Managing People ,Info & knowledge Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Managing People ,Info & knowledge - Assignment Example An example of this is the observation that Terry Cole makes that Veronica has a tendency to talk in ‘management terms’ when she does not know what she is talking about. Because she is not aware of what she does not know (as Terry puts it), Veronica risks being blind to alternatives and considering only her own opinion. She also generates conflict with other members of staff, as she is attempting to gain power for herself and her department through the proposed changes. She would like to see the HR department have a bigger role and be more integrated into the company; however, not everyone else agrees that this is desirable. Another person in the case study who exhibits expert power is Terry Cole. Terry is the head of information systems and acts as a liaison to external contractors as well as being responsible for the information and networking systems within the company. Like Veronica, he is very knowledgeable about his field of expertise. He has a tendency to confuse o ther managers by excessive use of technical language, and does not speak up about his own opinions. For example, he is concerned about the project that Veronica is proposing, as he does not believe that she knows the entire situation, and has not throughout about how her proposal will affect other systems within the company. He considers that Mike is too easily influenced into decisions; however, he is not prepared to confront Mike concerning this. Although both Terry and Veronica could be considered to have expert power, the differ in personality and in leadership styles. Veronica is more active than Terry in trying to gain power for herself, and she is also more confrontational in general.... The present study would focus on power as the ability that one individual or group of individuals has to affect control or change over a second individual or group of individuals. This control or change can come in the form of behaviour, attitudes, objectives, needs, opinions or values. Five general types of power are recognised, legitimate, expert, referent, coercive and reward. One issue that arises when any type of change is occurring is that the power of individuals comes into conflict. Each person aims to protect their position of power, and in many cases gain more. Because of this, the types of power that are exhibited in a corporation can have a substantial impact on leadership and the way that changes are implemented. A business has many different components that work together collectively to produce the products and services that the company offers. One aspect of the development of information systems is that each person views the problem from a different perspective. Becaus e of this, they see different approaches as being optimal. In order to understand, and then solve the problem, it must be examined from all potential perspectives. Selective attention is a psychological approach that considers why people pay attention to some factors and not others. There are many different factors that affect selective attention, some of which are external and others are internal. External factors are the stimulus and the context.

The global stage

The global stage Global Media: Foreign Media Organizations in China In the globalization age, information flow, just like commodity flow and capital flow, increasingly takes place at the global stage. Global media and communication, although certainly has its flaws, has become a prominent phenomenon today. This constitutes the international environment in which the current development of media in China takes place. Globalization and Global Media When communications satellites and computer networks took off in the early 1990s, the world found itself faced with a new generation of media technology which not only undermined geographical distances but also national borders. Fueled by a wave of communications policy deregulation, changes in the media industries soon led to the belief that the whole world was now linked by global media which transmit messages in split seconds to audiences everywhere, including those living in the most remote corners of the world. The era of global media thus pronounced itself arrived. In recent years people have come to witness interesting, albeit somewhat puzzling, developments in the world of media, specifically the transnationalization of national, or even local, media in many parts of the world. These developments have painted a media landscape that quite different from what people used to be familiar with. In the discourse of globalization, there does not seem to be a generally accepted definition of the term. On many different occasions the term has been defined as the free worldwide flow of the production elements and resources, as borderless or stateless economy. It is also widely viewed as the cultural, political, and economic, integration of the whole world. Even before the term â€Å"globalization† became a catchword in the academic and popular vocabulary in the 1990s, global operations and transnational corporations in many industries had long aroused academic attention. In addition, many scholars have long been noticing the connection between the media and globalization. For instance, McLuhan, a media theorist, was claimed to have suggested their connection â€Å"by combining ‘the medium is the message with his ‘global village† (Rantanen, 2004:1.) Globalization suggests simultaneously two views of culture. The first, taking a monoculturalist point of view, treats globalization as the â€Å"extension outward of a particular culture to its limits, the globe,† through a process of conquest, homogenization and unification brought about by the consumption of the same cultural and material products (Featherstone, 1995:6). The second one, adopting a multiculturalist stand, perceive globalization as the â€Å"compression of cultures† (Featherstone, 1995:6). While the