2012 Olympic Games Free Essays

Recommendation It will explore whether the Olympics is still athlete focused or more of a profit maker for the host. If these games are to prevail careful observation of previous games must be made to ensure that similar pitfalls are not stumbled upon and past methods can be improved. A more recent turn in economics may prove a large problem for the preparation of the games and the government must be careful as not to under estimate the budget, especially considering the varying views societies take on the use of public spending for all this to happen. We will write a custom essay sample on 2012 Olympic Games or any similar topic only for you Order Now Terms of reference Report specifications Purpose This report is for the assessment of my tutor, Alex Watts. It will asses my understanding and development of report writing and the module so far. Scope I may use any material I can find in this report and have no limit to the references I can use, so long as I do not exceed the word limit set and I reference them on the reference page. I may use a limit less amount of material for background reading and study in relation to this report as long as they are stated in the bibliography or reference page. Aim My aim is to research London 2012 and demonstrate the skills I have learned. Taking reference from material including newspapers, academic journals and books. I will use a broad scope of materials to present a very balanced and clear report of the games. Limitations and constraints I am limited on the length of the report and the due date. The maximum length of the report is 2500 words not including the reference list and bibliography and the due date is the 20th of November. I must ensure my work is of a certain layout and style with a contents table. I may use a maximum of two references from internet sites and any other information obtained from internet sites with have to be recorded in the bibliography and will not count to one of my fifteen minimum references. Also when making reference and listing reading materials I must keep them in accordance with the Harvard referencing system. Objectives This report is due in on the 21st of November and has a word limit of 2500. The key objective in this report is to analyse whether the games will bring all the benefits the government is suggesting. This report will explore the claims made by the government and London’s’ Mayor Boris Johnson and weigh up whether they are too great a task for them to realise in the long run. I will base a conclusion on all the references and information I have put together throughout the report. Methodology and Procedures Materials I had very little knowledge of the Olympics previously and started by looking at past games on various web pages and began relating them to 2012. I paid particular attention to the economic side of the Olympics and what it means on a global scale to the country considering the new economic threat in full force. How I sourced materials I firstly went to the LJMU library (Aldham Robarts) to source information, I couldn’t find many books on the subject and proving far more useful was the LJMU electronic library presenting me with much more information in the form of e-books and academic journals. Many of my searches turned up very specific material from e-books. I then turned to the internet using online newspapers and specific websites on the Olympics. Materials used All materials I have included in my report can be found in my reference list. Any other information that I have sourced that exceeded my reference limit or having be directly used in the report can be found in my bibliography. Findings/Analysis The bid Once the decision was taken in May 2003 to compete for the 2012 Summer Games the slogan â€Å"Back the Bid† filled billboards and posters on the sides of buses and was woven into the fabric of seats on the tube. Opinion polls suggested consistent support for the campaign running at about 70%, and by May 2005 1. 2 million Londoners had signed up online to â€Å"Back the Bid† and 10,000 had already volunteered to be helpers at the Games (The Londoner, 2005 cited by Newman 2007). There was an instant surge of support for the Olympics from the word go, an overwhelming number of Londoners supported the bid. Following success in the Olympic competition on July 6, 2005 and the London bombings on July 7, 2005, the dominant image of London as host for the 2012 Games is as a city â€Å"diverse and unafraid†. (Government office for london, 2006 cited in Newman, 2007) London presented itself as this strong figure in the global portrait and drove forward with this image to try to secure 2012. The city of London will host the Games of the XXX Olympiad. Following four rounds of voting by members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 6 July 2005 at the 117th IOC Session, in Singapore, London eventually triumphed by taking 54 votes from a possible 104. This gave London the majority that it needed to be elected as the host city for the 2012 Games. London had to overcome stiff competition, however, in the form of Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid in its bid to get the Games. (British Olympic Association, 2008 [online]) London landed a very substantial number of votes in the election and proved to be strong candidate in the running’s all the way though to the final election. Rejuvenation New image Boris Johnson said today that the 2012 Olympics would be â€Å"much, much more fun† than the Beijing Games as he unveiled a vision of the â€Å"party atmosphere† they could bring to London. (Sparrow, 2008) A brighter and better future is seen to be forged for London out of the games The Olympic Development Authority is keen to transform the location site in Stratford, east London, into a flourishing residential are once the athletes have left. This is great news for Stratford and east London which could really benefit from the rejuvenation. Also the lea valley is set to transform into one of the city’s most treasured parks. Britain’s bid for the 2012 Olympic Games would transform 1,500 acres of east London’s Lower Lea Valley, one of the UK’s poorest areas, into the main Olympic site. (Allen, 2004) Location The main Olympic venues are to be located in an Olympic Park and neighbouring areas largely in the borough of Newham in east London. These parts of the city were identified as prospective Olympic sites in the late 1970s when a bid for the 1988 Games was being considered. The mayor’s London Plan favours the east of the city over the west, encouraging new development to follow new public transport investment (Greater London Authority, 2004) It was obvious that the east end would benifit from the developement, the games will help rejevenate london in favour of everyone living there. Athletes competing in the 2012 London Olympics will be housed in a village where apartments will be sold for up to ? 