Dissociative Identity Disorder Essay -- essays research papers

Dissociative Identity Disorder, as characterized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth Edition (DSM-IV-TR), is â€Å"characterized by the nearness of at least two particular characters or character expresses that intermittently assume responsibility for the individual’s conduct joined by a failure to review significant individual data that is too broad to even think about being clarified by customary absent mindedness. It is a turmoil portrayed by character discontinuity as opposed to an expansion of discrete personalities.† To qualify as dissociative character issue, otherwise called D.I.D., at any rate two characters should routinely assume substitute responsibility for the person's conduct, and there must be lost memory that goes past ordinary neglect. This memory misfortune is frequently alluded to as losing time. These side effects must happen freely of substance misuse or a general ailment. â€Å"Dissociative character issue is an uncommon finding, in spite of the fact that individuals right now with a determination of psychosis may in truth be encountering what is related with the confusion. In light of the uncommonness of the determination, there is a lot of misconception and numbness among individuals and psychological well-being experts. Unique consideration is given to the truth of adapting to the challenges that dissociative personality issue creates.† D.I.D. has been confused regularly with schizophrenia (likewise called dementia praecox). All things considered, from the principal sign to the finding. D.I.D. patients are frequently terrified by their dissociative encounters and may go to crisis rooms or centers since they dread they are ... ... a subordinate to psychotherapy and additionally medicine. These incorporate hydrotherapy, natural medication, remedial back rub, and yoga. Reflection is typically debilitated until the patient's character has been reintegrated. Treatment of D.I.D. is mind boggling. Patients are frequently rewarded under an assortment of other mental analyses for quite a while before being re-determined to have D.I.D. Numerous patients are misdiagnosed as discouraged on the grounds that their essential character is curbed and pulled back. The standpoint for individuals with D.I.D. is normally awesome, on the off chance that they stay with the treatment that works for them. A few advisors accept that the anticipation for recuperation is fantastic for kids and useful for most grown-ups. Despite the fact that treatment takes years, it is regularly eventually viable. When in doubt, the previous the patient is analyzed and appropriately rewarded, the better the odds for development.

How Write What You Know Helps You Find a Target Market

How Write What You Know Helps You Find a Target Market How Compose What You Know Helps You Find a Target Market At the point when she was 26, Fiona MacBain moved to Tunisia andâ ran a watersports base close to Sousse with her nearby spouse (progressively about that at fionamacbain.com). She came back to the UK with her half year old little girl in 1999 and in the long run settled in Inverness, where she lives with her better half and youngsters. In this article, she talks aboutâ turning her diary into fiction and how compose what you know can be a deals toolâ when showcasing your book.When I was twenty-nine I composed a journal. It was about the occasions that prompted me coming back to the UK a poverty stricken single parent subsequent to going through two years running a watersports base on a sea shore in Tunisia.I sent it to operators and albeit a couple indicated beginning enthusiasm, nothing happened to it; they didn't think there was an adequate market for the book or enough mainstream enthusiasm for Tunisia. It was my first taste of abstract specialist rejection.The other Facebook advertisement was focused at ladies over the UK with an enthusiasm for Tunisia. The outcomes were exceptional; I was bewildered at how Facebook figured out how to follow individuals so explicitly. I was immersed with remarks and messages from ladies who, similar to me, had been hitched to Tunisian accomplices, and numerous other customary occasion creators with an adoration for the nation. A few people remarked that they had been attracted to the book in view of their encounters of Tunisia - and in this regard, having a blog which secured my very own encounters of the nation was useful. It gave perusers an understanding into my life, which produced an individual association and included enthusiasm for my book. It additionally empowered to me to sell my novel on the rear of articles that chronicled my life in Tunisia.The significance of associating with perusers as a non mainstream authorA expression of alert is that dealing with the promotions was tedious. I answered to each remark, each message,  and dealing with the advertisements turned into an all day work for the two months they ran. My telephone was for all time a couple of crawls from my face; I was strolling into light posts, consuming supper, and disregarding my kids as I answered and visited with perusers. I additionally didn’t do a smidgen of composing during that period.Still, the supported Facebook posts feature one of the points of interest for a non mainstream writer: with the assistance of explicit focusing via web-based networking media you can associate with perusers who have a particular intrigue that your book meets - books that individuals wouldn’t normally find in a bookshop. Through Facebook, specialty markets are legitimately accessible and numerous perusers appear to appreciate the individual contact with the writer that online networking can provide.Writing fiction dependent on the old â€Å"write what you know† proverb has been an effective and agreeable experi ence. My time living in Tunisia gave me direct information with which to make setting, places, and characters such that was interesting and real. A large portion of the exploration for my novel originated from trips through a world of fond memories - and utilizing Facebook, I figured out how to discover a large group of perusers who appeared to appreciate take that trip with me.Fiona will do a perusing of Little girl, Disappeared on February third at Waterstones, Covent Garden as a component of their Novel London: An Evening of Contemporary Fiction Event! More data here.Daughter, Disappeared is accessible on Amazon in soft cover and on Amazon Kindle!Have you experienced an encounter that made you particularly qualified to compose a book? Have you experienced the way toward transforming a diary into a work of fiction? Offer any musings or inquiries for Fiona in the remarks underneath!

[Guest Post] Good Morning or Good Night

[Guest Post] Good Morning or Good Night Hello! I’m Theo, one of CJ’s unfortunate friends from our dorm (I’m kidding, mostly). Let’s answer the top five questions people ask me when I introduce myself: Name? Theo. Year? First-Year/Frosh/The Young One/Probably Younger Than You. 01 An interesting thing pointed out to me earlier this week is how obsessed the US is with capitalizing things. In official signage, everything is capitalized: Red Line, Transportation Security Administration, Stata Center, et cetera. This is not true of most countries â€" in Canada, or the UK, or France, the signs you see would read: Red line, Transportation security administration, Stata center, et cetera. Maybe this is why internet culture in the US cares so much about random Emphasis with capitalization. 02 cj: i asked theo if he was younger than most of the admissions blog readers. to which he replied that he was younger than most people who asked him this question, who were other mit students. he didn’t actually answer whether he thought he was younger than most mit applicants. 03 cj: i will also not allow theo to have a stronger annotation game than me :( Course? 14 and 18. (In which I usually proceed to say that 14 is Economics for all the Course 6s.04 cj: course 6 is electrical engineering and computer science, course 18 is mathematics. almost all mit students would know what these course numbers are since they’re like, two out of the top three declared courses ) Dorm? EC.05 cj: east campus ???? Wow, this one actually depends on time/situation, but it’s usually along the lines of what classes are you in? Mine are 21M.734, 21G.501, 14.73, and 18.022.06 21M.734 = Lighting Design; 21G.501 = Japanese 1; 14.73 = The Economics of World Poverty; 18.022 = Multivariable Calculus, a GIR. (One of the professors for 14.73 is Esther Duflo, the Economics Nobel Prize winner this year. It’s my least favorite class but it has my favorite content.) People usually can only tell what 18.022 is, and is 14.73… Economics? Still? I hope so. I also have an advising seminar, 21M.A16.07 cj: a first-year advising seminar is a class that some first-years take. if you take an advising seminar, whoever teaches your seminar is also your adviser for the first year. 21m.a16 is beyond independent filmmaking. Honestly, I’d rather talk about something other than the standard Five Questions though. Can I interest you in games such as AI: The Somnium Files,08 cj: i learned the correct pronunciation of ai in this title isn’t spelled out like ay eye, but like the word eye which are simultaneously cheap jokes and incredibly well-thought storylines? My floor played it until 4:30 in the morning on Saturday, before I started one of my many assignments due this week. Would you like to play Tractor? I learned it recently, but it is probably the game I have spent the most time playing09 cj: can confirm, people play too much tractor on our floor since coming to MIT. A game is incredibly long â€" I have only played the game to completion once, when I stayed up until the sun rose and went to dinner at 10 am with two of my close friends, before sleeping for five hours.   Would you like to play Mahjong? The games don’t take quite as long, but we still play for seven hours at once a lot of the time. The Mahjong club meets 7 pm on Saturdays, and I often wake up, grab breakfast and head over to play. It is lots of fun. Or maybe I can talk about how serene East Campus is at seven in the morning, watching the sun rise, when I have class in four hours, while counting the minutes of sleep I could have gotten over and over again. The early risers are still indoors, and most nocturnal people are hiding in their rooms as the sun begins its brief appearance for the day. Or I can talk to you about Good Morning vs. Good Night, in the awkward time between midnight and sunrise where no one can really make up their mind. People on my floor, and at MIT in general, never know whether to say good morning or good night, even though they often stay up until 4 am.10 cj: well, not really, it’s actually quite rare To me, you should say good night â€" you are going to sleep after all. “Good night” is to “goodbye” as “good morning” is to “hello”. But also, I go to sleep at 8 am just as often as 1 am, or 7 pm. So maybe I’m not the expert. 11 We also just argue about whether you can always say good morning, or always say good night, whatever the time is. We debate a lot of topics on my floor. It’s one of my favorite traits about my floor. We currently have a softness scale, ranking floor and floor-related people from Soft to Not Soft, that people debated a lot on. CJ thinks I am Not Soft (9/10), and some other friends think I am Soft (3/10). I have constantly struggled with sleep â€" my sleep cycles aren’t a constant 24-hour cycle, but fluctuate from 16 hours to 36 hours. I sleep through almost the entirety of the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, except when I made lumpia with CJ. But often, I get an average of four non-consecutive hours of sleep a night for a couple of weeks before I have a day like last Wednesday.   I spend a lot of time with friends. It means I get to spend time with friends who tend to stay up late, and friends who wake up early, without feeling like I am sacrificing myself. I already won’t be sleeping, so I spend time with them. Lots of people say choose two: school, friends, sleep. But I didn’t get to choose; my body chose for me. I’ve run through the different solutions for sleep: magnesium and melatonin, reducing stress, no screens an hour before bed, listening to calming music or stories. Dark rooms without any light. Changing where I sleep. None of these really help me get to sleep. My body doesn’t like being told what to do (it probably inherited the stubbornness of my badass grandmother, but that’s a different story, a different time). The most I can do is get better quality sleep, and it requires a lot of effort. I don’t get the sleep everyone talks about. But I am not constantly tired either â€" it’s not a perpetual state of sleep deprivation. I can talk your ear off about the trade-offs between ethics and information in the poverty studies Esther Duflo conducted to get the Nobel Prize. I sometime spend a half an hour at 4:30 am working out because I have the motivation to move, and keep moving, as if I’m physically incapable of stopping. I walk across campus to Next House, sometimes just to grab dinner and work for a couple hours in the dining hall because I want a new space to work. And I do get to see MIT, at 7 am, in its glory of quiet energy, just waiting to burst out in some new discovery. The MIT that often hides behind the anxiety of pset deadlines, infinite midterms, and keeping friends on top of that. And MIT at 7 am, before I say good night, is beautiful. An interesting thing pointed out to me earlier this week is how obsessed the US is with capitalizing things. In official signage, everything is capitalized: Red Line, Transportation Security Administration, Stata Center, et cetera. This is not true of most countries â€" in Canada, or the UK, or France, the signs you see would read: Red line, Transportation security administration, Stata center, et cetera. Maybe this is why internet culture in the US cares so much about random Emphasis with capitalization. back to text ? cj: i asked theo if he was younger than most of the admissions blog readers. to which he replied that he was younger than most people who asked him this question, who were other mit students. he didn’t actually answer whether he thought he was younger than most mit applicants. back to text ? cj: i will also not allow theo to have a stronger annotation game than me :( back to text ? cj: course 6 is electrical engineering and computer science, course 18 is mathematics. almost all mit students would know what these course numbers are since they’re like, two out of the top three declared courses back to text ? cj: east campus back to text ? 21M.734 = Lighting Design; 21G.501 = Japanese 1; 14.73 = The Economics of World Poverty; 18.022 = Multivariable Calculus, a GIR. (One of the professors for 14.73 is Esther Duflo, the Economics Nobel Prize winner this year. It’s my least favorite class but it has my favorite content.) back to text ? cj: a first-year advising seminar is a class that some first-years take. if you take an advising seminar, whoever teaches your seminar is also your adviser for the first year. 21m.a16 is beyond independent filmmaking. back to text ? cj: i learned the correct pronunciation of ai in this title isn’t spelled out like ay eye, but like the word eye back to text ? cj: can confirm, people play too much tractor on our floor back to text ? cj: well, not really, it’s actually quite rare back to text ? We also just argue about whether you can always say good morning, or always say good night, whatever the time is. We debate a lot of topics on my floor. It’s one of my favorite traits about my floor. We currently have a softness scale, ranking floor and floor-related people from Soft to Not Soft, that people debated a lot on. CJ thinks I am Not Soft (9/10), and some other friends think I am Soft (3/10). back to text ?

