Labour Problems in UK Economics

Changing Nature of Employee Relations in the UK Evident from previous research and casual empiricism, there has been increased tension and work strain across many work places, a problem often attributed to pay discipline and flexibility. It has often been perceived that increasing work strain is directly linked to changing working hours and the expected minimum wage.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Labour Problems in UK Economics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The obvious fact is that work force occupies important part of both economical and psychological needs of the labour contract and its intensification triggers welfare effects on employees. It’s been argued that changing work intensity is likely to have substantive negative figures on productivity change. Work force relations in the UK continue to receive intense criticism for the obvious fact that managers are unable to effectively control their em ployee’s performances in relation to pay, discipline and flexibility. In this paper, I intent to explain the intellectual, moral and policy arguments in relations to labour problems, job regulations and trade unions in attempt to capture the triangular relationships of the three. Labour relations involve both work and employment relations and involves management and employees in coordination with policies of a country, for this instance the UK, dynamics of capital markets and relationship between paid work and work load. In my analysis, I will look are various research ranging from the past, present and the future of labour problems. Labour Problems Many organisations in the UK consider downsizing and restructuring of their work force to be â€Å"a quick fix† to their company’s inefficiencies. This strategy temporary improves the organisation’s output hence demoralizing the surviving employees. Recent studies conducted by Green (2000, p.5) indicate that w ork intensification has increased competitive pressure which is often offloaded to workers. One would assume that work intensification in UK is accompanied by rising real wage which is not the issue here. Job insecurity and work intensification has also been extended to include reward system and the unexpected benefits. With Effort intensification, workers are subjected to longer working hours with large volumes of work in the anticipation of income expansion which is never the case. Here, structural changes including facility employment to measure workers performance, motivation and discipline are inaccurately measured hence unsatisfied employees (Kersley et al 2005).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Redirecting our focus from work and effort intensification to technical change, there is a strong indication suggesting that technical change is often effort-biased. For example , technique measured by employers on employees’ performances is dominant in most work places which are attributed to decline of union influence. Companies have refused to acknowledge the relationship between company human resource policies and work effort thereby increasing job insecurity. While human resource policies and work force skills have initiated the impact of organisational and technical change, widely seen as efficiency improvement, there is evidence that suggest that the techniques applied are effort-biased. The Standard competitive model of effort determination requires firms to turn up the wages of high effort workers contrary to the UK employment practice (Green 2000, p.7; Burchell Wilkinson 2002, p.10). Today’s technology has provided new techniques that efficiently evaluate both new products and more efficient production process. The new production methods include; Just-In-Time (JIT) and Total Quality Management (TQM). These two techniques have been a pplauded for stimulating the expansion of new information technologies and improving production process. Though their effect is to extract greater work effort, no remuneration package has been negotiated alongside the package to award hard working employees. The techniques have improved the supervision of material flows and allocation of work schedules and enhanced management capacity. In this case, managers have been able to efficiently allocate work hence the rise of call centres in the 20th century. While in the comfort of their office, managers can easily monitor and measure employees output accurately with the advent of new technology. Evidently, increased work flow via technical co-ordination has greatly enhanced external effects, but needless to say, labour saving technologies have failed to liberate those high effort workers (Green 2000, p.9). Guided by the framework of employees needs and the management, basic pay remains the main component of compensations used alongside f ringe benefits, cash incentives as well as some intrinsic and extrinsic reward packages. In this regard, I position my interest in labour problems in work places in relation to pay and performance. Pay represents the most important and critical element in the employment relationship between employers and employees for a number of reasons; 1) it represents a significant part of employers costs and its used to measure performances and competitiveness which determines employees ability to recruit and retain quality labour forces 2).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Labour Problems in UK Economics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Pay and performances measures value of services and performances. A great majority of employees become enthusiastic when they start a new job, but their morale sharply decline after their first few months in the company that continues to deteriorate for years afterwards. These findings are b ased on a survey conducted by Gielen et al (2006) in 2001 through 2004 on 52 primary fortunate companies that stipulated that poor policies and procedures provided by managers in managing their work forces greatly increase tension between managers and the managed. Pay and performance are important in work places as they stimulate labour productivity by collecting information about worker’s abilities and efforts that can be used to induce them to apply maximum efforts in executing their duties. Controlling performance is also important as it helps managers screen workers performance and recruit the most able workers. When incentives are in place, employees will be more focused on activities that are more rewarding and ignore those that are not. At-least according to research conducted by Gielen and his colleagues (2006), use of performance-related pay in Netherlands increased by 39% in 2001 from 30% in 1995. Gielen and his colleagues (2006) analysis affirms that pay performanc e increases labour productivity due to the incentive effect in place, balances and provides sustainable economic development. Change of labour market structures In contrast to the emphasis that inefficiencies of labour process is the main source of effort intensification, the change of market structures does not accurately represent the intensification of product market competition, the disassociations of labour unions and the existence of power shifts in work places. Studies conducted by Green (2000, p.15) dispute that work effort has pressured firms to reduce costs and increases work forces resulting to increased pressure on employees and reduced unions legal powers. We understand that unions play a crucial part in ensuring employees welfares in work places are taken into considerations, and their disassociations would have negative impact on the labour force. In the lean mean production, firms are forced to streamline their production and downsize their work force, a strategy tha t reduces payroll costs. While it may seem to work for some Europe countries, it has proven to be ineffective in countries such as the United States as many complain that is does not effectively account for how the increasing wages alongside work intensification relate. Employee oppressions are often associated with greater effort and lower wages (Blyton Turnbull 2004).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Managers Perspective Managers need to control pay performances so as to achieve equity, efficiency and macro-economic stability. On equity pay determination, managers try to increase wages of lowest pay workers so as protect real wages. While on efficiency aspect, managers try to link wages to productivity, individual performance, and employees’ application of skills to a variety of tasks. And lastly, Gielen et al (2006) argues that high minimum wages could have negative impacts on employment levels that could adversely affect macro-economic stability by increasing inflation levels. Employment contracts The capacity of employers to monitor employees’ conformity against employment contracts has constituted additional consequences in the new productions techniques and management methods. This is to mean that computerisation of workflows, like that experienced in call centres enables managers to effectively allocate work tasks and monitor their executions while measuring employees work rates. The two techniques, TQM and JIT, have enabled managers to easily trace the deficiencies in work quality on individual work stations with the aim of raising efficiency by removing poor practices and eliminating low effort workers. Another model known as the efficiency wage model, credited to reduce supervision, companies implicit ways to improve employees welfares on emphasis on wages and effort intensification should be taken into account. It has also been argued that efficiency wage models increases job loss due to machine replacements in turn reducing wage replacement ratios and market uncertainty. Britain for example has experienced decline in replacement ratios for the last two decades since its implementations (Green 2000, p.18). Previous research conducted by Barham Begum (2005, p. 6) in 2003 estimates that costs associated with employee absence in the U.K totalled to  £11.6 billion excluding indirect costs. The huge numbers of sickness absence overbur dens the management with the cost of managing absences and trainings hence negatively affecting the organisation’s output. Recent research show that employees in the UK were more likely to take sickness leave in the week of financial intermediation followed by other industries such as the health and social work whiles the workforce in the hotel and restaurants experienced low sickness absence leaves. The research also indicated that public sector industries experience lower sickness absence rates compared to the private sector due to the well structure policies put in place. The lower numbers in sickness absence rates in the private sectors may also be attributed to lower provision of sick pay compared to public sectors. Statistics also indicated that employees working lower hours a week are more likely to take sickness absence compared to employees who put in less time (Barham Begum2005, p.10). Pollert and Charlwood (2009, p.343) argue that more generic factors in work plac es are those that are stress induced attributed from abuse and exploitation by employers. Of particular interest, the research continues that low skilled paid and low skilled workers representing the majority of migrant workers