Mies van der Rohe architecture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mies van der Rohe architecture - Term Paper Example Mies is known for the spiritualization of technique and he was an architect with the special ability to reduce all the problems of his character to the essential simplicity of his architecture. Significantly, the modern style in architecture commonly referred to as High Modernism was introduced in United States of America mainly by Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius. Mies van der Rohe worked as the director of Germany’s most famous design school, Bauhaus, during 1930-33 and he started applying the Modern architectural style to his works. The liberal members of the Bauhaus such as Mies and Gropius found their way in due course to America when it was disbanded by the Nazis and they reworked the modernist architecture in the 1940s and 50s. As a proponent of the modern architecture, Mies defined interior spaces with modern materials like industrial steel and plate glass in his mature buildings. One of the characteristic features of his style of architecture is that it made use o f minimal framework of structural order and he is the most important architect of the modernist and late-modernist architecture. Significantly, Mies van der Rohe is highly recognized for his skin and bones style architecture and his modernist architecture is esteemed for its plain surfaces and straightforward rectangular shapes which was adapted to the corporate skyscrapers, apartments, and university buildings. As E. C. Relph maintains, â€Å"his plans were simplicity itself. All the buildings were arranged in lines and at right angles, and their basic form was that of a carefully proportioned cube expressing the structure of steel columns and beams as perfectly as possible. The slogan Mies invented to express his design philosophy was ‘Less is More’.† (Relph, 191) Therefore, it is fundamental to maintain that the modernist architecture style introduced by Mies has been noted for simplicity and the skin and bones style achieved grand success in modern architectu re. This paper makes a profound analysis of Mies van der Rohe architecture in order to realize how his work relates to ‘modernism’ we can appreciate today. Born as the son of a stonemason, Mies van der Rohe received practical experience in construction during the early stages of his life and his later architecture style proved to be the milestone in modernist architecture. Soon he became Germany’s most important architect of his time and severed as the director of Bauhaus where he applied his Modernist architectural principles to his works. Whereas his early designs as an independent designer show the influence of Schinkel, he rapidly grew into a Modernist architect with original designs and styles, and his concept of a transparent skyscraper marked a new step towards Modernism. However, due to the scantiness of material science and construction techniques, it took more time for him to establish as the leading proponent of High Modernism. In 1938, he became the h ead of the architectural school at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and he redefined Modern architecture with a string of important commissions in the following years. â€Å"The elevated glass cube of the Farnsworth House (1950) in Plano, Illinois, took ideas of open, simple interior spaces to their extreme. The pristine steel and glass tower of the Lake Shore Drive Apartments (1951) in Chicago were hailed as perfect new renditions of this building type, and the Seagram Building (1958) in New York was viewed as the prototypical new skyscraper.†

The effect of Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The effect of Globalization - Essay Example The effect of Globalization One of the obvious aspects of global concern that has been profoundly affected by globalization is citizenship; with global interrelationships, it is becoming increasingly hard for nations to maintain their sovereignty in the global system, and  eventually  national citizenship is lost. Nations in the global system are obliged to systems and decisions of mutual interest, and to a certain level, security and wellbeing of the citizenry is never assured. National citizenship is thus affected and determined by external conditions in the global system, and in this regard, entitlements of  national  citizenship  are lost. National citizenship is crucial in the sense that it assures individuals belongingness, a surety that they are protected by their countries in exchange for loyalty to them. In this respect, the state is obliged to secure the rights of their citizenry within their borders, and the citizens have a responsibility to their countries. However, with the rise of global ization, national citizenship is destabilized due to movement towards integration and interconnectedness of nations on an international level. The role of globalization in undermining the citizenship of individuals can be regarded clearly from a socio-economic perspective; the global economic system presents tough conditions of trade that lead to stiff completion between nations. Economic decisions and measures are taken at a global level, and individual nations have no control on the laws governing trade and exchange in the global markets. In this regard, the states cannot protect their citizens against liabilities and risks of losses in the global economy.3 Citizens are on their own in the global markets, and their economic prospective is determined by global forces of trade, with little intervention from the individual’s countries. Largely, domestic economic policies are derived from the global market conditions, and this undermines national sovereignty and national citize nship accordingly. Countries are eventually forced to sacrifice their social-economic goals in favor of global ones, and to this effect, the preference for effective ways of production such as cheap labor directly affects the well fair of citizenship. For instance, in the case of outsourcing for labor, the countries have no power to ensure employment to the citizenry, thus leading to loss of jobs to foreigners and unemployment.4 With the ease of movement and interaction of people and businesses across boundaries, there is an obvious loss of cultural uniformity. Nationhood can no longer be defined in the global system as cultures are easily diffused and  eventually  abandoned all together with a preference for more superior ones. In this respect, globalization undermines the cultural uniformity of individual nations as global norms and ideals override the national ones. There is a move towards the establishment of universal citizenship, one that is one, which by cultural barriers and boarders; this means that national identities are dismantled and lost all together. Citizens can no longer identify with national values and ideals, and in this

