Ludwig Mies van der Rohes New National Gallery, Berlin

Ludwig Mies van der Rohes New National Gallery, Berlin The closest Ludwig Mies van der Rohe got to realising his vision of the column-free pavilion? Was this final expression of his ideas of canonical significance for 20th Century architecture? The New National Gallery in Berlin was Ludwig Mies van der Rohes last design. Throughout his career he had been employing the same central ideas he was concerned with to most of his designs, gradually developing and refining them. In order to understand his last building, said to embody successfully all the ideas he was most passionate about, it is important to see how these evolved from building to building over the years. Then one can consider this final expression of his ideas as a result of a lifetimes worth of work and assess it in terms of its significance in Modern Architecture. Since the 1920s, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had been focusing on evolving two types of forms which could be adapted to a range of situations; the skeletal framed building with small cellular spaces ideally designed for office and apartment buildings and the single volume pavilion where a larger completely flexible space is needed. At a time of rapid and continuous change, it made sense for Mies van der Rohe to develop the latter, the infinitely flexible space. Contrary to the largely known notion by Louis Sullivan that form follows function, Mies believed that buildings should be designed with the least amount of fixed elements so as to be as flexible as possible and ready to adapt as their functional requirements change over time. His designs since 1921 are a demonstration of his quest for flexible space. He was pursuing open and flowing rather than closed and cellular. The New National Gallery is widely considered the most developed expression of such a space. In this project, Mies had the opportunity to create the infinitely flexible interior but also incorporate two more of his most important notions; appropriate and visible structure and fluidity between interior and exterior. Miess most central principles synthesized into a single pavilion of powerful scale and presence. Miess journey from his first buildings to the embodiment of his most significant ideas in the New National Gallery was anything but a straight line. However, there were significant steps that marked the development of his idea of the column-free pavilion. These significant stages were outlined by Miess pupil and future associate Peter Carter. The idea of an open and flowing space first materialized in the house designs of Frank Lloyd Wright where living areas are fairly open and interconnected. Wrights open plan designs excited architects all over Europe. However, it was Mies who took the idea of the de-cellurization of the building further. His sequence of space-liberating designs from about 1920 onwards changed the way in which architects thought. Miess Brick Country House was his first development of the free-plan interiors that Frank Lloyd Wright had introduced. It was a long way before the creation of the completely unobstructed interior space, but an important move in this direction, as in this project Mies started subdividing the interior by free standing walls rather than conventional ones. He only let walls to meet as L or T junctions to allow the interior space to flow freely from one room to the other and out into the landscape. Although this merely constituted the first step in his pursuit of open flowing space, Mies van der Rohe had already taken the concept of spatial continuity and fluidity much further than anything proposed by Wright. Though he had started removing interior walls, the exterior of the Brick Country House remained solid. The next step towards his open flowing space was abolishing the division between interior and exterior space. The opportunity to apply this was the Barcelona pavilion; one of the most influential designs of the 20th Century. In this project, Mies transformed practical, conventional walls into abstract planes freely disposed as in a De Stijl composition. In the De Stijl movement, artists simplified visual compositions with the use of primary colours and straight horizontal and vertical lines. In the Barcelona pavilion, walls are not functional in the conventional way. Instead of supporting the roof and separating specific rooms, these planes loosely define space. What is also unclear and undefined in this project, is the division between the interior and the exterior space, another important step towards his open-flowing space. After substituting load-bearing walls with slender columns, the next step to the Miesian transparent pavilion was to remove columns from the interior completely and placing them on the outside perimeter of the building. This would render possible the interior to be completely unobstructed from any fixed elements and theoretically make it totally flexible. This was first seen in his Concert Hall project in 1942. Lastly, in the Farnsworth House in Plano, Mies van der Rohe would dematerialize completely the outer walls of the pavilion so as to push the concept of transparency sandwiched between two horizontal planes. Mies van der Rohes long series of experimentation had as a result the development of a general architectural form, the column-free Miesian pavilion. The pure glass-walled version of the column-free Miesian pavilion would provide the parti for the New National Gallery in Berlin. The commission for a new art gallery in Berlin was an opportunity for Mies to finally build the single-volume clear-span pavilion in its purest form which he had never been able to build before. He was commissioned to construct a much needed permanent home for the modern art collection in the Western part of the then divided city. Though half the size and population of West Berlin, the Eastern part included most of the cultural institutions and the historic centre of the city. It was in this context that the Culture Forum was designed. It was going to be a cluster of buildings dedicated to culture and the fine arts to replace the institutions that had fallen in the eastern part of the post-war city. The New National Gallery was going to be part of it and would epitomize the integration of West Berlin and West Germany into the democratic capitalist system of the West. The site for the new gallery was Kemperplatz, an area between Potsdammer Strasse and the Tiergarten that had once been a busy centre of Berlin life before being destroyed by wartime bombing. Apart from the church of St. Matthews of 1846, nothing was left standing after the war and this unused land that remained would provide the site for the development of Berlins new Culture Forum. The