The New Hampshire, Vol. 78, No. 10 (Oct. 9, 1987)

The student publication of the University of New Hampshire

Designers designing business and contributing to sustainability

During its history, design never ceased to evolve, adapting its scope to the changing needs of society. It first dealt with products and visuals, together with spaces and garments. Then it started to create services, systems, strategies and, today, designers also design businesses. Many designers are in fact deciding to become entrepreneurs, employing their design skills to build companies. At the same time, disciplines like strategic design and business design are involving designers in the creation and development of whole enterprises. In this context, designers have the possibility to make a greater impact on society and the environment, participating more effectively in sustainability transitions. This thesis investigates how designers design businesses and, when creating enterprises, how they contribute to sustainability. Part of the knowledge in this work was produced through practice-based research. The research questions were in fact answered through the experience of designing a business for a Colombian graphic designer and illustrator who wanted to become entrepreneur. The study starts with a literature review on the relationship between design, business and systemic transitions, and then continues with an explanation of the research and design methods employed in the project. The same methods were used both to develop the business concept for the client and to answer the research questions. After a detailed description of the concept, the study proceeds presenting the main research findings and ends with the conclusions. By integrating findings from literature review, interviews, observations and case study, this thesis shows how designers have a distinctive way to create and conduct businesses, combining methods and approaches typical of their profession. Additionally, the study explains that - when designing businesses - designers can find solutions to environmental and social problems, they can make sustainable lifestyle attractive and accessible and they can spread new ways to make business

Religion and Education: A Study of the Interrelationship Between Fundamentalism and Education in Contemporary America

Problem. The problem of this study was to ascertain the extent that education has become a focus of attack by fundamentalist groups during the past two decades in America. Design. The study was designed to consist of five chapters: an Introduction, a Review of Related Literature, Methods and Procedures, Presentation of Data and Analysis of Research Questions, and Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations. An attempt was made to present a compilation of the literature published relating religious fundamentalism to education in the United States. In Chapter 2, the attempt was to provide a historical overview of the literature to provide a definitive statement on the development of relationships between Church and State and their appendages. Specifically, the literature of the 1970s and 1980s were presented to establish resurgent attitudes and patterns. In Chapter 4, each of four basic questions pertaining to the phenomenon was analyzed. There were: (a) which societal factors have been historically associated with a rise in fundamentalism? (b) How has the role of the media influenced fundamentalist movements in shaping their focus of attack? (c) Why is the educational system so crucial a subject for directing social change?, and (d) Are there parallels between the Neo-Fundamentalist movement and other political movements? In Chapter 5, tentative conclusions were drawn based upon the observations. Conclusions. It was concluded that rapidly changing social, cultural, and technological conditions in society causes a concurrent flux in social institutions resulting in various reactionary trends. Rising pluralism, insecurity and frustration, feelings of individual powerlessness, institutionalization and increasing secularism all give rise to reactionary religious thought. The use of modern media as an instrument of division and conquest by fundamentalists is basic to their attack. The media is used to network all fundamentalists and neutralize those individuals, corporations, political parties, and groups declared in opposition to fundamentalist beliefs. The educational system has been increasingly attacked by the fundamentalist due to a perceived or constructed conflict of purpose, variant emphasis of subject matter, the end goals of the system, and the school\u27s visibility. Finally, there is a substantial similarity between all social movements that pursue varying degrees of totalitarianism in their development of a national fervor, use of propaganda and force prejudice, deception, and hatred for opposing ideas

The demise of student movement in higher education institutions in South Africa : a case study of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Thesis (M.A.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.The failure of student movements in higher education institutions in South Africa to critically engage the nature and the character of the 'democratic' transition in higher education has led to the questioning of the nature of student activism, activists and the academics of the new order. The substantive nature of our democracy which has no guarantees for transformative higher education system has since led to the adoption of neo-liberal policies that have perpetually excluded a certain sector of South African society. This oppression has been legitimised by failure of student movement and academics to uproot the current regimes of policy making which continue to hold captive the minds of a mass of people in a state of false consciousness. The current circumstances of "corporatised" higher education system makes it necessary now more than ever to begin to examine the issues of relativism as it relates to the questioning of current state of these institutions and student movements. South Africa needs student activist/intellectuals who are willing to participate in the auspices of the institution and the structure, and to transform it. Their task is to operate within time. However, the post 1994 era has left the student movement disgruntled and without direction. Student movements and their academic counter part have since been absorbed by the dominant ideology of the ruling elite. This has made transformation extremely difficult because of the materialism that this brings and a failure to engage the discourses of oppression with the goal of exploiting and deconstructing the dominant ideologies of subjection, betraying the scrutinizing role of a liberating education. This thesis seeks to argue that student movements, academies and academics have been defeated in an area where they should excel in the battle and struggle of ideas, for alternatives in search of a better society

Investigating the impact of complementary currencies on business growth in informal economies: Case of lindi-pesa in lindi, Kibera slum, Nairobi County

A Research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Business Science in Financial Economics at Strathmore UniversityThis study sought to investigate the role of complementary currencies in promoting business growth in an informal area, the case of Lindi-Pesa in Lindi Location, Kibera Slum, Nairobi County. The methodology that was undertaken to address the objectives was a Census Survey study. Three research instruments, namely; questionnaire, interview schedule and observation were used. The number of people that participated in the study was: one hundred and twenty three traders and twelve informants. With respect to the role Lindi-Pesa plays in promoting access to finance, all the respondents indicated that the use and adoption of the program had provided the respondents with an avenue of savings. The traders were able to gain financial assistance through merry-go-rounds. The LBN also introduced some of their members to banks and microfinance institutions for funding. All the traders agreed that the program had been able to increase their sales and profitability, thereby boosting their business growth. All the participants viewed Lindi i-Pesa as a sustainable program, mostly due to the aspect of promoting community cohesiveness. A Pearson Con-elation Coefficient Matrix was carried out to identify the strength of relationships between the dependent and independent variables. It revealed that there exists a strong positive relationship between business growth and the dimensions that promote trade and business support services. The study concludes that promotion of trade and the enhancement of business support significantly increased business growth whereas the contribution of Lind i-Pesa to access to finance had no significant effect on business growth in the area. The study recommends further research to find the price formation/setting mechanisms that apply in community currency systems

The Hilltop 3-28-2003

https://dh.howard.edu/hilltop_0010/1118/thumbnail.jp

Perspectives on Digital Humanism

This open access book aims to set an agenda for research and action in the field of Digital Humanism through short essays written by selected thinkers from a variety of disciplines, including computer science, philosophy, education, law, economics, history, anthropology, political science, and sociology. This initiative emerged from the Vienna Manifesto on Digital Humanism and the associated lecture series. Digital Humanism deals with the complex relationships between people and machines in digital times. It acknowledges the potential of information technology. At the same time, it points to societal threats such as privacy violations and ethical concerns around artificial intelligence, automation and loss of jobs, ongoing monopolization on the Web, and sovereignty. Digital Humanism aims to address these topics with a sense of urgency but with a constructive mindset. The book argues for a Digital Humanism that analyses and, most importantly, influences the complex interplay of technology and humankind toward a better society and life while fully respecting universal human rights. It is a call to shaping technologies in accordance with human values and needs