were subjected to a number of abuses including dismissal of pregnant women and disabled employees, non-payment of wages, bullying linked to discrimination, maternity denial rights, late or non-payment of wages and non-compliance of national minimum wage and non payment of statutory sick pay among others (Salin 2003, p. 1215: Hoel Beale 2006, p.240) In response to a survey conducted by Green Donna (2004) to measure employee skills levels alongside their performances, it was concluded that different perceptions of the skills used in work places were attributed from qualification held by employees, their problem solving skills and planning skills. Its evident that skills are reasonably a good match between perception of job managers and those of employees and the biasness in the work place exist in a situation where employees may be deemed to posses higher skills compared to their line managers. This theory is consistence with the hypothesis that stipulates that skills are socially constructed, and therefore managers are often the male workers and the females are perceived to be employees and there is often a tendency for the boss to underestimate the skill levels of people working under him. Due to this shortcoming of the labour employment theories, skills have been over the years proven to be a barrier to progress in work places. Such shortcoming may first be attributed from inability to accurately measure employee job skills and pay determinations across different genders. Labour markets should therefore provide accurate measurement of skills in the determination of job description and the associated reward packages. Job skills measurement requires both complexity and sensitivity but even with the understanding of both employee and em ployer perceptions in different settings, experts have not yet discovered better modules in evaluating jobs. Job knowledge often improves with longer acquaintance, and employees in this case have better knowledge of jobs than their line managers hence perception bias (Green Donna 2004, p.65; Noon Hoque 2001). The relationship between the managers and the managed is more problematic. Labour problems are linked to management and policies and practices of managers. The focus on executive management tends to overlook management objectives and often concentrate on activities at managerial level or even in their line of supervision, overlooking the societal and institutional environment. This particular module failed to put into consideration the goals of employment relationships and its dynamics for managing tensions in work places. Today’s employment relationships are often characterised by cooperative motto of ‘win-win’ solution. Conflicts such as strives and abse nteeism have significantly increased in today’s workforce compared to a decade ago. The typical stereotyping of male employees being the bread winners has long been outdated and the distinction between white and blue collar jobs has become distinct (Barham Begum 2005, p.10; Noon Hoque 2001). In this regard, Gielen and his colleagues (2006) analysis highlight the benefits of pay and performance to include; They help an organisation achieve is business objective Enhances employees compensation through improved performance Attract and retain competitive staff Rewards good performance without necessarily increasing labour costs Reduce redundancies in times of economic downturn through flexible compensation packages Orientates organisation performance towards quality and productivity Managers flexible reward packages are able to absorb downturns and reduce labour costs. Pay performances has not been without controversies. First, it has been claimed that cash compensations as m otivation packages have a limited time-span. In this regard, workers have not completed welcomed the strategy due to; Managers’ ability to measure performances and compensation criteria are not adequately understood, accepted or even communicated to employees. Some organisation have inappropriate appraisal systems that contract with objectives of the reward system. Managers fail to provide regular feedback on employee performances Wrong quantum of pay that determines performance criteria Managers inability to provide both intristic and extrinsic rewards criteria Lack of regular evaluation of pay performance scheme Unrealistic goals set by managers (Gielen et al 2006). Trade unions Unions have particularly known to have the utility function that seeks out to improve the welfare of employees. It is assumed that unions in the United Kingdom have more bargaining power and it is for this reason that we assume their association in labour relations would improve the wage bargainin g power. Contrary to that belief, unions bargaining power in the UK have been shocked into weaker stance since the 1980s. Unions wage differentiation has fallen steadily and workers rights have not been attended to effectively. It is for this reason we believe that unions should take a more active role in workers welfare by raising their performance and effort and provide more active voice for workers (Green 2000, p.17). Collective bargaining has stimulated the recognition of fundamental social rights embodies in labour legislation. Change of focus of industrial relations from collective bargaining to labour rights has attempted to address the inequalities and discrimination including those affecting the minority group such as women, reasonably in Britain, with its increased cases of Employment Tribunal cases (Edwards 2003, p.4). System of employee representations has radically fallen over the years due the failing membership of trade unions. Today, there exist only two product of e mployee representation known as the ‘Unite and Unison’, representing over 40 percent of UK membership and also extended its linkages to international borders. Tentative research reported by Green (2000) concluded that unions have transformed their policy orientations and even recruited some employers to represent the gap between their own structures and employee participation. The UK has also incorporated European law such the collective channels independent of the employer, European Works Council and statutory mechanism into its trade union policies to improve the employees’ welfare. But needless to say, employees with work force problems have been turning to private organisations such as the Citizens’ Advice Bureaux and local community group for dispute settlements. One may be deceived to think the transformation of policies and practices of employers may improve labour union policies which is not the case here. The UK labour union international linkages of product markets, product organization and supply chains have proven it difficult to identify owner of capital and companies as employers of labour. And also, since shareholding represent dominant part of ownership; companies have turned it into complicated equity ownership relations making it totally impossible to know what employees or companies own (Green 2000, p.5; Rose 2008). Organisations in the UK are employing maximum efforts in ensuring the achievements of diversity in their workforce are achieved by conceptualization of equity in its legislation. With the British legislation in place, one may assume workers will be treated the same, which is not the case here, race and sex discrimination have continued to be embodied in the symmetrical social problems to the extend that few minority of the social group like the women and BM workers are discriminated against compared to white and male workers. Although the legislation has positively impacted the disadvantaged groups, the effects of past discrimination have been ignored. Another shortcoming of the British legislation is that its application is limited to only few instances. For Example, hardworking employees are only compensated for through extra training and improvement of their current position while concept of equality has not been applied sparingly in different groups such as the male, white and heterosexual norms. The new legislations should recognize and value work group differences (Dickens 2007, p.465). Conclusion Changing economic and social context of employee relations has accelerated labour problems in workforces resulting to poverty, inequality and social exclusions. The UK government continues to seek ways to bridge this gap by reconstructing a concept of citizenship and social inclusion through the implementation of new policies that will attract more people in employment relationship, increase employment rates and prolong working lives. Effective government policies will increase emp loyment opportunities, productivity and competitiveness of work force. Clarke et al (2002, p.6) adds that growth of individualism and consumerism have weaken the collective bargaining at work weakening the appeal of trade unions (Clarke et al 2002; Noon Blyton 2007). List of References Barham, C., Begum, N., 2005, ‘Sickness absence from Work force in the UK’,  labour Market Trends, 149,1-10 Burchell, B., Lapido, D. Wilkinson, F. (eds.) 2002, Job Insecurity and Work  Intensification. Routledge, London. Blyton, P. and Turnbull, P.J. (3rd ed.) 2004, The Dynamics of Employee Relations, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. Clarke, L., Donnelly, E., Hyman, R., Kelly, J., McKay, S., 2002, ‘What’s the Point of Industrial Relations?’ British Universities Industrial Relations Association., 5, 1-11 Dickens, L. 2007, ‘Thirty years of equality legislation in Britain’, British Journal of  Industrial Relations, 45(3), 463 – 494 Edwards, P. (2nd ed.) 2003, Industrial Relations Theory and Practice, Blackwell, Oxford. Gielen, A., Kerkhofs, J., Jan, O., 2006, ‘Performance Related Pay and Labor Productivity’, Institute of Labor studies, 5455, 1-17 Green, F. 2000, ‘Why has work effort become more intense?’ Industrial Relations  Journal, 43(4), 1-48. Green, F., Donna, J. 2004, ‘Assessing skills and autonomy: the job holder versus the line Manager’, Human Resource Management Journal, 13, no.1, 63-77 Hoel, H. and Beale, D. 2006, ‘Workplace Bullying, psychological perspectives and industrial relations: towards a contextualised and interdisciplinary approach’, British Journal of Industrial Relations, 44 (2), 239 – 262 Kersley, B., Alpin, C., Forth, J., Bryson, A., Bewley, H., Dix, G. and Oxenbridge, S. 2005,’ Inside the Workplace, First Findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS 2004). Noon, M. and Blyton, P. 2007, The Realties of Work: Experiencing Work and  Employment in Contemporary Society, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. Noon and Hoque 2001, ‘Ethnic minorities and equal treatment: the impact of gender, equal opportunities policies and trade unions’, National Institute Economic  Review, 176,105 – 116 Rose, E. (3rd Ed.) 2008, Employment Relations, Financial Times Prentice Hall, Harlow. Pollert, A. and Charlwood, A., 2009, ‘The vulnerable worker in Britain and problems at work’. Work, Employment and Society, 23(2), 343 – 362 Salin, D., 2003. ‘Ways of explaining workplace bullying: a review of enabling, motivating and precipitating structures and processes in the work environment’. Human Relations, 56(10), 1213 – 1232. This essay on Labour Problems in UK Economics was written and submitted by user Trinity Osborne to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

