Religious Tolerance in Ottoman Empire

Hca Teamwork Assignment Essay Example for Free

Hca Teamwork Assignment Essay Jennifer Planz As a designated pioneer I am approached to explain an issue that is right now influencing the charging branch of the office I work in. The charging office need codes and significant that they are not accepting. The specialist should be repaid for clinical consideration on a patient. The office I work in needs me to complete this so as to accelerate creation. This leaves me accountable for picking a group and advancing viable collaboration so as to determine the present clash. I will pick the individuals from my eam by discovering people who are for the most part attempting to accomplish a similar goal. For this situation, it would be simply the charging pro, the specialist, and a specialized expert to cause it to go all the more easily. We all are engaged with this contention on somehow and need to take an interest together all together for all gatherings to be fulfilled. I will advance viable cooperation by having the specialized pro included. Cooperation can likewise be advanced by building up standard procedures for all cooperative people. Ensuring all players knew the nature, significance and reason for the contention issue. Ensuring everybody knew that contention is a characteristic piece of life is an approach to advance powerful collaboration. Likewise offering social help, workshops, and giving administration preparing. Offering social help can help calm emotions and energize increasingly social help. It likewise lessens the dangers and reasons for parental figures being pushed, worn out, and sentiments of disconnection. Offering workshops to representatives for building their abilities and help them to expect new jobs in association and overseeing strife that is engaged with change and cooperation. Authority preparing can differ on a scope of themes. The ones I like that I would utilize are overseeing struggle, taking care of grievances, friendliness, and composing powerful reminder and discharges. I feel this would be acceptable beginning instructional courses for prospective pioneers or those as of now in initiative positions. Relational abilities are significant on the grounds that they influence the presentation of each representative and not Just pioneers. The fundamental relational abilities are both basic and important to viably think about somebody. Preparing and meetings are an extraordinary method to improve or overhaul those abilities so as to consummate these aptitudes and become a superior expert.

Manchester

Manchester Manchester. 1 Town (1990 pop. 51,618), Hartford co., central Conn.; settled c.1672, inc. 1823. Its sawmills and paper mills date from before the Revolutionary War. The city was also known for its production of grandfather clocks. Contemporary manufactures include automobile parts, tools, and dairy and paper products. Hartford's Bradley International Airport is located nearby. 2 City (1990 pop. 99,567), Hillsboro co., S N.H., on both sides of the Merrimack River; settled 1722, inc. as a city 1846. It is the largest city in New Hampshire. Among its various manufactures are computer and electronic equipment, machinery, lobster holding systems, foods and beverages, clothing, hats, industrial brushes, and medical supplies. There are also Internet and high-technology companies. In 1838 textile interests founded the city and established a huge textile-manufacturing company; Amoskeag Falls on the Merrimack provided power for the first textile mills. Until the depression of the 1930s an d the moving of much of the textile industry to the south, Manchester was heavily dependent on the industry. Many of the textile-mill buildings have been redeveloped as offices. St. Anselm College, a branch of the Univ. of New Hampshire, and the Currier Gallery of Art are there. John Stark lived and is buried in Manchester. A number of ski areas are in the vicinity. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. Political Geography

Cundo es posible trabajar con visa F-1 de estudiante

Estudiar en los Estados Unidos es caro, por eso para los estudiantes internacionales con una visa F-1 es importante saber quà © opciones tienen para trabajar legalmente y asà ­ sufragar parte de sus gastos. En este artà ­culo, ademà ¡s de explicar los requisitos para las 4 opciones de trabajo se hace referencia a otras opciones para obtener ayuda econà ³mica. Y al final se mencionan opciones migratorias que permiten quedarse al finalizar los estudios y tambià ©n quà © error no se debe hacer ya que puede salir muy caro. Trabajar con una visa F-1 de estudiante dentro del campus La primera opcià ³n para trabajar se presenta en el mismo lugar donde se està ¡ estudiando. Y es que los  estudiantes con una F-1 que està ©n estudiando a tiempo completo pueden trabajar siguiendo estas reglas: Tiempo:  trabajar un mà ¡ximo de 20 horas semanales, excepto en vacaciones que pueden trabajar a tiempo completo Lugar: en campus significa eso pero tambià ©n admite que sea fuera, siempre y cuando el empleador sea una institucià ³n que tiene una relacià ³n de afiliacià ³n con la universidad o college, seminario, conservatorio, en el que el estudiante cursa sus estudios. Por ejemplo, otra universidad o un laboratorio. Tipo: el trabajo que se desempeà ±a tiene que estar relacionado de algà ºn modo con servicio a estudiantes. Por ejemplo, trabajo en bibliotecas, librerà ­as, etc. Permiso: tiene que contarse con la autorizacià ³n previa del Oficial Designado en la Escuela (DSO, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). Cuà ¡ndo: comenzarse a trabajar hasta 30 dà ­as antes de comenzar el programa acadà ©mico. Pero una vez que à ©ste finaliza, asà ­ debe ocurrir con el empleo. La excepcià ³n son los casos en los que se cambia de programa.   Trabajar fuera del campus con una visa F-1 por necesidad econà ³mica En este caso es necesario cumplir con un mayor nà ºmero de requerimientos, como: Tener un estatus và ¡lido de estudianteEstar cursando a tiempo completoLlevar al menos un aà ±o acadà ©mico completo con la visa F-1 Necesidad econà ³mica urgente en casos como pà ©rdida sin culpa de puesto de empleo en el campus, cambios en la cotizacià ³n de la divisa del paà ­s del estudiante, facturas mà ©dicas, pà ©rdida de la ayuda financiera u otros gastos inesperados. Si se da alguno de esos casos y no es posible encontrar empleo dentro del campus, el estudiante debe dirigirse al Oficial Designado en la Escuela (DSO, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) para que este comunique la situacià ³n a las autoridades migratorias mediante el sistema SEVIS. Asimismo, el DSO proporcionarà ¡ una certificacià ³n que debe enviarse al Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) junto con la planilla I-765 y el pago de la cuota correspondiente para obtener asà ­ un permiso de trabajo. Es conveniente incluir todo tipo de documentacià ³n que sirva de apoyo a la razà ³n que se alega para solicitar ese permiso, (en inglà ©s. Este es un modelo de carta para certifica la traduccià ³n). Entrenamiento prà ¡ctico curricular (CPT, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) Se trata de prà ¡cticas pagadas que tienen que estar relacionadas con el grado que cursa el estudiante. Tienen que estar aprobadas por el DSO.   Pueden ser a tiempo parcial (menos de 20 horas a la semana), o, en à ©poca de vacaciones a tiempo completo (mà ¡s de 20 horas semanales). Hay que tener en cuenta que si a lo largo de sus estudios el estudiante completa mà ¡s de un aà ±o CPT a tiempo completo, al licenciarse (egresado) no podrà ¡ disfrutar de un OPT. Entrenamiento prà ¡ctico opcional (OPT, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) Se puede realizar durante los estudios de licenciatura, maestrà ­a o doctorado o al  finalizar los mismos.  Estas  son las reglas  para la OPT. El permiso de trabajo en este caso tiene una duracià ³n mà ¡xima de 1 aà ±os, si bien en ciertos campos relacionados con las Ciencias y la Tecnologà ­a se puede prorrogar hasta los 17 meses. A tener en cuenta cuando se trabaja Si se trabaja, el DSO proporcionarà ¡ la documentacià ³n necesaria para solicitar una tarjeta del Nà ºmero del Seguro Social. Al trabajar, hay que reportar los ingresos y, en su caso, pagar impuestos. Si se trabaja sin permiso, eso es una violacià ³n migratoria, que puede tener consecuencias muy serias. Caminos para quedarse en USA trabajando al finalizar los estudios universitarios La mayorà ­a de los estudiantes internacionales regresan a sus paà ­ses de origen. Pero un buen nà ºmero se quedan, al menos temporalmente, al lograr obtener una visa de trabajo, generalmente una H-1B para profesionales, siendo muy solicitadas por los profesionales en el sector tecnolà ³gico. Si bien no son las à ºnicas visas de trabajo disponibles. Ademà ¡s, en el caso de mexicanos, hay que destacar las visas TN para profesionales, que abren puertas sin tener los inconvenientes de cupo mà ¡ximo de las H-1B que en la mayorà ­a de los casos dejan sin anualmente a miles de candidatos con patrocinador. Asimismo, tambià ©n es posible conseguir una tarjeta de residencia (green card) ya que las empresas pueden patrocinar por razà ³n de trabajo. Estas son las empresas que mà ¡s trabajadores esponsorizan. Finalmente, tambià ©n es posible quedarse en Estados Unidos en casos de ajuste de estatus por matrimonio o similares. Cà ³mo conseguir dinero para pagar por los estudios en Estados Unidos El camino mà ¡s transitado por los estudiantes es el de buscar y obtener becas. Estas pueden ser de instituciones o empresas del paà ­s de cada uno o tambià ©n de Estados Unidos, ya que hay muchas de ellas que no excluyen a los estudiantes internacionales, por ejemplo, à ©stas  de universidades de à ©lite. Casi todas las universidades tienen sus propios paquetes y sus reglas de cuà ¡nto y a quià ©n pueden becar. Y tambià ©n existen instituciones que brindan becas por temas, dependiendo de quà © se estudia o quà © proyecto o trabajo se presenta. Tambià ©n existe la posibilidad de pedir crà ©ditos para estudiante y, finalmente, tambià ©n se puede considerar la posibilidad de realizar parte de los estudios universitarios en community colleges, que resultan mà ¡s asequibles, entre otra ventajas que brindan. Quà © errores deben evitar los estudiantes internacionales En primer lugar, no olvidar que trabajar sin permiso es una violacià ³n migratoria. Si hay una denuncia que puede ser anà ³nima o por cualquier otra razà ³n Inmigracià ³n se entera las consecuencias van a ser graves. Y en segundo lugar, recordar que los estudiantes internacionales necesitan una visa para estudiar a tiempo completo. Es cierto que las instituciones educativas admiten a indocumentados. Pero de lo que se trata es de precisamente no acabar en esa categorà ­a migratoria por no utilizar la visa correcta. Esto es relativamente frecuente en los casos de estudiantes internacionales que cursan la high school en Estados Unidos y por errores de este tipo acaban sin visa ellos y sus padres. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Thomas Stearns Eliot, Or T.S. Eliot, Was Born In 1888 On

