The Tower Of London Essay -- essays research papers

The Tower of London The Tower of London, the oldest fortified palace in Europe, was built by William the Conqueror in the late 1000's. It has served as a fortress, prison, palace, and the final resting-place of many people ("Tower of London" Encarta 1). Its history is full of amazing and horrific stories of life and death. To truly appreciate this magnificent group of structures a look must be taken into its history through it's architecture, uses, and those held in the prisons and dungeons. The Tower Of London is not actually one tower, it is a group of 13 towers located on 7.5 hectares of land known as Tower Hill ("Tower of London" Encarta 1). To the south of the tower is the Thames Rivers, which used to feed a moat that was drained in 1830. The general shape of the tower is a square with two lines of defensive walls surrounding it. The outer wall is defended by six towers on the river face, and there are two semi-circular bastions at the northeast and northwest corners (Tower of London Virtual Tour 3). The original tower, also known as the White Tower, is flanked by four turrets (Encarta 1). By looking carefully at the architecture of the tower you can see the painstaking workmanship put into every little detail. The group of thirteen towers collectively known as the Tower of London has five areas, which are especially interesting. One such tower was...

Explain how the part of Macbeth should be played to show Essay

Explain how the part of Macbeth should be played to show how he reacts to events and how his relationship with Lady Macbeth develops in this scene. Act two scene two is very significant to the play, as this is where the tragedy of Macbeth really begins. Up until then, Macbeth can still change his mind, but after this scene there is no going back for either him or Lady Macbeth. It marks the point when Macbeth changes from a national hero, loyal to his King and country, into a liar, a murderer and a traitor who embarks on a course of evil that will eventually cause his death. All of this takes place because of ambition, both his own and Lady Macbeth’s. The scene is highly dramatic and full of tension, and although we do not actually witness the murder of King Duncan, it has to be the most violent and intense part of the play. This is the first of many murders to come, and we can only guess that Shakespeare chose to have Macbeth kill Duncan offstage to increase the tension by letting the audience use their imagination to supply the bloody details. The story so far is that Macbeth and Banquo, co-leaders of the Scottish army, whilst returning from a successful battle, are met by three â€Å"weird sisters†. These sisters, who would definitely have been thought of as witches by Jacobean audiences, give several prophecies in the form of riddles, predicting that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, and later King. Macbeth recoils at this news, and it could be interpreted that this is because he has already a great ambition to become King, and hearing the witches voice aloud what he has been pondering shocks him. They tell Banquo that he will not be King, but that his children will be Kings in the future. They also predict that he will be â€Å"lesser than Macbeth and greater, not so happy and yet much happier†. Later, Macbeth finds that he has been made Thane of Cawdor and because of this, begins to seriously consider the possibility of becoming King. When Duncan names his son Malcolm as heir to the throne, Macbeth’s hopes are dashed. He sees Malcolm as â€Å"A step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies.† Lady Macbeth receives a letter from her husband telling her of the prophecies and his new title. She is determined to help him become King, and when he returns home, she persuades him to kill Duncan, who will be staying with them overnight. Macbeth later chickens out, and so Lady Macbeth agrees to do it. Why then, at the start of the scene do we see Lady Macbeth waiting for her husband to return from killing the King? This would have confused the audience greatly, and increased the tension in the scene. The scene takes place at night, with the darkness representing what is unnatural, cruel, and evil. The curtains would open on Lady Macbeth, standing outside in the courtyard, anxiously pacing up and down carrying a candle. The only other light would be a thin beam of pale blue moonlight. Light represents good, and the light from the candle would show hope, the small chance that Macbeth could still go back and change his mind. There would be lots of shadows cast around the stage, and at the start of the scene, Lady Macbeth would emerge from the darkness in order to represent her guilt. There would also be fleeting silhouettes of birds and animals glimpsed, making Lady Macbeth jump, illustrating her paranoia that they will be caught. These animals could be familiars of the witches, which would show their supernatural influence over everything evil. There shouldn’t be any sound; the theatre should be deathly quiet in order to create the atmosphere of tension in the castle, as the Macbeths would be terrified of someone awakening. By now, the audience would be on the edge of their seats wondering if Macbeth will actually have the nerve to murder his own King. In the audiences view at the time, after committing treason, anything else would be a lesser sin. This was because Jacobeans believed that the whole universe had an order to it, decided by God. Anything unnatural was against this divine order. Kings were second only to God, so a crime against a King would have been a crime against God. Satan had rebelled against God directly, so therefore, he was responsible through witches and evil spirits etc., for all attacks on this divine order. As Lady Macbeth paces about in a nervous state, awaiting Macbeth’s return, she reveals that she has drugged the guards’ hot drinks. She doesn’t know if what she has given them will kill them, and she remarks that they are on the borders of life and death, that death and nature are locked in a battle over them. She should speak in a confident voice as she says that she has been â€Å"made bold† by â€Å"that which hath make them drunk†, meaning alcohol has steadied her nerves. However, all this confidence is shattered when an owl shrieks, and Lady Macbeth jumps, shouting â€Å"Hark! Peace!† Her relief should be visible when she realises what made the noise, and she goes on to make a sinister comparison between the owl and the â€Å"Fatal bellman† who was paid to ring a bell outside the condemned cell of Newgate prison in London at midnight before an execution. On the last line of her speech, on the word â€Å"die†, we would hear the wind blow and Lady Macbeth’s candle would extinguish. This is the actual moment of Duncan’s murder, and the candle going out represents the end of all hope that Macbeth will change his mind. We would hear loud footsteps, and then a nervous, fearful voice exclaim â€Å"Who’s there? What ho?