driving idea behind the gallery was the creation of a minimalist, steel and glass, column-free pavilion which would stand as a noble monument in the townscape. In his pursuit for a monument-like feel and uncompromising symmetrical composition, Mies referred to ancient temples such as the Parthenon. The gallery would later on be aptly named and largely known as the temple of light and glass. Once built, it would create a dramatic contrast to the other buildings of the Kulturforum by Hans Scharoun. Whereas Scharoun was much more expressionist, Mies opted for austere geometrical forms that show the structure of the building and let it stand out from, but also connect to its surroundings. Amid the visual tumult of Berlins Culture Forum there reposes a single island of order and tranquillity, the New National Gallery. Mies may have wanted continuity and fluidity between the pavilion and its surroundings. Nonetheless, it was never meant to hide in Berlins busy life, but as previously mentioned, it had to have a monumental form. This prerequisite, along with the inclination of the land encouraged the idea of setting the gallery on a large open terrace. The experience of reaching the entrance further intensifies the gallerys monument-like feel. Wide steps guide the visitor who begins to feel slightly separated from the surrounding city. The feeling intensifies as the visitor walks towards the back and the sloping site starts to fall away on either side. By then, the pavilion sits well above street level, and almost has the tranquillity of the top of a hill and has therefore become psychologically detached from the everyday bustle beneath. This method of detaching a building from its surroundings and raising it as if on a pedestal was often used by Mies van der Rohe, starting with his first project, the Riehl house. This method also gives the building a sense of calm, again referring to the ancient temple on the top of a hill. Sitting on the large open terrace, surrounded by sculptural works of arts, is Miess minimalist pavilion. It is the pinnacle of Miess idea of free space. He eliminated interior columns completely to allow for a large unobstructed space for artists to exhibit their work without any limitations in terms of space. Mies van der Rohe followed the notion he introduced in Barcelona pavilion and any fixed elements in the interior space of the gallery have no load-bearing function. The Tinos marble-faced columns in the New National Gallery provide for ventilation and roof drainage and the gallery is supported by eight slender cruciform columns placed on the outside of the pavilion, two on each side. By completely removing solid walls, Mies wanted to symbolise that space extends beyond the boundaries of the interior. The large spans of glass are set far back from the edge of the roof thus creating the effect of a floating plane. The unique open space created on the upper floor is mainly used for temporary, travelling exhibitions, and is ready to be modified according to changing needs, whilst all the permanent collections are safely hidden in the lower level, away from natural light. The steel and glass podium sits on a colossal subterranean stone pedestal. Though not visible, the lower level is perfectly proportional to the podium above. The lower level, apart from accommodating for the whole of the permanent collection, also includes all of the buildings functional spaces including support and utilitarian rooms. Closed on three sides, the lower floor only opens on the west side, to reveal a quiet outdoor sculpture garden. The garden is enclosed by grey granite walls which separate it from the surrounding bustling city. The floor, paved in granite slabs is another example of Miess pursuit of a flexible space. The slabs are laid loosely on the gravel, ready to be moved into new arrangements if required. With the outdoor garden, Mies created an oasis of calm in a bustling metropolis. Mies van der Rohe firmly believed in appropriate structure. A building, he was convinced, should be a clear and true statement of its times and in the case of the New National Gallery its time was characterised by advanced industrialism. For Mies van der Rohe, a buildings structure should be true to the materials and processes of its time, but also poetic and visible through the building, rather than obscured behind decorative features. Like many architects after the First World War, he wanted to bring the advantages of industrialized production methods to his architecture. He was interested in finding a new material which would allow most parts of the building to be manufactured in a factory, to ensure better quality and eliminate on-site labour. One of the most important features of a design that hoped to achieve transparency sandwiched between two horizontal planes, was the roof. Mies van der Rohe designed a monumental roof which he wanted to have as if floating above the large spans of clear glass. The design was a difficult issue to be negotiated with engineers but also a chance for the architect to bring the post-war industrialised production methods in this project. The roof, being massive, was made in sections. Its thickness is constant and always visible. What varies between sections is the quality of the steel which changes according to the level of pressure sustained by each section. The roof is a fine example of Mies van der Rohes pursuit of true structure. The ceiling, with no false ceiling added to it, also incorporates a black grid of beams which is used as an exhibit surface when the gallery hosts light exhibitions. The colossal roof, 1200 tonnes of steel, was put together and raised in one day. As a whole, the gallerys sharp geometrical structure is a sharp contrast to Scharouns neighbouring Berlin Philharmonic, built only a few years before. Whereas Scharoun was much more expressionist and concealed his structure with organic shapes, eliminating any kind of symmetry, Mies van der Rohe opted to show the structure in every possible way. All these structural and compositional elements form Mies van der Rohes pavilion, his last great design and one of the most important buildings of modern architecture. The New National Gallery may succeed magnificently as a work of art in itself but it has been criticised widely as an exhibition space. In his pursuit of the column-free clear-span pavilion Mies may have compromised certain aspects of the gallery and its functionality as an exhibition space. Whilst the lower ground galleries and the sculpture garden fulfil their purposes admirably , the pavilion above disappoints in significant ways. In the upper floor, light floods the pavilion from its glass walls on all sides and can be regulated by white curtains on three sides. Theres also