5 Ways to Trump Your Career

5 Ways to Trump Your Career Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is not going away anytime soon. While there are plenty of â€Å"what NOT to do† tips we can take from his long and controversial career, there’s no disputing the fact that his billions in the bank came from somewhere. And although Trump is a pretty unique phenomenon (no matter what you do to your hair to try to emulate his signature ‘do), there are definitely some takeaways that we can apply to our own careers. 1. Get investors.Trump inherited money from the family real estate business, and used this to get started with his own investment career. Now, most of us don’t have millionaire parents (at least not before this week’s Powerball drawing), so we’re not working with that kind of startup capital. But these days we have a ton of great crowdsourcing tools, if you have a small business or an idea that you want to bring to life. Sites like gofundme.com give you the opportunity to bring investors into your prof essional life.2. Don’t give up.Some choices will just not pan out, whether it’s a job you hate or your Atlantic City casino going belly-up. Trump’s professional entities have gone through a number of bankruptcy proceedings over the years, yet here he still is. The most important idea to take from this is that there’s always another opportunity. Learn from your losses and frustrations, and be ready to leave them behind and try again somewhere else.3. Realize everything comes down to the deals you make.Trump is synonymous with the phrase â€Å"the art of the deal.† It’s debatable whether political deals are exactly the same as business deals, but a philosophy that Trump clearly takes to heart is one that states that you will never get ahead if you don’t negotiate for yourself. That can apply to salary negotiations, working with your boss, or even managing relationships with your colleagues. Always look out for your own best interests.4. Try new things.How many billionaire businessmen can you remember hosting Saturday Night Live? When I was a kid, Donald Trump was THE go-to businessman. In later years, he started to branch out more into the entertainment industry- not the most intuitive path for someone with a Wharton business degree. And after that ran its course (with endless seasons of Apprentices and Celebrity Apprentices running around New York trying to organize soft drink launch parties to curry favor with The Donald), he took another odd turn- this time into politics. Reinventing yourself is necessary to stay out of professional ruts.5. Find talented people around you.The whole premise of The Apprentice was taking a successful person (Trump) and finding new and fresh talent to bring into his professional orbit. It’s a formula that has worked in a number of industries (every Gordon Ramsay cooking show seems to feature a chef-ship in one of his restaurants as a prize), and can work in the real world as well. No one, not even Trump, can manage an empire alone. The key is to find people around you who bring knowledge and skills that you might not have, to make sure you’re performing your best. If you’re a manager, that might mean hiring diverse talent. If you’re not a manager, that might mean bonding with a variety of different coworkers, or finding a diverse range of people to add to your network.If you like what The Donald has to say, you are likely already paging through your copy of The Art of the Deal for the third or fourth time. But even if you can’t imagine yourself ever voting for him on Election Day, it’s not the worst thing to stay open to the idea that there are things he can teach us about our own careers.

Week 8 case study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 8 case study - Assignment Example The patient also reports a similar instance that happened ten years ago after she played soccer. Second, the patient will have to undergo a physical examination which will give more information regarding the patient’s condition. A physical examination typically involves listening to the breathing of the patient and looking for signs of asthma and allergies. An individual with asthma may produce wheezing sounds while breathing, a running nose or swollen nasal passages. Allergic skin conditions may also be present. In our patient’s case, there is the presence of wheezing and dyspnea which are typical symptoms of asthma. Also, her cough is non-productive, meaning bacterial infections such as tuberculosis are ruled out. Third, the Institute recommends diagnostic tests to assess lung function. A spirometry test is usually done to determine the volume of air that an individual can breathe in and out. The test also measures how fast the patient can exhale (Madsen et al., 2014). However, in our case, the physical examination and patient history provide enough information to make a diagnosis. As a result, she will not be subjected to diagnostic tests. The nursing care plan will include management at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. At the primary level, the patient will be required to minimize exposure to agents that trigger an asthmatic attack. These include pollen, dust and other respiratory tract irritants such as tobacco (Heederik, Henneberger & Redlich, 2012). In this patient’s case, it has been established that strenuous physical activity triggers an attack so she should ensure that she does not engage in such exercise. Moderate physical activity is however recommended. Patient education is also important. The patient will be educated on the various ways that an asthma attack can be prevented and managed. She will also learn about the various medication options, and which ones are most appropriate for her. The patient may also need to

International Human Rights law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

International Human Rights law - Essay Example The researcher states that international human rights law is actually the body of international law made to preserve and promote human rights and this law can be enforced at domestic, regional, and international level. This law was formed to protect human rights on many levels, so that if rights are abused, unnoticed or violated on domestic level, then the suffering parties would be able to seek justice or plead for enforcement of rights on regional and international level. International human rights law differs from other legislations in that it basically aims to regulate the relation between state authorities and common people for enforcing human rights in terms of daily life matters. Proponents of international human rights law claim that according to this legislation, it is the duty of the international community to respond to any such situation in which human rights get violated due to any reason and take a quick and effective action against such human rights abuse cases. It is commonly seen in the present age in many different parts of the world that no matter how many rights are abused by the oppressive parties, the international community fails again and again to take any proper action. This shows that though human rights are declared to be universal, yet state responsibility for their violations is limited by territoriality as well as by citizenship. A state only takes notice of human rights abuses if the violations occur inside its own territory and if the affected individual or party resides in that state. 3 Little or almost zero notice is taken of human rights abuses if the affected individual happens to be a citizen of another state. However, those in favor of this law suggest that there is an ever-growing impact of international human rights law on domestic legal systems all over the world which shows how effective this law is thought to be by domestic judges, prosecutors, and lawyers.4 The evolving legal situation suggests that even the daily wor k of those related to domestic legal systems in any way is seen to be heavily influenced by the international human rights law which would definitely not have been possible had this law actually lacked effectiveness.5 It is also claimed that this law has helped the states immensely in implementing and securing human rights obligations. This law also requires the relevant legal professions to carefully scrutinize the broad range of ways by which human rights can be enforced and protected from abuses. This law also fulfils the purpose of enforcing human rights globally to a great extent through international cooperation irrespective of sex, race, religion, or language.6 In short, this paper strives to present both sides of the picture and discuss that though international human rights law was developed to protect and promote different human rights and though it succeeds in doing so on certain levels, the approach taken for the protection of human rights lacks effectiveness on many lev els too. In order to validate discussion, the relevant research is presented with special reference to the rights of the child and the women’s rights. MAJOR HUMAN RIGHTS CONVENTIONS FOR GRANTING RIGHTS TO CHILDREN AND WOMEN This remains a resolute reality that children need very special kind of care, love, guidance, and attention as they happen to be very raw, vulnerable, sensitive, and immature. But another deplorable reality is that many children around the globe are subjected to violence on extreme levels. Rights of children are severely abused by forcibly making them participate in camel races in Arab countries where every year, cruel and influential people seek entertainment at the cost of myriad innocent lives. Children are also unlawfully forced to engage in prostitution, pornography, and labor. Since children happen to be particularly and naturally vulnerable and innocent, so they also feel insecure and hesitate to seek refuge and help. Children need to depend on othe rs so it is understandable that majority hesitates to exercise rights