meaning of globalization remains ambiguous, â€Å"global media† or â€Å"media globalization† have quickly become clichà ©s in media studies. Two questions can be raised about the use of such terms, however. First, what is meant by a globalized media industry, and secondly, can we assume that a genuine globalization of the industry has already taken place? More precisely, what is the direction of changes that we can observe now-globalization, localization, or something else? Too often when the term â€Å"global† is used in conjunction with the media, it refers primarily to the extent of coverage, with the popularity of satellite television and computer networks serving as evidence of the globalization of communications. However, the linkages brought about by the globalization process are largely confined to OECD and G7 member countries, which constitute one-third of the world population. And even when a medium, e.g. CNN, can put over 150 countries on its map, the rate of penetration and actual consumption can present rather a different picture. As Street (1997:77) has said, the fact that a product is available everywhere is no guarantee that it achieves the same level of popularity, let alone acquires the same significance, meaning or response (Featherstone, 1990:10). It is no secret that CNNs audiences normally account for only a small fragment of a nations population. But even with its conceptual flaws corrected, coverage is merely one of the important dimensions of the media industry. The meaning of a globalized industry would be seriously distorted if other dimensions were left out of the discussion. These dimensions, including the dynamics of the market, modes of production, the contents and messages transmitted, are closely related to the perception of the role and function of media in the globalization process, the direction of change in the industry, and ultimately, the cultural images presented by the theories of globalization. What roles and changes, then, should be expected to see in the media industries according to the monoculturalist point of view? Media Development in China Since the 1990s, with broadcasting and newspapers outlets already reaching large numbers, China has moved onwards into a new stage of media development, prioritizing quality improvement, intensive management/operation instead of increase in numbers, and optimization of the industry structure. In the globalization context with a goal of making its media more competitive and more effective in the mass media market, as well as to strengthen the media industry, China has been adopting the strategy of optimization of the media industry structure (Zhang, 2007:78). The country has closed down, combined, or transformed several media organizations that failed to satisfy the needs of the market competition. In recent years, Chinas media development is also mirrored in the adoption of the latest information technologies, most especially the Internet, by media organizations. In the late 1990s, media organizations in the country used computer technologies extensively. The fever in adopting Internet technologies was spurred on primarily by factors like the eagerness to embrace the trend throughout the world, towards building an information superhighway, the need to stay competitive with other media institutions, and the desire to grasp the opportunities for the stations or papers new development (Zhang, 2007:78). The Chinese experience suggests a strong link between globalization and the enthusiasm of the media organizations to adopt Internet technologies. Starting from the year 2000, media in the country have maintained such desire to adopt state-of-the-art information and communications technologies. Along with the ever-increasing media websites, a new type of websites has emerged sites jointly established and operated by several media institutions in a region (Zhang, 2007:78). Presently, new media technologies are in the spotlight in the technological stage in Chinas media industry. For example, CTP technology is widely used in the countrys newspaper industry. Digital TV and digital audio broadcasting have also emerged in China. Internet protocol TV (IPTV) is also one of the highlights in the current development of the Chinese TV industry. In the area of online outlets, news websites have become a recent type of media outlets in the country. News websites are composed of three levels: websites of large national media organizations, major provincial/municipal ones, and city-level ones (Zhang, 2007:79). Moreover, cross-media operations in mass communications constitute another important aspect of the development of media in China (Zhang, 2007:80). Foreign Media Since China entered the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, the government has eventually opened its domestic media market. Because of the the increasing degree of the media openness, foreign media organizations have begun to enter the Chinese media market. In 2001, from October to December, the government permitted three overseas TVchannels to go into Guangdong province. These are Star TV, Phoenix Satellite Television, and CETV, which is owned by AOL Time Warner. It is the very first time for China to allow foreign channels to be played on local cable and satellite system. Despite these limited entries, the event has caused major ripples throughout the entire Chinese media industry. In addition, in October 2004, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SART|FT) enacted two regulation policies allowing foreign media in the country through more diverse formats (Chan and Ellis, 2005:1). It suggested a constantly-open media market toward foreign capitals in China, a fiery trial for the entire country. Due to the easing of regulation, foreign media organizations have started to swarm into China. In 2008, SARFT approved 33 foreign channels. Many broadcasting organizations had branches in Beijing, Guangdong,Shanghai, and Chongqing. These include Time-Warner, Sony, Disney, News Corp, and Viacom (China Business New, 2008:1). Shanghai, for example, houses competitive foreign media organizations like CNBC (US Cable Network), BBC (British Broadcasting Company), FBC (Italy FactBased Communications), NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.), and SUNSET (France), with investment flowing from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, among others. Localization According to neo-Marxists, who advocate a homogeneous world view, one of the major characteristics of globalization is that everyone has the feeling of being a member of one single society. The feeling, as described by Albrow (1990:8-10), is the sense of â€Å"the whole earth as the physical environment, where all are citizens, consumers and producers, possessed of a â€Å"common sense interest in collective action to solve global problems.