Month: October 2021

JOB CHARACTERISTIC MODEL

In the 1960’s, a research conducted by industrial psychologists and management theorists stated that repetitive tasks given to employees were leading to demotivation in them and the mundane technique of production line work was resulting in lesser productivity among the workforce. Hackman and Oldham, designed a corporate psychology model named – The Job Characteristics Model, based on this research. These two psychologists proclaimed that job tasks are itself a motivation for the employees. Their theory also approved the fact that, monotonous job work causes dissatisfaction among people, whereas a challenging job enhances motivation. The Job Characteristics Model incorporates five core constituents – Skill Variety, Task Identity, Task Significance, Autonomy and Feedback.

  • SKILL VARIETY – It incorporates questions related to, job variety, if the job is challenging enough and whether the job profile monotonous and too easy for the employee. Generally, an employee does perceive a benefit if he/she gets a job profile consisting of various skills sets. A variety in skills at a workplace helps one to work better, learn more, create a happier corporate environment and also encourages one to get creative while tackling different situations.

For Instance – A construction site painter has a lesser skill variety than a corporate event planner who regularly gets in touch with new people, plans and executes several events.

  • TASK IDENTITY – Being able to identify with the work given and taking pride in outcome of the work completed, is essential to build a satisfied employee. Rather than constantly rendering employees with a single portion of a project, allowing them to handle the entire project, results in a happier employee. The degree of noticeable work completed by a single employee and him being identified by it, is an essential component of Task Identity.

For Instance – The Aston Martin cars designed by Ford Motors in England, has its every engine handmade and autographed by a single craftsman after 16 weeks of completion of the model.

  • TASK SIGNIFICANCE – It refers to the degree to which a worker feels his/her job contributes to the overall efforts of the organization and to the world at large. The workers perceive their job as meaningful when the significance of the task performed by them is high and vice versa. Research explains how increasing task significance is connected to enhancement of job performance.

For Instance – A web designer who curates a corporate web profile for XYZ firm single handedly, experiences a greater task significance than a worker working in a product assembly line.

  • AUTONOMY – It is associated with the freedom that a worker gets in an organization. The independence to plan the workday and set up new procedures that one would like to follow, increases the sense of responsibility in employee, which in turn contributes to a greater motivational force. Allowing the employees to decide their pace of work, order of task completion or even letting them have a greater control over their tasks encourages them to work better. So, as long as the standards of work are met and the work gets completed within the stipulated period of time, it is upto the individual employee to decide how the work can be carried out.

For Instance – The firm ‘Google’ is known for the autonomy that it provides to the staff. This has helped them to foster a happier work environment by ensuring that the staff feels valued.

  • FEEDBACK – It is a constructive method to ensure a steady development in the work. Effective feedback given by seniors is essential for employees to understand their current level of performance, provides a sense of engagement and activity and lets them know what can be done by them to reach a higher level. It helps promote positive changes, set new bars for the team, and gives an individual an overall realistic view of the happenings in the firm.

For Instance – Employing Positive, Negative or Corrective forms of feedback is said to create a clear and honest flow of communication between various levels of employees.

Several companies face the issues of employee absenteeism, higher rates of employee turnover, late marks and at times lower levels of employee productivity. The only modus operandi of tackling these issues is – ‘Employee Satisfaction’. Job Satisfaction helps the employees to work passionately, deliver their level best and stick to the organization even in the worst case scenarios. Doug Conant has rightly said, “To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace”.

The Unknown

What is the unknown and why is one so afraid of it?

We humans are usually afraid of the dark, of what we cannot see and in the physical world tend to set boundaries and limitations. We often have second thoughts about things before we do or perform them, subconsciously making our mind think twice whether it would be a right decision or not. This is where most of us are often wrong because sometimes there are no right or wrong. They say ‘take a leap’ or ‘you never know until you try’ because life really is unpredictable. Some things that you thought would be difficult might not always be. But how would you know if you never give it a try?

