Junior Deputy

Derick Krones Junior Deputy During Junior Deputy this year, I learned that smoking is bad for your health. And, alcohol is bad for you, too. Smoking causes tar to build up in your lungs and can lead to cancer. I know cancer is a bad disease because I have lost my grandpa and grandma to cancer. Alcohol kills brain cells. It is important to learn and if you do not have all your brain cells, you will not be as smart which means you will not do as well in life.I liked getting to wear the drunk goggles in Junior Deputy. It was fun to see how it makes you feel to try to walk with the goggles on. It was a nice break in the day to get to learn about other things in Junior Deputy at school rather than math, science, communication arts, and social studies. The part of Junior Deputy I liked the least was how long the pre/post tests were to take. There were hard questions on the test and it took time to think about the answers.I know you have to take tests to see what you do and do not know, but it was my least favorite part of Junior Deputy. Actually getting to wear the drunk goggles made you feel what it was like to be drunk so you know you do not want to drink. Junior Deputy taught me to make the right choices and not do drugs,alcohol or smoke. It is important to stay healthy and do your best in life. Junior Deputy helps explain how to make good choices and to stay healthy.

School play – “Heroin Lies”

Drugs and the use of drugs is a common problem with young people in society. The two productions I will be comparing in this essay both run on the theme of drugs. Our play performed in class is called â€Å"Heroin Lies† and this will be compared to â€Å"Junk† a book and then tv programme also running on the theme of drugs. â€Å"Heroin Lies† the play was written by Wayne Denfhy in 1991, compared to â€Å"Junk† written by Melvin Burgess in 1996, and as research I read the original book as I felt it would help me to compare to â€Å"Heroin Lies†. In our performance of â€Å"Heroin Lies† I play the part of ‘David' who is the father of heroin addict Vicky. I had to take up the role as a strict father who wanted his family to be strong and was very dissapointed in his daughter Vicky when she admitted to taking the drugs, however he shares a mutual respect with his other child Jason, who also featured in out perfomance. I watched and read some shows and books to try and find different aspects of fatherhood to make my perfomance spot on, I also made diagrams of my character and would write different aspects of their life around the diagram to try and get to know the part I would be taking up and thei characteristics. To help me in my work I looked for information in many different places, such as the library where I would read books on heroin so that I would feel knowledgeble to the work we were studying. I also went onto the internet and watched tv programmes where I would be able to watch a performance by an actor playing a Dad that could enhance my performance as I would try and learn the way the actors I watched would move and talk etc. In addition to this I would also watch the actions of my own dad to see if any of his characteristics would help me when rehearsing for the part of David. To help me with undertand â€Å"Junk† I read the book as research for more background information on the story and characters. â€Å"Heroin Lies† is basically a story of a normal family getting pulled apart and ruined down to the daughter ‘Vicky' taking heroin. The four main parts are David (Father, played by myself), Jean (Mother), Jason (Son, brother of Vicky) and Vicky (Daughter and heroin addict). As the plot continues throughout the play, Vicky ends up dying at the end,this saddening the auidience and most notably the three remaining members of the family. The play targets drugs and young people just givig into them, â€Å"Teenage pressures†¦ that the excuse eh?† (David, scene 15). Throughout the play, family arguments, monologues all add to the theme of drugs as they are mainly arguments about how Vicky has let the family down. Another key theme is the one of giving in, as thats how Vicky takes the heroin in the first place as she gives into her friend Mandy. â€Å"Junk† is alike to â€Å"Heroin lies† in many ways, its also a story of drug abuse and young people giving in and getting addicted to heroin. Its set in Bristol in the 1980's. Its a story of young lovers Tar and Gemma both running away from home to live together but end up with drug users who get the two of them into drugs such as heroin. Tar is very different to Vicky and Gemma as his parents dont really care that he has left and wouldnt care to find out he does drugs, whereas Vicky and Gemma both has protective paresnts that are devasted to find out that their daughters do drugs, although Gemma's dont really ever find out. Again like â€Å"Heroin lies† Gemma starts drugs down to peer pressure and giving into friends, â€Å"I got something in here that might change your mind† – Tar says to Gemma as he waits to give her a cigarette. Our performance is set in the present day, compared to â€Å"Junk† which was set in the 80's. I feel that the 20 year gap between the two productions is hard to tell as drugs have been, and always will be a danger to society and in both we can feel the dangers of heroin taking and the affect its having on characters such as Gemma, Tar and Vicky. Some characters are alkie to one another on both plays, in â€Å"Heroin Lies† Vicky is alike to the part of Gemma from â€Å"Junk†, I think this is because they are around the same age, they both gave in to taking heroin and they are both from working class families who are bitterly dissapointed in them becoming drug addicts. Also its evident that in both plays the father roles played by David in â€Å"Heroin Lies† and the father in â€Å"Junk† are alike as they both command the relationships with their wives and they are both feeling that they are in control of the situations regarding Vicky's drug problem, and Gemma running away from home, although really neither of them have any control in the matter whatsoever â€Å"He asked you to stay out all night with him!† (Gemma's father to Gemma when she tells of how she wated to stay out with Tar). Many of the viewers may be able to relate to the parts of Vicky, Gemma, Tar, Jason David, Jean etc, as they too may have been in a similiar situaion. This shows how effective a play can be with this sort of relevance and social histroical content. The members of our performance are all young and we cn relate to the arguments with the parents, therefore making it a lot easier to act as we can relate to real life issues. This may be alike to the actors and actresses in the tv programme of â€Å"Junk† as they were around the same age as the people in my group and myself. The theme of drugs and heroin usage is a strong theme to use as a stimulas in our performance and the original of the book and play. In our play we used many theartre skills to master the script we were given. We have used real life issues from our own lives to use in the performance as we feel that it would give us a better understanding of the words we were saying, this meaning better acting, giving off a better performance to the audience. I used research from the internet as did other member of the group. Mainly used for the work on our characterisations. We have used props and we have rehearsed our stage direrctions to perfection so that it symblises real family life yet letting the audience see all of the characters and their emotions clearly. Also we used monlogues and hot seating where people would ask us questions and we would answer in character, this helped us and the fellow memebers of the group understand each character with a better undertsanding. In conclusion comapring my groups peformance of â€Å"Heroin Lies† and the book â€Å"Junk† I feel that they share many similarities and few and far between differeces. The main themes and characters were alike in both productions, even the storylines had its similairites! I have learnt a lot from this whole experience, I learnt not only about heroin and the usage and affect it can have on families, but I learnt how to put that into a performance. Its been a great experience overall, and I have enjoyed working on this project a lot! Also out of it I have read two very interesting different pieces of work, that have left an everlasting impression on me.

Thessalonians

Thessalonians Thessalonians is based on two different letters that was written to the Christian community in Thessalonica. The purpose of the first letter was to clear up some of the misunderstandings about the return of Christ. The second letters purpose was to still clear up some of the misunderstandings about the Day of the Lord for they thought the day had already come. The first letter to the Christian community was sent from Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, though Paul was the main author. Paul was writing to them to clear up their misunderstandings about the return of Christ, also considers it as instructions in holy living.Paul wrote about his longing to visit the church in Thessalonica but he couldn’t because Satan had stopped them (1 Thessalonians 2:18). Though some believe the second letter to the Christian community is wrote by Paul others do not. Many scholars point out how the writing style, vocabulary, and structure of the 2 Thessalonians are too similar to the 1 Th essalonians. They suggest that it was written by an anonymous author 50 years after Paul’s death, using the 1 Thessalonians as their guideline. The early witnesses for the belief that Paul is not the author are strong and include Igantius, Justin, and Polycarp.Although there seems to be different beliefs on who wrote the 2 Thessalonians, no one will really know. Paul’s reasoning for both letters seems to be along the same point to clear up the misunderstanding of the return of Christ and how the Christian community of Thessalonica was being persecuted for they believed that the Day of the Lord had already come. The first book of Thessalonians was suspected to have been written in 49-51 CE when Paul was on his Corinthian mission. (Acts 17-18) records Paul’s visits to Thessalonica and then to Athens, and to Corinth, which is how they correspond the date of the letter.It has been read that Paul did not starting writing his letters until he started traveling to the various places. Therefore they based these dates on traveling companions and cross referenced between 1 Thessalonians and Acts. There are many arguments about when the 2 Thessalonians was written, because they believe that Paul did not write the letter. Depending on the actual authorship of the letter would be what the date of it was written would depend on. Stating that if the letter was written by someone else but in Paul’s name, it is said that it may have been wrote in the late first or perhaps the early second CE.With that being said it is not sure on the exact date or time frame that the 2 Thessalonians was wrote. With many opinions about the date and who wrote the 2 Thessalonians it will not be known until the authorship of the letter is cleared up. There is enough evidence on when 1 Thessalonians was written. How they correspond the dates to when he was traveling and that he was on his mission in Corinthian, which would be around the 49-51 CE. Paul was writing the let ter to the churches of Thessalonica which is the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia.His purpose of writing was to praise them on their â€Å"faith and love† that Timothy had brought and to focus on the instruction on how to live their Christian lives. Paul was writing this letter while he was on his mission in Corinthian where he was farther south in the province of Achaia. He wants the letter to be read aloud â€Å"to all his brothers† which means all his believers in Thessalonica. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 it is confirmed of the conclusion that the churches of Thessalonica was mostly composed of gentile believers.Unlike Jews the Roman gentiles was notorious for being sexually immoral which is what Paul wanted the Thessalonians to keep them from. Both of the letters is written to the same audience the Christians of the Thessalonica churches. Without knowing who the true author of the second letter is it, there isn’t a for sure location on where the lette r was written although it is believed to be in Corinth if Paul did write the letter. Paul’s purpose of the first letter was to correct a misunderstanding about the return of Christ. To also urge his readers to respect their leaders, his could suggest that there was some tension among the people in the churches. He expressed his satisfaction over the progress that the community had made and his joy. His Jewish opponents apparently had made accusations about his cowardice and self-seeking charges brought against him. He points out the importance of Christian morality, to safeguard them from attempts to make new converts to Christianity and to revert to their old standards. Paul’s purpose of the second letter was to clear up any misunderstandings that came in the first letter.For he talked about the second coming of Christ, so those people believed in the Thessalonica churches that the coming of Christ was soon. Some quite their jobs, refused to work, and become idle busy bodies and gossips, so Paul wrote to them also to encourage them to go back to work. The Christians were being persecuted by the Jews for they were hardened by the hearts and jealous of their success. He was telling them that when Christ returned for judgment the ones that was afflicting pain upon them would be punished for their doings.The purpose of both letters is nearly the same, wanting to tell them of the second coming of Christ and live their lives the way that he has instructed them too. The only difference was to clear things up that many had misread in the second letter for they misbelieved that the coming of Christ was soon. For Paul did not know when the actual coming would be but he was warning them of it so they would be ready for judgment day. The first letter from Paul is unique because through most of the letter it is devoted to his prayer and thanksgiving for their faith in Christ.He writes to them concerned for his people and thankful for the time that he has spen t with them. In his letter he uses â€Å"You know† and â€Å"You Remember† repeatedly to remind them of the teaching he did to them. This shows how much of a personal relationship he had with the Thessalonian churches. He makes it clear in his letter that he is speaking to the ones that are followers of Jesus Christ. The second letter from Paul is unique as well. He still praises them for their faith in him and in Christ. He tells them of importance of letting their faith and love to continue to grow to be of examples for other churches.Despite all the suffering and pain they have been going through to not let their lives drift away from Christ. Explains the importance of getting prepared for the second coming of Christ and how gives them information about the apostle’s beliefs in when the second coming could be. Both of letters show Paul’s faith and love in the Thessalonians churches. He proves to those that he is very expectant of these churches to be e xamples for other churches through these letters. That despite the difficulties and pain that some go through that believing in Christ he will help you find your way out as long as you have faith and love in him.Throughout doing this paper I have learned many different opinions of whether Paul actually wrote the second letter or that he didn’t. I have been able to read about how Paul outpours his love and faith for the Thessalonian churches and that he wants them to live their lives for Christ. One of the key points that I have learned is that although you may struggle with difficulties and pain that if you have faith and love in Christ that he will help you find the way to survive these obstacles.Works Cited Coogan, Michael D. , et al. , eds. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Oxford: New York, 2010. Print. The Providence Forum. Resource. Philadelphia National Bible City. The National Bible Association: Encouraging Everyone to Read the Bible. 2009. 25 Nov. 2012. Guthrie, Donald . New Testament Introduction: The Pauline Epistles. The Tyndale Press, 1960. Print. Holmes, Michael W. , et al. , eds. 1 & 2 Thessalonians NIV Application Commentary, Minnesota, 1998. Print.

