ALTE DOCUMENTE
|
|||||||||
Vocabulary Find the "odd one out".
There may be more than one answer. Give your reasons.
|
A |
B |
C |
|
|
an application |
a post |
a vacancy |
|
|
an applicant |
a candidate |
an interviewer |
|
|
an employee |
an employer |
a worker |
|
|
an industrial dispute |
a lockout |
a strike |
|
|
a union representative |
a shop steward |
a foreman |
|
|
an apprentice |
a probationer |
a trainee |
|
|
a department |
a division |
a district |
|
|
wages |
salary |
pay |
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"><!-- saved from url=(0050)https://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/discwort.html -->
<TBODY>
WORK Text for dictation
</TBODY>
People in
Before applying for a job, you should check that you meet the requirements. These are usually specified in terms of previous experience, qualifications and personality. To show that you are a suitable candidate for the post, it is usual to enclose a curriculum vitae with your letter of application. There are many computer programs that will help you produce a well designed and professional-looking curriculum vitae, available both from computer software retailers and as freeware on the web.
If you make the right impression, you will be invited to an interview; otherwise you will probably receive a letter saying: "we regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful." The successful applicant will probably be given a contract of employment which will contain the job description and the terms and conditions. You show your acceptance of these by signing the contract.
On your first day of work, you may be invited to join a trade union. If so, you will probably be introduced to your shop steward, the trade union official who will represent you and your colleagues in negotiations with management. Sooner or later, you will meet your boss. The person who you report to, could also be called a line manager or director. In factories, workers often take their orders from a team-leader or foreman, who is an intermediary between the employer and the employees.
WORK Dialogue
</TBODY>
A: Do people in
B: I'd say they do. Jobs are so hard to get that if you're lucky enough to have one, you know that you're expected to pull your weight.
A: What are the conditions of work like?
B: They vary tremendously between jobs. You can see what they're like for people working in supermarket check-outs. They have to keep up or else shoppers or their supervisors get angry.
A: How about in schools?
B: School-teachers have plenty to do now that they have to administer tests as part of the National Curriculum. In many cases, they've had to stop running clubs and societies after school. They used to do this voluntarily, but now they're much too exhausted.
A: Do you think that public sector workers such as teachers, doctors, nurses and fire fighters should be allowed to strike?
B: Not if they're properly rewarded. Their unions should come together with the employers and negotiate no-strike agreements.
A: What if the employers decide to introduce new working practices? After all, things can't remain the same for ever.
B: Any change in conditions should be negotiated as well.
A: And what happens if the two sides can't agree?
B: Then the dispute should go to arbitration. What's needed is an independent body to mediate in industrial disputes. It might sometimes have to impose a settlement.
A: Surely, nobody can force people to go to work, if they really don't want to.
B: Then they risk losing their jobs. It is wrong to leave hospital patients without doctors and nurses. Likewise, strikes among teachers can severely disrupt the education of our children.
A: So you don't think everybody should have the right to strike?
B: Well, I think everybody should have the right to join a trade union. This allows free collective bargaining. You can't have every worker making separate deals with management. The strike weapon should only be used as a last resort if 131h715b arbitration fails. Employees should know that management may impose a lock-out.
Assignment 1:
Select one of the topics below and prepare a brief oral presentation on the
situation in
WORK Discussion questions
Assignment 3
Access the internet address https://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/
and do one of the following:
answer THREE of the questions in the list below;
select one group of
immigrants and write a brief
presentation on its history on the soil of the
NB:
Write on a separate sheet of paper to add it to your File.
This introduction to the study of immigration to the
What happened to the Native American as waves of immigrants arrived from other nations?
Which nations yielded the most
significant numbers of immigrants to the
Why did each immigrant group come to the
When did each immigrant group come to
the
Where did the groups settle, both initially and in subsequent migrations?
How were the immigrants received by the current citizens of this nation?
How did
How did
What role did the distribution of resources (natural and man-made) play in the immigration and subsequent migration patterns of immigrants?
How did economic conditions impact the immigrants' experience?
How did cultural heritage affect an immigrant's place of settlement?
What
impact did immigrant cultural traditions have on the
Reading Comprehension
Pre-reading
Work
and play are words used to describe the same thing under differing
conditions."
