Where does strapped for cash come from?

Has the phrase "strapped for cash" ever struck you as being an odd phrase? It has me, and so I finally got off my backside to try to find out where it comes from.

A look at the shorter OED (Simpson & Weiner, 1989) says that, while "strapped" may have started in the UK to explain belting (a strapped box), then moved to 'binding' (a coat with strapped seams), the term 'strapped for cash'  appears to be a US slang adjective from the mid-19th century: 

"slang (orig. U.S.). Short of money. Now freq[uently] const[ructed using] for. Also in extended use and cash-strapped adj. 1857 Nat. Intelligencer Oct., (Bartlett) No go. Lowndes is strapped. 1876 Daily News 5 Oct. 6/1 The tramp.. does not awaken sympathy like the ‘strapped’ journeyman in search of a job. 1913 Edith Wharton Custom of Country 1. iv. 44 ‘Fact is,..’ he said, ..‘I’m a little mite strapped just this month.’ 1935 Sun (Baltimore) 13 Mar. 2/6 PWA is not yet ‘strapped’ for funds. 1936 L. C. Douglas White Banners ix. 193 If he had been strapped, the chances were he would have bought a hat to-day. 1936 M. Franklin All that Swagger xlviii. 437 Also she was strapped for ready money" (Simpson & Weiner, 1989, p. 850)

What is interesting is that the term is first "strapped" and only later - in 1935 - do we get the first apparent usage of strapped "for funds" (Simpson & Weiner, 1989, p. 850) appearing. This is the use that I know here in Aotearoa: we don't tend to turn this around and hyphenate it (i.e. cash-strapped), except in headlines. 

I had always assumed that 'strapped for cash' was to do with strapping, the final stage of grooming a horse, where the horse is 'strapped' with a hay wisp as a massage technique. However, while I could not find this meaning in the dictionary, I did find the following entry for the UK dialect term, 'strapper':

"1777 Terrier in J. P. Briscoe Old Nottinghamsh[ire] (1881) 37 Item: For every Milch Cow a composition of twopence, and for every Strapper (a cow that yields but little milk [Ed.]) one penny halfpenny. 1854 Miss Baker Northampt. Gloss., Strappers, cows that are nearly dry, that yield little milk" (Simpson & Weiner, 1989, p. 850).

Perhaps 'strapper' got picked up in the US as a low-yield situation? It is a possibility.

But then, lo! Strapped for cash comes back into UK English with P. G. Wodehouse's character, the Honourable Galahad Threepwood (1952), or Gally, who finds himself:

"1952 WODEHOUSE Pigs Have Wings i. 23 A bit strapped for the ready, eh?" (p. 850)

Wodehouse, eh? He moved to the US after World War II, due to his German broadcasts being misconstrued as him being a collaborator (McCrum, 2001), and being persecuted in the UK. He may have picked the term up, then introduced it back into UK English, and so to the Commonwealth nations. A possibility. 

I hope someone is able to do some more digging on this.

Sam

References:

McCrum, R. (2004). Wodehouse: A life. W. W. Norton & Company.

Simpson, J. A., & Weiner, E. S. C. (Eds.) (1989). Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed., Vol XVI Soot-Styx). Clarendon Press.

Wodehouse, P. G. (1952). Pigs Have Wings. Herbert Jenkins Ltd.

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How to quote

Even when writing forum posts, I encourage students to following APA standards in order to build their academic writing skills. I have written about this before (here), but it is always worth a review. I remind them that, if a paraphrase, a citation needs two components, (Author, date); and if a quote, four; "" (Author, date, p. x). 

• Paraphrase: (Author, date). This is because the paraphrase may summarise a range of things the author has said throughout the document. We take the essence of the original author's idea, and convey it in our own words. This is done 90-95% of the time in academic writing.
• Quote: "what is being cited in double speech marks" (Author, date, p. x). We point exactly to where we are using something which appears, unchanged, in the document. This pattern applies to equally to images, models, tables, graphs, and words. We use double quote marks to clearly show that we are using the expert's words, not our own. Quoting is used like seasoning: lightly, to emphasise just those key points we could not have put better ourselves.

A student had written the following in their post:

There were a few new words that I came across, the one I have chosen is an Intrapreneur. It is a person who works within and established business and encourages the business to take risks in an effort to solve a given problem or create innovative practices or services (p 16)

This post lacks (Author, date), so we know which source this material is being drawn from. It also lacks indicating that these are the exact words of the original author from the point "...is a person..." to the end of the sentence. While a quote had been implied from the page number, it needs the quote marks in order to be explicitly the words of the original author. To be honourable; to show where we are drawing on the words of an expert; and to follow APA rules, even in a relatively informal blog post; we would format the post as follows:

There were a few new words that I came across, the one I have chosen is an Intrapreneur. It "is a person who works within and established business and encourages the business to take risks in an effort to solve a given problem or create innovative practices or services" (APCDA, 2022, p. 16).

Why do we do this? Because we need to clearly flag where we have used other's words. Otherwise we are effectively stealing the original author's ideas and are passing them off as our own.

Honouring other's original ideas is the core of academic writing, to show we are standing on the shoulders of giants; not pretending - however inadvertently - to be the giant.

Sam

References:

APCDA. (2022). APCDA Glossary of Career Development Terms (version 3). Asia-Pacific Career Development Association. https://asiapacificcda.org/resources/Documents/GlossaryProject/APCDA_Glossary_Version_3.pdf

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Recognising a narcissist manager

There are some CEO or manager narcissistic behaviours identified in research (Chatterjee & Pollock, 2022a). Collectively these behaviours might identify a particular CE or manager as possibly being a narcissist. 

It can be helpful to know what these behaviours are so that we can identify potentially toxic situations early. "Knowing" allows us take control over our own destinies and make the choice about when to move on from a role which is in danger of becoming toxic... or to avoid stepping into what is a potentially poor situation in the first place. Forewarned is forearmed.