Behaving ethically can lead to higher profits for a company Essay

Behaving ethically can lead to higher profits for a company - Essay Example Companies have different programs to expand their brand popularity. Joyner highlights an example of Toms, a renowned shoe company, as among the businesses that embrace ethics in their operations (1). According to Joyner, business that embrace social responsibility have started to favor the â€Å"buy one, give one† strategy. For every pair sold by Toms, it gives a pair. The company donates the pair to children in developing regions such as Malawi, Haiti, or Peru. By 2014, Toms had donated nearly ten million pairs of shoes and currently experiences massive sale volumes for its shoe brands. Remarkably, donations have served to expand Toms’ shoe brand dominance in the market because customers buy with the urge to help the needy. Besides having high quality shoe brands, Toms’ selling strategy has contributed to its market expansion. Particularly, it enjoys high sales among the youths. It sells brands that are highly appealing to teenagers. That justifies its strong br and and high sales. Among the vital responsibilities of every business that embraces ethical operations is to ensure employees receive decent salaries and work in safe conditions. Employees are critical to business’ success and should be subject to safe working conditions. An example of unethical business is the case of Rana plaza that collapsed in Bangladesh, resulting in the death of 1137 people. By 2014, April 24 nearly 250 people were mission since the incidence that occurred on April 24, 2013, a year on (Institute for Global Labor and Human Rights, 2014). The Rana Plaza factory collapse accident has been termed a fatal and deadliest disaster. The case represents poor working conditions in which employees are exposed to eminent danger. Furthermore, the employees lack proper insurance cover. That represents unethical business operations. According to the report by the Institute for Global Labor and Human Rights (1),

The Positivist Lens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Positivist Lens - Essay Example Multiple studies have shown that Corporate Social Responsibility can no longer be seen by organizations as discretionary, rather it is now a pertinent strategic issue. However, there still is a gap in the empirical evidence on the actual link between CSR and actual business performance. The study will investigate the extent to which CSR has impacted business performance and by extension its benefits to society as a whole. Creswell, (2008) document that quantitative research questions are designed to inquire about the relationships among variables that the investigator is seeking to know. The quantitative research question for this investigation is; The purpose of the key purpose of the study will be to establish whether there is a correlation, positive or negative, between corporate social responsibility and actual business performance. The study also seeks to establish and define any existing trends for measuring business performance in relation to existing strategy. The paper also purposes to establish the impact of CSR on business performance focusing on key performance indicators which include market value, revenue and shareholder value. The study will also have the purpose of establishing the approaches for effectively measuring the impact of CSR on business performance. The topic will be analyzed through the positivist lens which proposes that perceptual data derived from sensory experience and logically and mathematically treated is the source of all knowledge. The approach has been shown to provide better measurements in all areas be they classifications or levels; besides it allows for the monitoring of trends over time, (Creswell, 2008). Since it provides for statistical manipulation, the researcher can find statistical correlations hence have a clearer picture on how the key variables; CSR and actual business performance relate. Besides,

Critically assess the scope, meaning and relevance of Essay

Critically assess the scope, meaning and relevance of non-discrimination in WTO law - Essay Example This paper tackles the most-favoured-nation (MFN) treatment obligations of member countries and its twin principle which is a national treatment obligation; the WTO is supposed to equally grant MFN-like status to all countries. The WTO replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) as the world global trading body tasked to implement and adjudicate the rules for international commerce. The recent global Great Recession has highlighted anew the importance of the role of WTO in settling trade disputes as countries scramble for ways out of the recession. Trade frictions are again on the rise as countries find ways to revive their economies. This paper discusses the non-discrimination principle and its increased relevance in international trade.2 B. Discussion The WTO is a big improvement over the GATT and its still-born cousin ITO. In the WTO rule of consensus decision making (termed derisively as its mass management), there is no board of directors like in modern corporatio ns.3 The consensus makes the WTO a success it is today although in rare instances, majority votes may also rule. If trade disputes arise, the WTO works to resolve it through negotiations. Once a WTO resolution is deemed final, the concerned country must conform to the ruling such as amending its laws or pay compensation to the adjudged winner; failure to do so results in non-negotiable sanctions as no appeals are allowed. This is how non-discrimination is enforced in the WTO; its stated aims are to expand free trade equally without barriers to all members, make trade predictable through rules and a truly competitive undertaking by removal of subsidies.4 The lack of a governing body similar to a corporation's board of directors is intentional to address previous complaints of smaller countries. There is no body within WTO that has a delegated power from its members despite proposals for creation of a smaller executive body.5 Members make their decisions known through its committees a nd councils. Decisions reached by the members are more acceptable to all implemented quickly like the Japanese way of doing things.6 This loose set up has advantages but sometimes, people end up confused.7 Its culture is designed to promote sharing of common values and reassure smaller nations their weaknesses are being addressed.8 Fusion of interests of all countries helps build harmony through transparency and inclusion. The WTO success is its rules-based disputes resolution.†9 Non-discrimination in WTO Law – experts call WTO a modern miracle for sheer fact it managed to exist.10 The guiding idea behind WTO is its Dispute Settlement Understanding or DSU. For the first time, the DSU codified all procedural rules as they pertain to the core principles in any dispute across all types of trade agreements.11 It is the basic document that sets out the jurisdictional scope of the WTO dispute settlement and all members must submit to its authority. There is less reason to sus pect any subjectivity in any of the WTO decisions.12 Relative to transparency and

