The Paradox of Synergy and Responsiveness Essay Example

The Paradox of Synergy and Responsiveness Essay The corporate realm is today made very complex by the fact that businesses are increasingly consolidated and large. This is to say that practices of creating multilayered firms in both the serve and the product industries have created business models that must depend on both large and small goals. For a large firm which holds many different types of operations, making the right decisions for how to best manage these individual units while still promoting a larger and singular identity can be a big determinant of success. This discussion is guided by the concept found in the De Wit and Meyer text, stating that such large firms must deal with the so-called Paradox of Synergy and Responsiveness. According to this paradox, it is a constant challenge for large firms to find a balance between the interest of consolidating its brand identity into a single, monolithic corporate structure and the interest in responding with sensitivity to the needs presented by individual factors. As the discussion and the selected case study example will show, individual factors such as customer orientation, financial performance and industry conditions. In the paradox between these two sometimes opposite demands, companies must often make hard decisions about how to pursue their operations. In the context of something such as the service industry, we can see that the achievement of this balance will be directly related to how a business manages its portfolio of operations. We will write a custom essay sample on The Paradox of Synergy and Responsiveness specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Paradox of Synergy and Responsiveness specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Paradox of Synergy and Responsiveness specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer For the ever-growing service industry, this causes an interesting investigation into the way that unit management can be central to an operation. The approach taken by a company in the hospitality sector of the service industry, for example, should serve as a useful illustration of how organizations approach a market shaped by the De Wit and Meyer paradox. Introduction: In our consideration of the Marriott Corporation, which is an extremely successful service sector company, we can see that the way a company moves its operational assets around will be important to its management effectiveness. According to the article entitled Marriott Corporation: The Cost of Capital, the hospitality industry has been through both very fast growth and very sharp retraction. This has been particularly true for Marriott, which seized on an era of increased tourism and hospitality investment in order to catapult to the top of the market. However, changing market realities and the increased nuance of the hospitality industry would force Marriott to consider altering its corporate structure so it could make a change to a context where it could more effectively approach hurdles distinct to individual divisions. This would be a demonstration of its responsiveness, even as synergy had been the primary guide in its initial growth. The example here, based on the discuss at hand, will remark upon the strategies regarding capital investment, stakeholder responsibility and debt management which would effectively be approached by the corporation in managing its portfolio of units. The primary avenue to be taken by Marriott in achieving the goal of managing its operational orientation would be the creation of a new department with a more refined focus on financial strategies and investment properties relating to the specific aspect of hotel management (as opposed to the real-estate operation) For the stock-holder, this would mean more directed and informed decisions as well as a relative insulation from revenue trends, making for a more stable market in times of real estate instability. Again, we can see that Marriott would be turning toward a strategy of responsiveness. Such is to say that Marriot determined to protect the value of its existing capital by establishing a circumstance in which growth and synergy could no longer be identified as the primary interest. Instead, ensuring the retention of capital at a rate justifying its debt condition, Marriott would being a new phase in its history in which hurdle rates for achieving growth would be purposefully higher. In this way, even growth would be directed from corporate HQ by responsive rather than synthetic origins. In our research, we find that the Marriot transition was not without its costs. These would make Marriott go through some real economic changes that are part of the paradox between synthesis and responsiveness. By being forced to change operational gears, Marriott would experience a decline in earnings during its period of transformation. Due to the debt challenges noted, Marriott’s bond ratings, declined to a B level according to both SP and Moody’s in the face of real estate declines, have resulted in a higher long-term expense on new bond issues for the company. One of the key ways that Marriott would deal with its debt maturities in order to afford the transition would be in its mortgage financing of its ‘trophy’ properties, which were those continually successful marquis lodging facilities there were no longer in any mortgage debt. The greatest concern to manu financial institutions in this case was the condition that Marriott’s heavy dependency on invested debt might create a scenario where it would be incapable of covering its obligations. Naturally, this is a fear which is facing so many corporations on this scale today. That shows just how relevant the paradox discussed is. That is why the Marriott example is very useful, because it would use portfolio management strategies to deal with this financial risk. Marriott would basically create a spin-off in its new management company. A spin-off is the divestment of a company in which, rather than selling off aspects of itself in poor market conditions, it distinguishes one aspect of itself to be set apart as an independent business. This independent business will take on its own structural and financial parameters while retaining branding, technology and, in some instances, access to assets, of the parent company. This would be the essential response by Marriott to the distinct obstacles created by the changing market, particularly in consideration of the corporate retraction likely due to markedly rapid corporate growth. The divestment of the company into management and real estate firms would essentially serve to unlock the company’s assets to the benefit of the stakeholder, with the stock owners particularly served by this approach. We can therefore ultimately begin to resolve that the approach taken by Marriott would be a natural outcome in consequence to its singularly high rate of growth from a synergy centered strategy and what might be characterized as its saturation of its own market. The impact would require a responsiveness in a market approach to diminishing the corporations inherency toward this rate of growth. Though we can suggest that the consequences are likely to be somewhat severe to the organization’s personnel and resource orientation in the short term, it will undoubtedly benefit the value and extent of capital usability for individual facilities, thus improving quality organization-wide. Works Cited De Wit, B. Meyer, R. (1999). Strategy Synthesis. International Thomson Business. Ruback, R. S. (1998). Marriot Corp. : The Cost of Capital. Harvard Business Publishing.

