Redevelopment of Manila City Jail Essay Example for Free

Redevelopment of Manila City Jail Essay Manila, Philippines—Filinvest Land Inc. has bagged a deal to redevelop a 1. 2-hectare property owned by the government that was the site of the old Cebu City jail on Salinas Drive in Lahug to turn it into a business process outsourcing complex. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday, the property developer announced that it had submitted the winning build-transfer-operate proposal and complied with the requirements contained in the notice of award from the Economic Enterprise Council under the Office of the Governor of the Province of Cebu. The lot used to be occupied by the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center and the Cebu City Treatment and Rehabilitation Center. â€Å"FLI remains bullish on the BPO sector and is rapidly expanding its office portfolio to meet the needs of the industry,† the disclosure said. â€Å"FLI believes that Cebu, in particular, has good potential for this business. † This represents an expansion of FLI’s interest in Cebu. It is currently developing the 50. 6-hectare Citta di Mare in the South Road Properties. Two mid-rise building projects, Amalfi Oasis and San Remo Oasis, are also currently being constructed under a joint venture with the Cebu City Government. Land development works on the Il Corso lifestyle strip are likewise ongoing. Other ongoing projects of FLI include One Oasis Cebu, a 3. 7 hectare mid-rise development with a total of 10 buildings adjacent to the Cebu Golf and Country Club. Two buildings have been completed and a third is targeted for completion by year-end. Finally, FLI’s Grand Cenia Hotel and Residences condotel has recently started operations as Quest Hotel and Conference Center, a three-star hotel complete with business and conference facilities. The Cebu project also scales up FLI’s BPO portfolio. As of the end of 2011, it had over 170,000 square meters of gross leasable area (GLA) from 12 buildings in Northgate Cyberzone in Filinvest Corporate City in Muntinlupa City and PBCom Tower in Makati City. At Northgate Cyberzone, another building is currently under construction and will add close to 20,000 square meters of GLA in the first half of 2013, while a 14th building is targeted to break ground within the year with a GLA of 13,000 square meters. Vector Two, which was completed in the fourth quarter of 2011, is fully taken-up and has been turned over for tenant fit-outs, the disclosure said. Meanwhile, FLI is constructing a five-storey building along EDSA across the Asian Development Bank building which is expected to be completed within 2012.

Weaknesses Of The Eurozone Economics Essay

Weaknesses Of The Eurozone Economics Essay Robert Mundell described the Bretton Woods System as Hamlet without the Prince due to the lack of a unified currency in the form of a monetary union expressed as Bancor or Unitas. Given the experience of EMU, does this analysis still hold theoretically and/or empirically? Discuss. Introduction of EMU In 1999, the European Central Bank (ECB) launched the single currency (euro) together with the foundation of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The EMU is based on the existence of the euro as a common currency. The ECB supervises the implementation of a common monetary policy. At the beginning of 2002, euro replaced the national currencies of 12 member countries for all transactions. Sweden, Denmark, and the United Kingdom joined European Union (EU) but did not join the euro. In 2004, there were ten new member countries joined the EU, five of them joined the euro. The prior monetary unions are unsuccessful as they rested on the value of metals (i.e. gold or silver). The money printed should be determined by the silver of gold stored, therefore the Metallism monetary system is a stable system since silver and gold are scarce resources. The EMU rests on the euro or chartalism, as fiat money which is issued by a central national bank. The credit level of the issuing body is important to determine the value and stability of the fiat money. The stability of the country in terms of economic and political will in turn determine the credit level. However, when the treasury is unable to finance the deficit, fiat monies can become unstable due to the temptation of the inflationary tax or seigniorage. In order to achieve and sustain the stability, the EMU needs an economic union and a monetary union. Economic union is achieved by complying with the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). The goal of SGP is to maintain fiscal stability through implementation of specific fiscal requirements among member states of EMU. The strength of the Eurozone rests completely on the credibility of the requirements set when the EMU was being implemented and the ECB was established. However, if member states are not respect or follow the set requirements, the credibility level of Eurozone will be affected and as a result negatively affect the euro. Mundells Theories The original idea of a common currency in Europe was derived from the theory of Robert Mundell on the areas of optimal currency. In his paper A plan for a European Currency in 1973, Mundell clarified the gains of European countries if they adopt a common currency. The works of Mundell have been classified into two categories by Ronald McKinnon (2004). Mundell I In 1961, Mundell published his paper entitled A Theory of Optimal Currency Areas which is rooted in Keynesian ideas. The theory of Optimum Currency Areas (OCAs) studies how countries with a monetary union and common currency adjust, if these countries are affected by asymmetric economic shocks. Mundell point out that adjustments are based on whether wages are rigid, labour mobility is limited, income transfers are difficult, and differences exist in the labour market and growth rates. Mundell claimed that when countries are in a monetary union and use a common currency, they cannot absorb asymmetric shocks properly unless, among other circumstances, labour mobility is unlimited. Mundell II In Mundells article Uncommon arguments for common currencies which published in 1973, an alternative theory is illustrated. Mundell emphasised the common currency assures an automatic and equal sharing of the risk of the fluctuation, a common currency has advantages in overcoming economic shocks. Mundell II argues that it is easier for member countries to stay inside a monetary union than outside it since the private insurance would assist against asymmetric shocks. More specifically, it will be easier for member countries to borrow in the capital markets of the monetary union when hitting by a negative shock, as a result it will be easier for member countries to smooth consumption. In addition, the exchange rate would be a source in arising asymmetric disturbances; especially capital mobility of financial market is very high. The criticism of Mundell II becomes more obvious in terms of political context. If financial markets in a monetary union provide insurance to reduce asymmetric shocks, the need to integrate national budgets for political means becomes weaker. Hence the motive to form a political union is even weaker. However, the Mundell II point out that if there is no budgetary union, it would be optimistic to say that private financial markets would provide insurance against asymmetric shocks. The financial markets will only provide insurance to those who possess high assets stock in the financial markets. Since wealth is not equally distributed, the private provision of insurance will overwhelmingly support the wealthy and keep the poor relatively uninsured. In addition, the Mundell II theory ignored the possibility that countries may involve in a position of a bad equilibrium. If there are not adequate instruments to lead the economy out of the bad equilibrium, countries would get caught in the bad equilibrium after a negative shock. It is a major problem for the future of EMU if there is no adequate instrument in a monetary union. This is reinforced by the fact that different member countries of EMU continue to work in different directions due to the absence of a political union. Weaknesses of the Eurozone In the last ten years, the euro has demonstrated that there are many efficiency gains by adopting a common currency (i.e. reduced transaction costs of exchanging currencies, eliminated exchange rate uncertainty, and increased transparency in prices), particularly if the currency becomes not only an international currency but also a global currency. However, maintaining various standards requires difficult adjustments and constant surveillance of every single member state in Eurozone. As the economic crisis has hit the world, certain Eurozone Member States Greece, Portugal and Spain are being seriously affected. The Greek tragedy is making the EU realize that highly indebted countries can put the EMU at risk and that measures must be taken without delay. Institutional Weakness Article 102.a of the Maastricht Treaty