Office Space: Bureaucracy in the Workplace

Office Space: Bureaucracy in the Workplace The 1999 film, Office Space, characterizes an unhappy employee that works for a generic software company named Initech, which is structured as a bureaucracy. The main character, Peter Gibbons, eventually gets fed up by his job and the pressured environment in the workplace as a result of the bureaucratic environment. As a result of being fed up, Peter decides to rebel with the help of his two friends, Samir and Michael Bolton, and devise a computer program to steal from the company in small decimal amounts, but accidentally end up stealing a large amount. Meanwhile, the company decides to promote him while Peter is rebelling against the company. Bureaucracy, as defined by Max Weber, has six elements: first, the element of specialization of the job each worker does; second, bureaucracy has a rule of many by the few in which only one or a few people have rule of authority; third, bureaucracy has rules and regulations that the workers must follow; fourth, it is the characteristic of technical competence; fifth, it is the component of impersonality; finally, sixth, bureaucracy has formal written communication and official documentation. Webers characteristics of bureaucracy are shown to be in agreement with what is shown in the film. The first element is shown through the employees of Office Space. It is shown that each employee of Initech has a specific role that they contribute in the workplace. For example, Peter Gibbons, Michael Bolton, and Samir are all part of the computer programming component of the company while Lumbergh and the seven bosses that Peter has are part of the management component of the company. The purpose of having different people to complete different aspects of a company is to increase efficiency, however, the movie also shows that the computer programmers write the bank software to save space, such as taking out two digits (97 instead of 1997), but they have to go back into the program and change thousands of numbers so all of them only have two digits instead of four, which, in itself, is inefficient but it still emphasizes that only the computer programmers in the company have to do that, and that is what their job/contribution is in the company. The second element address that there is only one of few people that have rule of authority in the company, and in the film, this rulers would be Lumbergh and the seven other bosses that are part of management. But in these eight bosses, there is a hierarchy of management, giving the company a pyramid-like structure. The pyramid was Lumbergh up at the top, then Peter Gibbons, then Michael Bolton, then Samir, and then Milton, who would be at the very bottom of the food chain, with no authority in any situation or over anyone. This pyramid also contributes to the blatant difference in salary, as the film shows the employees general, family cars while Lumbergh had a Porsche in the same parking lot. Rules and regulations, as the third element of bureaucracy, are shown in the film in the very popular TPS Report scene of the movie in which Dom Portwood confronts Peter Gibbons: Dom Portwood: Hi, Peter. Whats happening? We need to talk about your TPS reports. Peter Gibbons: Yeah. The coversheet. I know, I know. Uh, Bill talked to me about it. Dom Portwood: Yeah. Did you get that memo? Peter Gibbons: Yeah. I got the memo. And I understand the policy. And the problem is just that I forgot the one time. And Ive already taken care of it so its not even really a problem anymore. Dom Portwood: Ah! Yeah. Its just were putting new coversheets on all the TPS reports before they go out now. So if you could go ahead and try to remember to do that from now on, thatd be great. All right! (credit: IMDB Office Space Quotes) This scene in the film is showing how Dom Portwood, the vice president reprimands Peter for not using the correct cover sheet on a report even though there had been a memo detailing the new procedure. Even when Peter said that it was a simple mistake and that he had a copy of the memo Portwood insists on sending another copy of the memo. This shows that the bureaucracy must follow a strict set of rules and regulations in order to be successful, and the management must make it clear that such mistakes will not be accepted in order to keep the important of rules and regulations high in priority. The fourth aspect of bureaucracy is the technical competence. In the movie, the two consultants are brought into the company to assess the efficiency and competence of each employee in the role that they are in, and they do this so the companys efficiency can be increased. This is interesting because it would seem that a company is run on many people, in many different departments, to successfully run a company, however they are laying off employees to increase efficiency, but that is really just the code phrase for downsizing. Peter, for example, is probably the antithesis of efficiency and competence because he says to one of the consultants that he stares at his desk and gets about 15 minutes of work done in an actual week. The fifth element is impersonality, which means that corporations and bosses dont actually consider getting to know their employees important. They, instead, write impersonal memos to their employees, and do not identify them as individuals. For example. Samir has been working in Initech for five years, and his name is still mispronounced. And the bosses, especially Lumbergh, are always just saying things like, did you see the memo, instead of addressing the person they are talking to. The final element is the need to officialize and formalize all documentation in the office. This also falls under the category of rules and regulations because the need to document everything