Bl Company Case Analysis - 700 Words

BL Companies will perform the requested services identified in Section 1.3 of the Request for Qualifications document and as further detailed below. GENERAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS AND SCOPE The anticipated consulting services provided by a selected consultant will include mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering design services. In addition to MEP practice teams, the ability to provide design services for fire suppression systems, fire alarms, energy conservation and LEED standards is greatly preferred. Selected consultants must have sufficient staff available to ensure that several simultaneous projects can be run successfully with task continuity, timely delivery of services and completion of all assigned tasks. Team must be†¦show more content†¦POTENTIAL SERVICES AND SCOPE As an on-call contract, the specific scope of a particular project will not be determined until the time the on-call task is assigned. Engineering tasks frequently involve the following: assessing existing HVAC, plumbing and electrical equipment, evaluating the energy efficiency of existing systems and equipment, developing facility assessment reports for the replacement of existing systems and equipment and other energy conservation strategies, providing technical support to address equipment failures and developing emergency corrective measures, and providing design services for equipment replacements, cost estimates, preparation of construction bid documents and construction administration. Tasks will likely fall into one of the following categories: engineering reports and studies, design, or construction support. Aspects of the services may overlap for any given assignment. The potential scope of each category is summarized below. Engineering Reports and Studies These services may include specific reports, analyses, investigations, and/or studies. Such reports may involve evaluations or studies of infrastructure conditions and performance, compliance, operations, feasibility of projects, cost estimates, economic comparisons, and/or life cycle analyses. Any report or study provided to the City must be comprehensive, complete, objective, and sufficiently detailed. They shouldShow MoreRelatedFinancial, Procedural, And Legal Constraints Regarding Medtronic s Compensation And Benefits Package880 Words   |  4 PagesThe case analysis will examine potential financial, procedural, and legal constraints regarding Medtronic’s compensation and benefits package. The potential recommendations to change the current benefits package of the company to address the needed changes to meet the needs of the employees. The proposed financial analysis will address the organizations fund to support each employee based on their needs. 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Case Study of Store24 (a) Managing Employee Retention Essay

Case Study of Store24 (A): Managing Employee Retention Summary: The top executives of a chain of convenience stores, Store24, are attempting to come up with ways to increase employee tenure at their stores. We need to determine the relationship of employee tenure to store profits before they commit to this. They collected profits, management and crew tenure, and site location factors of 75 stores. Based on the data, we recommend that Store24 researches ways to increase employee tenure, more specifically manager tenure. Holding store location factors constant, manager tenure has the greatest impact on profits of Store24 stores. Problem and Matching Objectives: In defining the problem, we need to determine whether employee drives†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, the F-test shows that the regression model 3 does explain a significant proportion of the variation in profit. Also, the T-test of the Model 3 regression shows that each individual variable in Model 3 regression is significant. It is obvious that there are linear relationships between profit and each variable. Model 3 regression | Coefficients | Standard Reeor | t State | P-value | Lower 95% | Upper 95% | intercept | 60731.364 | 59148.023 | 1.027 | 0.308 | -57430.394 | 178893.122 | MTenure | 842.267 | 131.019 | 6.429 | 0.000 | 580.526 | 1104.008 | CTenure | 1003.624 | 432.926 | 2.318 | 0.024 | 138.754 | 1868.493 | Pop | 3.477 | 1.524 | 2.282 | 0.026 | 0.433 | 6.520 | Comp | -26708.901 | 5681.001 | -4.701 | 0.000 | -38058.005 | -15359.797 | PedCount_2 | 73146.905

No Cheating Free Essays

When taking an exam it shows how much you have or have not improved during a semester. When people have worked so hard to and studied so hard on an exam they should get the grade that they deserve . So when someone else has the same answers as the on who have been doing what they need to do to the one who lacks in their work red lights should be going off. We will write a custom essay sample on No Cheating or any similar topic only for you Order Now When someone cheats off another that person should get disciplined. It would not be fair to keep those in school that cheat they would need to be expelled from college. Any student caught cheating on an exam or paper should be dismissed from the college. In today’s generation some students want to get better grades without doing any work. Better grades could possibly mean better jobs and eventually more money. Student these days are cheating more than ever and that’s because getting a good education is basically a matter of economic life or death. Even some students with straight A’s cheat because they do not have the time to do the work carefully. That’s right, some students are just plain lazy and rather than study and work hard, they find it easier to cheat. These types of students do not want to read the chapters required for a test or they do not feel like typing a ten-page paper. Lazy students do not want to take the time to study and actually learn. They would rather sail through college on somebody else’s dime. Another reason students cheat is because of the pressure to succeed. Transitioning from high school to college is hard. The workload is overwhelming and more difficult, and some students often feel helpless and are afraid they will not do well. In college, the pressure to do well is even higher than in high school. It’s even harder for the nontraditional students to start back school when not being in school for so long to get it How to cite No Cheating, Papers