SAAB's Cash Flow Problems Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

SAAB's Cash Flow Problems - Coursework Example This is where the concept of fair market value and forced sale value becomes important (Curtis, 2011, 1). Discussion Business failure can occur for various reasons ranging from legal, political and economic factors that are beyond an individual firm’s control, to internal factors like cash flow problems, manufacturing and selling difficulties and lack of firm orders on which to base production capacity. If a business finds it difficult to even break even and pay its own operating, selling and distribution costs, it can either look for a partnership, being rescued through a Government or private bailout, being acquired by a more stable entity or file for bankruptcy. Sadly this is what happened with SAAB, after its struggling Automobile Division was taken over by General Motors in 1990. But in the aftermath of the 2008 recession and subsequent bailout of General Motors itself by the American Government, SAAB Automobile Division was sold off to Spyker Cars N.V. with the aid of a Russian sponsor in 2010. Spyker had subsequently been renamed Swedish Automobiles. However, the purchase and operation of SAAB Automobiles proved too heavy for Spyker to manage because Spyker was a small firm and taking over SAAB had drained their cash position as well as tested their managerial capabilities to the maximum. After a purchase offer by a Chinese firm was thwarted by former owner General Motors (they were against the technology being available to Chinese manufacturers) the company filed a bankruptcy petition and started looking for a buyer. Various offers and counter offers were made from China Youngman, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Koenisegg etc. The company could only produce between 20,000 and 40,000 vehicles at its manufacturing plants in Mexico and Sweden. The financial meltdown did not allow it to take advantage of the Chinese demand because it cancelled its plans to expand into new markets due to low cash position, paucity of credit and economic uncertaintie s. Various episodes of being unable to pay worker salaries and even to pay suppliers for materials repeated themselves in 2011. For example, July salaries were paid at the last minute on July 26; August salaries were paid through equity insurance as Gemini Fund purchased 5 million shares in SAAB. September salary payments also seemed to be in jeopardy. The Swedish Enforcement Administration has been monitoring SAAB in case of failure to meet creditor’s claims. The company Union has also threatened to go on strike because of salary payment difficulties that occurred three times in 2011. So we see that even financing from potential buyers had to be resorted to so that the company could be kept afloat (www.swedecar.com). It must be admitted that the lack of cash flow emerged from an apparent lack of attention to the production and marketing mix as well. Everyone knows that when you are trying to put a company or a brand name back on its feet, a sizeable amount of money must be s pent on advertising and press relations, creating hype and curiosity so that buyers are attracted to the upcoming offerings (Kotler & Keller,