'More talked about than done' (Ellis). Do you agree with this Essay

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Empiricism Semantics and Ontology Carn Essay Example for Free

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The world of things is the simplest kind of entities we deal with everyday language and upon our acceptance of the thing  language with its framework for things, we can raise internal questions like â€Å"Is there a white piece of paper on my desk? †, â€Å"Are unicorns real or imaginary? † and these can be answered by empirical investigation. The results of this investigation can be confirmed or disconfirmed based on explicit rules for the evaluation, which is the main concern of epistemology. The rules of the framework claim that in order for something to be considered real, it must fit into a system at a particular space-time position along with other things  considered as real. The external question of the reality of the thing world is not asked by scientists but by philosophers and is given affirmative answers by realists, and negative answers from subjective idealists. This question is never resolved because it is wrongly framed. To be real in the scientific context means to be an element of the system, hence, this concept cannot be meaningfully applied to the system. Those who question the reality of the thing world are not expecting of a theoretical question, rather, a practical question which  would affect the structure of our language; hence, we must decide whether or not to adapt the forms of expression in the framework. We have accepted the thing language since our earlier years and now we are given the choice whether or not to continue using the thing language or to restrict ourselves to sense-date, to construct an alternative language with new structure and rules, or to refrain from speaking at all. However, Carnap believes that none of the above-mentioned choices is practical. So, he explained that the  acceptance of the thing language does not imply the acceptance of the existence of the thing world, but the acceptance of a certain form of language, accepting rules in order to form, test, or reject statements, and the idea of the reality of the thing world cannot be among these statements because it cannot be formulated in the thing language or in any other theoretical language. Questions regarding the efficiency, fruitfulness and simplicity of the use of the thing language are not yes-no questions but rather questions of degree. But it is wrong to say that â€Å"The fact of the efficiency of the thing language is confirming evidence for the reality of the thing world,† rather, â€Å"This fact makes it advisable to accept the thing language. † Carnap used the example of the system of numbers as an example of a system which is of a logical rather than a factual nature, based on the rules of the new expressions: 1 SEMAN? CS IS THE STUDY OF MEANINGS AND THE RELA? ON OF SIGNS AND SYMBOLS AND WHAT THEY SIGNIFY OR DENOTE. 2 E. G. PROPER? ES AS DESIGNATED BY PREDICATES AND PROPOSI? ONS AS DESIGNATED BY SENTENCES. 3 ONTOLOGY IS THE PHILOSOPHICAL THEORY OF REALITY AND IS THE DOCTRINE OF UNIVERSAL AND NECESSARY CHARACTERIS? CS OF ALL EXISTENCE. 4 A LINGUIS? C FRAMEWORK IS A SET OF LINGUIS? C CONVEN? ONS WHICH DETERMINE THE WAY IN WHICH WE SE#LE EXISTENCE PROBLEMS OF A CERTAIN sort. (1) numerals like â€Å"five† and sentence forms like â€Å"there are five books on the table† (2) the general term â€Å"number† for the new entities, and sentence forms like â€Å"five is a number† (3) expressions of properties of numbers (odd, prime), relations (greater than), and functions (plus), and sentence forms like  Ã¢â‚¬Å"two plus three is five. † (4) numerical variables (m,n,etc) and quantifiers for universal sentences (for every n,†¦. ) and existential sentences (there is an n such that†¦) with the customary deductive rules Empirical investigation is impossible to answer the internal question, â€Å"Is there a prime number greater than a hundred? †, rather it can be answered through logical analysis. He also introduced the system of propositions wherein any declarative sentence can be substituted by a variable. Every sentence that comes in the form â€Å"†¦is a proposition† is considered analytic. This framework included three constructs: (1) â€Å"For every p, either p or not –p† (2) â€Å"There is p such that p is not necessary and not –p is not necessary. † (3) â€Å"There is p such that p is a proposition. † (1) and (2) are both internal assertions of existence while (3) is an implication that there are propositions. Lastly, in the spatio-temporal coordinate system for physics, the new entities are the space-time points. Each point is an ordered quadruple of four real numbers (3 spatial and 1 temporal coordinate). It is not forced on us but is suggested by common observation. The physical state of these space-time points is described through qualitative predicates or through ascribing numbers such as mass, temperature, etc. Moving on to this physical coordinate system requires a decision on how to use language. Carnap argues that the introduction of such forms into our language is a matter of degree, and that the formulation in the form â€Å"real or not† will be inadequate. Many philosophers argue that the affirmation of the reality of the entity of the language shall come prior to the introduction of new language forms, and Carnap strongly disagrees. He claims that a new way of speaking needs not be justified because in the first place, it does not imply any assertion of reality, but only acceptance of a new framework. III. What Does Acceptance of a Kind of Entities Mean? The acceptance of a new kind of entities is represented in the language by the introduction of a framework of new forms of expressions to be used according to a new set of rules. The two essential steps into the introduction of the framework are: (1) the introduction of a general term, a predicate of higher level, for the new kind of entities, permitting us to say of any particular entity that it  belongs to this kind5; and (2) the introduction of variables of the new type. After the formulation of the new forms of language, they can now create internal questions that may either be empirical or logical, and be addressed by true answers that are either factually true or analytic. Carnap debunks the idea that the acceptance of a new framework is an assertion of the reality of the entities. He argues that the question whether or not to accept the new entities and the new linguistic form is a practical question and not a theoretical question. It cannot be judged as true or false because it is not an assertion, rather, it can be judged as being more or less expedient, fruitful and conducive. IV. Abstract Entities in Semantics In semantical meaning analysis, certain expressions are often said to designate (or name or denote or signify) certain extra- linguistic entities. Ex. â€Å"The word ‘red’ designates a property of things. † â€Å"The word ‘five’ designates a number. † Empiricists admit that these are meaningful expressions but reject the belief as they see these as implicitly presupposed by those semantical statements. 5 E. G. â€Å"RED IS A PROPERTY†, â€Å"FIVE IS A NUMBER† This belief is criticized as hypostatization, or treating as names expressions which are not names. Carnap used the example of â€Å"Fido†, his dog, as a name that designates his dog Fido, while red and five are not names and are not supposed to designate anything. To deal with this criticism, Carnap clarifies abstract entities as designata: (a) Five designates a number. This presupposes that our language L contains the forms of expressions which we have called the framework of numbers, in particular, numerical variables and the general term number. If L contains these forms, the following is an analytic statement in L. (b) Five is a number. To make the statement (a) possible, L must contain an expression like designates or is a name of for the semantical relation of designation. If suitable rules for this term are laid down, the following is likewise analytic: (c) Five designates five. Since (a) follows from (c) and (b), (a) is likewise analytic. You must accept these as true statements if you accept the framework of numbers. Carnap acknowledges the need for theoretical justification for internal assertions but argues that it is wrong to demand forsu ch when it comes to acceptance of system of entities. He cites Ernest Nagel who asked for evidence relevant for affirming with warrant that there are such entities as infinitesimals or propositions. He required the evidence to be logical and dialectical. And so Carnap provides an example of this problem of proof: â€Å"Here are three books. † The framework of the sentence allows us to communicate but the question on the ontological reality of the system of numbers continues. One philosopher believes that numbers are real entities so there is no problem in using the  numerical framework for semantical statements. A nominalistic opponent, on the other hand, says there are no numbers. For Carnap, numbers may still be used as meaningful expressions but they are not names and there are no entities designated by them. The term numbers and numerical variables must only be used as abbreviating devices: i. e. to translate them into the nominalistic thing language. He believes that there is no possible evidence relevant for both philosophers. V. Conclusion Carnap’s stand on using semantical methods depended not on the ontological question of existence of abstract entities but onthe qu estion whether or not the rise of abstract linguistic forms is expedient and fruitful for semantical analyses6. This is no yes-or-no question. It dealt with a matter of degree, by their efficiency as instruments, by the . . ratio of the results achieved to the amount and complexity of the efforts required. He challenges the nominalists to offer better arguments than merely appealing to ontological insight; probably a semantical method without any references at all to abstract entities and by simpler means, achieves the same results as other methods. Carnap  pointed out that dogmatic prohibitions are both futile and harmful that looking back to history, traces of slow development rooted to religious, metaphysical, mythological, and other irrational sources. And so by granting freedom to use any form of expression useful to them, those useless forms will sooner or later be eliminated. Carnap ended with a reminder, â€Å"Let us be cautious in making assertions and critical in examining them, but tolerant in permitting linguistic forms. † 6 SEMAN? CAL ANALYSES THAT INCLUDE THE ANALYSIS, INTERPRETA? ON, CLARI+CA? ON OR CONSTRUC? ON OF LANGUAGES OF COMMUNICA? ON, ESPECIALLY languages of science.