Case Study on Brand Management of Lego Company

Question: Discuss about the Brand Management for Lego Company. Answer: Introduction: In 2014, Lego group emerged as the largest company in terms of revenue. Many strategies were used by the organization to develop its brand. It was the knudstorp strategy that helped the organization manage its growth and remain sustainable in the market (Andersen et al., 2013). The generic strategy used by the organization is differentiation strategy where the main aim of the organization is to create a valuable product that is different from its substitutes in terms of quality, features, creativity and after sale service. Creation of value for the customers was the top priority of the organization. The competitive strategy used by the organization was a by pass attack strategy. By pass strategy is a strategy where the organization does not directly attacks its competitors but attacks them indirectly. The Lego group of companies established its own retail stores and also started its online retailing and e-commerce. Consumer awareness Consumers are the most important part of an organization. The main target customers of Lego group companies are children of age three to fifteen years. This includes children from both middle and upper class. The customer market is segmented in four categories that is Preschool, pre teen, teenagers and adults. Pre school segment involves customers of age five and below where dolls, figures, and action figures are sold. The pre teen consists of customers aged 6-12 years where construction toys, video games, puzzles and activity games are sold. Teenagers are customer aged 13-18 years where the major concentration on selling sports, video games and outdoor games. Adults are customers that are above 18 years where the concentration is on selling video games and electronic toys (Savolainen, 2015). Consumer awareness is a method of promoting the products sold by the company. There are various promotion techniques that help in increasing the awareness and knowledge of consumers. Making the consumer aware of the product is essential as it helps in increasing the sale and creating a brand image among its customers. Consumer awareness is also the ethical code of conduct that an industry or a firm should follow. Identification of loyal customers of brand is essential for brand awareness and promotion. Creating a brand awareness helps in building a relationship of trust with its customers. This strategy will help the organization survive at time of tough competitions as the loyal customers are less likely to switch over their brand once that trust is build. The main factor used by Lego group is superior quality and creativity and design of the product (Antorini et al., 2012). Various methods and techniques can be used in increasing consumer awareness such as advertisements, television, journals, magazines, posting ads on social media networks such as facebook, posting banners and word of mouth. Promotion of products in world of competition is necessary to stand out in the crowd. It is the customers of Lego group that helped the firm reduce its operation cost and survive competition. Customer loyalty is the most important factor in creation of brand image. The logo of Lego groups attracts the customers from all over the world. Its positioning strategy is that the products can be made in anything possible (Hadida, 2013). Competitive positioning The competitors of Lego group of companies are Leapfrog, Automoblox, Vtech and Mecanno. The aim of the organization is to achieve competitive advantage in entertainment and toy brands and manufacturers industry. The brand loyalty of customers helps the organization achieve competitive advantage. The organization uses the strategy of by pass technique to fight with its competitors in the market (Andersen et al., 2013). The number of competitors is high in the market. Hence the consumers have large choice for consumption. It is essential for the organizations to develop such a brand that gives the customers a nice experience that urges them to stay focused in a particular brand. By pass strategy is a strategy where Lego group attacks the consumers in an indirect way. This includes differentiating the products provided by the company on the basis of superior quality, after sales service, creativity and design of the product and the brand image of the firm. To increase its sale and devel op a brand Lego group has established its own brand stores in various places worldwide. It has also involved in online retailing of products produced by the Lego group of companies. This has helped the company increase its revue and profit and sustain competition. Brand associations The company can use various techniques to promote its brand and increase consumer awareness. The tagline or the slogan of the company plays an important role and acts as a major factor for attracting customers. The tagline of Lego group reads as its what you make it and what is best is best. The concentration of the company is on developing products that are of superior quality. Hence the company ensures that the raw materials used in the production process are of high and superior quality. Building the fans of the products is necessary for positioning and promotion. The customer target and segmentation also plays an essential role for deciding the fans of the products and company (Jensen, 2016). The key competing factors of the company include distribution, packaging, advertising, evolution, price and integration. The key buying factors that encourage the customers to purchase the products are: Quality Safety reputation Certifications Visual aspect Stimulation capability Consumer trends Appearance Durability of the products After sale services The key success factors of the Lego group of companies is its brand name, availability, variety of products that it sells, innovation, brand and product design and the range of accessories. SWOT analysis Strengths: The technologies used at the industry for producing toys are advanced. This helps the company reduce the cost and time of manufacturing. The company has a good brand image and name in both national and international market. The logo of the brand is its main attraction. The consumer loves to consume the product of Lego group due to the quality that it supplies. The company is involved in providing a wide range of products that includes toys, sport games, video games, construction games and other electronic games and products. It should concentrate on increasing its products and diversify its products on online gaming and videos and outdoor sports. The company has its own brand retail stores and an online retailing website. Establishment of its own store will help the organization attract more customers and achieve competitive advantage. The company has its own innovation team that is a team of four members. This helps the company create its worn design and a creative product according to the need of consumers. The company works in collaboration and coordination where the departments are allowed to meet and discuss business ideas. The products help in expanding the education and knowledge of children. It is an iconic brand that provides goods that are of superior quality. The product portfolio is strong. The theme parks by Lego group are a great tourist attraction. The supply chain is efficient. The management of the organization is creative and also its leadership style (Findinge et al., 2013). Weakness The prices of the toys made by Lego group are high due to the raw materials that it uses in its production process. The products that are manufactured by Lego group only attract men and not women. This leads to weak segmentation of the market. The cost of production is high as the company has to pay hefty prices for getting the permission for licensing the media characters. The market for toys is limited in the industry. The main concern is with then limitation of products and brand name. The rise in the competition reduces the market share of the companies. The use of technology is limited. The scope for business innovation is limited due to old establishment of the company. Outsourcing of the product is costly than concentrating on inmate teams. Capital investment is high. Opportunities The Lego group has an opportunity to expand in the international market. Since its requires less capital investment and also the Lego brand is established and famous expanding its business in international market will be an easy task for the organization. The customers of the Lego brand are spread all over the countries. So it will not be difficult for the organization to establish a new consumer market in countries. Growth of the middle class in the developed countries is beneficial for the toy company as it gives an opportunity for the business to expand. The company has an opportunity to diversify its products in other market segments as well. The promotion techniques help the company expand its product to other market segments. Rise in use of technology and advancement of technology is beneficial for the organization. Diversification and promotion can help the company penetrate in new markets. Threats The main threat is from the rise in the number of competitors. The number of competitors is rising that is reducing the market share of the organization. Reduction in the purchasing power of customers will reduce the demand for the products. Digitalization of the world will reduce the demand for toys. Children now a days are more interested in using internet and online games and videos rather than playing with toys. This puts a threat on the company. For this it is advisable that Lego group should launch online games and videos for children that attracts them. It has threats from internet and outdoor games. People are showing more interest on the outdoor activities such as Olympics, badminton and cricket that is making the toys losse its importance. Conclusion The concentration of the Lego group should be on the brand retail stores and online retail stores that it has established. Management of its supply chain channel is also necessary for the timely delivery of the product to the concerned consumers. The focus of the organization is on quality and product innovation. Hence the organization uses various advanced techniques to create innovation and creative products that are attractive for children. Branding is technique of creating a unique brand image of the product or the organization in the entire market or the industry to achieve competitive advantage. The tagline of Lego that says What is Best is Best indicates that the primary focus of the organization is on developing a superior quality brand. This is so done to attract more customers. The organization can use techniques such as involvement of celebrity in promotion of advertisements to attract customers. While launching the toy of a particular character the organization can organi ze stage programme depicting the characters to attract children to purchase the product. Expansion of the Lego group of company is essential to create valuable brand awareness among the target group of customers. The company should diversify its range of products and concentrate more on outdoor games to achieve large economies of scale and competitive advantage. Creating a unique brand image is necessary in the world of competition that can be creates by using various techniques of packaging, distribution, promotion and branding. Lego Company should concentrate on expanding its business. The toys that are made by the company only attract boys. Hence, it is recommended that the company should concentrate on making more toys that attracts girls and women. This includes Barbie dolls, characters of power puff girls and many more items that are an attraction to girls. The organization should capture the opportunities available to them and utilize it for its benefit. Since it has an opportunity to use advanced technologies that are cost saving and also time saving it should us e more of that. Promotion of brands will also help the company create its own brand name. use of social media and internet is recommended for the promotion of products and service that the Lego group provides. References Andersen, P. H., Kragh, H., Lettl, C. (2013). Spanning organizational boundaries to manage creative processes: The case of the LEGO group.Industrial Marketing Management,42(1), 125-134. Antorini, Y. M., Muiz Jr, A. M., Askildsen, T. (2012). Collaborating with customer communities: Lessons from the LEGO Group.MIT Sloan Management Review,53(3), 73. Dinnie, K. (2015).Nation branding: concepts, issues, practice. Routledge. Findinge, C. P., Lehmann, J., Elmi, A., Kjr, L. L., Kristensen, D. E., Breum, A. S., From, P. (2013). The LEGO Group: B135. Hadida, A. L. (2013). Let your hands do the thinking! Lego bricks, strategic thinking and ideas generation within organizations.Strategic Direction,29(2), 3-5. Hollensen, S. (2015).Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Jensen, M. (2016).The LEGO Group - About Us LEGO.com.Lego.com. Retrieved 13 September 2016, from https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/lego-group Savolainen, R. (2015). The role of emotions in online information seeking and sharing: a case study of consumer awareness.Journal of Documentation,71(6), 1203-1227.

Socio-Demographic Profile and Problems Encountered by the Heads of Lupong Tagapamayapa in the Municipality of Bayambang Essay Example