- Mark Twain
"Few
Americans even know what 'leisure' really means, and commonly confuse it with
recreation or time off from work, even if that time is spent doing
chores."
- Shannon Mullen, "Millenium Changes Definition of Leisure",
"The
individual, in our society, works for profit; but the social purpose of his
work lies in the consumption of what he produces. It is this divorce between
the individual and the social purpose of production that makes it so difficult
for men to think clearly in a world in which profit-making is the incentive to
industry."
- Bertrand Russell
Read the text below and then do as required.
Historical Context of the Work Ethic[1]
Roger B. Hill, Ph.D.
1 From a historical perspective, the cultural norm placing a positive moral value on doing a good job because work has intrinsic value for its own sake was a relatively recent development (Lipset, 1990). Work, for much of the ancient history of the human race, has been hard and degrading. Working hard--in the absence of compulsion--was not the norm for Hebrew, classical, or medieval cultures (Rose, 1985). It was not until the Protestant Reformation that physical labor became culturally acceptable for all persons, even the wealthy
Attitudes Toward Work During the Classical Period
2 One of the significant influences
on the culture of the western world has been the Judeo-Christian belief system.
Growing awareness of the multicultural dimensions of contemporary society has
moved educators to consider alternative viewpoints and perspectives, but an
understanding of western thought is an important element in the understanding
of the history of the
3 Traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs
state that sometime after the dawn of creation, man was placed in the Garden of
Eden "to work it and take care of it" (NIV, 1973, Genesis 2:15). What
was likely an ideal work situation was disrupted when sin entered the world and
humans were ejected from the Garden. Genesis
4 The Greeks, like the Hebrews, also
regarded work as a curse (
5 Mental labor was also considered to be work and was denounced by the Greeks. The mechanical arts were deplored because they required a person to use practical thinking, "brutalizing the mind till it was unfit for thinking of truth" (Tilgher, 1930, p. 4). Skilled crafts were accepted and recognized as having some social value, but were not regarded as much better than work appropriate for slaves. Hard work, whether due to economic need or under the orders of a master, was disdained.
6 It was recognized that work was necessary for the satisfaction of material needs, but philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle made it clear that the purpose for which the majority of men labored was "in order that the minority, the élite, might engage in pure exercises of the mind--art, philosophy, and politics" (Tilgher, 1930, p. 5). Plato recognized the notion of a division of labor, separating them first into categories of rich and poor, and then into categories by different kinds of work, and he argued that such an arrangement could only be avoided by abolition of private property (Anthony, 1977). Aristotle supported the ownership of private property and wealth. He viewed work as a corrupt waste of time that would make a citizen's pursuit of virtue more difficult (Anthony, 1977).
7 Braude (1975) described the Greek belief that a person's prudence, morality, and wisdom was directly proportional to the amount of leisure time that person had. A person who worked, when there was no need to do so, would run the risk of obliterating the distinction between slave and master. Leadership, in the Greek state and culture, was based on the work a person didn't have to do, and any person who broke this cultural norm was acting to subvert the state itself. (.)
8 From the perspective of a contemporary culture, respect for workers upon whom the economic structure of a nation and a society rested would have been logical for the Greeks and the Romans, but no such respect was evident. Even free men, who were not privileged to be wealthy and were obliged to work along side slaves, were not treated with any sense of gratitude, but were held in contempt. The cultural norms of the classical era regarding work were in stark contrast to the work ethic of the latter day. (.)
Two Perspectives of the Protestant Ethic
9 The attitudes toward work which became a part of the culture during the sixteenth century, and the economic value system which they nurtured, represented a significant change from medieval and classical ways of thinking about work (Anthony, 1977). Max Weber, the German economic sociologist, coined a term for the new beliefs about work calling it the "Protestant ethic." The key elements of the Protestant ethic were diligence, punctuality, deferment of gratification, and primacy of the work domain (Rose, 1985). Two distinct perspectives were evident in the literature with regard to the development of the Protestant ethic.
10 One perspective was the materialist viewpoint which stated that the belief system, called the Protestant ethic, grew out of changes in the economic structure and the need for values to support new ways of behavior. Anthony (1977) attributes this view to Karl Marx. The other perspective, delineated by Max Weber (1904, 1905), viewed changes in the economic structure as an outgrowth of shifts in theological beliefs. Regardless of the viewpoint, it is evident that a rapid expansion in commerce and the rise of industrialism coincided with the Protestant Reformation (Rose, 1985).