establishes that member states and the community should conduct their economic policies with a view to contributing to the achievement of the objectives of the Community. In order to guide Article 102.a, Article 103 highlights that the correct implementation of economic policies is a matter of common, stating that Member States [are to] coordinate them within the Council, in accordance with the provisions of Article 102a. Article 103 also highlights that it is important to avoid excessive deficits of each government. There is an obvious institutional weakness in terms of monetary policies. The Maastricht Treaty had defined the objectives of the ECB which is price stability. ECB has defined an inflation rate below 2% as the objective of price stability. In addition, in terms of unemployment, the rest of society is not convinced and will not easily accept the attempt of the ECB to release itself from any responsibility for unemployment. However, t he delegation of the responsibility of unemployment to the governments of each member country creates a political problem. The purposes of SGP contain that member countries should avoid excessive debt and deficits and each member country should maintain fiscal stability. There are two important two Council Regulations in SGP (i.e. Regulations 1466/97 and 1467/97). These two regulations require member countries of the EU must comply with to help contribute to the overall climate of stability and financial prudence underpinning the success of the EMU. The Council Regulation 1466/97 set out the details of stability programs (i.e. submission and monitoring regulations) and convergence programs. The ultimate purpose of the multilateral surveillance by the Council is to prevent, at an early stage, the occurrence of excessive general government deficits and to promote the surveillance and coordination of economic policies. The purpose of regulation 1467/97 is to clarify the excessive deficit procedure to deter excessive government deficits (European Navigator 1997, 2). However, the SGP is not sustainable due to the lack of accountability of the EU commission. Hence, the national governments are bound to win when conflict arises. The problem will exist as long as national governments continue to possess the sovereignty over spending and taxation. Political integration De Grauwe (2006) acknowledged that the EMU is a remarkable accomplishment, but the absence of a political union is a major weakness in the Eurozone governance. Grauwes view is consistent with the findings of Nitsch on the political integration. He conclude that political integration is not rapidly followed by economic integration (Nitsch and Wolf 1). Grauwe point out in his article that national governments holding most economic policies decision creates asymmetric shocks. The asymmetric shocks truly affect the sustainability of the monetary union. For example, member countries of the Eurozone have different competitive positions due to the uncoordinated policies of each member country in relation to national wage. Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Greece and Spain were in constant financial and economic turmoil before the adoption of the euro. The turmoil situation disappeared due to the economic booming of the past years. These five countries have barely met the requirements of monetary and economic stability and are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the stability. For the past years, these countries are not only suffering from excessive deficits and debts, but also economic unbalances (i.e. excessive current account deficits). The current account positions are becoming worse due to, among other reasons, their extremely uncompetitive trade position. As a consequence, they are beginning to blame the euro. The problem that these countries are facing originates from the fact that monetary union amplifies fiscal imbalances. Opting for devaluation of a competitive currency is not an option and the only other alternative stems from forcing differentials of bond yield reduced. In 2005 there were almost no yield differentials between the German Bund and the yields of those countries with excessive current-account deficits. In 2009, however, yield spreads has increased government default risks measured by a sudden increase in the demand for credit default swaps. Hence, the current economic crisis has demonstrated that currency risk is replaced by default risk in a monetary union. There are two reasons for this situation: 1) the sovereign debt of each member country is issued under the control of each Ministry of Finance, 2) there is no European Ministry of Finance. The Germans has proposed the creation of a European Monetary Fund, the French league has proposed the creation of a European Debt Agency which required that the Lisbon Treaty were amended or that a new treaty were negotiated. Many people blamed this situation due to the lack of a common bond market which would help to put all members together. Some people reject the suggestion based on the fact that a common bond market would lower borrowing costs for weaker countries and increase costs for stronger countries such as Germany. In addition, the common bond market would obtain the budget rights from each governments which would not be able to make national budgets by themselves. Exit clause For years some countries have not respect or followed the requirements listed in the Maastricht Treaty and are now facing extremely difficult economic situations. It is obvious in the current crisis that there is no political homogeneity among member countries from a political point of view. As a result, each member country has implemented its own particular economic model and how to conduct its own economic model. In addition, Greece, Spain, and Portugal do not truly realise that their economic models are embedded in a globalised economy and these countries need to implement a set of painful structural reforms to keep them competitive. From the economic point of view, the countries in trouble have two major common reasons. The reasons are the lack of respect for the requirements and the lack of appropriate implementation of the structural reforms required under an economic recession. Currently there are debates on what should or should not be done with these countries. However, there are not room to manoeuvre this situation under the current legal framework. Expulsion of these countries from the Eurozone is not a good choice as it would definitely hurt the image of the EU and its member countries. Many scholars, economists propose that voluntary withdrawal from only the Eurozone while staying in the EU to would be the most beneficial option. The legal framework the Treaty of Lisbon, does not provide the necessary methods to deal with problems of withdrawal, expulsion from Eurozone nor any other similar problem that might arrive soon. First, the Treaty of Lisbon has the no-bailout clause to prevent a budgetary problem in one country spilling over the EU as a whole. The no-bailout clause prohibits member countries from rescuing other countries or from accepting the debts of other countries. However, the Article 122 of Lisbon Treaty states that any member country seriously threatened with severe difficulties caused by natural disasters or exceptional occurrences beyond its control can receive financial assistance from other members. The question is whether a member countrys current debt crisis could qualify as an exceptional occurrence and not a man-made issue. This clause was inserted to strengthen unity and commitment of Eurozone. But the reality is that some countries are possessing extremely high level debts and defici ts far exceeding the requirements. Therefore, there are not many methods for to assist these financial troubled countries under the current circumstances. The Articles 4(2), 118, and 123(4) explicitly indicates that the process for adoption of the Euro is irreversible. Participation of the EMU becomes a legal obligation due to the irrevocability of the agreement and the monetary union process. Thus, the exit option of leaving EMU while staying in the EU is impossible. The exit option is only allowed to exit the EU and EMU altogether. In addition, there is no clear mechanism by which members could expel a fellow country. The expulsion could only be possible if the treaty were amended and provided that all member countries respond favourably to this amendment. Conclusion The EU and the Eurozone are suffering not only a financial crisis, but also a totally lack of appropriate structural reforms. The proper functioning of the EMU depends on the compliance with requirement provided in monetary and fiscal policies. Some member countries need to adopt urgently a number of structural reforms to promote economic growth of its own country and to stable euro as part of the EMU. Most importantly, the EMU should take this crisis as an opportunity to create a restructuring mechanism to strengthen and reform the economic, political foundations of the euro project.