Thomas Stearns Eliot, or T.S. Eliot, was born in 1888 on the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri. Throughout his life, Eliot wrote and published several pieces of writing that are highly regarded and still studied in the world of literature today. Eliot was an American-British author, critic, playwright, and poet. After attending Smith Academy, and Milton Academy, he went on to graduate in just 3 years at Harvard University. He also got his masters and did doctoral work. He attended Oxford, but ultimately left for England after a short amount of time. â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† attracted the most attention out of all of Eliot’s poems. Just some of the many techniques used throughout the whole passage are dramatic monologue†¦show more content†¦Eliot also uses figures of speech in this passage to establish the theme of death. Eliot described the afternoon as â€Å"spread out against the sky like a patient etherized upon a table.† (Eli ot 2) in the beginning of the passage, he is describing the sky as a patient on an operating table under anesthesia. Again, in a later stanza, he says it â€Å"sleeps so peacefully! Smoothed by long fingers, asleep †¦ tired †¦ or it malingers, stretched on the floor.† (Eliot 75-78). This metaphor is being echoed through the passage, presenting an eerie and dark setting. This relates directly back to the reoccurring theme of death and isolation with his use of fearsome imagery. He obscures the long description of the sky using fragmentation, breaking up the different images into smaller parts and placing them in different stanzas in the passage. Another figure of speech used is personification. â€Å"The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes.† (Eliot 15) Eliot uses personification to turn the yellow fog into a fearful and timid cat, which represents the fear in Prufrock, and helps indicate the theme of doubt that we see frequently when he tries t o make decisions. A technique that frequentlyShow MoreRelatedT.S. Eliots Writing Style and Use of Symbolism790 Words   |  4 Pagesone can go,† T.S. Eliot is basically trying to say that only people who push their limit can actually see how much they can really accomplish. T.S. Eliot made poetry that showed his negative views on life, people, and world. T.S. Eliot took poetry to another level by the way he writes and uses symbolism. Thomas Stearns was born on September 26, 1888. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was Henry ware Eliot who was the president of the Hydraulic-press company. His mom was Charlotte ChampeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Cousin Nancy And Morning At The Window Poem Analysis And Exploration1475 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Morning at the Window† Poem Analysis and Exploration Cousin Nancy By T. S. Eliot Miss Nancy Ellicott Strode across the hills and broke them, Rode across the hills and broke them — The barren New England hills — Riding to hounds Over the cow-pasture. Miss Nancy Ellicott smoked And danced all the modern dances; And her aunts were not quite sure how they felt about it, But they knew that it was modern. Upon the glazen shelves kept watch Matthew and Waldo, guardiansRead MoreEliot s Influences On Literature1013 Words   |  5 PagesDouglass and T.S. Eliot’s Influences On Literature The nineteenth and twentieth century were pivotal times in the world of literature. Many new elements of writing and style were evolving and authors all over the world were finding ways to present what they felt most passionate about. Some writers opened their readers up to newer ideas by the means of, as Ezra Pound once stated, â€Å"making it new.† Two writers in particular who did a fantastic job of this were Frederick Douglass and T.S. Eliot. FrederickRead MoreThe Impact Of Literature On Literature And The Social View Of Poetry1724 Words   |  7 Pagespublicized as many thoughts and critical views as T.S. Eliot, and by disseminating his opinions throughout the literature world, Eliot found a way to communicate new perspectives and tastes in literature (Worthen). Born in the fall of 1888, T.S. Eliot grew up to become one of the most influential poets of all time, as he found a unique way of communicating through literature. Sometimes referred to as the â€Å"keeper of t he language† or the â€Å"model poet of our time† Eliot presented powerful criticisms of societyRead MoreThomas Stearns Eliot Essay examples1159 Words   |  5 PagesThomas Stearns Eliot T.S. Eliot was a poet, critic, and an editor. He was a major figure in English poetry, famous for works such as The Waste Land, and The Sacred Wood. His critical essays helped to start a movement of literary modernism by stressing tradition, along with objective discipline. Eliot, along with the help of William Butler Yeats, and Ezra Pound set new poetic standards by rejecting the English romantics. Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in St. Louis, MO. on September 26thRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Preludes : A Modern Craft Essay1524 Words   |  7 PagesPreludes: A Modern Craft Thomas Stearn Eliot (T.S. Eliot), an all-American writer was born into a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri in 1888. His father, Henry Ware Eliot, was the president of the Hydraulic-Press Brick Company, and his mother, Charlotte Champe Stearns, wrote poetry and volunteered at the Humanity Club (Bush). Also, his grandfather, William Greenleaf Eliot, founded the Unitarian church who contributed to his most outstanding poem, Preludes, a 4 stanza poem(Bush). Being under theRead MoreThe Life And Times Of The World2124 Words   |  9 PagesThe Life and Times of T.S. Eliot When reading T.S. Eliot’s work one can see that the weight of the world often rested upon his shoulders. During the time period Eliot lived in the world was in a state of turmoil. Events such as World War I, The Great Depression, and World War II all occurred throughout the course of his life. Many of Eliot’s works were influenced by his childhood in America, his time in Europe, and by notable poets he read over the course of his life. According to John Worthen,Read MoreThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock1729 Words   |  7 PagesSong of J. Alfred Prufrock was written by Thomas Stearns Eliot and published in June of 1915. Eliot was born in St Louis, Missouri on September 26, 1888, where he grew up and lived until the age of eighteen. After high school, Eliot studied at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA and the Sorbonne in Paris, France. Eventually, Eliot ended up in England where he married his wife Vivien and spent the remainder of his life. Throughout his college years, Eliot was active in the writing of literatureRead MoreLove Song of J.Alfred Prufrock : Representation of Modern Man1827 Words   |  8 PagesTHE LOVE SONG OF J.ALFRED PRUFROC Often called the first Modernist poem, â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† was published in the prestigious American journal Poetry in June 1915. About the Poem: The poem centers on the feelings and thoughts of the eponymous speaker (the somewhat neurotic Prufrock) as he walks through the streets of London route to meet a woman for tea. He is considering a question (perhaps, broadly, the meaning of life, or, more narrowly, a proposal of marriage). Far more thanRead MoreT.S. Eliot s The Fire Sermon - a Poem Analysis Focusing on the Elements of Nature5145 Words   |  21 PagesT.S. Eliot The Fire Sermon An analysis of the poem focusing on the elements of nature Joachim TRAUN 0004165 301/341 It is just a piece of rhythmical grumbling (T.S. Eliot on The Waste Land) Table of contents page 1. Introduction 4 2. T.S. Eliot- a brief biography 4 3. The fire sermon 5 3.1 Structure 6 3.2 Intertextuality 6 3.3 Interpretation 8 3.3.1 Water 8 3.3.2 City 11 3.3.3 Fusion 13 4. Conclusion 14 Bibliography 1. Introduction There are not many poems

