Basel III Rules Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Basel III Rules - Essay Example Australia also faced such type of economic recession and banks were exposed to market risk. Thus some more financial reforms are needed that can help the organizations to face the emerging new challenges efficiently. Hence, Basel III norms have been implemented by Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS). This essay will illustrate the opportunities to be created by Basel III norms that help in providing better financial risk management; it also will discuss the challenges or negative impacts of Basel III. Basel III emphasized on developing risk resilience mechanisms that can be practiced in financial institutions including banks. Basel III norms also called for controlling the financial irregularities by implementing strict regulations. It provided financial protection to banks by following minimum adequate cash reserves that can sustain their financial needs for minimum period of 3-4 months at the time of financial crisis. The risk bearing ability of the banks was also strengt hened through the major financial regulations that are sufficiently dynamic in nature to respond to the market changes positively from time to time (The Economist, 2010). According to the norms of the Basel III, the banks are required to hold a minimum of seven percent of tier 1 capital, namely cash reserves and common stock which is a good jump from present level of two per cent. This is very significant step to provide higher risk bearing ability to banks against the financial crisis. Similarly, the tier one capital is also a core measure of a bank's financial strength and by increasing this component, the risk bearing ability of the banks would be enhanced tremendously. Tier 2 capital will be regulated for its sustainable growth and tier 3 capital will be removed completely according to Basel III norms. In addition, they have to improve the capital requirements for counterparty credit exposures which provide them better cushion to withstand financial shocks. At the same time, as per the norms of Basel III, the risk management of counter party credit exposures and capital buffers have to be strengthened which would provide cushion at the times of financial stress. This would result in higher immunity for the banks against interest rate risk and market risk in future. In consequence, the successful implementation of all these measures suggested in Basel III would certainly enhance the financial stability of the banks and reduce the need for the government bailouts during the financial crises. In contrast, the implementation of some clauses of Basel III has some potential disadvantages and banks have to face new challenges. For example, according to Basel III agreement, the banks are required to hold higher amount of capital reserves with themselves as a protection against the financial risks involved with the longevity of their own debts and the risks that banks attach to different kinds of loans (Peston, 2010). This would certainly provide them better protec tion during the times of financial crisis, but at the same time, the profit margin of the banks and their investment opportunities will erode significantly (Black Swain Insights, 2010). This is because of the fact that the banks have little amount to disburse in the form of loans to the customers and hence they may have to charge additional interest rate. In other words, the

Sustainable business in the 21st century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sustainable business in the 21st century - Essay Example Tourism remains a panacea of sustainable development in many nations; hence, different nations promote various forms of tourism. Sustainable tourism development relies on the premise of sustainability because it takes into consideration the resource base that currently exist and utilization of those resources in a way that the resource base for future generations are not damaged. Moreover, sustainable tourism encourages fairness and equity in order to create a win-win situation in stakeholders involved in the sector. Sustainability develops from the premise of three pillars that need to be satisfied and they include the natural environment, the economy and socio-economic benefits. For sustainability in tourism, the environment is paramount to any form of business and development and is the responsibility of everyone including developers who design and engage in supporting the infrastructure. Tourism follow established guidelines and regulatory framework in order to conform to social and economic as well as environmental standards in an attempt to embrace environmentally friendly practices. ... By engaging in environmental good practices, businesses influence tourists by their efforts and follow the practices of locals in maintaining the environment. Through continuous foreign exchange brought about by the sustainable tourism, emerge positive spill-off effects that contribute in job creation, entrepreneurial ventures and links sectors. In the 21st century, businesses in the sector face the challenge of coming up with different ways of doing things in the business because there is no need of having healthy businesses without healthy society and environment; hence, the tour and accommodation business steps up to the challenge by integrating cooperate social responsibility and environmental sustainability (Benady, 2013). Given the nature of tourism and its fragility, the industry focuses on sustainability as well as sustainable tourism development by addressing the challenges of traffic congestion and engaging in strategic marketing and reforming legislation so that players in the industry comply. The paper presents a framework concerning sustainable development that takes into consideration the satisfaction of all stakeholders (Ramgulam, Raghunandan-Mohammed and Raghunandan, 2013). The significance of sustainability models witnessed increased recognition in areas of science and politics as the world faces several economic, environmental and social challenges. Tour and accommodation like other sectors that have witnessed the increase of experienced economy and skilled consumption, has undergone main transformation. The rapid development of cultural tourism has caused problems and there are signs that cultural tourism is falling prey to its own

Modernism Art Essay Example for Free