The six items are (Chatterjee & Pollock, 2022a):

1. Praise. "The need for praise makes narcissistic CEOs more likely to take actions that lead the media to make them celebrities". This type of media-hungry CEO will play to the crowd: "violating conventions" (Chatterjee & Pollock, 2022a), look in the mirror when successful, through the window at failure (Collins, 2001). 
2. High-status people. "The need for praise makes narcissistic CEOs more likely to include larger proportions of high-status" staff (Chatterjee & Pollock, 2022a) in their teams. We are surrounded by high-flyers who make us feel special by association. So lots of stars (and see point 4 for the other side of this one)
3. Manipulation. "The need for praise and the presence of more high-status [staff] make narcissistic CEOs more likely to manipulate [their people] in ways that results in less [...] monitoring" (Chatterjee & Pollock, 2022a). We get left alone to do our work, without oversight; providing we do as we are told (see the next point)
4. Domination. "The need to dominate makes narcissistic CEOs likely to have more lower-status, younger, and less experienced" staff (Chatterjee & Pollock, 2022a). Then we can't argue with them. We more than likely lack the experience in dealing with this personality type. So.... lots of question marks to balance out the stars. 
5. Rewards and protection. "The needs for praise and domination make narcissistic CEOs more likely to give outsized rewards and protect loyal management team members who flatter the CEOs and defend them after poor firm performance" (Chatterjee & Pollock, 2022a). We get the big bucks working for these people, and they will protect us in order to prevent secrets from being spilled... until we fall from favour and then we get thrown to the wolves. Ouch.
6. Short (or long) tenure. "The need to dominate leads narcissistic CEOs’ [staff] to have either very brief or very long tenures with the organization" (Chatterjee & Pollock, 2022a). We either cope with this type of person and stay for ages because the roller-coaster we are on fills us with a continuous adrenalin high; or we leave fast because we can't cope with the roller-coaster. There is no mid-term.

What immediately springs to mind is the spread: stars versus question marks. Short versus long. Domination versus lack of boundaries.

This is a very interesting set of lenses for viewing our managers and CEOs through! 

Sam

References:

Chatterjee, A., & Pollock, T. G. (2022a). Six Things to Expect from Narcissistic CEOs. Academy of Management Insights Summary. https://journals.aom.org/doi/pdf/10.5465/amr.2015.0224.summary?download=true

Chatterjee, A., & Pollock, T. G. (2022b). Six Things to Expect from Narcissistic CEOs [infographic]. Academy of Management Insights. https://journals.aom.org/cms/10.5465/amr.2015.0224.summary/asset/images/medium/six_things_to_expect_from_narcissistic_ceos_infographic.png

Collins, J. (2001). Good to Great. HarperCollins Publishers.

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Flexicurity in Denmark

The term "flexicurity" is a portmanteau word derived from flexibility and security. The term refers to the Western welfare models used to benefit our citizens and to improve the security of people's labour and their rights (APCDA, 2022).

The European Union (EU) has some interesting "flexicurity" strategies to benefit workers and employers which their member nations can adopt to grow this concept (EU, 2022). From the Covid-19 situation of the previous three years, it is heartening to see that the EU is has been adopting this concept since 2007, and has embedded the idea into all employment and social welfare EU policy to meet this growing need in the national member populations (EU, 2022).

This term is also a key idea for the future of employment relations in the HR field. The idea of flexicurity is practised so that staff can adopt flexible working hours, to ensure relative job security to both employees and employers.

Danish employers appear to have taken this idea to their hearts (see image accompanying this post). In Denmark they use the "Flexicurity Model" as their employment framework, "often described as a ‘golden triangle’", combining "high mobility between jobs with a comprehensive income safety net for the unemployed and an active labour market policy". It consists of four main components (The Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment, 2022):

1. Flexible labour market
2. Income security
3. Educational policy, and
4. Active labour market policy.

The system appears to allow people to relatively easily dip in and out of jobs and education. It provides generous levels of income support for those who are unemployed: provides a "decent" welfare backstop, not - as is the case of New Zealand - a minimum survivability grant (Barry, 2002). The model used in Denmark applies flexicurity principles across their entire employment domain (The Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment, 2022). 

The flexicurity principles could easily be practiced within individual organisations, agencies or communities to test them prior to widespread implementation. It would be interesting to be able to study it and its outcomes in action, or to read a case study about it.

We wonder if this type of model could be adopted in New Zealand, and - if so - how well it would work.

Carla, Fiona, Eleanor, and Beate

References:

APCDA. (2022). APCDA Glossary of Career Development Terms (version 3). Asia-Pacific Career Development Association. https://asiapacificcda.org/resources/Documents/GlossaryProject/APCDA_Glossary_Version_3.pdf  

Barry, A. (Director). (2002). In the Land of Plenty [documentary film]. Community Media Trust. 

EU. (2022). Flexicurity. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=102

The Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment. (2022). Flexicurity. https://www.star.dk/en/about-the-danish-agency-for-labour-market-and-recruitment/flexicurity/

* Carla Knight, Fiona Smeaton, Beate Wiebel, & Eleanor Blakey kindly prepared much of the material for this post

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Shipping labour around the world

Before Covid-19, we regularly shipped labour around the world: at both ends of the contingent workforce. At the top end, we ship workers with expertise around the world because some skills become so specialised there is not enough work for them. We may not need that many deep sea vessel salvage experts: the few that there are go offshore for work. 

Then at the other end of the scale, we in more wealthy countries ship lower skilled labour from poorer nations to do our grunt work because our own people no longer want to do poorly paid hard labouring roles. Such as Dubai shipping in Filipino nannies and cleaners. Such as the UK shipping in Eastern European factory workers. Such as New Zealand shipping in Pasifika horticultural workers.

There was some Government research done in Australia showing that Australians no longer wanted to do "peasant" work on the land. There is a feeling of distaste for manual labour, that this lower class work: why would any of us chose to wear out our bodies for the sake of earning a living (Commonwealth of Australia, 2006).