11 Bernstein
(1988), in an argument supporting the materialist viewpoint, enumerated three
sixteenth century trends which probably contributed to the support by Luther
and Calvin of diligence: (1) a rapid population increase of
12 European cities acted to alleviate[2] the problems of unemployment and begging on the streets by passing laws which prohibited begging. The general perception of the time was that work was available for those who wanted to work, and that beggars and vagrants were just lazy. The reality was that the movement of people into the cities far exceeded the capacity of the urban areas to provide jobs. The theological premise that work was a necessary penance for original sin caused increased prejudice toward those without work. Bernstein (1988) suggested that a fundamental misunderstanding of the economic realities facing the poor contributed to the theological development of the Protestant ethic.
13 From a Marxist view, what actually occurred was the development of a religious base of support for a new industrial system which required workers who would accept long hours and poor working conditions (Anthony, 1977; Berenstein, 1988). Berenstein did not accuse the theological leaders of the Protestant Reformation of deliberately constructing a belief system which would support the new economic order, but proposed that they did misconstrue the realities of the poor and the unemployed of their day.
14 From the perspective of Max Weber (1904, 1905), the theological beliefs came first and change in the economic system resulted. Motivation of persons to work hard and to reinvest profits in new business ventures was perceived as an outcome primarily of Calvinism. Weber further concluded that countries with belief systems which were predominantly Protestant prospered more under capitalism than did those which were predominantly Catholic (Rose, 1985).
The Work Ethic in the Information Age
15 Just as the people of the mid-nineteenth century encountered tremendous cultural and social change with the dawn of the industrial age, the people of the late twentieth century experienced tremendous cultural and social shifts with the advent of the information age. Toffler (1980) likened these times of change to waves washing over the culture, bringing with it changes in norms and expectations, as well as uncertainty about the future.
16 Since 1956 (Naisbitt, 1984) white-collar workers in technical, managerial, and clerical positions have outnumbered workers in blue-collar jobs. Porat (1977), in a study for the U.S. Department of Commerce, examined over 400 occupations in 201 industries. He determined that in 1967, the economic contribution of jobs primarily dealing with production of information, as compared with goods-producing jobs, accounted for 46% of the GNP and more than 53% of the income earned. Some jobs in manufacturing and industry also became more technical and necessitated a higher level of thinking on the job as machines were interfaced with computers and control systems became more complex.
17 Yankelovich and Immerwahr (1984) contrasted the work required of most people during the industrial age with the work of the information age. Industrial age jobs were typically low-discretion, required little decisionmaking, and were analyzed and broken into simple tasks which required very little thinking or judgement on the part of workers. Information age jobs, in contrast, were high-discretion and required considerable thinking and decisionmaking on the part of workers (Miller, 1986). In the workplace characterized by high-discretion, the work ethic became a much more important construct than it was during the manipulative era of machines. Maccoby (1988) emphasized the importance, in this setting, of giving employees authority to make decisions which would meet the needs of customers as well as support the goals of their own companies.
18 As high-discretion, information age jobs provided opportunities for greater self-expression by workers, people began to find more self-fulfillment in their work. Yankelovich and Harmon (1988) reported that a significant transformation in the meaning of the work ethic resulted. Throughout history, work had been associated with pain, sacrifice, and drudgery. The previously mentioned Greek word for work, ponos, also meant "pain." For the Hebrews as well as for the medieval Christians, the unpleasantness of work was associated with Divine punishment for man's sin. The Protestant ethic maintained that work was a sacrifice that demonstrated moral worthiness, and it stressed the importance of postponed gratification. With the information age, however, came work which was perceived as good and rewarding in itself. Most workers were satisfied with their work and wanted to be successful in it (Wattenberg, 1984).
19 According the Yankelovich and Harmon (1988), the work ethic of the 1980's stressed skill, challenge, autonomy, recognition, and the quality of work produced. Autonomy was identified as a particularly important factor in worker satisfaction with their jobs. Motivation to work involved trust, caring, meaning, self-knowledge, challenge, opportunity for personal growth, and dignity (Maccoby, 1988; Walton, 1974). Workers were seeking control over their work and a sense of empowerment and many information age jobs were conducive to meeting these needs. As a result, the work ethic was not abandoned during the information age, but was transformed to a state of relevance not found in most industrial age occupations.