is overemphasized, such as in the example in which Peter forgot a coversheet and how that little issue became over exaggerated enough for the vice-president to come and point it out. Examples of official documentation in Office Space include TPS reports, memos, files, and personal records of each employee that the company keeps, but nothing is really personal about that file just an impersonal set of information of each employee. Overall, the 1999 film cleverly points out the flaws of a highly bureaucratized work environment, and Webers Theory of Bureaucracy is also portrayed in the film. Teaching assistant: Developing child learning Teaching assistant: Developing child learning Historically, teaching assistants, or auxiliaries as they were sometimes formerly known, were non teaching adults who helped qualified teachers by carrying out day to day preparatory and administrative tasks and providing pastoral care to children. (Clayton. 1993) However, in 1998, the Local Government Chronicle published a summary of a Green Paper, (LGC, 1998), in which they outlined proposals for employing a greater number of support staff 20,000 by the year 2002 in order to provide more support for teachers. The summary also announced the governments suggestions for a more effective use of, and better training for, teaching assistants and other school support staff which, along with a subsequent OfSTED review, (2002a, p6) declared the need for training that would, match any proposed structure of qualifications and to facilitate career progression. The implementation of national occupational standards for teaching assistants, approved in 2001, and the HLTA status introduced in 20 03, (TDA, 2008) offered committed support staff the opportunity to progress and acquire the skills to become more accomplished educators. Working as a teaching assistant started to become a career and so began the real debate about the role of the teaching assistant. As with many job titles within the working environment, the title teaching assistant is often interpreted in a variety of ways but one common theme I have encountered, when questioning educational staff, is that all teaching assistants have the potential to be facilitators of learning and therefore are essential elements in the development of learning for children. How the facilitation is carried out, however, is less clear and open to individual interpretation by both employers and employees. In order to support the learning of all children, teaching assistants, like any educator, need to have a good understanding of how children learn. In the book, Teaching and Learning in the Early Years, Whitebread (2008, chapter 1) discusses Piagets ideas that children need to feel and hold control over their learning. Whitebread continues by exploring Vygotsys claims that it is the role of the adult to provide opportunities for social interaction and to support the child in moving out of their comfort zone or level of actual development and towards their potential via their zone of proximal development. To do this, a teaching assistant must understand how to promote curiosity amongst children while providing opportunities for discussion and exploration. With current class sizes in the region of up to 30 pupils, a class teacher will often be unable to engage in this vital aspect of developing childrens learning and so it is essential that supporting adults are equipped with the skills to scaffold learning and to provide opportunities for them to develop the language needed to be able to discuss and explain their ideas. (Bruner 1983, cited in Peabody Journal of Education, pp 64-66) Recently I was fortunate to be part of an initiative to promote reading amongst a group of reluctant pupils who had formulated an opinion that reading was a chore to be undertaken with animosity and only when instructed to do so. Upon investigation, it was obvious that these children had encountered a variety of barriers that had influenced their attitude and ability to read. My role was that of the enabling adult as described by Chambers (1991). By providing them with an opportunity to share and discuss each others reading experiences I was able to promote and inspire in them a willingness and enjoyment of reading. The outcome of this quickly became apparent in their understanding of written text. The children also began writing with enthusiasm, using their own knowledge and experiences; as a result, they had taken control of their own learning. The childrens vocal responses demonstrated that they felt empowered by the fact that they were directly responsible for the progress that t hey were making and they continue to enjoy our weekly discussions about their reading and progress. The children mentioned do not have special educational needs, as is often the case for pupils being supported by a teaching assistant. Children with SEN require a higher level of support and this has, traditionally, been provided by teaching assistants. (Alborz et al, 2009a) This has previously been an area for debate with The Daily Telegraph (2009) publishing an article claiming that research shows that, Pupils make less progress in classrooms where schools employ more teaching assistants. This article states that teaching assistants often support lower attaining pupils, resulting in them being less supported by a qualified teacher and to them making limited progress. The article does not, however, take into account the training of the teaching assistants. While reviewing the impact of workforce remodeling, a report by OfSTED (2004) stated that when a teaching assistant is appointed to work with carefully chosen pupils and is provided with the appropriate training to do so effective ly, the pupils make significant progress. This is, of course, as well as the obvious benefits