Modernism Art Essay As some critics contended, postmodernism represents a break with the modernist notion that architecture should be technologically rational, austere and functional, discuss the ways in which one postmodern architect has developed strategies which overcome these tendencies. Juxtaposition is seen between the characteristics of early 20th century modern architecture and the artistic endeavours of postmodernism that followed. To represent the ‘Less is More’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) notion the modernist tendencies had adopted, Robert Venturi built a ‘Ghost Structure’ to imply architecture had no longer become an art form and was merely just a ‘spectator’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) in society. This essay will discuss ways in which the architect Robert Venturi adopts methods to overcome these tendencies that architecture has lost meaning and ways in which he attempts to remove himself with any links with the ‘post-modernist’ movement that he is viewed in having. Modern Architects saw their role as ‘reformers,’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) and tended to break with tradition and start anew. Considering it was a new revolutionary movement they tended to ignore potential problems and focused on the new modern advancements available. A modernist tendency was to build individually however Venturi claimed that a ‘building derives meaning from its context’ (Out Of the Ordinary, 2002) and evidently each individual location requires a different form of architectural style to represent this. In Venturis book ‘Complexity and Contradiction’ he quotes ‘familiar things seen in unfamiliar context become perceptually new as well as old’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) here he perhaps means in order for art to become worthy of aesthetic appreciation the viewer needs to see it in a different context. For example, Tracy Emin’s unmade bed was placed in an art gallery and was more acceptable and appreciated as ‘art’ rather than being viewed in its original, everyday context. Venturi was focused on the reason behind and the visual perception of architecture, he believed that in applying a ‘medley of styles’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg32) opposed to an ‘either/or ‘(R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) mind-set would offer a varied combination of architectural styles. Thus enabling to a successful response to the multitude of tastes society desired, as he was well aware that there were an  array of underlying problems of everyday life. Problems that modernist architects tended to ignore due to their concern of the solution not corresponding with what they believed to be their perfect design. Venturi disregards modernist tendencies as he favours a more eclectic style rather than the ‘less is more’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) approach modernism supports. Venturi aims to ensure his buildings have ties with historical architecture thus to draw meaning and value. This was to evoke a sense of familiarity whilst still staying in context with a more modern environment. Venturi believed in using his knowledge from what he had learned and new had worked in the past, so sought to apply these techniques to his designs. An example of this is Venturi’s State Mosque of Iraq; (Ref 1) finished in 1982. Here Venturi sought to draw from numerous styles and periods, specifically, Art Nouveau. The purpose of incorporating so many previous instances was to provide meaning and depth to architecture once more. Venturi was inspired by the work of Edwin Lutyen’s Capital Buildings in New Delhi as Lutyen had successfully managed to integrate historical themes to look postmodern however with an underlying modernist culture. Post-modernist architects questioned the modernist tendency that form depends on function. Walter Gropius quoted ‘aesthetic image and monumentality of a design are more important than functionalism.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) However the context of the building was all the more important. Venturi championed this and consequently revived the tendency to ‘change things around’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) to develop and discover a more motivating form. He believed that the simplicity of modernist designs were so minimal that they therefore could easily be manipulated to communicate historic and ornamental tendencies of the past whilst taking advantage of the modern advancements in technology and construction all the while considering the users requirements. An example of this is the Vanna Venturi House, (Ref 2) completed in 1961 which has multiple references to past periods and styles. Firstly the street faà §ade denotes Michelangelo’s Porta Pia in Rome, Alessondra Vittoria’s Villa  Barabo at Maser and finally the Nymphaeum at Palladio. Venturi quotes to ‘recognising the complexities and contradictions’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg244) in which this building instils, nevertheless was an ideal way to overcome his statement that ‘less is a bore.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg17) Additionally Venturi’s love of distortion over ‘straightforward’ and ‘ambiguous’ over ‘articulation’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) notion is a prime example of how he overcame the modernist tendency of clean, designed and hence forth the exclusion of design traits. Venturi was similarly intrigued by the parallel of how design in the past related to the hierarchy of upper and lower classes of his today and whether or not the aesthetics of said classes could be outlined into categories that reflected the social divisions. More precisely he connected classical modern architecture with that of ancient upper classes such as ruins of palaces and the contrast of how they were erected differently from that of how Venturi describes as ‘ordinary’ peoples buildings. (Learning from Las Vegas, 1972) Everything appears to be in relation to, form, space and social responsibility also implying modern architecture seems to have forgotten the art of steganography in which was not only significantly spanning across four centuries from the 15th to the 19th century but was also how architects learnt to progress, appreciate and respect the aesthetic awareness of form. This can be related back to the Renaissance in which the development of form has been linked to the visual for centuries. Venturi wanted to instil ‘new perceptions of old functions’ (Architecturerevived, 2011). He sought to draw from the past and carefully extract relevant features and characteristics and with the buildings context in the forefront of his mind, apply them. An illustration of is how he exhibited historical examples from Baroque and Egyptian architecture to symbolise frames and overwhelm small window openings. He symbolically implied unconventional messages or problems he thought society needed to address, an  example of this being The Guild House, completed in 1963, (Ref 3) Philadelphia. It displays a system of layers with artistic meaning,  organisation and a well thought out design process which represents the importance of historical and architectural discourse. By instilling a gold-plated TV Ariel on top of the building signified what Venturi described as the ‘relevant revolution of today.