20 Even though the information age was well established by the 1980's and 1990's, not all jobs were high-discretion. Some occupations continued to consist primarily of manual labor and allowed minimal opportunity for worker involvement in decisionmaking. In addition, authoritarian forms of management continued to be utilized and the potential of the work ethic was wasted. Statistics reported by Yankelovich and Immerwahr (1984) indicated that by the early 1980's, 43% of the workforce perceived their jobs as high-discretion and 21% of the workforce perceived their jobs as low-discretion. The high-discretion workers were likely to be better educated, to be in white-collar or service jobs, and to have experienced technological changes in their work. The low-discretion workers were more likely to be union members, to be in blue-collar jobs, and to be working in positions characterized by dirt, noise, and pollution.
21 The work ethic is a cultural norm that places a positive moral value on doing a good job and is based on a belief that work has intrinsic value for its own sake (Cherrington, 1980; Quinn, 1983; Yankelovich & Immerwahr, 1984). Like other cultural norms, a person's adherence to or belief in the work ethic is principally influenced by socialization experiences during childhood and adolescence. Through interaction with family, peers, and significant adults, a person "learns to place a value on work behavior as others approach him in situations demanding increasing responsibility for productivity" (Braude, 1975, p. 134). Based on praise or blame and affection or anger, a child appraises his or her performance in household chores, or later in part-time jobs, but this appraisal is based on the perspective of others. As a child matures, these attitudes toward work become internalized, and work performance is less dependent on the reactions of others.
22 Children are also influenced by the attitudes of others toward work (Braude, 1975). If a parent demonstrates a dislike for a job or a fear of unemployment, children will tend to assimilate these attitudes. Parents who demonstrate a strong work ethic tend to impart a strong work ethic to their children.
23 Another significant factor shaping the work attitudes of people is the socialization which occurs in the workplace. As a person enters the workplace, the perceptions and reactions of others tend to confirm or contradict the work attitudes shaped in childhood (Braude, 1975). The occupational culture, especially the influence of an "inner fraternity" of colleagues, has a significant impact on the attitudes toward work and the work ethic which form part of each person's belief system.
24 Among the mechanisms provided by society to transfer the culture to young people is the public school. One of the functions of schools is to foster student understanding of cultural norms, and in some cases to recognize the merits of accepting them. Vocational education, for example, has as a stated goal that it will promote the work ethic (Gregson, 1991; Miller, 1985). Reubens (1974) listed "inculcation of good work attitudes" as one of the highest priorities for high school education. In the absence of early socialization which supports good work attitudes, schools should not be expected to completely transform a young person's work ethic orientation, but enlightening students about what the work ethic is, and why it is important to success in the contemporary workplace, should be a component of secondary education.
Practice Reading Skills
Skim paragraphs 1-9 and answer the following questions:
a. What would be, in your own words, the definition of work ethic?
b. Has work always had intrinsic value for its own sake? If yes/ no, why?
c. How did the Greeks consider manual and mental labour?
d.
What was the purpose of work in
ancient
e. What did the Greek think about leisure?
Scan paragraphs 10-14 and complete the sentences:
a. The main elements of the Protestant ethic were .......... ..... ...... ......................
b. The materialistic perspective of the Protestant ethic is attributed to..... whereas the other belongs to ....... .
c. According to Bernstein, three 16th century trends were involved in the promotion of diligence as a major work value: (1)..........; (2)........; (3) .................
d. At that time, the perspective on unemployment was that ............... .
e. Weber's conclusion about the changes in the economic system was.......... ..... ...... . .
Read paragraphs 15-22 and summarize each in one sentence. You can use the following suggestions:
"social shifts"; "industrial vs information age jobs"; contemporary perception of work ethic"; "cultural norm"; "influence of others"; "shaping factor of work attitudes"; "1980's".
