Usage of ornaments and traditional aspects vs. Simplicity and no Essay

Usage of ornaments and traditional aspects vs. Simplicity and no ornaments - Essay Example Growing urban areas, especially in the rapidly developing cities, have become arenas of many contradictory forces associated with the growing of commercialism and consumption attitudes, architectural fashions and professional egoism, and many misconceptions regarding progress and modernization. Essentially, there is a potent discourse between building of simple and minimalist structures and doing away with the traditional aspects of architecture that lay emphasis on ornamental prowess. The big question is whether architecture, in its modern or traditional form, stands in harmony with the culture and environment (Trilling, 2001). Cities have thus become a symbol for the neglect of organic, cultural traditions and the destruction of the identity of places. Respect of traditions and factors specific to certain places is, however, of highest importance for a symbiotic development of the human environment relationship. As individual characteristics are different so it should be with cities, with urban planning. In the modern world, architecture has changed the values that it portrays. It reflects different set of values from the traditional local ones; buildings and space are symbols for economic and political power, importance and status, achievement and wealth, ours and theirs, poor and rich. The prerequisites are visibility and surprise; the creation of a distinct image in the observer’s mind for capturing his attention.... It is evident that ornamental architecture added to the visual appeal of architectural designs and also helped make people to easily relate to the buildings around them. However, the advent of modern architecture in the 1920s spelt death for the once popular ornamental architecture. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, it has been normal to assume that good design has to be plain and simple. Ornamentation was renounced because proponents of modern architecture believed that the decorative aspects of design were unnecessary and not cost effective (Loos, 1998) . The origins of modern architecture can be attributed to the social and political revolutions of that time. Advances in technology and engineering gave rise to new materials such as iron and steel which encourage minimalist design. The advent in modern architecture has given prominence to the concept of â€Å"internationalization†. In this regard, the design of buildings has become uniform regardless of the cultu ral background. This is evident considering that it has become a norm to have almost generic high rise block buildings in almost every city in the world. This paper seeks to analyze make a comparison between two architects. This is in respect to the traditional ornamental architecture and the modern non ornamental simple architectural design. It should be noted that architecture is an evolving discipline and thus modernity was bound to happen. However, the major issue is to evaluate the impacts of modern architecture and the how recent advances in architecture have shaped the society. The implications of discarding traditional ornamental architecture will also be evaluated. This is essential to assess the overall impact of

Financial Advisor Career Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Financial Advisor Career Plan - Assignment Example For purposes of this career plan, I have used these two occupations interchangeably because these are two closely related entry-level occupations available in the financial services industry (Murdoch, 2005, p. 8). A financial analyst and a financial advisor can work at a commercial or investment bank, a stock brokerage, or for a private financial services company, analyse financial reports for the purpose of providing investment advice, and open up similar career opportunities within the diverse financial services sector. Both occupations also require similar personal and professional qualities such as good interpersonal, analytical, and decision-making skills. This section provides a thorough analysis of the labour market conditions of personal financial advisors, based on the situation in the U.K. where I plan to pursue the first ten years of my professional career. The main reason I chose U.K., more specifically London, is that this place is the generally acknowledged financial centre of the world. A recent article (Economist, 2006) confirmed this and cited geography as one of the main reasons for its success: it is between Tokyo and New York, the financial capitals of Japan and the United States, two of the world's economic superpowers. London's location means that it can trade with both cities every day, starting the day trading with Tokyo and, just as the workday is ending in London it can also start trading with New York. Throughout the day, it can also trade with other countries in Asia (China and Singapore), the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. It is the ability of London to trade any time with any other country in the world during a normal working day that makes it attractive for financial companies to have a branch in the City, as it is called. This gives us another reason why London has become the financial capital of the world: the number of finance companies based in London is growing. This means that there are more opportunities to find employment and to gain experience because of the high demand for workers and the high supply of jobs available. This is confirmed by a recent study (Murdoch, 2005) of career prospects in the financial services sector. As the Economist (2006, p. 76) article points out, London is an economic cluster in the fast growing field of global financing. Globalisation Another reason why London provides more job opportunities is globalisation. Micklethwait and Wooldridge (2000, p. xvi) called globalisation "the most important economic, political, and cultural phenomenon of our time" characterised by the "integration of the world economy, reshaping business and reordering the lives of individuals, creating social classes, different jobs, unimaginable wealth and, occasionally, wretched poverty." The globalisation phenomenon is exerting pressure on companies and governments to adopt a global strategy, which Stiglitz (2002, p. 9) defined as "the way firms cope with globalisation, the integration of countries and peoples of the world brought about by the enormous