of providing the teacher with more time to focus on other pupils. Having worked alongside several teaching assistants employed to support children with SEN I have witnessed the immeasurable benefit to the pupil and the class as a whole. The teaching assistants enabled the pupils to be included in a mainstream classroom and access the curriculum, while allowing the class teacher to support the majority of the pupils. Their support involved the re-enforcing of the whole class teaching, giving the pupil the confidence to participate in class discussions, simplification of vocabulary, offering praise and encouragement and feedback on the completed task. Following the lesson, the teaching assistant also provided the teacher with assessment and monitoring feedback to enable assessment of and for learning. This assessment has become a vital aspect of the role of the teaching assistant and supports the teacher and pupil by enabling differentiation and personalised learning to become every day practice. (OfSTED, 2002b) Guidance published by the NFER (2002, cited in Department for Education and Skills, 2005, p.22) found that when teachers and teaching assistants work in partnership, the results are a more effective level of teaching and learning. An example of this is a scenario I have experienced recently where a teaching assistant supported the learning of the majority of the class while the class teacher focused on the children with SEN. As a result of the teacher and teaching assistant having spent time working together to plan the lesson, the teaching assistant was able to support the learning objectives and assist pupils in their achievement of them. Teaching assistants can also, when included in the planning of a lesson, actively participate in the delivery of the lesson providing an alternative viewpoint or by playing a character in role. One such example was provided by my colleague who, upon realising that many of the pupils within the class had misunderstood a key concept, pretended to be confused and raised a hand to ask for clarification. As a result, pupils developed a clearer understanding of the lesson and therefore, the teaching assistant had played an important role in developing their learning. By implementing a combination of all of these approaches and with effective training and guidance, teaching assistants can provide invaluable support for all children within any lesson. Teaching assistants also support behaviour management within classes and can provide an alternative level of perception within the classroom. In daily Literacy lessons, I have observed a teaching assistant supporting a pupil with ADHD and have no doubt that without her presence, the class teacher would have to spend a large proportion of the lesson settling the child and addressing low level distractions. Personal experience has shown me that children with emotional or behavioural difficulties are often more responsive towards a teaching assistant with whom they can forge a positive adult / child relationship. This can contribute towards the social and emotional wellbeing of the child as outlined by Alborz et al. (2009b). Besides the opportunity to support childrens learning during lesson time, teaching assistants continue to carry out a multitude of administrative tasks in order to support the class teacher and the school as a whole. The National Agreement, (ATL et al. 2003, p.2), implemented as part of the governments workforce remodelling initiative, states that teachers should not spend their time carrying out administrative responsibilities that do not make full use of their skills and expertise but that these tasks should be carried out by support staff. The agreement outlines twenty-one tasks that teaching staff should not be required to carry out including the preparation of classroom resources, photocopying, the collection of monies for educational visit and the preparation and setting up of displays. These tasks must also, therefore, be considered the responsibility of the teaching assistant. Each and every one of the administrative tasks has an impact on the educational environment and ther efore contributes towards supporting the development of childrens learning. In practice, however, the need for teaching assistants to be more involved in the delivery of lessons surely means that they too will have less time for carrying out administrative duties which in turn might relay these duties back into the hands of the teachers. In my experience, teaching assistants often offer unconditional support for the school in which they are employed. Many carry out duties beyond their working hours providing curriculum enrichment activities and regularly being at the forefront of fund raising events. They frequently are able to provide a connection between local communities and their schools as they often live in close proximity to their workplace. This is a non essential yet valuable part of their role as it enables teaching staff to be aware of local issues and provides a link between parents and schools. (Lipsett, 2008) In conclusion, the role of the teaching assistant has evolved significantly over recent years and can offer committed individuals with a recognised career that is both progressive and rewarding. With appropriate professional development opportunities, a teaching assistant can give invaluable support to individuals and groups of pupils, teaching staff, parents and schools. By providing pastoral care, administrative support and personalised learning they can, as outlined in the Governments Every Child Matters initiative (DfES, 2003), promote enjoyment and achievement in a safe, nurturing environment; contribute to the academic and emotional wellbeing of all children; help them to become successful members of the school and wider community.