† The person speaking should not be visible to either Lady Macbeth or the audience, making the tension of the scene come to a climax. Lady Macbeth, on hearing this voice, should start frantically looking around and walk even faster, shaking her hands in a state of sheer panic. Her voice should be trembling as she goes over the preparations she had made to ensure that everything would go according to plan. She had laid the daggers ready, so how could Macbeth have missed them? She is sure that they will be caught because Macbeth has botched the murder up in some way. This shows that she already distrusts him, and that cracks in their relationship are now beginning to form. She tries to justify her reasons for not killing Duncan herself as she had promised, saying, † Had he not resembled my Father as he slept, I had done’t† This means that she couldn’t bring herself to kill Duncan, because he looked so much like her own Father as he slept. The audience has now been provided with an answer as to why it is Macbeth who kills Duncan, and not her. It also shows Lady Macbeth’s true character, and that she doesn’t really know herself as well as she thought she did. She had thought that she would be able to steel herself to do what was needed by â€Å"unsexing† herself, and â€Å"replacing her milk with bitterness†. Unfortunately for her, when it came to the crunch, she couldn’t do it. This small reminder of Lady Macbeth’s humanity helps us to empathize more with what happens to her later on in the play. When Macbeth enters, she should run up to him with relief. Macbeth however, should turn away from her and stare into space with his hands trembling. His voice should be full of horror as he chokes out â€Å"I have†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..† and then he should pause, as if to search for a word to describe the unspeakable crime that he has committed. He finally comes up with â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦done the deed.†, a euphemism, as he can’t actually bring himself to say that he has killed the King. Here, the audience would share in Macbeth’s complete horror at his crime. Then, he should come out of his trance, turn to Lady Macbeth, and grab her shoulder roughly with one hand as he asks her urgently if she heard a noise. Their next few lines are syncopated and monosyllabic, and should be said with highly charged emotion and edgy nervousness. As they say them, they should move closer together and hold each other, as though giving each other support, but they should not look at each other. Instead, they should be frantically looking around into the shadows, paranoid that they will be caught. The fact that Macbeth still holds the daggers intensifies the uneasiness felt in the scene. His hands are covered in blood, making the drama explosive. When Macbeth sees the blood on his hands as he points toward the second chamber, he should shudder as he says â€Å"This is a sorry sight†. His voice should be full of remorse for what he has done, and he should hang his head with shame and regret. His hands should be shaking. Lady Macbeth tries to reassure him, saying, â€Å"A foolish thought to say a sorry sight†. This should be said in a falsely bright tone of voice, as if to say â€Å"Look this is what we wanted, now you can fulfil your dream of becoming King.† However, Macbeth pays her no attention, as thoughts of the murder plague his mind. He should appear transfixed, and very troubled by his actions, as he stares back into space, and tells himself more than Lady Macbeth, about the two people who woke up and prayed, while he was walking past their door. As he says these lines, he should raise his voice, and begin to talk frantically, ignoring Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth, while he is doing this, should be worried about someone hearing him, and anxiously trying to shut him up. She should be following him around the stage, but not looking at him. She should be more preoccupied with looking around into the shadows, anxious about getting caught. Macbeth should shout the words â€Å"hangman’s hands† in horror, and look at his hands, which should now be shaking uncontrollably. He should say the words â€Å"but wherefore could I not pronounce ‘Amen’?† quieter and pleadingly, and fall to his knees in anguish. He should be nearly in tears as he says the next lines â€Å"I had most need of blessing and ‘Amen’ stuck in my throat† , meaning that he would need a blessing for what he was about to do, but he obviously was not given one as he could not pronounce the word â€Å"Amen†. He has now realised that he is damned to Hell for the terrible crime he has committed. Lady Macbeth should not go to her husband as she says â€Å"These deeds must not be thought of after these ways; so, it will make us mad.† She is trying more to convince herself than Macbeth, and these lines are ironic as later on in the play it is her who goes mad and eventually commits suicide. Macbeth’s nervous ramblings are full of guilt and remorse as he uses several metaphors for sleep, and realises that he will never again sleep peacefully because of what he has done. He likens sleep to the main course of a meal, the â€Å"chief nourisher in life’s feast†, and says that sleep is â€Å"the death of each day’s life†, meaning that after having slept, we are reborn each day and can make a new start. The mysterious voice he thought he heard may have been his own guilty conscience, but the words it spoke may also have been another of the witches chilling prophecies. â€Å"Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more†. This makes the audience think once more about the theme of the supernatural depicted throughout the play, and lighting or sounds could be used to convey this, such as a witches cackle after Macbeth has said this line, or a silhouette of the witches gathered around a c auldron could be flashed quickly across the stage. With these words about hearing a voice, Lady Macbeth should turn quickly to Macbeth and say the line â€Å"What do you mean† sharply. She thinks he means that someone saw him and knows what he did. Her voice should be on edge and harsh. Macbeth can’t seem to hear her and just ignores her, saying his next lines in a demented tone of voice, still on his knees. Lady Macbeth should then drag him to his feet and shout at him â€Å"Who was it that thus cried?† urgently. Then, realising that it wasn’t a real voice, and remembering that they don’t want to get caught, quietly tries to get him back on track, and firmly tells him to get some water and â€Å"wash this filthy witness from your hand†. As she looks at his hand, she should grab it with a disgusted facial expression. Then it should change to a look of shock, as she sees the daggers, now together in his other hand, and says, in a quivering voice â€Å"Why did you bring these daggers from the place?† The daggers are a visual reminder of what they have done, and Lady Macbeth should close her eyes and swallow after saying this, as if to try and rid herself of a mental picture of what the bloody scene would look like. Then she should get herself together, as she tells Macbeth to return the daggers to the murder scene and smear the King’s grooms with blood. She should say this firmly, but in a voice that shows she can’t believe that Macbeth would be so stupid as to bring the daggers away with him. Macbeth should shout, â€Å"I’ll go no more† desperately, then should say his next lines quieter, in horror and again nearly in tears. Lady Macbeth is really annoyed with Macbeth when she says â€Å"Infirm of purpose† but she should say it in an angry loud whisper instead of shouting, as if to remind him that they need to be quiet so they don’t get caught. Then she should turn away and muster up her courage before saying, â€Å"Give me the daggers† in a resigned tone of voice. She should turn to him and try to take them, but she would have to force them from him, as Macbeth would be gripping them tightly. When she gets them, she should pause, and then say as if to herself â€Å"The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures. ‘Tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil.† This means that there is no reason to be afraid of a dead body, because it is only a representation of a living person and it can’t hurt you. It’s like a picture of something scary like the devil. Only children should be afraid of a picture of the devil. She is again trying to convince herself more than her husband when she says this and is trying to steel her nerves to visit the scene. She should look back at Macbeth and say her next lines overconfidently, as if she is trying to prove that she is not afraid, when in fact she is. As she exits she should have her back to the audience so they cannot see her face but her shudder should be visible as she carries the daggers to Duncan’s room. Macbeth should hardly notice his wife’s exit as he is too caught up in his guilt and depression. When the tension is increased yet again by the sudden loud knocking on the door, he should jump up in alarm. He should shout his line â€Å"Whence is that knocking?† in a petrified voice with an unnerved look in his eyes. Then he should fall to his knees and cover his face distraughtly with his hands, as he says â€Å"How is’t with me, when every noise appals me?† When he sees his bloody hands, he should pull them away, jump to his feet and shout his next line, â€Å"What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes.† He should close his eyes as he says it, and hold his hands out in front of him in desperation, as if when he opens his eyes the blood will be gone, and it will all have been a dream. We should be able to see his self-hatred as he continues with his nervous ramblings and puts his head down in misery. As he says â€Å"This my hand† he should speak in a disbelieving tone of voice, that says he can’t believe it really is his hand th at killed Duncan. When Lady Macbeth re-enters, she should walk slowly with her head down and she should speak sadly. As she hears the knocking she should jump, and then get moving to get rid of the evidence. In her highly nervous state, she is aware that it is still possible that their acts may be discovered. She says â€Å"A little water clears us of this deed† which is a direct contrast with what Macbeth said earlier, about a whole ocean not being enough to clear the blood from his hands. She speaks again in a falsely bright tone, but also anxiously, as she is trying to hurry while washing her hands. When we see what happens later on in the story, we see the irony in these lines as it is her who sleepwalks in the night, washing her hands over and over, reliving this night in an attempt to cleanse herself of the guilt. With the repetition of the knocks, Lady Macbeth becomes more and more agitated and she should speak in a very highly pitched and nervous voice. However, she still manages to keep her head and tries to speed up Macbeth, who appears to be losing his mind. She tries to usher her disturbed husband to their chamber, where they can rid themselves of the signs of their guilt, but he is still in turmoil over the events of the night and keeps staring into space. In the end, she literally has to drag him off stage. As Macbeth says his final line, he should turn to the direction from which the sound of the knocking is coming and shout in utter despair â€Å"Wake Duncan with thy knocking, I would thou couldst.† His remorse is now at it’s peak, and as the scene ends, the audience would probably be speechless. This scene is definitely pivotal to the story of Macbeth, as everything else that happens throughout the entire play seems to be a result of, or revolve around this particular scene. Not only is it important because it contains the first murderous act, but it also conveys to the audience the beginning of the rapid disintegration of the relationship between the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Their relationship changes in this scene from a trusting one in which both considered each other equal, into one where they lie to each other and neither of them involves the other in their actions. All of the themes of the play are illustrated in this single scene; treason, the supernatural, ambition, light vs. dark, and good vs. evil, and this also shows just how important the scene is. It provides the events on which the whole play is based and after it has taken place, nothing is the same.

Effects of H-1B Visa Program on Employment and Wage in the United States Essay

The United States is the most powerful country in the world. Its dominant culture, military, and economy make it the most influential nation across the globe. The power of the US doesn’t only come from its native citizens but also from the foreigners who come to its shores every day to work and live there. These people play a very significant role in driving the US economy. A number of national programs have been developed in order to influence the influx of these people into the US. One of those programs is called the H-1B visa program. The program, which allows foreigners to work in the US, has critical effects on various sectors of American society, but especially the economy. Based on the data that have been so far collected, it is clear that the H-1B visa program, in terms of employment in the technology sector, is important in maintaining the status of the country as a leader in science and technology. However, the H-1B visa program may also have negative effects on the wage of native citizens because they would have to compete with the low wages of foreign workers. Many companies in the US needed temporary workers, so the H1 category of non-immigrants was created under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. Unlike immigrants, non-immigrants only stay in the US temporarily to accomplish a specific purpose, for instance, education or work. The current H1-B visa program of the United States was created through the Immigration Act of 1990 and the amendment of the 1952 act. The result of the amendment was a program that allows an employer to temporarily hire a foreigner to work in the US provided that he’s under the category of non-immigrants. Also, the worker must have a specialty occupation or be a fashion model with exceptional ability and merit. The law describes a â€Å"specialty occupation† as something that requires theoretical and practical application of a specialized body of knowledge. The worker must also have a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in specialties such as business, biotechnology, education, health care, medicine, and sciences. The H1-B program currently limits the number of foreign nonimmigrant workers in the US to 65,000 per year (Bartik et al. 134). H-1B’s cap has not always remained the same, however. Congress increased it to 115,000 in 1998 for fiscal years 1999 and 2000. Then in 2000, Congress increased it even further to 195,000 for the 2001 fiscal year. It was maintained during 2002 and 2003, and was slashed to 65,000 again from 2004 onward. Not all foreign workers are affected by the cap, however. The H-1B Visa Reform Act of 2004 states that foreign workers employed by institutions of government research organizations, institutions of higher education and NGOs are exempt from the cap. Also, a separate cap of 20,000 exists on petitions that are filed on behalf of foreigners with master’s or higher degrees earned in the US (Bartik et al. 135). Recently, lobbyists composed of universities and members of the technology industry are pushing for a huge increase in the annual cap of H-1B visas. They argue that H-1B visas otherwise known as â€Å"guest worker visas† serve a crucial role in driving the economy, especially in the high technology sector. According to them, there is a systemic shortage of American engineers and scientists in the country. There is a very high demand domestically for these highly skilled workers and the small