An Exploration Of Life Orientation Teachers Role

An Exploration Of Life Orientation Teachers Role The literature review in a research study accomplishes several purposes: It shares with the reader the results of other studies that are closely related to the study being reported. It relates a study to the larger ongoing dialogue in the literature about a topic, filling in gaps and extending prior studies (Coopera, 1984; Marshall and Rossman, 1999). In this chapter, the concept of career skills with particular focus on 21st century careers and their accompanying 21st century skills will be explored, using as reference the work of a number of pioneers in the field of educational research today. The theoretical framework upon which this literature study is based will be introduced; and the role of the educator in developing these 21st century skills will then be explored, with specific focus on the FET life orientation teacher, and the preparation of learners for work and careers in the 21st century. Professional teacher development will also be discussed looking at both local and global initiatives in training teachers as a means to adequately prepare their learners for the 21st century. An in-depth exploration of the Life Orientation Learning area will then be demonstrated, with specific focus on the Life Orientation teachers role in preparing learners in the FET band of the secondary school private learning institutions in Sout h Africa, as intended by the national curriculum statement, for life and careers in the 21st century. In accordance with The Norms and Standards for Educators(2000) all teachers are expected to take on various roles in ensuring the adequate development of their learners (see section.); however, this study has been delimited to life orientation teachers in particular as it is recognised that this learning area makes specific accommodation for these teachers to engage learners in essential 21st century skills and development. In addition, though it is also expected that these skills be introduced to learners in the foundation phase and developed throughout their schooling career, for the purpose of this research study, the FET band (Grades 10-12) will be referred to specifically, as these learners are steadily approaching the world of work and careers in the 21st century, and are in what Erikson (1950,1959, 1968) originally described as the process of identity formation where these individuals consolidate earlier roles, identifications, skills, values, beliefs and talents, both consci ously and unconsciously, in order to successfully prepare for the social roles, relationships, and responsibilities of adulthood (Mahler pg 17). The FET band is therefore deemed by the researcher as a critical phase in career choice, and the most appropriate for the purposes of this study. Theoretical Framework Theories describing career behaviour have been in existence for the past 75 years, and provide the conceptual glue for, as well as describe where, when and for what purpose, career counselling, career education, career guidance and other career interventions are to be implemented. (REF) Various disciplines such as Personality, Sociology, Developmental Psychology, and Differential Psychology have contributed to the development of these theories, the most prominent being the Career Development Theory (Super 1957; 1996). This theory provided a more developmental perspective to the traditional individual differences view of occupations which, according to Super, ignored the longitudinal vantage point from which one can observe how individuals improve their vocational coping repertoires and move into jobs which provide increasingly better opportunities to use their abilities and gratify their needs (Super, 1953 in Savickas 2001:2). It then evolved in accordance with the theorists comprehension of careers, and can be traced in its name changes from the original Career Development Theory to the Development Self-Concept Theory and then to the current Life-Span, Life-Space Theory (Savickas adaptability pg 2). Each name change signified an elaboration of the theory to address more completely the complexity of vocational behaviour in manifold settings across diverse groups (Savickas adaptability pg 2). The life stages highlighted in this theory are as follows: Growth Stage: learning about occupations and developing work habits and attitudes Exploration Stage: learning tasks that will assist in crystallizing and specifying occupations Establishment Stage: developing skills to consolidate and advance in a job Maintenance Stage: decisions are made about whether to remain in a job or move to another job or occupational field Disengagement Stage: planning for retirement (Maree and Ebersohn, 2002 pg 157) Unfortunately Super passed away before integrating the major segments in his own life-span, life-space theory. His work was however continued by his student, Mark Savickas (1989, 1993, 2000), who elaborated on Supers previous work and developed it further, integrating the segments of the life-span, life-space theory and placing more focus on the developmental tasks necessary to master career stages, as opposed to the linear progression across the stages. Such tasks include career exploration, career decision-making, career adaptability, and overcoming perceived career barriers (Maree Ebeersohn, 2002: 158). These challenge assumptions of stability of personal characteristics and secure jobs in bounded organizations No matter how stable individual characteristics might be, the environment and consequently traditional work ethic is rapidly changing. Insecure workers in the information age must become lifelong learners who can use sophisticated technologies, embrace flexibility rather t han stability, maintain employability, and create their own opportunities. These new conceptions of work life recognize that career belongs to the person not the organization (Duarte, 2004). (Savickas et al 2009; pg 239 webpage NEW article). In addition, career stages as defined in extant theories such as Supers Career Stage Theory (1957; 1996 listed above) are mainly shaped by societal needs, and these needs are changing with the rapidly changing environment (Savickas et al 2009; pg 240 webpage NEW article) and the changing nature of work, rendering these stages unrealistic in the order in which they are presented. These changes require workers to develop skills and competences that differ substantially from the knowledge and abilities required by 20th century occupations. Today, occupational prospects seem far less definable and predictable, with job transitions more frequent and difficult (Savickas et al 2009; pg 240 webpage NEW article). As the career becomes more internally defined, stage theory will focus more on internal, individual decision-making processes rather than the relationship of the individual to an employer (Wrobel et al, 2003), with modern theoretical models emphasizing human flexibility, adaptability, and life-long learning. (Savickas et al 2009; pg 240 webpage NEW article). The theoretical framework upon which this study is based is that of Mark Savickas, who termed his approach Career Construction Theory which is rooted in post-modern social constructivism. Social constructivism, strongly influenced by Vygotskys (1978) work, suggests that knowledge is first constructed in a social context and is then taken up by individuals (Bruning et al., 1999; M. Cole, 1991; Eggan Kauchak, 2004); a theory which informs the way in which learners acquire information in the classroom and learning environment. Constructivism is a psychological approach that has developed out of post-modernism, a philosophical stance emphasising the idea of no fixed truth. Followers of this theoretical construct believe that individuals create and perceive their own reality or truth, relflecting a multiculturally diverse world in which different individuals can have their own view of what is real for them (Richard S. Sharf: pg 263) Constructivism in essence implies that: There are no fixed meanings or realities in the world, there are multiple meanings and multiple realities. Individuals create or construct their own meaning/reality of the world through the experiences they have. People construct themselves and the world around them through the interpretations they make and the actions they take. These constructs or perceptions of events may be useful or may be misleading. Individuals differ from each other in their construction of events. Two people may participate in the same or similar event and have very different perceptions of the experience. People are self-organizing and meaning-makers. Their lives are ever evolving stories that are under constant revision. An individual may choose to develop new constructs or write new stories in their life. To be an empowered or fulfilled person requires critical reflection of the assumptions that account for our daily decisions and actions. [Big Picture View of Career Development Theory http://www.ccdf.ca retrieved 26/11/12] Career construction theory provides a way of thinking about how individuals choose and use work. This theory is an extension of Super;s career stage theory, where there is an acknowledgement of how our environments affect our realities and the life role we find ourselves in; yet at the same time, a recognition that we can, and do, occupy various life roles at various stages of our lives. This is not a linear or stable progression, but rather a fluid transition from role to role it is what Savickas refers to as life-long learning. Like Super (1957; 1996), Savickas ( 1989, 1993, 2000) presents a model for comprehending vocational behaviour across the life-cycle (Savckas carrer construction article), but emphasizes flexibility and mobility rather than the traditional vocational models view of careers as representing commitment and stability. While Supers career stage theory proved to be useful at the time, with many people entering jobs and organizations hoping to progress up the corp orate ladder (Maree Ebersohn, 2002:158), the rungs of that metaphorical ladder are fast disappearing in response to deregulation, fewer trade barriers, destabilization, continual technological innovation, organizational downsizing, outsourcing, and flatter governance structures (Mahler, 2008:1). The new job market in our unsettled economy calls for viewing career not as a lifetime commitment to one employer but as selling services and skills to a series of employers who need projects completed. (Savckas carrer construction article) In Western societies, we witness a growing diversity of individual realities, far from the traditional pathways During a major part of the 20th century, individual careers were shaped by prevailing societal norms: first education, then work, and finally family. Social integration and recognition were mainly based upon these systems of reference. Today, people at all ages return to school, obtain training, lose their jobs and get divorced, without necessarily losing social recognition. Co-existence of multiple identities and subjective realities therefore seems to be a natural consequence of such societal evolutions. Savickas is particularly interested in investigating how to live a life in a postmodern world shaped by a global economy and supported by information technology (Life Design Article webpage). His theory focuses attention on adaptation to a series of transitions from school to work, from job to job, and from occupation to occupation. Career construction theory views adaptation to these transitions as fostered by five principal types of behaviors: orientation, exploration, establishment, management, and disengagement. As each transition approaches, individuals can adapt more effectively if they meet the change with growing awareness, information-seeking followed by informed decision making, trial behaviors leading to a stable commitment projected forward for a certain time period, active role management, and eventually forward-looking deceleration and disengagement. (Savckas carrer construction article). In the learning context, this theory emphasizes the importance of the learner being actively involved in the learning process, unlike previous educational viewpoints where the responsibility rested with the instructor to teach and where the learner played a passive, receptive role. According to the social constructivism approach, instructors have to adapt to the role of facilitators and not teachers (Bauersfeld, 1995 in WIKIPEDIA). It is also important for instructors to realize that although a curriculum may be set down for them, it inevitably becomes shaped by them into something personal that reflects their own belief systems, their thoughts and feelings about both the content of their instruction and their learners (Rhodes and Bellamy 1999 in WIKIPEDIA). They are required to be flexible and adaptable, and create a collaborative learning environment known as collaborative elaboration (Meter Stevens, 2000 in WIKIPEDIA), which results in learners building understanding together th at wouldnt be possible alone (Greeno et al., 1996 in WIKIPEDIA). The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) (2006) provides a framework within which this 21st century skill preparation can take place. P21 was developed in the United States with the goal of positioning 21st century skills at the centre of 21st century education. P21 is an international organization formed in 2001 with the sponsorship of the United States government and several organizations from the private sector (e.g., Apple Computer, Cisco Systems, Dell Computer Corporation,Microsoft Corporation, National Education Association). P21 recommends the emphasis of a specific set of competences regarded by this framework as learning skills (i.e., information and communication; thinking and problem solving; interpersonal and self-directional skills) the acquisition of which can be best supported by specific pedagogic techniques, such as problem-based learning, cooperative learning, experiential learning, and formative assessment. (REF) This is rooted in social constructivism, a theory strongly influenced by Vygotskys (1978) work, which suggests that knowledge is first constructed in a social context and is then taken up by individuals (Bruning et al., 1999; M. Cole, 1991; Eggan Kauchak, 2004); a theory which informs the way in which learners acquire information in the classroom and learning environment. With emphasis placed on the importance of mentoring and facilitating learners in acquiring the necessary 21st century skills (P21), and ultimately empowering them through active and collaborative acquisition of information (Social constructivism) to navigate their way in a largely unpredictable 21st century work environment, the Career Construction Theory together with the the P21 framework will form the basic theoretical construct upon which this study is based. Careers in the 21st Century What are 21st century careers? In a narrative study defining career success in the 21st century, Elizabeth Mahler describes todays career world as complex and boundaryless (Mahler pg 8). Roles have shifted women are now a significant part of the workforce, in addition to being mothers and wives; entrepreneurs, non-profit workers, the self-employed, culturally diverse workers, and other nontraditional workers in nontraditional settings make up the 21st century workforce (Mahler pg 9). In addition, a longer life translates into extended time in the workforce, accompanied by additonal education, re-visiting of career goals and changing of career paths (Mahler pg 9). Todays life and work environments thus require far more than thinking skills and content knowledge. They require what is being referred to today as life-long learning. According to Renck Jalongo (1991), the