a lighting system in the roof with warm diffuse light. However, in exhibition spaces, diffused indirect lighting from above is more ideal, modifiable by blinds and electric light only if necessary. The sideways illumination in combination with the lighting from above fails badly. Pictures are inadequately lit and there is a strong glare compromising the visitors comfort in viewing the artwork. The curtains partially eliminate the glare but compromise the gallerys visual transparency which is its strongest feature therefore defeating the purpose of the large spans of glass walls. In his drive for the translucent pavilion, Mies seems to have compromised the viewers comfort and experience of viewing the exhibited artwork. Moreover, the upper pavilion which Mies was so determined to create as a multifunctional space, is not as successful. Though its large-scale is suitable for exhibiting large objects and the side-lighting lights such objects beautifully, the space is unsuitable for smaller paintings. Smaller paintings are lost in the grand scale of the pavilion. It seems that Mies van der Rohes vision of the column-free pavilion fails as an exhibition space. Ironically, the lighting and grand-scale of the upper floor seem to restrict the spaces use to certain types of exhibitions, rather than adding to the infinitely flexible space that Mies van der Rohe envisioned. As a result, this infinitely flexible space turned out to be unfriendly for exhibiting art but Mies was unapologetic. It is such a huge hall that of course it means great difficulties for the exhibiting of art. I am fully aware of that. But it has such potential that I simply cannot take those difficulties into account. He considered the gallery a closed form, perfect in itself and would not allow any modification that would alter its perfectly symmetrical form. For example, when it was proposed to extend the flower floor to gain functional space that was very much needed for the gallery, a change that would in actual fact be invisible, Mies van der Rohe refused to ruin the careful proportions between the two floors. The lack of substantial functional space, and the unwillingness to do anything about it, further demonstrates that Mies compromised the buildings functionality as an exhibition space in his effort to create the perfectly proportional Miesian pavilion. Though the upper floor may not be perfectly suitable for exhibiting and viewing paintings, it is the gallerys primary architectural expression. The building is the result of many gradual steps in Mies van der Rohes journey towards the column-free pavilion and is considered a shining symbol of modern architecture. Here is a 20th Century icon of timeless serenity and composure, its functional imperfections forgotten as one contemplated its majesty as a monument and symbol. The way it sits on its site, its simple yet careful composition, along with its visible structure and use of materials make it a true Berlin monument which expresses the spirit of the industrial time in which it was designed and built. From a must-see tourist attraction and symbol of Berlin in post stamps, to a home for 20th Century European art, Mies van der Rohes last project and all the ideas it embodies represents one of the most important buildings of 20th Century architecture. Buildings such as this will refresh us by awakening all the more mans deep desire for poetic serenity and structural honesty. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is largely considered as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture. In every building his intentions are straightforward and his concepts of truth to structures, materials and harmonious composition are stated clearly. By this point in his career, he had developed the ideas he was most passionate about and incorporated them into the New National Gallery. It is with this project that Mies van der Rohe managed to create the column-free pavilion he had been striving for the most of his career. It stands as a monument in its context and embodies his most important principles, thus rendering it as a building of great significance for 20th century architecture.

A Future Teacher’s Philosophy of Education Essay -- Teaching Careers E

A Future Teacher’s Philosophy of Education Education and children have always been a big part of my life. Education was always stressed upon in my house by both parents. It has never been an issue whether or not my brother and I would go to college; it has been a known fact that we would both attend college. With both of my parents being educators, education and children have always been very important in my upbringing. All my life, I have been around children, whether it has been babysitting, tutoring, working at a daycare, or just interacting with the children at my mother’s elementary school. Since I have spent so much of my life around people who work with children, it has become more and more evident to me, that I really want to become a teacher. After I complete my undergraduate degree in elementary education, I plan to start teaching right away and start working on my master’s degree during the summer. I plan to receive a master’s degree in school counseling at a college or university in the northeastern part of the US, since that is where I would like to teach. I personally believe that having an education is very important. For this reason, and since I like to help children, I think that I would make a good teacher and eventually a good school counselor. As a teacher, I want all my students to know that they can succeed and they can do anything they aspire to do. I want my students to know they are each unique in their own ways. I think that it is important for me to give all my students an equal opportunity to learn. I hope to promote better self-esteem in my students. I hope that my students see me as a person who really cares about them and about t... ...believe. As for an overview of what I hope my classroom will look like, since I will be teaching in the lower grades, I would like my classroom to be visually entertaining (fun and colorful) so that my students will be eager to enter my classroom. I want my classroom to be visually entertaining; however, I do not want it so visually entertaining that it will distract my students from the learning process. My students will not sit at individual desks but rather at tables of four or five. Children have always been a major part of my life and through teaching they always will be. I feel the philosophies that I will bring to my classroom will help me to leave a lasting impression on those I teach, just as my parents have done. The only difference from my parents will be that I will be using modern knowledge and techniques in my endeavors.