Computer Analysis Lab 2 Essay

Computer Analysis Lab 2 Essay Computer Analysis Lab 2 Essay Janel Paffie TB143 Unit 2 1. Computer Analysis Hard Drive Capacity RAM Processor Speed Special Features Price HP Pavilion Desktop AMD A8 Series 2000GB 8GB 2.0Ghz Built-in Wireless network $499.99 Dell Inspiron Desktop-Intel Core i3 1000GB 8GB 3.6Ghz Built-in Wireless network; Bluetooth; HDMI output $479.99 HP-15.6† Touch-Screen Laptop Intel Core i3 750GB 6GB 1.9Ghz Touchscreen; HDMI output $399.99 Toshiba-Satellite 15.6† Laptop Intel Celeron 500GB 4GB 2.58Ghz Bluetooth; HDMI output $229.99 2. Profession and Computers Movie Maker: This profession requires a computer capable of handling a memory-busting workload. Fast, sufficient memory, and the latest graphics and audio cards are necessary to support the real-time media work. In order to run software needed at a reasonable level, make sure to have a large enough hard drive (over 160GB), plenty of RAM (more than 4GB), and a quality sound card. Professional Gamer: Desktops are the best bet for gaming. Fast processors and video cards consume tons of power and produce tons of heat, which is handled better by a desktop. A quad-core processor is recommended due to the rise of modern games making use of additional cores. For smooth graphics and a more immersive experience you will want a fast video card. The processor and video card are of equal importance. Majority of games will run on 4GB of RAM, but 8GB is recommended. To help with load times, a solid-state drive with over 200GB of storage is advised. Digital

Relative Clauses - Definition and Examples in English

Relative Clauses s in English A relative clause is a  clause that usually modifies a noun or noun phrase and is introduced by a relative pronoun (which, that, who, whom, whose), a relative adverb (where, when, why), or a zero relative. Also known as an adjective clause, an adjectival clause, and a  relative construction. A relative clause is a postmodifierthat is, it follows the noun or noun phrase it modifies. Relative clauses are traditionally divided into two types: restrictive and nonrestrictive. See Examples and Observations below. RelativizationContact ClauseDependent ClauseFree (Nominal) Relative ClauseRelative Pronouns and Adjective ClausesRestrictive and Nonrestrictive Adjective ClausesSentence Building With Adjective ClausesSubordination With Adjective ClausesThat-ClauseWh-ClauseWho, Which, and ThatWho and WhomWh- Words Examples and Observations It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages.100% of the people who give 110% do not understand math.More than 840,000 Vietnamese asylum seekers left the Communist regime and arrived in the countries of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. These people, who came to be known as the boat people, risked their lives at sea in search for freedom.She had plenty of acquaintances, but no friends. Very few people whom she met were significant to her. They seemed part of a herd, undistinguished.Occasionally Mother, whom we seldom saw in the house, had us meet her at Louies. It was a long dark tavern at the end of the bridge near our school.The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving things inside us.Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. Positioning Relative ClausesUnlike prepositional phrases, restrictive relative clauses . . . always modify noun phrases. However, a relative clause doesnt always immediately follow the noun phrase that it modifies. For example, if two relative clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, or, or but), then the second one doesnt immediately follow the noun phrase that it modifies: This article describes features that facilitate collaboration but that are not intended to increase security. Anaphoric Elements in Relative ClausesRelative clauses are so called because they are related by their form to an antecedent. They contain within their structure an anaphoric element whose interpretation is determined by the antecedent. This anaphoric element may be overt or covert. In the overt case the relative clause is marked by the presence of one of the relative words who, whom, whose, which, etc., as or within the initial constituent: clauses of this type we call wh relatives. In non-wh relatives the anaphoric element is covert, a gap; this class is then subdivided into that relatives and bare relatives depending on the presence or absence of that. Sentence Relative ClausesSentence relative clauses refer back to the whole clause or sentence, not just to one noun. They always go at the end of the clause or sentence.Tina admires the Prime Minister, which surprises me. ( and this surprises me)He never admits his mistakes, which is extremely annoying. ( and this is extremely annoying) Sources Henry Ford Demtri  Martin,  This Is a Book. Grand Central, 2011 Tai Van Nguyen,  The Storm of Our Lives: A Vietnamese Familys Boat Journey to Freedom. McFarland, 2009 D.H. Lawrence,  The Rainbow, 1915 Maya Angelou,  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House, 1969 G.K. Chesterton, The Romance of Rhyme, 1920 Martin Luther King, Jr. John R. Kohl,  The Global English Style Guide: Writing Clear, Translatable Documentation for a Global Market. SAS Institute, 2008 Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey Pullum,  The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2002 Geoffrey Leech, Benita Cruickshank, and Roz Ivanic,  An A-Z of English Grammar Usage, 2nd ed. Pearson, 2001