1m after the Games are over. (Pocock, 2006) The Olympic Development Authority is keen to transform the location site in Stratford, east London, into a flourishing residential are once the athletes have left. This is great news for Stratford and east London which could really benefit from the rejuvenation. Also the lea valley is set to transform into one of the city’s most treasured parks. The Olympic village will be designed as part of a new â€Å"water city† which is said to incorporate the green spaces, water ways and canals of lea valley park. When all told is finished they will leave behind 5000 apartments. Economic impacts With The Olympics attracting thousands of spectators a year globally, through radio, television and the thrill of being there, it doesn’t come as a surprise that there is money to be had for people willing to get involved. Growth More than 800 companies have won ? 3. 5bn of work in preparation for the London 2012 Olympics, new figures reveal today. (William, 2008) In the face of an economic recession people may argue that the Olympics Is too much of a mammoth task for the UK to achieve and doing so will put even more strain on the economy with the large budget of tax payers money needed. But in wake of this crisis it could prove to be a saviour in the field it was thought to fall, over 68 percent of the work awarded to 801 so far has been given to small-medium sized businesses and 98 percent of the companies are UK based. On top of that not only will London benefit but 46 percent of the work is going to firms outside of London. It will offer new work to many businesses in a time forecast to bring hardship. London 2012 is an unmissable opportunity in such a time of economic need. An estimated ? 4 billion contributor to the London economy is forecast for the capital prior to and during the London 2012 Games. Combine this with the projected ? 40 billion growth in the London economy over the next four years and it becomes clear that 2012 is just the start of London’s growth. London Developement Agency, 2008) Over spending? Senior figures in the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) believe the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), the body responsible for building the infrastructure of the Olympic project, is â€Å"out of control†. They accuse the ODA of failing to adapt to the realities of the credit crunch and a likely future recession and fear that the promised Olympic legacy is now at risk. (Howker, 2008) Athletes competing in London 2012 face a squeeze on living space in the Olympic Village as the deepening credit crisis threatens resources. O’Connor, 2008) Massive budgets have been set and they continue to rise, surely prompting a revamp of the infrastructure of the London Olympics? More and more money keeps getting pumped into the Olympics, stadium costs have risen ? 16m and the aquatics centre has almost tripled to ? 303m. Not to mention an estimated injection of ? 250m for the building of the Olympic village. the Treasury agreed to give the ODA an interim payment of ? 93m to cover ongoing costs in the construction of the Olympic Village. The money was necessary because organisers cannot find sufficient private investment. Howker, 2008) In the past year, board members of the Olympic Organising Committee received ? 1,000 per two-hour meeting and the chief executive, Paul Deighton, a former Goldman Sachs banker with a personal fortune of more than ? 100m, was paid a salary of ? 557,440. The committee chair Lord Coe splits his time between his Olympic work, for which he receives more than ? 250,000 a year, and managing the Complete Leisure Group. (Howker, 2008) Borris Johnson has been told by his 2012 advisor, David Ross, that the ? 9. 3b budget may simply not be enough. Overspending, deadlines eading further out reach and mounting pressure from a forecast recession in the economy don’t fair to well for the foreseeable future of 2012. The Olympics minister Tessa Jowell has been scurrying to explain her remark that â€Å"had we known what we know now† about the horrible state the economy would be in, â€Å"we would almost certainly not† have bid to host the games, back in 2005. (Conn, 2008) With budgets overstretched, private money not forthcoming, and ministers under pressure to find savings in a shrinking economy, Londoners might be forgiven for wishing that they were not hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 after all. Rajan, Carbon-neutral flame for green Games, 2008) If the overspending continues to rise societies delicate views may shift on the London Olympics. Everyone is feeling the strain of the economic hardship, with government spending at a high with the Olympics and with the banks in such trouble, people may wonder where there money is really going. Funding Cadburys Much funding has been sourced for the budget for the Olympic games, the budget currently sits at around ? 9. b, its much higher than first stated but private funding is expected to make up a large chunk of this. Cadburys is set to be one of the private sponsors The organising committee for the Games (Locog) said the firm would be a â€Å"Tier Two† partner by adding ? 20m to the ? 410m of private money already secured to finance the event. (Rajan, Cadbury to sponsor London 2012 Olympics, 2008) The lottery One large funder of the Olympics will be the national lottery and this has stirred much controversy. London will profit far more from the Olympics than any other part of Britain. For the next seven years local museums, galleries, theatres and village halls all over the country are threatened with losing the funding they have used so well. Winning the right to hold the Olympics is a triumph, but it must not be paid for at the expense of arts and sports in the rest of the country. (Renton, 2005) Lottery interest has fallen from its original super success; new ways are always being put forward from Camelot to rejuvenate public interest in the scheme. At its heart the lottery donates and awards large sums of money to charities and clubs. Arts, sports and good causes are a few of many. This lately has seen to be neglected in light of the Olympics and people fear that the allocation of resources to the Olympics through the lottery is too much of an opportunity cost in light of the causes that should arguably be benefiting from it instead. Conclusions London 2012 The Olympic Games being help in London is a great chance for the UK to shine, not only London but the whole country is on show to the world with thousands of tourists, athletes and officials visiting and millions watching on television. This is one way to tackle the economic crisis at hand, publicity and profit can be gained from this event if handled in the right way. Thousands of jobs will be realized with the huge sum of money and contracts offered to businesses, specifically small businesses within the UK with 98 percent of the work going to UK based businesses. This could be exactly what the economy needs right now. East London will undergo a massive revamp and thousands of new accommodation and prestigious living are will be available all sure to boost spirit and prove a success. However the mounting obstacles may prove just too much for the project to overcome. The economic crisis brings with it increasing skepticism from the public and many officials. Budget targets are being exceeded and many are regretting the original bid in light of this new hardship. With the masses on hand watching it seems like London is setting itself up for a bigger fall with the whole world ready to watch, costs may end up having to be cut and the games may not live up to the originally touted legacy leaver as once believed. How to cite 2012 Olympic Games, Papers