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) It communicated the underlying idea that the importance of architecture could potentially be forgotten with the advancement of TV and media. Venturi was concerned that the development of these new technologies were influential on art, ‘a machine for living while practical, is emotionless,’ (Molly Jacques, 2009) and that all reference to historical architecture could be perceived as irrelevant or even worse, lost in the progressing society he found himself in. Therefore the TV Ariel became demonstrative of this, a representation based on the theme of classical architecture. It was also said to represent the buildings inhabitants, by simply stereotyping the occupants, believing they watch too much TV, and alas the symbolic connotation of classical statues in cathedrals. Modern architects had pragmatic views. They believed technological advances allowed for the disregard of all historical periods and movements. Led by the new approach of ‘machines for living’ (The Arts – Le Corbusier, Dominic Gallagher) as Le Corbusier cited, inevitably led to the demise of decorative and aesthetics in favour for more organised and geometrical buildings, in addition to this there was a new enthusiasm for building vertically. Venturi believed that the introduction of this technologically motivated notion advertently simplified architecture so much so it had seen a departure from the ‘experience of life.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg17) Consequently becoming focused on what characterised as Realism. Venturi studied people in their everyday life and routines, purposely so as not to exclude designing for social problems and consequently to design for the truth. A somewhat stark contrast to the modernist notion of designing for simplification or t he ‘Less is More’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) idea, as stated by Miles Van De Rohe. This evidently left many social questions unanswered or as Paul Rudolf, a prominent modernist architect quoted ‘all problems can never be solved.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) Furthermore the development of new materials and constructional technological advances allowed for modernist architects to design freely with focus on spatial forms and  geometric proportions. Miles Van De Rohes Pavilion’s illustrate this as they lacked any sort of reference to the past as his desire and purpose was to exploit new technologies to the fullest and have no recognized relation to the past whatsoever. Venturi opposed this as he looked to past historical architecture for inspiration and saw relevance in previous movements and styles. This allowed him to design with meaning and by combing new methods of construction and technology allowed him to develop and erect innovative buildings that reflected historical traits whilst still fitting into a modern society. A further modernist view was that architecture was about a blend on technology and art, and to inevitably reform some sort of style they believed had become lost in tradition. They admired the emerging new developments, especially in transportation and new materials becoming available. They tried to instil this new, sleek, streamlined look in their buildings. It was almost as if they wanted to draw a line under the past and render a new concept of design to follow with the new advances that were being made in other fields. Nonetheless Venturi held on to his belief that architecture hadn’t become so much as lost but instead had been forgotten. Stating that ‘conventional elements’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) could be applied using the advanced methods the modernists championed, and that some sort of balance could be achieved. It suggests a complete rejection of the past is not relevant in order to move forward in not only a social aspect but also to cater for what appeared to be, a demand for a new architectural style. Venturi was positive in regards to the new materials and construction methods now available and did not deny that they were not beneficial to society in his today and stating ‘conventional elements’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) constructed in ‘unconventional ways’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) supports this. As does his design for the Vanna Venturi House, (Ref 2) constructed in 1961 in which an array of modernist materials were used, such as steel. Yet he chose to mix both development in techniques and materials with historical features to create a design that was visually, functionally and constructed successfully in design. Venturi became interested in the Las Vegas Strip (Ref 4) leading him to write the book ‘learning from Las Vegas’ published in 1972. He came to the conclusion that the city had been built to accommodate for the  technologically savvy society. The architectural advertisement method Vegas seemed to have adopted had all been carefully angled to appeal to the people now driving down the strip. This was an original concept in which to appeal to an audience not necessarily on foot. The architecture almost becomes an advertisement in itself and the landscape inadvertently develops into its notorious messy, chaotic and fast paced form, which also reflected the traits the city and people in it had undertook. The architecture became a direct contrast to the modernist tendencies as the strip ‘serves culture rather than dictates it.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) this was perhaps as Vegas was competitive and needed to directly interact with its audience in order to entice them. Venturi was inspired to take aspects of how Las Vegas had so forcefully removed the constraints of which had seemed to be put upon architecture and apply it, however in a not so embellished manner. Venturi states how The Guild House (Ref 3) was built with these intentions as well as having a ‘vernacular’ (Perkowitz, 2002) idea in mind. He went on to exploit every available inch of building space obtainable, by building up six-stories high. An attribute in fact of the modernist conception, however Venturi came to this design conclusion to enable the inhabitants to interact more conveniently with the outside. This was said to be purposely done so as not to break up the prevailing aesthetics of the street, nonetheless still managed to introduce another dimension to it. A fragmented outline of the Southern faà §ade directly contrasts with the smooth surface of the North. This intentionally done so as the building was built for the elderly so rather than isolate, the distorted faà §ade in fact drew the outside in, to allow for maximum interaction in a visual nature. Venturi attempts to imply a Baroque Palazzo style upon the Guild House (Ref 3) by the introduction of white tiles on the lower and upper levels of the building. Which was believed to have ‘symbolic’ and ‘representational’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg25) components that merge as a whole which in avertedly was to reflect the architectural connotation of the structure. It was understood that the Guild House (Ref 3) was built on a system of layers. Layers of artistic meaning and organisation, each one symbolising the importance of the  historical and architectural discourse. This is reinforced by Venturi testifying ‘knowledge instead of learning’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg12) supports the fact he draws upon what was effective in the past and relates it to his own compositions. He breaks up the historical foundations and is driven and instils a sense of the past throughout his designs. The modernist notion of designing for what the architect believed society wanted rather than needed impacted primarily upon the poorer societies. Hence forth Venturi was particularly careful when building The