Syllabus: Designing Needs Assessment

Syllabus: Designing Needs Assessment The two terms of prime focus of this study are: Syllabus and Needs. This chapter includes a literature review on different aspects of syllabus designing and needs assessment .The characteristics and many faces of Curriculum Development/ Syllabus Design are presented in addition to needs assessment, reasons for conducting needs assessment, steps in needs assessment and the relationship between syllabus designing and needs assessment. 2.1 Curriculum A key term of this study is-Curriculum, hence this section aims to give clarity on the meaning, scope and process of curriculum. A common error that comes into notice while studying curriculum development process is the synonymous use of the words-curriculum and syllabus. This section also attempts to demarcate and differentiate these two words so that the course designers and developers may systematically initiate the process in context to SGBAU. 2.1.1 Definitions of Curriculum Although the idea of curriculum is not new and has been extensively used by education planners yet there remains considerable dispute as to meaning. The word is from the Latin root currere. It means a course or race. It term originated from the running/chariot tracks of Greece. It was, literally, a course. In Latin curriculum was a racing chariot; currere was to run. Throughout the history of second-language programmes, the concept of curriculum has been important. However, there is little general agreement on actual form, function, and scope of curriculum. Before discussing the theory of curriculum development, some definitions of curriculum as quoted by Finch, A.E. (2000)1 are presented below: Stenhouse (1975) describes Curriculum as an attempt to communicate the essential properties and features of an educational proposal in such a form that it is open to critical scrutiny and capable of effective translation into practice Eisner Vallance 1974, describe curriculum as: what can and should be taught to whom, when, and how Nunan 1988 adds to his curriculum elements designated by the term syllabus along with considerations of methodology and evaluation White et al. 1991,see curriculum as concerned with objectives and methods as well as content. Such a definition involves consideration of the philosophical, social and administrative factors of a programme. Richards, Platt ,and Webber 1985, definition of curriculum focuses on the components necessary for delivering instruction and evaluating the success or failure of the curriculum.: An educational programme which states: (a) the educational purpose of the program (the ends); (b) the content, teaching procedures and learning experiences which will be necessary to achieve this purpose(the means); (c) some means for assessing whether or not the educational ends have been achieved Tanner, 1980 define curriculum as : The planned and guided learning experiences and intended learning outcomes, formulated through the systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences, under the auspices of the school, for the learners continuous and willful growth in personal social competence. Celce-Murcia and Olshtain,2000, offer the following definition of curriculum: A language curriculum can be viewed as a document that provides guidelines for textbook writers, teacher trainers, language teachers, developers of computerized and hi-tech teaching aids, language testers, and many other populations that might function as stakeholders in the language teaching context. As such a curriculum should express the cultural, social and political perspectives of the society within which it is to be implemented. It combines past and present ideologies, experiences, philosophies, and innovations with aspirations and expectations for the future. It serves as the major framework within which educational decision making is carried out with respect to goal specification and teaching methodology, teacher training and text book selection. The term curriculum is generally seen to include the entire teaching/learning process, including materials, equipment, examinations, and the training of teachers and the syllabus, are therefore subsumed by this definition. From the above definitions and interpretations of curriculum , there emerge two broad perspectives According to the first of these, the term curriculum has a narrower scope and refers to the substance of a programme of studies of an educational system. In the second (and more recent) meaning, curriculum includes the entire teaching/learning process, including materials, equipment, examinations, and the training of teachers. 2.1.2 Curriculum Components Despite the different perspectives on the meaning and scope of curriculum, Stern (1983) identifies three major curriculum components, which are further amplified by Breen Candlin (1980) and Stenhouse (1975) as presented in table 2.1 below: TABLE 2.1: MAJOR CURRICULUM COMPONENTS OF SECOND LANGUAGE PROGRAMMES Stenhouse (1975) Breen Candlin (1980) Stern (1983) i) planning; ii) empirical study; iii) justification. i)language teaching (what is to be learned?); ii) methodology (how is the learning to be undertaken and achieved?); iii) evaluation (to what extent is i) appropriate and ii) effective?). i) purposes and content; ii)instruction; iii) evaluation. Source: STERN 1983 According to Richards, Platt ,and Webber (1985) the most important components of curriculum development are: (a) the study of the purposes for which a learner needs a language(needs analysis); (b) the setting of objectives, and the development of a syllabus, teaching methods, and materials; (c) the evaluation of the effects of these procedures on the learners language ability. Brown (1989) concentrates on the following curriculum components: needs analysis, instructional objectives, tests, materials, teaching, and evaluation. TABLE 2.2 Curriculum Process Model NEEDS ANALYSIS E V A L U A T I O N OBJECTIVES TESTING MATERIALS TEACHING (Source:Brown 1989) There are some components that are common in all the above perspectives and they are: Needs analysis Setting of objectives Teaching Evaluation However, it is important that the two prime stakeholders should be involved in the curriculum development process. As Hills 1976, puts it- no teaching/learning method however innovative or systematic can succeed without a proper consideration of the two main participants, the student and the teacher. every learner will bring a different set of knowledge and experiences to the learning process, and will construct in different ways, their own sense of the situation with which they are faced. (Williams Burden 1997:96) It is therefore necessary to involve teachers and students in the process of curriculum design and to allow for individual differences in learners (Breen Candlin 1980:94) and for changes in self-perceptions of these differences as the courses progress. In the light of these considerations, important questions about curriculum content to be addressed are: How do the learners perceive themselves as language learners? What effect do their personal constructs have upon the process of learning a new language? How do individuals go about making sense of their learning? How can teachers assist learners in making sense of their learning in ways that are personal to them? (Williams Burden1997:96) 2.1.3. The Stages of Curriculum Design Curriculum designing is a systematic process and every stage needs to be followed sequentially. Tabas outline (1962:12) of the steps which a course designer must work through to develop subject matter courses has become the foundation for many other writers suggestions. Her list of curriculum processes includes the following: Step 1. Diagnosis of needs Step 2. Formulation of objectives Step 3. Selection of content Step 4. Organization of content Step 5. Selection of learning experiences Step 6. Organization of learning experiences Step 7. Determination of what to evaluate, and the means to evaluate Cited in Yordanova Svetlana, 2000 According to Long Richards [quoted by Johnson, 1989: IX] language curriculum design is regarded as a decision making process and involves: Policy making. Needs assessment. Design and development. Teacher preparation and development. Programme management and evaluation. a) Policy making Based on the information collected about learners , educational objectives and strategies have to constructed. According to Breen (1980) -The communicative curriculum defines language learning as learning how to communicate as a member of a particular socio-cultural group. The social conventions governing language form and behavior within the group are, therefore, central to the process of language learning. For Nunan [1994] the aim of communicative language learning is achieving language proficiency based on the development of the four macro skills. The level of language proficiency therefore ,vary for different groups of learners and will depend on learners needs. Thus this a crucial stage of curriculum development as it spells out the scope of the curriculum as well as the strategy to be used for curriculum design and implementation. b) Needs assessment On the basis of the identified aim it is possible to make an analysis of the learners both linguistic needs (expressed in structures or functions) and communicative needs expressed in communication situations. Needs assessment is discussed in detail in a subsequent section of this chapter. c) Curriculum design With the aims of the curriculum identified and the needs of the learners analyzed, the specific learning goals can laid for the different levels of the course (year/term). These learning objectives can be categorized as follows: Product objective- specifying the learners target language proficiency and performance. Process or pedagogic objectives- specifying the the learning process and methodology that shall be adopted to the learning outcomes. While deciding the learning framework the following are usually ascertained: Objectives or what is intended. Means or what is to be done to achieve the objectives planned. The results or evaluation of what is achieved. L. M. Kamysheva It is important that there is a logical relationship between the ends and the means. If there is a gap or discrepancy between the objectives and the process adopted in the classroom language curriculum would fail to achieve the desired result. It is this problem that constantly challenges language planners and often results in failure of many well-conceived curriculum. Just as there are product and process objectives there are product-oriented (summative evaluation) and/or process-oriented (formative evaluation) approaches to evaluation [Weir Roberts, 1994]. Evaluation usually attempts to compare current performance with desired performance by means of testing. The evaluation can be quantitative (based on quantitative criteria) and/or qualitative (based on qualitative criteria). Sometimes a mix of both may also be adopted to obtain valid findings. d) Teacher preparation and development Teachers are a vital part of the jigsaw puzzle of curriculum development and the curriculum designing process would be incomplete without their active involvement during development and implementation stages. Moreover, they are the ones who experience the curriculum in the class and their inputs are invaluable in subsequent curriculum improvements and innovation. e) Curriculum evaluation Course evaluation acts as a measure of the effectiveness of the curriculum and also provides indicators for further improvements and innovations. Evaluation is defined by Brown as the systematic collection and analysis of the relevant information necessary to promote the improvement of a curriculum and access effectiveness and efficiency. [Johnson, 1989: 223] According to Johnson, curriculum development would consist of a process of continuous adjustments or fine tuning. Curriculum evaluation consists in the interaction of formative (process) and summative (product) evaluation. 2.2 Syllabus A syllabus outlines what will be taught and thus helps the teacher and the learner to work together towards the objectives of the curriculum. Breen offers a very general definition of syllabus: the meeting point of a perspective upon language itself, upon using language, and upon teaching and learning which is a contemporary and commonly accepted interpretation of the harmonious links between theory, research, and classroom practice. (1987a:83) Hutchinson and Waters (1987:80) cited in Rabbini Roberto, 2002, define syllabus as follows: At its simplest level a syllabus can be described as a statement of what is to be learnt. It reflects of language and linguistic performance. This definition focuses on outcomes rather than process. However, a syllabus can also be seen as a summary of the content to which learners will be exposed (Yalden.1987: 87). Yalden sees it as a representation of what will be taught and that it cannot accurately predict what will be learnt. Prabhu gives a more specific definition:specification of what is to be learnt (1987:89). For Allen HYPERLINK http://www.finchpark.com/afe/appends/(1984), the syllabus is that subpart of curriculum which is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught (Allen 1984:61), whereas for Yalden (1987), it is primarily a teachers statement about objectives and content, with formal and functional components in a dual progression of linear and spiral learning (cf. Stern 1984:14). Brumfit (1984d) specifies content (linguistic, sociolinguistic, pragmatic, cultural, substantive), and also sequences the learning that takes place, while NunanHYPERLINK http://www.finchpark.com/afe/n.htm#Nunan (1988c) takes a wider, non-specific view of a framework within which activities can be carried out: a teaching device to facilitate learning (1988c:6), and Prabhu (1987) proposes a form of support for the teaching activity that is planned in the classroom and a form of guidance in the constructio n of appropriate teaching materials (1987:86). In contrast, Kumaravadivelu sees the syllabus as a preplanned, preordained, presequenced inventory of linguistic specifications imposed in most cases on teachers and learners and claims that this is a widely recognized perspective (1993b:72). The above definitions rather than bringing clarity, add to the complexity of understanding the term syllabus: every syllabus is a particular representation of knowledge and capabilities. And this representation will be shaped by the designers views concerning the nature of language, how the language may be most appropriately taught or presented to learners, and how the language may be productively worked upon during learning. (Breen, 1987a:83) 2.2.1 Curriculum/Syllabus The two termscurriculum and syllabus, are often used synonymously with each having areas and functions not distinctly defined. The discussion and confusion between the two terms continues since these can at times be very close in meaning, depending on the context in which they are used (Nunan 1988c:3). However for course designers and developers a distinction between the scope, objectives and functions of the two terms- curriculum and syllabus is necessary. Stern (1984) defines syllabus as connected with content, structure, and organization, while curriculum development is viewed as connected with implementation, dissemination and evaluation. For Yalden (1984) syllabus is connected with learners needs and aims. Syllabus along with selection and grading of content specifies and grades learning tasks and activities. While syllabus design refers to the what of a language programme, methodology is concerned with the how (p. 7). Nunan, 1994. Candlin (1984) as cited in Nunan, 1994,states the fact that while curriculum is connected with language learning, learning purpose and experience, evaluation, and the role relationships of teachers and learners, syllabus is a more concrete term, referring to the actual events in the classroom, i.e. the application of a syllabus to a given situation. Breen (1980) sees syllabus as a part of the overall curriculum: Curriculum can be distinguished from syllabus in that a syllabus is typically a specification of the content of teaching and learning and the organization and sequencing of the content. Content and its organization is subsumed within a curriculum as a part of methodology. A syllabus is therefore only part of the overall curriculum within which it operates. Stenhouse (1975:4), and Allen (1984) proposes: [a] clear distinction, similar to that which has been prevalent in Europe, the curriculum being concerned with planning, implementation, evaluation, management, and administration of education programmes, and the syllabus focusing more narrowly on the selection and grading of content. (1984:61, cited in Nunan 1988HYPERLINK http://www.finchpark.com/afe/n.htmc:8). The position presented in Dubin and Olshtain (1986:3): A curriculum is a document of an official nature, published by a leading or central educational authority in order to serve as a framework or a set of guidelines for the teaching of a subject area-in our case a language- in a broad and varied context. Thus , a state at the national level, aboard of education at the district level, a community at the municipal level or a university or college at the local academic level may choose to issue a document stating the scope and goals of its program for teaching a second or foreign language. Accordingly, such a curriculum will present broad overall perspectives that can apply to large number of different programs within the specified context. At the state level, the document will be concerned with goals that apply to all types of schools and segments of the population. At the district level it will apply to all schools within the district and at a given university to all the language courses-even though they may be taught in different depart ments. A Syllabus, in contrast to the curriculum, is a more particularized document that addresses a specific audience of learners and teachers, a particular course of study or a particular series of textbooks. Ideally, in this sense, a curriculum should be implemented through a variety of syllabuses and each of these syllabuses should be compatible with the overall curriculum. At the state level this would mean that the curriculum provides general guidelines for all educational planners and policy makers and all material and courseware developers. All textbooks, supplementary materials, tests and courseware would be designed so as to fit the goals specified in the general curriculum. The above definitions and perspectives on syllabus and curriculum thus make it clear that curriculum has a broader scope and starts with deciding course objectives and ends with evaluation to judge whether the course objectives have been met. The term syllabus is seen as a part of curriculum which specifically refers to content selection and classroom delivery. 2.2.2 Classifications of Syllabus and Approaches to Syllabus Design There are at present several proposals and models for what a syllabus might be . Yalden (1983) describes the major current communicative syllabus types which were summarized by J.C. Richards and T.S. Rodgers (1986) with reference sources to each model: Type

