Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Supply Chain Management - Essay Example These end users regard companies who refuse to abide by the regulations as irresponsible and try to avoid them. This means that should all factors in the supply chain process be put in place but common actions on abiding by regulations that borders on the wellbeing of people and the environment be ignored, there is no way customers would accept or patronise products from such irresponsible companies (Bowman, 1997). This way, the core motifs of companies in going into production would totally be defeated. It is in light of this that corporate organisations and companies have always taken steps to be accepted in the face of customers and the general public as corporately responsible. To achieve such tags of corporate responsibility, companies take a number of corporate responses to address specific issues. In the following sections, three companies and how they have taken specific corporate responses to address certain issues that borders on the environment and the growing challenges o f global supply chain have been addressed. GlaxoSmithKline As a company, GlaxoSmithKline has taken a number of initiatives that are based on the principles and core values of supply chain management: particularly, supply chain business process integration to address a number of social and environmental issues (Lambert, 2008, p.15). Three of these and how the company facilitated change in the given directions have been discussed below. Environmental degradation As a pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline has been faced with several issues that concerns environmental degradation. Environmental degradation has been explained as an act that deliberately or unintentionally causes damage to the environment (Burgess, 1998). Such practices have bordered the company because it depends on some raw materials that are acquired directly from undertaking environmentally threatening acts like the cutting down of trees. In the course of manufacturing also, there is the release of large volumes of waste fumes into the environment. Through the supply chain management practice of manufacturing flow management, the company has been able to ensure that what could otherwise had been serious damage to the environment has been controlled. According to Goldsby (2003), manufacturing flow management â€Å"includes all activities necessary to move products through the plants and to obtain, implement, and manage manufacturing flexibility in the supply chain (p. 23)†. Specifically, the company has been engaged in the purchase of production plants that have been designed to internally recycle waste fumes for the generation of power. This way, waste fumes are not thrown into the open atmosphere. Rising energy and materials prices Recently global events including outbreak of wars and political uprising in major oil producing countries have led to rising price of crude on the world market. This has apparently led to increase in the cost of energy. Most commonly, increase in prices of e nergy leads to increase in prices of raw materials (Copacino, 1998, p.31). This is because of the high cost of transportation that increase in the prices of energy brings about. For GlaxoSmithKline as a company, steps have been taken with reference to the order demand

No Sweat Global Commodity Chains and Labor Rights Essay

No Sweat Global Commodity Chains and Labor Rights - Essay Example According to the recent evident, almost 25 percent of total population of the developing countries are engaged in the paid labor live in several households (Seidman, 2007). These people generally survive on equivalent to 1 US dollar per day, per person. Day-by-day, the estimation of the poor working population is increasing significantly. This essay will take a close look at various debates global commodity chains and labor rights. Discussion Labor standard is the estimated, computed and several values, such as operations per hour, assembly time, and output per unit implemented in the evaluating or forecasting labor performance. The relationship between the system of labor standard and globalized production is effectively understood within the global commodity chain concept. The global commodity chain is referred to the way in which manufacturing, sales and distribution of goods is controlled and organized across the national borders. The labor intensive manufacturing of several cons umer goods is generally characterized by the particular buyer-driven commodity chains. In these commodity chains the brand-name corporations and large retailers develop a decentralize systems of manufacturing and distribution of such goods. However, the market power significantly differs among the various players across the chain. The real production is generally subcontracted out to several small organizations that generally usually face intense market competitive conditions. Therefore, the subcontractors cannot comfortably raise the output price without risking business loss. On the other hand, brand name multinationals and retailers enjoy some significant market power degree that they can adopt to keep low prices for the products they buy or earn rents through the monopolistic brand identity development. The large retailers and brand-name manufacturers could implement their market power to improve labor standards at the production level by compensating the subcontractors to incre ase the cost. There are several limitations of the global labor standards. In spite of the implementation strategy, the limitations of several schemes along with the aspects to promote global labor standards can be recognized explicitly. Only a subset of the workforce of the world could receive any benefit if the standards were aimed to the workers who manufacture goods for