supply cannot fill that gap. The only way to solve this problem therefore is through the import of foreign workers through the H-1B visa program (Hira et al. 150). These lobbyists argue that they will be forced to resort to outsourcing jobs to foreign engineers and scientists in their home countries if the H-1B cap is not increased. They also claim that the visa program actually serves as a tool for the country to gather the best and the brightest highly skilled workers in the world. This is supposedly a result that is to be expected if the cap on the H-1B visa program is increased (Hira et al. 150). There are many evidences for the advantages brought about by hiring foreign workers in the technology sector. For example, a 2008 study by the National Research Council looked at the effects of hiring H-1B workers by large US companies Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Motorola/Freescale, Intel, and IBM. Of the five companies, IBM employed the most number of H-1B workers, granting almost 4,000 in five years. Most applications in the company stated a range of earnings of about $82,072. This was considerably bigger than the other four companies’ average minimum earnings. The researchers thought that the applications were for jobs that were not chip-related since IBM had become a software company from a hardware company (National Research Council and National Academy of Engineering 152). It is clear from the example above that foreign workers in the technology sector do indeed get attracted to the United States through H-1B visas. IBM was hiring more foreign workers than anybody else in the group, and these people were earning higher. However, there are still many â€Å"experts† that love to criticize the H-1B visa program. John McCain and Edward Kennedy defended the H-1B visa program in 2006. The two senators supported the immigration bill that passed the Senate and insisted that their bill required employers to search for workers in the US first. However, their bill actually didn’t have any of these provisions (Hira et al. 152). Indeed, it’s a common misconception that the current law instructs US companies to look for workers in the US first. Many government officials also have this incorrect belief. Senator Norman Coleman, for example, says that he supports the issuance of H-1B visas as long as a number of conditions are met. One, the employer must show that there is not enough US workers qualified for the position; two, that the employer has not laid off a US worker 90 days before or after hiring a foreign worker; three, the employer must demonstrate that they tried to hire US workers before foreign workers; and finally, that the recruitment of H-1B workers will not have adverse effects on the waves, working conditions, and job opportunities of US workers. Even then Senator Barack Obama thinks that the H-1B policy aims to exhaust all means of recruiting US workers before foreign workers. He believed that hiring H1-B workers should be a last recourse for American employers (Hira et al. 152). The truth is however, that the provisions mentioned by the two people above actually don’t exist for the majority of employers who use the H-1B visa program. Even Obama’s wish that employers should hire foreign workers as a last option is not practiced in the real world (Hira et al. 152). Also, according to market indicators, there is not enough evidence of a systemic shortage of resident engineers and scientists in the US, one of the main arguments of lobbyists for the increase in H-1B cap. Also, earnings and wage growth have been moderate and more or less the same as other professions. The unemployment rate, while it sharply increased during the dot-com bubble, has now fallen. Researchers have also supported the idea that there is little evidence of shortage in high technology jobs. Private surveys and public data are also conflicting when it comes to determining shortages. Trade surveys show there are indeed shortages, but public data indicate the opposite (Bartik et al. 137). Determining shortages in scientists and engineers is a real problem because any increase in the number of H-1B visas issued by employers alone is not indicative of a systemic shortage. Other factors contribute to perceived shortages, for example, the growing significance of foreign students in American institutions. These are foreign students who remain in the United States after they graduate to convert their student visa to a working visa. Other equally important factors include: economic growth, cyclical demand in IT industries, especially during the 1990s, and even backlogs in the application process for permanent visa. Employers today are constantly hiring H-1B workers, but that is clearly not enough reason to increase the cap on H-1B visas. Aside from the effects it will have on the wages and earnings of American workers, the increased cap will create some problems in the permanent residency part of immigration because there are already backlogs there (Bartik et al. 137). The influx of H-1B workers into the United States has been going on vigorously since the 1990s. During that time, about 30 million people were able to stay in America through nonimmigrant admissions. The fastest growing nonimmigrant admissions fall under categories where a foreigner first applies as a temporary foreign worker or student. He then tries to find a US sponsor to able to obtain the immigrant visa. Between 1992 and 1998, the number of foreign students admitted into the country with F1 visas rose from 53% to 565,00. The number of trainers and temporary workers also increased from 128% to 372,000 during that period of time (OECD 35).

Ronald Reagan and the Rise of the Radical Right essays

Ronald Reagan and the Rise of the Radical Right essays Religious and Secular Conservative Politics in America 1960 and its subsequent decades proved to be a remarkable time for the world in general, but very specifically for America. The first Roman Catholic president was elected; the birth control pill was introduced, and we confronted the question of nuclear war. We also saw the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-War Movement and the Womens Rights Movement as we learned first-hand and up close and personal about civil disobedience and political assassinations. During this period, the conservative right was an anti-communist movement that promoted conservatism in government; increased military spending; withdrawal from the United Nations and reducing government funded social programs. They viewed the student demonstrations against the Vietnam War as a communist plot, as were the Civil Rights Movement and the Womens Rights Movement. Conservative Americans called the changes that we sought, and the questions that we asked, un-American and un-patriotic. Eisenhower had disappointed the conservative right. William Buckley charged that he had done nothing for the Republican Party and nothing to develop a Conservative Republican philosophy of government and had, in fact, left the New Deal policies of FDR intact. The election of Kennedy had been a move away from the status quo of the Eisenhower years. He established the Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt the chair. The Supreme Court issued its ruling banning prayer in public schools. The FDA approved the sell and marketing of the birth control pill. The Equal Pay Act, the first major legislation against sex discrimination was passed and other initiatives for combating sex discrimination were being discussed. The Berlin Wall was build and American pilot Frances Gary Powers was shot down in the U-2 spy plane incident. Perhaps mo...