Socio-Demographic Profile and Problems Encountered by the Heads of Lupong Tagapamayapa in the Municipality of Bayambang Essay The barangay is the basic unit of government in the Philippines. Unknown to many, it is where much of actual governance takes place, and where the government and the citizens meet face to face. More than a hundred roles have been assigned to barangays by the Local Government Code of 1991 and various special laws ranging from the delivery of basic services to women and children protection under RA 9262. It is no wonder that barangays are able to perform all of these obligations in view of their limited resources and personnel. Yet, we observe that they have also been given a significant role in a process that keeps societies intact, making justice work. Under the present Local Government Code of 1991, the Katarungang Pambarangay system or the Barangay Justice System is an extra governmental mechanism aimed at perpetuating the time honored tradition of amicably settling interpersonal disputes in a community without recourse to the formal legal system of confrontational social behavior. It provides a way for members of a barangay to settle their disputes through mediation, conciliation and arbitration without resorting to the formal justice system; i. e. , the courts. The primordial objective of the Katarungang Pambarangay Rules, is to reduce the number of court litigations and prevent the deterioration of the quality of justice which has been brought about by the indiscriminate filing of cases in the courts. To attain this objective, Section 4123 (a) of Republic Act No. 7160 requires the parties to undergo a conciliation process before the Lupon Chairman as a precondition to filing a complaint in court. We will write a custom essay sample on Socio-Demographic Profile and Problems Encountered by the Heads of Lupong Tagapamayapa in the Municipality of Bayambang specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Socio-Demographic Profile and Problems Encountered by the Heads of Lupong Tagapamayapa in the Municipality of Bayambang specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Socio-Demographic Profile and Problems Encountered by the Heads of Lupong Tagapamayapa in the Municipality of Bayambang specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Section 399 (a) of Republic Act 7610, known as the Local Government Code has created in each barangay a Lupong Tagapamayapa, hereinafter referred to as the lupon, composed of the Punong Barangay, as chairman; and ten (10) to twenty (20) members who are residing or working in the barangay and possessing integrity, impartiality, independence of mind, sense of fairness, and reputation for probity, may be appointed a member of the Lupon (Section 399[b] RA 7160). The Lupon shall be constituted every three (3) years in the manner provided in section 399(a), RA 7160. This means that the Lupon may hange its composition or membership every three (3) years. The Lupong Tagapamayapa carries with them in the exercise of their functions the different behaviors and characters. The traits, performance, attributes and individuality they manifest, when recognized and harnessed, can promote peace and reconciliation at the local level where they build consensus through dialogue which promote trust among the members of the governing body and the community. The central feature of the system is the Lupong Tagapamayapa, a community-based conflict resolution effort that is highly supportive of the notions of social ordering and human development. While the speedy administration of justice is the immediate concern of the Katarungang Pambarangay, of equal importance is the leadership building and community empowerment as the resultant effects of institutionalizing the system. This paper does not attempt to do a policy evaluation of the Katarungang Pambarangay (KP) system. Limitations in time, resources, and case samples, prevent us from pursuing such objective. But we conduct this study as an attempt to appreciate how a particular aspect of governance – the delivery of justice works in the country’s basic political unit. It likewise attempts to find out how an innovative practice can be fully utilized to benefit communities. Statement of the Problem The study will attempt to determine the socio-demographic profile and the problems encountered by the Lupong Tagapamayapa in different barangays of the Municipality of Bayambang. Specifically, it will seek to answer the following questions: 1. What is the profile of the Lupong Tagapamayapa in the different barangays of Bayambang in terms of: 1. 1 age; 1. 2sex; 1. 3civil status; 1. 4highest educational attainment; 1. number of terms as head of the Lupong Tagapamayapa; 1. 6occupation; 1. 7previous work experiences; 1. 8trainings/seminars attended; 1. 9membership in organization; 1. 10monthly income 1. 11number of children in the family; 1. 12religion; 2. What are the problems encountered by the heads of Lupong Tagapamayapa in the performance of their duties and functions? Scope and Delimitation of the Study This study will be delimited to the performance of the heads of Lupong Tagapamayapa in the seventy-seven (77) barangays in the Municipality Bayambang. Significance of the Study It is hoped that the findings that will be drawn from this study will prove essential to the following entities: Lupon Members. Results of this study will remind them about the significance of their functions and their roles for a better and peaceful community. Punong Barangay. Findings of the study will serve as a big help for the Punong Barangay become responsible in appointing the members of the Lupong Tagapamayapa in their respective barangays. The Barangay Residents. The barangay residents will be assured of better service of the Lupong Tagapamayapa if problems encountered by them will be minimized, if not eliminated. LGU of Bayambang. This study will be significant in undertaking activities and services for effective discharge of duties of the Lupong Tagapamayapa and for the satisfaction of the stakeholders. This study will be beneficial in forging collaborative efforts particularly regarding the performance of the Lupong Tagapamayapa. The Department of Interior and Local Government. Results of the study will guide the agency to plan trainings/seminars for the Lupong Tagapamayapa to have active role in settling disputes amicably without the need of judicial recourse. The Future Researchers. Findings of the study would serve as a frame of reference for interested researchers who would like to undertake future researchers regarding the heads of Lupong Tagapamayapa. Definition of Terms For clearer understanding of the terms used in this study are defined operationally. Socio-Demographic Profile. It refers to different groups of people within the society. Pertaining to or characterized by a combination of sociological and demographic characteristics. Problems. It refers to a situation, a matter, a person in every barangay that presents perplexity or difficulty. It is something to be considered, solved and answered. Lupong Tagapamayapa. It is a body organized in every barangay with the Punong Barangay as Chairman with ten (10) to twenty (20) members who has the function of maintaining peace and order and settling disputes. Katarungang Barangay (KP). It is a system of justice administered at the barangay level for the purpose of amicable settling disputes through mediation, conciliation or arbitration among the family or barangay without resorting to the courts. Amicable Settlement. It is an agreement reached during mediation and conciliation proceedings. Arbitration. It is a process wherein the third party from outside the judicial system is chosen by parties to hear and decide their dispute. Conciliation. It is a process wherein the Pangkat forgoes the power to decide or recommend but assist the parties to isolate issues and options to reach a settlement by consensus that jointly satisfies their needs. Chapter 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES This chapter aims to help the Department for International Development (DFID) assess whether and how to work with Non-State Justice Systems (NSJS) as part of its program to advance Safety, Security and Accessible Justice (SSAJ) in the countries where it operates. It consists of foreign and local studies, synthesis of reviewed related literature and conceptual framework. RELATED LITERATURE The Philippines’ Katarungang Pambarangay, or Barangay Justice System (BJS), is a formal system based on traditional mechanisms of mediating local disputes. It operates at the level of the barangay, a local government unit of which there are approximately 42,000 in the Philippines. Like shalish, the BJS is rooted in its society. Its most salient, widespread form is that run by government officials and persons they appoint, rather than traditional or NGO versions. A 1978 presidential decree first established the BJS. It was modified by the country’s 1991 Local Government Code and other subsequent legislation. Though not without its flaws, the BJS does offer key advantages over the judicial system. These include: ? It is based on Philippine traditions, which include the use of friends and neighbors to amicably settle disputes. ?The BJS is far less costly than the judiciary, with an average filing fee of 20 pesos, a tiny fraction of court costs and lawyers’ fees. ?It also is far faster, with problems settled in a matter of days or weeks, rather than (typically) years. In the Philippines, as in many other nations, there has been an ongoing tension between the national system of private land ownership and many cultural minorities’ communal systems of land use. A 1983 law journal article fleshes out the distinction as it applies to a prominent cultural minority of the Cordillera region, the Kalinga: With individual ownership as its central feature, the Torrens system of land ownership and registration draws its philosophy from the Western capitalist mode of economic relationships. Land is treated as an individual commodity†¦To promote commerce, trade and the circulation and accumulation of capital, land is made easily alienable†¦ On the other hand, Kalinga customary laws of land ownership are basically indigenous. Unlike the Torrens system, their underlying philosophy is communal—not individual—ownership†¦Land is not a mere commodity but a sacred and valuable possession†¦Preservation—not alienation—of property is the basic policy. Despite various and vigorous government campaigns to introduce the Western system of land ownership in the mainstream of Kalinga life, it is only in recent decades that the drive has begun to gain significant headway. This development came in the wake of the cash economy’s increasing penetration into Kalinga society, accompanied by the growth of and commerce in the area. Aranal-Sereno and Libarios, 1983: 448) The last paragraph is noteworthy because it exemplifies a general reality that nonstate justice systems are dynamic, not set in place by written laws in the ways that state systems are. In this instance, in some parts of Kalinga society there is greater acceptance of the state system of private, alienable land ownersh ip. Various other sources have noted the ways in which indigenous mores are changing in response to education, commercial activity and political developments. Yet this particular kind of evolution does not only move in one direction. In fact, a series of policy, regulatory and finally legislative reforms in the 1990s integrated notions of communal ownership into state law in key respects, as it applies to cultural minorities. These changes culminated in the passage of Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA). The law promotes state respect for indigenous peoples (an alternative term for cultural minorities), their cultures and their customary laws, including their claims and processes regarding lands historically farmed and otherwise used by these groups. This includes a cultural minority’s â€Å"right to resolve land conflicts in accordance with customary laws of the area where the land is located. † (Government of the Republic of the Philippines 1997: 8) Another significant feature of the Act is the manner in which it integrates state and non-state systems. To protect their claims to lands they have historically used and occupied, otherwise known as ancestral domains, cultural minorities must go through a certification process that results in recognition of title. Thus, the claim is rooted in tradition and the nature of the claim is communal. But the formal state recognition of it comes about through a process established by the national government. RELATED STUDIES Foreign Studies The term â€Å"shalish† (or â€Å"salish†) refers to a community-based, largely informal Bangladeshi process through which small panels of influential local figures help resolve community members’ disputes and/or impose of sanctions on them. (It also can refer to the panels themselves. Non-Governmental Organizations NGO and the government have drawn on and modified this process in recent years so that shalish now takes three basic, sometimes overlapping forms in Bangladesh: traditional; government-administered â€Å"village courts† (though under the relevant laws other terms technically apply for family and urban disputes); and NGO-modified. Shalish may involve voluntary submission to arbitration (which, in this context, involves the parti es agreeing to submit to the judgment of the shalish panel), mediation (in which the panel helps the disputants to try to devise a settlement themselves) or a blend of the two. In a harsh, extreme version of its traditional form, however, shalish instead constitutes a de facto criminal court that inflicts trial and punishment on individuals who have not consented to its jurisdiction. The actual shalish is often a loud and passionate event in which disputants, relatives, [shalish panel] members and even uninvited community members congregate to express their thoughts and feelings. Additional observers — adults and children alike — gather in the rooms doorway and outside. More than one exchange of opinions may occur simultaneously. Calm discussions explode into bursts of shouting and even laughter or tears. All of this typically takes place in a crowded school room or other public space, sweltering most of the year, often with the noise of other community activities filtering in from outside. The number of participants and observers may range from a few dozen to well over one hundred. (Golub 2000: 137-138) As summarized by Khair in a thoughtful review of NGO-modified shalish, in its traditional form the practice is basically a practice of gathering village elders and concerned parties, exclusively male, for the resolution of local disputes. Sometimes Chairmen and elite members of the Union Parishad are invited to sit through the proceedings. Shalish has no fixed dimension and its size and structure depend entirely on the nature and gravity of the problem at hand. (2001: 5) A recent report for the Asia Foundation, the international development organization that has most extensively examined shalish (and supported its NGO variation), further explicates the nature, appeal and drawbacks of the traditional approach: [Shalish] generally saves time and money, and it serves as a platform for airing grievances†¦ Although shalish members have the option of engaging in either mediation or arbitration to reach a solution, most commonly choose arbitration. This method involves unilateral decisions made by officiating members, whereas mediation engages opposing parties in reaching solutions of mutual satisfaction†¦Although the decisions are not always fair and equitable, they tend to carry a great weight within the community because they are issued by well-known and powerful villagers. However, among those who lack respect for these decision-makers, it is extremely difficult to enforce rulings if the parties refused to comply†¦ Sometimes solutions are arbitrary and imposed on reluctant disputants by powerful village or community members. Such â€Å"solutions† are based lesson civil or other law than on subjective judgments designed to ensure the continuity of their leadership, to strengthen their relational alliances, or to uphold the perceived cultural norms and biases. The shalish also is susceptible to manipulation by corrupt touts and local musclemen who may be hired to guide the pace and direction of the process by intimidation. Furthermore, because the traditional shalish is composed exclusively of male members, women are particularly vulnerable