export. Labors generally produce non traded services and goods cannot directly affected by several interventions such as a social cause or a standardize code of conduct. In addition to this, adoption of the expansionary macroeconomic policy can referred to be an effective strategy to improve the well being of the labors. It will help to secure the egalitarian outcome comparing to the targeted labor standards’ enforcement. Labor standards are not the appropriate policies for the well being of the workers during the period of low global economic growth rate. The concept of global labor standard is irrelevant within the context of global economic downturn and global business expansion of several firms. The government of the developing countries needs to be cautioned before developing an expansionary macroeconomic policy. It is true that, macroeconomic policies can effectively contribute to the fair improvements in the work condition. But these cannot be sufficient to address the widespread corrosion of the potential employment opportunity that has been

Image Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Image - Essay Example It is an effortless medium to convey a message. The picture â€Å"Migrant Mother† taken by Dorothea Lange during the Resettlement Period in Nipomo, California in 1963 is an image that carries more than a thousand words. Looking at the picture alone, many words can pop out of the mind of onlookers such as poverty, hunger, hopelessness, family, help and many more. Indeed, the single shot of the mother with her children creates a mantra of events on the minds of onlookers trying to place themselves on the shoes of the subject. The mother with her two children on her sides is posed naturally creating an atmosphere of heavy drama. It is easy to assume that they are family. It can be seen on the way the children lean on their mother as source of comfort to what they are currently going through. They rest their worries to their mother since they are in a battle where they are weaponless. The features of the mother carry the most intense drama in the picture. Her features are taken quite vividly such that, anyone can cry their hearts out upon her solemn expression. Her eyes are replica of gloom. She is looking at a far distant without really seeing anything. She seems tired and extremely exhausted with her eyes dried up from previous crying and wailing and yet nothing still happens. The way her brows crease almost meeting in the middle shows discontent reverberating with her eyes reflecting hopelessness. Wrinkles are dominant all over her face: on her forehead, on her eyes, on her cheeks as well as on the crease on her lips. She aged so much than her true age of thirty two. The woman looks utterly sullen. The way her lips carve downward signifies that she can’t afford to smile. She slightly leans her head on her hands portraying loneliness, boredom, exhaustion and total lifelessness. She might have been in this state for quite some time. She is idle because she can’t do anything but to wait. She

Research paper High School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research paper High School - Essay Example Stiva ponders aloud what he should do. The narrative combines his stream of consciousness and the third person perspective in the writing in Part One, Chapter One; ' "But what's to be done What's to be done" he said to himself in despair, and found no answer.' (Tolstoy 3). Tolstoy developed his omniscient narratives to depict different tones of voices while stepping in the shoes of the various characters. For example, the omniscient narrator who writes about Stiva uses a relaxed tone to reflect Stiva's personality. When the narrator writes about Levin, the tone is tense. It tells that Levin is awkward in social manners because he is honest. Levin and Stiva are assigned opposite tones in narratives because their characters are opposites. Levin's unhappiness with the political climate is depicted in this narrative with Levin and Stiva in Part One, Chapter Five, when this is recorded about Levin; ' "On one side it's a plaything; they play at being a parliament, and I'm neither young enough nor old enough to find amusement in playthings; and on the other side" (he stammered) "it's a means for the coterie of the district to make money. Formerly they had wardships, courts of justice, now they have the district council--not in the form of bribes, but in the form of unearned salary," he said, as hotly as though someone of those present had opposed his opinion.' Tolstoy used the characters to ... "Her husband put her with me, and I was delighted to have her..." ' Tolstoy uses the Countess to voice a different opinion of Anna towards the end of the novel. Tolstoy developed Anna's narrator to grow with her role in the novel. In the beginning, she is the successful negotiator who win's Dolly's hand back for he brother, Stiva. The narrator shows Anna's cunning strategy of sympathy, empathy, praise, and eventual victory. Tolstoy has developed the narrative to even use the pauses fruitfully. For example, in Part One, Chapter Nineteen, Anna says; ' "I don't know, I can't judge.... Yes, I can," said Anna, thinking a moment; and grasping the position in her thought and weighing it in her inner balance, she added: "Yes, I can, I can, I can. Yes, I could forgive it. I could not be the same, no; but I could forgive it, and forgive it as though it had never been, never been at all..." ' Towards the end of the novel in Part Eight, Chapter Thirty-One, Anna has changed into a different woman. She is no longer complacent in her old realist views of her Russian society or European world. The narration portrays her as a true tragic heroine who gives up her marriage for love with Vronsky. Vronsky fails her. The narrative describes Anna as becoming confused. She reads meaning into everything she sees. At this stage, Tolstoy is trying to shift his novel, from the realist mode into the modernist. This departure from realism shows when Anna's thoughts leave the unimportant daily experiences and she tries to read deeper meanings into the ordinary activities. The novel introduces modernism then. In Part Eight, Chapter Thirty-One, the narration records Anna as saying; '"Yes, I'm very much worried, and that's what reason was