If you ask an old aged man about his life he will probably tell you he doesn’t know how he get there but he sure is happy of all his experiences. To paint a bigger picture, Who are you? And what do you want in life? Can you be 100% sure of what your life would be in 10years? Can you guarantee that your love life will straight up perfect, a lovely family with beautiful little children?  

You need to understand and accept the fact that nobody is perfect in life. Or else you would have a miserable life, a lemon that you make yourself take.

One should never be too hard on himself and blame himself for the regretful things he have done. Nay, do away with what is called ‘regret’. Life is to go on and you gotta carry on living it. Don’t make it complicated for yourself

Teal Swan, a well  known mental and spiritual counselor once said “You don’t feel the unknown”. Its true, one cannot touch or know the feeling of what is not known. Its human nature that some days we don’t feel confident. Some days we isolate ourselves because we think nobody understands us and some days we become aggressive to everything that we came into contact with. And I understand some days we feel that all the ones around us don’t care about our feelings. But “The unknown is unknown, its nothing” she says. One should not be afraid to take the first step and not be afraid if people are gonna take advantage of you or not. This is life, we need to learn how to bypass the pangs of life, hold no grudge for others.

If people can do it, why can’t you?

nancytt58@gmail.com

Hobbies

The word ‘hobby’ is derived from “hobby horse”, which is a stick fitted with s wooden horse’s head, which children ride astride for their amusement. We still talk of man ‘riding’ his hobby. So a hobby is an amusement, properly it is an interesting pursuit, not our main business which we take up for our amusement in our leisure time. What is a business to a man may have gardening as his hobby; and a gardener may have photography as recreation.

Gardening

There are different kinds of hobbies. Many take the form of collecting in some form. Collecting postage stamps is a common hobby in England, not only with boys but with men too. Some make collections of wildflowers and ferns and press and mount their specimens. Others take an interest in geology and find much amusement in collecting fossils.

Other hobbies take the form of games and sports. Many take up open-air games, like golf, tennis, cricket or football, or indoor games such as chess, draughts, and cards as their hobbies while hunting or fishing or matching are the favorite recreations of others.

Fishing and having whale of a time.

Many people find great pleasure and interest in gardening; especially in cultivating some special flowers, like roses. And boys especially like keeping pets, such as dogs, rabbits, and fowls.

Everyone, young and old, should have a hobby of some sort for his leisure hours; for it adds to the pleasure of life. It is often an education in itself, and it fills our vacant hours with interest. It gives us also something to fall on when our business days are over in the leisure time at the end of life.

National Unity Day: As India pays tributes to Sardar Patel, know the history

Vallabhbhai Patel was dubbed “Sardar” (chief) for his leadership skills in leading the country through the struggle for independence and beyond, and most notably during the integration of the princely states and the India-Pakistan War of 1947.

India is celebrating October 31 as National Unity Day to pay tributes to veteran freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was also the country’s first home minister whose contribution in convincing many of the princely states to join the Union of India after Independence remains especially notable. As the country remains grateful for Patel’s crucial efforts leading to the integration of India, the day is celebrated as a homage to that “national unity”. The government in 2014 declared that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary on October 31 will be celebrated as National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

History

Declaring in 2014 that India will henceforth celebrate National Unity Day on October 31, the central government said in an official statement that this occasion “will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand the actual and potential threats to the unity, integrity, and security of our country.”

Vallabhbhai Patel was dubbed “Sardar” (chief) for his leadership skills in leading the country through the struggle for independence and beyond, and most notably during the integration of the princely states and the India-Pakistan War of 1947.

Sardar Patel achieved the incredible feat of persuading almost every single one of the 565 self-governing princely states, that had been released from British suzerainty, to accede to the Union of India. For his commitment to the national integration of the newly independent country, Sardar Patel earned the sobriquet “Iron Man of India”.

Significance

On National Unity Day, a pledge is read out in government offices:

“I solemnly pledge that I dedicate myself to preserve the unity, integrity, and security of the nation and also strive hard to spread this message among my fellow countrymen. I take this pledge in the spirit of unification of my country which was made possible by the vision and actions of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. I also solemnly resolve to make my own contribution to ensure the internal security of my country.”