to extreme judgments and harsh penalties. (Khair et al 2002: 8-9) Corruption also can infect the process in other ways, such as through a panel member’s solicitation of bribes to nudge the group’s consensus in a given direction. Consistent with the inclination toward arbitration and arbitrariness, Hashmi claims that those the shalish finds to have offended community norms may be publicly shamed or, inunusual cases, socially ostracized. Hashmi 2000: 99). Social ostracism by no means represents the harshest, most extreme version (or perversion) of shalish, however. Amnesty International and other sources have documented numerous incidents of women, even rape victims, being lashed or even stoned to death for violation of local norms. Often these abuses stem from fatwahs (religious rulings) handed down by local mullahs who belong to the shalish panels or o therwise influence them, and who interpret or misinterpret sharia (Islamic law) to impose such egregious treatment. What is less clear is whether the reports of these abuses reflect an actual increase in such incidents, perhaps due to a rise in militant fundamentalism, or whether these incidents have always occurred, but only received attention in the 1990s due to improved NGO, human rights and media penetration of rural Bangladesh. Though such human rights violations merit international and domestic condemnation, there is a sense in which the necessary focus on them may mask the more pervasive, systemic manner in which traditional shalish can perpetuate the poverty and powerlessness of women and other disadvantaged populations. To its credit, traditional shalish may well provide easy, free, comprehensible access to justice in situations where biases and power imbalances do not mitigate against fair consideration of disputes. But a diversity of sources document the biases and power imbalances that hold back Bangladeshi women, and indicate the harmful ways in which these factors play out in traditional shalish. (Haque et al 2002; Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association 2001; Hashmi 2000). An Asia Foundation report illuminates the case of a young woman whose husband’s dowry demands led to his beating her and casting out of their home, adding the insult of severe social stigma to the injury of his physical assaults. She explains that a string of shalish sessions proved fruitless, and that the dynamic was such that â€Å"I could not speak up†¦I didn’t have the chance to say anything. † (Haque et al 2002: 22). Nor do the power imbalances and victimization only materialize in the course of the shalish. It often may prove too powerful, in the sense of imposing unfair judgments and punishments on women. Yet traditional shalish also can prove too weak to be of use to them, leaving them with only other unsatisfactory courses of action. An investigation by a respected human rights NGO illustrates such a situation, in the case of a fifteen year old girl seeking support for the child resulting from her rape by a neighbor’s son: When the salish gathered, [the father of the alleged rapist] organized a gang to break it up by using violence and money. It never reconvened. Meanwhile, a lawyer was found to represent [the victim] but it soon became obvious that he was taking advantage of a poor woman and her daughter by taking money from them and doing nothing in return. (Odhikar 2001: 59) Biases and power imbalances do not only affect women. Hashmi describes a â€Å"member-matbar-mulla† triumvirate that controls village affairs, including shalish: The members of the Union Parishad (the lowest electoral unit) are elected officials, in charge of the disbursement of public goods and relief materials among the poor villagers, are the most powerful in the triumvirate. They are often connected with the ruling political party of other influential power-brokers in the neighboring towns or groups of villages. The matbars (matabbars) or village elders, who also sit on the salish (village court), are next in the hierarchy, having vested interests in the village economy as rentiers and moneylenders. They often get shares in misappropriated relief goods along with government officials and members-chairmen of the Union Parishads. The mulla, associated with the local mosques and maktabs (elementary religious schools), are sometimes quite influential as they endorse the activities of village elders albeit in the name of Islamic or Sharia law. The often sit on the salish and issue fatwas in support of their patrons, the village elders. The rural poor, often women, are victims of these fatwas. (2000: 137) One need not fully concur with the picture Hashmi paints here (which takes on far more nuance as his analysis unfolds) to infer its implications for traditional shalish, even where the gender dimension is not involved. Where an influential individual’s interests are at play, the process can become distorted. It also can be biased due to patron-client relations: if a disputant is a political, personal or financial client of a shalish panel member (which can often be the case, since disputants often are poor and the panel members affluent), the latter might use his influence on the client’s behalf. In his own thoughtful review of the literature, Blair echoes Hashmi in concluding that â€Å"social science analyses [of traditional shalish] are sobering. (2003:18) Research suggests that the above factors combine to make NGO shalish the most effective form in delivering a degree of justice and alleviating poverty. In their report for the Asia Foundation, Haque and her colleagues conclude that â€Å"NGO-administered shalish are far more equitable in their treatment of women than the traditional and UP shalish. † (2002: 9) In the great majority of its 23 case studies, women were satis fied or very satisfied with their NGO shalish. Conversely, many had unproductive experiences with traditional or government shalish before turning to the NGOs. In a few instances, in fact, traditional leaders or UP members themselves suggested that the women request an NGO to organize a shalish. Though not an absolutely unbiased source, since the Foundation has supported NGOs carrying out shalish, the report nevertheless does not attempt to portray the NGOs involved as unblemished or always successful, and carries some weight by using the voices of the affected women as much as possible. Local Studies A recent inter-organizational review of the Barangay Justice System (mainly carried out by two organizations engaged in trying to strengthen the system) and an independent study respectively summarize many of its key features: At the forefront of this system is the punong barangay, an elected official who also acts as chief executive and as presiding officer of the local legislative council. Assisting the punong barangay is the Lupong Tagapamayapa (peace-seeking committee) composed of 10-20 persons†¦who are selected from among the residents of the village or working in the barangay A distinct character of the system is its informality and lawyers are banned in the entirety of the process. (Asia Foundation et al, undated: 1) Once the complaint is received, the PB [or another barangay official to whom the function may sometimes be delegated] will call both the respondent(s) and complainant(s), with their respective witnesses, to appear before him for a mediation of their conflicting interests. If the PB fails, a date is set for the constitution of the conciliation panel pangkat [a three-member panel chosen from the Lupon members by the disputants or, if they cannot agree, the Punong Barangay that will hear both parties and their witnesses, simplify issues, and explore all possibilities for amicable settlement. Arbitration is also recognized as an ADR procedure under the Barangay Justice System, and parties can, at any stage of the proceedings, agree in writing that they shall abide by the arbitration award of the Punong Barangay or conciliation panel. Rojo 2002: 25) An agreement that the parties reach through mediation or arbitration is legally binding on them: it can be enforced by the courts. On the other hand, the BJS jurisdiction is limited in a number of ways. It only can hear disputes between members of the same barangay or of neighboring barangays. Where the conflict has criminal implications, the Barangay Justice System can only handle it if the penalties do not ex ceed a year in prison or a fine of 5,000 pesos (about 60 pounds). Crimes committed by government personnel in the course of their official functions cannot be submitted to the Barangay Justice System, nor can agrarian disputes (for which separate processes have been established) or crimes having no offended parties. As explained by the above inter-organizational review, when the Barangay Justice System was launched in 1978, â€Å"its overriding objective was to decongest the courts of cases brought before it. (1) It advances this objective through the requirement that civil disputes cannot be referred to the courts unless the barangay captain certifies that resolution has been attempted through the BJS. It contributes to this objective, though whether it actually succeeds is another matter. While the Philippine judiciary remains swamped by cases and delay, the BJS did handle almost 279,115 disputes in 1998, settling 84 percent of them. (136) The review further claims that â€Å"it is also a known fact that there are many undocumented disputes bei ng handled and resolved under the Barangay Justice System. (136) According to the review, â€Å"Another avowed objective of the BJS is its recognition of indigenous modes of dispute resolution born out of tradition and culture†¦Time honored traditions based on kinship, utang na loob (debt of gratitude), padrino (godfather), pakikisama (comradeship) and community mores define how justice is to be served. † These â€Å"time-honored traditions† constitute a double-edged sword in advancing what the review considers a third objective of the BJS: access to justice. Though the report puts them forward without any apparent sense of irony or ambivalence, they can detract from access to justice under many circumstances, rather than improve it. These traditions all establish special links which can bias the barangay captain or Lupon members. In fact, in summing up other sources’ research the report acknowledges that sometimes â€Å"personal biases of the barangay captain emerge. Thus, there were cases [in which] one faction of the village is favored over another, or those who offend the barangay captain are punished†¦[Furthermore,] in gender-related issues, the male perspective of the dispute prevails. Independent assessments of the Barangay Justice System reach similar conclusions, suggesting that the political status of the barangay captain and Lupon members render their neutrality suspect. (Rojo 2002; Abaya 2000) Echoing other analysts’ broader assessments of the Philippine polity, (Wurfel 1988; Steinberg 1990) Rojo summarizes how the underlying political economy of the society affects the BJS: In the Philippines†¦social relationships are predominantly based on a patron-client logic, where affectivity becomes the prior guiding force. It is therefore a society that functions according to a political clientelist model, characterized by a personalized, affective and reciprocal relationship between actors with very unequal degree of resources†¦ The role of the local elites, as a result, is to†¦serve as the patrons to a local constituency, representing the intermediary layer between the central government and the voters. Moreover, it is important to highlight that these patron-client relations are not necessarily smooth in nature, and in many cases, violence, coercion and fraud are strongly present†¦ [This has] an extreme impact on the dynamics of local justice administration. Local elites at the barangay level will always have sufficient power to manipulate the dispute settlement process, and even to discourage poor and disadvantaged people [from participating]†¦Surveys indicate that a majority of community residents believe the settlement of disputes is influenced by politics, which is often mentioned as one of the main concerns. 30-31) Despite the surveys to which the report alludes (but does not cite), as well as 1999 survey results indicating that over a quarter of those dissatisfied with the Barangay Justice System identified favoritism as a factor (Asia Foundation et al, undated), other research indicates some acceptance of the system. The fact that it handled nearly 280,000 disputes in 1998, with most of them resolved, is at least prima facie evidence of such acceptance. Nevertheless, we should be open to the possibility that some disputants chose the BJS out of lack of alternatives (such as for those who cannot afford to litigate) or due to inappropriate influence (such as where a woman is pressured by her husband, family or community to abstain from seeking judicial relief). This is not to suggest that favoritism, pressure or lack of resources always influences outcomes, in terms of influence generated by or on mediators to push resolution in certain directions. But given the underlying nature of the Philippine polity, such a phenomenon should not be considered rare. Another indicator of popular acceptance of the system can be found in a 1999 national survey that included those who were BJS complainants and respondents. Within the former category, 67 percent were satisfied with the system, versus 28 percent dissatisfied. Within the latter, the results were 44 percent versus 46 percent. (Asia Foundation et al, undated: 76-77) While the results are mildly promising, the survey size for complainants and respondents is not clear. In addition, we should be aware of the possibility of respondents in these surveys to provide answers that they believe interviewers want to hear. Synthesis of the Reviewed Related Studies and the Present Study As with many aspects of Safety, Security and Accessible Justice (SSAJ), there is a dearth of hard data that can inform decision-making concerning non-state justice systems. At least in Bangladesh and the Philippines, the development community does not know whether the various forms of Non-State Justice System (NSJS) tend to impose unfair processes and settlements flowing from power imbalances or whether they more typically tend to offer imperfect but still-valuable vehicles for the poor. In other words, which is the exception and which is the rule? The research may reveal a mixture of tendencies, but also should produce nuanced findings that inform the work of Department for International Development (DFID). Properly disseminated, the findings may take on significant added value in terms of influencing the thinking and programs of the broader development community. Department for International Development accordingly should support both qualitative and quantitative studies indicating the current state of Non-State Justice System. It also should fund research illuminating whether and how Non-State Justice System activity it supports (or considers supporting) is having an impact on Safety, Security and Accessible Justice and broader poverty alleviation goals. At least two broad, additional preliminary considerations should inform this research. The first is ethical. Some research proposed here involves observation of situations that, if they so choose, researchers could influence (probably, though not necessarily, for the better) by exercising their superior knowledge of state law or by their status as educated individuals. Other studies involve interviews with persons who may offer questions as well as answers. Is it ethical to refrain from assistance under such circumstances? There are ways of striking a balance—certainly, the academic and development communities do so all the time (though how well is another matter). Another powerful argument for these studies, of course, is whether it is ethical not to do such research in exploring whether and how to work with NSJS, and, much more broadly, whether the dearth of applied research across the spectrum of law and development work reflects an unethical approach. An overlapping consideration is the practical one of how methodologically sound this research must be. It of course needs to be informed by careful planning that brings into the picture expertise that reaches beyond the legal community. But it is important to bear in mind the experimental nature of these inquiries: they will themselves constitute learning experiences about how to employ applied research to NSJS, so as to yield findings with practical applications. In carrying out these