Generations of winter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Generations of winter - Essay Example Boris Nikitovich Gradov, who is not only the head of the family but a kind patriarch. Dr. Boris is one of the finest surgeons in all of Moscow. His caliber was unprecedented. As a consequence of his expertise and services to the nation, he and his family owned Silver Forest, which was an amazing dacha located outside Moscow that was very different from the everyday crowd of Kremlin. Till the 1930s, they lived as bourgeois counterparts would have will the regime was taken by the Bolsheviks.1 There was no sense to things in the world of Stalin. Anxiety and apprehensiveness prevailed the country. The Government would randomly strike on the population any time they want to and wish to and thus, the nation had no idea how to react. The intelligentsia, military, and general population had no power. The nation was splurged by terrorism and hopelessness. Terrorism was destroying the nation by any means possible. Terrorists were harming the people of the country themselves. It was precluding the people to succeed in life. Nikita examines the devastating condition of the country in the harshly ironic tone that encompasses the novel. Nikita illustrates the condition of millions of people of that era who were in a silent agreement with each other that an awful thing is happening that is nothing is happening in the nation. There is no progress being made. 2 A person is left scared by reading the novel as nobody has the slightest idea that who dies in the concentration camp or not. It is the arbitrariness of the novel that it does not say much about its ending and where it is taking the readers. It keeps the readers glued to it without saying much or almost nothing. The anxiety of the people, the state brutality which is completely pointless and violent artistry keeps the reader glued to the book. The Kafkaesque’s era was a time of brutality off course. The images of camp life and also tormenting chambers of N.K.V.D are also very traumatic and distressing. When World War II begins, we are relieved that at least now there is a relief that the conflict has become localized and is not global. The frightening view of sufferings of human life is unclearly understandable as Aksyonov described it. 3 The character of Nina is also very prominent in the novel as it tells about the pretentiousness of Soviet Union. As Aksyonov wrote it disdainfully, â€Å"The literature of socialist realism was in full flower; Formalism had already been completely rooted out. Soviet poets, playwrights and novelists had been gathered up in a single union and were vigorously turning out the works the people needed†.4 The novel Generations of Winter is embedded with Russian poetry throughout the book. Nina plays an important role as the Soviet literary scene is described by her in detail. All the poets and quotations are a benevolence of Nina in the play. The novelist admires the efforts by these poets as his writing depicts. One of the most touching scene of the novel occurs in his mother’s journal in the reunion of mother and son and thus the profound connection between the two is revealed. This connection is the Russian poetry. But, it is unlucky that the allusive character of this novel is lost when it is translated. 5 Mr. Vassily Aksyonov has never been an easy writer to translate because he appreciates slang language and likes to pursue many articulation clashes. The translators of Generations of Wi

The evaluation of the consequence to the UK economy for raising or Dissertation

The evaluation of the consequence to the UK economy for raising or lowering the inheritance tax rate - Dissertation Example Taxes are considered as the main revenue source of governments. The evolution of imposing taxes dates back during periods when most governments lack stability and structure. The main purpose of imposing taxes is to fund public spending and is supported by laws and statutes. In most countries, taxes are imposed on revenues obtained by firms and earning individuals. Other forms of taxes such as tariffs, and dues have further expanded the revenue generation activities of governments. The role that taxation plays is critical especially economies that are dependent on taxes. The imposition of taxes is also viewed as one of the ways that balances wealth inequity in countries and ensure better provision of social services. Income taxes serve as the main contributor to the total tax collections made by governments. But other forms of taxes such as sin taxes and estate taxes are also contributing to the coffers of governments. Inheritance taxes have become a popular form of tax in recent times because individuals have learned to invest in both properties and securities. The transfer of wealth because of death provides opportunities for the government to gain more revenues. The existence of inheritance taxes has been subjected to several debates in the United Kingdom. The past three administrations have been also contemplating on reforming the inheritance tax laws. The budget of the government is highly dependent on the amount of tax collected each year. There are countries that develop new taxes just to meet collection targets and prevent the states from running on a budget deficit. The succeeding discussions will tackle the impact of inheritance tax in an economy specifically focusing on macro-economic indicators and statistics. 1.1. Objectives of the Study The primary purpose of the dissertation is to explore on the effects of the increase

Social Interaction Activities In Public Spaces Cultural Studies Essay

Social Interaction Activities In Public Spaces Cultural Studies Essay These public spaces are used for various activities based on which the activities can be divided into necessary activities, optional activities, and social activities. Necessary activities include those, which are more or less compulsory going to school or work, shopping, going to supermarkets, waiting at bus stops or waiting for a person, running errands, distributing mails- in other words, all activities in which those involved are to a greater or lesser degree required to participate. In general, all everyday activities and pastimes are included in this group. The major activities included are most walking related ones. As these activities are necessary ones and will take place throughout the year, under nearly all conditions, and are more or less independent of the exterior environment. The participants have no choice. Optional activities this category includes such activities as taking a walk to get a breath of fresh