Invisible Elements Of Spatial Ambience Design Cultural Studies Essay

Invisible Elements Of Spatial Ambience Design Cultural Studies Essay The visible and the invisible, the physical and the mental, these are the two main groups of elements which affect our perceptions toward a certain designated space ambience. The designers play a major part in it, and these days, it seems that some designers focus more on the aesthetic side of the creations, which fulfills the visible and physical parts for humans pleasures and desires, so what about the invisible and the mental parts? Arent they as important as the visible and physical parts for the design innovations? Design thinking, it is a design methodology by Tim Brown, who takes a human-centered approach, along with business and technology considerations of human behavior, needs and preferences, which demonstrates the practice of the important values bring out by the invisible and mental design innovation throughout the whole process of creating a new design with three main stages, inspiration, ideation and implementation. So what does it take to influence peoples perceptions, behaviors emotions? We see the things themselves; the world is what we see (Ponty, 1969). If we ask ourselves what is this WE, what SEEING is, and what the THING or WORLD is, we enter into a series of difficulties and contradictions. It is natural for human beings to be attuned to their surroundings. A physical environment affects various aspects of an individual: physically, emotionally, psychologically and socially. It defines individuality, coming to terms to the human side of our preferences and the choices we make. In design the designers choices, preferences and ideas are as important as the clients choices, preferences and ideas. In most cases if not all, the designer needs to come to the terms of the clients needs and wants. The distinction between the terms, needs and wants, is a way of describing the difference between what is that truly necessary for a persons activities against what a person asks for. When this happens the designer is actually creating that solution which answers the various requirements of a human-centered design. A term commonly used to describe human-centered design is called ambiance. What is ambiance? The general definition of ambiance is, a feeling, tone, character and atmosphere of the environment or surrounding influence; or the mood associated with a particular place, person, or thing. The look and feel of a space is highly relevant to the choices an individual makes in spatial design. This is where the visible and invisible concept in design comes in. Visible is what can be seen and noticed, invisible is what can be felt. These are two basic factors present in human-centered design. Interior Design is a world where creativity breeds innovation and tomorrows trends become todays styles. It is a career where art mingles with science to transform an architectural shell into a total environment (Haddad). These days, a lot of people practice on the visible side, concentrating more towards the physical aesthetics and form representation. Society lacks the attention to the invisible side, the emotional and psychological design elements. Architects and interior designers focus on designing dwellings, the form, structure and order of the space. We build these dwellings to satisfy most of our physical needs, pleasures and desires, but it seems that the more subtle, emotional and mental aspects of the space remain untouched. Perhaps a space is not just about the form and architecture. The elements of invisible design also need to be taken into consideration, which are the emotional and psychological design elements. As our basic needs increase with our standard of living, we expect experiences that are emotionally satisfying and meaningful. This will not be as simple as a single product; it will be complex combination of products, services, spaces and information. The process of spatial information visualization is shaped by various factors including interactive, perceptual, navigational as well as organizational and metaphorical aspects and as such requires an interdisciplinary approach (Buagajska, 2003). Thomas Edison created the light bulb and introduced it to the world. People perceived it as his main invention from the visible and physical aspects, but what was behind Edisons motive was that he understood the creation of the light bulb was a little more than just the surface result. His invention would be useless without the system of electric power and transmission to make it truly useful. His genius was his ability to perceive, not only the created device itself, but how people will use and innovate what he invented. And he worked with that approach, and gave a great contribution and consideration to users needs and preferences. Edisons approach was an early example of a methodology that influences the full range of innovation activities with a human-centered design philosophy. By this, it means that innovation is power driven by a detailed understanding, through direct observation, of what people want and need in their lives and what they like or dislike about the way particular products are made, packaged, marketed, sold, and supported (Brown, 2006). In the past, design has been treated as a downstream step in the development process the position where designers, who did not participate earlier role in the substantive work of innovation, had came along and put a beautiful wrapper around the idea. Undeniably, this move toward has inspired market growth in many areas by making new products and technologies aesthetically as well as attractive, and therefore more desirable to consumers or by enhancing brand perception through smart, evocative advertising and communication strategies. During the second half of the twentieth century, design had become more and more important competitive asset in, for example, the consumer electronics, automotive, and consumer packaged goods industries. But unlike the most others, it remained a late-stage add-on. Nowadays, rather than asking designers to create an already existed idea that is more attractive to consumers, the companies are asking them to create ideas that better and suitable to meet consumers needs and desires. The former role is well planned, and results in limited value creation; the final result is strategic, and it leads to dramatic new forms of value. Complexity is increased by the growing potential for personal customization. Do your own brand thinking can be seen especially in the communication cultures of youth groups. In the near future, the customer will be even more tightly linked to design processes (Koskinen, 2008). Let us take a few examples from the present. The personal ring tone, wallpaper and theme of a mobile phone is a classic example of personal customization. Some people go even further with engraved towels, pens and stationeries. In a nutshell, this paper will talk about how ambiance is not just seen through physical means and by just by having the space itself. Ambiance is more literally, through human perceptions, behaviors and emotions that the space will be filled up with life. Ambiance refers to the design of an environment via visual communications, lighting, colours, music to stimulate peoples perceptual and emotional responses and ultimately to affect their behavior and/or reaction. Many businesses have discovered the subtle benefits of developing atmospherics that complement other aspects of design and merchandise. The visible and the invisible, the physical and the mental, these are the two main groups of elements which affect our perceptions toward a certain designated space ambiance. The designers play a major part in it, and these days, it seems that designers focus more on the aesthetic side of the creations, which fulfills the visible and physical parts for a