Consequences of Ambition Exposed in Macbeth, The Maids Tragedy, and Th

Consequences of Ambition Exposed in Macbeth, The Maid's Tragedy, and The Duchess of Malfi      Ã‚  Ã‚   Twenty-first century America praises the ambitious. The American dream urges us to set lofty goals and then rely on the Protestant work ethic to achieve them-regardless of potential obstacles. Parents encourage their children to consider any and every career choice. Companies and schools stress goal-setting and celebrate productivity. Even a contemporary catchphrase like "The sky's the limit" or the Army slogan "Be all you can be"-the stuff of graduation cards and commencement addresses-promote ambition. Yet ambition has not always been valued. Seventeenth-century Jacobean drama often casts it in a negative light. Unbridled ambition yields deadly outcomes, the literature suggests. Macbeth, The Maid's Tragedy, and The Duchess of Malfi each illustrate the severe consequences of boundless ambition. John Milton takes the idea a step further in Paradise Lost, depicting the most ambitious of characters as well as the proper way to handle ambition, according to God 's will.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Macbeth, ambition first arises in Lady Macbeth, distorting her values. Immediately, she recognizes her husband's chance to rise in power. She craves it so intensely that she willingly invites "spirits that tend on mortal thoughts" to fill her "from the crown to the toe top-full/ Of direst cruelty" (I.v.40-41)!   Lady Macbeth instinctively associates ambition with cruelty. She considers cruelty necessary in her rise to power. She also fears that her husband is "too full o' the milk of human kindness" to execute her plan (I.v.17). Ambition and kindness are mutually exclusive, she insinuates. Therefore, she views the virtue as a wea... ...t, Francis and John Fletcher, The Maid's Tragedy, ed. T.W.Craik (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1988 Bowers, Fredson. Elizabethan Revenge Tragedies, 1587-1642. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1940. Hallett, Charles and Elaine. The Revenger's Madness: A Study of Revenge Tragedy Motifs. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1980. Keyishan, Harry. The Shapes of Revenge: Victimization, Vengeance, and Vindictiveness in Shakespeare. Atlantic Highlands: Humanities Press, 1995. Middleton, Thomas, and William Rowley. Three Jacobean Tragedies. Ed. Gamini Salgado. Middlesex: Penguin Books Ltd., 1969. 255-344. Shakespeare, William.   Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Webster, John. The Duchess of Malfi. Ed. John Russel Brown. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1986. Consequences of Ambition Exposed in Macbeth, The Maid's Tragedy, and Th Consequences of Ambition Exposed in Macbeth, The Maid's Tragedy, and The Duchess of Malfi      Ã‚  Ã‚   Twenty-first century America praises the ambitious. The American dream urges us to set lofty goals and then rely on the Protestant work ethic to achieve them-regardless of potential obstacles. Parents encourage their children to consider any and every career choice. Companies and schools stress goal-setting and celebrate productivity. Even a contemporary catchphrase like "The sky's the limit" or the Army slogan "Be all you can be"-the stuff of graduation cards and commencement addresses-promote ambition. Yet ambition has not always been valued. Seventeenth-century Jacobean drama often casts it in a negative light. Unbridled ambition yields deadly outcomes, the literature suggests. Macbeth, The Maid's Tragedy, and The Duchess of Malfi each illustrate the severe consequences of boundless ambition. John Milton takes the idea a step further in Paradise Lost, depicting the most ambitious of characters as well as the proper way to handle ambition, according to God 's will.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Macbeth, ambition first arises in Lady Macbeth, distorting her values. Immediately, she recognizes her husband's chance to rise in power. She craves it so intensely that she willingly invites "spirits that tend on mortal thoughts" to fill her "from the crown to the toe top-full/ Of direst cruelty" (I.v.40-41)!   Lady Macbeth instinctively associates ambition with cruelty. She considers cruelty necessary in her rise to power. She also fears that her husband is "too full o' the milk of human kindness" to execute her plan (I.v.17). Ambition and kindness are mutually exclusive, she insinuates. Therefore, she views the virtue as a wea... ...t, Francis and John Fletcher, The Maid's Tragedy, ed. T.W.Craik (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1988 Bowers, Fredson. Elizabethan Revenge Tragedies, 1587-1642. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1940. Hallett, Charles and Elaine. The Revenger's Madness: A Study of Revenge Tragedy Motifs. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1980. Keyishan, Harry. The Shapes of Revenge: Victimization, Vengeance, and Vindictiveness in Shakespeare. Atlantic Highlands: Humanities Press, 1995. Middleton, Thomas, and William Rowley. Three Jacobean Tragedies. Ed. Gamini Salgado. Middlesex: Penguin Books Ltd., 1969. 255-344. Shakespeare, William.   Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Webster, John. The Duchess of Malfi. Ed. John Russel Brown. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1986.

Italian Culture and Work Ethics Essay

History teaches us that it is through the family that new generations are equipped with ethics and values regarding work. The advent of bourgeois society, with its characteristic openness towards other social classes, appears to have relegated the promotion of working values by families to the background. This study sets out to test the hypothesis according to which the family continues to maintain an important role in the transmission of working values. Based on data from the Work Importance Study (Super and Sverko, 1995: Life Roles, Values, a n d Careers, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass), two subgroups were compared (working adults, and high school and university students), considered as representing two different generations (youths vs adults). Some results from cluster anatysis show how substantial similarity exists between adults and youths in terms of ideal values, expressing ‘what would be important in an ideal world’. The difference between the subgroups lies in expectations (termed ‘expected values’) relating to ‘what would be important in my actual work environment’. Here, relatively more important values for young people are relatively less important for working adults. Another result presented concerns the relationship existing betiveen value typobgies (classed into six categories) and personal character associated with birth order. What emerges is that the only children are prevalently the ‘tough type’, while the first bom, considered by some to be custodians of family traditions, tum out to be more independent than the second or third bom, identified above all by their calm and sociable characters. Introduction: the work ethic and the family ethic This study presents the results of a survey conducted nationaUy in 1995 on a