survives under isolated conditions. The player is presented with meagre resources and a small population to develop a self-sustaining settlement. Moreover, the seasons keep changing and different seasons have their unique challenges that the player should endeavour to overcome. Thus, the player should organize the subjects to choose roofing, mine, farm, gather and build in a development-conscious way.
The Anno titles have managed to fuse elements of city management and construction to create a fun game. Consequently, Anno2205 follows this philosophy by allowing players to set up and administer interplanetary colonies while solving the issues of each colony. Furthermore, the player should create functional economic systems for the civilizations while safeguarding the environment against degradation. The objective is to extract natural resources for the manufacturing industries so that you can earn enough revenue to technologically advance your settlements.
In the challenge, the gamer plays the role of an external building consultant who is tasked with stimulating the evolution of the city into a vibrant metropolis. More opportunities are made available to the builders if they prove their competence in city planning tasks such as external restoration and consequently their financial status improves.
To summarize, building games allow us to improve our planning and problem-solving skills by presenting us with building and management scenarios that necessitate critical thinking. The games endorsed by this article allow building game fans to enact their ultimate fantasies of organizing communities and building urban areas at little cost.


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LIBERTY Commodities
LIBERTY Commodities has been trading a wide range of raw materials and products related to the ferrous and base metals industries for the past 25 years
With a presence in 30 countries across five continents, LIBERTY Commodities has been trading a wide range of raw materials and products related to the ferrous and base metals industries for the past 25 years. The business has built strong lasting relationships with many supply mills and end users.
LIBERTY Commodities Group is part of the larger industrial and financial services group of companies known collectively as the GFG Alliance, which has acquired numerous steel, aluminium, mining, engineering and banking assets in Europe, Australia and the USA over the past decade and now employs in excess of 30,000 staff globally and turnover of $20BN. The members of the alliance are individually owned by Sanjeev Gupta and his family but work together for sustainable industry.
GFG Alliance
GFG Alliance is a collection of global businesses and investments, owned by Sanjeev Gupta and his family.
GFG Alliance is structured into three core industry brands: LIBERTY Steel Group, ALVANCE Aluminium Group and SIMEC Energy Group, independent of each other yet united through shared strategy, values and purpose to create a sustainable future for industry and society.
Besides its core industry brands, GFG Alliance holds investments in financial services, property and other specialist businesses within a Family Office.
GFG Alliance employees 35,000 people across 30 countries and has revenues of USD $20bn. GFG Alliance is a leader in sustainable industry with a mission to become Carbon Neutral by 2030.
Visit GFG Alliance website
40 Grosvenor Place
SW1X 7GG
© 2021 Liberty Commodities Limited. Company number: 03349135


The Surgical Services Department provides pre-op and post-op inpatient care to those patients undergoing surgical procedures in the areas of ENT and Plastic surgery. Inpatient care in this department focuses on pre-op needs, post-op care and treatment after phase I recovery through discharge from an inpatient nursing division. The department's surgical observation unit provides more intensive care and treatment to those post-op or post-traumatic patients whose condition requires treatment at this level.


A HearthStone stove is more than just a practical way to warm your home. It's often the centerpiece of a room as well - something that family and friends will gather around. So, we make sure that every HearthStone stove has the hand-crafted beauty of a piece of fine furniture.
HearthStone stoves are made in Vermont with Yankee ingenuity and practicality. They're made one at a time by individual craftsmen. There's no assembly line. They're built by people who take great pride in their work, and understand the need for both reliability and functionality - and the desire for a special presentation within your home. Each soapstone woodstove is hand-signed by the person who made it. So, whatever your sense of style - rustic, elegant, casual or formal - or your lifestyle - outdoor, active, indoor and relaxed at home, a HearthStone can fit beautifully into your decor.
More than 25 Years of Manufacturing!
With the ongoing success of Harman Stove Company and in celebration of it's 20th Anniversary, Dane then extended his goals, in 1999, and invented Harman Built Fireplaces (HBF). The Serenity Series Collection, Harman's premiere gas fireplace line, is the pinnacle of fireplace technology and design. Complete with a large viewing area, remote control operation, realistic log set and the sturdiest construction in the industry, these zero clearance, direct vent fireplaces not only have exceptional looks, but also produce exceptional heat.
Taking the heating industry lead once again in 2002, Dane introduced the "Harman Iron" line of cast iron stoves. The Accentra' pellet stove and the Oakwood wood burning stove are the first in a line of cast iron heating appliances that for the homeowner are the pinnacle of fit, form, and finish.By now you've discovered that Dane isn't someone to sit back and rest on his laurels. In 2003 "and" 2004 his stoves won the National Hearth Products Association trade show Vesta awards. Sponsored and presented by Hearth & Home Magazine the Vesta Awards are prestigious and highly coveted awards throughout the hearth industry.


Fun Family Science is back again with more Exploration Stations that are not only educational, but are also really fun! This is a family program and the aim is to get adults and children to explore science together. Children 10 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Sponsored by Friends of the Ripon Memorial Library.
Lego Club is for all children one and up. No sign-up or membership required. Just drop-in and build something cool! Each session we come up with a theme to direct the building, but you can make what you want. All we ask is to share the pieces, help fellow builder, have fun, and clean up when you're done. Sponsored by Friends of the Ripon Memorial Library.
Wednesday, Apr. 24, 6:00 p.m.
Beginner's level yoga and Pilates will help you relax and renew your body and spirit! Taught by certified instructor Susan McClanahan, this weekly class has been offered for over 10 years and continues to draw new participants. Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a yoga mat. Enter at side of building if you arrive after 6 p.m. Optional donation is given to the Friends of the Ripon Memorial Library. Sponsored by the Friends of the Ripon Memorial Library. Sponsored by Friends of the Ripon Memorial Library.
If you like to play chess, would like to learn to play, or enjoy playing with others, then you will love our chess club! All levels of experience are welcome. For kids age 9 and up, teens, and adults. Mondays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sponsored by Friends of the Ripon Memorial Library.
Tuesday, Apr. 30, 3:30 p.m.
What's better than reading a really good book? How about sharing that reading experience with a group of readers? That is exactly what the 5-6-7 Book Club readers do! Once a month, on the last Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. we meet for a lively discussion (and pizza of course) facilitated by Librarian Melinda Kopp. The book club is for grades 5, 6, and 7 with some latitude. Please speak with staff if you are interested. Books are chosen and provided by Mrs. Kopp. Sponsored by The Friends of the Ripon Memorial Library.
Wednesday, May. 1, 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, May. 2, 3:30 p.m.
To rest, relax, socialize with friends, nibble treats, color a little picture and sip some fancy tea. Release a little stress and join us! Sponsored by Friends of the Ripon Memorial Library.
Monday, May. 6, 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May. 8, 6:00 p.m.
Monday, May. 13, 4:00 p.m.