Guild House perhaps to show designing with the context and user in mind can be achieved successfully without social problems having to be ignored or forgotten, again a tendency modern architecture seemed to adopt in fear of losing aesthetic value. Venturi sought to prove you could have both. In reflection it can be said that Venturi is extremely knowledgeable and has an in-depth understanding and appreciation for historical architecture in which he feel shouldn’t be forgotten but instead should be admired and inspire future movements. Despite modernism striping what Venturi believed was the ‘art’ from architecture he fought to overcome these tendencies are drew upon relevant historic features and characterisations and applied them liberally to his design, in accordance to their context. Nevertheless he understood that designing for the user was significant and not to exclude social problems. He undertook the modernist concept of advanced ways to construct and recognised and understood the developing society, yet he chose not to ignore historic references and applied them in a system of layers within his designs to accommodate for the advanced civilization whilst electing to apply asceticism for both a functional and visual experience. As some critics contended, postmodernism represents a break with the modernist notion that architecture should be technologically rational, austere and functional, discuss the ways in which one postmodern architect has developed strategies which overcome these tendencies. Juxtaposition is seen between the characteristics of early 20th century modern architecture and the artistic endeavours of postmodernism that followed. To represent the ‘Less is More’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) notion  the modernist tendencies had adopted, Robert Venturi built a ‘Ghost Structure’ to imply architecture had no longer become an art form and was merely just a ‘spectator’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) in society. This essay will discuss ways in which the architect Robert Venturi adopts methods to overcome these tendencies that architecture has lost meaning and ways in which he attempts to remove himself with any links with the ‘post-modernist’ movement that he is viewed in having. Modern Architects saw their role as ‘reformers,’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) and tended to break with tradition and start anew. Considering it was a new revolutionary movement they tended to ignore potential problems and focused on the new modern advancements available. A modernist tendency was to build individually however Venturi claimed that a ‘building derives meaning from its context’ (Out Of the Ordinary, 2002) and evidently each individual location requires a different form of architectural style to represent this. In Venturis book ‘Complexity and Contradiction’ he quotes ‘familiar things seen in unfamiliar context become perceptually new as well as old’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) here he perhaps means in order for art to become worthy of aesthetic appreciation the viewer needs to see it in a different context. For example, Tracy Emin’s unmade bed was placed in an art gallery and was more acceptable and appreciated as ‘art’ rather than being viewed in its original, everyday context. Venturi was focused on the reason behind and the visual perception of architecture, he believed that in applying a ‘medley of styles’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg32) opposed to an ‘either/or ‘(R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) mind-set would offer a varied combination of architectural styles. Thus enabling to a successful response to the multitude of tastes society desired, as he was well aware that there were an array of underlying problems of everyday life. Problems that modernist architects tended to ignore due to their concern of the solution not corresponding with what they believed to be their perfect design. Venturi disregards modernist tendencies as he favours a more eclectic style rather than the ‘less is more’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) approach modernism supports. Venturi aims to ensure his buildings have ties with historical architecture thus to draw meaning and value. This was to evoke a sense of  familiarity whilst still staying in context with a more modern environment. Venturi believed in using his knowledge from what he had learned and new had worked in the past, so sought to apply these techniques to his designs. An example of this is Venturi’s State Mosque of Iraq; (Ref 1) finished in 1982. Here Venturi sought to draw from numerous styles and periods, specifically, Art Nouveau. The purpose of incorporating so many previous instances was to provide meaning and depth to architecture once more. Venturi was inspired by the work of Edwin Lutyen’s Capital Buildings in New Delhi as Lutyen had successfully managed to integrate historical themes to look postmodern however with an underlying modernist culture. Post-modernist architects questioned the modernist tendency that form depends on function. Walter Gropius quoted ‘aesthetic image and monumentality of a design are more important than functionalism.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) However the context of the building was all the more important. Venturi championed this and consequently revived the tendency to ‘change things around’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) to develop and discover a more motivating form. He believed that the simplicity of modernist designs were so minimal that they therefore could easily be manipulated to communicate historic and ornamental tendencies of the past whilst taking advantage of the modern advancements in technology and construction all the while considering the users requirements. An example of this is the Vanna Venturi House, (Ref 2) completed in 1961 which has multiple references to past periods and styles. Firstly the street faà §ade denotes Michelangelo’s Porta Pia in Rome, Alessondra Vittoria’s Villa Barabo at Maser and finally the Nymphaeum at Palladio. Venturi quotes to ‘recognising the complexities and  contradictions’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg244) in which this building instils, nevertheless was an ideal way to overcome his statement that ‘less is a bore.