† The increasing interdependencies of nation-states has been cited as a major cause for nurturing such a feeling. Today the comforts and assurances of local communal experience are now undermined by distant social forces. Communications media, TV in particular, is an important factor in the compression of time and space. It constantly brings distant events and concerns to the homes and minds of people around the world as they happen. This constitutes an intrusion of distant events into everyday consciousness. However, this compression of time and space is not without its limits. As pointed out by Mittelman (1996:229), capital and technology flows must eventually â€Å"touch down† in distinct places. These places, in contrast to the global phenomenal world, are where everyone lives his or her local life. To human beings, wanting a place where one feels a sense of belonging is natural. However, such a sense of place is cultural, as has been pointed out by Hall (1995:178). Despite the intrusion of distant social forces, feelings and perception of people about their environment remain closely associated with the memories and personal ties they have, together with the social, cultural, and even geographical and climatic setting of their environments. The emphasis on what is called a â€Å"local culture† is â€Å"the taken-for-granted, habitual and repetitive nature of the everyday culture of which individuals have a practical mastery† (Featherstone, 1995:92). This and the cultural forms, the common language, shared knowledge and experiences associated with a place, are the essence of the concept of local culture. Global political and economic factors and media technologies serve to compress, but not eliminate, time and space. In addition, the sense of place, something associated with the essence of a local culture, has become a major determinant in the restructuring of the world communications industry. To suggest that media globalization is no more than a part of a process of domination by Western media and ultimately of the Westernization of world cultures conflicts with the advocacy of Asian values in Asia and is reductionist. To modify the monoculturalist image of culture, Featherstone (1995:6) suggested that globalization may be better considered as a form, a space or field, made possible through improved means of communication in which different cultures meet and clash, or simply a stage for global differences. According to him, this conception points directly to the fragmented and de-centered aspects of the globalization of culture, and in the mean time suggests greater cultural exchanges and complexity. One may argue that a multiculturalist view of globalization does not advocate the localization of transnational media as the only venue for communication as a platform for cultures to meet and clash. But powerful as the idea may be, this view does not offer a clear picture, nor an indication of, how the structure of the world cultural industries has, and will, change; how different it is from what we used to have, and how the ideals of meeting/clashing points may be achieved and professed. According to cultural and media imperialism theories, the demise of local cultures and cultural industries was something predictable, as a consequence of the importation of television programs. By the 1990s, however, it has become evident that the theories have suffered from a lack of evidence. Destructive or Constructive? Since many foreign media organizations have penetrated China, it can be argued that Western media products transmitted in the process will challenge or damage the local culture. However, the impacts of these organizations in the local media market in China appear to be constructive, not damaging, to local cultural heritage. Foreign programs offer great opportunities for reflexive awareness. Audiences do not just receive meanings passively. They are critical and active during the reception process. Watching Hollywood movies and foreign TV shows does not mean the local audience are being American. Instead, in theory, Chinese viewers form a reflexive awareness (who am I? or, who am not I?). Also, many studies in China and the rest of East Asia have suggested that the opposition to foreign culture has been engendered by watching overseas TV shows and thus evokes a protective attitude toward their local culture. While the purity of cultural identity remains a much debated issue, there is no denying that the Chinese audience are also reflexively considering their own identities while being faced with increased importation of foreign cultural products. Regional or national consciousness more than a homogenous global identity enlarges as exposure to alien cultures speeds up. In spite of some visible evidence of cultural homogenization as part of the everyday life, like westernization, it seems that people have a stronger sense of membership in their groups (Morris, 2002:278). In addition, according to Harvey (1989:306), â€Å"localism and nationalism have become stronger precisely because of the quest for the security that place always offers†. On the contrary, there is little evidence of â€Å"cultural