Image Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Image - Essay Example It is an effortless medium to convey a message. The picture â€Å"Migrant Mother† taken by Dorothea Lange during the Resettlement Period in Nipomo, California in 1963 is an image that carries more than a thousand words. Looking at the picture alone, many words can pop out of the mind of onlookers such as poverty, hunger, hopelessness, family, help and many more. Indeed, the single shot of the mother with her children creates a mantra of events on the minds of onlookers trying to place themselves on the shoes of the subject. The mother with her two children on her sides is posed naturally creating an atmosphere of heavy drama. It is easy to assume that they are family. It can be seen on the way the children lean on their mother as source of comfort to what they are currently going through. They rest their worries to their mother since they are in a battle where they are weaponless. The features of the mother carry the most intense drama in the picture. Her features are taken quite vividly such that, anyone can cry their hearts out upon her solemn expression. Her eyes are replica of gloom. She is looking at a far distant without really seeing anything. She seems tired and extremely exhausted with her eyes dried up from previous crying and wailing and yet nothing still happens. The way her brows crease almost meeting in the middle shows discontent reverberating with her eyes reflecting hopelessness. Wrinkles are dominant all over her face: on her forehead, on her eyes, on her cheeks as well as on the crease on her lips. She aged so much than her true age of thirty two. The woman looks utterly sullen. The way her lips carve downward signifies that she can’t afford to smile. She slightly leans her head on her hands portraying loneliness, boredom, exhaustion and total lifelessness. She might have been in this state for quite some time. She is idle because she can’t do anything but to wait. She

The Role of Culture in English Language Teaching Essay Example for Free

The Role of Culture in English Language Teaching Essay English Language is traditionally viewed as a code made up of words and a series of rules that connect them together. Language learning here, involves only vocabulary learning, and the rules for constructing ‘proper’ sentences. In most schools in Meghalaya, grammar is being taught at a very early age and students are expected to understand complex idiomatic phrases at the secondary level. Linguistic terminologies, rules of grammar, complex vocabulary, proverbs and their meanings have to be learnt by heart for them to overcome their board examinations. Such a situation only confuses the learners at a very early age and demotivates them from learning any further than what they have to write in their examinations. This narrow understanding of language sees it as a body of knowledge which is fixed and finite and does not explore the complexities involved in using language for communication. When language is seen as ‘open, dynamic, energetic, constantly evolving and personal’ (Shohamy, 2007:5) it acknowledges the rich complexities of communication. Language is no longer a thing to be studied but rather, a way of seeing, understanding and communicating about the world and each language user will use his language differently to do this. Such an expanded view will make the educational process more engaging. The communicative approach to teaching emphasizes elements of communication, including negotiation of meaning, expression, and interpretation (Brown 2000). Speaking is not the only skill that communicative language teaching focuses on but also involves reading, writing, grammar, and culture (Lee VanPatten, 2003). Brown (2007) also adds that students in such classrooms need to use the target language in a meaningful context. The purpose of Communicative language teaching is to improve the learners’ knowledge of the second language, as well as how to use it appropriately in a given context (Li Song, 2007). Learners acquire the second language through interaction with others rather than rote memorization and grammar rule learning. Language is first and foremost a tool for purposeful communication and this involves learning the vocabulary and the rules of how to use them in various cultural contexts. Hence, language does not imply a body of knowledge to be learnt but a social practice in which to participate (Kramsch, 1994). It is something that people do in their daily lives, something that they use to express, create and interpret meanings and to establish and maintain social and inter-personal relationships. Learners can no longer be seen as passive recipients of knowledge, but rather, active participants in a dynamic, complex, personal communication system. Language learning should involve them talking analytically about language, exploring and discovering the ways in which it works in order to create and convey meanings. On the surface, culture can be seen as a body of knowledge that we have about a particular society. These may include cultural artefacts, tools, institutions, rituals, dress, food etc. On a deeper level, culture is a framework in which people live their lives and communicate shared meanings with each other. Creating and interpreting meaning always happens within this cultural framework wherein both