The use of a counselling approach

The use of a counselling approach This essay will critically assess the use of a counselling approach which might be appropriate for supporting an identified client through the process of change or coping with stress and Illness. This will be achieved through considering the counselling skills and counselling approaches and also considering how the practitioner will use the chosen approaches to support the client. The essay will also be looking at how the approach will be used with other aspects of intervention relevant for the service users.   The chosen client is a young child, who is of the age of 6 who is currently in primary school. The special needs co-ordinator who is working alongside the client feels that the child in question is withdrawn from the rest of the class and this could possibly be due to a speech and language difficulties that the child may be suffering from. The special co-ordinator will be using art as a form of  counselling the child, alongside using the transactional analysis approach (TA) which inter-links with the psychodynamic approach.    The special needs co-ordinator was particularly used for this child over the other professionals such as a teacher assistant because the special needs co-ordinator is able to give the child regular periods of individual help, by raising the childs self-esteem this is through classroom activities such as creative arts (Szwed, 2007). For example story telling would be used by the child through puppets whereby the child would use the puppets to act out a story, this would allow the special need co-ordinator to identify how the child may be feeling through their thought process through their imagination (Wright, 1995).   It is important to understand that as children are seen to be vulnerable, that the right professional is chosen for them, as the special needs co-ordinator will be working with the child on a daily basis, the child will feel secure and is able to express how they are feeling, this will not only help the child but also the professional to, as the professional is able to gain information from the child, but also the child will feel secure (as they will feel conformable to talk to the professional) and able to recover quickly from their illness (The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2011). Certain skills and training is required by the specials needs co-ordinator in order to support the child. For example as the special need co-ordinator is using art for counselling the child, the professional needs training on how they can interpret the art that the child has made. This is   important because if for example the child draws a firework, that could either represent the child being happy or the child being sad as they are frighten from it, however these skills by the professional only comes when training and support is provide to them (Hegarty, 1993) However, there are many problem that a child may be faced with when dealing with a special need co-ordinator. It is important that the special needs co-ordinator support both the child and the family this is because the family may feel neglected into the stages of the child development so it is important that the professional at all times informs the parent of what happening with the child (Lindsay and Dockrell, 2000)   It is essential that the professional make sure that the child needs and want are paramount this is important because the professional needs to make sure that certain barrier are not crossed and know what the limits are. For example the child may feel enhinder by the special needs co-ordinator because he/she is sitting to close to the child and the child may feel that he/she is not getting treated the same, this could be a result of peer pressure through being teased by the other children (Croll and Moss, 2000)   There are many different approaches that can by used when supporting a client who is going through the counselling process, some of which include the psychodynamic, humanistic and behavioural approach. However for the purpose of this essay, it will be focusing on the psychodynamic approach, which focus on the border picture of the therapeutic approaches (This session was introduced in the counselling module in Week 8 on 24/11/10) (The Counsellors Guide, 2011). For example the psychodynamic approach would by used on a child to try to get them to bring their feeling to the surface, so that the child is understood and can experience their feelings (Hood, 2008) The Psychodynamic approach looks at the principle of that everyone has an unconscious mind. It believes that everyone who has a feeling which is held by the unconscious   part of the mind find it painful to face their feeling. An example of this within children are that children can become very in-denial of their illness or condition. The development of psychodynamic therapy was introduced by a man called Sigmund Freud (Shaver and Mikulincer, 2005) This approach identified that the humans personality can be divided into three components of the Id, Super-Ego and Ego, through the three domains of the mental activity of the unconscious, pre-conscious and conscious (Segrist, 2009). For example the special needs co-ordinator will chose a specific art activity as a way of looking at how the development in the childhood process has had an impact on the child today (Kaplan, 2007)   The transactional analysis approach is an approach that incorporates both the theory of psychotherapy and psychology, however the transactional analysis is based on a integrative model whereby it uses an element of cognitive and psychoanalytic approach but it mainly focuses on the psychoanalytic approach. The transactional analysis approach was developed by a psychiatrist Eric Berne in the late 1950s (Hargaden and Sills, 2002).    According to Berne everyone has three behavioural characterises, which are the adult, parent and child, these are referred to as ego states. The child ego states looks at the way in which the child thinks, feels and behaves from the first few years of their life. For example, for a child it will be looking at how the child has survive through life to reach the stage that they are now (Stewart, 2007) Whereas the adult ego looks at the thinking, feeling and behaviour in the way which is appropriate with what is actually here and now. For example how a persons bereavement process is after losing a love one, through the feeling, thinking and behaviour (Pitman, 1982) However the parent ego looks at how you can copy and borrow from parent and other grown-ups through a variety of social influences such as the media. An example of this would be when a child behaviour changes through a influence of a adult peer due to peer pressure or role models (Midgley, 1999)   For example this approach in relation to the child is saying that the child always has an adult inside them and can experience different characteristics, for example they can show empathy by acting like the adult (Killick and Schaverien, 1997).    Transactional analysis is used on children so that they are able to understand their own emotions and how this affects the childs behaviour. For example the transactional analysis approach would be used on a chid who may have a speech and language difficulty by using drawing to express how the child maybe feeling. For example, when the child has drawn the picture if he/she is feeling anything different and if he/she does feel different, what is it, that is making the child feel the way that they are. If they drawing made the child feel happy what is it that made them feel that way, it could possibility be the use of the creativity used in art through the colourful drawing, then you would look at the past and ask the child how they were feeling then (Teacher.Tv, 2006).    Art is used by the transactional analysis approach for children as it provides an aid which enable the child to communicate in an creative way. This is because as the chosen child is withdrawn from the class due to a speech and language difficulty, the child is less likely to open up and express how they are feeling. Art provides a good bases for the professional to understand the child and change the way in which the child is thinking (Clarkson, 1992). An integrated art therapy exercises was used in the counselling module on the 26/01/11 through creativity by making an object out of art material to identify the process of university life in the last year. From this activity it identified that arts can bring out what the person is feeling and the way in which they can express their feeling and through through the use of art. The approaches to counselling can overlap each other for example transactional analysis and cognitive behavioural therapy according to Hann (2011) stated that both of   these approaches use a collaborative methods, this means that the child and the professional work on equal grounds. However these both do have some limitations, for example although both of the approaches look at the childs past experiences the transactional analysis approach focuss more on the childhood rather than focusing on the here and now whereas the cognitive behavioural approach look at both however it mainly focuss on the behaviour of the child and how that can change the childs thoughts and feeling (Taylor and Francis, 1977).      The transactional analysis approach itself both has it strengths and limitations. For example the strength of the approach is that it look at the childs childhood experience this is a positive as you are able to identify the root cause of the problem however this also can be seen as a disadvantage as you are not considering other factors that may have contributed to the illness such as lifestyle factors. In relation to the ego states the egos may overlap this could be seen both as a positive and a negative, it can be seen as a positive as the communication can be lost when the egos overlap this can be seen as be a negative as the child may loose trust, however it can bee seen to be positive as it considering the overlapping factor of all the egos because the child cant just have one egos sometime a child may overlap through different stages of counselling.    Overall it can be concluded that   Reference à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clarkson, P (1992) Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy (An integrated approach). London: Routledge   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Croll, P and Moses, D (2000) Special Needs in Primary School.   London: Cassell à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Hargaden, H and Sills, C (2002) Transactional Analysis (A Relational Perspective). Sussex: Routledge   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Hann, C (2011) About Counselling/Psychotherapy [WWW]   Counselling/Psychotherapy. Available from: http://www.caroledehaancounselling.co.uk/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/3459?opendocumentHYPERLINK http://www.caroledehaancounselling.co.uk/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/3459?opendocumentpart=2HYPERLINK http://www.caroledehaancounselling.co.uk/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/3459?opendocumentpart=2part=2 [Accessed 02/03/11] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Hegarty, S (1993) Meeting special needs in ordinary school, 2nd ed. London: Cassell Education Limited à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Kaplan, F.F (2007) Art Therapy and Social Action. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Killick, K and Schaverien, J (1997) Art, Psychotherapy and Psychosis. London: Routledge à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lindsay, G and Dockrell, J (2000) The behaviour and self-esteem of children with specific speech and language difficulties. The British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70 (4), pp. 583-601 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Midgley, D (1999) New Direction in Transactional Analysis Counselling. London: Free Association Book Ltd à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Pitman, E (1982) Transactional Analysis: An Introduction to its Theory and Practice . Journals of Social Work, 12, pp. 47-63 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Segrist, D (2009) Whats going in your professors head? Demonstrating the Id, Ego and Superego. Teaching of Psychology, 36 (1), pp. 51-54 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Shaver, P and Mikulincer, M (2005) Attachment theory and research: Resurrection of the psychodynamic approach to personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 39 (1), pp. 22-45 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Stewart, I (2007) Transactional Analysis Counselling in Action, 3rd ed. London: Sage Publication Ltd à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Szwed, C (2007) Reconsidering the role of the primary special educational needs co-ordinator: policy, practice and further priorities. British Journal of Special Education, 34 (2), pp. 96-104 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Taylor and Francis (1977) Free Paper. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, 6 (4), pp. 25 146   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Teacher.Tv (2006) Transactional Analysis [WWW] Teacher.Tv. Available from: http://www.teachers.tv/videos/transactional-analysis [Accessed 02/03/11] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (2011) What is therapy? [WWW] The   British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Available from: http://www.bacp.co.uk [Accessed 28/02/11] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The Counsellors Guide (2011) Psychodynamic Approaches to   Counselling [WWW] The Counsellors Guide. Available from: http://www.thecounsellorsguide.co.uk/psychodynamic-approaches-counselling.html [Accessed 02/03/11] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Wright, A (1995) Storytelling with children. Oxford: Oxford University Press   