highest purpose of teaching is to promote those types of learning that encourage children to continue to learn, not on ly inside the classroom but also outside the classroom and throughout life (Renck Jalongo, 1991:3 ROLE OF TEACHER BOOK) This is lifelong learning. Technology will continue to change the world in ways we cannot imagine; and in this increasingly complexworld, creativity and the ability to continue to learn and to innovate will count as much as, if not more than, specific areas of knowledge liable to become obsolete. (COMMISSION ARTICLE PG 5). Employees no longer remain in the same job/position for forty years. Secure lifelong employment in a single job is a thing of the past (Robinson, 2011:6). The ability to navigate the complex life and work environments in this globally competitive information age requires students to pay rigorous attention to developing adequate life and career skills. Technology and the ease with which new skills can be acquired create a need for more career flexibility and innovation. From an economic perspective, workers are now required to command a new set of aptitudes Mere survival today depends on being able to do something that overseas knowledge workers cant do cheaper, that powerful computers cant do faster, and that satisfies one of the non-material, transcendent desires of an abundant age (Pink pg 51). Workers are reacting to these changes by shifting their focus away from organizational careers to more personal roles, more localised and portable sites for vesting the self (Ashforth, 2001 in Mahler pg 1). According to Mahler, this shift in career focus requires an increased capacity for self-direction, the ability to adapt to constantly changing circumstances, and an understanding that identity will continue to evolve as an individual navigates multiple work roles over the course of a career (Ashforth et al in Mahler pg 2). In accordance with the principles of the Chaos Theory which, along with The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) serves as the theoretical framework for this study (see section), individuals are defini ng their career paths within an unpredicatable and changing environment: Workers are increasingly finding that they have to manage their own careers, become more flexible in the sort of work they seek, and be willing to learn new skills throughout their lives (Maree and Ebersohn 2002 pg 155). P21 recognises that in order to ensure the development of these skills and attitudes, learners should be exposed to the following: FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY The ability to be flexible and adaptable is an essential skill in the culturally diverse and nontraditional 21st century workplace. the predictable and stable boundaries of a single organization career are evolving into a less secure, and often boundaryless series of shorter, portable, and transactionally based work roles and relationships (Mahler pg 4). Thus the ability to work in a climate of ambiguity and the ability to adapt to varied job roles in multi-cultural environments [(http://www.p21.org) retrieved on 24/10/12] is an essential 21st century skill. This is emphasised in Savickass Career Construction Theory, and his focus on Career Adaptability This concept was introduced by Savickas approximately three decades ago, with the intention to replace Supers career maturity stage. This is still a relatively new concept that is still being explored and refined (pg 120) yet Iit has been described by Savickas as the readiness to cope with the unpredicatable tasks of preparing for and participating in the work role and with the unpredictable adjustments prompted by changes in work and working conditions (Savickas, 1997 in Maree 2010 pg 120). It also requires the need to engage proactively in a process of self-development in order to choose suitable opportunities and become the person you want to be (Maree, 2010 pg 120). This is an extension of Supers emphasis on self-concept and the importance of identity formation in vocational development. INITIATIVE AND SELF-DIRECTION The concept of life-long learning is emphasised here, again drawing attention to the shift in traditional career roles and opportunities: individuals today can expect to hold five to eight jobs within a working lifetime the traditionally recognised contract between an employee and employer no longer guarantees lifelong employment in exchange for loyalty and performance (Mahler, pg 5-6). Demonstrating both a commitment to learning as a lifelong process, as well as initiative to advance skill levels towards a professional level [(http://www.p21.org) retrieved on 24/10/12] is a skill necessary to develop self-direction and active management of work roles. The ability to work independently at ones highest level of mastery is also an essential 21st century skill, due to increased competition in the workforce as a result of continual technological innovation, organizational downsizing and outsourcing (Mahler, pg 1). SOCIAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL SKILLS Social and cultural skills such as conducting oneself respectably and professionally, and responding open-mindedly to different ideas and values [(http://www.p21.org) retrieved on 24/10/12] are critical life skills required for the 21st century. As discussed in section à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. todays work environment is less predictable than it was traditionally and requires workers to be able to adapt and innovate and collaborate with others effectively. Collaboration requires respect in order to engage in open-minded discussion. PRODUCTIVITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY Being accountable for ones actions or decisions and behaving in a professional manner are skills that are difficult to teach. These are skills that should be role-modelled, by both parents and teachers. Todays generation of learners is in the throes of the technological era, where roles and values are shifting and changing. Identity formation for adolescents in particular requires dependence on and a critical connection to the social world, while also bestowing on the individual a sense of autonomy and self-determination (Mahler pg 17). It is therefore essential that they are provided with the guidance to find their career path and that they are shown how to manage themselves effectively in the world, displaying the abilities to: -Work positively and ethically -Manage time and projects effectively -Multi-task Participate actively, as well as be reliable and punctual -Present oneself professionally and with proper etiquette -Collaborate and cooperate effectively with teams -Respect and appreciate team diversity -Be accountable for results [(http://www.p21.org) retrieved on 24/10/12] LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY Todays learners are our future leaders, and thus appropriate behaviours and skills such as acting responsibly, inspiring, influencing and guiding others, demonstrating integrity and ethical behaviour [(http://www.p21.org) retrieved on 24/10/12] need to be modelled for them so that they can enter the world of work as selfless role models and leaders. (http://www.p21.org)retrieved on 24/10/12 -21st century skills The skills outlined in the P21 Framework (above) reflect the changing realities of the 21st century , which is frames in the theoretical construct of social constructivism (in section.) and are echoed in the writings of a number of educational researchers and pioneers pertinent to this research, such as Sir Ken Robinson (2009; 2011), Daniel Pink (2005) and John Taylor Gatto (2010) who are the leading voices in 21st century skills and the transformation of the 21st century workforce. Their advocacy has been supported by thorough research in both the education and global economic spheres. Voogt (2008) for example, believes that through information and communication technology, our society has changed from an industrial society to an information or knowledge society, where learning requires collaboration and group work, directed by the learners themselves and facilitated by the teachers (see comparative table in appendix). While in the industrial society the main focus of education was to contribute to the development of factual and procedural knowledge, in the information or knowledge society the development of conceptual and meta-cognitive knowledge is increasingly considered importan t (Anderson 2008). Todays generation needs to be able to think critically and independently in order to function successfully in the 21st century individuals will have to be able to function comfortably in a world that is always in fluxpeople will be faced with greater individual responsibility to direct their own lives (Gato, pg xxxiv). This, Robinson believes, can be attributed to two main factors: the major advances in technology which is referred to by Voogt (2008), Gatto (2011), and Pink (2005) as well as the rapid growth of the world population: this great new mass of humanity will be using technologies that have yet to be invented in ways that we cannot imagine and in jobs that dont yet exist (Robinson, 2009:19). This change has inevitable implications for our education systems (voogt article pg 11) one of which is a need to change curricula so that students develop competences which are needed in the 21st century (Anderson 2008; Voogt Pelgrum, 2005). (VOOGT PG 2) Robinson believes that education has three core purposes: to develop individual talents and sensibilities, to deepen learners understanding of the world around them and to enable them to earn a living and be economically productive (2011, pg 249). In order to achieve this, certain skills need to be developed, namely, flexibility and adaptability (pg 6), entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity (pg 11) good communication skills, team work and collaboration, and self-confidence (pg 69). This corresponds with the skills highlighted by P21 (see table above), which is the theoretical framework upon which this study is based. Other educational researchers and authors, such as Mary Renck Jalongo (1991), agree that Collaboration, cooperation and teamwork, rather than individual achievement, will be the mark of an advancing society (pg 73). The ability to collaborate and effectively communicate with others is a crucial skill in the 21st century, yet the competitive nature of the school env ironment could possibly be preventing the future generation from developing the appropriate and essential collaborative and communication skills that are necessary for successful functioning in the 21st century. These skills, namely collaboration, communication, teamwork, require largely practical and reflexive competencies (see section) they are skills that cannot be studied and tested, but rather experienced, explored and facilitated. Hence the envisaged role of in the context of this study, especially Life Orientation teachers as mentors mediators of learning, interpreters and designers of Learning Programmes (DoE pg. 5) as opposed to deliverers of content and learning outcomes. No longer is it effective for the teacher to take on the role of the painter, who fills in the spaces on a blank canvas, synthetically, producing an image. The teacher needs to take on the role of the sculptor chipping away carefully and gently until the artwork is revealed. (Gatto, pg xxxiv). Daniel Pink (2005) is an advocate for empathy as a teaching strategy and essential 21st century skill in the learning and work environment. Empathy, says Pink, is an ethic for livinga universal language that connects us beyond country or culturean essential part of living a life of meaning (pg 165). Robinson concurs: students are simply not learning the personal skills they need to deal with modern life (2011; pg 78). According to Kathy Beland (2007:69 BOOK 1), social and emotional competence and skills are crucial to success in school, work, and personal life These skills include self-awareness and relationship skills, assisting the individual in recognizing and managing emotions. Education should not be knowledge-based but child-centered (Robinson, 2011:179). This means that the whole child should be developed, not just his/her academic abilities. According to Robinson (2011:179), education should engage [learners] feelings, physical development, moral education and creativity. These authors are emphasising again the shift in skill requirements for the 21st century, and the necessity for personal growth and development over and above content and curriculum knowledge acquisition. The lessons of school prevent children from keeping important appointments with themselves and with their families to learn lessons in self-motivation, perseverance, self-reliance, courage, dignity and love and lessons in service to others, too (Gatto, pg 19). This type of content-based curriculum, with a set body of information to be imparted to students is, Gatto believes, entirely inappropriate as a means of preparing children for their adult roles (Gatto, pg xxiv). What often hap pens in during the school lesson is that teachers tend to become overwhelmed by topic information, leading to lessons that often try to cover too much content, at the expense of depth (resource doc pg 29). The challenge therefore is for teachers to transform their roles. The curriculum is merely a vehicle with which teachers can drive transformation. The Life Orientation curriculum in particular is geared towards both critical and personal development of the learner, as is seen in the learning outcomes table in section it is the role of the teacher to ensure that this development takes place. The essential skill that teachers need to possess, is the ability to adapt the curriculum to the current social, economic and technological environment. As the above-mentioned researchers have demonstrated in their work, The 21st century is an environment that requires very different skills to that of the mid-20th century/Industrial Era, where individuals werlewe relegated to a more passive role , which required some decision making and knowledge of self to ensure an initial fit within an organization or profession, with the organization then actively defining the individuals roles and criteria f or career success (Mahler pg 21). No longer does our economy depend on the mass production of factory workers and craftsmen these positions are now being filled by the computer. No longer does our society require a generation of passive and loyal workers who are unmotivated, lacking in passion and creativity, and fearful of authority workers today need to be flexible, adaptable, creative and prepared for change; able to provide the work environment with skills and values that are unmatched by todays technology and outsourced skills and resources. These 21st century skills generally involve personal and ethical awareness, and motivation driven by passion. Skills that cannot be taught or tested, but rather role-modelled and facilitated by mentors. In order to assess the acquisition of these skills, as intended by the curriculum, the Life Orientation teacher is required to use various assessment methods, such as tests, examinations, projects and assignments (doe 2003, pg. 39), which form part of a continuous assessment (CASS) process  [1]  and are ultimately included in a final portfolio. Although the curriculum makes provision for practical exploration in the FET phase, the majority of tasks are written and content-based. School systems tend to be preoccupied with certain sorts of critical analysis and reasoning, particularly with words and numberschildren everywhere are under intense pressure to perform at higher and higher levels on a narrow range of standardized tests (Robinson, 2009:13). Students abilities to transfer their understandings

