A PROMOÇÃO DE EMPRESAS DE PROJETO DE ARQUITETURA NA HOLANDA

Este artigo relata um projeto de pesquisa sobre as práticas de promoção dos arquitetos holandeses. Embora não seja difícil obter orientações de marketing para arquitetos, tem havido muito pouca pesquisa sobre as práticas de comercialização efetivamente empregadas. O que fica claro, e que muitas vezes é dito pela bibliografia, é que geralmente se acredita que os arquitetos não dedicam esforços suficientes para promover as suas atividades profissionais. Os pesquisadores partiram da hipótese de que é necessário estabelecer primeiro quais são as práticas reais dos arquitetos, antes de formular recomendações generalizadas para a profissão. A pesquisa foi baseada em três métodos: uma enquete com os membros do Instituto Real de Arquitetos holandeses (BNA); uma série de estudos de caso com empresas de projeto de arquitetura; e uma série de entrevistas - não só com arquitetos, mas também com clientes, com gestores de empreendimentos e com consultores de marketing. A intenção das entrevistas foi possibilitar uma comparação entre oferta e demanda no mercado. Por meio da pesquisa, apurou-se que a maioria dos arquitetos está trabalhando ativamente para promover uma imagem específica de suas empresas. Isso inclui tanto a promoção interna – informar seu próprio pessoal da imagem das empresas – quanto a promoção externa. 40% das empresas de arquitetura têm uma estratégia de longo prazo, 42% têm um plano de promoção, e 50% possuem algum conhecimento de como eles são percebidos pelo mercado. Esta é uma imagem melhor do que a situação que foi apresentada pelos consultores em suas entrevistas. Nenhum padrão claro de co-relação foi identificado entre prática de promoção e tipo de empresa, com a ressalva de que as grandes empresas foram mais ativas na promoção do que empresas menores, e estranhamente, que as empresas que operam no setor público eram mais ativas, apesar do fato de o setor público na Europa contratar através de concurso. Entrevistas com os contratantes mostraram que os clientes individuais seguem estratégias para seleção de arquitetos diferentes do que fazem clientes empresariais ou gestores de projeto. No entanto, a reputação e familiaridade com o nome desempenham um papel importante em ambas as áreas. Os resultados, no mínimo, derrubam a afirmação muito comum de que os arquitetos holandeses não se promovem ativamente. O que resta a ser determinado é quais seriam as práticas de promoção mais bem sucedidas.Proposal: This paper reports on a project to survey the promotion practices of Dutch architects. Although it is not difficult to find marketing advice for architects there has been very little research into the actual marketing practices employed. What is clear, and is often repeated in the literature, is that it is generally assumed that architects do not devote adequate energies to promoting their practices. The researchers felt that it is necessary to first establish the actual practices of architects before formulating generalized advice for the profession. The research was based on three empirical methods: a survey of the members of the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA), a series of case studies of architectural firms, and a series of interviews – not only of architects but also of clients, project managers, and marketing consultants. The intention of the interviews was to make possible a comparison between the supply and demand sides of the market. Through the survey it was established that the majority of architects are actively working to promote a specific image of their offices. This includes both internal promotion – informing the staff of the firms image – and external promotion. 40% of architectural firms have a long term strategy, 42% a promotion plan, and 50% have some knowledge of how they are perceived in the market. This is a better picture of the situation than was given by the consultants in their interviews. No clear pattern of relationships emerged between promotion practice and type of firm, with the exception that larger firms were more active in promotion than smaller firms, and strangely, that firms active in the public sector were more active (this despite the fact that public sector work is obtained through the European Tendering procedure). Interviews of clients showed that the individual clients follow different strategies in selecting architects than do professional clients or project managers. However, reputation and name familiarity play a large role in both areas. The findings lay to rest the common assertion that Dutch architects, at least, to not actively promote their practices. What remains to determine is which practices are more successful

Quiz Games as a model for Information Hiding

We present a general computation model inspired in the notion of information hiding in software engineering. This model has the form of a game which we call quiz game. It allows in a uniform way to prove exponential lower bounds for several complexity problems of elimination theory.Comment: 46 pages, to appear in Journal of Complexit

Convergence and Psychometric Properties of Character Strengths Measures: The VIA-IS and the VIA-IS-R.

This study compares the German versions of the original measure of character strengths (VIA-IS) with its latest revision (VIA-IS-R) regarding reliability and convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity. A sample of 499 German-speaking adults (79% women, mean age: 33.3 years) provided self-reports of character strengths (VIA-IS, VIA-IS-R) and several criteria: Core virtues, thriving, and moral behaviors. Results suggested that both measures showed satisfactory internal consistency and converged well in a multitrait-multimethod analysis. Further, both measures were comparable regarding their relationships with the criteria. Overall, the results of the current study suggest that both questionnaires are reliable and valid, and that findings based on these instruments can be considered highly comparable

Energetic Cost of Ichthyophonus Infection in Juvenile Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii)

The energetic costs of fasting and Ichthyophonus infection were measured in juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) in a lab setting at three temperatures. Infected herring incurred significant energetic costs, the magnitude of which depended on fish condition at the time of infection (fat versus lean). Herring that were fed continually and were in relatively good condition at the time of infection (fat) never stored lipid despite ad libitum feeding. In feeding herring, the energetic cost of infection was a 30% reduction in total energy content relative to controls 52 days post infection. Following food deprivation (lean condition), infection caused an initial delay in the compensatory response of herring. Thirty-one days after re-feeding, the energetic cost of infection in previously-fasted fish was a 32% reduction in total energy content relative to controls. Body composition of infected herring subsequently recovered to some degree, though infected herring never attained the same energy content as their continuously fed counterparts. Fifty-two days after re-feeding, the energetic cost of infection in previously-fasted fish was a 6% reduction in total energy content relative to controls. The greatest impacts of infection occurred in colder temperatures, suggesting Ichthyophonus-induced reductions in body condition may have greater consequences in the northern extent of herring's range, where juveniles use most of their energy reserves to survive their first winter

Humour interventions for patients in palliative care-a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: The effect of humour on end-of-life patients could be beneficial and is worth investigating. However, data on humour interventions for patients in palliative care are scarce. This study evaluated the effects of a humour intervention in a palliative care setting. METHODS: A two-step intervention was developed based on the humour habits programme by McGhee. Patients were assisted to remember funny episodes from their past and recognize humorous aspects of the present and encouraged to produce humour. The intervention and control group completed questionnaires on life satisfaction, cheerfulness, symptom burden, and perceived stress and if possible gave saliva samples to investigate oxytocin levels. The study was a randomized controlled monocentre study on patients treated in a palliative care ward. Participants had to be conscious and alert enough to complete data collection. Overall, 55 patients were included and randomized to the intervention or control group. RESULTS: Parameters in the control group did not change significantly. In the intervention group, seriousness, bad mood, and stress were reduced. Cheerfulness increased significantly after the intervention. However, the methodologically complex intervention setting was too exhausting for the majority of patients. CONCLUSION: Patients who were able to participate benefited from the effects of the intervention on multiple levels. For future research simple interventions, biomarkers for well-being and assessments by staff or proxies are needed to include patients with reduced cognitive and physical performance status at the end of their lives. TRIAL REGISTRATION: DRKS00028978 German Registry of Clinical Studies