humans satisfaction and desires. So what about the invisible emotional and the mental aspects? Arent they as important as the visible and physical elements for design innovations? In this paper, it looks into the design thinking methodology, which is a design methodology lead by Tim Brown. Brown takes a human-centered approach, along with business and technological considerations for human behavior, needs and preferences, which demonstrates the practice of the important values brought out by the invisible and mental design innovation throughout the whole process of creating a new design, which comprises of three main stages: inspirat ion, ideation and implementation. In spatial design, ambiance of the space is generally created through the rooms function, the aesthetic of the space itself with object elements, including the primal elements within a space: staircase, floor, roof, wall, door, window, lighting, colour, tables, bed, chair, and furniture. If we are looking at it only through physical perception, the design would work just fine, because human emotion and the physical elements of design are connected. Things such as a designated space, structure, product or an image, forms and aesthetics are what we perceive in the first place of the physical phenomenon. A well-designed visual representation is needed. This representation can be seen as the expression of the physical ambiance design. All these design elements and methods do fulfill the needs for visible pleasure and desire, yet it seems that other important design elements are missing, not taken into consideration, or emphasized on much. These aspects are the invisible side, the mental and psychological perception from the users toward the ambiance within the space, and how they will perceive and express their behaviors and emotions. But ambiance doesnt exist just by having the space itself. Only through perceptions, behaviors and emotions can the space be filled up life. Architects and interior designers are not only designing to provide people with physical shelter, facilitate purpose and inspire sensory pleasure. Man-made structures tame the world for human habitation and understanding (Pallasmaa, 2008). The function of buildings and spaces should cater to the physical and mental well being of people. However, people have started to ask designers to create new ideas which suite and meet the clients needs. Their objectives have shifted away from just physical satisfaction and need. A rough idea would be the county jail. Its a place with the same environment and space layout for each individual bar space, but different kinds of criminals live in it. Each individual perceives the ambiance, behaviors and emotions of the space differently. Perhaps due to the individuals background, memories and experiences, it turns into different place in the end. For the criminals who have hope, they might take it as a turning point that gives them the chance to turn over a new leaf, so they might perceive the space as a confession box. For the criminals who have no hope, they might just take it as a daily routine, day after day, because they have no beliefs and confidence in themselves anymore, and dont see that there is a turning point or chance for them, sucking them deeper into the darkness. So in this paper, an exploration for the possibility of an ambiance design method that will create the positive benefits for both visible and invisible; physically and mentally designated space, which helps the well being of the people, is conducted. Another example would be how a restaurants design can affect peoples choice and preferences. A cosy and comfortably designed restaurant can give people the sense of serenity and tranquility while dining in. An upbeat and modern restaurant on the other hand may give people a certain lively and vibrant feel. It actually depends on peoples moods and preferences that whether they decide to dine in any of these restaurants. After looking at the outside of the restaurant and deciding to go in, and checking out the place before being seated, people look forward to how they are greeted. They will often go to an establishment before inviting business associates to dine, because not only does the restaurant need to make a good impression but so does them, so if the restaurant makes a unfavorable impression that would most likely reflect on myself as having bad taste. The next thing worth observing before ordering is the dà ©cor of the restaurant, does the theme stay consistent? After sitting down people check for cleanliness of the eating area, are the tables sticky or spotless? Is the server well groomed? And are the seats comfortable? Ambience has become a pivotal concern for tourism and hospitality managers worldwide. In an effort to improve the ambience, different groups of professionals are involved, in particular hospitality managers and outside experts, e.g. designers and architects. So how do we achieve a successful ambiance within a space, which is perceived by someones mental aspect, the invisible side? Ambiance design is not created by the designers only through the personal aspect, sense, experience and style, but molded together based on the understanding and knowledge that atmosphere has a multi-sensory effect on people. There is a new area of design, such as service design, user-centered design, interactive design, information design, and systems design which have become a new topic within the design field. Principles and disciplines such as sociology, psychology and medicine are entering the arena of design management process. With the supportive ideas and embrace how they bring philosophical considerations and anticipatory approach into design, which help to make up for the shortage of the invisible and mental design elements of a designated space or product. In order to achieve such a result, collaborative relationships are the main factor in the appro ach. To achieve the finest result, the process involves a wide range of fields, such as industrial design, interior design, graphic design, service design, information design, systems design, interactive design, user-centered design, light design, soundscape and scentscape design. Thinking like a designer can transform the way you develop products, services, processes-and even strategy (Brown, 2006). Tim Brown is the CEO and president of IDEO, a company associated with clients such as Daimler Chrysler, Microsoft, Motorola, Pepsi, Procter Gamble and Steelcase. Recently he joined the Advisory Council of Acumen fund, a global organization provides a not-for-profit service for improving the lives of the poor. He has won numerous design awards and has held exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Axis Gallery in Tokyo and the Design Museum in London. All that should not be part of the essay, but the reference. IDEO is an innovation and design firm from the USA, where designers exercise on design thinking methodology through three main stages: Inspiration, Ideation and Implementation. This discipline uses the designers sensibility and methods to meet peoples needs with what is technology phenomenon and what a practical business strategy can convert into customer value. A good design thinker doesnt work alone, so IDEO is a company that employs engineers, marketers, anthropologists, industrial designers, architects and psychologists. By thinking of people first in their approach, design thinkers can see potential problems, imagine the solutions for all intents and purposes, meet the needs, and observe the things that others dont. Designers then use their insight to apply and inspire innovation. This supports the idea I have for designing a space ambiance by emphasizing on the mental perception. One of their projects which benefits a company was the large health care provider, Kaiser Permanente, which was seeking a possibility to improve the overall quality