The Tensions of Susan Moller Okin’s Essay Essays

The Tensions of Susan Moller Okin’s Essay Essays The Tensions of Susan Moller Okin’s Essay Essay The Tensions of Susan Moller Okin’s Essay Essay Susan Moller Okin’s â€Å"Feminism and Multiculturalism: Some Tensions† is a well-argued paper that explores the â€Å"tensions† between feminism and multiculturalism (particularly the â€Å"group-rights† variety) from a consistent liberal perspective. The author writes as a liberal and as a feminist in putting forth a critique of the ways in which multiculturalism – as it was, and still is, being advocated by various activists and academics – poses real dangers to the rights and interests of girls and women that belong to minority groups. The way she does this is admirable: In a manner that is clear and with not-so-well-known examples, she shows how most of the major cultures of the world puts a premium on â€Å"maintaining control of women† and how the advancement of the rights and interests of women conflict and clash with particular practices within the cultures of minority groups. She is admirable in standing firm with the feminist insight that â€Å"more often than not, sex discrimination is far less overt. In many cultures, strict control of women is enforced in the private sphere by the authority of either actual or symbolic fathers, often acting through, or with the complicity of, the older women of the culture. † This, I think, is her central argument in making the case that there are â€Å"tensions,† if not contradictions, between feminism and multiculturalism. Despite my respect for Okin’s arguments and mode of argumentation, I also have a few critical remarks: (1) For a couple of times in the essay, Okin referred to â€Å"more patriarchal minority cultures exist[ing] in the context of less patriarchal majority cultures. † This, I think, is one of the great assumptions of her essay – the situation that is implied to be the context of her thinking and writing. The question therefore arises: Is she talking about North America and Europe? I wish that Okin made this assumption an argument, changed it from being implicit to being explicit. This would have made her case stronger, or at least clearer, and not prone to charges of Eurocentrism in this context, or the assumption that states in North America and Europe are liberal ones that are good or even better for girls and women to grow up in. Not that I disagree with this belief completely, but I believe that this must be shown rather than merely assumed. Had Okin made this explicit, perhaps she would have posed and addressed related issues such as the degree of â€Å"liberalism† or â€Å"feminism† of these states with regard to girls and women, especially when compared with cultures of â€Å"minority groups. † (2) I also hoped that Okin presented what advocates of â€Å"group rights† are fighting for, or what they themselves say they are fighting for. I think that she will agree that these advocates are not fighting for group rights for the sole purpose of controlling or oppressing women. By not presenting the objectives of these advocates, however, we are left with the impression – one-sided, surely – that the enforcement of these group rights by the state will only lead to the tighter control and greater oppression of women. Had she presented the objectives of these advocates, we readers will probably be given the chance to weigh these against the dangers that she had posed. It is not that the rights of minority groups should take precedence over the rights and interests of girls and women within these groups. But the fact that these objectives can constitute real gains for populations of minority groups, and not just attacks on the rights and interests of girls and women suggests that the struggle for the rights and interests of women on the one hand, and of the minority group on the other, could be seen as complementing each other, part of a struggle to expand freedoms of various peoples. (3) I wish to make a few comments regarding various points of Okin’s paper. (a) Okin defends feminists (needless to say, from one culture) who criticize anti-women practices in other cultures. I agree with her on this score. Such a view, however, should be balanced by the view that real change happens only when its constituents fight for it. I agree that we can pass judgment on the tyranny of Saddam Husein but I do not agree that this gives us license to attack Iraq. Real change in Iraq should come from its people, not from other countries. (b) I have the feeling that control and oppression of women in the family sphere is too systemic a problem for it to used as a yardstick for measuring gains that group rights can actually bring a minority population. (c) One more thing that’s sorely missing in Okin’s essay is an appreciation of how changes in history take place. I think that piecemeal reforms for oppressed people are important and can lead to bigger things. What she does, from one perspective, is to pit piecemeal reforms against systemic changes – which is not, I think, how changes in history take place.

Remedies Regarding The Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Remedies Regarding The Project - Essay Example NMCI estimates the project at a fixed cost. They offer the contract at a fixed cost per performance (seats). They have an extremely strict performance rating system. This performance assessing system does not take into consideration the time wasted while switching between the various applications. NMCI gives a fixed cost estimate and intends to stick by it. This later proves problematic since there are other costs that arise while implementing the project. For instance, the number of computer applications is originally estimated as 3000 but these changes to 70000 (Calbreath).The project is allocated fewer resources than it is due. This makes delivering the targeted result within the desired time hard for EDS. The original budget estimates are not reviewed so as to update them, this lead to a situation where the contractor has no enough funds to sustain its subcontractors who react by withdrawing from the project, this adversely slows it down. After a period of slowed performance, the navy agrees to allocate more funds to the project to cater for the extra costs (Calbreath).NMCI underestimates the time frame of the project originally giving it five years. It sets rigid deadlines most of which are not met. This arises due to failure to consider any complications that arise while implementing the project in time. It, however, realizes that the intended targets cannot be achieved within the set period and extends the contract to ten years.The Navy has an expected level of satisfaction for all its users.

Accounting Synoptic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Accounting Synoptic - Essay Example The criticisms of traditional budgets as identified are- Traditional budgets are often contradictory and rarely strategically focused. Traditional budgets are costly and time consuming. Traditional Budgets lack flexibility and responsiveness. As compared to the time taken to prepare a traditional budget, it adds little value. Traditional Budget concentrates on cost reduction and not on value creation. Traditional Budget often acts as a barrier to change. Traditional Budgets seem to strengthen vertical control and command. Traditional Budgets do not reflect the emerging network structures that organizations are adopting. Traditional Budgets encourage perverse behaviors and gamming. Traditional Budgets are based on guesswork and assumptions that are unsupported. Traditional Budgets make customers feel undervalued. Traditional Budgets are updated and developed too infrequently, usually annually. Traditional Budgets bring about departmental barriers inspite of encouraging knowledge shari ng. The criticisms laid by Beyond Budgeting Round Table are more applicable to non-profit organizations than profit organizations. It is said so because the objectives of non-profit organizations are not specific and often link to multiple activities which necessitates trade off. Non-profit organizations are dominated by professionals and thus are less accessible to control systems and measures. Non-profit organizations incur a huge amount of discretionary fixed cost and the relationship between outputs and inputs are difficult to specify which raises difficulty in ascertaining profit. Non-profit organizations with their rigid rules and guidelines face problems in adapting to the changing policies, regulations and measures.... The criticisms laid by Beyond Budgeting Round Table are more applicable to non-profit organizations than profit organizations. It is said so because the objectives of non-profit organizations are not specific and often link to multiple activities which necessitates trade off. Non-profit organizations are dominated by professionals and thus are less accessible to control systems and measures. Non-profit organizations incur a huge amount of discretionary fixed cost and the relationship between outputs and inputs are difficult to specify which raises difficulty in ascertaining profit. Non-profit organizations with their rigid rules and guidelines face problems in adapting to the changing policies, regulations and measures. Non-profit organizations use the concepts of traditional budgets to ascertain cost and reduction of cost of activities, but the members are very little concerned to the developments, improvements and benefits which the activities are pursuing or shall pursue. The stri ct governance under which non-profit organizations operate has made it static, inflexible, not responsive to the changing environment, not focused on the formulation of procedural strategic plans, has lead to increase in discretionary fixed cost and lacks vertical control and supervision. Thus the shortcomings of traditional budget have decreased the value of non-profit organization in the current scenario inspite of creation of value, which have in turn lead to decrease in its significance.