John F. Kennedy Essay -- essays research papers

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29, 1917, the second oldest in a family of nine children. His great grandparents had come to the United States from Ireland in the mid-1800s after a food shortage caused severe poverty in that country. Although their families had not come to the United States with much money, both of John Kennedy's grandfathers became political leaders in Boston. One of them, John Fitzgerald, was elected mayor in 1905. John Kennedy's father, Joseph Patrick Kennedy became a very wealthy businessman, an adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the United States Ambassador to Great Britain from 1938 to 1940. John Kennedy moved to New York when he was ten years old. Since the family spent the summer months at their home in Hyannis, Cape Cod, Jack still lived a good part of his life in Massachusetts. After graduating from the Choate School in Connecticut in 1935, he went on to Harvard College and graduated in 1940. That same year he wrote a best-selling book, Why England Slept, about some of the decisions which led to World War II. In 1941, John Kennedy joined the Navy. He became the commander of a small "PT" boat assigned to the battle in the Pacific against the Japanese. One night, while on patrol, Kennedy's boat was rammed by a large enemy ship. Two men in a crew of thirteen were killed, and the rest swam to a nearby deserted island. They managed to survive, mostly by eating coconuts, until they were rescued a week later. After World War II, John Kennedy had to choose the kind of work he wanted to do. He considered becoming a teacher or a writer but soon decided to run for political office. In 1946, he was elected to the U.S. Congress, representing a district in greater Boston. Kennedy, a Democrat, served three terms in the House of Representatives, and in 1952 he was elected to the U.S. Senate. In 1953, he married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier. The following year he had a serious operation on his back. While recovering from surgery, he wrote a book about several U.S. senators who had risked their careers to fight for the things in which they believed. The book, called Profiles in Courage, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 1957. That same year, the Kennedy's first child, Caroline, was born. Kennedy had narrowly missed being picked as the Democratic Party's candidate for Vice President... ...edy, and that he and Ruby were part of a conspiracy. None of these theories has ever been proven. President Kennedy's death caused enormous sadness and grief among all Americans. Most people still remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news of the murder. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Washington for the President's funeral, and millions throughout the world watched it on television. As the years have gone by and other Presidents have written their chapters in history, John Kennedy's brief time in office stands out in people's memories--for his leadership, personality, and accomplishments. Many respect his coolness when faced with difficult decisions--like what to do about the missiles in Cuba. Others admire his ability to inspire people with his articulate speeches. Still others think his compassion and his willingness to fight for new government programs to help the poor, the elderly and the ill were most important. Like all leaders, John Kennedy made mistakes, but he was always hopeful about the future. He believed that people could solve their common problems if they put their country's interests first and worked together.