cultures simultaneously influence the learners’ understanding. Learning to communicate in English involves an awareness of the ways in which culture inter-relates with language whenever it is used. Many scholars today believe that culture and language are inseparable and culture learning must be an integral part of language learning. According to Kramsch (1993) there are three ways how language and culture are bound together. Firstly, language expresses cultural reality (people express ideas, facts and reflect their attitudes through words). Secondly, language embodies cultural reality (it helps people give meaning and understand their own experiences). And thirdly, language symbolizes cultural reality (it serves as a social identity for people). Learning a second language necessarily involves comparison with the learners’ first language, but the latter is generally perceived as causing ‘interference’ in the learning of the target language. So, students are taught to imitate, practice drills, and create speaking habits without addressing the larger complexities of language learning. In the language classroom, learners do not only learn about a culture but they try to understand themselves in relation to that culture. This process entails the transformational engagement of the learner in the act of learning. Students bring with them their own conceptions, misconceptions, experiences, feelings and understanding to the classroom, and as they interact with another culture, their views will continue to change and shape their learning as well as their identity. The diverse cultural understandings and experiences of the students are highly influential and therefore need to be taken into account. There are many approaches to teaching culture in language learning. Saluveer (2004) has divided them into two broad categories: Those that focus only on the culture of the target language (mono-cultural approach) and those that are based on comparing the learners’ own and the other culture (comparative approach). Risager (1998) describes four approaches to teaching of culture, namely, the intercultural approach, the multicultural approach, the trans-cultural approach, and the foreign-cultural approach. Of these, the intercultural approach seem most appropriate for a study on Khasi-dominated classrooms as it draws upon the idea that culture is best learned through comparison of the target and the learners’ own culture. Though the main focus is on the target culture, the intercultural approach emphasizes the connections between the two cultures, thereby developing the learners’ intercultural and communicative competences, and enabling them to act as mediators betwe en the two cultures. Saluveer (2004) points out two categories of foreign language textbooks used in English language classrooms: Global textbooks which cover issues which appeal to people from different cultural backgrounds and include topics that can be set anywhere; and Locally produced textbooks which include materials which are consistent with the requirements of the national curriculum and such books usually foster learners’ awareness of both their own cultural identity and the target culture. Analysis of the current English textbooks being used by schools would prove to be very useful for the study. According to the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005 the goals for a second language curriculum are attainment of basic proficiency and the development of language into an instrument for abstract thought and knowledge acquisition through literacy. It believes that children learn much better in holistic situations that make sense rather than a linear and additive way that often has no meaning. Rich and comprehensible input is necessary for acquisition of the different skills of language. The NCF (2005) encourages a multi-lingual approach to schooling right from the beginning of a child’s education. It states that the success of â€Å"English medium† schools shows that language is learnt when it is not being taught as a language but rather, through exposure in a meaningful context. It is also of the opinion that input-rich communicational environments are essential for effective language learning. This includes learner chosen texts, parallel books and materials in more than one language, multi-media, â€Å"authentic materials† and so on. It states that a variety of materials should be available to provide an input-rich curriculum which focuses on meaning. The textbooks of Meghalaya have been recently revised as per the directives of the NCF 2005 wherein the focus is on developing an activity-based communicative approach towards teaching and learning. They have tried to incorporate culturally authentic materials which are relevant to the immediate environment of the child. The NCF 2005 has suggested the use of locally available resources such as folklore, storytelling, community singing and theatre. Listening should also be enriched with music such as folk, classical and popular compositions. Today, there is a unanimous agreement amongst scholars that teachers should integrate language and culture into their classrooms and they should not perceive them as two separate entities. Language is seen as part of culture and culture a part of language, which is why they cannot be separated and should be taught together. (Brown , 2007) Hence, we need to better our understanding of learners, recognize differences in their social and cultural worlds – their experiences, motivations and aspirations, and incorporate this diversity into our teaching and learning. When students communicate in such a classroom, they become both participants and observers of ideas, expressions, feelings and experiences, thereby engendering a greater awareness of themselves in relation to others. Research Problem Students of Shillong vary