air, standing around enjoying life, or sitting and sunbathing. These activities can only take place when the weather conditions are favorable. This relationship is particularly important in connection with physical planning because most of the recreational activities that are pleasant to pursue outdoors are found precisely in this category. These activities are especially dependent on exterior physical conditions. Social activities are those that depend on the presence of others in the public spaces. Social activities may include children at play, people greeting each other, a lot of communal activities. Simply seeing and talking to each other are also included in this category. Public spaces are of vital importance because they shape peoples experience about understanding the city and of the culture. They become the citys identity. Lawrence halprin describes this process: our collective perception of cities depends on the landscape of open spaces. In our imagination of cities it is these open spaces that we remember. They are the places where people congregate to walk and shop and picnic, to play and bicycle and drive. It is these places that we use and in which we encounter each other and participate in that communal life we call city. ( Halprin, 1981, p.4) This is a result of the way people use the city, the way they commute or travel around the city, the placement of major civic and public institutions, social and gathering spaces, ceremonial spaces, location of significant public events, and spaces for recreation and leisure. These places are an expression of the public culture of a city like the way pubic institutions are. They demonstrate the relationship between the state and the citizens and express the cultures urban values. Pubic space plays an important role in the citys social and environmental life. Public space is often mistaken as the space between two buildings or, merely the all the remaining spaces and street corners. Initially no thought was given to the planning of public spaces, buildings were considered more important. After placing all the structures and important buildings the remaining area was converted to public space. Buildings were considered as the life of cities and were made iconic. Lot of money, manpower and energy was spent in the make of an iconic structure. But an iconic building cant make a city iconic. What makes a city iconic are its public and open spaces and when these public spaces are actively used by people they add to the additional value. A public space is named public because of the people using it. It belongs to the public of that area or city. Everyone are free to use it and dont have to pay any entrance fee to use or access it. It is a place where people from all caste, culture, religion and age can come, sit or take advantage of. I believe that public space should be a place for everyone and that a place should not be defined by its designer, but by its user. Currently many public spaces are impersonal with little thought into the facilities offered for the people who use it. If local people do not feel connected to a place it decays and social interaction around the place is lost. The aim is to create engaging places; increases the enjoyment people have in those spaces; or add something to existing locations in order to encourage a positive response to that space where people interact with the environment and with each other. Elements of a public space. Any public space gets affected by a number of factors. There are reasons why a particular space is formed or you may say redesigned. Some spaces such as public squares or plazas were formed in the early 18th or early 19th century due to the revolution taking place. The main purpose behind creating these public spaces was that people could gather here during times of trouble or any event. Also these squares were centrally located so people could access them from anywhere plus they represented the citys history, culture and became iconic sites of the cities. They became one of the most visited tourist destinations. The centre square mostly contained important art or statues of the person responsible for the cities reform and formation. Some of them were formed due to the political scene of the city. During election times some party made some good public spaces. Some public spaces like street markets, parks, centre squares were formed or designed taken into account the citys social and cultural scene. While some of street markets were just formed by the local people or the community living there marking the culture of the space. Some spaces were just formed due to the citys demands and needs. Other factors which affect or make a public space are streets, climate, interaction, furniture, shopping, culture, playfulness, rallys, religions, money, demonstrations, events, material, health, legislation, policies, law and order, housing schemes, security, environment, crime scenes, government policies, art, architecture, construction details, local community and last but not the least people. In short the main factors which affect any public space are listed below: Political: mostly during countries reform or some election events and rallys Economic: the countries development affects its public space. Developed countries have different public spaces whereas developing ones have a different notion and atmosphere of public space. Cultural: the countries culture affects the public space the most. Its mostly reflected in the appearance of the public space. Social: the people living there are to ones which make their public spaces. Its said that people space their space and then in return the space shapes the people around. London as a cultural hub. From being home to many national treasures, museums, libraries, galleries and universities, London is also a centre for global and contemporary culture. London attracts many visitors for its popular and creative culture and also for its interactive informal exciting spaces. For example, you will see artists plating live music in most of the underground stations, theres