sample of 1523 subjects (represendng the three main geo-cultural areas of Italy: North, Centre and South—see BeUotto, 1997). The objecdve of the survey was to determine values associated with work. For this a quesdonnaire, a values scale (VS) was used, devised by an intemadonal team pardcipadng in a world-wide survey called the Work Importance Study—WIS (Super and Sverko 1995). With the data coUected, a profile of the value judgements of Italian families was formulated. The importance of working values within the family context has been little explored from a psychological point of view. Yet the family is characterized by the ethical nature of the reladonships it contains, hence its values (Boszormeny-Nagy and Spark, 1973; Cigoli, 1992). The family is rightly placed in that class of insdtudons that Hegel indicated as the ethical horizon of human society. ‘ There are very few Italian studies on the processes of value transmission within families, not to mendon the handing down of working values. While one of the principal funcdons recognized as typical of families is the socializadon of the individual, studies regarding the socializadon by families with regard to work are rarely encountered. 1351-1610/99/040583-13 Â © 1999 Interdisciplinary Centre for Comparative Research in the Social Sciences 584 Massimo Bellotto and Alberto ^atti The lack of research in this field can be partly explained by the relatively recent history of the concept of the ‘family’ as a scientific subject for study in social psychology. At least until the end of the 1940s, families were considered as a group typology (Lewin, 1951). Successively, interest focused on the pathology of family relationships (Bateson et al. , 1956; Epstein et al. , 1982; Bamhill, 1979; Watzlawick et al. , 1967). It was only in die 1970s that the so-called ‘normal’ family was considered worthy of psychological investigation as a scientific subject (Scabini, 1985). In recent years, however, the theme of values and the ethical importance of families has emerged strongly in a variety of fields, from individual and family psychotherapy to organizational psychology. In this article we would like to propose that a terminological distinction be made between ethics and morality. Ethics are, as the etymology of the word suggests, the study of the ‘customs’ (ethos), the social habits, the relational practices of a people or social grouping. Morality relates more to the theme of how much certain behaviour corresponds to a reference model. In this sense, it is important to distinguish between ethics and morality when studying the customs and habits, in a word, the ethics of families (and not their morality). This is to avoid the pitfalls associated with referring to a particular set of values held by the family being analysed. What exacdy are the working values held by families? What relationship exists between these values and family needs? What are the motivations that stir the family organization? And which family values can be linked, even indirecdy, with work? Let us seek some answers to these important questions. Families in history have also been units of production. The peasant family, craft guilds, the factory worker families of the first and second industrial revolutions (Manoukian, 1976) are the most emblematic examples. In medieval society the chances of changing one’s profession from the one inherited from the family were rather hmited. Children continued the working traditions of the family without having much choice in the matter. The transmission of working values within family groups, historically speaking, seemed to go without saying. However, it would be worthwhile to pose the question of how families educate their members today with regard to work. Families in Westem society have changed profoundly. The social mobility intrinsic to the very idea of bourgeois society (Weber, 1904) has led to the privatization of family relationships (Aries, 1960) and to the specialization of family practices to the sentimental sphere. The educational role of families is becoming more and more marginal, being delegated to collective institutions such as schools. Moreover, from the viewpoint of economic history, families have become increasingly characterized as units of consumption, losing in part their role as units of production. From a macrosocial perspective, a fundamental problem emerges in Italy: the percentage of youth unemployment is one of the highest in Europe, especially in the South. Working Values and the Italian Family 585 majority of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 live at home: 82. 4% of males and 72. 5% of females. In the next age bracket, 25-34, many more young men sdU live at home with their parents (33. 6%) compared with young women of the same age (22. 9%). According to some demographic projecdons to the year 2000, these percentages wiU touch 36. 3% for young males and 34. 2% for young females. There are cultural and ideological reasons for this phenomenon, such as the idea that marriage is the only proper route towards adult independence (8 males out of 10 and 9 women out of 10 leave the family only foUowing marriage). However, social factors also make a contribudon, in particular, high youth unemployment and a shortage of rental accommodadon. The result is that families coundng a young adult as a member are a socially significant category. Psychological factors and value systems also play an important role. The working values tradidonaUy handed down in Italian families place heavy emphasis on permanent and full-dme employment. The definidve departure from the family is often condidonal on minimizing the risks of independence. Among others, for these two factors (permanent fuU-dme employment and minimum risk of independence), life-dme employment in government and union employment policies have come to be considered as a necessary and sufficient prerequisite for the attainment of adulthood. The quest for so-caUed ‘guaranteed employment’ has led Italian society to one of the most cridcal paradoxes in its history: the creadon of a barrier to occupadonal access for youth. Thus, the one prerequisite considered a vital and sufficient condidon for the evoludon of Italian families, life-dme employment, has become one of the major obstacles to the same end. By disallowing generational change in employment, it has become impossible for young generadons to enter the workforce, and hence to reach independence. ‘* Following on these consideradons, we decided to use the results of a study on working values (WIS 1995) to shed some light on value differences between young students and adult workers. As mendoned above, very few studies have been carried out in Italy on the transmission of values within families. While the WIS study was not designed for this purpose, we believed that it could give some indicadons regarding the generadon gap (youths vs adults) and differences in social status (students vs workers). The underlying hypothesis to tjiis study is therefore that working adult values can be considered as being similar to those of parents; likewise, those held by young students can be considered as being similar to those of offspring. The WIS survey.