widely in terms of language use in their homes and communities depending on their socio-economic backgrounds. A major challenge faced by teachers today is enabling economically-disadvantaged tribal students to communicate effectively in English at the school level. The ones who are privileged enough to attend expensive multicultural English medium schools communicate exceptionally well compared to the under-privileged majority of students. The word-knowledge before they come to school also varies accordingly and greatly influences how they perform in the later levels of school. If there is a significant gap in the vocabulary at the primary level, it will widen as the student progresses. Such students become poor readers and consequently, they read less, thereby learning fewer new words. They usually do not develop fluency even in the later stages of education, either in speaking or writing. On the other hand, students with good vocabulary generally read more, thereby learning more words and improving their reading skills (Stanovich, 1986). This downward spiral is especially true with students from rural areas. They are hardly exposed to any English text except those which are essential in school and there is no opportunity for them to converse in English. Similarly, urban English-medium schools which are predominantly mono-lingual harbour secondary level students who generally avoid using English, except in situations when they have to. An inferiority complex coupled with intense peer pressure usually seals their mouths shut whenever an English-speaking situation emerges. To further complicate the situation, students from rural areas usually migrate to such schools at the elementary and secondary level. A study into the real or actual classroom situations and the effectiveness of ELT methods and approaches used in such schools would give a clearer understanding of the problems that are hindering the acquisition and learning of English. English language teachers have to cater to the context of the target students and since the problems of underprivileged Khasi children are similar to some extent, a clear understanding of the teaching-learning relationship between them can be achieved. Hence, language learning should build on the students’ prior knowledge, conceptions and misconceptions through an interactive and communicative process. Utilizing culturally â€Å"authentic† materials that students are already familiar with will encourage discussion and meaning making in the classroom. Audio-visual aids and other multimedia materials which are relevant to the immediate environment of the students have great potential for motivating the students to participate more actively in the language learning process. The current methods, strategies, and evaluation of teaching English do not give importance to integrating the students’ culture into language learning. The researcher believes that investigating the selection of textbooks, assessing the textbooks themselves, the teachers’ use of culturally relevant materials, and their creation of a learner-centered classroom environment for social interactive learning is a worthwhile enterprise not only for pedagogical purposes but also for insights into second language learning for monolingual classrooms in general. Area of Study The study focuses mainly at the elementary level. It will select 8 schools; four government schools and four private schools within the semi-urban areas of Shillong. The schools selected will be the schools following the MBOSE syllabus. Aims and Objective The main goal of the present study is to find out if integration of culturally relevant material into the teaching and learning of English as a second language would help promote communication skills in semi-urban English medium schools. The main objectives of the research are: †¢ The textbooks: A description of the textbooks in terms of its aim, content, approach and design will be presented in the study. †¢ If there is integration of culturally relevant materials in the textbooks, the study will examine how integration is being carried out: I. in actual classroom situation. II. in the audio-visual aids or tools available in actual classroom situation. †¢ The study will also examine the evaluation and assessment tools commonly practiced in the schools. †¢ The study will also provide a brief description of the teacher training programmes. †¢ Since the study focuses mainly on integration of local cultural materials to promote communicative skills, it will also document available materials to be incorporated appropriately at the elementary level. †¢ Tools and techniques incorporating culturally relevant materials to test development of communication skills for children at the elementary level. Methodology Both primary and secondary resources will be adopted in the study. For collection of Primary data, the study will incorporate the following methods: 1. The participant–observation method. This method will be used to examine the teaching practices, audio-visual aids, common language assessment strategies adopted in actual classroom situation. 2. The questionnaire method: This method will be used for analyzing the textbooks, and teacher training programmes. 3. The interview method: Interview schedule will be adopted for a study of teacher’s and student’s background. 4. Tools and techniques incorporating local and culturally relevant materials for testing communication skills. For secondary data, the study will try to collect materials from educational institutions, such as teacher training institutes, University libraries, and the State and National institute of school education. Fieldwork for the study will be carried out in the 8 selected schools located within the semi-urban areas of the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. Tentative Chapterisation 1. Introduction 2. Contemporary methods of English language teaching 3. Methodology 4. Data Analysis and Presentation of Materials 5. Summary and Future Projections of the Study