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg17) Additionally Venturi’s love of distortion over ‘straightforward’ and ‘ambiguous’ over ‘articulation’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) notion is a prime example of how he overcame the modernist tendency of  clean, designed and hence forth the exclusion of design traits. Venturi was similarly intrigued by the parallel of how design in the past related to the hierarchy of upper and lower classes of his t oday and whether or not the aesthetics of said classes could be outlined into categories that reflected the social divisions. More precisely he connected classical modern architecture with that of ancient upper classes such as ruins of palaces and the contrast of how they were erected differently from that of how Venturi describes as ‘ordinary’ peoples buildings. (Learning from Las Vegas, 1972) Everything appears to be in relation to, form, space and social responsibility also implying modern architecture seems to have forgotten the art of steganography in which was not only significantly spanning across four centuries from the 15th to the 19th century but was also how architects learnt to progress, appreciate and respect the aesthetic awareness of form. This can be related back to the Renaissance in which the development of form has been linked to the visual for centuries. Venturi wanted to instil ‘new perceptions of old functions’ (Architecturerevived, 2011). He sought to draw from the past and carefully extract relevant features and characteristics and with the buildings context in the forefront of his mind, apply them. An illustration of is how he exhibited historical examples from Baroque and Egyptian architecture to symbolise frames and overwhelm small window openings. He symbolically implied unconventional messages or problems he thought society needed to address, an  example of this being The Guild House, completed in 1963, (Ref 3) Philadelphia. It displays a system of layers with artistic meaning, organisation and a well thought out design process which represents the importance of historical and architectural discourse. By instilling a gold-plated TV Ariel on top of the building signified what Venturi described as the ‘relevant revolution of today.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) It communicated the underlying idea that the importance of architecture could potentially be forgotten with the advancement of TV and media. Venturi was concerned that the development of these new technologies were influential on art, ‘a machine for living while practical, is emotionless,’ (Molly Jacques,  2009) and that all reference to historical architecture could be perceived as irrelevant or even worse, lost in the progressing society he found himself in. Therefore the TV Ariel became demonstrative of this, a representation based on the theme of classical architecture. It was also said to represent the buildings inhabitants, by simply stereotyping the occupants, believing they watch too much TV, and alas the symbolic connotation of classical statues in cathedrals. Modern architects had pragmatic views. They believed technological advances allowed for the disregard of all historical periods and movements. Led by the new approach of ‘machines for living’ (The Arts – Le Corbusier, Dominic Gallagher) as Le Corbusier cited, inevitably led to the demise of decorative and aesthetics in favour for more organised and geometrical buildings, in addition to this there was a new enthusiasm for building vertically. Venturi believed that the introduction of this technologically motivated notion advertently simplified architecture so much so it had seen a departure from the ‘experience of life.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg17) Consequently becoming focused on what characterised as Realism. Venturi studied people in their everyday life and routines, purposely so as not to exclude designing for social problems and consequently to design for the truth. A somewhat stark contrast to the modernist notion of designing for simplification or t he ‘Less is More’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) idea, as stated by Miles Van De Rohe. This evidently left many social questions unanswered or as Paul Rudolf, a prominent modernist architect quoted ‘all problems can never be solved.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) Furthermore the development of new materials and constructional technological advances allowed for modernist architects to design freely with focus on spatial forms and geometric proportions. Miles Van De Rohes Pavilion’s illustrate this as they lacked any sort of reference to the past as his desire and purpose was to exploit new technologies to the fullest and have no recognized relation to the past whatsoever. Venturi opposed this as he looked to past historical architecture for inspiration and saw relevance in previous movements and styles. This allowed him to design with meaning and by combing new methods of construction and technology allowed him to develop and erect innovative buildings that reflected historical traits whilst still fitting into a  modern society. A further modernist view was that architecture was about a blend on technology and art, and to inevitably reform some sort of style they believed had become lost in tradition. They admired the emerging new developments, especially in transportation and new materials becoming available. They tried to instil this new, sleek, streamlined look in their buildings. It was almost as if they wanted to draw a line under the past and render a new concept of design to follow with the new advances that were being made in other fields. Nonetheless Venturi held on to his belief that architecture hadn’t become so much as lost but instead had been forgotten. Stating that ‘conventional elements’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) could be applied using the advanced methods the modernists championed, and that some sort of balance could be achieved. It suggests a complete rejection of the past is not relevant in order to move forward in not only a social aspect but also to cater for what appeared to be, a demand for a new architectural style. Venturi was positive in regards to the new materials and construction methods now available and did not deny that they were not beneficial to society in his today and stating ‘conventional elements’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) constructed in ‘unconventional ways’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) supports this. As does his design for the Vanna Venturi House, (Ref 2) constructed in 1961 in which an array of modernist materials were used, such as steel. Yet he chose to mix both development in techniques and materials with historical features to create a design that was visually, functionally and constructed successfully in design. Venturi became interested in the Las Vegas Strip (Ref 4) leading him to write the book ‘learning from Las Vegas’ published in 1972. He came to the conclusion that the city had been built to accommodate for the technologically savvy society. The architectural advertisement method Vegas seemed to have  adopted had all been carefully angled to appeal to the people now driving down the strip. This was an original concept in which to appeal to an audience not necessarily on foot. The architecture almost becomes an advertisement in itself and the landscape inadvertently develops into its notorious messy, chaotic and fast paced form, which also reflected the  traits the city and people in it had undertook. The architecture became a direct contrast to the modernist tendencies as the strip ‘serves culture rather than dictates it.