Commoditization and Its Impact on Environment and Society or Web Site Design Is Communication Design

Commoditization and Its Impact on Environment and Society

Author: Jack P P Manno

What are the obstacles in the way of effectively solving the environmental crises of our time? What can we do to overcome them? These may be two of the most important questions heading into the 21st century. Organized human societies have the ability to completely change the world. While we have excelled at building, destroying and rebuilding, we have not succeeded at conserving, preserving, and sustaining. Priviledged Goods: Commoditization and Its Impact on Environment and Society suggests that our propensity toward environmental destruction - a tragic flaw of the modern economy - can be understood as a result of hidden economic forces. These forces drive social and economic development towards increasing mobilization of energy and material beyond what is actually needed to achieve general prosperity and meet basic human needs. The author explains the complex concept of commoditization using examples from key sectors of society. Interdisciplinary in scope, Privileged Goods: Commoditization and Its Impact on Environment and Society will appeal to a wide variety of environmental professionals. It explains the key concepts, discusses the history of public policy, analyzes the "appropriate technology" movement of the 70s and compares it to the sustainable development movement of today.

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Suggests that our propensity toward environmental destruction can be understood as a result of hidden economic forces that drive social and economic development toward increasing mobilization of energy and material beyond what is actually needed to meet basic human needs. Explains the complex concept of commoditization using examples from key sectors of society, such as agriculture, health care, and children's entertainment, and offers policy recommendations for low environmental impact. The author is executive director of the New York Great Lakes Research Consortium, and an adjunct associate professor of environmental studies at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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Web Site Design Is Communication Design

Author: Thea M Van der Geest

"Web Site Design is Communication Design is written for practitioners, trainers, and students of Communication, Business, Information Science and Media Design." This book is based on a series of case studies of the web site design processes in smaller and larger organizations, including Amazon and Microsoft. It offers a well-researched, reflective and thorough analysis of the activities undertaken, in combination with practical, real-life experiences of web site designers and producers. It pays attention to the often complicated organizational context that web designers and producers have to work in, while they serve both bosses and target groups to their best intents. The importance of careful evaluation is stressed throughout the book and the in concluding checklists, which guide the practitioner through the design process, from initial idea through site maintenance and re-design.

Table of Contents:

Ch. 1	From gadget to medium	1
Ch. 2	The web sites	13
Ch. 3	Why using the web?	39
Ch. 4	The design process of web sites	57
Ch. 5	Evaluating effects	109
Ch. 6	Web site design is communication design	131
	References	159
	Index	163