Community Social Work In Modern Society Social Work Essay

Community Social Work In Modern Society Social Work Essay This study is an overview of current government proposals for the Big Society within community social work. In July 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron launched a project called the Big Society. It is considered by Mr Cameron that communities deserve to be empowered to have more of a say in what happens in their local area. The belief is that by doing this, many of the local services provided by the government can be taken over and run by community and voluntary groups, with Mr Cameron describing the project as a big advance for people power (www.bbc.co.uk/news, accessed: 30/10/2010). The theory base of community social work from a historical and modern perspective will be presented and evaluated. The study will provide a literature review of community projects in both neighbouring UK countries and Inner City London; examining their effectiveness in creating community empowerment to enable the possible resolution of social depravation. Particular attention will be paid to the differences that each geographical location possesses in terms of economy, culture and class diversity when considering each project and how this relates to its success. A maximum of four projects will be chosen to compare and evaluate and the study will conclude with lessons learnt for future social work in community work practice with the inclusion of messages from the Social Work Reform Board. The Big Society Debate However, Camerons notion of the Big Society has come under much criticism. The Guardians Jonathan Freedland has written a stinging attack on Mr Camerons proposals and his article posted What is Community Social Work? The idea behind community social work is the belief that peoples problems can be countered by liaising with the people within their social network. This may include friends and relatives, and neighbours. Social workers need to seek and reinforce such support networks for service users and aim to facilitate their growth where it has become apparent that such has lapsed. The work should be seen as both a protective and preventative strategy and is now considered to be the Par excellence of intervention strategy for promoting social inclusion. (Walker and Beckett, 2005, pg93). Therefore, community social work is effectively a method of promoting the social inclusion of individuals and their families by empowering them to seek and create the interventions they require. Walker and Beckett (2005) inform that social work is at the cutting edge of individuals, families or communities attempts to manage life challenges that have been influenced by both economic and social policy, welfare systems and the way they are made up internally. However, there are differing views on the concept of empowering people and using socially inclusive methods within social work. The first view is that the empowerment of service users may be considered to be self-evident if the worker sees the problems people are facing as products of the an unfair economic system that, Disenfranchises the weak, vulnerable, disabled or poor from equal participation and access to the resources produced by society. (Walker and Beckett, 2005, pg93). The aim of social work here would be to attempt to get service users involved and try to empower them to find a way of accessing the services that are available to them. Payne (1995) suggests of this issue that although public policy statements do aim to prove the value of community participation and user empowerment, community work may indeed, Draw attention to inequalities in service provision and in power which lie behind severe deprivation and therefore also become part of the struggles between people in powerless positions against the powerful. (Payne, 1995, pg165-166). The second view on the empowerment of service users is that it can give them (service users) an increased expectation of what can be available to them. It is believed that in this case, social workers may think that the correct thing to do would be to reduce the expectations of service users, forcing them to accept the situations they find themselves in and that they may become socially excluded just because that is the way it is. If this does become the case, social workers may fail to assist in the delivery of services that are available to service users, instead just seeking to help service users to manage with what they believe is available to them. Perhaps the best way to consider empowerment for service users is to use Trevithicks (2000) model of when practising social work you are either (a) doing things to service users, (b) doing things for social workers, or (c) doing things with service users. Community social work first came into being following critiques of community work after identifying that such was considered to be a completely different activity to that of social work. These critiques found that community workers and outreach workers were becoming marginalised from their colleagues within proper social work agencies. In order to prevent this from happening further, there was what was deemed a positive movement to embrace some of the principles and practices of community work within social work. Coulshed and Orme (1998) inform us that although independent community action has continued throughout history by being supported by dedicated community workers, policy developments that incorporated both the language of community and the work involved began to inform the actions of statutory social work as of the late 1970s. Despite this being the