Change Management in Mobinil Essays

Change Management in Mobinil Essays Change Management in Mobinil Essay Change Management in Mobinil Essay The aim of this project is to present and analyze Organization development that take place in Mobinil 3 years ago First, We will start with an introduction about Mobinil on which we will describe Mobinil mission and vision as well as Mobinil’s 5 brand values (seek excellence – friendly – dynamic simple -human)ending by the Mobinil code of conduct. In the second part, will describe why the organization needs change. While in the third part , we will describe the planned model of change starting by entering and contracting with one of the famous consulting group in the work â€Å"capgemini† , then the practitioners start to make the environmental analysis for Mobinil as a company before making a SWOT analysis for the HR department describing the main strength, weakness, opportunities and threats for the HR in Mobinil, then making the diagnosis for the HR department on which we will focus on the coming pages. The consultant then put the proposal for how the HR department should be. we will discuss Mobinil Hr department in terms of: Mobinil HR mission Mobinil HR commitment Mobinil HR strategies Mobinil HR role and objectives Mobinil HR organization chart Mobinil HR activities guidelines And finally ending by evaluating the current change. 2-INTRODUCTION Since its inception in May 1998, Mobinil has strived to maintain its position as the leading Mobile service operator in Egypt. Honoring the trust of more than 25 million customers, Mobinil is committed to being the leading Mobile service provider in Egypt, providing the best quality service for our customers, the best working environment for our employees, top value for our shareholders, and proudly contributing to the development of the community. Mobinil shareholders, Orange and Orascom Telecom Holding are international leaders in the realm of telecommunication. Mobinil has benefited from years of experience in an international context to become the largest wireless service provider in the Middle East. Over the past ten years, Mobinil has delivered on its promise to millions of customers, whose confidence in the reliability of our services has reinforced this solid leadership position. This confidence was reaffirmed in a recent nationwide survey by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority [NTRA], where Mobinil customers reported over 97% satisfaction rate in the products, services, and customer service levels offered during 2007 Mobinil is committed to provide the best working environment for over 2000 employees. Mobinil offers an open, challenging and dynamic environment with opportunities of growth not to be found by any other employer in the region. When you are reaching for excellence, you have to build a foundation of excellence. Mobinil’s well-trained and highly skilled employees experience the challenge of working in the most dynamic global industry mobile communications. Vision â€Å"To be part of peoples daily lives by providing reliable and simple products and services that help people interact and communicate better† Mission To maintain our position as the leading mobile service provider in Egypt, providing the best quality service to our customers, the best working environment for our employees, top value for our shareholders and proudly contributing to the development of our community â€Å" Mobinil 5 brand values Mobinil is a reflection of our desire to be part of peoples daily lives. The way we do things internally impacts our services and customers. Mobinil val ues do not only reflect Mobinil identity, but also shape our corporate culture. Seek Excellence Our passion to excel makes our customers at the heart of our business, offering them the best services and the best value for money. We work professionally, push for quality, value loyalty and never settle for anything less. We adopt the highest standards of service to each and every customer, internally or externally. We continuously advance our professional knowledge and capabilities to maintain the competence required to provide top-quality results. Friendly We enjoy working and succeeding together by building good working relationships in a friendly and positive work environment. We enjoy serving our customers and we are delighted when we make them happy and satisfied. We treat everyone with the respect and dignity we desire for ourselves. Dynamic We are passionate about our business and we are committed to meeting the changing needs of our customers. We are trend-setters in everything we do and we work passionately to bring the future to the hands of our customers in a fast-moving, high-tech telecommunications market Simple We communicate with clarity and simplicity. We are always straightforward and easy to understand. We satisfy our customers in the most simple and convenient style. We are committed to ensuring utmost efficiency in all our processes, to ensure we work smoothly and effectively. We say simply and clearly what we do and we ensure that we do what we say Human We genuinely believe in our role to help create a brighter reality for our community. We are proud to be a responsible corporate citizen caring for the public good. The aim of our Corporate Social Responsibility programs is to give back to our community, provide a sense of hope, and bring out our humane side We have a responsibility to balance the needs of our stakeholders as well as meeting our social, ethical and environmental obligations. Corporate responsibility is an integral part of our strategic planning and daily activities. Code of conduct The code of conducts outlines the share set of values that should guide each and every Mobinil employees at any level, from the most junior to the most senior, in their day-to-day work and conduct. This set of values should be adopted individually by employees and collectively by teams, departments, and the company as a whole, Mobinil values are based on human values as devotion to service , honesty, trust cooperation, transparency, respect and tolerance . See appendix (1) for more Details 3- WHY THE COMPANY NEEDED CHANGE In the latest quarter reviews, top management realized that revenues are decreasing and that they are rapidly losing market share to the competition. Competition was found to be greater innovators and having a faster new product to market cycle. In addition, NTRA, the governmental authority controlling the telecom market is putting more pressure on the telecom operators. And finally they realized that the demand of the clients is becoming more sophisticated, and traditional ways of doing business will not allow the company to move further with the same previous rates of growth and success. Accordingly Naguib Sawiris decided that serious change is required. In the general meeting he publicly announced that radical and fundamental change needs to take place. He encouraged all management to Participate In the change process, and at the same time delivered a subtle threatening message to those whom will not get on board the wagon. Mobinil contacted everal OD consultants, and after thorough analysis of the proposals received they decided to go ahead with two reputable OD practitioners: 1- CAPGEMINI 2- Blue Sky We will describe the action taken by the first one focusing on the HR department 4-ENTERING AND CONTRACTING Mobinil has set different criteria to choose the company with which they will do this major step, and they have asked for a technical, financ ial bedding to choose upon the main provider or external OD practitioner. The main intervention was meant in the HR management including a Techno structural Interventions After many meetings, presentation and discussions Capgemini was chosen by Mobinil , they sat with the Mobinil top management to define the main objectives of the change and they agreed that the main objective of the change is turning Mobinil into a competitive advantage in order to compete and generate more revenue to achieve the main vision and mission for the company . They put a time limit of 6 months in order to finish the evaluation of the current status then to discuss it with the top management. Capgemini will get in return about I Million US$ after finishing and implementing the change process. 