of both patients and medical practitioners experiences. So in order to inspire the practitioners, the new concepts, techniques, and ideas of the design thinking method are taught to the nurses, doctors and administrators. Both Kaiser and IDEO teams participated in the workshops, which led to the innovations. During the first stage of the project, they acknowledged a number of issues and problems of the nurse shift routine, and one of their main objectives became redesigning the shift changes at the four Kaiser hospitals. They spent the first 45 minutes of each shift for a debriefing about the status of patients in their nurses station. Their original methods of communicating information, such as data exchanges, were different within their four hospitals. Exchanges varied wildly from recorded dictation to face-to-face conv ersations. From there, health professionals tried to compile the information which they needed, and quickly noted them down on any available piece of paper. Doing so made the information inaccessible, which lead to the nurses often failing to learn some of the things which are important to the patients. Administrators had learned that there were many patients that felt a lack in their care after each shift changed. This is a negative act that shouldnt happened in the healthcare industry, because it might lead the patients to the kind of perception towards the hospital that, the sight of the environment they are staying at is attractive, but the memory of their use is negative. Therefore, that is why we should be focusing on the importunateness for being cautious and attentive towards the process of both invisible, mental design elements within a space. By observing these important issues, the teams explored possible solutions through brainstorming and prototyping. Prototypes work efficiently only with investments in time, effort and funding. A positive idea could be generated through useful feedback, and prototyping allows it to be done on a small scale so that they could learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the idea, and to adjust and modify for a better direction. Their solution was to merge shift changes with nurses passing on the information in front of the patient rather than at the nurses station, which saves time and errors. With this new system implemented together with some simple software, the nurses were able to call up the data information from the previous shift notes and edit patients information throughout a shift rather than rushing at the end to pass it on, which minimized the possibility of errors. The results were positive, and showed that the new method saves time on preparation, provides better knowledge through information transfers and a better informed healthcare staff taking care of patients. Kaiser saw the potential impact of this whole new idea and system and applied human-centered design methodology, which created a small process innovation that produced a massive impact. They found that time management had improved in efficiency, which added a huge amount of nursing time across the four hospitals, as well as affect t he quality of the nurses work experience, adding invisible value to both nurses and patients, satisfying both groups. Kaiser and IDEO accomplishments didnt happen instantly overnight. They put in a lot of time and hard work into the project by using a creative human-centered discovery process followed by numerous cycles of prototyping, testing and adjustment. The process is best described as a symbolic system of spaces rather than a series of fixed steps. Then whole space was designed for different activities which together form the innovation. The result might not be perceived in a short term, and this method might take a longer time to see the intended results, and it is very true that, in order to have a long lasting emotional feelings, it takes time to develop; as they come from sustained interaction. So the main key is patience, determination and observation. Edisons approach was an example of what now we called the design thinking, a method which improves the innovation activities with human-centered design approach, which is driven by fully understanding, through observation, of what people r eally need in their lives, their likes and dislikes toward certain things, along with business and technological considerations. When the process includes research based on direct observation, it leads to unexpected insights and inspirations to process the best solutions for the consumers. Throughout the whole process, it actually achieves the invisible and mental designs areas significantly through the design thinking innovation methodology, making it so that not only the patients receive the benefits, but also the nurses working in the hospitals. For the patients, they get full attention from the nurses and satisfaction for both physical and mental pleasure while staying in the hospital. The nurses will gain positive experiences, and the positive feedback will lead to better attitudes toward their job, creating an optimistic positive working environment at the same time In 2004, IDEO was invited to collaborate on another new project with Shimano, a Japanese manufacturer of bicycle components, which was facing a flattened growth in its sales in USA. Shimanos intention was to introduce their high-end casual bike to a new area of consumers who are potentially worth exploring. During the initial inspiration stage, teams were formed from both Shimano and IDEO, comprised of designers, behavioral scientists, marketers and engineers, who worked to explore appropriate potential solutions and constraints. They decided to focus on other areas as well rather than just sticking on the high-end market. They started with searching on the statistics and facts, and found that 90% of American adults dont ride bikes, so they continue the research and try to find out why. They put in a lot of effort into surveying different kinds of consumers, and found that most of them had ridden a bike during their childhood, and had positive memories. One surprising thing they foun d out was that many Americans are intimidated by cycling today for a few reasons: the retail experience, the high cost of the bikes, accessories, hidden dangers of cycling on the road, and the maintenance fees. After gathering all the information they received, which were collected and summarized using the human-centered exploration method, it led to the realization that their new created category of bicycling might be able to solve the problems of reconnecting the consumers with their childhood and at the same time to dealing with the intimidation of cycling on the road. By using the design thinking methodology and cooperates with human-centered design method, the design team looked into every aspect to foresee the possibilities, and came up with the concept of Coasting, a way to enjoy life. This is designated more for the pleasure than for sports. It is featured with comfort padded seats, easy operation and minimal maintenance. Trek, Raleigh and Giant are three major brand bike manufacturers that benefitted from the research. They cooperated and invented new bikes together with Shimano by applying the same methods they used. But the design team didnt stop exploring and searching for opportunities from other areas. In order to complete this whole concept, which they are trying to publicize, they designed a public relations campaign which cooperated with local governments and cycling organizations, providing the bikers with identified safe places to ride. Design thinking was the key to come to this complete solution, and of course, for the visible, ae sthetic part of the bikes was created later on in the development process, a reference design to inspire the bike companies own design teams. After the successful launch in 2007, seven more bicycle manufacturers signed up to