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) this was perhaps as Vegas was competitive and needed to directly interact with its audience in order to entice them. Venturi was inspired to take aspects of how Las Vegas had so forcefully removed the constraints of which had seemed to be put upon architecture and apply it, however in a not so embellished manner. Venturi states how The Guild House (Ref 3) was built with these intentions as well as having a ‘vernacular’ (Perkowitz, 2002) idea in mind. He went on to exploit every available inch of building space obtainable, by building up six-stories high. An attribute in fact of the modernist conception, however Venturi came to this design conclusion to enable the inhabitants to interact more conveniently with the outside. This was said to be purposely done so as not to break up the prevailing aesthetics of the street, nonetheless still managed to introduce another dimension to it. A fragmented outline of the Southern faà §ade directly contrasts with the smooth surface of the North. This intentionally done so as the building was built for the elderly so rather than isolate, the distorted faà §ade in fact drew the outside in, to allow for maximum interaction in a visual nature. Venturi attempts to imply a Baroque Palazzo style upon the Guild House (Ref 3) by the introduction of white tiles on the lower and upper levels of the building. Which was believed to have ‘symbolic’ and ‘representational’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg25) components that merge as a whole which in avertedly was to reflect the architectural connotation of the structure. It was understood that the Guild House (Ref 3) was built on a system of layers. Layers of artistic meaning and organisation, each one symbolising the importance of the historical and architectural discourse. This is reinforced by Venturi testifying ‘knowledge instead of learning’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg12) supports the fact he draws upon what was effective in the past and relates it to his own compositions. He breaks up the historical foundations and is driven and instils a sense of the past throughout his designs. The modernist notion of designing for what the architect believed society wanted rather than needed impacted primarily upon the poorer societies. Hence forth Venturi was particularly careful when building The Guild House perhaps to show designing  with the context and user in mind can be achieved successfully without social problems having to be ignored or forgotten, again a tendency modern architecture seemed to adopt in fear of losing aesthetic value. Venturi sought to prove you could have both. In reflection it can be said that Venturi is extremely knowledgeable and has an in-depth understanding and appreciation for historical architecture in which he feel shouldn’t be forgotten but instead should be admired and inspire future movements. Despite modernism striping what Venturi believed was the ‘art’ from architecture he fought to overcome these tendencies are drew upon relevant historic features and characterisations and applied them liberally to his design, in accordance to their context. Nevertheless he understood that designing for the user was significant and not to exclude social problems. He undertook the modernist concept of advanced ways to construct and recognised and understood the developing society, yet he chose not to ignore historic references and applied them in a system of layers within his designs to accommodate for the advanced civilization whilst electing to apply asceticism for both a functional and visual experience.

A Personality Self Evaluation

A Personality Self Evaluation In this particular instance the individual whose personality will be examined and evaluated is my own. To begin I will offer a brief overview of my personality as I see it, but this naturally comes with the disclaimer that my initial observations may be biased, especially considering that it is difficult for any person to view themselves objectively. From this point on I will also refer to myself in the third-person (i.e. the subject) to maintain a certain degree of distance from the evaluation. In general, the subjects personality could be described as having a cautious balance between extroversion and introversion. While the subject functions well in both social and isolated environments, he tends to become irritable or bored when forced to dwell in either extreme for too long. In terms of social settings, the subject displays an outgoing personality yet never seeks to dominate a conversation or room. He seems to be comfortable taking up a supporting role, yet will consistently be an active participant in any situation. There is perhaps a more serious side to the subjects personality as well. Especially in isolated or work environments, the subject tends to become quieter and immensely focused on the problem at hand. When looked at in succession, the subjects actions in these two settings seem to display a subtlety dual personality depending on the particular setting in which he is placed. This does not seem to be a faà §ade on any type, but rather the subjects ability to adapt, for a period of time, to any given scenario. This supports the initial conclusion that the subjects personality is fairly fluid and does not remain static over long periods of time. Yet these conclusions only represent a personal opinion of the subjects personality and it is necessary to consider the subject in the light of professional psychological theories. Perhaps one of the most well known theories of personality psychology is the Big Five, which bases its evaluation on five different factors. The first category is openness and within this realm the subject would fall on the lower end of the scale. While demonstrating intellectual curiosity, the subject does not show much interest in artistic or adventurous experiences. So while there is some degree of openness to new pursuits, the subject seems to limit his curiosity to a specific field, which lowers his openness level. The second factor of conscientiousness can be more easily attributed to the subject. In most situations, he will show a good deal of efficiency and display a degree of foresight/planning. While spontaneity might show a willingness to experience new things, the subject prefers to organize such things in advance. Extraversion is the social factor of the Big Five and, as described above, the subject seems to demonstrate both introversion and extroversion. With this in mi nd, the subjects personality falls roughly in the middle of this scale, showing both a willingness to be outgoing and a desire to be on his own. The subject falls high on the agreeableness scale, as he does not display a high amount of aggression in a social setting. There is a natural competitiveness to his nature, but it remains completely in check and is only applied to appropriate situations. The subjects personality shows a desire to be on good terms with those around him, and he does not purposefully judge his peers without reason. In terms of the final category, neuroticism, the subject is once again roughly in the middle of the scale. While he shows a good deal of confidence when entering a new situation, there are also particular instances that will easily anger him or cause him to become nervous. It is difficult to determine which extreme is brought up most often, but it is a fair assessment that the subject displays consistence confidence except for specific situation tha t draw out his ire or vulnerability. This