5-DIAGNOSIS Capgemini started the diagnosis with 2 steps: * First : PESTAL or environment analysis for the forces affecting Mobinil operation * Second: understanding how Mobinil is currently functioning and providing the information necessary to design change interventions focusing on the HR Department A- PESTAL Analysis On the PESTAL analysis, we will describe all environmental forces affecting Mobinil operations as a leading mobile network Competitive Forces : Currently Vodafone and Etisalat represent the major competitors for Mobinil in the mobile operator services. Vodafone is one of the world’s leading Operator Companies, offering an extensive range of service, including voice and data. Established in 2000 in Egypt with a very good network efficiency perception, Vodafone always reacts towards its competitors in terms of offers and services, rarely though does it make its own offers, yet when it does make its own offers they are usually very attractive. Etisalat is the newest operator in the Egyptian market, with a perception of changing the market competition. In addition, it’s the first operator in Egypt providing 3G network with all its application from high data speed and video calling. It seems that no other major competitors will appear in the future; in spite of the existance of telecom Egypt (fixed phone), different internet providers and main mobile retails could be to some extent competitors but each in its own market. * Economic Forces : Egypt is considered one of the developing countries. Egyptian economic indicators are as below -Gross Domestic Product = $142. 8billion GDP per capital = $ 1,870 Real GDP Growth (%) = 3. 2 Share of Private Sector in GDP= 62. 5 billion Unemployment (%) = 10. 6 Inflation rate = 23 % These indicators will drive all mobile operators working in Egypt to offer the lowest price in order to match with the bad economic conditions as most of Egyptian population are pessimistic although mobiles represents one of the luxury and Self-actualization needs. Most of the Egyptian population has a week buying power meanwhile; they have a high spending pattern for mobiles * political forces From 1981, there wasn’t any change in the political environment except some fluctuations between the opposition parties, but with no obvious effect on the political life in Egypt Egypt is currently overhauling its political and democratic systems with the purpose of deepening democracy, promoting freedoms, upholding law and advocating respect of human rights * legal and regulatory forces Pursuant to Law No. 0/2003, the NTRA (National Telecom Regulatory Authority) is in charge of monitoring and protecting competition policy in the Telecom market. Accordingly the NTRA sets the limits for free competition, which if exceeded will result in the occurrence of monopolistic practices in any of the fields regulated by Law. A general framework for free competition policy is issued by NTRA to determine the policy to be followed to ensure a free competitive a nd liberalized environment. * Technological forces Due to the high technological development, mobile technology has developed during the last decade from 2G to 2. G and currently all operators are using the 3G technology with all its parents 3. 5 and 3. 75. Moreover, all operators are now using different software programs in order to have a CRM System. * Socio-Cultural forces With a population exceeding 80 Millions, living on 1 Million square kilometers; Egyptian population is distributed between 43% urban and 57% rural. Egyptian population is divided into different segments in terms of demographical aspects. Demographic indicators show that 58% of the population is under 25, allowing for a better opportunity for consumption. On the other hand, indictors show that adult literacy rate is 57%. Over the years, studies have proven that the Egyptian society is a consumption-driven more than being a production-driven society. For millennia, Egypt maintained a strikingly complex and stable culture. B-Understanding the HR Department CAPgemini made a one to one interview with every staff member, supervisor, manager, and even department head in order to know the daily operations, current process, and provide suggestions for change . After gathering data for over 3 months, they found the below points:- * Lack of alignment within the different departments, and lack of buy-in of the department heads and accordingly with the associates for the overall vision of the company * Telecom industry is a very dynamic field that needs a fast track HR management to bring onboard the best in class employees to enable the growth of the company. This vision was not there in Mobinil as the HR lacked focus, and activities ended up being handled by one person. Lack of clear HR objectives that meet the employee’s expectations; hence employee satisfaction was low, causing a high turnover rate. * Recruitment was influenced by personal relations, creating frustration and lack of trust among employees. These personal relations also spilled over into the evaluation and compensation systems. * From the above, the promotion and bonus criteria and metrics were not clearly stated nor communicated to employees, creating high frustratio n and low morale. * Lack of planning and job forecasting for the full time employees needed on the short and long term basis. No benchmark for the salaries and compensations between Mobinil and the market, creating a large gap between the pay in Mobinil and its competitors. * All training taking place in Mobinil was ad-hoc, with no clear planning or career path development goals. 6- PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING CHANGE after finishing the diagnosis, Capgemini suggested that the HR department must have a clear mission and objectives. On the next few papers, we will elaborate all the suggestion about HR department in Mobinil done by capgemini HR Mission To foster a challenging, productive, fair, firm and ethical work environment, in which all employee thrive, by offering the best human resources service possible â€Å" HR Commitment to Mobinil employees Mobinil believes that their employees are the most valued asset. Mobinil ability to succeed depends on the integrity, knowledge, skills, diversity, and teamwork of their employees. They are shaping a challenging, fair, firm, and productive work environment, which emphasizes mutual respect and teamwork. They strive to reward high performance and we promise to be responsive to the needs of their employees. The company is committed to providing equitable compensation, excellent working conditions, and a fair atmosphere with great opportunities for professional growth. Equal employment opportunity Mobinil is an equal opportunity employer and we pride ourselves with the Equal Employment Opportunity policy (EEO). All employment applications are considered without regard to age, gender, religion, disability, or marital status. Tolerance and Diversity Mobinil respect others; tolerate differences; and believe in the power of diversity. They strive to create a culture where tolerance and respect exist between employees. The diversity of people brings strength to Mobinil team. Regardless of their differences in backgrounds, roles, age, gender, religion, or physical ability, they all bring value to the company through our work. They shall tolerate and respect our diversity and differences and treat each other fairly. Respect for people They should respect each and every person we interact with during our business dealings including customers, employees, suppliers, and all parties that have a business relationship with the company. They