produce Coasting bikes in 2008. They were successful due to that; they created breakthrough ideas that were inspired through the understanding of peoples lives and what they really need and implemented the principles of design in order to create and adding more values not only for the visible, physical part, as well as the invisible, mental part for needs, desires and pleasures. By doing so, it is very possible that one of the main reasons is that, the innovation of creating the bike actually brings them back to the childhood, reliving fond and happy memories. Here are some examples of current architects who have been working on the relevant practices. Peter Eisenman is famous of his impenetrable paper architecture and writing. His works have been distinguishable buildings have been identified as anti-architecture, He spent quite a period of time exploring how to create a building that would be unencumbered by the expectations by doing away with the order of the contextual baggage or a program. Eisenman has been at the front of the Deconstructivist movement in architecture, linguistic, psychoanalysis and literary theory to analyse the apparent objectivity and unity of Modernism and reveal the subjective human desires beneath. Fig 1 The overall view of Holocaust Memorial. Fig 2 The pathway inside the Holocaust Memorial. One of his inspiring works would be the Holocaust Memorial, Berlin 2005, which is also known as Memorial to the Murdered Jews of European, it is a memorial of the Jewish victims and other victims of the Holocaust. 19,000 square meter throughout the whole site, a total of 2,711 concrete slabs, seems randomly, has the entire site covered. Some of the concrete slabs lay low to the ground, others stood upright. There is an gallery located at underground, where it displays the names of all the Jewish Holocaust victims because, there are no names or marks on the above ground. However, it relies on the emotional response from each of the visitors, in order to get the message. Its just like other good public places, this memorial is designed with multi functions. It provides its visitors with places to sit around. It is a place of amazement, as children and adults, climb around from column to column, but at the same time, it is also a place of reflection and remembrance. But in the end, it is a place where each of the visitor is confronted with their own emotions and look within themselves to perceive their surroundings. Human-centered design can work well for the workplaces, as the cultural has changed, the focus to the workers well-being has been noticed. Theres a rise to interesting experiments in architecture. As mentioned before, by having the psychologists, sociologists, architects and engineers aiming to optimize productivity in human resources. Buildings should no longer design as huge boxes, but in order to begin at assuring workers psycho-physical comfort. For example, interior space is organised in an open, flexible fashion which may be modified to suit users needs. Steven Holls Het Oosten office, Amsterdam, 2000 is one of the best to describe it. Fig 3 The cafeteria. Fig 4 Het Oosten office during night time. Fig 5 Exterior view of Het Oosten office, A 50,000 square meter brick warehouse, it has been entirely renovated and expanded in order to create this new building. By using the local resources, it fits comfortably into its natural context. The interior has strong emotions with its vibrant hues, designing with the light: the regular square cut windows light up with colour lights reflected in the water of the canal during the night. Emotion-laden physical space brings the improvement on quality of life by combining work, entertainment and environment for human well being. His design characterizes an architecture attention to emotional needs and the invisible elements within a space, by dedicating his designs through understanding their surroundings. Steven Holls work wants to open up our human experience to the possibility of questioning the University of Technological Space and its inhumanity, questioning the state of technology as an absolute truth. He offers the alternative of a poetic vision of life which does not propose an arbitrary but the demystification of the very forces which have been demystifying our sense of humanity through positivist reason for the last two centuries. Another view that exists out there which talks about human-centered designn is called, ambience design. Ambience design represents a new kind of design culture; it could even be said that it represents a change of paradigm. Ambience designs working culture is transdisciplinary. The one major innovation of ambience design is that designers from different working areas communicate with researchers. As such, ambience design is not built on the personal touch and style of the designer, but is based on the knowledge of the effect which a multi-sensory environment or atmosphere has on people. In effect, know-how in an ambience design project is developed through interaction with professionals and researchers from various science and business branches. Then the research results are accurately documented using various types of media. This school of thought develops and moves our visually emphasized design culture towards becoming a more multi-sensory design environment. It does this by using the language of shapes, sound landscapes, odour worlds, textured contact surface, light and colour worlds and even the world of taste (this is by no means an all-inclusive list). Ambience design also means new forms of distinguishing and recognizing: fresh methods utilizing our multi-sensory abilities. This involves scent signs, sound logos and designed lights and colours as symbols of organization identity. Ambience design combines spatial design and the means of of multi-sensory communication. It also talks about atmosphere design, i.e. by affecting people through the creation of a psychophysical entirety. In practice this means laying stress on experiences and phenomenology. Ambience design utilizes smart environments and materials at the same time. The use of these is aimed at increasing interaction in mediated and social environments. Fig 6 the Baron House by John Pawson, Sweden, 2005. When people see photos of my work, they sometimes say they are misleading theres nothing in them, no furniture, etc but they are meant to stimulate you to think, use your imagination, and project your own ideas. (Pawson, 2005). The central themes of ambience design are adjustability and adjustment. These themes are connected with the changing and transformable communicational identity of different rooms and brands. For example, rooms become more usable when individual people or groups are given a chance to adjust them according to their changing needs. Spaces are designed with simple, clean aesthetic, so that they can be personalized, and for the users to inject in with their perceptions, emotions and behaviors freely. Ambience design utilizes narration, dramaturgy and the competence of drama experts. The challenge is the changing narratives related to spaces, with dramaturgical and multi-sensory applicability, and a link to, say, GIS systems. Ambience design can be connected to brand building. At its best, ambience design management will become part of the brand management process. Multi-sensory marketing, which uses things such as distinctive sounds and odours, can be employed in brand development more than ever before. The advantage of ambience design is that it connects multi-sensory interior design to multisensory marketing and communications. This idea by Koskinen is ethically and environmentally aware. All activities are guided by an ethic code. A key objective of the ambience design team is to increase the well-being of people through transdisciplinary design and research. The future of design is human-centred, ecologically aware and ethically-oriented (Koskinen, 2008). Ambience design, was first developed in Finland long before Martin Lindstrom touched the theme in his Sense Branding (2004). Internationally, however, the concept was not introduced until the summer of 2005 in a paper presented in the HAAHAMA conference, Ambience Design: Creating