is the basic evaluation of the subjects personality through the Big Five system, but it should not be considered the absolutely correct assessment. While the Big Five is highly regarded as a theory, there are also other beliefs about personality that offer alternate or additional information. Henry Murrays personality theory is one that is not based upon specific categories, but rather is centered on the belief that a persons personality is driven by what they perceive to be their needs and desires. When viewing the subjects personality from this type of perspective, several new conclusions could be brought up. In terms of the subjects life goals, it seems apparent that he does not plan on straying too far from the beaten path so to speak. The lower ranking on the openness level on the Big Five would support the desire of this person to pursue a career within societys norms. His interest in intellectual pursuits would dictate that his desire is to go into an academic or business oriented career. This specific desire would push his personality away from acts of extreme spontaneity or any element that would knock him off his chosen path. The subjects flip-flopping between extroversion and introversion could be based on his desire to occupy both extremes completely, but his inability to do so. As he feels at home in both a social and individual setting, the subject most likely has an innate desire for both situations yet is unable or unwilling to chose a particular lifestyle. The subjects decision to remain as a supporting member of a conversation or of a team could, in Murrays model, indicate a desire to be a part of a team. Rather than lead or risk exclusion by being too upfront with his personal opinion, the subject prefers to be an active yet subordinate member of a group. This could be construed as the subjects desire to conform, but that is too harsh of a judgment and the more accurate conclusion is that the subject has his own opinions and wants but prefers to address them subtly rather than aggressively. Murrays theory, especially when combined with the factors of the Big Five, help to offer a glimpse into the mind of the subject and why his personality has developed as it has. Seligmans theory of positive psychology can only add to the overall evaluation of the subjects personality. This theory looks at the specific aspects of a persons personality that are geared towards promoting a persons happiness, a component that is often overlooked when examining psychology. The subjects personality is very aligned with the pursuit of knowledge, which is considered by Seligman to be a basic part of human happiness. The subject chooses to continually better himself by learning new ideas. This promotes his own happiness by giving him a more educated and diverse view of the world. When combined with Murrays theory, it could be said that the subjects desire to be happy has pushed his personality to be intellectually curious as he recognizes on a subconscious level that these academic pursuits make him a happier person. This could also be applied to the fact that the subject is capable of controlling his baser emotions (anger, fear, etc.) so that they are not commonly vi sible. This shows a degree of self-restraint that allows the subject to exist within a comfortable and pleasant social setting. There are a variety of Seligmans factors of positive psychology that the subject has not had enough life experience to fully be judged upon (courage, humanity, etc.). Nevertheless he does have a personality that can be viewed through the lenses of positive psychology. There are aspects of the subjects demeanor that can only be explained when one considers that he acts this way in order to promote happiness for himself. When these three psychological theories/viewpoints are combined, one gets a much deeper understanding of the subjects personality. If one chooses to only use a specific theory, then there will be a much more shallow assessment of this person and the way he acts. By using these three distinct theories the evaluation was able to understand the basic factors of the subjects personality through the Big Five, gauge the subjects desires through Murray, and see how his personality is adapted to allow for maximum happiness using Seligmans positive psychology. All three are different approaches, but they can be combined and melded to allow for a well-rounded evaluation. At the closing of this paper, it seems appropriate to once again mention that this type of personality self-evaluation could be said to be extremely biased. They represent what I believe to be the most accurate assessment of my personality, yet it is often hard to judge yourself negatively or to admit any ulterior motives for the way you act. I have attempted to give the most fair and unbiased opinion as I could, but in the end, there is a reason that people are evaluated by outside psychologist/therapists rather than being left to their own judgments.

Graduation Speech: Lifes Defining Moments :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I was watching a re-run of the "Dr. Phil" show the other day, and he was offering advice to someone who had an anger problem. Dr. Phil asked him to recall the top 10 defining moments in his life, which is where the secret to his anger problem was supposed to lie. So, I began thinking about what are the top ten defining moments in my life? The birth of my daughter was the first thing that came to my mind. She made me a mother, along with a 24-hour worrier and an insomniac. As I began to dwell more on the topic I realized that going to college has not only been one of my defining moments, it has made me who I am. With all the different classes we take Community College, we realize interests we never knew we had. My first three quarters here, I was in the Running Start program, which allowed me to graduate high school while taking college courses. I took a political science class, just to fulfill my American history credit, and I realized I love politics. I never knew I had such a passion for debating heated topics like gun control until the teacher couldn't get me to stop talking in class. psychology taught me that my weird 2-year-old isn't so weird after all. And chemistry taught me that I really don't care for science that much. So, when my friends tell me they aren't going to college because they don't know what they want to do, I ask them how are you ever going to figure it out? As you guys have your celebrations and get-togethers today, I encourage you to think about your first day at Johnson and how you have changed since then. Do you look on the world in a different way, or did college just confirm that this is the person you truly are? On one hand, my viewpoints on topics changed completely, when my professors opened up my eyes to things like discrimination and class-ism, and on other hand some of my beliefs were strongly supported. Throughout school, I had everyone supporting me. When you have a baby young, everyone pressures you to finish school. I'm very proud to say that I continued school, not only for myself, but for my family too. Not because it is what I was suppose to do, although it is what was best for me.