"You have to understand that agriculture-horticulture is a peasant industry. We cannot avoid that. All around the world, in every country you go to, it is regarded as a peasant industry … [P]eople do not want to be out in the sun in the middle of summer doing labour work in horticulture" (Commonwealth of Australia, 2006, p. 13)

I suspect that New Zealanders too want to use our brains, and not our brawn. If we asked any Kiwi parent what they would prefer for their children, given three choices - labouring role,  trades, or a degree - most of them would want their kids to be better off than they were. Most would see more kudos and longevity in a degree than a trade, but definitely a trade over labouring. I would think that the Australian impression of "peasant" work would also be why New Zealanders remain reluctant to apply work in horticultural and farm labour roles, and that the pay would have to be significantly higher than it is now to attract people into the sector.

Which also begs the question: that if New Zealanders - like Australians - no longer want to do manual, seasonal work, should our country's policy be to import workers from elsewhere? Is doing this a sustainable practice? I think that this is probably a "no" answer. Once people from the nations who come here to work have options at home, I think they will stay at home and work there.

So is there another way? What alternatives are there? Can we automate our way out of this difficulty?  It will be an interesting space to watch.

But with Covid-19, I feel that shipping labour around the world has become a practice that is too risky to continue.

Sam

References:

Commonwealth of Australia (2006). Perspectives on the future of the harvest labour force. Australian Senate Standing Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations and Education. https://www.aph.gov.au/~/media/wopapub/senate/committee/eet_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004_07/contract_labour/report/report_pdf.ashx

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Mapping the research question

I have written about this before (see here), but it is really important to ensure that all key components of a research question feeds into the project title, the aims, the objectives, and the research outcomes. 

When we ask a research question, we need to sit back and consider all the components we need to find out in order to answer it. We may break our question down into the sub-questions so we can be sure we are asking the 'right' questions to answer our question; so that our aims and outcomes will clearly get us to what we want to know; and that our literature review scopes the environment clearly so we can then construct a clear and unambiguous method to collect our data. Or we may ask a single question, and simply pull out the elements from the question itself that we know we need to explore fully. In this post we are exploring a single question.

Each of the question components will form a section of our literature review, so we can scope each idea, and then link it to the next idea. We build argument that way. Our methodology is designed to collect the data so we can measure fit with the research question, and determine just how well we have answered our question.

For example, the question (the image accompanying this post): "To what extent does quality career advice support the successful transition of Māori students into higher education?" contains seven concepts:

1. To what extent 
2. quality career advice 
3. support 
4. transition 
5. successful transition 
6. Māori students 
7. higher education

I think that having roughly six areas to define - one fewer than the student had originally proposed in the research question above - is probably about right. Remember that each of these sections must be thoroughly explored in the literature review, as we need a baseline to measure and make sense of our findings (once we collect them). Most of these elements need to be built into our collection methods and data collection questions; and then the corresponding data must be collected in order to answer the question. Then the structure of our findings may be written to mirror our literature (if it fits that structure). We can back-check our methods by auditing our research design to see if it will meaningfully collect our data from the participants in a way that answers our question. 

We can also see with this question that the research period needs to be of a good duration. We might need a five year study to answer this meaningfully: interviewing student participants as they leave secondary school, and following them through their tertiary training until they are successfully navigating the job market. We need to consider whether this is achievable in our own timeframe.

This is a lego-like process. Everything should fit together without loose ends. And if you want a great example of research having left many loose ends, check out the horror story here).

Sam

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Defining inventory

An assessment is any tool, framework or model we use to assess 'something' about our clients. For example an online DISC test or a values inventory are assessments. These instruments might be online; on an intranet in a school career software package, or paper-based tests which have to be manually added. They might be large test batteries of close to 200 questions with a counsellor debrief, such as MBTI or HBDI, or they might be ten self-reported questions where the user selects images which most attracts them.

These tools mentioned are "quantitative" assessments. By that we mean - like research - something that calculates based on scores/maths/statistics. Qualitative assessment tools are those such as card sorts, vocational family trees and so forth.

Synonyms for assessments are tools, instruments, surveys, test, inventories, and battery. In this context they are tools for career practice, but they are largely borrowed from elsewhere. 

The term "inventory" may be familiar to us from business or accounting, referring to business assets, or where items are listed ready for sale or disposal. In career practice, it has another meaning. In a case study, the protagonist Sari “considers [her] results of value inventories” (Osborn & Zunker, 2016, p. 2) to assist her career decision-making process. Later, when listing strategies for learning about measurement instruments, the term pops up again. “Search educational journals or even the developer's website for empirical research using that inventory” (p. 3).

A glossary of terms comes to our rescue, defining inventory as: “A questionnaire or checklist, usually in the form of a self-report, designed to elicit non-intellective information about an individual” (Dowd, 2005, p. 15, citing Mitchell, n.d.). We then learn that these inventories can “measure career development, interests, personality, and values” (Osborn & Zunker, 2016, p. 8).

Inventory as a term is an important word for those of us in career practice to learn, as we are continually using self-assessment tools to assist our clients in their decision making.

The power of a word!

Helen & Sam

References:

Dowd, L. R. (2005). Glossary of Terminology for Vocational Assessment, Evaluation and Work Adjustment. https://docplayer.net/11404858-Glossary-of-terminology-for-vocational-assessment-evaluation-and-work-adjustment-edited-and-revised-by-lynn-r-dowd-ed-s.html

Zunker, V. G., & Norris, D. S. (2016). Using Assessment Results for Career Development (9th ed.). Brooks Cole Publishing Company.

* Helen Davies-Martin kindly prepared much of the material for this post

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What might RoVE mean for Kiwis?

Having been in the tertiary education sector since 2007, I have experienced first-hand how the growing numbers of international students has increased the workload on teaching staff. International students not only struggle with colloquial English in Aotearoa - even if English is their first language - the do not understand the culture, nor have they been pre-formed by our primary and secondary education to be appropriately prepared for tertiary education socialisation, learner independence and pro-social learning behaviours. 

I have found that imported learners appear to lack an understanding of the education context here. So first we have to teach them context, before they can be successful. This at least doubles the teaching load. And we have multiple failures: cheating, plagiarism, purchased assignments, learner dependence, dysfunctional teamwork, and all the wasted time of having teachers become auditors or police in order to preserve assessment validity.