4. These are all the subchapters of this study. Put them in a logical order. Then access the source mentioned at the beginning and check.
o Influences Shaping the Contemporary Work Ethic (.)
o Attitudes Toward Work During the Medieval Period (.)
o Protestantism and the Protestant Ethic
o The Work Ethic in
o
The Work Ethic and the
o The Work Ethic and Industrial Management
o Two Perspectives of the Protestant Ethic
o The Work Ethic in the Information Age
o The Work Ethic and Empowerment
o Other Changes in the Workplace(.)
o Attitudes Toward Work During the Classical Period
A great deal of academic work involves understanding and suggesting solutions to problems. At postgraduate level, particularly in applied fields, students search out problems to study. In fact, one could say that problems are the food for a significant proportion of academic activity. However, solutions cannot be suggested unless the problem is fully analysed, and this involves a thorough understanding of the causes. Some of the language that you may find useful for explaining causes and effects is listed below:
|
Lack of protein |
may
cause |
mental retardation. |
|
Low levels of chlorine in the body |
can give rise to |
high blood presssure. |
|
Much of the instability |
stems from |
the economic effects of the war. |
|
Kwashiorkor
is a disease |
caused
by |
insufficient
protein. |
|
The most likely causes of X are poor diet and lack of exercise. |
|
A consequence of vitamin A deficiency is blindness. |
|
Physical activity is an important factor in maintaining fitness. |
|
Many other medications have an influence on cholesterol levels. |
|
Another reason why Xs are considered to be important is that ....... |
|
200,000 people per year become deaf |
owing
to |
a lack of iodine. |
|
If undernourished and retarded children do survive to become adults, they have decreased learning ability. |
Therefore, |
when they grow up, it will probably be difficult for them to find work. |
|
Malnutrition leads to illness and a reduced ability to work in adulthood, |
thus/thereby |
perpetuating the poverty cycle. |
|
The warm air rises above the surface of the sea, |
thus/thereby |
creating an area of low pressure. |
As a
consequence of X , it appears that winds alone are not the causative factor
of.......
Due to X and Y inflowing surface water becomes more dense as it .......
X and Y are important driving factors of Z.
The mixing of X and Y exerts a powerful effect upon Z through ......
This
suggests a weak link may exist between X and Y.
The human papilloma virus is linked to most cervical cancer.
Stomach cancer in many cases may be associated with certain bacterial
infections.
A high consumption of seafood could be associated with infertility.
There is some evidence that X may affect Y.
Assignment: PERSONAL FILE 5: Select one of the following topics and write a 300-word cause-effect essay.
PERSONALIZE
Have you ever been abroad? Have you heard of the Work and Travel programs for students?
What do you think are the advantages/ disadvantages of such a program? Is it ok to have a job at all while attending university?
Working holidays, gap
year jobs and volunteer
work programmes abroad. Whether it's a gap
year programme, volunteer opportunity, backpacking trip, working holiday
or career break the Work & Travel Company offers full support packages
Available only to students who are currently on a college or university course, and will be returning to your course after the summer or remain a full time student on another course.
Student?
Spend the summer working in
We give you the biggest choice
Choose the type of work you want
Find a job yourself, or take one of ours
Choose where in the
Book your own flight or join one of our group flights
Top discounts on travel options after your job finishe
Free giveaways and competitions can save you money
Why Work & Travel?
o
Have fun, make money and see the sights
o Certificate of completion will add to your CV
Choose your job!
After
working, travel around
Once your job finishes, you'll have time to travel around the USA until it's time to go home ... Book ot before you go to the US, or when you are ready to travel around
Greyhound bus pass
Adventure Tour Rent a Car Cities, Beaches, National Parks...
Home
Assignment
Read the following examples of cv/ resume and application letter and write your own for the personal file 6. Use the above Work and Travel job advertisement.
PERSONAL RÉSUMÉ for
Leena Leinonen
Kesikitie
32
FIN-11000 Lahti, Finland
Date of Birth: 11 December 1981.
Health: Excellent.
Marital Status: Single.
Nationality: Citizen of Finland, Citizen of the European Union.
Work and mobility: Able to work and travel freely throughout the European Union, since Finland is an EU member country.
University
of Tampere, Finland 2003 -
Majoring in English
Translation and Interpreting.
St.
Paul Community College, USA 2003
International student,
Liberal Arts program.