Downsizing Layoff and Employees Free Essays

string(84) " Downsizing is not specific to any industry, it has occurred across the industries\." A Project Report on: Corporate Downsizing in the Indian context TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Objective3 2. Introduction4 3. We will write a custom essay sample on Downsizing: Layoff and Employees or any similar topic only for you Order Now Why do Firms Downsize? 6 4. Downsizing – Indian Perspective10 5. Effect of downsizing on organizations13 6. Survey Analysis and Results18 7. Process of Downsizing24 8. Suggestions to improve the morale of survivors post downsizing27 9. Conclusion29 10. References30 1. Objective Corporate downsizing is very common in the US corporate sector but it has till recently not been adopted by many Indian companies. This is changing nowadays, with many Indian companies going in for downsizing as an organizational strategy to cut costs or get rid of non-performing employees. Our objective in this project is to analyze some of the reasons why firms are taking up downsizing. We have studied the effects of downsizing at the organization level, the managerial level and the survivor level. As part of our project, we conducted a survey on survivors of downsizing from Indian companies which have conducted mass or individual layoffs in the recent past. Since downsizing is still relatively new in the Indian context and in most cases, the survivors do not wish to delve further on this topic, our responses were limited in number but they were sufficient to give us an idea of downsizing in the Indian context. Apart from this, we have also studied the actual downsizing process in companies and how it is carried out. We have given some recommendations on steps to be followed by organizations to make sure that they do not acquire a negative image post downsizing. Also, steps to boost the survivors’ morale have also been suggested. If this is not done, downsizing typically leads to increased turnover among high performers in the organization. Downsizing may be unavoidable in some organizations to cut costs – however the HR departments and managers should handle this issue with utmost sensitivity – to avoid any long-term negative effects to the organization. 2. Introduction Layoffs, frequently called downsizing, describe the process in which companies remove temporarily or permanently a number of employees from their payroll. The general purpose of this practice is to reduce the organization’s burden of excess labor costs when human resources cannot be used effectively. Charles Handy first predicted that the technological revolution, which was beginning to make its force felt back in the mid-1970s, would transform the lives of millions of individuals through a process he termed . down-sizing. Downsizing is not a new phenomenon. Downsizing came into prominence as a topic of both scholarly and practical concern in the 1980s. It became a management mantra. (Lecky, 1998) in the 1990s which subsequently became known as the downsizing decade (Dolan, Belout, Balkin, 2000). In the early 1990s, CEOs and executive management were being targeted more and more by the shareholders. The merger wave of the 1980s taught executives that any company trading at price-earnings multiple lower than the industry-wide multiple was considered undervalued, or a poor-performer, and ripe for a takeover, or messy shareholder law suits. CEOs used to be concerned with optimizing production and cutting costs, which they hoped would engender profits and therefore shareholder wealth. The focus moved on to convince the market of the upward potential in their stock prices. In other terms, it doesn’t matter whether you really have good project or potential to grow but what matters is whether the stock market believes that ou have such strength. To handle such pressure many CEO’s looked for the quick fixes which would reflect immediately in the profit margins of the organizations. Instead of focusing on the long terms planning, short terms goals were set which to project good picture of company’s status. And the easiest way to go around it was to cut down labor cos t as it has a significant contribution to the expenses incurred by the company. Executives looked at the balance sheet to trim the fat, and viewed cutting labor as a necessary and relatively painless method to boost profit margins. The economy was experiencing the sort of growth that made both skilled and unskilled labor more and more superfluous. At the low end of the wage and skill scale, advanced automation in machinery and assembly were enabling workers to become more productive, and reduced the amount of workers necessary for a given level of profit. At the middle end, rapid advances in information technology reduced the need for a large layer of middle management to process and interpret data and feed it to higher management. Additionally, trimming the payroll liability seemed an easier way to increase profits in the short term. The payroll is basically a current liability, and to the extent that workers are not engaged in long-term contracts (or to the extent that a long-term contract with a substantial number of employees is soon to expire), the firm has a certain flexibility in determining the amount of labor it uses in the short run. A move to adjust employment might be a relatively painless way to boost cash flow, when compared to selling land or equipment to obtain cash. A buyer might not be readily available, and the purchase price would not be certain. At first, firms that were lagging their competitors in terms of accounting earnings and price-earnings multiples decided to downsize. As these firms began to catch up to the rest of their industry in terms of profitability, firms that were performing quite well also began to turn to downsizing as a way to convince the market that they were worthy of a substantial jump in market capitalization. From 1993 to 1996, there was a sentiment in the market that smaller up-start companies were going to overtake the larger, blue chip corporations, which were perceived to be bloated with superfluous workers and internal red tape. Although these rumors of diseconomies of scale were widely exaggerated, many large corporations slashed their labor force in a move to maintain an aura of competitiveness. Downsizing is not specific to any industry, it has occurred across the industries. You read "Downsizing: Layoff and Employees" in category "Papers" While manufacturing, retail, and service have accounted for the highest levels of downsizing, it is evident that downsizing took place in both the private and public sectors. 3. Why do Firms Downsize? During periods of economic uncertainty, increased costs and declining sales, business owners are sometimes forced to evaluate cost-cutting options including downsizing and layoffs. When a business is in a cost-cutting mode, downsizing and layoffs can take different forms:   †¢ Reduction in force—this is when an employer decides that its labor costs are too much, so they reduce the number of positions. †¢ Position elimination—this is when an employer determines that the position skill-set requirements have changed, the market and competition have changed or sometimes the position simply goes away. Restructuring—while disruptive, some employers find it necessary to restructure their organization. Basically, companies restructure in order to reassess strategies and improve operations. Individual layoffs It is recognized that an employee’s commitment to an organization can be expressed in three particular ways: affective, continuance, and normative . Affective commitment is focused on an emotional attachment to the organization. On the other hand, continuance commitment is when an employee stays with an organization based on a perceived cost of leaving. In this case, the employee is staying because he/she thinks it will cost more to go find work elsewhere. Lastly, normative commitment refers to an employee’s moral obligation to stay with the organization. This can arise due to the employee feeling that the organization has treated him/her well and therefore, he/she owes the organization a continued period of employment. In one sense, each type of commitment somewhat ties the individual to the organization; however, each impacts differently on the manner in which the employee conducts him/herself in the workplace. For example, an employee with an affective commitment will often go above and beyond what is required of his/her position in order to assist the organization in meeting its goals. Employees with high affective commitment tend to be absent from work less frequently and display a higher work motivation and organizational citizenship. Continuance commitment, however, is negatively related to performance whereby employees tend to do simply what is required, have higher rates of absenteeism, and low motivation. An individual can become a threat to the company by engaging in activities which are against company’s norms. These activities may include coming late for the meetings and for work, intentionally working slowly, wasting resources, gossiping and spreading rumors or some serious misconduct such as stealing from company or colleague, verbal abuse, insubordination, sabotage, sexual harassment etc. His behavior in the organization can adversely affect the productivity of other members of organization. And sometimes the situation can be so serious that it can hamper the image of the organization. And if he can influence coworkers to indulge in such activities then it becomes serious problem for the organization. The best approach to handle such situations is to consult that particular individual and convince him from engaging in such activities. But even if with the repeated warnings, he refuses to change his deviant behavior then it is necessary to get rid of such person. Mass Layoffs †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Mass layoff†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ implies laying off a large number of workers. Mass layoff constitutes a set of activities, undertaken on the part of the management of an organization, designed to improve organizational efficiency, productivity, and/or competitiveness. It represents a strategy implemented by managers that affects the size of the firm’s workforce and the work processes used. The reasons given for the mass layoffs are: Changing market conditions The market determines the lifecycle of a business, and the organizations must stay in touch with changing market conditions in order to keep up the pace of growth. The business climate these days has become enormously more competitive. Global markets have contributed new competitors that can offer goods and services at a much lower cost. Market shifts and the introduction of new technology can make a business become obsolete almost overnight. As many times it is not possible to make the suitable adjustments immediately, and to remain competitive companies often go for the downsizing. Mergers and Acquisitions A merger is a tool used by companies for the purpose of expanding their operations often aiming at an increase of their long term profitability. An acquisition, also known as a takeover, is the buying of one company by another. When this happens, many positions gets replicated or become redundant. For the efficient operation of the organization, it becomes necessary to cut off these jobs. Closure of business unit Due to ever changing technology, development of new products, a company might decide to take out a particular product from the market and close that business unit. If it not possible to accommodate released workforce in the production of the goods then only option remains is that of lay off. Poor financial forecast If the performance of the company is not up to the mark in the recent years and the gloomy picture is supposed to remain for later period also, then it becomes absolutely necessary to cut the costs in some way or other. This may lead the managers to takes decisions of mass layoffs. Overstaffing Organizations hire employees by forecasting their human resource requirement in near future. This forecasting is based on the company’s current position, state of the economy, growth in the industry, ongoing deals with the clients, company’s growth plans etc. The predictions made during this analysis may go wrong for several reasons and organization may end up in hiring the employees beyond its requirement. It is not possible for all the organizations to keep these employees on the payroll due to economic constraints or space constraints. In this case manager often take a decision to layoff the extra resources. Meeting the goals Each company decides and declares the targets for the current fiscal year. But as the end of the year comes nearer, company’s realizes that these goals cannot be achieved by current pace of production. Since there is high pressure from the upper management to meet these goals, managers look for the softer targets such as reducing cost by the mass layoffs. Unprecedented disaster Any unpredicted disaster like sharp fall in stock market, natural calamity, or accidents can plunge organizations in huge losses. So a business owner has a no choice but restructuring his business which often involves downsizing. 4. Downsizing – Indian Perspective Before Indian companies felt the effects of the economic reforms, lifetime employment was often standard practice. Job seekers would get their foot in the door at their favorite companies with the aim of settling down permanently within the organization. Perhaps the main reason for this reluctance to hand out pink slips was cultural – there simply was no knowledge of the concept of â€Å"downsizing. † India’s integration into the global marketplace has changed the rules of the ame significantly. As the economy and the technology industry have slowed to sustainable growth levels, various companies have been forced to downsize in order to remain competitive. Although corporate downsizing in India increasingly resembles downsizing in Western countries, there is residual reluctance to laying people off. A broad selection of com panies operating in India, from shabby state-run enterprises to lean and efficient high-tech multinationals prefer to use of voluntary retirement schemes to trim their numbers in tough times. Some larger companies also elect to downsize through other methods, including deferred recruitments, â€Å"benching† people, and using employees for internal or community service projects. This institutional squeamishness toward layoffs, while understandable from a social perspective, has had some negative effects. State-owned enterprises as well as some private companies are still overstaffed as a result of an unwillingness to lay off employees. Layoff practices in US: ? A generic reduction in force, of undetermined method. ? An Involuntary Reduction in Force – The employee(s) didn’t voluntarily choose to leave the company. A Voluntary Reduction in Force – The employee(s) did play a role in choosing to leave the company, most likely through resignation or retirement. ? Layoff notice by email. Following are common practices followed by Indian organizations for downsizing: Deferred recruitments: This is not actual downsizing but one of the ways to bring dow n the strength of company for a short term. In this case the recruitment process is deferred, so that by the time the new recruits have joined the company, the company is out of the crisis which is the cause for downsizing. This process is mainly followed in IT companies, where most of them recruit high number of students who are in final year of their graduation. Usually, these companies take into consideration that the next year market will be at the same pace, but there have been considerable variations in market during the last decade. The students who were recruited will join the company as soon as the company has found out ways to come out of the crisis. For example, many students who were recruited in 2006 by many IT services companies have joined in 2008. So, effectively the company saves the costs on those employees. Following this method, the company doesn’t need to layoff any of the existing staff. Benching people: Bench strength is defined as the finding the perfect pool of employees who will be substitutes for existing employees incase of employee turnover. These people are trained for those positions so that they can hit the deck running. But this essence of bench strength is lost in case of Indian companies where, Bench refers to the buffer of employees not assigned to a particular project. As the company works towards improving utilization rates while keeping a tight rein on employee additions, its bench strength would come down. In some cases, employees are on bench for a long period. This is a signal that these employees are just in job because they were previously recruited but not because of the work the company has. So employees who are benched have no work to do. They get bored of not doing any productive work and so try to find out a job where they can really work, instead of just coming to office everyday and passing their time. In this way Indian companies don’t layoff anyone but create circumstances where the employee doesn’t have any option but to leave the company. Using employees for internal and community projects: Internal projects are the projects which are done by the company to increase efficiency within the organization. Usually these projects have no dead lines or have a specific plan. They are just conducted as there is more of man power. This is one of the first steps an Indian company takes when they want to downsize. They put the excess workforce in any one of the internal or community projects. Some of these projects are created so as to accommodate all the excess employees. Employees in these projects will be outcast as the internal projects will not produce any output. Also, employees in these projects do not get enough incentives for their performance. This decreases the employee morale and employees tend to quit the organization. This also serves a signal to employees that the next step is to put them on bench. Bottom performers’ layoffs: This is the only case in which Indian companies hand over pink slips to the employees. Every company has a policy of reviewing the work done by an employee in last few months. After the review, employees who are not performing well are sent for special training. Luckily, if the review period and the time at which the company decides to downsize coincide, company uses this opportunity to layoff the extra employees by not giving them a chance which they used to provide earlier. 