Effects of Video Games on Children Essay

Although video games can increase aggressive behavior, they can improve memory and logistical thinking, as well as teach perseverance. Over the course of the last few decades video games have been integrated into the lives of our children. Video games are very appealing to children of all ages, and even to some adults. There is a variety of video games out there, and they range from educational to very violent. Because of this diverse selection of video games, there is a wide range of positive and negative side effects that these games can have on children. Because a large percentage of our children’s time is spent playing video games, there has been a lot of research in recent years on the positive and negative effects these games have on them. â€Å"Among elementary and middle-school populations, girls play for an average of about 5. 5 hours/week and boys average 13 hours/week,† (Gentile, D. A. 2004). Teenagers also spend a time playing video games. According to Media Analysis Laboratory (1998),†Eighty percent of teens said they played at least occasionally and the average amount of time spent gaming for the sample was 5 hours per week† (para. 19). Video game play has become not only a leisurely pastime for children, but for families also. When parents are not involved in some of their game play the outcome can become a little scary. Children who play video games with their families have a more pro-social attitude compared to their counterparts who play alone. Children who are less social or somewhat anti-social tend to develop aggressive tendancies when spending long hours gaming alone especially when violent video games are involved. Video games have been shown to increase aggressive behavior in some children. Neubert, S. P. (2004) said, â€Å"Individuals high in hostility are more likely to become aggressive when exposed to violent video games. † â€Å"Games in which the only positive outcome is the violent demise of enemies reinforces anti-social behavior. Violent video games desensitize people to aggression,† (Neubert, S. P. , 2004). According to a study done by Douglas A. Gentile. References Media Analysis Laboratory (1998). Video game culture: Leisure and play preferences of B. C. teens. Retrieved from http://www. media-awareness. ca In-Text Citation 1. [Insert the paraphrased material] (Simon Fraser University, Burnaby B. C. , 1998). 2. The Media Analysis Laboratory (1998) website [Insert the paraphrased material]. 3. , â€Å"[Insert the quotation]† (para. 19).

Students in LIM College - 1060 Words

Eighty percent’s of transfer students coming to LIM College have to go to admissions for credit re-evaluation at least three times before graduation. Due to the fact that admissions don’t pay close attention to course descriptions and transfer credit with other colleges that LIM College are partners with. Many transfer students have problems to graduate on time as they were planning. However, if admission would follow the transfer credit policy, all full time transfer students should be able to graduate after two years from transferring. Study has shown that many students quit school after transferring to a different college because of the credit requirement. However, many colleges, including LIM College, have a maximum amount of transfer credit allowed (Admissions, 2014). Students should find out course transferability before enrolling and also check that the courses will total toward general and upper level courses. Although, LIM College has a maximum transfer credit requirement, transferring the right credit with help students be on the right track and graduate faster. Three steps process to the transfer credit evaluation College transfer credit decision process is normally three steps. The first step is implemented by admissions, where they retain a database of previous courses already calculated called course equivalencies. Occasionally this database is shared among other departments, and must of the time it is a standalone. Course equivalencies are like a joined fileShow MoreRelatedSpecial Education vs Inclusive Education887 Words   |  4 PagesResearch suggests that the integration and inclusion of students with special educational needs can be beneficial to not only the student, but also to the parents, teachers and peers of the student (Stainback, Stainback Jackson, 1992). It is also suggested that integration and inclusion is also beneficial to students in areas of learning other than academic, including that of emotional and social development. Wagner is in support of inclusive education, but believes that â€Å"Placement in regularRead MoreMinimum Wage1535 Words   |  7 Pagesto obtain the dream. However, raising the federal minimum wage will likely result in higher prices for the middle and lower classes because higher unemployment rates for low-wage workers will remove the motivation