By official order, all government offices, public sector undertakings (PSUs), and other public institutions are required to arrange the pledge-taking ceremony on October 31 to observe the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

The ministry of human resource development has also issued instructions to allow students of schools and colleges to be administered the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas pledge to motivate them to strive to maintain the unity and integrity of the country.

Right to Equality (Article 14-18)

As a citizen of India, we know that our constitution has endowed us with factual rights but very few of us know about it in the depth, can’t say if it is ignorance or lack of awareness among people. Let us know about Article 14

It says that the State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.

  • It is avalaible to any person including any legal person viz. statutory corporation, companies, etc
  • The cocept of equality before law is of British origin while the concept of equal protection of laws has been taken from the Constitution of USA.
  • The concept of rule of law is a negative concept while the concept of equal protection of laws is a positive concept.
  • The concept of equality before law is equivalent to the second element of the concept of the ‘rule of law’ propounded by A.D.Dicey, the British jurist. But certain exceptions to it arer, the President of India, State Governors, Public Servants, Judges, Foriegn Diplomats, etc., who enjoy immunities, protections and special priviledges.

Never give up

Failure is only opportunity  to begin again, this time more intelligently.            -Henry Ford
World is a movie of ups and downs, we all are its main characters  trying to make our way up to the top.
Only thing which makes the difference is our attitude, that do we push forward to overcome problems  or just simply  give up.
Never give up doesn’t mean to keep doing same thing in same way what we need is to analyze and be smart enough to change when needed.
A real life example of the physi. Of never give up is ” Japan ” a country which has faced nuclear bombings and still face tsunami  and earthquakes  from time to time. But still it bounce back.
Your life is in your hand you are its director, give it an ending  you like. Just have courage and stand up to the problems.
One thing you need is ” never give up”.

IIM Jammu Recruitment 2021: Apply for Non Faculty posts on iimj.ac.in

IIM Jammu will recruit candidates for Non Faculty posts. Eligible candidates can apply online through the official site of IIM J on iimj.ac.in before the last date.

Indian Institute of Management, Jammu has invited applications from candidates for Non Faculty posts. Eligible candidates can apply online through the official site of IIM J on iimj.ac.in. The last date to apply for the post is till November 14, 2021.

Candidates applying for more than one post should fill in separate online applications furnishing full particulars of qualifications, experience, salary drawn, and salary expected along with names of two referees and pay separate application fee. Read below for eligibility, selection process and other details.

Eligibility Criteria 

Candidates who want to apply for the posts mentioned above can check the educational qualification and age limit

Selection Process

Mere fulfilling of the minimum qualifications and experience will not confer any right to the candidates for being called for interview / written/ skills test or/and for his/her selection.

Application Fees

Candidates will have to pay ₹590/- as application fees through online payment system, provide transaction reference number and upload payment receipt. There is no application fee for SC/ST/DAP candidates. Application fee will not be refunded or readjusted under any circumstances. No other mode of payment will be accepted.

Standalone fantasy to binge-read.

The Night Circus: Erin Morgenstern.

The circus shows up unexpectedly. There are no announcements before to it. It’s just there now, where it wasn’t yesterday. An totally unique experience full of spectacular amazements awaits you within the black-and-white striped canvas tents. The name of the show is Le Cirque des Rêves, and it’s only open at night.Behind the scenes, however, a furious struggle is raging—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been educated since childhood by their erratic masters just for this reason. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one person can survive, and the circus is only the backdrop for a magnificent fight of imagination and willpower.Celia and Marco, despite themselves, fall deeply into love—a deep, magical love that causes the lights to flicker and the room to warm if they even touch hands.Whether true love exists or not, the game must go on, and the lives of everyone involved, from the cast of exceptional circus artists to the audience, hang in the balance as perilously as the daring acrobats above.

Descendant of The Crane: Joan He.