abrasion†, instead there is an increasing protective attitude and reflexive awareness within the receiving nations (Varan, 1998:58). The entry of foreign media organizations in China appears to be constructive, not destructive, when one views localization as a form of cultural adaptation. Cultural adaptation, in the mass media context, refer to a comprise strategy, like adding Chinese subtitles for overseas programs. It also refers to an active devotion into the local culture made by the transnational media. Foreign media organizations not only provide Chinese subtitles to achieve high ratings, but they also do research and make compelling contents for the local audience in China. In order to produce a program that will fit with the Chinese culture and one that will not offend sensibilities, many foreign media organizations actively delve themselves into local cultures. They also try to penetrate the market by employing local production groups, such as producers, directors, and performers, as well as as original scripts.. The contents are produced to satisfy the local taste, full of cultural factors and traditional background. Thus what transnational media organizations have brought to the country seems not to be the threat of foreign or western cultural products, but the significant amount of foreign investment used to produce local cultural programs. From the cultural point of view, these programs owned by foreign media organizations would not damage Chinese native norms or values. This is because many shows are produced considering the local audience and embedding with them strong traditional cultural background. From the economic point of view, the significant amount of foreign capital brought by the large media organizations can help the local media market prosper. Basically, local media companies benefit from the competition by cooperating with foreign companies. The localization process of the media in China not only induces the indigenized strategies of global companies; it also induces the globalized reactions of local media industries. The strategy of localization cannot be understood simply as a unidirectional flow of global power on the local media industry. Mutual influences suggest a complex and complicated reciprocal interaction between the global and the local, taking into consideration the reverse effects that the local brings to the global. For example, AOL/Time Warner promised to air CCTV 9th channel through its cable network in Houston, Los Angeles, and New York. CCTV 9th channel contains music, news report, travel and leisure, nature, as well as mandarin education specifically designed to expand the Chinese traditional culture. The aim of such move appears to be the reeducation of the Americans and Chinese Americans and changing of their attitude toward China (Rowe, 2001:1). This shows that Chinese TV officials have already realized the significance of exportation of Chinese programs. By borrowing resources from foreign media organizations, China is able to to send out locally produced products, shaping western attitude toward China and its culture ideologically. It is also noteworthy that many other broadcasters throughout Asia have already begun to target people in overseas market. For example, TVB has been serving Chinese speaking subscribers in North America and Canada. Likewise, MBC, a Korean broadcaster, has established a channel aimed at Koreans in the US. Zee TV, a South Asian broadcaster, has also penetrated The US and the UK (Chadha and Kavoori, 2000:415). As media globalization goes intensive, further reaction taken by the receiving societies is not limited to the cultural resistance of the local audience any more. It now has changed to the active competition among media organizations as well as the exportation of cultural products outside China. Such active activities from China, and also the developing countries in Asia, are seen to increase in the next few decades. With a stronger than ever economic development, the exportation of media contents will became more and more. It can be argued that there is actually no absolute weak and strong culture in the media globalization trend. Every culture changes over time no culture is exempt from this fact. In economic arena, the :Third World† or â€Å"developed countries† category has constantly been facing challenges and has been forced to change. The same is true in the media and cultural arena. No one culture in the world will be the stronger or weaker culture forever. Conclusion The influx of foreign media organizations in China has not yet threatened the local culture as seriously as many observers have proclaimed. There is a conscious effort among transnational media organizations to adapt culturally in order to produce programs that cater to the local taste and ones that embed traditional culture in them. Local Chines audience have a strong reflexive awareness, making them active viewers not passive. This safeguards local culture. Similarly, the local media industry is not passively waiting for challenge; rather, local media organizations actively pose serious competition with media conglomerates, borrowing their resources to promote Chinese culture outside China and to educate people around the world about their culture. Cultural hybridization is expected to be promoted by the strong influences of local responses. Recent exporting activities in China and other Asian nations suggest a novel reciprocal interaction between the global and the local. What the globalization of media brings to China, and the less developed countries in Asia, is not only the difficult challenges, but also the many benefit. While the eastern and western cultures become increasingly because of the media globalization trend, local cultures are also given the opportunity to keep its own characteristics and its independence. Overall, the consequences of media globalization to China seem to be constructive rather than destructive both from local cultural and economic points of view.