for low-wage workers to pursue a college education, reducing the opportunity for Americans to advance themselves in the nation’s economy. Most hardworking Americans struggle to climb the growing economic ladder. Meanwhile, many large corporations finance their personal income from the company’sRead MoreSupply and Demand and Optimal Selling1173 Words   |  5 Pagesof producing 10 units. b) Find the cost of producing the 10th unit. 2. Let f ï€ ¨ x ï€ © ï€ ½ 4 x 2 ï€ « 3x ï€ ­ 2 , evaluate and simplify the difference quotient f ï€ ¨ x ï€ « hï€ © ï€ ­ f ï€ ¨ xï€ © , where h ï‚ ¹ 0 . h 3. The average scores of incoming students at an eastern liberal arts college in the SAT mathematics examination have been declining at a constant rate in recent years. In 2000, the average SAT score was 605. The score is decreasing at a rate of 6 points per year. Form a linear function of time for the averageRead MoreThe Background Of The Palette Studio1218 Words   |  5 PagesLovella Christia B. Lim and Franchesca Denise M. Marcelino. It is an online-based company located in Manila, Philippines. As the company innovates simple bags, different fashion accessories and clothing, this will give a step up into the fashion industry and open its doors to new opportunities for the company. The brand creates designs that will suit the market’s taste, particularly those whose ages are 17-25 years old. Set to be senior high school students, college students and young professionalsRead MoreDropping Out Of School : A Silent Epidemic963 Words   |  4 PagesMorison, 2006), a crisis (Ru mberger Lim, 2008), and a challenge (Steinberg, Johnson, Pennington, 2006). In 2007, approximately 6.2 million people between the ages of 16 and 24 years old were high school dropouts. â€Å"Among these dropouts, 60.1% were men, 18.8% were Black, and 30.1% were Hispanic† (Center for Labor Market Studies, 2009, p. 2). Dropping out is costly not only to the student but also to society as well (Lessard et al., 2008). In comparison to students who graduate from high school, dropoutsRead MoreThe Effects Of Social Media On Body Image1663 Words   |  7 PagesDo college-ages women who use twitter exhibit higher levels of social comparison and body checking than non-users? Countless scientific studies and research focus on the effects of social media platforms on body image, social comparison, and image satisfaction. Author Erin A. Vogel has written extensively over the effects of social media and body image. The studies utilize different experimental approaches that indicate the subjects who showed high levels of social comparison orientation are avidRead MoreNational Honor Society Paper850 Words   |  4 PagesNational Honor Society is known for having extraordinary students whom possess strong leadership, constant determination, and also structured character. Though there are various students who have what it takes to become a member of the National Honor Society I feel that I should be one of them. From the beginning of my Freshmen year, I had a strong desire to find my path early in life and choose a career I would like to pursue as time went on. Realizing my passion for shopping was just the beginningRead MoreThe Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Prospective Memory Essay1353 Words   |  6 Pagescognitive tasks and propose further research. Literature Review Saxvig, Lundervold, Gronli, Ursin, Bjornvatn, Portas (2007) examined the role of REM sleep in memory by investigating its functionality and modality. Participants were 24 university students. The participants were divided into two groups of 12; REM and REM-Deprived (REM-D) and then tests of acquisition and consolidation were administered to measure memory function before and after REM sleep. Researchers found that results show that REMRead MoreBanking Proposal : Banking Plan1486 Words   |  6 Pagesto Fluctuate? As stated before interest rates are influenced by many different factors, â€Å"bank rates in general, follow policy changes, bank rates also change in response to market conditions, independently of changes in the official target rates† (Lim, 2013). For example the financial crisis in 2008, caused by the housing market, resulted in tight credit conditions and high interest rates. Banks did not have a lot of available funds after this and several banks failed. Due to this, banks wereRead MoreVideo Games Violence664 Words   |  3 Pagesit. Positive effects of video games have the best outcome in children. The same way you can see positive changes in your child. It brings motivation, and finds many challenges to become strong when their weak areas just like adults, and college students. â€Å"When it come to video games particular cognitive skills, say the authors, researchers have found that electronic media particularly video games can enhance visual spatial skills, such as visual tracking, mental rotation, and target localization