Evolution of the Geeks Essay -- Essays Papers

Evolution of the Geeks In the past 20th century, the word geek has evolved into many different meanings. The term branched off to create a person with low social skills, often with high intelligence, a person highly interested in computer technology, and a person with a devotion to something that places him or her outside of the mainstream. Geek usually has negative connotations within popular culture, where being a geek tends to be an insult. The term can also be a badge of honor among subcultures, such as the know-it-all of Star Trek. Media dictates popular culture. The television sitcoms I’ve watched growing up all displayed who is the stereotype for a geek. Steve Urkel from Family Matters, Screech from Saved By The Bell, Ross from Friends are some examples. All are viewed as highly intelligent and with low social skills. Yet the word is still evolving and currently is accepted as an honor. Examples of cool geeks of the 21st century are hobbits from Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Seth Cohen from The O.C, and Napoleon Dynamite. The consensus of the word geek by the media shapes the society’s minds of what is perceived to be true. The term stereotype is usually referred to be a term of abuse. It gives society a short cut to identify and categorize people. The word also evokes a consensus among all of society. According to the Oxford English Dictionary Online, the word geek was introduced as the lowest of carnival performers, often displaying acts of swallowing live animals. It evolved in the 20th century to represent a person who is highly intelligent yet lacks the ability to socialize. This representation inflicts psychological and social behaviors that often consider geeks as outcasts and victim to abuse from the ... ... taped-up glasses, the 21st century is welcoming the geek to the mainstream. Geeks are adorable, relatable, and provide comic relief. With the following of Harry Potter fans and quirky geek icons such as Napoleon Dynamite, the geek of today is the ultimate cool. Now geeks put the pop in pop culture. Works Cited Lester, Paul M., ed. Images That Injure: Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 1996. Long, Tom. â€Å"Great geek portrayals save â€Å"Dynamite† from its clichà ©s.† Rev. of Napoleon Dynamite, by Jared Hess. The Detroit News on the Web 2 July 2004. 20 October 2004 < http://www.detnews.com/2004/screens/0407/07/e01-201089.htm>. Oxford English Dictionary Online. . Soergel, Matt. â€Å"RETURN OF THE NERDS: Geeks are the coolest things in movies this summer.† Florida Times Union 28 Jul. 2004, city ed., c-1.

Resistance to Organizational Change in Business Essay -- Business Deve

By any objective measure, the amount of important, frequently distressing, change in organizations has grown enormously over the last two decades (Kotter, 1996). Jeffrey M. Hiatt, CEO of Prosci Inc., (as cited by Gibson, Ivancevich, Donnelly & Konopaske, 2009, p. 481) explained, â€Å"thirty years ago, a fortune 100 probably had one or two enterprise wide change initiatives going on; today that number is probably between 20 and 25.† The speed of global, economic, and technological development makes change an inevitable element of organizational life. Change is a pervasive, persistent, and permanent condition for all organizations (Gibson, et al., 2009). Organizational change means different things, and strategic renewal comes in different forms. Organizational change includes such concepts as first-order; incremental, continuous change and second-order, transformational/revolutionary, discontinuous change: †¢ First-order, incremental change, which may include modifications in systems, processes, or structures; however, it does not involve basic change in strategy, core values, or corporate identity. First-order changes preserve and develop the organization: they are changes created, almost contradictory, to sustain organizational continuity and order. †¢ Second-order, discontinuous change is transformational, extreme, and substantially alters the organization at its core. Second-order change does not involve developing change, rather it entails transforming the makeup of the organization (Palmer, Dunford, & Akin, 2009). In addition, Nadler and Tushman (as cited in Palmer, et. al, 2011) develop this distinction involving incremental and discontinuous change, explaining th... ...telnikov, V. (2001). Strategic management. Retrieved from Company Vision: http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/vision_creating.html Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Boston, MA.: Harvard Bsuiness Review Press. Logan, B. C. (2007). A framework for mixed stakeholders and mixed methods. Ejbrm.com , http://www.ejbrm.com/vol6/v6-i1/CrumpAndLogan.pdf. Palmer, I., Dunford, ,. R., & Akin, ,. G. (2009). Managing organizational change (2n ed.). New York, NY.: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Preziosi, R. C. (1996). Organizational diagnosis questioinnaire (ODQ). Spector, B. (2010). Implementing organizational chang: Theory into practice (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. Vecchio, R. P. (2008). Leadership understanding the dynamics of power and Influence in Organizations,(2nd ed.). Notre Dame, Indiana: university of Notre Dame Press.