fetal alcohol syndrome :: essays research papers

Fetal alcohol Syndrome What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation in the U.S. today. FAS affects approximately 1 in every 500 born in North America. Motherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s drinking alcoholic beverages during pregnancy causes FAS. FAS is characterized by: à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Smaller heads à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Deformed facial features (small widely spaced eyes, underdeveloped jaw, thin upper lip, and short upturned nose). à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Abnormal joints and limbs- these include deformities of the small joints of the hands as well as an incomplete rotation at the elbow. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Poor coordination à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Problems with learning- difficulty sequencing, difficulty understanding cause and effect, and weak generalizing skills. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Short memories à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Medical problems- vision problems, hearing problems, epilepsy, renal failure, heart failure, and death. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Inappropriate behavior- poor impulse control and poor judgement. How FAS Affects Functioning In School:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beginning with infancy, the children have problems at feeding and are highly irritable. They also exhibit unpredictable sleeping and eating patterns, which make it hard for the baby to be cared for and for maternal bonding to occur. During development, both physical and mental, FAS children have very fine and poor motor coordination skills and it becomes very apparent at the preschool age. They also are very affectionate but at the same time very hyperactive, which makes it a problem for the teachers who have them in class to deal with. This is why they are, during the first few years of school, given the diagnoses of having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): this diagnoses is given because of there high activity level, short attention span, and poor short term memory. Many of these children require special education help regardless of the fact that their IQ falls between the normal range. Their hyperactivity calls for them to receive special attenti on that normal teachers cannot and at most times will not give them. As FAS children grow into FAS adults, their level of development and how they developed begins to show in everything they do. Since their social and mental health has been compromised as adults they exhibit inadequate communication skills, impulsivity, poor judgement, trouble with abstract thinking, and limited problem solving skills. With all these problems they often have difficulty holding down a job because of their unreliability, lack of social skills, and functional illiteracy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Without appropriate support services, these individuals have a high risk of developing secondary disabilities such as mental illness, getting into trouble with the law, abusing alcohol and other drugs, and unwanted pregnancies.