Comparing Nietzsche and Schopenhauers Attitudes Towards Life Essay

Comparing Nietzsche and Schopenhauer's Attitudes Towards Life ABSTRACT: On the basis of his metaphysics, Schopenhauer was led to advocate quietism and resignation as attitudes toward life. In the course of his career, Nietzsche reversed his estimation of Schopenhauer from initial agreement to final excoriation. In what follows, I examine and assess the grounds on which Nietzsche revised his opinion of Schopenhauer as educator of humanity. I argue that three fundamental issues divide Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. The first concerns the eliminability of human suffering. The second regards the value of sympathy to those who feel rather than are recipients of this sentiment. The third is the value of cultivating indifference to the suffering of others. Schopenhauer considers suffering as inextricably bound up with human existence, whereas Nietzsche views suffering as a sign of weakness that is ultimately eliminable from human existence. Schopenhauer assumed that sympathy and compassion have a benign effect upon those who experience these emotions; Ni etzsche maintains they have the opposite effect. Contra Nietzsche, Schopenhauer deplores the cultivation of indifference towards the suffering of others. I defend Schopenhauer against Nietzsche on all three issues, though I argue that Schopenhauer exaggerates the ubiquity of human suffering and hence the need and desirability of the cultivation of self-denial. 1. Nietzsche's Revaluation of Schopenhauer On the basis of his metaphysics, Schopenhauer was led to advocate quietism and resignation as an attitude to life. As is well known, Nietzsche held Schopenhauer's views on this and other matters in far higher esteem at the start of his intellectual career than he did at its end. To... ..., Friedrich (1965), Schopenhauer as Educator, trans. J.W. Hillesheim and Malcolm R. Simpson, (South Bend, Indiana, Gateway), pp. 25-26 (2) Nietzsche, Friedrich (1968), Twilight of the Idols and the Anti-Christ, trans. R.J.Hollingdale, (Harmondsworth, Penguin), pp.79-80 (3) Nietzsche, Friedrich, op cit, p.75 (4) Nietzsche, Friedrich, op cit, p.88 (5) Nietzsche, Friedrich, op cit, p. 88 (6) Mill, John Stuart (1962), Utilitarianism, (ed.) M.Warnock, (Glasgow, Collins), p.26. (7) Nietzsche, Friedrich (1968), Twilight of the Idols and the Anti-Christ, trans. R.J.Hollingdale, (Harmondsworth, Penguin), pp.118-119. (8) Schopenhauer, Arthur (1965), On the Basis of Morality, trans. E. F. J. Payne, (Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill), pp. 211-212. (9) Nietzsche, Friedrich (1969), Thus Spoke Zarathrustra, trans. R.J.Hollingdale, (Harmondsworth, Penguin), p.103.

A Choice We Make through a Decision of Our Will

We cannot let the world's wounds destroy our spirits. We cannot let our hurts and betrayals destroy our capacity for growth and caring. That there will be Judgment and, perhaps, Justice, is necessary. That the violence be confronted and, if possible, contained is essential. But, most important is our capacity to nurture a loving heart, to affirm and not to curse, to forgive even when we cannot completely forget. † – Glenn H. Turner Some Questions to ask: How do you respond when you are wounded? How do you feel toward the person who has hurt you?How long do you carry your anger and how does that re-sentment (feeling it again and again) continue to hurt you? Can you forgive and break the cycle? Can you understand the other? What does forgiveness mean to you? It is not uncommon for Christians to have questions about forgiveness. Forgiveness does not come easy for most of us. Our natural instinct is to recoil in self-protection when we've been injured. We don't naturally ove rflow with mercy, grace and forgiveness when we've been wronged Is forgiveness a conscious choice, a physical ct involving the will, or is it a feeling, an emotional state of being?The Bible offers insight and answers to these and many more questions about forgiveness. We'll take a look at the most frequently asked questions and find out what the Bible says about forgiveness. Is forgiveness a conscious choice, or an emotional state? I believe forgiveness is a choice we make through a decision of our will, motivated by obedience to God and his command to forgive. The Bible instructs us to forgive as the Lord forgave us: Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one nother.Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (NIV) How do we forgive when we don't feel like it? How do we translate the decision to forgive into a change of heart? We forgive by faith, out of obedience. Since forgiveness goes against our nature, we must forgive by faith, whether we feel like it or not. We must trust God to do the work in us that needs to be done so that the forgiveness will be complete. I believe God honors our commitment to obey Him and our desire to please him when we choose to forgive. He completes the work in his time.We must continue to forgive (our Job), by faith, until the work of forgiveness (the Lord's Job), is done in our hearts. Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (NLT) How will we know if we have truly forgiven? Lewis B. Smedes wrote in his book, Forgive and Forget, â€Å"When you release the wrongdoer from the wrong, you cut a malignant tumor out of your inner life. You set a prisoner free, but you discover that the real prisoner was yourself. ? More Forgiveness Quotes that comes as a result. We are the ones who suffer most when we choose not to forgive. When we do forgive, the Lord sets our hear ts free from the anger, bitterness, resentment and hurt that previously imprisoned us. Most times, however, forgiveness is a slow process. Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, â€Å"Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? † Jesus answered, â€Å"l tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (NIV) This answer by Jesus makes it clear that orgiveness is not easy for us.It's not a one-time choice and then we automatically live in a state of forgiveness. Forgiveness may require a lifetime of forgiving, but it is important to the Lord. We must continue forgiving until the matter is settled in our heart. Is it okay to feel anger and want Justice for the person we need to forgive? This question presents another reason to pray for the person we need to forgive. We can pray for God to deal with the injustices, for God to Judge the person's life, and then we can leave that prayer at the altar. We no longer have to carry the anger.Although it is normal for us to feel anger toward sin and injustice, it is not our Job to judge the other person in their sin. Luke 6:37 Do not Judge, and you will not be Judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (NIV) Why must we forgive? The best reason to forgive is because Jesus commanded us to forgive. We learn from Scripture, if we don't forgive, neither will we be forgiven: Matthew 6:14-16 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also orgive you.But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NIV) We also forgive so that our prayers will not be hindered: Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. (NIV) In summary and in closing, we forgive out of obedience to the Lord. It is a choice, a decision we make. However, as we do this â€Å"forgi ving,† we discover the command is in place for our own good, and we receive the reward of our forgiveness†freedom.