5. Effect of downsizing on organizations Even though downsizing is primarily done as a positive action to turn around an organization, the main casualty of the process is the way in which people affected are dealt with. Majority of the research on organizational downsizing has been carried out to study the consequences of downsizing at the employee level and the organizational level. At the employee level, research is carried out from a psychological and behavioral viewpoint with a focus on the survivors (employees who remain in the organization after downsizing), victims (employees who are asked to leave) and implementers (managers involved in implementing downsizing, including asking employees to leave). In our study, we have restricted our focus to the survivors and implementers. We have not focused on the effects of downsizing on the actual victims since they are outside the scope of the organization. Effect on survivors An organization’s post-layoff success depends upon the reactions of people in its surviving workforce. Researchers have identified a number of negative symptoms exhibited by survivors during and after downsizing. The most common of these include: Survivor syndrome: A set of emotions, behaviors and attitudes exhibited by surviving employees. This is mainly manifested by lowered morale, initial upsurge in productivity followed by depression and lethargy, increased stress as a result of increased level of uncertainty and ambiguity, threat of job loss, denial or psychological distancing from the perceived threat, lower commitment, increased absenteeism, turnover, decreased loyalty to the organization, fear of future cutbacks and diminishing expectations regarding future prospects in the organization. Survivor guilt: Feeling of responsibility or remorse and is expressed in terms of depression, fear and anger. Survivors may perceive that traditional attributes, such as loyalty, individual competence, and diligence are no longer valued since their co-workers, who had displayed such traits, were themselves victims of downsizing. Survivor guilt mainly occurs when survivors perceive that their own performance merited no better treatment, than that accorded the downsized victims. Survivor envy: Feeling of envy towards the victims. Survivors presume that victims are able to obtain special retirement packages, financially lucrative incentives, and new jobs with more attractive compensation. In most cases, downsizing fails to address the ‘people factor’ effectively whereby the needs of the surviving employees are paid due attention. In many organizations, employees form social groups to fulfill their needs for affiliation. When any member of this social group is laid off, the remaining members see the procedure as unjust, even if the laid-off employee was incompetent for the job. This triggers the feeling of survivor guilt and resentment against the organization. In some cases, the survivors are asked to take broader and unfamiliar responsibilities as a part of efforts to cover the tasks previously performed by those who leave the company. This can lead to burnout, frustration, decline in creativity and trauma – all symptoms of the survivor syndrome. Survivors are reluctant to take up projects from which their peers or friends were laid off, since they feel that working on that project increases their chances of getting laid off as well. Survivor envy occurs when the victims get very generous rehabilitation packages from the organization. In this case, survivors see this as an unnecessary expenditure on behalf of the organization. Also, if victims manage to find new high-paying jobs in other organizations, survivors feel a sense of envy towards the victims. Psychological contract has been defined as â€Å"an individual’s belief in mutual obligations between that person and another party such as an employer†. Survivors of downsizing hold the organization responsible for breaking the psychological contract with the victims. Perceived violation of psychological contract might lead to a decrease in the employees’ organizational commitment and enhance their intention to quit their jobs and to look for alternative employment. On the other hand, some researchers have also found positive effects on survivors post downsizing. Survivors who feel that the top management has carried out the downsizing process justly, feel an increased sense of self-esteem at being retained by the organization and hence their motivation to work increases. These survivors do not view the process as threatening. If the reasons for downsizing are communicated beforehand, survivors tend to see the process as transparent and fair. Also, empowerment and job redesign gives survivors the confidence in their individual capacity to cope with the threat of downsizing and hence result in their exhibiting more progressive responses. Effect on implementers Consider the case of survivors in managerial position, who are the ‘implementers’ or ‘executors’ of the downsizing process. Studies have shown that their job performance and organizational commitment of managers suffers significantly following downsizing. Managers feel responsible for violating the ‘psychological contract’ with their subordinates. In some cases, the managers feel responsible for not providing enough training opportunities to the laid-off employees and hold themselves personally accountable for not guiding their subordinates correctly and not being able to avoid the layoffs. This is more likely to occur in Asian nations, where the feeling of ‘collectivism’ is high, as compared to western nations, where the feeling of ‘individualism’ reigns higher. The feeling of personal responsibility causes huge stress in the implementers of the downsizing process. To overcome this feeling and project an image of being just, most implementers start looking for options in other organizations. Alternately, managers try to rationalize their actions by devaluing and blaming the employees who were laid off. In some cases, the downsizing process implementation creates so much stress on managers that they tend to become hyper effective. They tend to think that all the roles that they should be playing are important and try to perform effectively in all dimensions. This normally results in burnout since the behavior cannot be sustained on a long term. Managers who are optimistic, have high future success expectancy, a high tolerance for ambiguity and a greater openness towards change are less negatively affected by downsizing than those who lack these emotional resources. In times of crisis like organizational change, ‘toxic handlers’ – managers who shoulder organizational pain by helping their co-workers deal with their workplace frustrations, sadness and bitterness, are better handled to act as implementers of downsizing. Negative reactions to psychological contract violation perceptions in implementers might be mitigated to some extent through good working relationships with co-workers, making conservative promises to new recruits which the organization can live up to, clear explanation with rationale for the downsizing decision, extensive and transparent communication with employees regarding the exact scope of the changed contract, evenhandedness in dealing with both survivors and victims, and encouraging cohesiveness and team spirit among employees. Thus, the actual downsizing procedure should be carried out only by those managers who have a high emotional quotient, to handle the various psychological effects and stress arising out of the implementation. Effects on organization Organizations report both positive and negative effects of downsizing. In many organizations, the anticipated economic benefits like lower expenses, higher profits, increased returns on investments and higher stock prices do not occur as expected. Also, other anticipated organizational benefits like lower overheads, smoother communication and increased productivity do not develop. On the contrary, downsizing causes increased turnover among the survivors as well. Hence, the organization also ends up losing valuable organizational memory, knowledge base and experience. In case of mass layoffs, downsizing leads to the loss of key talents and disappearance of crucial skills. Survivors who take over the jobs of their laid-off colleagues start feeling perceptions of job overload and lack of job clarity. When organizations downsize in response to decline in growth rather than a strategy to boost performance, the most competent employees quit voluntarily since they do not see any growth prospects in the organization and the relatively incompetent and inefficient employees get left behind. This further hastens the organizations decline. Organizations that carry out downsizing along with a reduction of assets show higher financial performance than other firms. So downsizing should be part of an overall restructuring package rather than a one-point solution to reduce organizational costs. Downsizing alone cannot ensure an improvement in a firm’s performance. The manner in which it is carried out plays an important role in the financial and operating performance improvement of the organization. 6. Survey Analysis and Results We conducted a survey of 100 people across various organizations varying from manufacturing to services and from public sector to private sector. We got varied responses with respect to our survey. We are presenting the analysis of the survey through different perspectives and are representing them through various charts. In the survey 34% of the respondents reported that the layoff they have seen in their professional life was mass layoff, whereas 64% reported cases of individual layoffs. [pic] The cases of individual layoffs were due to various reasons ranging from technical incompetence to distrust in the organizations core mission and its values. More than 40% of the individual layoffs were due to technical incompetence and 30% were the cases where there was distrust between the employee and his boss. In 10% of the cases, the employees were found to be engaged in anti organizational practices. In 10% of the cases the employees laid off were victims of politics in the organization. In some of these cases, they were part of the lobby that was working against the will of the ruling coalition, these were the employees who were holding important positions and were bottle neck in the process of decision taken by the department heads. The cases of mass layoff happened during the period of recession and due to major change in the technology. These cases happen when the industry was in a smooth phase and the company they were engaged was a middle level company and the company was unable to sustain the market pressures, these were the reasons that were given by the HR department of those organizations while laying off the employees. One of the questions in survey was regarding the effect of downsizing on the productivity and motivation of the remaining employees. 52% of the respondents reported that it did effect the employees productivity and motivation which led to increased absenteeism. The employees lacked focus while working atleast during the next month and a half, they had a notion that a similar thing can happen to them as well. They were psychologically effected when one of their close friends, who was among the employees who were laid off. [pic] Even after the mass layoff took place there were rumors in the organization regarding further such layoffs that can happen in future. Several employees tried to relocate to other organizations, some of them were ready even to join at less salary and perks in other organization. 0% of employees who felt demotivated after the layoff were those who some how felt that they are less technically competent or they lacked some of the basic skills such as communications. When respondents were asked whether they thought of quitting their job soon after the individual or a major layoff, the response varied. Some of them thought of quitting the job immediately and choose the next best possible option they had in hand. 52% of them were somehow indifferent to the recent layoff, they didn’t think about leaving the organizations due to mal effects of layoff. Some of the employees amongst them who held important positions in the organization, they were in positions of decision making or were close to the people who were decision makers. [pic] A high 18% of the respondents felt like leaving the organization within a month while 21% of them thought of biding their time and believing that will improve. They thought of leaving the organization in the next six months duration if the situation doesn’t improve. % of respondents plan to leave within three months. Almost 40% of these respondents actually left the job since they believe that this organization is not worthy enough to put their efforts in, as they felt that loyalty is not the virtue of praise in their respective organization. Among the respondents who planned to leave within a month, 60% of them have seen mass layoff. Hence, mass layoff is perceived as more of a breach of psychological contract between organization and the employees. [pic] The query posed to respondents was regarding whether the notice period was served to the outgoing employees or not. 21% of them replied no to the question. The outgoing employees felt the breach of psychological contract by the company, the same was felt by rest of the employees as well. Every employee seems to be of an opinion that the organization should have atleast given a one month’s notice to the employees. The HR department on the other hand felt that sometimes its inevitable to give notice period. There are several reasons for that, primarily they stressed high absenteeism by the employees and unethical behavior and practices including sexual harassment and other such personal inclinations. [pic] 12% of the respondents reported that the outgoing employee faced embarrassing moment while he was laid off. It includes being escorted by the security personal, personal abuses by the immediate boss and comments by the colleagues. Almost 30% of these employees were charge sheeted treated on the grounds of unethical behavior and 90% of these cases happened during individual layoffs. pic] One of the important area that needs to be addressed whether or not the company has taken due action to keep up the morale of the remaining employees and sideline the side effects of the layoff. 45% of the respondents responded that the due course of action was not taken by the organization. This somehow made them feel to plan to quit the organization. They somehow felt ignored and indifferent in the e yes of the management. Out of these 45% cases, 30% happened during the individual layoffs. The course of remedial action is expected from the organization especially in cases of mass layoff as it turns down the morale of the remaining employees and it further affects the productivity, absenteeism factor and the turn over ratio of the organization. 7. Process of Downsizing The most prominent reason for failure of downsizing is lack of preparations for this process. A successful downsizing process requires planning that begins long before the formal announcement. Downsizing project consists of four stages. These are 1. Making the decision to downsize, . Planning the downsizing, 3. Making the announcement, 4. Implementing the downsizing. [pic] Fig: The Stages in downsizing process. 1. Making the decision to downsize: The first step in the process of downsizing is making the decision to downsize. But, before making that hard decision, it is important to investigate all possible alternatives and use downsizing as a last resort. Various alternatives, such as: freezing hiring, ov ertime restriction, freezing salary, pay cuts, elimination of bonuses, shortening workweeks, unpaid vacations, etc. hould be tried before taking the decision. If the company considers all possible alternatives and find that they could not help to achieve company’s goals, it should consider forced layoffs and make the decision to downsize. The reasons for downsizing need to be clearly defined by management. Also, the decision to downsize should never be a short-term solution. It must be integrated into company’s vision that makes clear how downsizing will create a competitive advantage. The vision will help employees to understand why downsizing is necessary. It also helps employees to see a real future for themselves in the company. 2. Planning the downsizing: Before making the announcement of downsizing it is very important to make implementation plan. Some of the issues which have to be considered within planning the downsizing include the focus of the downsizing strategy, who should implement the downsizing process, how should the leavers be identified, what compensation will leavers receive and when will they receive it, how and when will the stayers` jobs be reorganized, what training will be necessary. In order to do this stage successfully, it is necessary to do activities such as: a) Form a cross- functional team: The team which will plan and implement the downsizing project should consist of many specialists who come from many functions: human resource, operations, finance, public relation, etc. The team should represent the interests of all members. Also, the team members should divide up the responsibility for communication to stakeholders. b) Identify all constituents: One of the first tasks of the team is to identify constituents who are affected by downsizing and to include their interests in implementation plan. The constituencies include: employees who will be laid off, survivors, shareholders, the community, etc. c) Use expert if it is needed: If there are some areas about which the team does not have enough information or knowledge (job retraining, financial counseling, etc. ) it will be necessary to engage experts from the outside. Outplacement companies can help employees to find new job quickly. d) Provide training for managers: By providing training for managers, they become able to communicate the downsizing convincingly, gain skills to deal with emotions of laid off workers, etc. ) Supply information about the business: By sharing information about the business employees will have full knowledge of the company’s finance and its activity and downsizing will become less a crisis and more an expected solution. Also, sharing sensitive financial or competitive data ensures employees that they can trust the management to be open and honest. 3. Making the announcement: The key activ ities to be taken care of while making the announcement of downsizing are, explaining business rationale, announcing the decision and notifying benefits. The management should explain the reasons for downsizing and the implementation process. By explaining the necessity of downsizing management can help employees see that downsizing is not caused by their contribution. The company should make the announcement simultaneously to all constituencies. Announcement should give information about downsizing benefits, separation process and the benefits and services for those who will be laid off. Also, at this stage it is important to communicate the company’s vision so that the employees who stay will know how downsizing will help the recovery of the company and to see themselves in companies` future. 4. Implementing the downsizing: The first three stages are very important for the effective downsizing, but the fourth stage is where former preparation and promises are to be realized. The key areas in the implementation stage are communication and employee involvement. At this stage it is important to tell the employees the truth about all their concerns and needs. The best is face-to-face communication. By honest answering, the management builds trust and the sense of necessity. A well implemented downsizing process requires the employees involvement, too. Remaining employees often have good ideas about restructuring their jobs and improving internal processes, so they should be involved in implementation phase. 8. Suggestions to improve the morale of survivors post downsizing The morale of the survivors post downsizing would be very low and the management should take enough care to improve the employee morale post downsizing. This can be achieved by proper planning, communicating and by maintaining an environment of trust. Some of the suggestions to improve the morale of the survivors post downsizing are: 1. Plan: The plan should be made by reviewing prior changes, analyzing how the changes were made and making corrections based on their assessment. This plan should include: redefined tasks and responsibilities; strategies to assist managers in helping surviving employees adjust to organizational changes; communications on why changes are necessary and how roles will change. 2. Communicate concisely, clearly and frequently: For both managers and â€Å"survivors† layoffs are emotionally draining experiences. It is often difficult for managers to know what to say and how to say it properly to those who are still with the corporation. Experts agree that it is better to communicate bad news when it is known than keep it waiting for a more appropriate time. At the same time the manager needs to communicate with the survivors how the organization plans to recover, the employees’ role in that recovery and why the changes are necessary. 3. Apply emphatic listening: Often managers are required to console or counsel with survivors of downsized organizations. Managers with strong Emotional Quotient (EQ) may naturally be able to empathize with and consol survivors. However, many managers may require some points on the importance of â€Å"listening emphatically†. Listening is trying to understand the ideas and feelings expressed by others. Good listeners use silence effectively. They postpone judgment about the other person’s feelings, attitudes and concerns until after they have completely heard the person. 4. Maintain an environment of trust: Managers must reinforce the trust factor since many survivors may feel emotionally disappointed. Employees must understand that the charge of the manager is to ensure the organization survives and must trust him to make and communicate the right decisions. 5. Keep Employees Grateful and Humble: The survivors should also be reminded that they should be thankful to have a job. By not filling those vacant positions there’s less competition for eventual promotions 6. Avoid Negative Feelings through Positive Motivation: The confused and vulnerable employees should be reassured that a change of job or an out-of-state position is the new learning curve they’ve probably needed. 7. Separate the Transitionally Displaced: Create a transition center for the dispirited who no longer have a job (but are still on payroll) that removes them from the rest of the company. Without distractions, these isolates will focus expeditiously on their future career plans. 8. Disinformation about restructuring: The information about the restructuring has to be kept as vague and inconsistent as possible. In fact, the more disinformation the better. A certain amount of uncertainty heightens group competition and, hopefully, will disorient your best people and/or intimidate them from leaving. 9. Create Social Diversions: Some diversionary event for should be planned for the beleaguered, â€Å"survivor shock† employees. 9. Conclusion It has to be noted that downsizing or any dramatic change will be met with an emotional response that will be as intense as the situation is threatening. In many cases people will feel victimized and will need to mourn their losses before they can move on. They should be handled properly and if possible, professional counseling should be given to them. 10. References †¢ Learning from the past – Downsizing Lessons for Managers, Franco Gandolfi †¢ Organizational Downsizing: From Concepts to Practices, Sanghamitra Bhattacharya and Leena Chatterjee †¢ Network Destruction: The Structural Implications of Downsizing, Priti Pradhan Shah How to cite Downsizing: Layoff and Employees, Papers