Macbeth And Lord Jim :: essays research papers

Realization of one’s imminent death can drastically change an individual. Knowing that death is imminent can change the way we look at things, and cause us to confess our sins. In Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad and Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the main characters experience this trauma. The instant that Jim jumps from the Patna, his life becomes a series of lies that will tamper with him for the rest of his life. He cannot confess the cowardly act that plagues him incessantly and, thus, he is controlled by his hidden secret. Only when he realizes that he is going to die does Jim face the lie. In parallel, Macbeth also is controlled by a lie. Macbeth’s murder of Duncan ignites a guilt inside of him that can only be confronted before he fights Macduff. Macbeth also needs to face the false promises that the witches gave him. These promises give Macbeth a false sense of security which help lead to his demise. Macbeth, like Jim, is badgered by a singular act that prevents him fr om living an honest life. However, both men are able to redeem themselves prior to their deaths. By confronting the lies and dying with dignity, the two men are able to regain some of their honor. The similarity between the two works emphasizes the effect of lies on the way an individual lives, and further stresses the internal struggle that Jim faced after he had jumped from the Patna. In their respective stories, Jim and Macbeth face the lies that dictated their lives and, consequentially, die with some of the dignity and honor that they had once experienced in their lives. This process is described as each man realizes and confronts his lies, faces the fatal consequences, and eventually dies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most significant point in Lord Jim and Macbeth is the respective main character’s realization of his lies. The realization of the lies begin by a singular drastic event that catches both men by surprise. When Tamb’ Itam explains to Jim about Dain Waris’ death, Jim is shocked. Jim separates himself from everyone else to ponder both the past and the present. “What thoughts passed through his head - what memories? Who can tell? Everything was gone, and he who had been once unfaithful to his trust had lost again all men’s confidence. It was then I believe, he tried to write - to somebody and gave it up.

Personal Narrative- Concert :: Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative- Concert As the dark stadium filled with fire, with the sounds of guns and bombs exploding everywhere, the crazed fans yelled at the top of their lungs. The enormous stage was rumbling with the sound of a single guitar as the band slowly started their next encore performance. Soon after I realized that I was actually at the Sanitarium concert listening to Metallica play "One", I thought to my self, "Is this real, am I actually here right now?" I had a weird feeling the entire time because I had worked all summer to simply listen to music with a bunch of strangers. The day started off pretty normal, well, besides the fact that we had all stayed in a house with nothing but an old Nintendo system and a couple of lawn chairs. We went to breakfast at Denny's, after which we made our way to Denver, the site of the day's big event. On our way to my cousin's apartment, we drove by the multi million-dollar complex. It had a huge billboard that said "Summer Sanitarium." To my surprise, I kind of got a nervous feeling. Why? I do not know. We proceeded to my cousin's apartment where the entire group conglomerated in preparation of the concert. We had a large group of people that consisted of Carter, Josh, Seth, Sam and his two brothers, Tim, Kim, Eric, my brother me and. While waiting for the right time to arrive at the event, we had the radio turned to a station that was playing Metallica in honor of their presence in Denver. The moment had finally arrived, we were about to enter the newly built stadium. As we approached the entrance, there was a small line of people waiting their turn to be frisked. While waiting in line, I noticed that there were certain things not allowed into the stadium for safety reasons. One lady had a large chain that resembled a dog chain in her pocket. The guard told her to take it back to her car or throw it in the trash. When the lady threw her chain in the trash I realized how devoted some of these fans really were. I thought to myself," maybe I'm not as big of fan as I thought," and continued through the gates. After our entire group got through security we had to separate, due to the different seating assignments.

Countrywide Financial

Countrywide Financial: The Subprime Meltdown Course:| MAN3065| | Team or Group #:| 8| Date submitted:| 02/27/13| Reference#:| 726077| | Term:| 2012-2| | Days:| M & W| | Time:| 7:05pm – 8:20pm| | Prof: | Hoa N. Burrows, CPA| Countrywide Financial: The Subprime Meltdown Questions: 1. Are subprime loans an unethical financial instrument, or are they ethical tools that were misused? We believed subprime loans are ethical tools that were misused.Subprime loans involve â€Å"lending to borrowers, generally people who would not qualify for traditional loans, at a rate higher than the prime rate† (Ferrell et al 385) meaning that it is a financial instrument in which borrowers benefit from accessing capital that otherwise would have been denied to them, and financial institutions benefit from charging a higher interest. What made subprime loans so attractive was the fact that it enabled low-income individuals and minorities (no qualifies for regular loans) to have access to home ownership.In the right hands, in the right time, a subprime loan could signify an important tool for different minorities to improve the quality of their lives by obtaining financing for more than just home mortgages but also school tuition, for example (Iacono). However, as the Countrywide Financial case illustrates, there is wide misuse of this tool by institutions that engage in indiscriminate lending for the sake of short-term profits at the risk of major financial downturn, as in the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Ferrell et al 388) Moreover, while lending money to low-income and minority families justifies a higher interest rate due to the risk of debt default, lending money to families that would very unlikely be in the capacity to fully repay their mortgage is a threat to both the financial institution – who would had lost the invested money – and the borrowers who would be forced to face foreclosure; but even more threatening were the endless securities backed on these subprime loans, whose real risk were only known by Countrywide Financial.By deciding to lend money indiscriminately, this company ended up misusing a financial instrument that would have otherwise brought on progress for its customers and the company itself. 2. Discuss the ethical issues that caused the downfall of Countrywide Financial Different ethical issues caused the downfall of Countrywide Financial including unethical actions of both the company and the borrowers. Firstly, Countrywide Financial misused the adjustable rate mortgage (ARM): Borrowers were told that they would not get negatively affected with an increasing interest rate as the value of their property would increase accordingly.Nonetheless, when the recession came many of these borrowers discovered they were unable to pay. (Ferrell et al 386). Secondly, between many of the accusations against Countrywide, two of the main ones were that â€Å"real estate appraisers began to inflate the value of homes to ens ure that loans would go through. † (Ferrell et al 387), and that they had a special VIP discount mortgage programs for high-end well qualified individuals who had no need for discounts, called â€Å"Friends of Angelo†, Angelo Mozilo’s – Countrywide Financial CEO -friends including Senator Charles E. Schumer and Representative Henry A.Waxman. (Ferrell et al 390) Fourthly, Countrywide Financial was negligent in knowingly â€Å"giving out highly risky loans to people who could not afford them for the sake of quick profit† (Ferrell et al 389) which also brought out the question of whether the company was also involved in predatory lending – misleading its borrowers. (Ferrell et al 389) On the other hand, borrower’s actions were also unethical as it was proven they were dishonest in their loan applications: â€Å"90% of liar loan applicants knowingly overstated their income, with three out of five overstating it by at least 50%. However th is fact only seems to prove that Countrywide was helping borrowers falsifying information in order to secure the loan. (Ferrell et al 389) 3. How should Bank of America deal with potential ethical and legal misconduct discovered at Countrywide Having acquired Countrywide Financial’s debt and bad reputation, Bank of America should focus on disconnecting itself from previous affiliates that were a part of the former company during their financial meltdown, such as ex CEO Angelo Mozilo, ex COO David Sambol, and ex CFO Sieracki (Ferrell et al 392).In addition to this they should make sure that the required information is being promptly provided to pertaining authorities. Moreover, Bank of America should ensure that a proper risk management policy is set up, continuing as well with programs to ease loan terms and prevent borrowers from losing their homes, such as the Countrywide Comprehensive Home Preservation Program which helped consumers refinance their debt. Ferrell et al 388) In conclusion, Bank of America should continue with their current actions whilst making sure the authorities are getting the information necessary to reach the bottom of what really happened at Countrywide Financial, and thus prevent this situation from ever happening again. . Works Cited Ferrell, O. C. , John Fraedrich and Linda Ferrell. Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases. Mason: South-Western, 2011. Iacono, Tim. â€Å"Iacono Research†. One-Third of Student Loans Are Subprime Loans. 04 02 2013. 22 02 2013 .