should consistently treat others with the respect and dignity which we desire for ourselves. The company operates a defined contribution pension plan for its employees, in addition to the statutory insurance scheme required by law. Employees who choose to subscribe to this plan pay 3% of their basis salary into the plan. The company will contributes an amount equal to 10 % of the employee’s basic salary to the plan The company has no liabilities or commitment to the plan beyond its defined contribution . employee who leaves through resignation or retirement receive their entitlements for the pension plan according to its terms based on year of services 4- Performance evaluation management: In order to Maintain and enhance growth and development of Mobinil employees. The performance of every employee is measured through setting performance objectives â€Å"What Formsâ€Å" and development of competencies â€Å"how Forms â€Å" What Form: responsible for measuring individual objectives as well as department objectives and its impact on the yearly profit share. KPI’s are set by the head of each department to be approved by HR How Form: responsible for measuring the individual development and its impact on the annual increase of the basic salary. KPI’s are set by HR department 7-EVALUATION AND INSTITULIZATION OF MOBINIL HR DEPARTMENT The evaluation was done in 2 steps: First: Evaluation analysis done by capgemini after the intervention Second: employees online survey to asses the new change of HR First: Evaluation analysis * Strength a well known mission and strategy for the HR department * appropriate management style giving employees a chance to express their point of view * appropriate organizational structure that facilitates k nowledge * a powerful training program * good motivation tools * weakness * late promotion due to setting a maximum of 8% annually of Mobinil staff to be promoted * no formal declaration for the dividends distribution * doesn’t put into its plan the development of second line responsible * no replacements for the people who resign * Depending on a lot of contactors especially in sales and customer services. * the severe intervention in every single detail, even in the operations * opportunities * very good opportunities for growth * very good reputation in the market, which facilitate the recruitment for caliber and a lot of fresh graduates * threats the appearance of Etisalat with its strategies for hunting the calibers in Mobinil * the existing of a lot of old staff whom transfered from Egypt telecom with minor management skills * incapable to compete with the new packages in the telecommunication market * Weak retention plan for resigned staff. * the composition of the compensation committee with 2 members only without putting any solution in case of conflict Second: Employees survey After the announcement of the new change and the importance of it in order to increase Mobinil performance and efficiency; a survey was uploaded on Mobinil intranet to ask people about their perception of the change . The results were unexpected as it showed the following: the new change increased the staff moral as they feel that the company can compete in the new market which affected their productivity and loyalty * they showed understanding for the need of change and gave full support, and they felt that this change was made not only for the shareholder but for the sake of all Mobinil members and stake holders * the change increased the companies transparency in terms of hiring, promotion, compensation package and profit share distribution * the change lead to increase in market share becoming the lea ding company in Egypt and helped increase the staff moral which was reflected in their productivity and efficiency. the survey showed that the new job descriptions helped to minimize the time for searching who is responsible for what as it contained clear responsibilities and authorities for every one working in the HR department * creating the new mission and commitment for HR department helped to achieve the companies over all mission and vision * A new culture has been created among all departments that the HR department has changed for their benefit not against them, as the previous culture before the change, and it increased inter and intra departmental communication 8-Conclusion After all of the above mentioned steps and details of the project that has been implemented, it was very clear that the change was really needed and felt in the organization. Despite the fact that many of the old stuff were very much resisting to the change especially that those people was with the owner hand in hand to build this giant organization, yet the top management was clear enough from the beginning and cascade the message clear that this change should happen and everyone should adhere to the recommendation done by the consultancy. As Mobinil noticed the importance of such a step, they were very cautious in choosing the OD practitioners , they set a clear criteria to chose among them. And they have set a good budget to be invested in such a step. Later on a clear contract and agreement with the OD practitioner was made that serves to make sure that both parties was clear in terms of expectations, resources, time and outcome of the project. That was a core stone to smooth on the whole process later on. The diagnostic phase which was a critical one took 30% of the time where the OD practitioner has meet with almost all the HR staff and the top management to make sure that they have got all the need information, unbiased and direct to serve the purpose of the project. Along with the analysis of the data collected was taken care by the company and they have came to the recommendation to the top management. Here the role of the communication was clear to cascade it to the key stakeholders, they buy in was critical and in manay cases they threaten them. The intervention was partially general standard models and part was tailored for Mobinil and it was focusing on the HR management and the technostrutural interventions. After the implementation majority of the stakeholders and people affected by the project, which happen to be almost all the employees has really touched the importance of taking such an important step and it is really affecting positively their lives and their day to day life. Now we can say that they major initiative has helped Mobinil to maintain its leadership position in the market, it has decreased the turnover of the employees from more than 27% to now less than 10% after the implementation by 8 months. Now the HR is one of the successful departments in the organization and it is well known in the market to be one of the very effective departments in the whole market. That is really the role of the big giant company to educate the market and here is Mobinil playing this role and taking advantage of being the first mover. End of document

Absolutism under Louis XIV