University
of Helsinki, Finland 2001 - 2002
Major subject Special
Education in the Educational Science Department.
Hollolan
lukio senior secondary school, Finland 1998 - 2001
Was graduated in 2001 with
excellent grades; received an award for outstanding academic performance.
Optimal Translations Ltd, Lahti, Finland
06/03 -
Part-time (while studying)
Finnish-English-Finnish translator.
S-Market Hollola Oy 08/02 - 11/02
Cashier. Supervisor Mr Ahti
Ahtonen, store manager.
Talk Family Ltd, Lahti, Finland 06/01 - 12/02
Part-time (while studying)
webmaster (Designed and updated web pages - HTML-coding, creating computer
graphics, layout-planning).
Hollolan TechVilla Oy, Hollola, Finland 12/00
- 05/01
Part-time (while studying) /
on-call office assistant.
Several baby-sitting jobs 1998 - 2000
Sports: A 2003 Ruskamaraton half-marathon medalist. An active jogger, hiker and cross-country skier in my free time. Enjoy canoeing in summers. Over fifteen years of experience in horseback riding; have taught groups of children and participated in several local competitions in dressage and show-jumping.
Fine arts: Won "Best of Show" award for a painting which was on display during the Spring Art Show at St. Paul Community College in May 2003. An active interest in drawing and painting. Occasional portrait and other commissions (mainly oil paints and acrylics).
Was an active member of the International Student Association of St. Paul Community College in 2003.
Volunteer work: Volunteered as an online peer counselor for teenagers 1998 - 2003.
Member of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.
Completed a first aid / emergency course in 2000.
Completed a ballroom dancing course in 2000.
Finnish: Mother tongue.
English: Excellent.
Swedish: Good.
German: Intermediate.
French: Basic.
Job Application Letter
Leena Leinonen
Keskitie 32
FIN-11000 Lahti
Finland
Mr Cristoph Ames 10 November 2003
International Summer Camps Austria
Paul Schmücklplatz 18
Neusiedl am See, A-7100
Austria
Dear Mr Ames:
I refer to your advertisement in Leiriposti 11/2003. I understand you are looking for camp counselors for international, English-language oriented, multi-activity camps for children in Austria for the summer of 2004.
I am nearing the end of my first year of studies as an English Translation and Interpreting major student at the University of Tampere and am looking for a summer job. Your advertisement mentioned that the camp programs include an English language curriculum. I am a fluent English speaker, and my university studies and work exeperiences have furthered my already strong (both academic and practical) knowledge of the English language - therefore, I could certainly help with planning and/or teaching this curriculum.
In addition to English I also have good and intermediate (respectively) conversational skills in Swedish and German, both of which I have studied for over five years, and a basic knowledge of French, which I have studied for two years. I have traveled and have spent extensive amounts of time in the United States and in Canada, including a six-month period from December 2002 to June 2003 in Minnesota, USA. During this six-month stay I attended the St. Paul Community College. All the courses I took part in required active participation and cooperative interaction with fellow course members and professors. Additionally, attending and helping to arrange the meetings of the school's International Student Association on a regular basis gave me the chance to work closely with people from all over the world. Because of my language skills and my highly international experiences, I am well-equipped for handling the multicultural environment of your international summer camps.
In 2001-2002, I spent one year at the University of Helsinki studying Special Education. My studies consisted mainly of intensive courses dealing with the education of children with special needs. It goes without saying that the children who come to summer camps come from all kinds of backgrounds and possess unique personal histories. I feel that the insight I gained through my Special Education studies would be an asset to understanding and tending to the varying needs and individual characteristics of each young camper.
I am already familiar with many of the sports and other activities included in your camp programs (horseback riding, canoeing, etc), and am excited about the prospect of learning more about the rest. Arts and crafts are among my personal interests - in my free time, I do freelance work as an artist in the form of portraits or other commissions. A nature enthusiast, I would also be very interested in arranging and supervising the nature trail hikes mentioned in your advertisement.
You may reach me by telephone at +358-11-5551212 between 3 pm and 5 pm daily Austrian time or by e-mail to [email protected] or by letter. Please find attached my personal résumé. Please do not hesitate to contact me or the references listed for more information.
Sincerely yours,
Leena Leinonen (Ms)
Enclosure: Personal Résumé
|