Case Study – Inner City Paint

University of the District of columbia| Strategic Audit Plan/ Case Analysis| Case 28 – Inner-City Paint Corporation| | [Type the author name]| 3/21/2013| Business Policy TR 5:30pm – 6:50pm Spring 2013 | I. Current Situation A. Current Performance 1. Poor financials 2. High account receivables 3. Very disorganized system of business 4. Lack of Customer Confidence B. Strategic Posture 1. Mission: To produce a paint that was less expensive and of higher quality than what has been used commercial buildings, etc. 2.Reputation: Built on fast service; frequently supplies paint to contractors within 24 hours. 3. Primary Market: small to medium sized decorating companies 4. Policies: Walsh handles all mail, payments, and billings II. Strategic Managers A. Top Management * Consists of Stanley Walsh who handles all mailing/billing, payments, etc. * Office is managed by Mary Walsh (Walsh’s mother) with help of two part –time clerks * Plant Manager is an acquaintance o f Walsh’s who only has experience as a painter III. External Environment (EFAS) A.Societal Environment 1. Economic a. The slowdown in the housing market combined with a slowdown in the overall economy caused financial difficulty for Inner-City Paint Corporation (T) b. Now required to pay cash on delivery (C. O. D. ) for its raw materials (T) 2. Technological: Computers and Information Technology offers opportunity to better organize the business (O) B. Task Environment 1. Rivalry High: Larger orders usually go to larger companies due to lack of customer trust. (T) 2. Competitive Prices (O) 3. Threats of Substitutes High (T) IV.Internal Environment (IFRAS) A. Corporate Structure 1. Thirty-five employees (20 part-time); most unskilled workers who lack training (W) 2. Lack of Delegation: lacks employee empowerment and too much of workload is carried by the business CEO/President, Mr. Walsh (W) B. Corporate Culture 1. Rumors abound that the company is in difficult financial strai ts, that it is unable to pay suppliers, and it owes a considerable sum for payment on back taxes (W) C. Corporate Resources 1. Marketing: Lacks a professional salesman other than the owner (W) 2. Finance . Current Ratio of . 92 indicates that the company has an issue paying its short-term liabilities b. Return on Assets of 5. 98% indicates that the company is asset-heavy 3. Facilities: Cheap Rent (S) 4. Inventory: Lack of a Consistent and Reliable Inventory System; owner mental keeps track of inventory (W) 5. Human Resources: The Plant Manager lacks experience or training as a manager. (W) 6. Information Systems: No computer system used for business, very disorganized as a result (W) V. Analysis of Strategic Factors (SWOT Analysis) A. Strengths . Competitive Prices b. Family Business with origin in community c. Fast Delivery for Small Orders B. Weaknesses a. No Financial and Inventory Controls b. Lack of Business Network/Computer c. No Inventory System C. Opportunities a. Hiring pro fessional salesmen to ensure consistent growth and consultants to identify problems and provide solutions b. Attract more market share by raising customer perception of reliability D. Threats a. No Audit of Corporation b. Large Orders usually go to larger companies VI. Strategic Alternatives and Recommended StrategyA. Strategic Alternatives 1. Management Improvement a. Mr. Walsh needs to learn employee empowerment and delegation. He lacks trust in his employees and therefore takes on too much of the business’ customer affairs. b. The plant manager needs to be trained in management due to his lack of experience. c. Public Relations specialist and marketing specialist needed to better handle business and consultations. 2. Facility Improvement: More equipment may be needed to ensure consumers that they won’t have to worry about orders not being ready or too large to handle.B. Recommended Strategy 1. Salary Cuts for All or Cutback of Employees: The President’s six f igure salary is too much for such a small business. 2. Find and Research new suppliers: The high Cost of Goods Sold is greatly reducing profits. 3. Greatly Improve management skills and create policies 4. Hire Salesmen to increase business market share 5. Collect Bad Debt from Clients; Take less credit accounts and more cash accounts because Account Receivables is too high. 6. Create an effective Inventory System that better tracks Inventory on hand.