Al Estar Aqui Essay Example For Students

Al Estar Aqui Essay AC#mFmAl estar en la presencia de Tu divinidadDBmEy al contemplar la hermosura de Tu santidadAC#mFmmi espkritu se alegra en Tu majestadD BmEte adoro a Tk,te adoro a TkAC#mFmCuando veo la grandeza de tu dulce amorDBmEy compruebo la pureza de Tu coraznAC#mFmmi espkritu se alegra en Tu majestadD BmEte adoro a Tk,te adoro a TkACm FmY al estar aquk, delante de Tk te adorar DBmEpostrado ante Tk, mi corazn te adora oh DiosAA7y siempre quiero estar para adorar DDmy contemplar Tu santidad A E D Ate adoro a Tk Senor, te adoro a TkAl Estar AquiGBmEmAl estar en la presencia de Tu divinidadCAmDy al contemplar la hermosura de Tu santidadGBEmmi espkritu se alegra en Tu majestadC AmDte adoro a Tk,te adoro a TkGBmEmCuando veo la grandeza de tu dulce amorCAmDy compruebo la pureza de Tu coraznGBEmmi espkritu se alegra en Tu majestadC AmDte adoro a Tk,te adoro a TkGBm EmY al estar aquk, delante de Tk te adorar CAmDpostrado ante Tk, mi corazn te adora oh DiosG G7y siempre quiero estar para adorar CCmy co ntemplar Tu santidad GD C Gte adoro a Tk Senor, te adoro a TkDios CEmAm De guerra y paz FGDios fuerte y tierno eres TsCEmAmPrincipio y fin FGEl Dios eterno eres TsAmEm FEstas tan alto y tan bajo AmF GA lo ancho, a lo largo y en mi serAmEmF Creaste el cielo, las estrellas,AmFGEl mar, el universo y el amor. CORO:CEm AmDios solo importas TsEm F EmFEres todo Ts la razn G La luz. C EmAmDios te adoro a Ti EmF-Am-F Pues no encontrare jamisGC A alguien como TsAleluya A Nuestro DiosD GEmCD//Aleluya, Aleluya, Ale luya a nuestro Dios//D D+D6 D7 Todos sus siervos,Los que le temenGD/F# Em GLos pequenos y grandes, Alabad a nuestro DiosD D+ D6 D7El es Dios Santo, Justos sus juiciosG D/F#Em GEs Fiel y Verdadero, Alabad a nuestro DiosCoro DD+ D6D7Demosle gloria, Demosle honraG D/F#EmGLa hora ha llegado, Al Cordero exaltadD D+D6D7Su trono es firme, Siempre eternoGD/F#EmGCetro de justicia, Es el cetro del gran ReyCoro PUENTEEmGDGran multitud estruendo de muchas aguas EmGDLevanten su voz den voces de jubilo al ReyEmGDDel norte al sur declaren por siempre su gloria GEmAEl es nuestro Dios todopoderoso gran Rey