Vernacular Architecture In Norway

Vernacular Architecture In Norway All forms of vernacular architecture are built to meet specific needs, accommodating the values, economies and ways of living of the cultures the produce them. It may be adapted or developed over time as needs and circumstances change. Paul Oliver (Dwellings) Vernacular architecture relates to available resources and their environmental context, and they are usually owner- or community- built, using traditional technologies. (Dwellings) There is not a number of how many dwellings there is in the world today, but between 90 and 98% of these buildings are vernacular. Traditional buildings in most parts of the world often reflect the knowledge of a climate, an activity typical of its culture, and a building material, and this is evident in Norways architecture. Norwegian wood (16) The know-how and sensibility, the skills and the capability to build successfully in response to the climate, the land, and the resources to hand, have been passed on between generations. (Dwellings) It progressed to meet the requirements of a distinct way of life, and lies integrated into a distinct terrain. Norwegian Wood (15) In contrast to the Mediterranean countries stone culture, Norway belongs to a Nordic wood culture. Reima Pietila, a Finnish architect, ass erted that the vision of Nordic man was a cave of wood. The need for a cave was for protection against a tough climate. It had to be made of the warm material wood to offer comfort during the long winters, and colourful to make people remember the flowers and the green trees of the summer. Norwegian Wood (7-8) Norway had no urban traditions until the nineteenth century. But from the Middle Ages until the Industrial Revolution it had a strong rural class. Norwegian architecture and art were therefore influenced mainly by local sources. Then because of its rural traditions, Norways highest accomplishments in both building and art were executed in the same medium: wood. Norwegian Wood (15) Norways traditional architecture had a remarkably long history, which began earlier then the Middle Ages. The buildings that developed in Norway are inspirational because they show an intimate marriage between refined techniques and native materials, placed within a distinct landscape. Stave churches in Norway (23) In the wooden acres area of the northern world, the tree provided the Nordic man his building. Norway was a massive forest belt. The upper Europes landscape was covered with woodland, and a strong wood-building culture grew from the fifth century. Norwegian Wood (15) Vernacular architecture in Norway (Log construction) The Norwegians built well-crafted wooden structures for 800 years, and they developed buildings that were suitable for their activities. The use of similar structures for such a long time was dictated by Norways agriculture way of life and the environment. Norways traditional architecture is represented by two groups of wooden buildings: farms and stave churches. Norwegian wood (16) There was two technical methods used by the Norwegian builders; the log and stave construction. In the stue (dwelling house) the horizontal logs created a cave of wood; in the stave church the vertical staves made the association to heaven obvious. Norwegian Architecture (50) The farms were skilfully built to suit their specific needs. The pride of each farm was the loft, a two-story building that was used as storage on all traditional Norwegian farms. The best woodworking skills were applied on this structure during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, which therefore signified the highest achieveme nt of Norwegian wood-building techniques. The lofts companion was the stue, the traditional dwelling, which reflected the lofts character in its advanced log construction. Norwegian wood (17) Norways restricted economy up until the seventeenth century made it harder to import building materials other than wood. Wood was plentiful, although the labour required preparing it, transporting it, and shaping it was not. Tough conditions forced the culture to collect a lot of knowledge about their native material. This collection of cultural wealth inspired the creative powers of the craftsmen for several generations. Norwegian wood (18) Tradition is the heart of any vernacular. The Norwegian tradition is the great degree of craftsmanship. The Norwegians inherited an understanding about form and proportion from the natural properties of wood. The craftsmen of the Viking ships (ca.900 AD), the stave churches (ca.1200 AD), and the farms (ca.1700 AD) used the same resources, lived on the same land, and constructed the same sorts of structures for centuries. Not unexpectedly, a thoughtful handling of the wood is evident in Norways structures. Norwegian wood (19) The rural traditions in Norway continued to be strong well into the nineteenth century, and the farmers continued to stay close to nature. The topology also resulted in comprehensive climatic conditions, which had significant consequences for its building patterns. That Norway is located in north Europe leads to short summer and long winter seasons. The winter could last up to nine months some places; this meant that there were no second chances if one did not pay attention to the elements. Norwegian Architecture (28) I was nearly a life-and-death battle between man and nature in some parts of Norway. In a numerous of places, life was an endless battle against cold, starvation, and disease, a element that steered builders to select their site wisely. Norwegian wood (30) Norwegian craftsmen had a precise awareness of the performance and weathering of the wood. The two building techniques; stave and log construction, have been modified for several building types from culture to culture for a long period of time. In stave construction the builders used vertical planks to make the walls. It was originally fixed to the ground with no supporting frame. They were later raised and positioned on foundation beams. The logs that were notched at the corners were used for log construction, and were horizontally stacked on top of each another. Less wood were necessary on stave buildings than on log buildings, but their walls were thinner and retrained less heat. Log walls were the main construction of the dwelling, the stue, and the storage building, the loft, was constructed with a combination of both stave and log work. The craftsmen chose stave construction to build churches that would rise beyond the tall pine trees and also connect the structure to a rough ground. Norwegian wood (62) Log construction is a quite simple building technique: one log stacked horizontally on top of another offers a robust wall and a solid connection at the corners. The integration of the log technique allowed for tighter and more compact structures. Norwegian Architecture (50) The common use of the log technique, or laft technique as it is known in Norwegian, began in the period after the Viking era. The earliest surviving farm buildings date from this time. A new era of building began after the Black Death, around 1535. During this time, the Reformation in Norway created contact with other European countries; this led to an increase in the Norwegian economy. The wider international communication and trade led to a highpoint of folk and building arts that culminated in the 1700s when log construction reached its highest expression in Norway. Norwegian wood (67) Denmark ceded Norway to Sweden in 1814, and that was the beginning of Norways modern history. When the industrial revolution began in the 184 0s with the paper and textile industries, farming was already a business, and the agricultural techniques were modernized. But the expanding economy could not keep up with the rapid growth in the population. In the late half of the century, many emigrants, mainly from agricultural communities, left for America. The way of life had then changed, one could not farm on a family scale anymore, and traditional building techniques had been replaced by mass-production processes. Norwegian wood (68) Stave Churches Norway has always been a lightly populated country, and there were few public structures during the medieval times. The rare exception was the stave church. The stave churches were built between 1030 and 1350. They usually stood unaccompanied against a group of farms and represented the sacred aspect of medieval life. The stave churches of Norway are some of the finest wooden buildings in Europe and are, at the same time, some of the oldest. They express some of the most advanced farming methods preserved in wooden architecture, and it is not shocking that this amount of complexity is apparent in a religious building. The stave churches confirm the extraordinary technology achieved by wooden construction techniques during the Middle Ages. It is surprising that these structures have lasted for so long, even more surprising when one realizes that most medieval structures left today were constructed in stone. Norwegian wood (17) Norway had no church-building traditions to draw upon when Christianity was introduced in the eleventh century. They had to trust their instinctive and extensive knowledge of the landscape to find a suitable site for these buildings. Norwegian architecture (27) The stave churches represent the transition that the Norwegian people had in the eleventh-century, they went from pagan and animism worship to Christianity. Norwegian wood (103) The Old Norse building techniques were customized the Christian usage in the stave churches. It received many Romanesque features; the basilica shape is similar with the old Romanesque basilica. The circular arcs wad used in most of the stave churches from the Middle Ages, mainly for construction and dà ©cor. The dà ©cor could be found on gables, portals and in the interior. The dà ©cor were mostly animal ornamentation, interspersed with Christian motifs. Norske stavkirker (19) The appearance of the stave church is unlike anything else. They have a very simple basic constructional system, but its extrapolation has created complex and extravagant architecture. Some of the churches contain of more than 2000 individual elements, without counting the roof shingles. The church rests on horizontal beams of wood that rests on a stone foundation. The vertical poles, the staves, wraps around the central square. The staves are joined to each other by clamping beams, usually with additional St Andrews crosses and knee braces to make the frame more solid. The pitched roof of the central part of the church is then supported by this frame. Norske stavkirker (13) Stave churches were often built in the best stored pine. The builders used different techniques to make the wood more solid. One of these techniques were to not cut down the tree, but to only cut the top of the tree off, all the branches and remove the bark, and then let it stand there for sevral years. The tree then tried to survive, but became more and more covered in resin. The more resin it came on the wood, the more solid it became. Stil og interià ¸r (70) The Nordic sky is low and mostly grey, compared to the high, burning sun of the Mediterranean countries. This means that in Norway the sun casts long shadows. The interior in the stave churches was dark and mysterious, and the light was dimmed, this expressed the environmental quality of Norway. The staves rise like the pine trees of the woodland toward the dark ceiling, and the people coming from the closed horizontal stue are transported into a superior world. Stave Churches in Norway (13) The wood also helps to create the quietly mysterious atmosphere, together with the structural pattern rising towards the sky, which contrasts the hard undecorated effect of the material and technique of stone architecture so radically. Stave churches in Norway (20) After the Reformation many churches became too small for their congregation and had to be enlarged. The liberal pastors also though the churches were to dark, and there for had windows built in. They also often lowered the ceilings in order to preserve more heat in the winter. Stave churches in Norway (26) The Black Death swept through Norway in 1349, with catastrophic consequences. Between half and two-thirds of the population died. It was to take 300 years for the population to return to its original size. By the time new churches were built again, the knowledge of complex stave construction seems to have been lost. Architecture in Wood It was built more than 1000 stave churches in the thirteenth