Hamlet Analysis Essay

Ghost appears and then leaves Horatio decides to tell Hamlet about the ghost He tells Hamlet about the ghost Hamlet decides that he wants to see the ghost Hamlet sees the ghost Hamlet follows the ghost Ghost tells Hamlet about his death Hamlet decides to get more information / prove what the ghost was saying before doing anything about it Hamlet swears his friends to secrecy about what the ghost said and about his plans to act crazy in order to get more information Offstage trigger – Hamlet acting crazy with Ophelia) Ophelia tells Polonius that Hamlet has gone crazy Polonius concludes that this is because Hamlet loves Ophelia Polonius decides to tell this reasoning to Claudius (side track 1– Claudius tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to figure out what is afflicting Hamlet) Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude that Hamlet is crazy because of Ophelia Polonius speaks to Hamlet and decides to plan a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia (side track 1 – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern speak with Hamlet and tell him of the players) side track 1 – Hamlet decides to use the players to weed out the truth from Claudius) (side track 1 – Hamlet asks Polonius to have the Claudius and Gertrude watch the play) Hamlet meets Ophelia while Claudius and Polonius hide and listen Hamlet says he doesn’t love Ophelia Polonius and Claudius decide there must be another reason for Hamlet’s madness and plan to figure out what it is by watching him (side track 1 – Hamlet speaks with the players to make sure everything is going to go exactly the way he has planned it) side track 1 – Hamlet asks Horatio to watch the king during the play) (side track 2 – the players enact the Murder of Gonzago) (side track 2 – Hamlet comments on the play) (side track 2a – Claudius rises and leaves mid-play, very upset, along with Gertrude , who is also upset) (side tracks 1 & 2a converge – Hamlet and Horatio decide that because of Claudius’ reaction to the play, the ghost was telling the truth) (side track 1 – Hamlet decides to take violent action) (side track 2b – Gertrude asks to speak with Hamlet) side track 2b – Hamlet agrees to speak with Gertrude, and sends Polonius to tell her so) (side track 2c – Claudius plans to send Hamlet to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because he is becoming a danger) Polonius decides to hide and listen to Hamlet and Gertrude (side track 2b – Hamlet is on his way to speak to Gertrude and sees Claudius ‘praying’) (side track 2b – Hamlet decides not to kill him then because he would go to heaven) (side track 2b – Hamlet decides to go on and talk to Gertrude) Polonius hides when Hamlet enters side track 2b – Hamlet speaks with Gertrude, then hears a noise) Polonius makes a noise Main thread and side tracks 1 & 2b converge – Hamlet stabs Polonius an d kills him Hamlet takes Polonius’ body Gertrude tells Claudius about Hamlet’s actions Claudius sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find where Hamlet put Polonius’ body Rosencrantz and Guildenstern talk to Hamlet and bring him back to talk with Claudius Main thread and side track 2c converge – Claudius talks with Hamlet and officially sends him to England (to be killed) side track 3 – Fortinbras is passing through Denmark and speaks to Hamlet) (side track 3a – Hamlet decides that he is not giving up – ‘my thoughts be bloody†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢) (side track 4 – Ophelia has gone crazy) (side track 5 – Laertes gets back, learns of Polonius’ death, and blames Claudius) (side track 5 – Laertes confronts Claudius) (side track 5 – Claudius tells Laertes that Polonius’ death was not his doing) Offstage trigger – pirates attack Hamlet’s ship Offstage trigger – pirates take Hamlet prisoner and return him to England Main thread and side track 3a converge – Horatio hears news of Hamlet’s return (side track 5 – Claudius convinces Laertes that Hamlet was the cause of Polonius’ death) (side track 5 – Claudius tells Laertes that he has a plan to kill Hamlet) (side track 5 – Laertes asks to be the instrument of Hamlet’s death) (side track 5 – Claudius plans for Laertes and Hamlet to duel, Laertes with a poison- tipped sword, and adding a poisoned drink, just in case, to ensure Hamlet’s death) (side track 4 – Gertrude says that Ophelia has drowned herself) Main thread and side track 4 converge – Horatio and Hamlet meet in the graveyard and learn of Ophelia’s death, and see Laertes jumping into the grave Hamlet also jumps into the grave and accuses Laertes of putting on a show of emotion Hamlet and Laertes scuffle then are pulled apart Hamlet feels bad for accusing Laertes the way he did and scuffling with him Hamlet agrees to do whatever Laertes wishes of him (side track 5 – Osric come to tell Hamlet of the proposed duel between him and Laertes) Main thread and side track 5 converge – Hamlet agrees to duel Laertes Hamlet and Laertes begin to duel Claudius poisons a cup and plans to offer it to Hamlet Hamlet refuses the cup and continues dueling (side track 6 – to cheer on Hamlet, Gertrude drinks from the poisoned cup) Hamlet gets scratched by the poisoned rapier Hamlet and Laertes scuffle and switch rapiers Laertes gets scratched by the poisoned rapier (side track 6 – Gertrude dies) Main thread and side track 6 converge – Laertes says that Claudius poisoned the cup, and that the rapier-tip was poisoned, then he dies Hamlet realizes that he is dying and that he now has the excuse to kill Claudius Hamlet stabs Claudius and makes him drink of the cup Claudius dies Hamlet entreats Horatio to tell the story of their deaths, then dies (side track 3b – Fortinbras is returning through Denmark and happens upon the scene) main thread and side track 3b converge – Horatio plans to tell Fortinbras et. al. the story of what happened, and Fortinbras plans to take his claim over the country Part II: Events Tracked Backward for Hamlet†¦ Hamlet†¦ Stops Horatio from drinking the poisoned cup Tells Horatio to be the messenger – to tell everyone his story Kills Claudius Scratches, and therefore kills Laertes with the poisoned rapier Gets scratched by Laertes with the poisoned rapier Taunts Laertes at the moment when Laertes is considering not killing him And Laertes begin the gentlemen’s duel Agrees to duel Laertes Resolves that whatever will be will be, and feels bad for Laertes Insults Laertes in Ophelia’s grave Jumps into Ophelia’s grave Talks to Horatio about death Sees the grave diggers Returns from the ship bound for England Ship gets attacked by pirates Leaving for England, but is not going to give up Banished by Claudius Hides Polonius’ body Kills Polonius Talks with Gertrude Decides not to kill Claudius while he is praying (appears to be praying) Agrees to talk with Gertrude Accuses Guildenstern of playing him like a recorder Discusses Claudius’ reaction to the play with Horatio Adds commentary to the play Flirts with Ophelia Asks Horatio to mark how Claudius reacts to the play Tells the players to act exactly as he has instructed them Tells Ophelia to ‘get to a nunnery’ and says that he doesn’t love her Decides to use the players to get the truth from Claudius about his father’s murder Hears of the players from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (offstage? acts crazy toward Ophelia to the point of frightening her Swears his friends to secrecy about the ghost and the way he is going to act Plans to learn whether the ghost was telling the truth, or just a demon playing games Learns from the ghost that he was murdered Speaks to the ghost Follows the ghost Sees the ghost Hears of the ghost Part III: Stasis, Intrusion, New Stasis†¦ Stasis: Claudius has married Gertrude and become king after his brother, the previous king, died. Hamlet, the son of Gertrude and the previous king, is still upset about his father’s death. Intrusion: The appearance of the ghost New Stasis: The majority of the characters are dead, and Horatio is asked to tell their story as Fortinbras becomes the new king Part IV: Dramatic Conflict for Hamlet and Claudius†¦ Hamlet ~ Individual versus self: Hamlet gets down on himself for not being able to take immediate action or to react as strongly / emotionally as characters like the player and Fortinbras. Individual versus others / individuals: Hamlet has obvious conflict with Claudius, who he believes killed his father. He also has some physical ‘conflict’ with Laertes. Individual versus society: Hamlet cannot simply kill Claudius because he has to consider how society would react to that if they did not know what Claudius had done initially. Individual versus the universe / nature / fate It becomes Hamlet’s duty to avenge his father’s death. Claudius ~ Individual versus self: Claudius appears to show guilt about murdering his brother (shown when he wishes to pray but is unable to) Individual versus others / individuals: Claudius’s first conflict with an individual was before the play started, and that was with his brother, the king. Once he ‘won’ that conflict, his new conflict became the one between himself and Hamlet Jr. He was afraid that Hamlet knew too much and / or that he would try to take the throne back from him. Individual versus society: If the people in that society knew what Claudius had done, there would have been much more conflict between them and him, but as it was, their only real conflict was that Claudius couldn’t take Hamlet to them to be punished for Polonius’ death, essentially because they liked him too much. Individual versus the universe / nature / fate