Recent Balance Scorecard Theory Practices of Bangladeshi Company free essay sample

Abul Kashem, Associate Professor , Department of Management information system, University of Dhaka for providing us all the information about information technology, for his guidance, constructive criticism, valuable suggestions and untiring help throughout the course of this work. I am highly delighted to express our cordial gratitude and veneration to our parents for their constant help, affection support and sacrifices. The Author December 26th , 2011 Letter of transmittal Date: 26/12/2011 To, Md. Abul Kashem, Associate Professor Department of Management Information System, University of Dhaka. The study attempts to measure organization’s perception on learning and growth with the help of Balanced Scorecard model in a multinational firm of Bangladesh. That is to say, in this paper it has been shown how a proper and effective knowledge management can make possible the organizations financial success that can be revealed using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) framework. Additionally, the perception about knowledge management, its linkage to the BSC and its usage has been identified. We will write a custom essay sample on Recent Balance Scorecard Theory Practices of Bangladeshi Company or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Primary data collected for conducting this empirical research was carried out through survey method using structured questionnaire. Data were then analyzed with the help of bi- vitiate and multi-vitiate techniques of statistics. Empirical results of our study suggest that learning and growing organization is one in which knowledge management activities are deployed and expanded with a view to leverage the creativity of all the people in the organization The result also evidenced that BSC, as a strategic performance measurement tool, helps in strategic management by linking some strategically significant, relevant, and interrelated measures or indicators with organizational emphasis on knowledge and learning initiatives . Keywords: Financial Perspective, Customer perspectives, International Business perspective, Learning Growth, Bangladesh. Executive summary: Management translates its strategy into performance measures that employees understand and accept is called The Balanced Scorecard. Kaplan and Norton describe the innovation of the balanced scorecard as follows: The balanced scorecard retains traditional financial measures. But financial measures tell the story of past events, an adequate story for industrial age companies for which investments in long-term capabilities and customer relationships were not critical for success. These financial measures are inadequate, however, for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation. Balance Scorecard has four perspectives: . The Learning Growth Perspective 2. The Business Process Perspective 3. The Customer Perspective 4. The Financial Perspective In early-style Balanced Scorecards are hard to design in a way that builds confidence that they are well designed. In the mid 1990s, an improved design method emerged. In the new method, measures are selected based on a set of strategic objectives plotted on a strategic linkage model Because of this, many are abandoned soon after completion.