Shifting Experiences of Work and Non-Work Life

Work, Employment & Society http://wes. sagepub. com/ Life after Burberry: shifting experiences of work and non-work life following redundancy Paul Blyton and Jean Jenkins Work Employment Society 2012 26: 26 DOI: 10. 1177/0950017011426306 The online version of this article can be found at: http://wes. sagepub. com/content/26/1/26 Published by: http://www. sagepublications. com On behalf of: British Sociological Association Additional services and information for Work, Employment & Society can be found at: Email Alerts: http://wes. sagepub. com/cgi/alertsSubscriptions: http://wes. sagepub. com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www. sagepub. com/journalsReprints. nav Permissions: http://www. sagepub. com/journalsPermissions. nav Citations: http://wes. sagepub. com/content/26/1/26. refs. html >> Version of Record – Feb 17, 2012 What is This? Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 Beyond redundancy: article Life after Burberry: shifting experiences o f work and non-work life following redundancy Work, Employment and Society 26(1) 26–41  © The Author(s) 2012Reprints and permission: sagepub. co. uk/journalsPermissions. nav DOI: 10. 1177/0950017011426306 wes. sagepub. com Paul Blyton Cardiff University, UK Jean Jenkins Cardiff University, UK Abstract This article sheds new light on neglected areas of recent ‘work-life’ discussions. Drawing on a study of a largely female workforce made redundant by factory relocation, the majority subsequently finding alternative employment in a variety of work settings, the results illustrate aspects of both positive and negative spillover from work to non-work life.In addition, the findings add to the growing number of studies that highlight the conditions under which part-time working detracts from, rather than contributes to, successful work-life balance. The conclusion discusses the need for a more multi-dimensional approach to work-life issues. Keywords part-time work, po sitive/negative spillover, redundancy, re-employment, work-life balance Introduction Recent discussion of the relationship between work and non-work life – much f it focused on the notion of work-life balance – has tended to give preference to two aspects of that relationship over others. First, there has been a marked tendency to consider the impact of work on non-work life to a much greater extent than vice versa. Second, as Corresponding author: Jean Jenkins, Cardiff University, Aberconway Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU, Wales, UK. Email: [email  protected] ac. uk Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 27 Blyton and JenkinsGuest (2002: 260) has pointed out, there has been an equal tendency to explore ‘work-life conflict’ rather than examine possible positive associations within that relationship. For Guest (2002: 263), this reflects a widely held view that over the past generation the pressure of work has be come a more dominant feature of many people’s lives, as a result of among other things perceived increases in work demands and a widespread expectation to show commitment by working long hours (see, for example, McGovern et al. , 2007; Perlow, 1999).Coupled with the growth in female labour market participation, particularly among women with dependent children, this is seen to increase pressure on non-work activity by reducing the time and/or energy available to fulfil outside responsibilities. Where the possibility for positive ‘spillover’ (Staines, 1980) between work and nonwork life has been examined, this has mainly been undertaken by social psychologists, generally approaching the issue both from an individual perspective and with the non-work focus primarily on the family.Examples include studies that have identified a positive association between an individual’s job satisfaction and their satisfaction with family life (for example, Near et al. , 1987 ). Less attention has been addressed to more aggregate levels of analysis more typically explored by sociologists, such as the influence of the work group or workplace community on life outside work (for a notable exception, see Grzywacz et al. , 2007, and for earlier sociological accounts, see Horobin, 1957; Tunstall, 1962).Yet, despite the attention given to the potential for positive spillover of individual-level factors, even among psychologists the clear direction of travel has been to examine possible conflictual rather than beneficial relationships between aspects of work and non-work life. In their meta-analysis of 190 studies of associations between work and family, for example, Eby et al. (2005) found almost three times the number of studies focusing on the unfavourable effects of one sphere on the other, compared to those considering possible favourable effects.Even more starkly, of all the studies examining the effects of work on family or vice versa, less than one in fi ve of the studies entertained the possibility of the relationship being characterized by both favourable and unfavourable effects. A recent study involving a largely female manufacturing workforce made redundant by factory relocation, most of whom subsequently found alternative employment in a variety of work settings, allows for examination of some of the neglected aspects of the relationship between work and life outside work.In several respects the nature of this study in terms of the workplace and its location – a large clothing manufacturer, Burberry, in the Rhondda Valleys of South Wales – is somewhat distinctive. In earlier times the plant had been one among a cluster of factories in its locality, but the decline of coal and manufacturing meant that it had become the biggest employer for a relatively isolated community in an economically depressed area. Thus, while in operation, the factory exerted a considerable impact on the non-work lives (both in terms of fa mily and community) of its workforce.Indeed, there was a symbiotic relationship between community and workplace in our case that resonates with Cunnison’s (1966) earlier garment factory study. Such windows on the interaction of factory and community are becoming increasingly rare in the context of manufacturing decline in the UK and the changing nature of what a ‘workplace’ has become. The study provides insight into the journey of a redundant manufacturing workforce into new Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 28 Work, Employment and Society 26(1) mployment in the contemporary labour market. In this, there are clear points of reference to be drawn with Bailey et al. ’s (2008) study of redundancy at the MG Rover plant at Longbridge, Birmingham, UK, even though that study dealt with respondents from a quite different demographic and skills base. Manufacturing employment in Britain has typically involved workers employed fulltime and this pattern also prevailed in clothing factories, including our case (see Kersley et al. , 2006: 78; also Phizacklea, 1990: 66).Factory closure and the paucity of good jobs in the immediate locality gave workers limited choice and the subsequent employment experience of many of our female respondents (the majority of whom were over 45 years of age) involved part-time jobs in the service sector. Their responses usefully contribute to discussions (led by Walsh, 2007; Walters, 2005; Warren, 2004, among others) on the extent to which (and conditions under which) part-time working may contribute to (or detract from) a successful work-life balance.It is evident from the present sample that both part-time employment – particularly the lower incomes deriving from that work – and the lack of stability in the hours worked, had a significant negative impact on different aspects of non-work life. What emerges is a picture that highlights the obstacles to positive sp illover in part-time, low wage service sector occupations which fail to offer workers stability and security in terms of contracts, hours or earnings.To explore these issues, the remainder of the article is divided into five sections. First, the context of the study is outlined: the nature of the community and the closure of the factory that was the focus for our enquiry. Second we describe our investigation and our maintained connection with a sample of the workforce made redundant and their trade union representatives. The third and fourth sections trace the changing nature of the relationship between workplace and life outside work: the shift from a largely positive o a more problematic association as employment experiences altered. While the third section examines the association between Burberry and broader features of workers’ lives, the fourth explores work and non-work experiences of workers following the Burberry closure. This fourth section explores, among other thi ngs, the effects of parttime working and unpredictable work hours on the families and social lives of our respondents.The final, fifth section reflects on the findings and underlines the value of work-life enquiries adopting a more context-sensitive and multi-dimensional approach to the interconnections between work, family and community. The context: the locality and the factory This study centres on the experiences of women and men employed by Burberry, until the closure of its manufacturing plant in South Wales in 2007. The Burberry factory studied was located in Treorchy, a former coal-mining town in the Rhondda Valleys.This region saw ‘permanent structural change’ during the last quarter of the 20th century, due to the acute decline of coal mining and steel (Williams, 1998: 87, 121). Regeneration has been a regional government priority but the relative geographical isolation of valley towns like Treorchy presents particular challenges for individuals in travelling for work and also for agencies charged with attracting alternative sources of investment (Bryan et al. , 2003).Founded in 1939, the factory changed ownership more than once, with Burberry being a customer throughout its history and taking full ownership in the late Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 29 Blyton and Jenkins 1980s. At its height, the factory employed 1500 employees and though employment levels had contracted to around 300 by 2007, it remained a key employer in the area. As was the case in Cunnison’s (1966) study, the community outside the workplace entered the factory gates in the form of amilial ties, friendships and long-established associations and over time the plant had acquired a strong local identity as an example of the surviving manufacturing sector and a bastion of ‘jobs in the Valleys’. The factory’s workforce was overwhelmingly female, reflecting the gender profile of the clothing sector gener ally (Winterton and Taplin, 1997b: 10). Low levels of recruitment in latter years had resulted in an ageing workforce, with the majority of workers at the factory being 45 years or older.As part of a ‘buyer-driven’ global value chain (Gereffi, 1994), the British clothing industry has experienced structural change associated with outsourcing and outward processing of production (Jones, 2006: 101). While Burberry had formerly set itself apart from the trend to off-shoring by ‘focussed differentiation and niche marketing’ (Winterton and Taplin, 1997a: 194) of its high value garments as ‘quintessentially British’, in 2006 it joined the ranks of other producers and gave notice of its intention to relocate the Treorchy plant’s production to China in the interests of cheaper labour costs.The shock of the notice of closure was deeply felt in a community with limited prospects of alternative work and within a workplace with a strong social networ k. In his earlier study of garment workers, Lupton (1963: 72–3) comments that factory life was made tolerable by the sociable groupings that evolved within their walls, and that workers’ attachment to the company ‘sprang very largely from [their] emotional attachment to the small group of friends rather than any love for work that had little intrinsic value, or for their employer’.As well as the loss of these sorts of relationships, the Burberry workers also feared the loss to the local community of a factory which had, over its 70-year history, become emblematic of secure employment and was regarded, as one respondent commented, as a ‘guaranteed job †¦ a job for life’. Thus, when Burberry made its announcement, the workforce reacted with outrage and disbelief. A fierce campaign attracted considerable media attention, but the plant closed in March 2007 (for a discussion of the closure campaign, see Blyton and Jenkins, 2009).For the majori ty of our respondents, closure meant the end of their workplace community and the rupture of friendships and associations that had been built up over lifetimes. It also meant entry into a new world of job search or enforced ‘retirement’ in the context of low pay and limited choice. The study Using survey, interview and observational methods, we have examined several aspects of the redundancies, and individuals’ subsequent employment experiences, over a longitudinal research period which had key stages in 2007, 2008 and 2009.The research began in January 2007, and initially concentrated on the workers’ campaign against closure of the plant. Regular interviews were held with full-time and lay union representatives, and shop-floor staff, and a short survey was issued to employees in February 2007, while the plant was still open. A further survey of the effects of redundancy was issued in March 2008 (one year after plant closure) and interviews with union repr esentatives have continued up to the present. In addition, the authors attended various public and trade union meetings and workers’ reunions occurring since the plant closure. Downloaded from wes. sagepub. om at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 30 Work, Employment and Society 26(1) As the initial 2007 survey sought information specifically on employees’ response to the union campaign against closure, it has only a limited contribution to make to this article’s focus on the effects of redundancy. The 2008 survey and interviews conducted in 2009 provided the main sources of information about the effects of redundancy. It was in this phase of the research that the focus was on workers’ employment experiences since redundancy as well as aspects of their previous employment and comparisons were drawn between life ‘before and after Burberry’.The 2008 survey was posted to the homes of 191 former shop-floor staff (all the staff we were able to s ecure home addresses for) and 80 usable replies were received (a response rate of 42%). Reflecting the lower levels of recruitment at the factory in latter years, 70 per cent of the respondents were 45 years or older (74% were married or living with a partner, and 70% had no children living at home). Of the 80 respondents, 71 (89%) were female. The full-time union representative for the largest union in the plant, the GMB,1 estimated the ratio of female to male employment within the factory at 80:20.Employment records could not be obtained to verify this estimate but it was a good reflection of the profile of shop-floor union membership, which stood at around 80 per cent density. In January 2009, the 28 respondents to the 2008 survey who had indicated their willingness to participate in ongoing research were contacted and asked to participate in interviews about their experiences since redundancy. Eleven agreed and semistructured interviews took place, focusing on their experiences while employed at the factory and the way their lives had changed in the two years since the closure.Interviews took place in respondents’ own homes and lasted, on average, one hour and 40 minutes. Two interviewees were male, nine were female. Despite the predominance of female respondents in the survey and interviews, male workers at the plant participated in all phases of the research in rough proportion to their representation at the workplace, and work-life issues for both men and women in the study were negatively impacted by low paid, insecure work in the prevailing labour market environment.In terms of its representativeness and relevance for wider social enquiry, it is acknowledged that this study has many distinct features in terms of workplace and location, but it contributes