The Old Man And The Sea Essays (298 words) - English-language Films

The Old Man and The Sea The Old Man and The Sea I read this book for the first time in high school and I remembered it just as well as if I had read it yesterday. As I read it again I remembered some of the same language, especially the old man talking to his hands. Cursing his left hand when it cramped up on him like it was a separate part of himself and had a mind of its own was particularly interesting. We can see immediately in the beginning of the book that this old man is in a struggle to catch fish and hasn't done so for eighty four days. He leaves early on the eighty fifth day and by himself which is important because it defines the journey. He seems to be the pinnacle of the Hemingway hero, a culmination of a life time of writing that comes together in the portrait of Santiago. He is old, unlucky, humble despite is glorious past of fishing and el champion, trying to do the most he can from his weathered body. He has lived so much that he does not need to dwell on the past events or people he shared it with and is perfectly happy reading about baseball and dreaming about lions on the beach in Africa. The struggle between the marlin is a beautiful depiction of courage and resilience, but I begin to wonder who is hooked into who. The old man and the fish are one and their lives become connected through that line as they live each moment according to the other's actions. Even the old man is not sure who is better, him or the marlin, and he mentions several times they are not that different. And whether or not the sharks ate his fish, it only matters that the old man brought him to the boat and defeated him.

Revision Essential Strategies and Techniques

Revision Essential Strategies and Techniques Excellent Tips on Revision Almost everyone knows how important revision is. The majority of students are very diligent about it, but it does not always work out as planned. As is the case with every aspect of ones endeavors at study, it is important to plan revision time in advance and make sure the time available is well-organized. Revision serves the following purposes:To ensure you understand the subject matter or topic you are being examined on To ensure everything you have learnt is committed to memory To get some practice in developing study plans and answering exam questions.In order to do this, you need to put your notes in order e.g. any essay notes, class handouts, and so on. These should be arranged into cohesive and convenient sets. This article offers tips on:creating revision plans ensuring revision is productive effective techniques continual revision, e.g., throughout every term and continuously during the year.Creating Revision Plans As with many things, the key to success is good planning. Here is some useful advice:Draft a timetable for revision activities It is best to begin revising well before exams start 5 or 6 weeks beforehand at least. Set realistic goals according to the time available to you and do not forget to include periodic breaks. Look at revision tasks and balancethem Divide your topics up and allocate them to particular days, making sure there is plenty time for all revision tasks. Look at the available time and balance it out between your different subjects and/or courses. Try not to be neglectful about subjects you find especially difficult or easy. Identify all main subjects or topics Work out which subjects or topics need revising for every course. As an absolute minimum, you should aim to cover double the number of topics, as there are questions to be answered e.g. eight topics for a four-question exam. Topics should be chosen according to: A particular courses content Your particular abilities and areas of interest Previous test papers Organize all revision materials Most students collect a myriad of notes from lectures, seminars and classes as well as from textbooks and academic journals. Additionally, you may have reference materials, handouts and photocopied texts to go back over. On top of all this, you will need past test papers, course books, and so on. All these materials should be well organized in good time.Making Sure Revision is Productive Techniques The three main methods of revision are:Taking and/or making notes Committing to memory Writing model or practice answers.The next section looks at each of these methods separately: Taking or Making Notes Please refer to the Taking/Making Notes section on our writing services website for more in-depth information on this activity. During each academic term and indeed throughout the entire year, students usually take a lot of notes from various lectures, classes, seminars, and reading materials. Now that it is time for revision, your primary goal is to find the best ways to memorize these notes:Physically arrange all notes in a logical, clear and sensible way so that you can easily navigate your way through them. Next, read through all your notes, highlight key words and phrases, and mark out important themes. Make up a color code system whereby you allocate specific colors to particular themes or topics. Color association is a good way for memorizing material and compartmentalizing it in the mind. Rewrite your notes in more concise form, narrowing the content down into portions that are easier to manage and digest. Your goal should be to condense each set of topic notes so that they fit on an index-size card. This transforms notes into a memory aid rather than several pages of information, arguments, facts, and figures. Mind mapping, concept maps, and spider diagrams are useful ways of condensing a myriad of information onto one page. They are also a good aid to visual memory.Remember that less is a lot more where note taking is concerned, at least for the purpose of revision! Committing Material to Memory This is a task that cannot be avoided if you are to do well in your exams. You simply have to be able to remember your course material. Therefore, you need to find an effective way to do this. You may find the following techniques helpful:Look three or maybe four times at your different topic notes. This should help fix them in your memory more so than a one-off approach. Envision certain notes in your minds eye before looking at them. Then, while you are reading, any forgotten material will come to the fore. Another good memorization aid is theCornell approach. With this note-taking system, you simply cover half a page of detailed notes and try to recall the material from key words, phrases, and questions. The mnemonics approach is another method you might want to consider. Here, you take the initials or certain letters from a word or phrase to create memory associations. For instance, if your topic is Shakespeares Most Famous Comedies, you could use the word TALL to memorize some of the names of the great writers works e.g.: T= The Merchant of Venice A= As You Like It L= Loves Labors Lost L= Loves Labors Won Get a mental picture of your subject or topic. Continuing with the example above, you could form a minds eye picture of a Shakespearean character or play you have seen to make associations. Mind mapping, concept mapping, spider diagrams and similar techniques are good for initiating visual stimulation so that points and lists can be remembered more easily. With notes condensed to a compact level, it is usually helpful to look over these at the last minute. However, please note that trying to learn new exam material immediately before an exam is not very helpful because it can cause existing knowledge to be replaced and it can cause the learner to panic and become confused.Writing Model or Practice Answers A key element of revising is writing model or practice answers to expected exam questions. This method helps you memorize materials, improves your critical thinking skills, and provides exam practice. Check out the Essay Writing section of our website and try to condense the process we describe into abbreviated form. You could use the following steps as practice:Undertake an analysis of previous exam questions Look at the way questions are worded in previous examination papers. Can you see the problem, task and/or keywords? Can you tell which approach is required? To work out the precise meaning, try rephrasing the task or question in your own choice of words. Come up with ideas The majority of exam questions require five or six main arguments or points (at least) in their answers. Most times these should be obvious from your reading materials and notes. Otherwise, consider the what, who, when, where and why questions to generate ideas. Noted authors and controversial opinions What is the most prevalent thinking on a particular topic? Does this thinking share any important similarities or developments? Your essay will be much improved if you can briefly sum these up, particularly if they help you figure out your own position. Look at the problem from every angle There are topics that should or can only be viewed from one angle. However, your essay should be better quality and you should get the attention of your examiners if you consider your topic from other perspectives, where appropriate or relevant. Double-check your work Once your draft answers are ready, go back over them checking for mistakes, irrelevancies, and ways to make arguments stronger. Try writing in an exam environment For practice purposes, try writing at the same speed you would in an exam situation. If possible, ask for other peoples opinions on your answers. Your course tutor or friends may be happy to look over your work. Revise Throughout the Entire Year Do not make revision an attempt at the last minute to compensate for previous neglect. It is extremely easy to forget earlier work when topics succeed each other at a rapid pace. It can seem there is little or no time for revision, but you should keep an eye on upcoming exams throughout the entire college year. Write notes so that they are well organized, easy to read, and comprehensible. File and label everything neatly. Maintain reading lists and reference lists. Keep a stock of previous exam papers and questions. Make a note of any outstanding tasks and/or investigative work. Avoid letting work build up. Even when you put time aside for catching up, it might not be possible to get the reading materials you need close to an exam. Read back over your notes from time to time. Use them to get a view of your course as it is at any given point. Create links between what has already been taught and what is still outstanding. End-of-course lectures are a good way of getting last-minute tips and advice.If you find any particular element of your course especially confusing, take time to review textbooks, previous exam papers, and notes. Look at your course in its entirety and try to put everything into perspective. Talking to your tutors and attending introductory courses and lectures can also help.

