On David Harvey Essays

On David Harvey Essays On David Harvey Essay On David Harvey Essay David Harvey is a classical marxist concerned with inequality and the theoretical bridge between social theory and geography. Argues from a historical materialist perspective – how the society reproduces itself. Harvey on space: For Harvey, social practices and process create spaces and these spaces in turn, constrain, enable and alter those practices and process – what Ed Soja called a â€Å"socio-spatial dialectic†. Constant relationship between society and geography and they both influence eachother. This means that Harvey has long rejected the polar belief that space has no social effects or that it has effects in itself – what Sack called â€Å"spatial seperatism†. Harvey believes in what he refers to as â€Å"active moments†. Space, the material form that processes assume ‘on the ground’ as buildings, infrastructure etc is both cause and effect in/of social life – an ‘active moment’ in human affairs. A socio-spatial dialectic. Link between Marx and Harvey. Harvey is greatly inspired by Marx’ work and takes his starting point in Marx’ perception of capitalism as a contradictory economic system with three ‘logics’: accumulation for accumulation, competition between rival producers to gain market share and technological innovation in production processes and products. This trinity will eventually lead to internal contradictions explained in Capital and end in a crisis of overs are the Oresund Region: danish and swedish state have looked at the Oresund Region as an economic center (and improved housing facilities, infrastructure, schools) Provide an incentive for growth through spatial planning and geogrpahy. (a spatial fix of capitalism) Time-space compression. The way we relate to space has been radically changed – the world has become smaller and smaller. Makes Harvey one of the earlier speakers of globalization. Space-place (particular-general) relationship: Place is by Harvey defined as built environments, cultures, peoples etc. that distinguish one locality from another. Harvey neglects the position of pre 1960s geographers who emphasized that places were singular – meaning absolutely different. He argued that different places were linked within a comon economic framework. IN CLASS

Graphics in Business Writing, Technical Communication

Graphics in Business Writing, Technical Communication In business writing and technical communication, graphics are used as  visual representations to support the text in a report, proposal, set of instructions, or similar documents. Types of graphics include charts, diagrams, drawings, figures, graphs, maps, photographs, and tables. Etymology:  From the Greek, writing Successful visuals integrate substance, statistics, and design to achieve four principles: clarity, precision, efficiency, and integrity. The best visuals give the viewer the greatest number of ideas as quickly as possible in the least amount of space.(John M. Penrose, Robert W. Rasberry, and Robert J. Myers, Business Communication for Managers: An Advanced Approach, 5th ed. Thomson, 2004) Criteria for Effective Graphics Whether hand drawn or computer generated, successful tables and figures have these characteristics (From Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson, Technical Writing: Process and Product, 5th ed. Pearson, 2006): Are integrated with the text (i.e., the graphic complements the text; the text explains the graphic).Are appropriately located (preferably immediately following the text referring to the graphic and not a page or pages later).Add to the material explained in the text (without being redundant).Communicate important information that could not be conveyed easily in a paragraph or longer text.Do not contain details that detract from rather than enhance the information.Are an effective size (not too small or too large).Are neatly printed to be readable.Are correctly labeled (with legends, headings, and titles).Follow the style of other figures or tables in the text.Are well conceived and carefully executed. Benefits of Graphics Graphics offer benefits that words alone cannot: Graphics are indispensable in demonstrating logical and numerical relationships[. . .]Graphics can communicate spatial information more effectively than words alone.Graphics can communicate steps in a process more effectively than words alone[. . .]Graphics can save space[. . .]Graphics can reduce the cost of documents intended for international readers. . . . As you plan and draft your document, look for opportunities to use graphics to clarify, emphasize, and organize information.(Mike Markel, Technical Communication, 9th ed. Bedford/St. Martins, 2010) Also Known As: visual aids, visuals