to the building of generalizations (see Gerring, 2004: 341, 352) in two areas. First, Burberry’s own cost-focused rationale for closure highlights the workings of the garment value chain and the fact that low paid female workers in a mature economy are now ‘too expensive’ to manufacture garments – even those at the high end of the retail market.Thus, what is examined in this case is a particular instance of the ‘new forms of inequality’ (Glucksmann, 2009: 878) which result from an international division of labour where labour is casualized and ‘recommodified’ in the service sector of the global north (see Standing, 2009: 70–78) as manufacturing relocates for cheaper people and more favourable regulatory regimes elsewhere. Second, the respondents’ experiences of job search contribute to analysis and understanding of the contemporary British labour market and the increasing phenomenon of nvoluntary part-time working, particularly among women (Yerkes and Visser, 2006: 253). In this respect, Bailey et al. ’s (2008) study of job search and re-employment of Longbridge workers is a useful comparator for th e present enquiry even though their respondents differed from the Burberry workforce in that 90 per cent were male and were mainly professional, skilled, semi-skilled or technical workers. The Longbridge results indicate that, post-closure: Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 31 Blyton and Jenkins igher earning occupations were more likely to travel for work and were consequently much better placed to cope with job loss; men were more likely to find alternative full-time jobs; redundant workers needed ongoing support and training; women were more likely to be found in part-time employment in the service sector; and those workers moving from manufacturing into public services in education, health and social care (as did the majority of the Burberry respondents) reported the largest decline in salary, which Bailey and colleagues (2008: 54) refer to as a particular indicator of ‘growing labour market polarization and inequality’.In det ailing key factors in successful efforts at re-employment, Bailey et al. ’s findings help to illuminate what was absent from the demographic and skills profile of the Burberry respondents and highlight the factors which limited their prospects for re-employment. It is evident in the Burberry case that low paid, full-time female manufacturing workers classed as unskilled became low paid, part-time service sector workers out of necessity not choice.The majority of workers could not travel for work due to a range of factors, among which low earnings, job insecurity and the close intersection between their work and non-work lives were prime considerations. While it was perhaps the very legacy of poor pay and the marginalization of women’s work as ‘unskilled’ at the Burberry plant which presented the greatest challenges for e-employment, the factory had undoubted compensations: it offered a working week that had fixed boundaries of time and effort, perceived jo b security, norms of employment that followed women’s life patterns and strong sociable groupings, all of which allowed workers to make positive accommodations between their paid and unpaid working lives. In the contemporary ‘low-skilled’ labour market outside the plant, most of these compensations were absent and the combined effects of low hourly rates of pay and unpredictable part-time hours in their changed employment eroded any positive spillover from work.The following sections examine these factors in greater detail. The changing relationship between work and life outside work: Burberry and community integration As the majority of employees and our respondents were female, a key issue in the findings related to the intersection of paid and unpaid work in the lives of women workers. Working near to home in a close-knit workplace had helped women manage the integration of their work and non-work lives in various ways; these were explored in interviews at the time of the closure, in unstructured discussions at public events, and in the interviews conducted in 2009.Five factors in particular were most commented on in relation to ways in which the factory was positively interconnected with the lives of the workers in the community. First, frequent reference was made to the advantages of the workplace’s proximity to their homes: No bus fare to pay, on the doorstep. I could leave the house at 25 to eight and be clocking on at a quarter to. We used to finish at 4. 40 and I’d be home by 4. 45. I could get on with my ironing before tea. I absolutely hated it the day I started, but it was so convenient – you’d finish at 4. 0 and be home at five. Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 32 Work, Employment and Society 26(1) This proximity was also helpful in coping with unforeseen domestic emergencies: We didn’t earn a lot but I had a job where I was near to home. I could cope w ith all the commitments in my private life, if my mother was taken ill [for example]. The second most commonly referred-to factor was the reliability of the company as a source of employment, with relatives able to ‘have a word’ with Personnel to secure employment for other family members.Interviewees referred to relatives made redundant several times from other manufacturing jobs before getting ‘security’ in a job at Burberry. Many had several members of their family working at the factory. It was like a family – when I started work, my mother worked there, her sister worked there, my father’s sister worked there, my own sister worked there and I had two or three cousins there. Out of the 14 houses in my street, 10 of them had Burberry workers living in them.Such was the prevalence of familial ties throughout the plant that one interviewee commented that her husband always referred to his mother by her first name when inside the factory, sayi ng that there was no point in calling her ‘Mam’ because ‘there were so many mothers and children on the shop-floor’. A number of people met their future spouses at the plant and patterns of life-time work within the factory traditionally facilitated exit and re-entry into work, following childbearing.The expectation of a job being available resulted in many women giving up work to have families, in the knowledge – accurate up to the last years – of re-employment at a later date. A third advantage for life outside work was perceived to be the factory’s predictable working hours. Almost all staff (over 95%) at Burberry were employed full-time, with the factory operating Monday to Friday, 7. 45 a. m. to 4. 40 p. m.As one respondent commented after the closure, she ‘really missed the Monday to Friday routine’ – this routine being something else that was seen to compensate for the low wage rates paid at the factory (and a routine absent from many jobs subsequently obtained, as discussed below). Fourth, many references were made to the social aspects of work, with interviewees and survey respondents using terms such as their ‘Burberry family’ and ‘one big family’, where they saw their neighbours every day.Though aspects of the work routines were reported as ‘strict’, the work atmosphere was clearly punctuated by ‘all the laughs’ they had, and the everyday chat. Comments on the latter included: Officially we were supposed to start at 7. 45 but some of us used to go in 15 minutes early for a chat before we started work. Once you’d done your number [piecework target] you could take a break and go upstairs to the toilets for a chat.As in Lupton’s study (1963: 72–3), the workers did not idealize the tensions or the work of factory life at the Burberry plant, which was hard and low paid, particularly for the majority of female workers who earned little more than the national minimum wage. Comments about their ‘Burberry family’ were made alongside derogatory remarks about Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 33 Blyton and Jenkins their former employers. Thus nostalgia for factory life was reserved for memories of events and those friendships and people that had characterized workers’ experience of employment at the plant.There were also more organized social activities such as charity fund-raising events, works trips and parties which were clearly valued (and missed) and, in combination with the informal relations between workers, had contributed significantly to the ongoing contact with others in the community. In addition to these four aspects of positive connection between work and non-work life, respondents identified two further, related attributes of their work that had relevance for life outside the factory.First, several commented on the skills they had acquired at Burberry and the positive feelings that this had given them (‘pride at being a Burberry worker’). Examples of reported skills were numerous, including the interviewees who pointed out ‘hand-sewers’ still working at the plant in 2007, and indicated their level of skill in comments such as ‘we used to prove the methods’ (‘proving a method’ involved transferring a design from planning into full production, something necessary from time to time with difficult garments, and requiring considerable expertise).Several referred to the national awards for excellence won by the factory, to the long hours they had worked beyond their contracts, and being always keen to ‘get the work out’. Closely associated with the pride in their skills, a number of respondents reported an acquired status that reflected responsibilities held within the factory which they felt had been undermined by job loss. The quest to maintain social status and social identity has been recognized in studies of redundancy among men, such as former steel workers (Harris, 1987: 36).From several ex-Burberry respondents came comments that they were shocked to find themselves treated in the job search process as ‘low skilled’ or ‘unskilled’ (as a result of generally lacking certified or accredited qualifications), with their former status within the plant often being replaced by alternative employment in junior-level service sector jobs. One interviewee, for example, who had held supervisory responsibilities at Burberry, commented that her next employer (the retail chain Argos) entrusted her with virtually no responsibility: ‘they didn’t know me or what I’d done’.In their study, Bailey et al. (2008: 50) comment on the crucial influence of the local labour market for re-employment, together with accredited skills, the need for ongoing training support and help with travelling for work. Our findings lead us to agree that the propensity to travel and retrain for work are key determinants of success in job search, and this former supervisor at Burberry was an example of what occurs when low paid, insecure, unpredictable work makes travel too costly.Though she had taken advantage of short-term training courses offered by local employment services, she was unable to gain recognition for the skills she had acquired over 40 years of factory working and had been able to obtain only two temporary jobs since factory closure. She described the consequent effects on her sense of purpose and identity and the negative physical and emotional effects of being a ‘job-seeker’ for the first time in her life in her mid-50s, as ‘devastating’ and the cause of depression.All told, our respondents (even those who said they had grown to enjoy their new employment and were earning more) expressed regret at the loss of the social factors that have been d iscussed in this section, which constituted significant compensations for the comparatively low wage rates at the Burberry plant. After closure, the legacy of years of low pay and particularly the marginalization of women’s work as ‘unskilled’ meant that Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 34Work, Employment and Society 26(1) job search was an activity that prioritized the local labour market. Once workers entered new forms of employment, however, they did so without the supporting structure of the social network and sense of identity that (for them) had defined the experience of being a Burberry worker. The changing relationship between work and life outside work: redundancy, re-employment and social isolation The vast majority of the redundant Burberry workers restricted their job search to their own locality.This choice was partly facilitated by the building of a new Wal-Mart Asda store, along with the availability of care work with the local authority. Data from the local Job Centre Plus confirmed our finding that the majority of Burberry workers prioritized proximity of alternative employment over other factors such as remaining in similar occupations or moving for alternative manufacturing opportunities elsewhere. The context of low pay made relocation financially unrealistic, even if it had been desired. In 2007 the local jobs market was dominated by part-time hours, relatively low earnings and little perceived security.These criteria fall far short of an incentive to move established households and lose the support network of family, community and friends. As well as the risk of not finding better or secure employment elsewhere, workers faced the constraints of the housing market and the low property values characteristic of deindustrialized areas, which effectively trap people in regions of high unemployment (McNulty, 1987: 42). Relocation was therefore an unrealistic option for the majority of our respondents, but this did not prevent it being proposed for consideration during the process of job search.One male interviewee recounted his first visit to a local Job Centre Plus, where he was faced with a question he found outrageous: Do you know the first thing they [Job Centre staff] said to me was, ‘Are you prepared to move? ’ Can you believe that? Why would I want to move away? I said no, I wouldn’t. This reaction was typical of the majority of our respondents. While the plant was still open but under notice of closure, Burberry provided employment consultants to help with job search and vacancies were posted on the factory notice-board.One interviewee described how she and other workers used to ‘have a laugh’ about the jobs being advertised hundreds of miles outside Rhondda, many of which were also part-time at minimum wage rates. Several interviewees commented (during the run-up to closure and in later interviews) that they regarded the posting of such jobs as not only ridiculous but also a cynical ploy to misrepresent their situation, feeling that Burberry could claim it was doing all it could to meet its responsibilities to a workplace community that could find alternative work if only it took up the opportunities the company had researched on their behalf.For workers though, not only relocation but the option of daily commuting was constrained by the precise nature of work available. The costs and difficulties of travel for variable shifts and short daily hours spread over 24 hours and five or seven days of the week were not likely to be sustainable on a low income. All these factors made relocation and travelling for work to different degrees economically impracticable. Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 35 Blyton and Jenkins Table 1.Summary of patterns of work and earnings for former Burberry workers one year after redundancy Respondents Male (n=9) Female (n=71) As % of total respondents 11% 89% Working patterns prior to factory closure, March 2007 No. and proportion employed full-time 9 (100%) 68 (94%) Working patterns following factory closure, March 2008 No. of respondents in paid work 7 46 No. and proportion employed full-time 7 (100%) 19 (41%) No. and proportion in part-time work 0 27 (59%) Proportion of respondents in paid work, 28% 23% eporting an increase in weekly earnings Proportion of respondents in paid work, 71% 56% reporting a fall in weekly earnings All (n=80) 100% 77 (95%) 53 26 (49%) 27 (51%) 24% 59% At the time of our 2008 survey, just over two-thirds of the respondents were in paid work with the remainder divided roughly equally between those who had retired and those still seeking employment. The majority of those in work were in the same job that they found on leaving Burberry, while 15 respondents had had two or more jobs since their redundancy.The areas of paid work entered by our sample were mainly in the manufacturing, home -care or retail sectors; two-thirds of respondents in paid work entered relatively low-skill service sector employment. Table 1 highlights the study’s findings on the nature of re-employment patterns. Just over half of the respondents in paid work were employed part-time, on hours ranging from six to 30 per week (and with a mean and mode of 20 hours).Most (88%) of those with part-time jobs reported that their actual hours varied week by week. Those in care work and retail jobs were especially likely to hold part-time contracts with variable hours. The care contracts, for example, typically began as (effectively) zero-hour contracts with no hours guaranteed until a training period was completed. After that, just 16 hours per week were commonly guaranteed, though workers could be asked to work as many as 30 hours in a week depending on demand.The same was true of retail work, though attaining a 30-hour week was far less common in that sector. For many, their parttime status (ra ther than their hourly rate of pay) was the principal reason why their weekly earnings were lower than they had been at Burberry. In several subsequent interviews, respondents commented that making ends meet while working part-time was only made viable by supplementary state benefits and that part-time employment dominated available opportunities rather than being a chosen option.Both from survey responses and interview comments, it was also clear that many were subject to working time patterns that not only varied from week to week but were also highly unpredictable, in terms of both timing and duration. For those on variablehours contracts, their shifts could be scheduled during the daytime, evening or weekends, and for many their forthcoming weekly schedule was known only at the latter end of the previous week. In interviews, the majority of respondents commented on the difficulties Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 6 Work, Employment and S ociety 26(1) created in their home lives by the variability and unpredictability of their new work commitments. One interviewee, for example, employed full-time as a hotel receptionist in 2008 had had her hours cut to 20 per week when interviewed in 2009, and she received just ? 120. 00 gross weekly pay. Though contractually her employer undertook to issue shift patterns and times one month in advance, in practice working patterns were given to her weekly. Shifts ran from 7 a. m to 3 p. m. , 10 a. m. to 6 p. m. , and 3 p. m. o 11 p. m. , and it was quite normal to have to undertake ‘back-to-back’ shifts finishing at 11 p. m. and starting work again at 7 a. m. She commented that the ‘worst thing’ about the job was the timing and unpredictability of the shift work: You can’t plan anything. I’ve just had to cancel a dentist’s appointment because they’ve called me in for a shift and I can’t make another appointment because I w on’t know what I’m working next week. Without her parents’ help, this interviewee commented that she could not have coped with caring for her daughter.It was family support that allowed her to achieve any sort of balance, however imperfect, between her paid and unpaid working life and the tax-credit state benefit (effectively acting as a subsidy for a low paying employer) was an essential factor allowing her to afford to travel to work and keep her employment. A further example of the negative impact of unpredictable hours concerned another respondent who now worked for the local authority (via their care work agency) and was a married mother of two children.Her employment was typical of work in this sector in that it began (in 2007) as a zero-hour contract, with actual hours of work determined wholly by demand. She received notice of her hours each weekend, for the following week. Her shifts were normally based on notional patterns of 8 a. m. to 10. 30 a. m. an d 4. 30 p. m. to 6 p. m. over a seven-day period, but she never knew exactly how many hours she would be given (or which days she would work) for the week ahead. As a new employee, in common with all new recruits, she was classed as ‘casual’ and therefore had no guaranteed hours of work.The interviewee explained that this meant that she sometimes had four hours’ work for a week, but that this could just as likely be twenty or thirty, depending on what her supervisor assigned. ‘Permanent’ status was necessary to attain guaranteed minimum income equivalent to 16 hours’ work per week. As a ‘casual’, she said that planning her income or any sort of family event was impossible; even knowing her hours one week in advance did not help as ‘they can call you, phone you, any time and ask you to come in’.And as a worker hopeful of allocation to a permanent team and reliant on the support of her line manager, this interviewee did not feel she had the scope to refuse any such request. In January 2010, she had still not been upgraded from casual status and could depend on just three hours’ work a week. Unpredictable work patterns were not the sole preserve of women workers. Men were more likely to obtain full-time work but, anecdotally, were more prone to lay-off or seasonally influenced working patterns.One of our male respondents found a seasonal, 40-hour a week job marginally above the national minimum wage rate after several months of unemployment. With no security of contract or predictability of hours, he worked entirely according to the employer’s demand. In the summer he could work as many as 65 hours a week, reducing to 20 at other periods, and was laid off altogether in Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 37 Blyton and Jenkins the coldest months.Hours of work were notified one week in advance, but were frequently subject to change on the day. He re garded placing his time completely at the employer’s disposal as essential to keep his employment. This interviewee had a history of 30 years of regular employment at Burberry and commented that his new working life was a source of anxiety for the future. Jobs with such variable and unpredictable hours have become common in sectors such as retailing (Backett-Milburn et al. , 2008; Henly et al. 2006; Lambert, 2008; Zeytinoglu et al. , 2004) and care (Henninger and Papouschek, 2008; Rubery et al. , 2005). It is also clear that further variability occurs in ‘real time’ as employees are requested at short notice to stay on, or leave early, to reflect particular work circumstances. For management, this access to variable hours offers a means of deploying labour to shadow fluctuations both in demand and available staff but for the people we were interviewing, this variability and unpredictability had many drawbacks.In particular these disadvantages included: a general uncertainty over their work schedule, making it difficult to plan activities outside work; for some, increased problems of organizing childcare and maintaining a consistent care arrangement; a disruption to domestic routines such as meal times; and a lack of stable income as earnings fluctuated with actual hours worked. In the 2008 survey, questions were also asked about changes in other areas of respondents’ non-work lives since the factory closure. Responses to a question about socializing and friendships since the closure showed a marked deterioration.Almost three in five (58%) indicated that this aspect of their life had got worse, compared to 30 per cent saying it had stayed the same and a minority reporting an improvement. In subsequent interviews, several commented that they saw friends and neighbours much less now that Burberry had closed and female interviewees remained emotional about their changed situation even two years after the closure: I miss the company †¦ I can pick the phone up and speak to people, but it’s not the same. Now, I have no social life. There are no friends passing here nd although people say they will keep in touch, they don’t. A similar picture was evident in relation to community involvement. Over two in five of the survey respondents reported a decline in their community involvement since the factory closure, compared to approximately one in seven who reported an increase (the remainder reporting no change). Both in comments on the survey and in interview comments, several references were made to having ‘less money for going out’, compared to former full-time earnings at Burberry.This was especially the case for part-time workers. Those working part-time were more likely (compared to their counterparts in full-time jobs) to indicate that both their level of friendships and community involvement had deteriorated in the time since the factory closure. From comments in interviews, it was ev ident that reduced involvement with friends and the community were issues related to the break up of the workplace community (which had acted as a conduit to wider community involvement), lack of income and the consequence of more fragmented work patterns.Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 38 Work, Employment and Society 26(1) Conclusion While other responses made by the former Burberry workers indicated that the clothing factory was far from an ideal place to work, the factory nevertheless engendered a strong sense of workplace community which in turn extended to various aspects of workers’ non-work lives. As a consequence, the workplace had a number of positive spillover effects into the non-work lives of its workforce.The frequency of interpersonal contact, access to employment for family members, the sense of pride, skill and status that the work generated and the proximity of work to home: all were seen to create a beneficial effect on the workers’ lives more generally. The way that, for many, these factors later diminished, further underlines what the workers had gained from working at Burberry. Subsequent work, much of it part-time and/or with irregular and unpredictable hours, undermined the stability of contact, interaction and social life that had prevailed hitherto.Widespread reductions in earnings exacerbated this situation with less disposable income to spend on a social life. These insights into work to non-work spillover contribute to the work-life debate in two ways. First, they underline the limitations of couching the discussion, as has been common, in terms of the negative impact of work on non-work life. It was clear among this group of workers that their former work experience at Burberry had generated various positive spillover effects, these only diminishing as they moved to other employment after the factory closed.Second, as was discussed at the head of the article, any attention tha t has been given to positive spillover from work to home has focused largely on the influence of individual work-related variables such as job satisfaction. Aspects of these individual-level factors were certainly present among the ex-Burberry workers: a sense, for example, that the status acquired through responsibilities in the factory also had meaning in the non-work community.Importantly, what the present study underlines are more group level, sociological factors positively affecting areas of non-work life: the importance, for example, of interaction among the workforce, reinforced by chat, gossip and ‘having a laugh’. Further, the way the factory represented a source of family, rather than solely individual, employment and the proximate location of the factory in the Treorchy community further reinforced a sense of community both inside and outside the factory.The study’s findings also contribute to the discussion on the extent to which parttime working can contribute to work-life balance or, put differently, the way part-time work reflects a preference for a particular balance of time between work and non-work (Hakim, 2000). Several authors (for example, Walsh, 2007; Walters, 2005; Warren, 2004) have already pointed to the shortcomings of using part-time work as an indicator of a preference and a strategy for achieving work-life balance – noting in particular that this fails to take into account the heterogeneity of part-time work and that, for ome, working part-time is not a means to achieve work-life balance but rather a source of low pay and poor-quality jobs. The present study further underlines the need for a more differentiated view of part-time working. In our sample, while many working part-time in principle had more time available for non-work activities – even when taking longer travelling times into account – this did not translate into more time for friends or community activity. On the contrary, part -time working was associated with work-life Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013 9 Blyton and Jenkins impoverishment for this group more than work-life balance. For most of those on part-time contracts who had been used to working full-time, part-time work was an undesirable consequence of the kind of paid work available within the local labour market. The lower earnings that the part-time jobs generated and the variability and unpredictability of many working patterns detracted from, rather than contributed to, the quality of workers’ non-work lives. Overall, these findings signal the value of a nuanced approach in discussions around ‘work-life balance’.In focusing on the associations of work to non-work life, this article has identified the ways in which associations may be positive or negative and has indicated that the nature of those associations may vary over time and from one context to another. As a result of tracing t he subsequent employment experiences of the former garment workers in this study, it became clear that there is a continuing need for wider recognition not only of the heterogeneous nature of part-time work, but also the reasons why people are working part-time and the degree to which it is a voluntary, employeedriven choice.It was also clear that variable and unpredictable work patterns may exert a significant deleterious influence on the ability of workers successfully to organize and fully enjoy their lives outside work. Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the union representatives and former Burberry employees who participated in this research. We would also like to express our gratitude to the editor and three anonymous referees for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article. 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In: Taplin IM and Winterton J (eds), Rethinking Global Production: A Comparative Analysis of Restructuring in the Clothing Industry. Aldershot: Ashgate, 1–17. Yerkes M and Visser J (2006) Women’s preferences or delineated policies?The development of p art-time work in the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. In: Boulin J-Y et al. (eds) Decent Working Time: New Trends, New Issues. Geneva: International Labour Office, 235–61. Zeytinoglu IU, Lillevik W, Seaton IMB and Moruz J (2004) Part-time and casual work in retail trade: stress and other factors affecting the workplace. Relations Industrielles 59(3): 516–43. Paul Blyton is Professor of Industrial Relations and Industrial Sociology at Cardiff Business School and Research Associate in the ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS) at Cardiff University.His research interests include employee responses to organizational change, working time and work-life balance. Recent publications include The Sage Handbook of Industrial Relations, co-edited with Nicolas Bacon, Jack Fiorito and Edmund Heery (Sage, 2008); Ways of Living: Work, Community and Lifestyle Choice, co-edited with Betsy Blunsdon, Ken Reed and Ali Dastmal chian (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010); Reassessing the Employment Relationship, co-edited with Edmund Heery and Peter Turnbull (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) and Researching Sustainability, co-edited with Alex Franklin (Earthscan, 2011).Jean Jenkins is a lecturer in HRM at Cardiff Business School. Her research interests include labour conditions and unionization in the global garment sector, working time and union-management partnership. Recent publications include Work: Key Concepts, with Paul Blyton (Sage, 2007). Date submitted January 2010 Date accepted November 2010 Downloaded from wes. sagepub. com at University of Bath on March 21, 2013