Customer Service Standards Essay

Explain how customer service standards are planned, implemented and monitored, and the impact this has on the operation of a selected business. In this task I will explain why customer service needs to be planned, how this is monitored and what impact it has for the whole organisation. The present customers of the organisation are really important for the organisation and company has to do ‘a step forward’ to make them satisfy and to keep them. If a company has no customers there are no profits for the business. Keeping existing customers is important as finding new ones is time consuming and costly. Planning customer service standards If companies plan their customer service they are more likely to exist in a business environment. Companies which have planned customer service for both; external and internal customers are more likely to be succeeding than others. Setting aims, outlining measurable benchmarks Companies must have standards which are measured and it the targets are not achieved action will be taken. Setting aims Aims are main announcements of what the business wants to achieve. Objectives are targets which are measured to check if they are achieved. Aims and objectives are really important for the business as without them there is no meaning to business. Aim and objectives give meaning to successive activities of planning, directing, staffing, organising and controlling. Methods of setting aims for customer service are wide. It depends on company and what good or service they provide. Some of the businesses have different aims, like providing employment for the owner; increasing sales and production or taking over businesses. Except aims, like making profits, providing goods and services, businesses have to state objectives by which they can get their aims. In example, if a business settled an aim to make a profit, they have to think how to achieve this; they need to set targets to know how much they want to spend and how much they want to receive. These targets should be specific as to what must be achieved; measurable to measure their success and relevant to business aim. A mission statement is a statement which determines a company or organisation. The mission statement must advise any of the organisation’s action. It influences overall success and run decision-making. In the Barclays bank, their aim is to be no. 1 bank in the England. They want to be the best choice for the customers by what they can make more profits and eliminate other banks. The Barclays objective is to provide first class customer service and offer market landing products. To achieve what they want, they use lots of trainings which can improve their skills in area where they need to be improved. This bank mission statement is related with their aims and objectives – ‘To be innovative, customer focused group that delivers superb products and service ensures excellent careers for all people and contributes positively to the communities in which we live and work.’ All of these focused and linked make the bank successful by what they have more customers and more profits. However, step by step they are better. Outlining measurable benchmarks Benchmarks purpose is to set minimum level of service, quality and quantity customer service system must reach in order to meet their objectives. Benchmarks need to be realistic, understandable and measurable. Benchmarking is the process of comparing one’s business processes and performance metrics to industry best practices from other industries. The Barclays can benchmark against another businesses by hiring the best qualified people on positions. They can make the best training for them to improve their skills, do meetings where they can talk about any issues and where they can resolve all of the problems. Make easy accessible entrances and dimensioned halls. Taking phone calls faster, and making good first impression by wearing clean and suit clothes. They can be friendly to all customers and greet them when they walking into the bank, listen to customers when they talking make sure that customer understood what was said to him. The staff of the bank should know all of the health and safety procedures and keep everything clean. Designing qualitative and quantitative performance indicators Performance indicators are needed to control achievements and to know how business and its service can be improved. Qualitative performance indicators are non numeric, like judgements and opinions; it includes management relationships; customer satisfaction – like monitoring customer feedback programme; employee morale – like level of staff turnover; quality and taste of product and customer loyalty; levels of staff absenteeism – like staffs that are unhappy or stressed. Quantitative performance indicators are numeric indicators; it includes sales and profit levels – to check if they raised or dropped; speed of service – in what time customer received what they ordered; customer retention; number of complains about staff/service/products; percentage of orders resulting from visits to customers by salespeople and responses to marketing material sent out. Public services, like ambulances or police also set performance indicators, as in need they have to arrive in max 8 minutes. Qualitative indicators in the Barclays bank are made by mastery shopper, who comes once in a month. He is checking performance of all of the employees and afterwards he is doing a report of what he saw. Mystery shopper comes to the branch and he looks and behaves like a normal customer. He pretends that he buys a product provided by a bank and check how employee who serve him is dealing with this. Other methods of checking qualitative indicator are feedbacks from customers and temporary employees. Also, complains sometimes are taken from customers and can be done by a website or can be done verbally to the staff of the bank where after they go to the log system. Quantitative indicators are measured by number of appointments of cashiers and private bankers. They are measured on solutions given by cashiers and private bankers; also it is measured in customers service served. Number of complains are counted, products sold to the customers are counted and after it is compared with this amount from previous month to check if there is any improvement. Implementing and monitoring customer care standards A company who want be successful, have to not just set good customer care standards but also monitor it afterwards. Providing staff training on raising customer service standards Lots of businesses now, in which customer service in involved are making at least one day of customer service training on the induction. New staff must be present in training at a head of the organisation or in regional office of the organisation where they will be absorbed customer service in a local level. These training usually involve presenting how to deal with different situations, to learn it there are usually used role plays with different scenarios to know how to deal with problems, complains and different types of customers. When a potential employee finishes his induction, the training still continues in place of work and done with a local staff to make sure that customer service standards are keeping up. In the Barclays bank, all of the staff has an induction which involves whole training program in a training centre which is placed in Manchester and afterwards it is continued in a branch. This induction process takes minimum 6 to 8 weeks. In the first day of the work, new employee has to go through security procedures, do other trainings like health and safety and get