So it was with trepidation, but also some relief that we collectively heard that an overhaul of the sector was beginning. Announced by the Minister in August of 2019, RoVE was the first major overhaul of the education sector in more than 30 years, sifting research and submissions from the 16 Government-funded Institutes of Technology & Polytechnics (ITPs) which deliver training, the Industry Training Organisations (ITOs), and the close on 7,000 private training providers plus any other interested parties (cc Training Academy, 2022; TEC, 11 March 2022).

Following is a little more detail on the key changes affecting learners:

• Te Pūkenga. The creation of Te Pūkenga, a national, centralised public provider to deliver regionally-accessible vocational education and training (VET), absorbing all 16 ITPs. Te Pūkenga will deliver VET to learners (cc Training Academy, 2022).
• WDCs. The creation of Workforce Development Councils (WDCs), absorbing all ITOs responsible for setting standards and qualifications for their industries. WDCs will provide VET standards (cc Training Academy, 2022).
• Regional skill groups. The establishment of Regional Skills Leadership Groups, to advise the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) about regional skill needs (cc Training Academy, 2022).
• CoVEs. The establishment of Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs), bringing experts and providers to create high-quality VET curricula, design and delivery (cc Training Academy, 2022).
• And three last things. Aligning VET with Māori learning needs and to better meet Te Tiriti O Waitangi obligations; and aligning/simplifying VET funding from level 3 to 7; and making VET accessible for Aotearoa New Zealand learners (cc Training Academy, 2022).

It is possible that Te Pūkenga will have a much more Aotearoa New Zealand focus, relying less on the import of international students for funding. However, at this point, as Te Pūkenga only commences from 1 January 2023, the specific strategic direction remains opaque.

It will be interesting to see how it works in practice, and whether RoVE and Te Pūkenga will result in education focused on training New Zealanders, and take the focus off trying to educate everyone else.

Sam

References:

cc Training Academy. (2022). What is RoVE and How Will It Change the Educational and Training System in New Zealand?. https://cctrainingacademy.co.nz/reform-vocational-education/

TEC. (11 March 2022). Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE). Tertiary Education Commission. https://www.tec.govt.nz/rove/reform-of-vocational-education/

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Shifting skill levels

In our work we need to consider how the workforce is changing. For example, 'blue collar' work in the UK "fell from 62 per cent in 1961 to [...] 29 per cent in 2006" (Peetz, 2019, p. 88), a labour market which is very similar to our own in Aotearoa. Additionally - and admittedly this is old data, but better than nothing - from "2003 and 2012 the greatest increase in employment was in the jobs requiring the highest skill levels (employment in occupations with ‘skill-level 1’ grew by 38 per cent, and ‘skill-level 2’ grew by 32 per cent, compared to 10 per cent, 18 per cent and 6 per cent respectively amongst skill levels 3, 4 and 5)" (Peetz, 2019, p. 88). The skill levels required in the workforce are shifting.

What is a skill level? The Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) were a trans-Tasman joint venture between Statistics New Zealand and the Australian Bureau of Statistics in the late 1990s, to be used by government agencies. Similar to O*Net (US government occupational site), ANZSCO categorises work, tasks, and skills. They categorised work into eight skill levels, from Managers at skill level 1, to labourers at skill level 8. The skill levels are used by many career practitioners, but often those who work with ACC claimants. Going to the Advanced tab allows us to see how skills are related to occupations (Statistics New Zealand, 2022).

In New Zealand we can try to use the ANZSCO role descriptors to identify how much technology is required in a role, but often the role descriptors are quite silent on this area. O*Net is a much richer source, even though the roles have been described for the US labour market.

The example used on this post is finding radiologist job information. Enter the term into the ACC job type work sheets search field at the ACC link below and we don't find this role. So we head over to ANZSCO list, finding the number ("253917 Diagnostic and Interventional Radiologist"), then looking it up on the ACC site. We can download the work type sheet as a word document or a pdf. 

Note what information is provided.  The role states "Provides diagnostic medical services, and medical care and management of patients utilising radiant energy techniques such as general radiography, angiography, fluoroscopy, mammography, ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine and bone densitometry", with normal tasks being to "Examines internal structures and functions of organ systems, and considers x-ray findings and other examinations and tests; makes diagnoses and advises patients, physicians, surgeons or other doctors; administers radiopaque substances by injection, orally, or as enemas, to render internal structures and organs visible on x-ray films or fluoroscope screens; conducts ultrasound, gamma camera, radioisotope scans and ct scanning" (Accident Compensation Corporation, 2022). We can see that the role needs computer skills, but this is not clear.

However, if we go to O"Net and look for a radiologist, 

Sam

References:

Accident Compensation Corporation. (2022). Job Type Detail Sheets. https://www.acc.co.nz/for-providers/treatment-recovery/work-type-detail-sheets/#/

Peetz, D. (2019). Chapter 4: Digitisation and the jobs of the future. In The realities and futures of work (pp. 83-112). ANU Press.

O*Net. (2022). Occupation Keyword Search. https://www.onetonline.org/

Statistics New Zealand. (2022). Advanced. Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations V1.3.0. http://aria.stats.govt.nz/aria/#ClassificationView:uri=http://stats.govt.nz/cms/ClassificationVersion/Z9DujoqhMVdksKZG

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Should young New Zealanders vote?

The Supreme Court of Aotearoa last month determined that, when it comes to the age from which our citizens can legally vote, "the current age of 18 discriminates against [our] young people", and that it was a breach of our young people's human rights in not having the vote (McClure, 2022). From my personal perspective, I think that lowering the voting age is a great idea. Our younger adults can drive, become apprenticed, leave school, fight for their country, have sex, become parents, and get married - with parental permission - at 16. It seems logical then they should also have the right to vote.