Cancelación de visa por quedarse en EE.UU. más tiempo

Cancelacià ³n de visa por quedarse en EE.UU. ms tiempo Una de las formas ms frecuentes de  revocacià ³n o  cancelacià ³n una visa americana ocurre cuando un extranjero ingresa a Estados Unidos con una visa no inmigrante y prolonga su estancia ms all del tiempo de lo permitido. Asimismo, los turistas de paà ­ses incluidos en el Programa de Exencià ³n de Visados,–entre ellos Chile y Espaà ±a– y bajo el cual sus ciudadanos pueden ingresar a EE.UU. sin visa por un tiempo mximo de 90 dà ­as, pierden este privilegio si exceden su estadà ­a ms all de esos tres meses. Revocacià ³n visa por estancia ilegal en EE.UU. La presencia en EE.UU. ms all del tiempo permitido provoca cancelacià ³n/revocacià ³n visa. Adems, los turistas que ingresaron sin visa pierden ese derecho.Otras consecuencias:posible expulsià ³n o deportacià ³nimposibilidad de solicitar cambio visa o extensià ³nse limitan los caminos para regular la situacià ³ncastigo de 3 o 10 aà ±os, una vez que se est fuera de EE.UU.dificultad para volver a obtener una visa americanaSegà ºn datos del Departamento de Seguridad Interna, segà ºn datos de 2017, à ºltimo aà ±o fiscal disponible, se quedaron en EE.UU. ms all del tiempo autorizado:el 0,51% de turistas que ingresaron sin visa por el Programa de Exencià ³n de Visadosel 1,91% de extranjeros que ingresaron sin visael 4,15% de extranjeros que ingresaron con visa de estudiante F-1 Consecuencias por  permanecer ilegalmente en Estados Unidos   El tiempo que un extranjero no inmigrante puede permanecer legalmente en Estados Unidos y su periodo de gracia, cuando lo hay, est determinado por el tipo de visa que utiliza para ingresar. En el caso de los turistas con una B1/B2 el tiempo mximo de estancia est determinado en el I-94, registro de ingreso y de salida. En estos casos no hay periodo de gracia pero podrà ­a calificarse para solicitar una extensià ³n o, incluso, un cambio de visa. Pero si no se sale a tiempo la visa es cancelada. Por otra parte, en el caso de un turista internacional que ingresa a EE.UU. sin visa por ser de un paà ­s en el Programa de Exencià ³n de Visas el plazo mximo de estancia es de 90 dà ­as. No es posible ni pedir extensià ³n, ni cambio a otra visa. Tampoco aplica ningà ºn periodo de gracia. Una vez transcurrido el plazo que corresponde a cada persona segà ºn su tipo de visa, el extranjero se convierte en indocumentado si permanece en Estados Unidos. Es lo que se conoce en inglà ©s como visa overstay. Consecuentemente, podrà ­a ser expulsado o deportado, dependiendo de las circunstancias de cada caso. Sin embargo, existen excepciones como, por ejemplo, iniciar un trmite para ajuste de estatus o haber solicitado a tiempo una extensià ³n o un cambio de visa.   Adems de la consecuencia de la posible deportacià ³n, hay otras que deben ser tenidos en cuenta. En primer lugar, una vez que la visa se convierte en no vlida por haber abusado del tiempo permitido para permanecer en Estados Unidos ya no es posible pedir con à ©xito una extensià ³n de la misma o el cambio a otra   Adems, es muy importante que si se est en situacià ³n de indocumentado se cierran en la prctica muchas puertas a la posibilidad de obtener la tarjeta de residencia. La razà ³n es que no siempre es posible realizar lo que se conoce como un ajuste de estatus.   Por ejemplo, Antonio Alonso ingresà ³ a Estados Unidos con una visa de turista y se quedà ³ 15 meses ms all de la fecha autorizada. Despuà ©s se casa con Pili Pà ©rez, una residente permanente que lo pide como esposo. Al principio las cosas van bien porque el Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a aprueba la peticià ³n de familiar realizada con el formulario I-130. Pero despuà ©s la dura realidad se impone. Antonio no puede ajustar su estatus y tiene que salir de los Estados Unidos para completar el proceso en un consulado. Y allà ­ se encuentra con la negacià ³n de la peticià ³n de la green card y que tiene un castigo de 10 aà ±os por haber estado ilegalmente en los Estados Unidos. La situacià ³n serà ­a diferente si Pili Pà ©rez fuera una ciudadana estadounidense en vez de una residente permanente. Cabe destacar que la situacià ³n de indocumentado limita las posibilidades para regularizarse al impedir en muchos casos el ajuste de estatus. Por eso, si se tiene ese estatus es muy importante informarse muy bien sobre si para el caso particular que le afecta a uno es posible arreglar los papeles sin salir de Estados Unidos o no.  ¿Quà © sucede cuando se sale de EE.UU. pero se ha estado ilegalmente en el paà ­s? En este caso hay que distinguir dos situaciones: En primer lugar, cuando se ha estado en situacià ³n irregular en Estados Unidos por un total de menos de 180 dà ­as. En este caso es posible pedir inmediatamente una nueva visa. Pero hay que tener en cuenta que el consulado puede negarla muy fcilmente por considerar al solicitante como inelegible. Y eso es porque una de las razones por las que se puede decir no cuando se pide una visa es que el oficial consular crea que el solicitante tiene intencià ³n de quedarse en Estados Unidos.  Si ya lo hizo una vez,  ¿por quà © no va a volver a hacerlo? Por eso que no es tan fcil volver a sacar la visa. Pero desde luego que no es imposible ya que la estancia alargada fuera de plazo pudo deberse a una situacià ³n razonable que se puede probar, como por ejemplo, haber estado hospitalizado.   Tambià ©n puede ser que hayan transcurrido ya muchos aà ±os y la situacià ³n actual del solicitante, muy asentado en su lugar de residencia, permita suponer que de esta vez no se va a quedar en los Estados Unidos ni un sà ³lo dà ­a ms del autorizado. Subrayar que de acuerdo a la ley, cualquier oficial consular puede denegar una visa basndose en sospecha. No necesita probar nada. Es el solicitante el que debe probar ms all de toda duda que va a cumplir las leyes migratorias. En segundo lugar, si se ha estado sin autorizacià ³n en Estados Unidos por ms de 180 dà ­as aplica el castigo de los 3 o de los 10 aà ±os, si bien hay algunas excepciones. Este castigo implica que mientas se est cumpliendo una persona se convierte en inadmisible para ingresar a Estados Unidos. En otras palabras, mientras no cumpla su tiempo de castigo no puede pedir una visa y, si lo hace, ser negada. Sin embargo, en algunos casos extraordinarios es posible solicitar un permiso, que tambià ©n se conoce como waiver or perdà ³n y asà ­ se podrà ­a solicitar la visa antes de que transcurra todo el tiempo de castigo. Las condiciones para solicitarlo son diferentes segà ºn se quiera obtener una visa no inmigrante, por ejemplo la de turista, o una de inmigrante para obtener la green card, por ejemplo, en el caso de peticià ³n por parte de un familiar. En todos estos casos lo recomendable es consultar con un abogado migratorio reputado. No es fcil obtener un waiver y, ni siquiera es posible sacarlo segà ºn como sea el caso.   Finalmente, si se ha cumplido el castigo de los 3 o de los 10 aà ±os, es posible ya solicitar una visa no inmigrante o de inmigrante porque ha desaparecido la causa que convertà ­a al extranjero en inadmisible.   Sin embargo, tener en cuenta que para el caso de visa no inmigrante todavà ­a es posible que el cà ³nsul la niegue, precisamente alegando que se es inelegible. Es muy importe en estos casos poder demostrar que no se tiene ninguna intencià ³n de quedarse en los Estados Unidos ms tiempo del permitido y de que se tienen lazos econà ³micos y familiares fuertes en el lugar de residencia.  ¿Cà ³mo se notifica la cancelacià ³n de la visa? La cancelacià ³n de la visa se produce automticamente. Las autoridades estadounidenses no tienen obligacià ³n de comunicarlo. Lo mismo sucede con los nacionales de los paà ­ses del Programa de Exencià ³n de Visas. Pierden automticamente el derecho a ingresar a EE.UU. sin un visado, no siendo necesaria la comunicacià ³n a la persona interesada. Consejos para evitar tener problemas con las visas americanas La visa que mayores problemas causa es la de turista. Para evitarlos es conveniente tomar este test sobre cà ³mo obtenerla y conservarla. Adems, no conviene abusar de las frecuencias de los ingresos. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal para ningà ºn caso concreto.

