Parkinson, C Northcote

Parkinson, C Northcote
▪ 1994

      British historian (b. July 30, 1909, Barnard Castle, Durham, England—d. March 9, 1993, Canterbury, Kent, England), formulated "Parkinson's Law," the oft-repeated dictum "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." He later discovered (as he called it) ancillary laws, including "Expenditure rises to meet income." Parkinson showed a flair for expressing serious economic and social "truths" in the form of pithy witticisms and humorous paradoxes that captured the public's fancy and made him an international celebrity. After studying history at Emmanuel College, Cambridge (B.A., 1932), and King's College, London (Ph.D., 1935), he taught at Cambridge and at a boys' school in Devon (1937-39). He later said that his laws were inspired by his experiences as an army staff officer during World War II, when he observed bureaucrats making work for each other and expanding their staffs in order to enhance their own prestige. After the war he taught naval history at the University of Liverpool. In 1950 Parkinson moved to Singapore, where he was Raffles professor of history at the University of Malaya (1950-58). In 1955 he published his first law in a dry, tongue-in-cheek article in The Economist magazine. He expanded his ideas in a series of books, including Parkinson's Law, or The Pursuit of Progress (1958), The Law and The Profits (1960), and Mrs. Parkinson's Law, and Other Studies in Domestic Science (1968). From 1958 to 1960 he was a visiting professor in the U.S.; thereafter he wrote and traveled the after-dinner lecture circuit until he retired to Kent in 1989. In addition to his more famous books, Parkinson wrote serious historical works, notably The Evolution of Political Thought (1958) and Britannia Rules: The Classic Age of Naval History, 1793-1815 (1977); several novels; biographies of fictional characters such as C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower and P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves; and an autobiography.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Parkinson, C. Northcote — ▪ British historian and author in full  Cyril Northcote Parkinson   born July 30, 1909, Barnard Castle, Durham, Eng. died March 9, 1993, Canterbury       British historian, author, and formulator of “Parkinson s Law,” the satiric dictum that… …   Universalium

  • Parkinson-Gesetz — Die parkinsonschen Gesetze sind in der Soziologie zwei Lehrsätze, die von Cyril Northcote Parkinson nach den folgenden Beobachtungen humorvoll formuliert wurden: Arbeit dehnt sich in genau dem Maß aus, wie Zeit für ihre Erledigung zur Verfügung… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Parkinson — noun 1. British historian noted for ridicule of bureaucracies (1909 1993) • Syn: ↑C. Northcote Parkinson, ↑Cyril Northcote Parkinson • Instance Hypernyms: ↑historian, ↑historiographer 2. English surgeon (1755 1824) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Parkinson — is a surname, and may refer to:* Cecil Parkinson (born 1931), Baron Parkinson of Carnforth, British politician * C. Northcote Parkinson (1909 ndash;1993), historian and author who formulated Parkinson s Law * Dave Parkinson * Dian Parkinson (born …   Wikipedia

  • Parkinson — steht für: Parkinson Krankheit, eine langsam fortschreitende neurologische Erkrankung Parkinsonsches Gesetz, Lehrsätze über das Verhalten von Verwaltungen Parkinson ist der Familienname bekannter Personen: Bradford W. Parkinson (* 1935), US… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Parkinson (desambiguación) — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Esta página trata del apellido, para la enfermedad del mismo nombre véase: Enfermedad de Parkinson. Parkinson es un apellido compartido por diferentes personajes históricos: Cecil Parkinson (n 1931), Baron Parkinson… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Parkinson's Law — 1955 (in the Economist of Nov. 19), named for its deviser, British historian and journalist Cyril Northcote Parkinson (1909 1993): work expands to fill the time available for its completion …   Etymology dictionary

  • Parkinson — (izg. pȁrkinson) DEFINICIJA 1. Cyril Northcote (1909 1993), engleski povjesničar i publicist, autor tzv. Parkinsonovih zakona, v. (u knjizi Zakon i profit, 1960), kojima ironično definira paradokse suvremene ekonomije 2. James (1755 1824),… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Parkinson's Law — [pär′kin sənz] n. [propounded by C. Northcote Parkinson (1909 93), Brit economist] any of several satirical statements expressed as economic laws, as one to the effect that work expands to fill the time allotted to it …   English World dictionary

  • Parkinson's law — Not to be confused with Parkinson s Law of Triviality. Parkinson s law is the adage first articulated by Cyril Northcote Parkinson as the first sentence of a humorous essay published in The Economist in 1955:[1][2] “ …   Wikipedia

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