Kate Sheppard - the woman whom for seven years tirelessly campaigned for the wāhine of Aotearoa to get the vote (Page, 1993) - was "an independent thinker with a keen sense of social responsibility and justice. Her convictions led her to seek broad solutions rather than short-term remedies for immediate problems" (Williams et al, 1991, p. 604). Kate said that "All that separates, whether of race, class, creed, or sex, is inhuman, and must be overcome" (Page, 1993, p. 122). Her tenacity and strategic approach meant that Aotearoa was the first nation to give women universal suffrage, despite the fact that the movement was not a large one by global standards (Paxton & Hughes, 2014). It was instead a persistent, logical, and enduring campaign. I think, by her actions dedicated to fairness and equality (Page, 1993), that today she would champion the right of young people's political franchise. As she so worthily said:

"Do not think your single vote does not matter much. The rain that refreshes the parched ground is made up of single drops" (Kate Sheppard, as cited by GoodReads, 2022).

Every vote in our society is important, and that idea sends a message about UNIVERSAL franchise. We should not treat that equality message lightly. Yet with every exclusion, the message THAT sends is also important: it undermines the equality that our society holds as a cornerstone philosophy (Fischer, 2012). 

I have heard some pundits suggest that votes should not be given to those who are not working. Not having a job is not a criteria for voting once we are 18: why should that be a measure when we are 16? Further, as almost 40% of 16-19 year old school leavers do not go on to higher education (25% work; 2% youth guarantees; 12% NEETs, who cannot get an unemployment benefit; Ministry of Education, 2022), a significant percentage of 16 year olds can no longer be considered 'school children'. They are adults with societal rights and responsibilities. One of those rights should be the ability participate in all functions of a fair and just society, including voting.

We like to think of ourselves as a just society. This issue has flagged an area which we need to work on. We should do just that: show our tamariki the respect they are due as members of an inclusive and fair society.

Sam

References:

GoodReads. (2022). Kate Sheppard Quotable Quotes. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10118598-do-not-think-your-single-vote-does-not-matter-much

McClure, T. (21 November 2022). What do you think about lowering New Zealand’s voting age to 16?. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/21/what-do-you-think-about-lowering-new-zealands-voting-age-to-16

Ministry of Education. (2022). Post-compulsory education and training. Education Counts. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/post-compulsory-education-and-training

Paxton, P. M., & Hughes, M. M. (2014). Women, Politics, and Power: A Global Perspective (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Page, D. (1993). The Suffragists: Women who worked for the vote. Bridget Williams Books.

Williams, B., Macdonald, C., & Penfold, M. (1991). The Book of New Zealand Women/Ko Kui Ma Te Kaupapa. Bridget Williams Books Limited.

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Aotearoa NEETs and YARLEs

Originating in the UK in the late 1990s, a "NEET" is an unemployed young person who is not currently in education or vocational training: "who are Not in Employment, Education or Training" (McGirr & Earle, 2019, p. 1). A "YARLE" is a young person who is "relatively at risk of limited employment" (McGirr, 2020, p. 1), specifically, "Youth At Risk of Limited Employment" (McGirr & Earle, 2019, p. 7). In Aotearoa, "up to 30% of the total working age population (aged 16 to 65) experience limited employment during a year. The proportions are higher for women (34%), Māori (40%)" and Pasifika peoples (33%) (McGirr & Earle, 2019, p. 1). 

Survey data from 107 12 to 17 year olds in Aotearoa was collected over three years, followed by three years of check-ins, found a number of factors for positive employment outcomes. Despite participant "predominantly insecure, casual or temporary" (Sanders et al., 2020, p. 7) work, if vulnerable youth complete their education, they are more likely to become employed and remain employed. The older they are, the more successful they are likely to be. If they have "access to ongoing support" such as positive relationships with parents, they are more likely to be successful (p. 1). 

Further, where they live is important: if living in areas with "few opportunities for job advancement, youth become locked into ‘fragile careers' " (p. 3). Young people want financial independence and a prosocial identity: maybe the best 'advice' we can provide our clients is to consider moving to a different region (ouch). 

Finally, what is also interesting from the research is that government shouldn't waste money funding short term programmes. The longevity of programmes makes a difference to successful employment in NEETs and YARLEs: short term funding and focus do not seem to create lasting effects. Pick your programmes, and run them for a decade. Keep plugging away.

If young people want to leave school early, there are some questions and answers here to help parents provide a reality check (New Zealand Government, 2022).

Sam

References:

McGirr, M. (2020). Employability Development Theory: Policy Implications for Supporting Youth at Risk of Limited Employment (YARLE). [Doctoral thesis: Victoria University Wellington]. https://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10063/9306/thesis_access.pdf?sequence=1

McGirr, M., & Earle, D. (2019). Not just about NEETs: A rapid review of evidence on what works for youth at risk of limited employment. Ministry of Education. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/194513/Not-just-about-NEETs.pdf

New Zealand Government. (2022). Leaving school before the age of 16. https://parents.education.govt.nz/secondary-school/your-child-at-school/leaving-school-before-the-age-of-16/

Sanders, J., Munford, R., Boden, J., & Johnston, W. (2020). Earning, learning, and access to support: The role of early engagement in work, employment skills development and supportive relationships in employment outcomes for vulnerable youth in New Zealand. Children and Youth Services Review, 110, 104753, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104753

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Framing replies to employer concerns

While the Human Rights Act 1993 clearly states that we cannot discriminate on grounds of family status, relationship status, gender, pregnancy or childbirth (check section 21 Prohibited grounds of discrimination at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0082/latest/DLM304475.html?search=sw_096be8ed81c17b9c_21_25_se&p=1&sr=3), employers tend to work around potential accusations of discrimination by framing their concerns as indirect questions.

For example, an employer may ask us "How good is your time management?", but really may be asking about our ability to actually be at work. The implied - but not asked - question is how organised are we in managing our childcare. We can reply by saying "My time management is very good, having had a family. I attended [name of course] and learned some very helpful tactics to ensure that when I am at work, I am able to be present and engaged. My partner/ family/ whānau and I have implemented turn and turn about childcare responsibilities".

Or we could answer with a straight work-related example of good project management delivery on time and budget in our past, and not mention the elephant in the room: our family.

Consider the other types of questions employers and recruiters traditionally ask:

• Can you work on weekends?
• How flexible can you be around hours?
• Are you a reliable person?
• How stable would you say your life is, outside work?
• What do you do when you are not at work?