Homework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Homework - Assignment Example For example a person who is in a bad financial situation will not be interested with the energy drink. Psychological factors include things like attitude and perception. For example, some people view energy drinks as unhealthy and un natural hence such people will not be interested in the drink. As a marketer, it is my duty to take advantage of these influences to make sure the energy drink gets a lot of consumers. I will do this by packaging the product in such a way it appeals to all social classes. This will ensure that all people from all social classes buy the drink. Considering the current economic times, I would also set the price of the energy drink to be as low as possible. This is to allow for people to afford it as it is certain that many people are facing economic hardships at this time. Hence the energy drink will attract a lot of consumers While advertising the product I will also make sure that all details of the drink are included in the advertisement. This includes sugar levels if any and advantages of the drink. This is to make sure that people understand the drink fully. This will help deal with psychological perception people have about energy

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Supply chain management - Essay Example 3.9 billion with the people employed by the company being 31,000 across the business (Argos, 2013). Being part of the Home Retail Group, it is among the United Kingdom’s leading general and home merchandise retailer. The company came into the limelight in July 1963 and Richard Tompkins was the founding member of the firm. During this time, he had already established the Green Shield Stamp which was based in the United Kingdom. The company started out as a stamp retailer shop but after Tompkins visited Argos City in Greece, everything changed. He embarked on selling gifts on cash. He later decided to rebrand the shop and named it Argos in 1973, July. The shop started out by making sales of ?1,000,000 the same year in November (De, 2011, Pg 25). BAT company purchased the shop in 1979 for ?32 million. It is at this time that the company resolved to always remain relevant in the market by embracing all the new initiatives in order to capture more clients. Literature review The boo k that gives a clear representation of the subject on chain supply theory is Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A., Johnston, R. & Betts, A. 2012. Operations and process management. 3rd edn, Prentice Hall/ Financial Times, London. It analyzes some of the processes that have been used by Argos and other companies in inducing the innovations of technology. The mechanism is taken into consideration in terms of social, economic and environmental prospective through the supply chain, which is in accordance with the proposals set to produce a sustainable development (Slack, Brandon-Jones, Johnston, & Betts, 2012 Pg 15). The book continues to implicate some of the roles initiated by companies in building their supply chain. The innovations correspond with new technological developments, which are used in representing the best initiative in promotion of development in companies. The book is also responsible for the avocation of the debate developed in association with sustainability, innovation and supply chain management, which are used in the concept of sustainable innovations (Slack et al, 2012 Pg 32). . The same model is used management, which is used in the gap for differentiating development initiatives and those that are seen to have flopped. The application in the book is used to explain the case studies of Argos and the manner in which the company uses the model to benefit themselves at the moment and the future. In the case study, one will realize that there is demonstration of sustainable innovations which are driven by the company at the focal representation (Jespersen & Skjott-Larsen, 2005, Pg 78). This is seen to be an establishment of engagement of its suppliers in the reduction of the negative environmental and social impacts responsible for life cycle of the product in the market. A thorough examination of the book further explains that there is a possibility of the implementation of the innovations will generate a beneficial concept which is associated with t he net environmental and social in all the major players and stages of the supply chain. It is clear that the term supply chain was rampant in the 1980s at the time that majority of the companies were fighting to join the major players in the global trade (Slack et al, 2012 Pg 72). . This has always been a word used in the implication of materials flowing from one

Women in the Workplace Essay -- Female Workforce Job Essays

In many cultures throughout the world women are patronized and viewed as the weaker sex. Women are commonly perceived as being unfit for any forms of higher education and because of societal pressure and expectations retreat to a life of raising children and cooking meals for their husbands. Our society’s stereotypical views about women’s suffrage, educational expectations and athletic abilities have all advanced over the years. In many aspects of our society, women are now expected to compete with their male counterparts. Currently, it is not uncommon to hear of a women CEO or Vice President in businesses or even a women politician. Women have now emerged from laundry rooms and kitchens across the country and changed the demographics of the American workforce. However women are yet to take the medical workplace by storm and redefine the preconceived notions society upholds about leaders in medical professions. To illustrate this idea I conducted an ethnographic study of a local dental office that I am employed at. I believe that the medical field has hardly been affected by the advances in women’s rights and is a common ground for the influences of gender stereotypes that have been outdated for many years in American culture. Going to the doctor can be a frightening experience for many people. Choosing a doctor is a difficult process that can result in a poor experience at the appointment or worse in some cases. First impressions play a large role in a patients response to the practice overall. â€Å"Great Smiles† focuses on this concept and shapes their office procedures to make all first visits a positive experience. This office is located on a busy main road in an upper class suburban area of Michigan. The buildin... ...orld and are no longer seen as the â€Å"weaker sex†. The inclining percent of women becoming doctors could be a large movement to a completely blended population of doctors to chose from. Women are learning that to avoid the control men can enforce on women in the medical workplace they need to strive for success in their profession. Many women may be happy assisting a male doctor but the growing number of female doctors illustrates the point that women want the power and control that their male counterparts currently maintain. Works Cited Jennifer. â€Å"Gender Relations and Alcohol: An Examination of The Cocktail Waitress: Women’s work in a Man’s World.†. December 9th, 2001. www.geocities.com/wellesley/6265/papers/gender/cocktailwaitress.html