The circus appears out of nowhere. There are no previous announcements. It’s just there today, where it wasn’t the day before. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents, you will have a completely unique experience full with magnificent amazements. Le Cirque des Rêves is the name of the show, and it is only open at night.Behind the scenes, however, a fierce battle rages—a conflict between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood by their unpredictable masters just for this purpose. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one person can win, and the circus is only the stage for a spectacular battle of imagination and resolve.

Circe: Madeline Miller

A daughter is born at the home of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans. Circe, on the other hand, is an odd kid, neither strong like her father nor fiercely alluring like her mother. She seeks company among mortals and realises that she possesses power – witchcraft power, which may turn opponents into monsters and even the gods themselves.When she is threatened, Zeus banishes her to a secluded island, where she hones her occult skills, tames wild creatures, and meets many of mythology’s most famous characters, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his fatal son Icarus, the wicked Medea, and, of course, the crafty Odysseus.Circe unknowingly earns the fury of both mankind and gods, and she eventually finds herself faced against one of the most terrible and angry of the Olympians. Circe must muster all her power and decide once and for all whether she belongs with the gods she was born from or the mortals she has learned to love in order to safeguard what she loves most.

The Priory Of The Orange Tree: Samantha Shannon.

A world in disarray. A dynasty without a successor. An old foe resurfaces.For a thousand years, the House of Berethnet has controlled Inys. Queen Sabran the Ninth, still unmarried, has to have a daughter to save her kingdom from ruin — but assassins are closing in on her.At court, Ead Duryan is an outsider. Despite her advancement to lady-in-waiting, she remains faithful to a secret organisation of wizards. Ead keeps a close check on Sabran and uses prohibited magic to keep her safe.Tané has been training to be a dragonrider since she was a kid across the black sea, but she is forced to make a decision that might destroy her life.Meanwhile, the split East and West are refusing to talk to each other.

Good Omens: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

‘You know, Armageddon only happens once. They won’t let you go around unless you get it right the first time.’People have been forecasting the end of the world virtually since the beginning of time, so it’s reasonable to be sceptical when a new date for Judgement Day is announced. But what if the prophecies are correct, and the apocalypse is set to strike next Saturday, immediately after tea?You may drown your sorrows, give up all your belongings in preparation for the rapture, or laugh it off as (hopefully) just another hoax in the time left. Alternatively, you may simply try to do something about it.Aziraphale, a fastidious angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon, have found themselves in a situation. They’ve been among Earth’s inhabitants since The Beginning and, truth be told, have become pretty fond of the way of life and, to be honest, aren’t looking forward to the approaching Apocalypse.Then there’s the problem of the Antichrist, who appears to have gone missing.

YA books with Enemies to Lovers trope.

The Wrath and the Dawn: Renée Andieh. (Series)

Each morning brings misery to a new family in a kingdom controlled by a bloodthirsty boy-king. Khalid, Khorasan’s eighteen-year-old Caliph, is a monster. He takes a new wife every night, only to have a silk chain tied around her throat the next morning. When Shahrzad’s sixteen-year-old best friend is murdered by Khalid, he swears revenge and offers to be his next wife. Shahrzad is determined not just to survive, but also to put a stop to the caliph’s reign of terror. Shahrzad seduces Khalid night after night, telling him enthralling stories and securing her survival, despite the fact that she knows each morning may be her last. But then something unexpected happens: Khalid turns out to be nothing like she had imagined him to be. This monster is a young boy who has a broken heart. Surprisingly, Shahrzad finds herself in love. What gives that this is possible? It’s a heinous act of treachery. Even nevertheless, Shahrzad has come to realise that not everything in this marble and stone mansion is as it appears. She vows to find whatever secrets are hidden and, despite her love for him, to kill Khalid in retaliation for the numerous lives he has stolen. Is their love strong enough to last in this world?

We Hunt The Flame: Hafsah Faizal. (Series)

Because she murdered, people lived. People perished as a result of his existence.