Answering the question completely focused on the work environment is probably the best strategy, as if childcare responsibilities are planned, will go smoothly and be trouble-free. 

We all know that if a woman were to point out that these questions may be pointed and potentially discriminatory, an employer may be "shocked and appalled" and the candidate who was stroppy enough to do so probably wouldn't be hired. 

It is infuriating that men who have children are rarely asked these types of questions, for exactly the same roles.

Women may rankle at the injustice, but this seems to still be the rules of the employment 'game'. We need change, but I have no idea when we will actually get it.

 

Sam

References:

Human Rights Act 1993. https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0082/latest/whole.html#DLM304461

Palmero, E. (11 September 2021). Adults returning to work [video]. https://youtu.be/3-gCRX23slw

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The decline of racing

I was considering the idea of racing recently. Not any particular kind of racing, but all kinds of racing: of motorsport, of flat /jump racing, of harness racing, and of greyhound racing. What I thinking was that all these sports appear to be in decline. And I was wondering why I assumed that, and wondered if my impression of decline was a realistic perception.

So I decided to go looking in the recent literature. When it comes to flat and jump racing, "47% of racecourse revenue" in the UK comes from on-course attendees (Buraimo et al., 2021, p. 5883), with 53% coming from gambling (bookies, and winnings-levies  (Buraimo et al., 2021). It appears that, as a society, we have a "growing distaste for using animals for entertainment" (Buraimo et al., 2021, detailing a Florida referendum which "overwhelmingly backed [the] prohibition of greyhound racing" (p. 5894). It is suggested that racing's "sport’s spectator appeal identified here underlines that British racing could become non-sustainable at its present scale" (Buraimo et al., 2021, p. 5895). Ouch. I didn't have the heart to look at harness racing. The sport of kings could well fade to unsustainability in the 21st century, taking greyhound racing with it. 

And speaking of greyhound racing, this is being phased out in the USA, apparently due to distaste about racing dogs, and a fall in gambling revenues following Covid-19. It now is illegal in 40 states (HSUS, 2022) and there are only two US tracks still operating (McEwan & Ananda, 2022). In Australia greyhound racing is only illegal in ACT, with not yet enough public will to shut the industry down. While Tasmaniana have vigorously petitioned their government to halt racing, State government is ignoring the 13,000 signatures. However, statistics such as those showing that of the "97,783 greyhounds bred in NSW over 12 years" nearly 70,000 were euthanised early (McEwan & Ananda, 2022) may make the clamour a roar. 

So what about motorsport? Interestingly, a paper taking the temperature of peak national sports organisations in Sweden, Denmark and Norway noted that motorsport organisations appear to pay lip service only to climate change (Sandvik & Seippel, 2022), with passive, third-person, "non-committal" language used in documenting sustainability goals. Motorsport has issues of rubber pollution, circuit design, noise and other potential pollution which it is trying to 'manage' by explaining, instead of mitigating. Ski sports - where existence is threatened by lower snow falls - is much more active and vocal about climate change (Sandvik & Seippel, 2022). It appears that motorsport may be out of step with society, being "perceived as the most unsustainable sport" (Zdobina, 2022, p. 4, emphasis added). Further, stock car racing is falling in the US due to a range of issues, but it is suggested that fossil fuel consumption, carbon footprint, climate change and noise pollution are four key elements (Jax, 2022), not to mention the industrial deafness on the part of the race drivers enduring noise around 140 decibels for hours on end. Formula 1's transition to Formula E does not seem to be taking off as anticipated, yet the costs of racing have increased hugely with batteries (Borucki, 2017).  It has been suggested that the continued fall is in part due to the lack of free to air coverage of motor racing, and our changing viewing habits (Jax, 2022). Maybe. 

While this has been a short tour through the literature, I think I have convinced myself that my perceived decline in non-mano e mano racing is a reality. As to how long it will take for decline to be irreversible... well, who knows.

Sam

References:

Borucki, W. (2017). How “Green” Is My Green Flag?: Environmental Initiatives in Major Auto Racing Circuits. The International Journal of Sport and Society, 8(3), 25-40. https://doi.org/10.18848/2152-7857/CGP/v08i03/25-40<

Buraimo, B., Coster, N., & Forrest, D. (2021). Spectator demand for the sport of kings. Applied Economics, 53(51), 5883-5897. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2021.1931010

HSUS. (2022). Greyhound racing FAQ. The Humane Society of the United States. https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/greyhound-racing-faq

Jax, J. (14 April 2022). 9 Unflattering Facts NASCAR Does Not Want You To Know. https://www.hotcars.com/9-unflattering-facts-nascar-does-not-want-you-to-know/

Sandvik, M. R., & Seippel, Ø. (2022). Framing of environmental issues in voluntary sport organizations. Environmental Politics. Advance online publication, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2022.2075152

McEwan, A., & Ananda, J. (16 June 2022). Greyhound racing: despite waning public support, governments are spending big to keep the industry running. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/greyhound-racing-despite-waning-public-support-governments-are-spending-big-to-keep-the-industry-running-184849

Zdobina, E. (2022). Global warming crosses the line: exploring sports events as a communication tool to address climate change. The case of Russian motorsport fans. [Master's thesis: Hanken School of Economics]. https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken/bitstream/handle/10227/486180/Zdobina_Ekaterina.pdf?sequence=1

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The Kakala framework

Have you heard of the Kakala framework? Kalaka is the "communal process [of weaving together a string or lei of flowers] that demonstrates collaboration, sharing of resources and the passing of skills to the next generation" (Fua, 2011, p. 50). The Kalaka framework is the Tongan creation of "Professor Konai Helu Thaman as an articulation of her conceptualisation of teaching and learning", and provides Pasifika people the "opportunity to articulate theories from their perspectives and to recognise Pacific world views in their thinking" (p. 50).  Kalaka is a "garland made of flowers and leaves to be worn in special occasions, or presented to a special guest as a sign of ‘ofa (love) and faka’apa’apa (respect)" (Fono, 2014). 