Louis XIV lived from 1638- 1715 and became the king of France in 1654. At the time he became king, France was financially ruined, politically corrupt, and divided between warring nobles and private armies and under the threat of riots from the people, especially in Paris. Louis XIV was an absolute monarch. Absolutism is the system of rule that allows one or more rulers to maintain absolute power over everything in the land. There is no higher power and even the Parliament could not overrule Louis’ decisions. As absolute monarch, Louis XIV set about reforming the state politically, economically and culturally. Louis XIV’s absolute monarchy had three components: Centralization- this meant that the monarchy was the center of everything. All decisions from the monarchy were undisputable and final. All counties and villages were expected to follow this rule to create a united state and a centralized leadership. Economic reforms- â€Å"Under the guidance of Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-83) a modern system of accountancy and yearly state budgeting was introduced. Colbert also supervised systematic attacks on corruption, removing, punishing, or paying off office holders. He also introduced tax reforms ending exemptions, tax-farming, and military collection of taxes and state support for industry, science, trade, and the arts. As regards the operations of the state, Colbert raised government income to the point when it could pay for quite massive expenses. Government subsidizing and directing of industry and manufacture increased productivity, raised wages, and brought France into the trade wars with the English and the Dutch. Colbert, like many French officials, repeatedly remarked that the inhabitants must pay the tax not only because it would raise additional funds, but also because paying the levy was the obedience which is due His Majesty. [1] â€Å"Theater of Monarchy†-this is the public representation of royal power and glory. Under the theory of absolutism, sovereignty is grounded in God, not the people. The glory of the monarch is, as it were, the earthly point at which is expressed both the glory of the state as a social whole ordered around and dependent upon the monarch and the glory of God from whom the monarch derives power and role. It was therefore important to show, through royal events and presentations, the state as personified by the king. Louis XIV distinguished between â€Å"nature as it ought to be†, as ordained by God, and â€Å"nature as it is†, disrupted by human activity. As the new, distant and mysterious God no longer intervened directly in the natural order, it fell to the monarch to uphold â€Å"nature as it ought to be† and prevent it disintegrating into disorder.   [2] One of his reforms began with the acquisition of the providence of Roussillonnais in 1659, which was inhabited by a specific ethnic group known as the Catalans. Louis XIV understood that there can be no shared political allegiance without shared cultural values. Thus a government, if it is to exercise its political authority in an area, must first make the region culturally homogeneous with the ruling nation. Louis XIV undertook to replace the Catalan ethnic identity with the French one, mandating the foods, clothing, legal system, language, educational institutions, and religious traditions that should be used in the province.  Ã‚   [3] The Catalans did not agree with Louis and made it clear with smuggling, legal battles and even open rebellion. They wished to maintain their own culture and laws and did not want to accept the monarchy as their ruler. Like all peasants, they were reluctant to pay taxes to the monarchy and many turned to smuggling as an alternative.   By the 1680’s, however, Louis XIV and his government were successful in achieving their goal of political assimilation. The Roussillonais had accepted France as their political rules but continued to conduct their legal, commercial, judicial, and religious business in the Catalan language, continued to dress as Catalans, to give their children Catalan names, and to celebrate traditional feasts. They were quite firmly French in a political sense, and equally firmly Catalan in their culture.  Ã‚   [4] A trend that began in the 17th century was for the ruler to govern from one location versus the many homes and palaces of the past. Louis XIV was one such ruler, moving from the royal palace of the Louvre in Paris to a permanent home in Versailles. It was from this location that he ruled France for his entire reign. Louis XIV was also known as the â€Å"sun king† due to his use of the symbol as his personal emblem. As the highest star, now accepted by science as the centre of the universe, the sun was an obvious choice to symbolize absolutism’s claim to constitute the political centre of earthly life. The sun was both terrifying and awe inspiring, dazzling through its brightness, yet also warming and beneficent, and without its presence all life would whither away. [1] David Stewart, Assimilation and Acculturation in Seventeenth-Century Europe: Roussillon and France, 1659-1715 (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997) 39, [2] Peter H. Wilson, Absolutism in Central Europe (London: Routledge, 2000) 5. [3] David Stewart, Assimilation and Acculturation in Seventeenth-Century Europe: Roussillon and France, 1659-1715 (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997) 1. [4] David Stewart, Assimilation and Acculturation in Seventeenth-Century Europe: Roussillon and France, 1659-1715 (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997) 9.

Emily Dickinson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Emily Dickinson - Essay Example She spent much of her childhood and on writing letters to her friends and numerous poems. When Emily was only fourteen, she witnessed the death of her second cousin and close friend, Sophia Holland, and became traumatized. Her parents sent her away to live with family in Boston, where she was able to get proper treatment and recover from the horrific event. After she returned home to Amherst, she also returned to school, where she made numerous friends and correspondences, and found solace in her church. When she completed her time at the Academy, she briefly attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, which was short lived due to a mixture of Emily’s failing health and her distaste for the evangelical fervor of the school. She returned home and became, more or less, domesticated, cleaning and cooking for her family. At eighteen, Emily was introduced to Benjamin Franklin Newton, who, according to letters written by Emily herself, was believed to play a large role in the majority o f Emily’s writing as she grew older. He encouraged her writing, sharing with her his belief that she had what it took to be an accomplished, published poet. It was Newton that introduced her to other famous writers and poets, such as William Wordsworth, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Lydia Maria Child. Unfortunately, Newton died not too long after from tuberculosis, and Emily’s brother took on the role of ensuring that his sister got all the books she could possibly want, including many works by William Shakespeare. In 1850, Emily’s emotional and mental states took a turn for the worst. In a span of just a few years, Emily lost a handful of close friends to various illnesses. As a result of these deaths, Emily withdrew into herself, keeping out of sight and sound of society. Emily continued to write her poems, though they focused greatly on the subject of death, which came as no surprise. However, the first half of the 1860s, the years following these deaths, â€Å"p roved to be Dickinson’s most productive writing period (Habegger 405).† In the later half of the 1860s, though, Emily became even more withdrawn, never leaving the house unless she absolutely needed to; even her poems became few and far between. In the mid-1870s, Emily lost both of her parents, as well as a few more close friends, plunging her into an even greater depression, where she remained until she died on May 15, 1886, from Bright’s disease. Emily was considered to be an intelligent poet due to the unique ways in which she wrote her poetry. They contained short lines, slant rhythm, unconventional capitalization and punctation, and they seldom had titles (McNeil 2). Emily often rejected pentameter, preferring to use trimeter, tetrameter, and dimeter, the use of all of these is considered to be irregular. She was also used dashes in the place of periods or commas, which would often increase the moods of her poems. The majority of her poems dealt with death a nd immortality; Emily viewed the latter as something attainable through her writing, which was also a thought she conceived during her brief friendship with Newton. Common themes include the use of flowers and gardens, morbidity, and gospel. Many of Emily’s poems were also peppered with psalms and riddles, as well as hymns and song-forms. When