Essay --

In order to understand Bilingual education it must first be defined, as the compilation of multicultural views through which diversity is enriched and bilingualism becomes an ability to communicate with two or more languages with similar degree of proficiency language (Gallo, Pinuelas and Youngs 2008). Other perspectives state that the process of bilingual education is a process which educates students to be effective in a second language while maintaining and nurturing their first (Necochea and Cline 2000). In this process of educating students in a bilingual education many students do not completely acquire both languages. We would also have to consider the meaning of language acquisition, the process where children acquire their first language. Some children may attain one or more first languages depending on their environment children grow up in for example if a child grows up in an environment of only English they will only acquire that language, but a child that is exposed to both Vietnamese and English and are heard equally will acquire both languages. Other considerable research found that â€Å"young children do not learn another language effortlessly† that they do not learn faster with more exposure to the new language, that their oral fluency outstrips their academic competence, and that they require many years of grade level academic ability in the new language†(Berman, 1997.p17). It is important to understand the effectiveness of bilingual education in schools setting to better sever students in acquiring both languages and to smoothly transition to all English instruction. Since the passage of the Bilingual Education Act in 1968, it has been an extremely controversial and continuous topic among educators about the... ...at needed to become fluent in both languages is the six years which can positively affect the children in acquiring both languages. It can also vary on the effectiveness of the bilingual education program that is offered in many schools. In the research there were no significant findings that stated that bilingual education was ineffective, there was more evidence that showed that learning a primary language first and then transitioning to a second language had benefits because it has a positive effect in eventually becoming bilingual. There are still some implications that can be addressed about the effectiveness of bilingual education. Is there evidence that shows that these students have completely acquired both languages? How effective are bilingual programs in having students successfully transition to general English classes in middle school and high school.

Process Essay: Basic Skills of Snowboarding :: essays research papers

Interestingly enough, snowboarding was invented by Sherman Poppen in North Muskegon, Michigan, back in 1965. Nowadays, snowboarding is considered one of the most popular winter sports among teenagers. On the other hand, there are many people that don’t have the slightest idea how to ride a snowboard straight down a hill. There are four steps to learn the basic skills of snowboarding. First, you will need a snowboard. Make sure that you also buy the boots and bindings, if they do not come in the same package with the board. You will need to dress in a comfortable, loose-fitting outfit to allow flexibility. Never disregard your safety. Gloves, goggles, helmet, and wrist guards are a must, especially for beginners. Assuming that you are at a resort, now you will have to get into the bindings. With the boots on your feet, select a flat area with the snowboard in front of you, and place your front foot in the front binding. Strap both the toe and ankle strap until they are secure. Repeat with your back foot. Bounce around a little bit to see what it feels like to be strapped into a snowboard. Now, take out just your back foot and leave your front foot in its binding. Next, take a few steps up a slight incline with your front foot in the snowboard binding and your back foot out. Make sure that the snowboard is perpendicular to the incline. Take one step with your foot that is not attached to the snowboard, then lift your foot with the snowboard attached to it and take a step with the entire snowboard. Keep taking baby steps until you are up an incline. The process can become tiring after a while, but for beginners the ski-lift is not quite recommended at this point. You should be looking for beginner slopes with a very small incline. Now that you are at the top of a slope that is comfortable for you, sit down and strap both feet into the snowboard. Now, with your snowboard perpendicular to the slope, stand up so you are looking down. Your weight will be mostly on your heels. Now point your toes on both feet just a little bit and you will start to slide down the hill. Always watch where you are going, and make sure that your hands are slightly away from your body.

Human Services Essay

The book, â€Å"Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus† by John Gray, generally, explores the claim that men and women are different and it is this difference that makes relationships fail and/or succeed. Using an allegorical backdrop, he presented his hypothesis by narrating how men originally was from Mars, where, they value success, titles and positions and how women originally was from Venus, where they value relationships, communication and empathy. At a particular point, lives on both planets became meaningless until a Martian glimpsed a Venetian and the Venetians felt loved and cherished, thus, they fitted the gap missing in their lives and opted to live on earth. This story was carefully enhanced as each personality is explored, taking into account their background, their reactions, feelings, expectations as well as coping mechanisms. I can see how positive Gray is, in pursuing his claim, presenting the facts, examples as well as possibilities of the situation. I can also say that most of his concepts are true – that women are indeed very â€Å"emotional† and that men are very â€Å"logical†. On the other hand, this will only be applicable for couples who are willing to make a relationship work. I do not think this will work effectively in a relationship where, let’s say, the man does not understand how a woman think or where a man does not know that women are like â€Å"tides†. I think in the end, women are still going to give – that they will still be â€Å"trapped† in such situation where they have no choice but to give and obliged to understand men. In a way, I don’t like the idea that men fill in the void the women feel when they encounter their down moments. I don’t like the idea that a Venetian is in need of a Martian. Perhaps, I’m just in a rebellious state that I feel that way but I never liked the idea that a woman can’t live without a man in her life. I believe that women are able and are very capable to sustain a living. Such that if a woman is being beaten by her husband, or if a woman is being abused, or if a man validates his vices as a coping mechanism when he is in his cave, the woman has every right to fight back or even leave her husband. She shouldn’t disregard her needs as a woman just because she is waiting for her husband to come out of his cave or have his rubber band pulled back. She shouldn’t let anybody step over her boundaries just because she is naturally, understanding. In the field of human services, the information about men and women will greatly help in dealing with people. It’s hard to separately discuss how acting out, catharsis and repression is related to concepts mentioned