Kakala has 3 phases (Fono, 2014): 

1. Toli (picking). This first stage is selecting the flowers. This is where we gather client information, while incorporating and being aware of the walls of our Whare or Fale, our context (linking to Te Whare Tapa Wha, Durie, 1985; and Fonofale; Pulotu-Endemann, 2001). This also aligns with the first stage in the SODA model of ‘Knowing yourself’ (Careers NZ, 2022). This is where we consider who our clients are: "gender, age, marital status [... and] How much they know already[.] What I have in common with them e.g. experiences, ideas[. Exploring] their interests and social standing", education, relationships, experience and so on (Fono, 2014)
2. Tui (stringing). This is about finding the "similarities, variations, and new emerging patterns in" what we are searching for (Fua, 2011, p. 54). This second stage is focused on creating the plan or next steps in the career journey towards specific goals. The plan may change as we go, to better suit the recipient, as this is a creative  "process of negotiation and correction" (p. 54). 
3. Luva (respectful gift). Luva is "a gift [...] given with heartfelt sincerity, humility, and honour" (Fua, 2011, p. 54). This last stage is the action or outcome; and is serious, about the "work and sacrifice has been required to create the gift being given" (p. 54).

I was introduced to this recently and, while Kalaka is predominately used for research and health sectors, I can definitely see the potential for use within career development. When looking at the 3 stages of the Kakala model, there appears to be a correlation between Te Whare Tapa Wha, Fonofale, and the SODA model for career planning. 

I hope to see more of this.

Sam

References:

Careers New Zealand. (2022) Te Whare Tapa Whā. https://www.careers.govt.nz/assets/pages/docs/Final-career-theory-model-te-whare-tapa-wha-20170501.pdf

Durie, M. H. (1985). A Māori perspective of health. Social Science & Medicine, 20(5), 483-486. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(85)90363-6

Fono, T. L. (2014). Setting the scene: Working with pacific families [slide deck]. https://ana.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/mafi-tino-lelei.pdf

Fua, S. J. (2011). Kakala Research Framework: A Garland in Celebration of a Decade of Rethinking Education. Project: Rethinking Pacific Education Initiative for and by Pacific People (RPEIPP, REAP). https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/77223133.pdf

Pulotu-Endemann, F. K. (2001). Fonofale: Model of Health. Pacific Models for Health Promotion Workshop at Massey University, Wellington Campus, 7 September 2009. https://www.nelsontasmankindergartens.com/uploads/1/4/4/2/14426744/fonofalemodelexplanation.pdf

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Hurry, hurry, hurry

Earlier this year I read an article about how much we hurry our way through life (Bakewell, 2022). I have written on this topic before (here, for example), but this idea of continual busy-ness seems to have become pervasive in our culture. It feels like we do not have worth unless we are stretched to the max, almost dying with stress and over-load. 

How did we get to this strange place? How did our society construct the idea that being overwhelmed was desirable?

On suggestion is that tropes within our culture - such as the John Tenniel illustrations accompanying Lewis Carrol's white rabbit, rushing off down the rabbit hole, eyes glued to his pocket watch, panicking because he is late - have become pervasive, and that from childhood, if we are 'good', we model ourselves after them (Bakewell, 2022). As a society, then we collectively 'drink the Kool-Aid'. 

But what about our very consumerist society? Are we simply rushing and rushing and rushing to accumulate more and more... to what end? Is the desire for more, and our collective rush, what is driving the 'great resignation' (Klotz, 2020, as cited by Kellet, 2022)? Has an overabundance of consumerism created global warming, and now minimalist culture is us attempting a reset? That is what Uggla is suggesting (2019), and I see where that idea is taking us.

As I have got older I have noticed a decrease in desire for the 'new', simply because it is new. There is a growing tendency to only buy when I am forced into it by breakage or lack of serviceability. I try to mend and stay with the status quo, to buy second-hand if I need a replacement. The ideas of minimalism with sustainability are conflating; along with reclaiming time, working less, doing more with less (Uggla, 2019). 

If we think of the consumerist society as being a ship, I wonder if Covid-19 hasn't knocked a hole in our vessel's side, so that the idea of working more, getting more, having more is sinking. We can get off: we can rescue ourselves by wanting less, being happy to have more time, of taking more time to think. In the words of W. H. Davies (Gardiner, 1985, p. 836): 

“What is this life if, full of care, 

We have no time to stand and stare?”

We have the embryonic beginnings of time to stand and stare, and are moving away from "a poor life" (Gardiner, 1985, p. 836). We know we should now watch the white rabbit as he runs by (Carroll, 1865, p. 1), and feel pity. 

How long it will take us to longer want to emulate him is another thing altogether.

Sam

References:

Bakewell, J. (18 July 2022). What happened when I stopped hurrying – and discovered the joy of slowing down?. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/18/stopped-hurrying-slowing-down-rushing

Carroll, L. (1865). Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Macmillan & Co, Ltd.

Gardiner, H. (Ed.). (1985). The New Oxford Book of English Verse. Oxford University Press.

Kellet, A. (11 February 2022). The Texas A&M Professor Who Predicted ‘The Great Resignation’. Texas A&M University. https://today.tamu.edu/2022/02/11/the-texas-am-professor-who-predicted-the-great-resignation/

Uggla, Y. (2019). Taking back control: Minimalism as a reaction to high speed and overload in contemporary society. Sociologisk forskning, 56(3-4), 233-252. https://doi.org/10.37062/sf.56.18811

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My favourite instrument

Now I wonder why have I not done a post - in all these years - detailing my PERSONAL favourite career assessment instrument; my most enjoyed test? That is a very interesting question! Perhaps it is because I would have to put my own decision up for scrutiny? Perhaps it is because I have to actually decide on one? Perhaps it is because I don't really know why I like this particular instrument? Hmm. I think this aspect of 'why' needs more reflection!

However, to move onto the 'what', my personal favourite test is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI). Following the brain research of Levy-Agresti and Sperry (1968), in 1976 a manager at General Electric, Ned Herrmann, began development on the brain model to examine preferred thinking styles.