to know other employees. Other trainings which are necessary are people plus which is about customer service and trainings like computer skills and accountant trainings need to be taken. There is no mentor, but all of the employees are monitored by the managers, but besides this, everyone helps. Other courses which are vital to work in the bank are complains, money, fraud protection and fire procedures. Departmental trainings take place, lots of the trainings are done individually on the computer but there are regular courses to attend. External trainings also are present; they are taken in the Manchester in head of branch, where employees improve their skills knowledge about fire procedures are also improved. Meeting performance indicators The businesses monitor the performance indicators which were set to check whether target was met or not, this is also needed to check why the target was not meet and take direct action to improve it. For example, to find out what is wrong, they can set questions like, is a product provided in good quality? Is timing on serving product appropriate, etc. The Barclays bank targets are settled daily for cashiers and monthly for private bankers, also it depends on position what targets do a person has. For example, cashiers daily target is to make three lending appointments, five lending cards, three basic appointments, three walk overs, approach all ABC, credit’s and mark accordingly. Private bankers target are; deal with six loans, two insurances, six Barclay’s cards, and one hundred fifty solutions, six upgrades of an account and for new paid accounts. In measuring qualitative indicators is mastery shopper and for quantitative appointments, solutions, and number of products sold are measured and counted. I do not think that any improvements are needed in work what they do, as when I worked there for a week all the time targets were met. Measuring and monitoring performance There is wide range of ways how performance can be measured, like sales level; conducting surveys of customers; postage-paid questionnaires/comment cards/forms; make special facilities where customer can give an feedback, for example on the website ‘Contact us’ buttons; occasional telephone calls to customers; personal or telephone interviews; complains about staff/products/services; email customers, for example with surveys; etc. Customer service performance is monitored all the time, to know that customers get what they want and when they want it. This monitoring also has many ways, such as inspection by unknown company staff to witness customer service at first hand; regular staff meeting; mystery shoppers; monitoring telephone conversations; staff appraisals. Performance in the Barclays bank is measured and monitored by making overall report of previous day and showing it in the next day morning meeting. Also, on this meetings there are given sheets to complete out in which employees are able to put feedback of other employees and any other performances. Other ways are contact by a website, mystery shoppers and feedbacks on sheets from temporary employees. Reviewing performance and taking action Businesses always want to know which customers are satisfied with service provided and which are not. If they know it, they can make steps to improve themselves if a customer is unhappy. Staffs know when they are praised. Suggestions for improvements are deliberated and putted into practice when necessary. Ways how performance is reviewed can be done by – making action plan to improve areas which are criticised, investigating negative feedback, making changes in procedures, let customer know of any action taken by putting these information on the website, making regular meetings where performance can be discussed, etc. In the Barclays bank action is taken in complains. Firstly, one of the staff try to calm down a customer, try resolve problem by himself, if he is not able, he apologised for it and call a manager to speak with complaining customer. Manager tries do it by himself if he is not able, information is putted on the log system and on the next meeting everyone try to resolve it, if this do not work, it is sent to head of branch when they will consider any changes on which a person is complaining. Procedures for handling customer complains All of the businesses need to deal with complains. Most of businesses have special procedures how to deal with them with points to follow. When customer’s problem is resolved it is more likely that he will return. Complains are good way of getting rid of competitors, as when a company handle it successfully, company makes a step forward in customer service. Complains should be handled quickly and sympathy. In the Barclays bank complains are posted into the log system and afterwards if cannot be resolved in a branch, complains are sent out to branch office. Customer information and helplines There are many methods of informing customers, like putting information on the website, notices on displays, making and giving out leaflets and information sheets, frequently asked questions on the website, newsletters, and customer service advice helplines. In the Barclays bank, information is provided by leaflets, on the website, helpline, newsletters, posters, adverts and notices. The Barclays is a huge brand which is recognisable in whole country, so they use wide range methods of providing information and for marketing. Everything is easy to find in a branch as there are signs and staff is wearing identification cards where is also placed on what position they work. Impact on resources All of the companies want their employees to have the best customer service; also they want any issue easy to be resolved. If in some cases poor customer service was identified, like poor knowledge of product provided then more training is needed. It will need additional costs to arrange training and to transport staff in the place where training is provided, also, another cost is to replace the members of staff for the time when they are on training. Other costly thing is investigating complains, as it is time and consuming. Some of the staff members must be involved in resolving problem and records of it need to be completed. When a customer complains about member of a staff, the staff member can get a verbal warning, if it is first time, if not; warning can be written or can be dismissal. Improving communication is also costly, telephones, internet, computers are costly but vey useful. Besides these methods are costly for the first time, a person who has a meeting abroad can do a conference by the computer, not traveling, what saves time. The last one costly thing is improvement in physical structure of the building, for example, making things more accessible for disabled people, making lifts, automatic doors, etc. In the Barclays bank in recruiting new staff, the potential employees need to show that they are confident, punctual and have outstanding potentials. Involving new staff involves assessments which are afterwards scored. Firstly, when somebody is interesting in a position in Barclays bank, he needs to apply online, when his application form is successful he needs to get through telephone assessment, when he pass it, he is invited to the branch for an interview. Training is really costly and time consuming, but this is worth it, as people there are working for the long time and they are picked from lots of the applicants, as they are the best for these positions for which they applied. Costs involved in revamping are training cost, uniform cost, and staff time. In the Barclays, they do not really take part of making new layout of the bank.