live music going at Camden markets and other street markets. Also many stores and bookshops keep on holding any events and fares to attract customers. Its a city which makes peoples visit even more interesting, interactive, fun and makes every visit of theirs worthwhile. When compared to the other cities around the world, London leads with an impressive count. London is the largest city in Europe, with a dramatic variation of people from all ages and cultures offering a huge amount of design opportunities. Population of London is approximately 7 million. London has a diverse range of population, which comprises people from Asia, China, and Europe and also from the states. London also shows diversity in age of this population. You find young school going children, to university graduates, mid age office crowd and also a large number of old retired people. Also you will find a number of school, colleges, universities spread all around London. Because of which it has become a hub for students and learning. Also many international companies have their headquarters here, which make it business hub. The political scene in London appears to be quite stable. Thus all the above factors like, diverse culture, economic opportunities, age ratio, political stability, have made a huge impact on the public life and public places. Table 1.1 major cultural indicators (source: cultural audit, 2009) Indicator London New York Paris Shanghai Tokyo No. Of public galleries 92 N/A 59 6 40 No. Of specialist art HE institutions 12 7 3 15 N/A No. Of national museums 22 16 19 6 8 No. Of other museums 162 85 138 100 71 UNESCO world heritage sites 4 1 2 0 0 No. Of public libraries 395 255 303 248 369 Table 1.2 creative industries indicators ( source: cultural audit, 2009) Indicator London New York Paris Shanghai Tokyo No. Of music venues 400 151 122 148 132 Music performances per year 32.292 22,204 3612 11,736 7419 Theatrical performances per yr 17,295 12,045 15,598 3117 8281 No. Of theatres concert halls 215 111 158 137 132 No. Of cinemas 105 264 88 49 105 No. Of bookshops 927 498 1,076 300 N/A No. Of nightclubs, discos etc 306 279 277 N/A N/A No. O festivals. 200 81 40 22 N/A Social interaction: important element of public spaces. They are our streetscapes and promenades According to us gardens, parks, squares are all the spaces that make a public space. This belief is not incorrect but has to transform. We need to widen our views and think of the bigger picture. We conveniently forget about the streets, paths and the roads on which we travel everyday or rather use daily. We dont consider the above ones as public spaces, but if looked in detailed these are the ones, which are used publicly the most. We dont appreciate but these spaces offer a great deal to our lives than any other spaces. These streets and pathways is where maximum interaction takes place. Meeting people, talking to each other, greeting one another, flirting, talking over the phone while waiting for the bus, queuing at he bus stop, all these activities leads to interaction and takes place on the streets, pathway, and bus stops which we generally use for walking, travelling and to reach out to our final destination. All we expect from these connecting spaces is a flat paved area to walk on, a dustbin, sometimes a bench to sit to munch on a sandwich or sip coffee. A place where maximum interaction takes place offers us very little in terms of services and activities. All the attention is mostly given to the redesigning and improvement of parks, squares and the everyday active streets and pathways are always neglected. These spaces have always been overlooked and taken granted for. The streets and pathways become like a lunch place for those who dont have time to go to a restaurant and for those whos lunch just comprises of grabbing a sandwich and eating on the streets or the bus stops. Even with many coffee shops or restaurant options we still like to munch on the noisy streets or sip coffee looking at the people pass by. The main reason behind this is that we love people, we like to watch people, we like interaction. Even though we eat alone on the streets the sense of people being around makes us feel less lonely. Generally, these spaces whish are used daily have been neglected by the government and remain unimproved. Its the local community or some private organizations or simply the people residing in the nearby areas, which come ahead and make arrangements to make these spaces better. They make a sincere effort to convert these unpleasant under walks to cleaner, brighter and fresher places. Pleasant spaces that make our daily commuting journey memorable. Same way if the government looked into this matter and offered more to people using them, it would not only make our journey pleasant but also would make it healthier. For example, if the streets and pathways are made better by putting new paving, made wider, installed with street furniture where people can sit, talk with each other, munch a sandwich or sip coffee, it would encourage people to walk down the corner or use cycles instead of cars for shorter distance, in a way also helping in a healthier, greener environment. A small change ca n make a big impact on our lives. Same way making small changes on our everyday streets and pathways can have a huge impact on our lives. They would make our journeys memorable, pleasurable and healthier. Below are some case studies where streets and pathways are considered as public spaces and redesigned taking people into account and offering them what they demand for. People are better than no people The above saying is said by an old woman counting her last breaths at a hospital bed, surrounded by a few nurses and a doctor she said people are better than no people. Even during her last few hours she wished for people, she wished someone was there at her side during her last few hours. She wished her people were there beside her to make her feel secure and comfortable. Even though she couldnt talk much she longed to see her loved ones. Just the sight of a