Globe Theatre Essay

William Shakespeare was born on April 26, 1564. William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, an alderman and a successful glover originally from Snitterfield, and Mary Arden, the daughter of an affluent landowning farmer. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. He was the third child of eight and the eldest surviving son. Scholars have surmised that he most likely attended the King’s New School, in Stratford, which taught reading, writing and the classics. THEATRICAL CAREER Some of Shakespeare’s plays were published in quarto editions from 1594. By 1598, his name had become a selling point and began to appear on the title pages. Shakespeare continued to act in his own and other plays after his success as a playwright. EARLY WORKS With the exception of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare’s first plays were mostly histories written in the early 1590s. Richard II, Henry VI (parts 1, 2 and 3) and Henry V dramatize the destructive results of weak or corrupt rulers, and have been interpreted by drama historians as Shakespeare’s way of justifying the origins of the Tudor Dynasty. Shakespeare also wrote several comedies during his early period: the witty romance A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the romantic Merchant of Venice, the wit and wordplay of Much Ado about Nothing, the charming As You Like It and Twelfth Night. Other plays, possibly written before 1600, include Titus Andronicus, The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. LATER WORKS It was in William Shakespeare’s later period, after 1600, that he wrote the tragedies Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Macbeth. In these, Shakespeare’s characters present vivid impressions of human temperament that are timeless and universal. Possibly the best known of these plays is Hamlet, which explores betrayal, retribution, incest and moral failure. These moral failures often drive the twists and turns of Shakespeare’s plots, destroying the hero and those he loves. In William Shakespeare’s final period, he wrote several tragicomedies. Among these are Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. Though graver in tone than the comedies, they are not the dark tragedies of King Lear or Macbeth because they end with reconciliation and forgiveness. JULIUS CAESAR The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against the Roman dictator Julius Caesar, his assassination, and the defeat of the conspirators at the Battle of Philippi. It is one of several plays written by Shakespeare based on true events from Roman history, which also include Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra. THE TEMPEST The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place using illusion and skilful manipulation. He conjures up a storm, the eponymous tempest, to lure his usurping brother Antonio and the complicit King Alonso of Naples to the island. There, his machinations bring about the revelation of Antonio’s lowly nature, the redemption of the King, and the marriage of Miranda to Alonso’s son, Ferdinand. THE TAMING OF THE SHREW The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction,[1] in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunkentinker named Christopher Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself. The nobleman then has the play performed for Sly’s diversion. The main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship, but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments—the â€Å"taming†Ã¢â‚¬â€until she becomes a compliant and obedient bride. The subplot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina’s more desirable sister, Bianca. HAMLET The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge. Prince Hamlet exacts on his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet, Claudius’s brother and Prince Hamlet’s father, and then succeeding to the throne and taking as his wife Gertrude, the old king’s widow and Prince Hamlet’s mother. The play vividly portrays both true and feigned madness—from overwhelming grief to seething rage and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption. Hamlet is Shakespeare’s longest play and among the most powerful and influential tragedies in English literature, with a story capable of â€Å"seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others. â€Å"[1] The play was one of Shakespeare’s most popular works during his lifetime and still ranks among his most-performed, topping the Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance list since 1879. TWELFTH NIGHT Twelfth Night; or, What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–02 as aTwelfth Night’s entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play expanded on the musical interludes and riotous disorder expected of the occasion,[1] with plot elements drawn from the short story â€Å"Of Apollonius and Silla† by Barnabe Rich, based on a story by Matteo Bandello. The first recorded performance was on 2 February 1602, at Candlemas, the formal end of Christmastide in the year’s calendar. The play was not published until its inclusion in the 1623 First Folio. MACBETH Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare. It is considered one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies. Set in Scotland, the play dramatizes the corrosive psychological and political effects produced when evil is chosen as a way to fulfil the ambition for power. The play is believed to have been written between 1603 and 1607, and is most commonly dated 1606. The earliest account of a performance of what was probably Shakespeare’s play is April 1611, when Simon Forman recorded seeing such a play at the Globe Theatre. It was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book. It was most likely written during the reign of James I, who had been James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne in 1603. James was a patron of Shakespeare’s acting company, and of all the plays Shakespeare wrote during James’s reign, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright’s relationship with the sovereign. MERCHANT OF VENICE The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedyin the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare’s other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and is best known for Shylock and the famous â€Å"Hath not a Jew eyes? † speech. Also notable is Portia’s speech about â€Å"the quality of mercy†. The title character is the merchant Antonio, not the Jewish moneylender Shylock, who is the play’s most prominent and most famous character. THE COMEDY OF ERRORS The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare’s early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors (along with The Tempest) is one of only two of Shakespeare’s plays to observe the classical unities. It has been adapted for opera, stage, screen and musical theatre. The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identitieslead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession. POEMS In 1593 and 1594, when the theatres were closed because of plague, Shakespeare published two narrative poems on erotic themes, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. He dedicated them to Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. In Venus and Adonis, an innocent Adonis rejects the sexual advances of Venus; while in The Rape of Lucrece, the virtuous wife Lucrece is raped by the lustful Tarquin. Influenced by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the poems show the guilt and moral confusion that result from uncontrolled lust. [124] Both proved popular and were often reprinted during Shakespeare’s lifetime. A third narrative poem, A Lover’s Complaint, in which a young woman laments her seduction by a persuasive suitor, was printed in the first edition of the Sonnets in 1609. Most scholars now accept that Shakespeare wrote A Lover’s Complaint. Critics consider that its fine qualities are marred by leaden effects. The Phoenix and the Turtle, printed in Robert Chester’s 1601 Love’s Martyr, mourns the deaths of the legendary phoenix and his lover, the faithful turtle dove. SONNETS Published in 1609, the Sonnets were the last of Shakespeare’s non-dramatic works to be printed. Scholars are not certain when each of the 154 sonnets was composed, but evidence suggests that Shakespeare wrote sonnets throughout his career for a private readership. Even before the two unauthorised sonnets appeared in The Passionate Pilgrim in 1599, Francis Meres had referred in 1598 to Shakespeare’s â€Å"sugred Sonnets among his private friends†. Few analysts believe that the published collection follows Shakespeare’s intended sequence. He seems to have planned two contrasting series: one about uncontrollable lust for a married woman of dark complexion (the â€Å"dark lady†), and one about conflicted love for a fair young man (the â€Å"fair youth†). It remains unclear if these figures represent real individuals, or if the authorial â€Å"I† who addresses them represents Shakespeare himself, though Wordsworth believed that with the sonnets â€Å"Shakespeare unlocked his heart†. The 1609 edition was dedicated to a â€Å"Mr. W. H. â€Å", credited as â€Å"the only begetter† of the poems. It is not known whether this was written by Shakespeare himself or by the publisher, Thomas Thorpe, whose initials appear at the foot of the dedication page; nor is it known who Mr. W. H. was, despite numerous theories, or whether Shakespeare even authorised the publication. Critics praise the Sonnets as a profound meditation on the nature of love, sexual passion, procreation, death, and time. ESTABLISHING HIMSELF By 1597, 15 of the 37 plays written by William Shakespeare were published. Civil records show that at this time he purchased the second largest house in Stratford, called New House, for his family. It was a four-day ride by horse from Stratford to London, so it is believed that Shakespeare spent most of his time in the city writing and acting and came home once a year during the 40-day Lenten period, when the theatres were closed. By 1599, William Shakespeare and his business partners built their own theater on the south bank of the Thames River, which they called the Globe. In 1605, Shakespeare purchased leases of real estate near Stratford for 440 pounds, which doubled in value and earned him 60 pounds a year. THE MERMAID TAVERN GROUP About this time Shakespeare became one of the group of now-famous writers who gathered at the Mermaid Tavern located on Bread Street in Cheapside. The Friday Street Club (also called the Mermaid Clu was formed by Sir Walter Raleigh. Ben Jonson was its leading spirit. Shakespeare was a popular member. He was admired for his talent and loved for his kindliness. Thomas Fuller, writing about 50 years later, gave an amusing account of the conversational duels between Shakespeare and Jonson: â€Å"Many were the wit-combats betwixt him and Ben Jonson; which two I behold like a Spanish great galleon and an English man-of-war; Master Jonson (like the former) was built far higher in learning; solid, but slow, in his performances. Shakespeare, with the English man-of-war, lesser in bulk, but lighter in sailing, could turn with all tides, tack about, and take advantage of all winds, by the quickness of his wit and invention. † Jonson sometimes criticized Shakespeare harshly. Nevertheless he later wrote a eulogy of Shakespeare that is remarkable for its feeling and acuteness. In it he said: Leave thee alone, for the comparison Of all that insolent Greece or haughty Rome Sent forth, or since did from their ashes come. Triumph, my Britain, thou hast one to show To whom all scenes of Europe homage owe. He was not of an age, but for all time! Sweet Swan of Avon! what a sight it were To see thee in our waters yet appear, And make those flights upon the banks of Thames, That so did take Eliza, and our James! WRITING STYLE William Shakespeare’s early plays were written in the conventional style of the day, with elaborate metaphors and rhetorical phrases that didn’t always align naturally with the story’s plot or characters. However, Shakespeare was very innovative, adapting the traditional style to his own purposes and creating a freer flow of words. With only small degrees of variation, Shakespeare primarily used a metrical pattern consisting of lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter, or blank verse, to compose his plays. At the same time, there are passages in all the plays that deviate from this and use forms of poetry or simple prose. Shakespeare combined poetic genius with a practical sense of the theatre. Like all playwrights of the time, he dramatised stories from sources such as Plutarch and Holinshed. He reshaped each plot to create several centres of interest and to show as many sides of a narrative to the audience as possible. This strength of design ensures that a Shakespeare play can survive translation, cutting and wide interpretation without loss to its core drama. As Shakespeare’s mastery grew, he gave his characters clearer and more varied motivations and distinctive patterns of speech. MARRIAGE AND LIFE IN LONDON In 1582, when he was 18, he married Anne Hathaway. She was from Shottery, a village a mile (1. 6 kilometers) from Stratford. Anne was seven or eight years older than Shakespeare. From this difference in their ages, a story arose that they were unhappy together. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born in 1583. In 1585 a twin boy and girl, Hamnet and Judith, were born. What Shakespeare did between 1583 and 1592 is not known. Various stories are told. He may have taught school, worked in a lawyer’s office, served on a rich man’s estate, or traveled with a company of actors. One famous story says that about 1584 he and some friends were caught poaching on the estate of Sir Thomas Lucy of Carlecote, near Warwick, and were forced to leave town. A less likely story is that he was in London in 1588. There he was supposed to have held horses for theater patrons and later to have worked in the theaters as a page. By 1592, however, Shakespeare was definitely in London and was already recognized as an actor and playwright. He was then 28 years old. In that year Robert Greene, a playwright, accused him of borrowing from the plays of others. Between 1592 and 1594, plague kept the London theaters closed most of the time. During these years Shakespeare wrote his earliest sonnets and two long narrative poems, ‘Venus and Adonis’ and ‘The Rape of Lucrece’. Both were printed by Richard Field, a boyhood friend from Stratford. They were well received and helped establish him as a poet. RELIGION Some scholars claim that members of Shakespeare’s family were Catholics, at a time when Catholic practice was against the law. Shakespeare’s mother, Mary Arden, certainly came from a pious Catholic family. The strongest evidence might be a Catholic statement of faith signed by John Shakespeare, found in 1757 in the rafters of his former house in Henley Street. The document is now lost, however, and scholars differ as to its authenticity. In 1591 the authorities reported that John Shakespeare had missed church â€Å"for fear of process for debt†, a common Catholic excuse. In 1606 the name of William’s daughter Susanna appears on a list of those who failed to attend Easter communion in Stratford. Scholars find evidence both for and against Shakespeare’s Catholicism in his plays, but the truth may be impossible to prove either way. SHAKESPEARE PROSPERS Until 1598 Shakespeare’s theater work was confined to a district northeast of London. This was outside the city walls, in the parish of Shoreditch. Located there were two playhouses, the Theatre and the Curtain. Both were managed by James Burbage, whose son Richard Burbage was Shakespeare’s friend and the greatest tragic actor of his day. Up to 1596 Shakespeare lived near these theaters in Bishopsgate, where the North Road entered the city. Sometime between 1596 and 1599, he moved across the Thames River to a district called Bankside. There, two theaters, the Rose and the Swan, had been built by Philip Henslowe. He was James Burbage’s chief competitor in London as a theater manager. The Burbages also moved to this district in 1598 and built the famous Globe Theatre. Its sign showed Atlas supporting the world. Shakespeare was associated with the Globe Theatre for the rest of his active life. He owned shares in it, which brought him much money. Meanwhile, in 1597, Shakespeare had bought New Place, the largest house in Stratford. During the next three years he bought other property in Stratford and in London. The year before, his father, probably at Shakespeare’s suggestion, applied for and was granted a coat of arms. It bore the motto Non sanz droict–Not without right. From this time on, Shakespeare could write â€Å"Gentleman† after his name. This meant much to him, for in his day actors were classed legally with criminals and vagrants. Shakespeare’s name first appeared on the title pages of his printed plays in 1598. In the same year Francis Meres, in ‘Palladis Tamia: Wit’s Treasury’, praised him as a poet and dramatist. Meres’s comments on 12 of Shakespeare’s plays showed that Shakespeare’s genius was recognized in his own time. HONORED AS ACTOR AND PLAYWRIGHT Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603. King James I followed her to the throne. Shakespeare’s theatrical company was taken under the king’s patronage and called the King’s Company. Shakespeare and the other actors were made officers of the royal household. The theatrical company was the most successful of its time. Before it was the King’s Company, it had been known as the Earl of Derby’s and the Lord Chamberlain’s. In 1608 the company acquired the Blackfriars Theatre. This was a smaller and more aristocratic theater than the Globe. Thereafter the company alternated between the two playhouses. Plays by Shakespeare were also performed at the royal court and in the castles of the nobles. After 1603 Shakespeare probably acted little, although he was still a good actor. His favorite roles seem to have been old Adam in ‘As You Like It’ and the Ghost in ‘Hamlet’. In 1607, when he was 43, he may have suffered a serious physical breakdown. In the same year his older daughter Susanna married John Hall, a doctor. The next year Shakespeare’s first grandchild, Elizabeth, was born. Also in 1607 his brother Edmund, also a London actor, died at the age of 27. GLOBE THEATRE The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare’s playing company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend and grandson Sir Matthew Brend, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642. A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named â€Å"Shakespeare’s Globe†, opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet (230 m) from the site of the original theatre. The Globe was owned by actors who were also shareholders in Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Two of the six Globe shareholders, Richard Burbage and his brother Cuthbert Burbage, owned double shares of the whole, or 25% each; the other four men, Shakespeare, John Heminges, Augustine Phillips, andThomas Pope, owned a single share FAMOUS QUOTES All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. – Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. – Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. – Listen to many, speak to a few. CRITICAL REPUTATION Shakespeare was not revered in his lifetime, but he received a large amount of praise. In 1598, the cleric and author Francis Meres singled him out from a group of English writers as â€Å"the most excellent† in both comedy and tragedy. And the authors of the Parnassus plays at St John’s College, Cambridge, numbered him with Chaucer, Gower and Spenser. In the First Folio, Ben Jonson called Shakespeare the â€Å"Soul of the age, the applause, delight, the wonder of our stage†, though he had remarked elsewhere that â€Å"Shakespeare wanted art†. FIRST FOLIO Mr. William Shakespeares’ Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies is the 1623 published collection of William Shakespeare’s plays. Modern scholars commonly refer to it as the First Folio. Printed in folio format and containing 36 plays (see list of Shakespeare’s plays), it was prepared by Shakespeare’s colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell. It was dedicated to the â€Å"incomparable pair of brethren† William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke and his brother Philip Herbert, Earl of Montgomery (later 4th Earl of Pembroke). Although eighteen of Shakespeare’s plays had been published in quarto prior to 1623, the First Folio is the only reliable text for about twenty of the plays, and a valuable source text even for many of those previously published. The Folio includes all of the plays generally accepted to be Shakespeare’s, with the exception of Pericles, Prince of Tyre and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and the two â€Å"lost plays†, Cardenio and Love’s Labour’s Won. W. W. Greg has argued that Edward Knight, the â€Å"book-keeper† or â€Å"book-holder† (prompter) of the King’s Men, did the actual proofreading of the manuscript sources for the First Folio. Knight is known to have been responsible for maintaining and annotating the company’s scripts, and making sure that the cuts and changes ordered by the Master of the Revels were complied with. DEATH Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 and was survived by his wife and two daughters. Susanna had married a physician, John Hall, in 1607, and Judith had married Thomas Quiney, a vintner, two months before Shakespeare’s death. In his will, Shakespeare left the bulk of his large estate to his elder daughter Susanna. The terms instructed that she pass it down intact to â€Å"the first son of her body†. Shakespeare’s will scarcely mentions his wife, Anne, who was probably entitled to one third of his estate automatically. He did make a point, however, of leaving her â€Å"my second best bed†, a bequest that has led to much speculation. Some scholars see the bequest as an insult to Anne, whereas others believe that the second-best bed would have been the matrimonial bed and therefore rich in significance. Shakespeare was buried in the chancel of the Holy Trinity Church two days after his death. The epitaph carved into the stone slab covering his grave includes a curse against moving his bones, which was carefully avoided during restoration of the church in 2008.