century, but today only 22 remain. Norwegian wood (52) Todays architecture The union with Sweden was dissolved in 1905 and Norway became an independent nation. Most countries in the turn of the nineteenth century experienced a romantic, nationalist movement, also Norway, this was caused by a longing for the greatness of its past. The building styles that emerged were an imitation of the stave churches, but the period also recognized the lost art of the laft construction. As a result, remarkable buildings built in the old log technique were moved from several farms and assembled into open-air museums. The need to describe building as an art quickly arose. As a result of the peoples national feeling, the open-air museums came to be regarded as folk museums. What was called folk art in other European building cultures was Norways main form of expression and was being produced even as late as 1900. Norwegian wood (68) The Norwegian folk museum in Oslo, known as Norsk Folkemuseum in Norwegian, is the largest museum of Norwegian cultural history. It has a collection of over 150 buildings from all around the country, and it represents how people lived in Norway from 1500 to present time. These buildings represent different regions, different time periods, and also the differences between town and country, and social classes. The stave church located in the open-air museum is Gol Stave Church, dating from 1200, this is one of five medieval buildings at the museum. (http://www.norskfolkemuseum.no/en/target-groups/About-the-Museum/) In earlier times beauty was an expression of the people; today it is the expression of each persons personality. However, one instinctively feels that beauty is not either old or new, it is timeless. Medieval buildings have the quality of beauty that one can rarely see in contemporary architecture. My readings have led me to determine that the idea of beauty exists, and was always used prior to modern times. The concept of beauty seems to have been lost in todays building culture, because of the loss of good craftsmanship. The characteristics of Norways traditional buildings were the remarkable ornamental qualities. This shows the importance of the craftsmanship process when construction was still considered an art and a craft. The marriage between fine materials and good craftsmanship seems to have been forgotten by todays builders and architects. This marriage offers the greatest inspiration for the building art. The past contrasts the present-day in many ways, and its constructors naturally had fewer choice of materials. But the lessons and knowledge given by a vernacular building culture are still valid. Norwegian Wood (9) One of the most important qualities for an architect is the response to the physical surroundings. It requires an understanding of the land to solve the problem of how to dwell in a particular area. The end result, generally for most traditional architecture, can be a quality linked to a specific site, or to a particular landscape. The mountains that generate wind or rain, the seasons that bring snow, the way that sun shines, or does not shine, are all important in determining a settlement social events are not the only thing that create its character. How a builder responds to these issues reflects his ability to build within a certain landscape. Norwegian wood (27) The vernacular buildings reflect the skill of building when tradition, and not new inventions, inspired builders: the beauty of this was that the tradition uncovered existential meaning. This is missing in todays building culture, together with the drive of the craftsmen and the joy of constructing. Vernacular buildings have a breathing uniqueness, independent of its con structor, and because the builders highlighted this unique individuality in all its elements, a wonderful building appears. The Norwegian architect, Gunnar Granberg, said, the craftsmens knowledge was a given: rather than thinking about it, they simply built the buildings. Norwegian Wood (9) Learn from vernacular architecture Older buildings have many features that we can learn from and leverage further, both in modern construction and the maintenance of older buildings. Older buildings are often built with materials that are locally produced and lightly processed. The production of these materials has required little energy and caused little environmental impact. This is an argument both to preserve older buildings and to use their knowledge for new construction. One should take advantage of the material properties, which means the right capacity and quality at the right place and function. This means that this part of the building will be more effective for a longer period of time, and one is then resource efficient when using the best qualities where it is most needed. Good craftsmanship is all about good material knowledge, good practices, knowledge of what is going to last, and how to perform the work. Each part of the buildings life span has great importance when thinking about resources. Old buildi ngs are often constructed of materials and building components that are built to last, without losing function or become aesthetically undesirable. How long a building can be used depends on the original quality, and whether it can be maintained in an appropriate manner. Traditional materials and building components are often very easy to maintain because the materials are lightly processed, and because the components are easy to get to and remove from the building. (Book) Many modern materials are presented as maintenance-free, but in reality they do not last and must be replaced more often. Many modern building elements consist of different materials which cannot be taken apart, which means that it is the material which has the shortest life span that determines the building component longevity. This is a poor use of resources. In older buildings not all rooms are heated to the same temperature. The hallways could often be colder than the living rooms, and some rooms were closed off in the winter. It was also common to furnish the center of the room or up against the fireplace, so that the breeze from the windows was not so infuriating. The indoor temperature was also kept lower. This was who they saved energy. Traditionally the natural ventilation made a good indoor climate. Wood heating and air channels create negative pressure, and fresh air is drawn in through leaks or vents in the winter. Venting through open windows in summer is also a simple and good solution. Natural ventilation provides ventilation without the need for energy input to operate the fans and heat exchanger, etc. When using a ventilation system the durability of the system corresponds to the durability of the building. The current building regulations make it almost impossible to build for natural ventilation. The tighter and better in sulated a building is, the more energy is required for ventilation and the more dependent one is that the advanced technical equipment works, maintained and used properly. Development of natural ventilation will give us knowledge and solutions that contribute to energy efficiency also in modern construction. (book) Modern construction relies on as tightly insulated as possible and represents with other words, a completely different building physical principle the traditional buildings. It is therefore important not to think modern when working with old buildings as it can cause major structural damage over time. A very thick insulation layer requires efficient sealing of the house. This is challenging both during construction and later in their life cycle. Leaks may lead to rot and mold problems. A well-insulated house is totally dependent on a properly functioning ventilation system at any time. The physical principles in traditional buildings can provide useful knowledge in the de velopment of new construction that looks more into these challenges. Traditional buildings are often characterized by the fact that there were few resources when they were built. Everything had to be done by hand, transportation was cumbersome, and the processing was often done on site and was limited. We then developed a tradition of building energy and resource efficient based on passive measures. This stands in contrast to the current to todays trend towards ever more advanced technical solutions and energy-intensive processes. (http://www.riksantikvaren.no/Norsk/Tema/Energisparing/Hva_kan_vi_lare_av_eldre_hus+/) Older houses are often less isolated and leakier than the requirements set in the current building regulations. They therefore require more energy in the production phase. The reason for the increasingly stringent energy requirements is the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is often difficult to isolate older houses so that they meet the regulations without destroying the heritage values. The Directorate in Norway are working towards trying to compensate the use of renewable energy for the higher energy consumption in older houses. This will help achieve the goal of reducing CO2 emissions while preserving the cultural historical values. Wood as a building material causes little environmental impact compared to for example the production and use of concrete and steel. This relates to the entire life cycle (production, transport, maintenance, durability and disposal etc.). Using more wood in buildings as a replacement for less environmentally friendly materials will help to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. (http://www.riksantikvaren.no/Norsk/Tema/Energisparing/Bruk_av_tre_i_et_miljoperspektiv/) It is essential that vernacular building traditions are supported; to assist local builders in matter of sanitation and disaster preparedness, while same time learning and benefiting from their experience, knowledge and skills. Paul Oliver Conclusion By investigating vernacular architecture we can recover much accumulated wisdom. The ever-growing number of vernacular studies that has kept on appearing since the nineteenth century, these has improved our knowledge and understanding of historic and modern vernacular traditions. (Built to meet needs) Housing the ever-growing global population is one of the biggest problems we are facing today, but this has not yet caught the same attention as issues of food, health, climate change or the reduction of biodiversity. This problem has to be recognized for the future well-being of the people to be ensured. The survival of the vernacular will help not only with housing, but also sustainable techniques. (Vernacular Architecture in the 21st Century) Architects and builders should look at vernacular knowledge and performance to respond to the over-growing demands for housing and natural disasters. Studying vernacular traditions will give us better adaptation knowledge. Many traditions from the vernacular have been an associated with poverty, underdevelopment and the past; this became apparent in the process of urbanization, globalization and modernization. It is not viewed as a work of architecture that is well-adjusted to its local surroundings, cultures and economies, but rather as a wo rk in progress. This has led to the replacement and abandonment of many unique and distinctive vernacular buildings. (Atlas of Vernacular Architecture) It is important to take care of the local traditions. And in Norway that means that we need to use more wood in modern buildings. The challenge with timber is that it takes a long time to warm them up, but when they are warm, they stay warm for a long time. If we unite the old log technique with the best of new heating technology it will be big changes. The question is not old or modern building technique, but more use of timber. The vernacular buildings still standing today should be preserved and learnt from. In the case of Norway, some measures can be made, if all the Norwegian boroughs that have houses from 1650 and earlier built houses in this tradition, the Norwegian heritage buildings could be saved, and young people would then also learn how to construct in a traditional and sustainable way. This would make a radical change considering the environment; when one kilogram timber can bind 1.7 kg CO2, and a house made in log technique with locally produced timber have a lifespan on 800-900 years. This is what I call sustainability! Take it easy and be completely focused on the task. Remember, in the end, no one asks how long it took. What is crucial is that what you have done is correct. Arne Berg (http://www.vl.no/kultur/var-byggekunst-er-doende/)