few nurses and the doctor made her comfortable and secure even during the most dreadful moment. She said even if we arent in talking terms with some of our loved ones just a sight of them is worth it than staying alone and dying a lonely death. It applies the same way to others also, to share our happiness, to exchange the bad news in the most dreadful of all moments, in loneliness, in life and death we need people around. Even if not to share, the visual sight of people being around or just a person around makes us breathe a sign of relief. More than the need or necessity its the psychological factor because of which we long to see people or just a person around and need some physical contact. Hence more than the need, necessity and longing its the psychology and human behavior that leads us to talk to other people and interact. Socializing, communicating or meeting other people has a lot of other advantages than just the psychological factor. Firstly the good part is that we interact and talk to people, talking to other people teaches us a lot of things. We express our thoughts, our feelings, and our views. We share our happiness and sadness; we share our griefs and beliefs. They say that our happiness multiplies when sha red with someone, while our grief minuses when told to someone. Great ideas come from others, same way, talking to others, sharing views leads to some new innovation everyday. Speaking to someone we acquire knowledge about a lot of things before unknown to us, like, we learn new things about the city, about the culture, history of the city. We understand new traditions and cultures. We get to know people from diverse cultures and their ideas about life, philosophy and lifestyle. We gain knowledge about the daily happenings, city status, country status, the latest news, political and social endeavors, weather updates, season changes, news about social events, sports activities, background information and many other things. Finding out new things or getting to know about the happenings increases excitement in us. A research also shows that talking to people reduces stress and tension. Refrence. Apart from acquiring knowledge a lot of other things are also learnt from interaction, like , we laugh, we inspire, we get inspired, we share, we learn, listen, we fight, we pray, we hope and the most important thing is we care. All these emotions are very important to lead a healthy, happy and normal life. http://www.wikihow.com/Relieve-Stress http://www.essortment.com/all/stressreliefte_psh.htm http://www.tipsforpanicattacks.net/waystorelievestress.html THE DESIGN It all started with giving something more to people than they actually deserved, especially at spaces which they used daily. These spaces were not parks or gardens but spaces like the streets, pathways which people used daily to travel, walk and reach their destination. Spaces were maximum interaction takes place unintentionally and which still have the capability to give more. Spaces where maximum people are already present, and all you have to do is give them some character, some urge, some environment, some force to interact. For the same I couldnt think of a place other than a local bus stop. A bus stop is one such place, which is accessed by one and all. Its a connecting or you may say a waiting point for people going to work, children travelling to school, people going to church, people going for grocery shopping or any other social activities. Its a waiting hub for a diverse range of people. You see people from different cultures, different age groups, different communities and religion waiting for a single purpose called commuting. Where you have so many people around and waiting, why not provide some interesting features and make their wait fun? Why not create an environment which forces people to interact, to talk to each other? Thinking on the same lines, it was possible to make peoples journey more fun, more interesting and more exciting. A wait in an environment where people interact with each other without realizing they are forced to do so. For the same, the bus stop chosen was a local one called Christchurch located near the ealing broadway tube station, west London. This bus stop is on the uxbridge road and is the closest to the mall, church, tube station, shopping stores, banks etc. Plus all the buses travelling towards uxbridge make a stop here. Its the centre of all the major activities, filled with people waiting for the bus almost at any time of the day. A live survey was done at the same bus stop al day long for three consecutive days. Busiest being the morning hours from 8.00 am to 10.00 am and the evenings from 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm. The mornings and evenings at the mentioned time above you usually see a lot of office crowd, and the rest of the day specially at noon hours you meet a lot of old people. After interviewing most of the people it was found that waiting at the bus stop had been one of their major and daily activities. Specially the older people, their routine considers of going to the bus stop, then grocery store, then back to bus stop and then back home. The main reason of having this routine is meeting people at the grocery store, having some kind of interaction with at least the sales person or even with come of them at the bus stop. Inteviews HOW DID YOU COME TO THE CONCUSION FURNITURE IS BEST FOR INTERACTION. WHY FURNITURE Examples of good public spaces Millennium Park Various designers Chicago, USA (2005) Millennium Park is a massive 10-hectare project based in Chicago at a central location is a combination of art, architecture and landscape design as a single public space design. It was a 450 million dollar budget, centrally located and can be used as a public event space or even as an informal space. Its a major destination for all recreational activities. The project was created with an initial idea to create a green park to block the unattractive railway lines and car parks, which had strewn the lakefront. These tracks and car parks were seen