When Zafira braves the terrible forest of the Arz to feed her people, she disguises herself as a man. Nasir is the Prince of Death, and he assassinates anyone who resist his dictatorial father, the Sultan. All of Zafira’s achievements would be discarded if she was discovered to be a female; if Nasir showed compassion, his father would punish him harshly. In the country of Arawiya, both Zafira and Nasir are legends, but neither wants to be.The Arz is closing in on the land, smothering everything in shade with each passing day. When Zafira sets out on a quest to find a forgotten item that would restore magic to her suffering planet and put an end to the Arz, the Sultan sends Nasir on a similar expedition to retrieve the artefact and kill the Hunter. However, as their trip progresses, an ancient evil stirs, and the prize they seek may represent a threat bigger than any of them can conceive.

Serpent and Dove: Shelby Mahurin. (Series)

Louise le Blanc ran away from her coven two years ago and found refuge in Cesarine, giving up all magic and living off what she could take. Witches like Lou are persecuted there. They are regarded as dangerous. They’re also charred.Reid Diggory, a Chasseur sworn to the Church, has lived his life by one rule: thou must not allow a witch to survive. His path was never supposed to intersect with Lou’s, but a cruel stunt compels them to marry in an inconceivable way—holy marriage. Lou’s most fearsome adversaries deliver a destiny worse than fire in the ancient fight between witches and the Church. A decision must be made since she is unable to ignore her increasing sentiments and helpless to change who she is.

Tweet Cute: Emma Lord

Pepper is a swim team captain, a chronic overachiever, and a perfectionist in general. Her family may be disintegrating, but their big fast-food franchise is thriving, due in large part to Pepper, who is barely juggling real life while covertly administering Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.Jack, the class clown and a perennial thorn in Pepper’s side, enters the picture. He works at his family’s deli when he isn’t trying to avoid his obscenely popular twin’s shadow. He may have a love/hate relationship with the company that controls his future, but when Big League Burger steals his grandmother’s famous grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to bring them down, one tweet at a time.Everything is fair in love and cheese until Pepper and Jack’s feud becomes a viral Twitter fight. They have no idea that while they’re publicly squabbling over caustic memes and retweet wars, they’re simultaneously falling in love in real life on an anonymous chat app Jack created.People on the internet are shipping them as their relationship grows and their online hijinks escalate? Their rivalry becomes increasingly personal, until even these two adversaries can’t deny that they were meant for an unexpected, uncomfortable, all-the-feels relationship that none of them expected.

The Shadow Between Us: Tricia Levenseller (Series)

Alessandra is fed up with being neglected, so she devised a strategy to obtain power:1) Make the Shadow King swoon.
2) Get married to him.
3) Assassinate him and seize his empire.

No one knows how powerful the newly crowned Shadow King is. Some believe he has the ability to control the shadows that swirl about him. Others claim they communicate with him, whispering his adversaries’ ideas. Whatever the case may be, Alessandra knows what she deserves and will do everything she can to obtain it.However, Alessandra isn’t the only one attempting to assassinate the king. As assassination attempts are made on his life, she finds herself attempting to keep him alive long enough for him to crown her queen—

How will Covid-19 Pandemic Affect Online Marketing?

The COVID-19 had wreaked havoc all around the globe. The lockdown crisis had drastically impacted the world economy. All the sectors are facing a downfall that will have major implications down the decade. However, the aftermath of the crisis could be minimized with the master invention of humans, i.e., the internet. It is not wrong to predict that the online marketing trend would witness a change due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To minimize the drastic effects and maintain the subsequent sales and responses, some trends and tactics have been adopted and practised by online marketers.

The Change in the Trend of Online Marketing

Online marketing is witnessing a shift in trend due to the pandemic. The demands of customers have been changing. Therefore, to adapt to the changing demands and be flexible, variant brands and businesses are adopting different measures. Bulk-buying and online shopping has been some of the changing behaviours observed in shoppers amid the crisis. Online marketing has been preferred because:

  • Many physical stores had been shut down(lockdown)
  • The fear and restrictions on public gathering
  • Research claimed that there is a possibility of destruction of the virus via shipping as it takes a few days to reach the consumer and is exposed to different physical conditions.