M6 and 7 policy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

M6 and 7 policy - Assignment Example Second, management of the implementation of core project functions such as monitoring the burden of disease and preventive services, supporting of public health research, identification and facilitation of project partnerships, building of capacity and infrastructure for sustainable implementation, program evaluation and policy development (Bob & Ron, 2010). Second, review of public health priorities in relation to dental health. Third, draw project work plan with phases, tasks, and milestones to track progress over time. Forth, monitor costs and progress of projects in relations to oral health budgets and project modifications of work plan, strategic goals and timelines. Managers strategize by focusing on energy investment as a critical ingredient of growth and productivity. For example by establishing what consumes the energy of a company and what replenishes it in respect to operations, people resources and financials. Managers also strategize by focusing on conversations in meetings. According to Bob & Ron (2010), managers are responsible for the quality of each conversations made in every company meeting. They are bound to paraphrase the questions to be of thought provoking nature for purposes of creating ideal outcome for instance a manager can pose a question like â€Å"how can we best increase our monthly sales turnover by 15 per cent† in a meeting with sales teams . In addition managers strategize by aligning organizational goals with the organization’s vision and mission. Situational analysis is the logical gathering and evaluation of past and present data relating to social, economic, political and technology for purposes of identifying external and internal forces that may impact on company’s performance and choice of strategies(Linda, Jack & Peter, 2012). It also aims at assessing future and current organization’s opportunities, strengths and weaknesses. A situational analysis in the implementation of oral health

Business ethics in promotion of alcohol based products Essay

Business ethics in promotion of alcohol based products - Essay Example The paper tells that the age of globalisation has virtually put organizations into head on competition against each other. Firms are trying to outpace each other using a mix of different strategies and varying products to understand the needs of the consumers and deliver them accordingly. Firms are essentially trying out various strategies in order to not only attract new consumers but to also retain the existing ones. The role of marketing communication and advertising assumes prime importance in this regard with the former being a media for transmitting the message from the companies to the target customers. The advent of multiple channels including the online channels has led to greater importance and scope of this aspect in marketing of goods and services. The aspect of marketing communications has however been a subject matter of debate with regards to the aspect of ethics in advertising. It has been stated that marketers in an attempt to outpace their competitors and to generat e greater attractiveness often indulge in unethical activities. The present study would analyse the ethical aspects that are into consideration in case of marketing of alcohol based products. The aspect of ethics in case of alcohol based products assumes considerable significance as the product is perceived as a threat for the health and there are various social stigmas attached to alcohol based products. This makes the promotion of these products a matter of debate. There are many nations like India that have completely banned any form of promotions with regards to alcohol or tobacco based products using any form of communication. However protagonist state that there is nothing unethical in marketing alcohol based products as they generate revenue and the livelihoods of a large number of individuals depend on the profitability of these companies. They argue that these are one of the most highly taxed products and hence it is nothing unethical about these companies unless they viola te the aspect privacy of individuals. Business organization on their part state that they have various community development programs that can help provide them with a socially responsible image. Companies are also putting up statutory warnings on products and commercials in order to make individuals aware of the ill effects of drinking. Critiques however slam this move and state that in spite of all such efforts and tall claims the business organizations are only engaged into profit making and do not have any other motive. Given the size of this industry they state that it has a lucrative opportunity to gain billions of dollars for the industry. They state that advertisements are normally made for promoting products among the customers and given the ill effects and the nature of alcoholic beverages it is not justified to have these products being promoted so as to pull customers and make them indulge into this habit. The effect of these commercials on students and kids along with t he growing number of use of alcohol among kids has also been stated as an example to showcase the unethical aspects in the promotion of alcohol based products. The present essay will try to give a critical analysis of the aspect of ethics in promotion of alcohol based products so as to have a comprehensive analysis of the topic. Analysis and Discussion The aspect of marketing and advertising of alcoholic products has been a subject matter of debate over the years. The issue amounts significance considering the fact that alcohol is considered injurious to health and worldwide organizations like WHO have effectively stated that alcohol consumption is injurious to health. Alcohol also has other bad effects including the fact that alcohol consumption has led to major accidents. Various studies conducted in this aspect have shown that the consumption of alcohol and its after