The test is administered using a 120 question test battery (Herrmann International Asia, 2008). I like this test because it shows participant differences, so it can be used to see where a department, organisation or board is well rounded... or not. Having been the board chair of an organisation where HBDI was administered to all staff, I had it administered to board members as well. Collectively, we found the organisation was weaker in one quadrant, and after more exploration, we decided to deliberately recruit a new staff member who was strong in that area.

While Herrmann International Asia (2008) claims that the HBDI has been validated by research, fMRI machines have clearly shown that left/right brain, upper/lower quadrant 'geographical' thinking sites as originally outlined in HBDI's literature are simplistic and are unevidenced. 

However, in my view - like many tests including MBTI - the test still has some utility, as the thinking styles themselves still show patterns and may be valid (Bunderson, 2003). If we can step back and consider it a 'sorting hat' (Rowling, 1997), if we will, and use it for guiding decisions, not for being the be-all and end-all of truth, then it has some value. It certainly gave the organisation I was with good value as a lens to see where we lacked 'wholeness'.  

If you want to know a bit more about how HBDI works for me, watch the video below:

I hope you find that interesting!

Sam

References:

Bogen, J. E., & Gazzaniga, M. S. (1965). Cerebral commissurotomy in man: Minor hemisphere dominance for certain visuospatial functions. Journal of Neurosurgery, 23(4), 394-399. https://doi.org/10.3171/jns.1965.23.4.0394

Bunderson, C. V. (2003). The Validity Of The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument. http://www.hbdi.com/uploads/100021_resources/100331.pdf

Herrmann International Asia (2008). Confidential Personal Profile Information. Author.

Levy-Agresti, J., & Sperry, R. (1968). Differential Perceptual Capacities in Major and Minor Hemispheres. Proceedings of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, 61(3), 1151. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.61.4.1435

Nebes, R. D. (1971). Superiority of the minor hemisphere in commissurotomized man for the perception of part-whole relations. Cortex, 7(4), 333-349.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-9452(71)80027-8

Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Ltd.

Young, S. (18 March 2017). AUT Leadership AUT Topic 2c Followership Part 3 HBDI, 2013 [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/w2_l7YZlaNo

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A film on Rogernomics: In a Land of Plenty

The world from New Zealand's point of view in the early 1980s was a very different place to today. We were a world of award rates; regulation; highly unionised labour; wages, not bonuses; where getting more than a few dollars in international currency was difficult; and where the banks closed at 3 on a Friday afternoon and didn't open again until 9 on a Monday; and where wives had to have their husband's signature to borrow money from the bank. Our currency, the New Zealand dollar, or NZD - had its value fixed to the USD until 1971, when the US dropped the gold standard. From 1971 until 1984, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) fixed the New Zealand dollar value against a mix of trade-weighted currencies, including the Japanese Yen, which was going through an amazing growth period. Why would we have done that? Because our Prime Minister, Sir Rob Muldoon, was also the president of the World Bank at the time, and - for a very right-wing man - had the arrogance of the 'always right'.

However, the left is often not much better. 

With record inflation, growing unemployment, solid unions and a declining manufacturing sector, change was coming our way, whether we wanted it or not.  The full-length documentary, In a Land of Plenty, by Alistair Barry (2002) is effectively the story of unemployment in New Zealand. This documentary takes its starting point as the 1930s Depression, and works towards the 'Rogernomics' economic policy which focused on achieving full employment by the mid-1980s Labour Government. Exploring how the 1984 Labour government shifted focus, and followed the policies of Finance Minister Roger Douglas, dubbed ‘Rogernomics', the Director's perspective takes a humanist lens to illustrate the resulting negative impacts on society, "as a new poverty-stricken underclass developed".  

 

This documentary helps us to understand how employment relations have developed over the past forty years in Aotearoa, showing how government policy has influenced our views on employment.

At least ten of 'levers' - used to monitor and control employment, business growth, and inflation - are outlined in the documentary. 

See how many you can spot!

Sam

References:

Barry, A. (Director). (2022). In the Land of Plenty (documentary film). NZ Onscreen. https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/in-a-land-of-plenty-2002

New Zealand History. (2022). The 1980s. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/the-1980s/overview

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The 10 point plan for reading journal articles

One of the hardest things students need to get past is the idea that academic journals are too difficult for them to read. In general, I think reading academic writing is simply a matter of technique. 

However, students must have good inputs in order to have good outputs: that is, their academic writing will not improve unless their inputs are of good quality. So to get to the 'right' academic writing standard, they must be reading and processing academic/journal articles. 

In my experience, getting better at reading journal articles is a matter of practice. The more we tackle reading this type of work, the better we get at understanding them. Given the will to apply themselves, I have seen that any student can tackle them. What is often missing is a strategy to approach each piece. To chunk down how much is tackled at any one time. To create familiarisation. To not try to eat the entire elephant at once (Gilbert, 1992).  

I suggest that students new to reading academic materials begin to build their 'muscles' by tacking articles in the following way:

1. Read the abstract. 
2. Then read the conclusion. 
3. Then come back and read the introduction. 
4. If - after reading these three elements - there is nothing that relates to our project, we stop reading. 
5. If the work does relate to what we are doing, then read the discussion. 
6. Lastly, we can review the whole article, including the method. 
7. We make notes from the bits which strongly relate to our work. 
8. We look up the sources for those bits in the reference list ("reference mining"). 
9.  Then when we are looking for our next article, we check out the key words in that article to see if any of them might relate to what we are doing. 
10. We then find the other source articles, and read those articles, following the same format. 

In each section there are a range of questions to ask ourselves: 

• "Does anything apply to my project?"
• "Are there similarities in this work and what I am proposing to do?"
• "Are the participants similar to mine?"
• "Are the results similar to what I am expecting to get?"
• "Is the context similar to my context?"
• "Are the methods similar to my proposed methods?"

If we answer yes to any of the questions above, we make notes from that paper on that section. Then we repeat - we move onto the next source. 

That usually works to get us started.

Sam

References:

Gilbert, J. (1992). How to Eat an Elephant: A slice by slice guide to total quality management. Tudor Business Publishing.

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