Retail Impact

Consumers all across the world had been focusing on essential and thus, demand for luxury goods retailers and manufacturers are seeing reduced demands and hence, downfall. The unusual purchasing patterns are affecting both supply and consumption chains. The uncertainty of the time is attracting more consumers online. The online grocery stores in the US observed a 300% rise in order after the declaration of a pandemic.

Many businesses are adapting to the changing times to provide a stable medium for providing essentials. About 60-70% of customers are opting for online deliveries for household and essentials and there is a shift from traditional to online marketing.

The Significance of Online Marketing During Pandemic

The Covid-19 crisis had made online marketing our saviour.

Small Business and Firms

The online marketing has helped many small businesses and firms due to its increased connectivity and convenient advertising options. It has enabled them to be in operation despite not being able to operate their physical stores. The silver lining is the cutting down of expenses by several industries on their campaigns as most of them are now opting for internet advertisement.

Approach to E-mails

E-mails have always been a powerful and cost-effective tool for the outreach of different types of consumers. In the present scenario, the business owners and marketers are overwhelmed with the responses to e-mail benefits. A good e-mail campaign can effectively deal with the present pandemic.

The Beginner’s Ultimate Frostpunk Guide: 5 Essential Tips to Survive and Thrive

Set in an alternate universe in 1886, the survival city building, resource management game compels you to take intractable and complex decisions for your city to survive and thrive. The challenging yet amazing game presented by Polish Indie developers, the 11-bit studio put you in charge of a community where you are responsible for keeping them warm, fed, healthy and happy at a freezing temperature where the crops have failed and they all are homeless. What would you do first? Try to keep the community warm? Fetch food, gather or hunt? Erect buildings but of what kind? Or develop technologies? Make stringent laws for keeping the peace?

Sounds too much right? Don’t fret. We are here with our ultimate beginner’s frost punk guide!

Observe and Gather

Observe and watch out for resources in the initial stage by pausing the game. Assign every worker to gather. You can add 30 on coal, 30 on wood and 5 on steel. Make sure none of your workers remain idle during working hours. Watch out if they have reached their working capacity and accordingly change their positions. In the initial stages have a keen eye on everything.

Build and Provide

Start building early and build as many workshops as you can (you do get a speed bonus for every new building: upgrade your tech). Furnish your community with food and shelter firstly to increase their survival chances. Building a medical post, cookhouse and hunter’s hut should be your priority as they are the key to survival.

Technology Tree

The technology tree is concerned with increasing technological advancements, functioning and efficiency of your community. It is divided into 4 categories. Work on completing the first level of research so that extractive buildings can be unlocked. In a gilded city, the main concern is to keep it warm, so, therefore, initially unlock ‘heater’s technology and work on hunter’s efficiency.

Law and Order


Now, here comes the tricky part, introducing laws! Remember it shows your approach to community, morals and tolerance and control. Some laws might increase discontent while providing you with other needs as food. Apply laws with caution and be certain of your approach. Some laws are selected like ‘child labour’ and ‘radical therapy’. ‘Double rations’ and ‘fighting arena’ might increase content and welfare. Be cautious of some laws like the ‘duelling law’.

Scout and Experiment

One of the most important and underrated pieces of advice in the frost punk guide is to scout as often as possible and never be afraid to experiment. There is a lot to find out in the grim yet grand land of frost punk. The more you scout, the better you find and increase the chances of your survival.

Apart from the essentials don’t forget to upgrade, manually look into things, find alternatives and most importantly enjoy. Relish while playing this adventurous game that will keep you on your toes.The game is popular among people who love building and experimenting. So, set on the adventurous journey with our ultimate frost punk guide!

Top Free Video Conferencing Tools

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the world is in quandary regarding different adaptation methods relating to work culture. To bolster the growing needs of people from different walks of life there had been introduced several alternatives. The most effective so far had been video conferencing tools. It is essential to communicate to run a business or to even convey an idea. The video conferencing tools fulfil the requisites either it is of an online marketer or a student. To ensure the safety of the workers as well as not to limit productivity, there are top free video conferencing tools.