Analysis Paper: Zinsser’s Book on Writing Essay

How can I, as a writer, balance writing for myself and for my readers without sacrificing the other? That is the question I was struck with while reading Zinsser’s book On Writing Well, and one he presents.In his book, writers are encouraged to adopt a style that is fitting of themselves, yet capture and maintain the attention of readers. What if my style does not capture readers? What if what captures the attention of readers does not do the same for me as I write? Am I stuck wrestling between this paradox of uncertainty or is there a way out? Note to self: NOT writing is not an option. Luckily, Zinsser, who is a writer, editor and teacher, offers solutions in chapters four, five, and nine that I found very helpful and will serve as a guide in future writing assignments. He advises that I eliminate any unnecessary words and keep my language simple. This won’t take away from my style, but enhance it by removing the â€Å"excess or murkiness [that] has crept into [my] style† and obstructs the message I am trying to convey to readers. Style is something that every writer possesses and makes him/her equally unique. So, the first step in capturing my audience while writing for myself is to relax and be myself. Zinsser states: The reader will notice if you are putting on airs. Readers want the person who is talking to them to sound genuine. Therefore a fundamental rule is: be yourself (19). Before writing, I should relieve myself of any pressure to write in a way that feels unnatural, produce an awesome paper that will rock everyone’s socks off, or me et a certain page length. Just sit down, believe in my own identity and opinions, and write! Aside from being myself, the second step is to determine the audience of my paper. A writers’ audience will first and foremost be him/herself. Zinsser continues to reiterate this point of authenticity by saying, â€Å"Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience – every reader is a different person†¦You are writing primarily to please yourself, and if you go about it with enjoyment you will also entertain the readers who are worth writing for (24).† Oftentimes, I forget about myself when writing in an effort to complete the assignment and give the teacher what I think he/she may be expecting from someone at my educational level. Those assignments have been the ones I least enjoyed writing and/or have been told was missing my voice. By writing in this manner, I have been performing a huge disservice to my audience by not giving them what they need: me. I apologize! Along with expressing my personality, I should not neglect my craft. There is no excuse, as Zinsser states, for sloppy workmanship. I should respect my audience enough to pay close attention to technical details and ensure that their reading process is one of clarity then artistry. Third and final, I should start and end all of my writing assignments with â€Å"freshness, or novelty, or paradox, or humor, or surprise, or with an unusual idea, or an interesting fact, or a question† that will capture my readers (55). Zinsser says that the most important sentence in any article is the first one. If the reader has not been attracted to my subject through that sentence then there are no chances the reader will want to read further. Along with creatively beginning and ending my writing assignment, the information I present must give the reader a sense of purpose while reading. Readers need to know why I have chosen my topic, why they should read it, and be given enough information that leaves them feeling well-informed. As I continue to hone my writing skills and further develop them in other students, I want to carry Zinsser’s central message of authenticity with me. Writing at its best is unique, informative, and â€Å"an intimate transaction between two people, conducted on paper, and it will go well to the extent that it retains its humanity† (20). I want to urge my students to never forget the most essential piece in their writings: themselves. If that is forgotten, then the â€Å"intimate transaction† that is needed between them and their audience will be distant and ineffective.

Domestic Violence In Sports Essay

Throughout history, sports players have been in the public eye. They’re much thought of as the heroic figures to those who desire a career in the league or even the â€Å"die hard† fans who are dedicated. When thinking of the stereotypical traits of a heroic figure as someone who’s trustworthy, honesty and viewed to be an untouchable individual. But as we all know not every story is what some may call â€Å"picture perfect†. People fail to realize that their champion winning sports players we cheer on during game days are just like everyone in the world. The question being how can we establish a connection with ones that real side may barely be shown? In recent weeks, sports media has been booming with tabloids about domestic violence cases of well-known players in their leagues. As we the public become intrigued to see these players fall from their immortal status from committing such a crime thought to be impossible for them. As fans typically only take a glance of their lives on the field; I come to wonder if it’s more of a shock to them or a reality of everyone’s ability to be held equally. Would the standards be different if your position in society didn’t matter as much as the crime that has been committed should? An article published online in USA Today last week, states that even with the multiple controversies going on in the NFL and the nation, is taking much needed action towards players involved in the domestic violence convictions such as. Actions are also being taken in teams like the Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, was charged with a domestic violence case with an assault his then-fiancà ©e Janay Rice, who was left unconscious for in an elevator. Rice is known to have a clean record, after authorities released the video of Rice and his then fiancà ©e knocked out; the agreement between the NFL and the Ravens to end Rice’s contract following up with an indefinite suspension. This decision was reported by researchers- Erik Brady and Jim Corbett both journalist for USA Today. In addition to the NFL furthers taking action an article by researcher Will Brinson a Senior NFL Writer, writes weekly articles and directs videos for CBS Sports.com. Brinson quotes statement from a memo from Commissioner Roger Goodell to the 32 NFL owners â€Å"The NFL is hiring four women advisors in shaping the league’s stance on domestic violence†, The league is attempting to change the outlook of how it handles domestic  violence with the hopes of being looked at for an earnest effort towards change. Goodell wrote, â€Å"Because domestic violence and sexual assault are broad societal issues, we have engaged leading experts to provide specialized advice and guidance in ensuring that the NFL’s programs reflect the most current and effective approaches.† In addition to Goodell’s memo, he also stated a plan for the four women such as Lisa Friel, the former Sex Crime Prosecution Unit in New York County District Attorney’s Office to be one of the women to peruse the NFL’s efforts. Domestic violence is the behavior used by one person in a relationship to control the other. This violence takes place in many forms and can happen all the time or once in a while. Although both men and women are susceptible to abuse, the most common cases are known to be found dealing with women who have been in some form neglected or abused. In studies cases of domestic violence have been on the rise, meaning more cases of not just celebrities but people all around the nat ion. As the talk rises of domestic violence cases pertaining to sports people see this as tragedy and a new cause to crime that has been happening for decades. It’s taken little pity on the actual victim but more on the player who is at fault. In the SBNation article written by Stephen â€Å"Poseour† Blake, stating that most fans are leaning towards defending team players rather than raising awareness for those who have been emotionally and physically impacted by the crime done. When do we ask ourselves, is supporting something worth it? With a personal belief that we should live by the rules of treating everyone with fairness and honesty as fans indicate sports players to be. In conclusion, I think that athletes are treated to an alternate standard compared to everyone because more is invested into their successful than their downfall. More cases of domestic violence are becoming better known to the public; especially in sports mostly pertaining to players in the NFL league. My feelings towards this topic are that even with fame of being known for a talent is a very rare accomplishment that’s few get to achieve. People still need to realize that no matter how famous a person becomes their still accountable for their actions. Personally I think that more should be done to the person accused of the crime just as equally for someone who isn’t on the fame radar. Punishment shouldn’t have a limit just because this person is well- known. Alon g with fans treating the victims more like the criminals instead of the players. When in reality  being a â€Å"die hard† fan doesn’t always mean supporting what’s wrong.