case, it is thought that such movements towards community care initiatives were not what social workers had necessarily thought to be correct. The above moves were initiated via the Seebohm Report (1968). An article by Eileen Munro said of the actions brought about by the report, The division between (varying) social work was seen as the problem, so social services departments were created to offer a joined-up service. (www.guardian.co.uk/society, accessed: 9/10/2010). These actions included the creation of social services departments that would have smaller administrative units with area teams serving their own geographical localities. It was believed that such would improve access to service provision for those placed within each locality and a wider sense of identification with the local area for social workers. Decisions could be made dependent on the person and their local need as opposed to the generic, centralised decisions that took place previously. Seebohms report also stated that each area-based organisation should change the relationship that social workers held within the relative catchment areas that the workers were operating. The report said of this that the departments should, Encourage, support and promote voluntary effort and engage in assisting and encouraging the development of community identity. (Seebohm, 1968, paragraph 477). Despite this change in the arrangements for which social services were delivered, Seebohms report did not properly address what it was community workers, or indeed social workers working with communities were actually supposed to be doing. Although the Seebohm report had considered the basic notions of community social working, the terms and principles of such were not defined fully until this was done by the Barclay Committee and published in a report in 1982. This definition was as follows: Community social work is, Formal social work which, starting from the problems affecting an individual or group and the responsibilities and resources of social services departments and voluntary organisations, seeks to tap into, support, enable and underpin the local networks of formal and informal relationships which constitute our basic definition of community, and also the strength of a clients communities of interest. (Barclay, 1982, p xvii). The emphasis on the role of the community within society continued following the Barclay Committees report and re-emerged towards the end of the 1980s. In more recent times, the Griffiths Report of 1998 looked at care in the community and was based around an aim of closer partnerships between statutory services and local communities as part of a larger welfare spectrum. The National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 too pushed towards an emphasis on community work although Adams et al (1998) questions whether the theory was actually put into practice. Adams et al also speculate as to the difficulty that community social work continues to face as a result of continuing changes to social policy. In modern social work, it is considered by Beckett (2006) that it is beneficial to work with groups or families as opposed to working with individuals. Therefore it seems sensible that such an approach would naturally in some respects at least lead towards working within communities. Community social work is generally considered to be a similar activity to that of group work. This is because community work interventions usually involve the worker attempting to encourage the development of groups. However, community work is aimed more along the lines of self-help or social action in consideration of the group work spectrum. Community social work does not allow for the worker to do things for people, be that for individuals or indeed groups, but wishes to promote The development of organised activity by the community itself (Beckett, 2006, pg94) through either the self-creation of resources to meet its needs or even by joining forces to campaign against the authorities for not provid ing the necessary facilities. Henderson (2000, pg72) says of such an approach that At the core of the methods and skills is the idea of organising: helping people to come together to form an autonomous group. The above shows that in this context, the community worker is considered to be something of an enabler rather than the fixer within community projects. Despite this, it is also believed that community workers although being employed by the state and therefore still considered as an outsider within the community with which they are working take on a degree of benevolent paternalism as opposed to developing the necessary collective community action. Popple (1994, pg24) says of this, Historically community work has developed from two distinct roots: benevolent paternalism and collective community action. With the above in mind it is important to remember that the term community is still rather vague. It is borne from the notion that a complete neighbourhood can function as its own entity as opposed to acknowledging that neighbourhoods consist of many differing communities. Individual interest, ethnic communities, geography, familial extensions and workplaces all form part of communities, yet will often extend far beyond the neighbourhood in which they are formed. Community social work is according to Smale et al About the processes the workers engage in, the relationships they make and how they maintain and change them. adding These processes generate the specific aims and objectives of the workers and those they share the work with. (1988, pg23). The most important things that must be recognised by any community worker is the type of community that they are working with or indeed the type of community that they are assisting to help build. Evaluating Community Projects The Study So Far Conclusion