Zoom

The free video conferencing app empowers employees’ flexibility, working remotely from home. Features:   

  • User-friendly: The app is easy to use for meetings of decent duration. It also offers messaging solutions.
  • Affordable: The free-tier app broadens its variant users. It is convenient for both workers as well as students.
  • Supports a large number of participants: The free video conferencing tool can supports 100 members at the same time. It is suitable for large gatherings.

Therefore, the zoom app is highly recommendable owing to its scalable features and quick and easy set-up.

Google Meet

One of the widely preferred apps when it comes to top free video conferencing tools. Google meeting had now been advanced as per the needs of the people all around the world.

  • Free-tier: The google meet is now free for people having Gmail accounts. It has been improved as per the increasing needs.
  • Supports large participants: It now allows 100 participants on the video call at once.
  • Secured: Google meet is reliable because of its security assurance.

Skype

Skype has widened its parochial option which allowed only to stay connected with friend and family. It supports business meetings as well, allowing up to 50 participants at once.

  • Live subtitles: The app allows live subtitles during the meeting.
  • Can be opened in a web browser: Invitations to people can be sent via email, allowing them to join the meeting without being the app installed.
  • Affordable: Skype is a free video-conferencing app. However, Skype for business is a low-paid upgrade.

Free-Conference

The FreeConference tool is apt for International video calls. It is suitable for small businesses meeting, allowing only 5 members at once.

  • International dial-up: It allows International meetings dial-up for small, private meetings.
  • User-friendly: It is easy to use with chat and recording options available. It is easy to customize and use.
  • Budget-friendly: The powerful free version of the app serves several purposes.

Cisco Webex Meetings

The free version of Cisco Webex Meetings do not disappoint its users with its high degree security and available features.

  • Supports substantial users: Cisco WebEx meetings allows Hd video conferencing with 100 participants at one go.
  • 1GB cloud storage: The free version of the app provides 1GB cloud storage with unlimited meetings for endless time.

UberConference

The free version of the app is convenient as well because of the scalable feature provided.

  • Screen and document sharing: The app allows screen and document sharing. It allows 10 participants at once to attend the meeting.
  • Unlimited conferences with decent duration: The free version allows unlimited conference meetings with a duration of 45 minutes.
  • Call recording: Apart from providing Hd audio, it enables call recording feature as well.

LifeSize Go

The free version provides decent features. It is ideal for remote workers and small business groups.

  • Screen sharing: The app allows screen sharing and is available for up to 8 participants.
  • Unlimited video time: There is no restriction on the time length of video meetings.

Slack Video Calls

Slack Video calls are user-friendly and ideal for small meeting groups.

  • Message: The app provides messenger and supports up to 15 members.
  • Individual calls: Individual calls adds icing on the cake to the SlackVideo Calls.

Instagram, Facebook and Youtube live options have also gained relevant popularity owing to its variant options and user-friendly mode.

‘Work from home’ trend and ‘online classes’ are being practised widely in present times. The top free video conferencing tools make the task convenient for the users all around the globe.

It’s about Economy-Union Budget

The term Budget can be explained as an annual statement of the government’s estimations of income and expenditure. The Constitution of India does not use the world Budget, instead, it uses the term Annual Financial Statement.

Under Art.112 of the Constitution, the President shall in respect of every financial year (April 1 to March 31 in India) cause Annual Financial Statement to be laid before both the Houses of Parliament.

The budget not only presents the estimation of revenue and expenditure of the government but also lays down the targets and policies of the government for the growth and development of the overall economy and society as a whole.

Every budget has generally two parts :

  • Part A: Review of the economy in the previous year. The basis of review is the Economic Survey which is brought out by the Ministry of Finance
  • Part B: Proposal for the coming year i.e. revenue and expenditure estimates for the coming financial year.

Every budget gives the figures for the 3 years i.e.

  • 1. Actual figures for the preceding year.
  • 2.Budget Estimates and Revised Estimates for the current year.
  • 3.Budget Estimates for the coming year.