in the book so I will be citing possible examples instead. In cases of teenage drug abuse, it is important to trace how it started, or particularly, why it did. Getting these people to talk, be it a man or a woman is never easy. For one, their current coping mechanism may be a result of continuous nurturing of repressed emotions. While time is a big element in these types of situation, using Gray’s concepts teach us to allow them space until they are ready to discuss their issues. Force rarely works in these scenarios, nor is immediate rehabilitation. For youngsters, parents’ participation in this process is very crucial as children may have repressed emotions that need attention. Parents should be educated on â€Å"how to listen† while children will have to be â€Å"advised† on how to â€Å"accept† or â€Å"communicate. † For adults, one’s behavior or treatment greatly matters. Gray’s notes on how to motivate a man or a woman, or encourage them to talk will help in these types of scenarios. In child abuse or rape cases, they say it’s far easier to assign a woman to interview the victims. This is true, because women in general, know how to empathize with the victims as well as understand the situation. Men, normally, try to put on their â€Å"Mr. Fix It Personality† to help a victim feel better – which rarely works and usually pushes the victims into their own comfort zones – choosing not to talk, instead. Gray’s notes on how to make people talk starts from the very basic – being silent and being ready at any time to accommodate the victim. In dealing with the elderly or senior citizens, it will be very different. The provider has to understand that not only does gender matter here but also the psychosocial stage a person is in. Dealing with senior citizens do not constitute a relational aspect, some may even feel insulted if you try to look at it in that perspective. Gray’s ideas in considering the person’s culture (or background) and understanding the person’s individuality (gender and personality) will help in making such relationship fruitful and successful. Health services may seem very specific and require lesser attention or relational aspect. This is true. In a manner of speaking, health provided is based on the results of a test or exam conducted/surveyed on a specific community. On the other hand, some people may refuse to accept help or decline it outright; thinking that they don’t need it or their pride has been insulted. Thus, it is important for health providers to be relational, helping people understand the benefits of the help being provided so that it can be accepted more freely. Imagine, how you can convince a tribe or group to accept vaccine if they had been practicing herbal medicine all throughout their lives? Or how you can convince a community to take advantage of vaccines when their families have opted not to take them for the longest period of time? Although, I believe this is very rare, Gray’s concepts will help a person get acquainted with his/her patients by merely taking into account how men and women vary in reacting to various factors. Knowing that Gray focused on how to make relationships work, it becomes easier to apply his concepts to something general, such as human services – where people deal with other people. Gray’s concepts may even be applied or associated to a group, for Martians did belong to one culture and Venetians belong to another, and very likely, together they share or may have built a different culture too. With this in mind, relating to others will become an everyday adventure, rather than a routinary assumption and prediction of behaviors. It will constitute facts and bases on how personalities can be so similar, yet so different.

Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State Essay

This article argues that the first domestic institution in human history was not the family but the matrilineal clan. Engels here follows Lewis H. Morgan’s thesis as outlined in his major book, Ancient Society. Morgan was an American business lawyer who championed the land rights of Native Americans and became adopted as an honorary member of the Seneca Iroquois tribe. Traditionally, the Iroquois had lived in communal longhouses based on matrilineal descent and matrilocal residence, an arrangement giving women much solidarity and power. When nonhuman primate society and earliest human society, identifying sexual competition and the â€Å"jealousy of the male† as the vital issue that needed to be overcome to allow the emergence of the oldest form of family involving â€Å"group marriage†. Primitive communism was based in the matrilineal clan where women lived with their classificatory sisters – applying the principle that â€Å"my sister’s child is my child†. This kinship solidarity empowered women to take action against uncooperative males. Engels identified the â€Å"world historic defeat of the female sex† – the switch from what he called â€Å"mother-right† to â€Å"father-right† – with the onset of farming and pastoralism. This shift from matrilocality to patrilocality manifested itself in men’s increased control in the home. Engels wrote: â€Å"The man took command in the home also.† The book begins with an extensive discussion of Ancient Society which describes the major stages of human development as commonly understood in Engels’ time. In contrast to other contemporary essays on the subject, Engels emphasizes the importance not of primitive psychological development but rather of soc ial relations of power and control over material resources, sometimes related to the development of new technologies. Morgan, whose account of prehistory Engels largely accepts as given, focuses primarily on the first two stages  of Savagery and Barbarism but only ventures as far as the transition into Civilization. The terms Savagery and Barbarism as used by Morgan were meant to be objective and not terms of derision or disparagement as they might be assumed to be then or now. The Pairing Family, first indications of pairing are found in families where the husband has one primary wife. Inbreeding is practically eradicated by the prevention of a marriage between two family members who were even just remotely related, while relationships also start to approach monogamy. Property and economics begin to play a larger part in the family, as a pairing family had responsibility for the ownership of specific goods and property. Polygamy is still common amongst men, but no longer amongst women since their fidelity would ensure the child’s legitimacy. Women have a superior role in the family as keepers of the household and guardians of legitimacy. The pairing family is the form characteristic of the lower stages of barbarism. However, at this point, when the man died his inheritance was still given to his gens, rather than to his offspring. Engels refers to this economic advantage for men coupled with the woman’s lack of rights to lay claim to possessions for herself or her children (who became hers after a separation) as the overthrow of mother-right which was â€Å"the world historical defeat of the female sex†. For Engels, ownership of property created the first significant division between men and women in which the woman was inferior. It develops from the pairing family, as we have already shown, during the time of transition from the middle to the higher stage of barbarism. Its final victory is one of the signs of beginning civilization. It is founded on male supremacy for the pronounced purpose of breeding children of indisputable paternal lineage. The latter is required, because these children shall later on inherit the fortune of their father. The monogamous family is distinguished from the pairing family by the far greater durability of wedlock, which can no longer be dissolved at the pleasure of either party. As a rule, it is only the man who can still dissolve it and cast off his wife.