since the city had neglected the lake and its development. A simple project, which has turned out to be the most ambitious project in USA and one of the most successful public spaces in terms of aesthetics and the use by people. A perfect park with a blend of space, form and function, which bring people together for recreation, interaction and fun contributing to a healthier life. The park has different elements designed by great architects and artists. Like at the centre of the park is a pavilion designed by Frank Gehry, which is used as an outdoor space for events, concerts and other social gatherings. It consists of a proscenium surrounded by Gehrys trademark curves of stainless steel with a large steel trellis spanning the entire auditorium. Connected to the pavilion is the first bridge project which spans from Columbus drive, linking millennium park to daley bicentennial plaza and Chicago lakefront system. Connecting all the major points, and people can take a walk through all. Another interesting element is an elliptical jellybean shaped sculpture by Artist Anish Kapoor, a graduate from University of Arts London, and his first public project in USA.its called the bean because its shape is like a bean. The elliptical jelly is inspired by the liquid mercury, and made of steel, so it reflects the city, clouds and people. Its makes us look at our feel that w e are responsible for our city, our people, and the environment we live in. Its also a way to showcase the beautiful Chicago skyline and weather with people along. Another sculpture is a crown fountain designed by artist Laume Plensa, from Spain. The fountain comprises of black granite reflecting pool, placed between two glass block towers. The glass block towers are 15.24m high and at each end of the reflecting pool. They display graphic animation videos and photos, which are constantly changing with the help of LED lights. This was one of the most notable works done by artist Laume Plensa, and is highly successful. It took about 18 million dollars to build this fountain, but the good thing is that it encouraged physical interaction between people and water. Most of the pictures and videos displayed on the tower are mostly of people from Chicago. So most of the people come to see this fountain hoping to see themselves on the tower. Its a perfect public play area, an interaction space and also an area to beat the heat during summers. Another interesting element is the garden located near the pavilion designed by the team of Kathryn Gustafson, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel. The garden is a combination of architecture, planning and lighting. The garden contains a variety of spaces, which helps people enjoy and encourages interaction. It contains small and large spaces, pedestrian areas, pathways etc. that invites more and more people. The millennium park is a perfect blend of pavilions, bridges, parks, sculpture, and art designed by various and famous artists and architects from all around the globe. Its a park which has all activities going on, thanks to the different elements present in it, like the pavilion, the elliptical bean shaped sculpture, the fountain, garden, and the bridge. With elements all over it attracts people and encourages interaction, being a perfect communities space. Though it contains sculpture and structures been designed taking into account peoples need, citys demand, environment, atmosphere but also doesnt neglect aesthetics. USF SQUARE 3RW Architects Bergen, Norway This public space was designed by local architects called 3RW architects and is situated in the Norwegian city of Bergen. This space was initially a car park, which used to be dusty in summer, filled with puddles in rains and slippery in winter. It needed a practical solution and redesigning hence it was decided to cover the whole area with concrete surface. This plaza is used as an artist workshop and also as a restaurant. During the redesign the clients initially wanted a stepped plaza, but the architects convinced to have a sloping concrete surface. They made it as a concrete surface so that it would be rough enough and be less slippery especially during the wet icy weather. A special arrangement is made during winters, heating elements were laid under the concrete so the ice melts and can be used as a public area no matter any weather conditions. This plaza also leads to the cultural centre. Concrete was laid in a grid of 16ft X 16ft and fitted with corten steel strips to create dividers and make shallow gaps. To help make this place interesting at night fibre optics were put into two glass boxes in concrete. An architectural solution to help people use the public space any time they needed to enjoy the weather, have some recreation, interaction and fun. A space to near the water body, a calm restaurant invites many people and helps to promote social interaction. New public spaces The growth of community led projects is creating public space that has a very local and specific uses related to local needs and physical qualities and features of their local environment. Give the people something different Serpentine pavilion Kensington garden, London. Serpentine pavilion is a different kind of public space, situated in Kensington gardens in London. Kensington garden is a huge park with people visiting at all times. To make it more exciting and invite more people

One child policy of China Essay