Facebook rebrands to Meta. What has changed, what hasn’t

Zuckerberg said the new name reflected its work investing in the metaverse, rather than its namesake social media service.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during a live-streamed virtual and augmented reality conference to announce the rebrand of Facebook as Meta. (Reuters Photo)

Facebook Inc co-founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg has said his company will henceforth be known as Meta Platforms Inc, or Meta for short, to reflect its commitment to developing the immersive digital world known as the metaverse.

Zuckerberg, speaking at the company’s live-streamed virtual and augmented reality conference, said the new name reflected its work investing in the metaverse, rather than its namesake social media service. “We’ve learned a lot from struggling with social issues and living under closed platforms, and now it is time to take everything that we’ve learned and help build the next chapter,” Zuckerberg said.

“I am proud to announce that starting today, our company is now Meta. Our mission remains the same, still about bringing people together, our apps and their brands, they’re not changing,” he added.

Zuckerberg said the name Facebook no longer encompasses everything the company does. “Today we are seen as a social media company,” Zuckerberg said. “But in our DNA we are a company that builds technology to connect people.”

SIX THINKING HATS

Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono, a Maltese physician, psychologist, philosopher and consultant, scripted the book ‘ Six Thinking Hats’. The conceptualization of this book has helped many organizations to boost their firm’s productivity by dividing the job profiles of the employees based on their styles of thinking. Each person takes up the role of a hat ensuring that all viewpoints and styles are covered efficiently. Accordingly, people can cohesively pool in their thoughts based on their area of interpretation. Often, firms arrange for activities wherein employees are divided into teams of different hat colours and are asked to speak about the firm’s newly launched product or idea based on the colour of their hat. This provides stimulus for gathering opinions.

WHITE HAT – It is also called as the Factual Hat. The white hat is associated with facts and information. It represents gathering of information. Discussions related to information available, information needed, missing facts, source of information are conducted. It deals with knowledge and insights at the beginning or end of a session.

GREEN HAT – It is also known as the Creative Thinking Hat. It represents growth and movement in an organisation. Lateral thinkers metaphorically wear this hat to show that they are looking for new ideas and solutions. It deals with openness to ideas, proposals, suggestions, ways to solve difficulties, and other alternative opinions.

BLUE HAT – It is also known as the Director’s Hat. It symbolizes limitless performance, calmness and control over oneself. It is generally worn by the facilitators during a discussion. It deals with management and organization. The blue hat wearers ask for summaries, decisions, conclusions and are the ideal people to set the agenda of thinking. Therefore, analyzing the information and reaching a logical conclusion is the central idea of this hat.

RED HAT – It is also known as the Hat for the Heart. It represents feelings, emotions, and instincts rather than logical reasoning. When one is involved in this arena of though process, he may express his feelings without having to give a logical reason behind it. It is a complete opposite of the White Hat which is entirely fact based. While working, employees do experience intuitions about another colleague as disloyal to the firm. The red hat allows a person to voice such sixth sense emotions with an appropriate label.

YELLOW HAT – It is also known as the Optimist’s Hat. Yellow hat thinkers reflect positive attitudes and scope for new opportunities. Such thinkers assess a plan and notice the benefits in it. Entrepreneurs and risk taking employees are involved in the group of yellow hat thinkers. The hat focuses on value, benefits and the positive speculation of why a venture may work.

BLACK HAT – It is also known as The Hat of Caution. It prevents an individual from indulging into immoral, illegal or unprofitable ventures. Employing a critical judgement to assess the risks involved in a plan is the task of black hat holders. It is often regarded as the most powerful hat because it assists in spotting shortcomings, giving reasons as to why a plan may not workout and giving out suggestions to overcome the drawbacks.

The concept of Six Thinking Hats developed by Edward de Bono, can be used as a powerful tool for inculcating the ideas of being more productive, focused and mindfully involved in the working of an organization. This tool can help an organization, to develop leadership skills, creative thinking, critical analysis and improve the overall performance of the establishment.