Mean Season essays

Mean Season essays Hurricanes are an environmental disaster. People in hurricane-prone regions most want to know: when and where the next hurricane will make landfall and just how powerful the storms will be when they do hit. For the most accurate warning possible, people rely on the meteorologists. Still a few tenacious problems remain, like that forecasters cannot always predict weather nor how much a hurricane will intensify before it hits land. Thats a problem for people in the path of a storm who need to know if its enough just to nail plywood across the windows, or if they should leave town altogether. The need for better hurricane forecasting will become more urgent now as well as in the future to come. It will not take more than a handful of major hurricanes striking land on the crowded and densely developed U.S. East Coast to cause damage in the tens of billions of dollars. Forecasters rely on trends in the global climate that coincide with the ups and downs of Atlantic hurricane activity. One predictor," the warming of the equatorial Pacific, disrupts weather across much of the globe. Shifts in air circulation disrupt the vertical circulation in Tropical storms, which prevent them from growing into hurricanes. Scientists are sure that Atlantic hurricanes assemble over Africa. The collision of hot, dry air over the Sahara Desert, including warm, moist air from the equatorial jungle will give birth. The collision will cause disturbances in the atmosphere called Hurricane Seedlings." Each season there is about 60 seedlings blown west into the Tropical Atlantic by the trade winds. At first, Seedlings are nothing more than clusters of thunderstorms, but in an average year, nine will evolve into named tropical storms and about six become hurricanes. On their way across the ocean, seedlings feed on the heat in warm ...

Bio technology essays

Bio technology essays The international issues in the bio-technological field of development are putting forward a dilemma of whether these technological advances will have a positive affect on society or not. Bio- technological research scientists claim that this great development will open up economic impetus similar to what we are seeing as a result of communications and Information technology. However, other scientists and citizen groups are increasingly concerned about the potential costs and adverse effects of these bio- technologies, especially genetic engineering. The world today is exposed to questions like if genetic engineering produces miracle crops to feed the hungry? Does it offer greener agriculture to protect the environment and provide magical cures for fatal diseases? Or will these promises pale beside the perils lurking in the large scale commercialization of an untried, inadequately researched technology that can get horribly out of control. The term genetic engineering encompasses a wide range of procedures designed to alter genetic material. The approach to genetic engineering in society is an important ethical and economic factor in government policy. It is a responsibility of the society to think about new processes that can be initiated with genetic engineering. It is not inappropriate to discuss whether or not to make use of this technology possible for a developed industrial society. Cloning is one aspect of genetic engineering, which has fired many issues internationally. Now that the cloning genie is out of the bottle, the issue is: what can be done and what should be done? If we can clone humans, should we? If parents could choose the gender, body type, hair color, and intelligence of their child like flavors of an ice cream, should they be allowed? If we had the power to create clones of already dead people, should we dare? Former U.S. president Bill Clinton imposed a ban on using government funds for cloning r...

Unmasking Victorian Monsters Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Unmasking Victorian Monsters - Research Paper Example In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Henry Jekyll begins experimenting on himself by drinking a potion that unleashes his dark side, a violent, brutish misanthrope named Edward Hyde. Eventually, he becomes unable to control the shift in personality chemically and it begins to overtake his upstanding persona and psyche as Dr. Jekyll. The novel itself is in the form of Dr. Jekylls last will and testament as it has fallen into the hands of his solicitor. The Island of Dr. Moreau tells the story of Edward Prendick who is shipwrecked in the South Pacific and finds himself on the island of Dr. Moreau. Moreau was a famous London physiologist who was shunned when his experiments in vivisection were revealed. He has exiled himself to this island where he can continue his experiments in vivisection unhindered by public opprobrium. Prendick learns that Dr. Moreau has created a collection of Beat Men who may, or may not, be under his control and resistant to their animal tendencies. Bram Stokers Dracula has multiple narrators although its principle one is Jonathan Harker, a London solicitor. Harker journeys to Transylvania to assist a client, Count Dracula, with a real estate transaction. Subsequently, Dracula arrives in England and begins to work his evil on a British woman, Lucy Westenra. As she wastes away the Dutch vampire expert, Abraham Van Helsing, eventually joined by Harker and his fiance, Wilhelmina Mina Murray, wages war against Dracula. Lucy and her mother both die after a wolf attack; the struggle eventually returns to Transylvania where Dracula is exterminated; one of his hunters, Quincy Morris, is also killed; and, Mina is freed from the mental and emotional thrall of the evil vampire. Indicatively, Moreaus creations are known as the Beast Folk. They appear to be neither people nor beasts but rather an

Prepare a SOSE unit of work with rationale Essay

Prepare a SOSE unit of work with rationale - Essay Example In this case, they build up their capacity for participating in the community and provide meaningful rejoinder to environmental and social matters. Through this curriculum, learners get to understand global ideas of Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people with their connectivity to other groups and places. They are able to apply their understanding to their connections to places and people in the world. Students are able to use essential ways of working to create and demonstrate their understanding of knowledge. Inquiry in this process is very important. It offers an opportunity to students to investigate a range issues locally and globally. They converse by use of different kinds of texts for precise purposes and audiences. This makes them participate actively in groups or individually in their villages in making enterprises while responding to issues creatively. Students have the ability to select precise tools and technologies to use which involves ICTs to carry out inquirie s and communicate within environmental and social context (Stage & Quiroz, 2008). There are different methods used in teaching. They are categorized into two groups. Teacher-centred and learner-cantered. Teacher-centred methods take the teacher to be the creator of all learning practices and procedures. An example is the lecture method. On the other hand, learner-centred methods identify the learner as the core creator of the learning process while the instructor or the teacher becomes controller of the learning procedure according to piagates theory of learning (Suai & Homer, 2006). It is the view of this paper that the lessons prepared will guide learners to acquire the desired skills, attitudes and knowledge to exist in the current globe. The methods also provide the chance for the society to learn new ideas from one another. The paper substantiates learner-centred methods through broad examination of environment as a topic in teaching of science. The method applied in this paper is Constructionism. It enables the learners to participate fully in the lessons investigating new ideas while the teacher guides through the process. The paper has singled out environment as a topic to examine different aspects of teaching and learning process. It is an interesting topic in a school setting. This will enable learners to participate fully in their classrooms during the lesson (Siebert, 2005). Some of the skills needed in a science lesson are supposed to help the learner with literally skills for writing reading and communicating orally about science principles and concepts. All these skills are incorporated into the topic â€Å"environment† Reasons for choosing the topic Environment is what surrounds an organism. There are two types of organisms, living and non-living organisms. Learners being one of the organisms in the environment require understanding how to live in it. This is important to help them acquire knowledge and skills to deal with different situ ations in life. Learning about environment is quite interesting and maintains learners’ interest to desire to know more about their surroundings. In this unit, learners undergo different real life experiences. This is important since they can easily relate what they are learning in class to what is happening out of their classrooms. For instance recycling of plastic is carried out by several industries (Siebert, 2005). It is possible for the