The issue of population growth has been one of the major problems faced by world over past century. The exponential population growth, popularly termed as population explosion, has led to unprecedented rise in human population, which has numerically grown by over 4 billion to 6 billion in the last hundred years itself. This enormous growth in human numbers has spawned social and economical problems of severe complexity, especially considering the fact that most of this growth has happened in economically underdeveloped countries of Asian and African region, particularly India and China, both of whom have seen their population growing past a billion mark. Supporting such huge number of ever rising population is indeed a challenge for any country, as natural resources threaten to run short, and economic privations become a general norm. Under such circumstances, population control becomes a necessary government objective, the validity, importance and meaningfulness of which are undisputable from environmental, economic and social angels. However, population control policies have always generated controversies from humanitarian and ethical viewpoints, the most noted example of them being the population control policy of People’s Republic of China that restricts couples to having just one child (Xue, 1996). Although highly effective under China’s strict state policies, it is indeed an extreme measure that has invited criticism from all over the world because for its forceful rather than coercive implications. Issues involved As stated earlier, unchecked rise in population is indeed an invitation to complex and unmanageable problems that no nation state can handle irrespective of its size and resources. However, the issues involved with China’s one child policy are very complicated and affect some basic concepts of right to life and existence China launched its aggressive family planning scheme in mid of 1970s when suddenly its policy makers realized the dangers of a rapidly growing population that had reached one billion mark by 1980s (Smith, 1991). In the previous two decades the government had failed to take in cognizance of growing population due to stability and improvement economic conditions, availability of medical facilities, medicines and drop in child mortality. More ominously, as demographers realized, the rapid growth of population in previous decades implied that by 1980 more than half the population was approaching marriage age, which meant that even under decreasing fertility rate, the Chinese population would reach 1. 4 billion by end of the century (White, 2003). This realization launched Chinese policy makers and government in a frenetic attempt to implement some of the strictest population measures that included a one-child policy per couple to contain the population under 1. 2 billion (Richards, 1996). This draconian measure was explained and justified from various social and economical angels, one of which was arguable shortage of cultivable land (Smith, 1991). As government argued, the cultivable land per person had come down from . 20 hectare in 1949 to . 10 hectare in 1980 due to almost doubling of population in the same period and hence the ensuing crisis demanded critical measures (ibid). Moreover the state infrastructure and its capacity to support such large population, provide adequate medical and educational facilities and ensure jobs for it would become increasingly difficult. As claimed by supporters of the one child policy, the policy was merely concerned with providing economic incentives and preferential treatment to families with one child such as paid pregnancy leave, lucrative salary bonus, and state sponsored or free educational and medical facilities, facilities that families with more than one child lack. Further disincentives created for larger families include financial penalty on birth of second and third child that are respectively 20 and 30 percent of the annual income of the family (Richards, 1996). The policy was tooth and nail opposed by a large proportion of Chinese people, and especially by those in rural areas but government decided to continue with it seeing its possible benefit in controlling the population question. One of the main problems disturbing Chinese leaders was China’s low GNP and very simple calculations showed them that to increase GNP in the longer run, they required to reduce or contain the number of people, which was the easy way against the hard route that involved working towards increasing the economic output (Feng, 1996). Containing population growth was presented was the single panacea that could increase per capita income, help achieve modernization plans, give impetus to the economy and solve the problem of additional resource requirements that rising population presented (Feng, 1996). The one child policy is considered officially successful and instrumental in significantly reducing birth rates, fertility rates, growth rates and death rates and its expected that soon the population would began to decline at a faster rate as children born after the implementation of the policy would have less desire to have a family of more than one child (Richards). Also to wash off its hand from the negative effect of the policy, such as increased number of female feticide, and suicides among Chinese females, the government insistently attributed them to backward and obsolete Chinese culture and customs. Conclusion Despite the claims of the supporters and the official government, it cannot be denied that the very concept of the one child policy involves flagrant violations of the rights to live, procreate and live socially. In its zeal to implement the policy, Chinese authorities permitted such extreme measures as forcible abortions and sterilization, which were openly illegal in every humanitarian statute (Xue and Xiaokang, 1996). By making childbearing an illegal act, the government forcibly tried to change the demographic dynamics with dangerous social consequences that threatens to create a mundane and homogenous society bereft of any relation except parents and in-laws. Also the one child policy triggered a large number of female-infanticide that threatened to dangerously alter male-female sex ratio in China. Of course the most cruel fate was reserved for those who were born outside this policy, that is the second and third child of the family who were denied any state support and facility in a perfectly state controlled society. In the wake of an economically prospering and comparatively stabilized China, it’s the call of the hour for Chinese government to finally abandon and bury its anti-people one child policy and work on creation of a more informed society.