6 Reasons to Read Before Class

6 Reasons to Read Before Class Everyones college and grad school experience is a little different, but the one thing all have in common is reading. You already know that college entails a lot of reading. Guess what? Grad school is way worse.  Expect your reading load to triple, at least, in graduate school. With such a huge set of reading assignments, you might be tempted to fall behind and not read before class. Here are six reasons why you should avoid temptation and read ahead of the class. Make the Most of the Class Time Class time is valuable. Be sure that you can follow along. When you read ahead of time, you are more likely to understand the organization of the lecture. Youll be better able to figure out whats important and what isnt (and thereby take effective notes). Understand the Topic and What You Don't Understand If everything that you hear in class is new, how will you determine what you understand and whether you have questions? If you have read beforehand you can focus your attention on filling gaps in your understanding by paying more attention during some parts of the lecture and by asking questions. Participate Most classes require at least some participation. Be ready to answer questions and to discuss the topic. Its easy to participate when you know the topic. Reading beforehand helps you to understand the material and gives you time to consider your perspective and opinions. Dont get caught unprepared. Professors opinions matter - do not get caught faking it. Show Off Reading before class lets you show that youve read, that you care, and that you are intelligent. Youll be able to ask good questions and participate in a way that demonstrates preparation, interest, and mastery of the material. These are all positive marks in profs views. Participate in Group Work Many classes require group work, often in class. If you have read, you are ready and likely will not mooch off of your classmates, or benefit from their hard work. In turn, if you have read you can tell when the group is taking a wrong turn. Contrary to some stereotypes, effective group work requires preparation. Show Respect Reading ahead of time shows respect for the instructor and interest in the class. While instructors feelings should not be the primary motivator of your behavior, relationships with faculty are important and this is one easy way to get your relationship with your professor off to a good start. Think ahead- faculty are often important resources for advice, recommendation letters, and opportunities. Many students find reading tiresome, a great deal of work. Try employing reading strategies such as the SQ3R method.

Direct marketing plan for expatriate sports and health centre Essay

Direct marketing plan for expatriate sports and health centre - Essay Example The direct market plan for developing the club will: i. First, create the overview of health and sports marketing to create the required brand’s message ii. Next, proceed to determine how the message fits the club’s development, and match the opportunities with the new brand message. iii. Finally, the health and sports club should be determined by the strategic business formula, and a clear, concise and meaningful approach applied. The centre will begin providing sports and health services in the city for expatriates and their families. The centre will start operating from January 2012 as per the schedule program. 1.0 Introduction The market focus for the direct marketing plan is provided by an extensive market fronts in Expatriate Sports and Health Centre and the larger global markets. The composition of business growing levels brings about the Expatriate Sports and Health Centre’s relevance into the significant market exploration of Real’s product bases. This is competitively provided in view of the marketing strategy process and within the evidenced market penetration, the business explains its promising role in exploring the potentially rich sporting markets in Expatriate Sports and Health Centre. ... 1.1.2 Business Description The children and/or adults can spend all the time in the centre taking part in a number of activities including multi-sport coaching programs offered. The club will offer a number of sessions that are intended to help built and improve the participants’ health and in some instances professional wellbeing. The centre will cover several types of sports including cricket, football, tennis, hockey, dance and martial arts. On the health side, a modern gym will be set up to gather for the general physical exercises such as weight loss programs. 1.1.3 Management description The overall management will be vested on the members of staff. The top level managers will be undertaken by the board of directors. Individual day-day responsibilities will be done by the management. The appropriate strategy for running the centre will be based on relevant laws and regulations. Specific areas which would require an inclusive leadership would also be determined. 1.1.4 Pur pose of the direct market plan This plan is intended to propose a project which will include developing a structure that offers a range of facilities from fitness to social connection. The layout and atmosphere will certainly meet internationally accepted standards. Further, the club will be completed with luxuriant steam rooms, plunge pools and saunas. There will be an extension which will be based on customized needs. For instance, the plan will have secluded sessions for treatments. It will also have other secluded areas for rejuvenating toning and also for slimming regimes. The direct market plan will make a proposal including relevant feasibility study evaluations and operational determinations. 1.2 Strategic Plan The strategy

Poetry Analysis on Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven Essay

Poetry Analysis on Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven - Essay Example Before â€Å"The Raven,† none of Poe’s writings â€Å"garnered him much recognition in the literary world.† However, â€Å"The Raven† was â€Å"hailed by critics as a work of genius, earning Poe a respected reputation as a serious writer† (Iorillo). The work became one of the most recognizable poems of the twentieth century, and Iorillo attributes this to Poe’s meticulous skill, stating that he â€Å"was a deliberate, precise wordsmith.† The setting of â€Å"The Raven† is a good example of Poe’s precise execution of language, with his images combining to create an atmosphere that is quintessentially Gothic. Iorillo states, â€Å"Poe was not the first Gothic writer but he is undeniably one of the most potent.† The term â€Å"Gothic literature† is defined as â€Å"literary style popular during the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th. This style usually portrayed fantastic tales dealing with horror, despair, the grotesque and other ‘dark’ subjects† (Taylor). The Gothic setting of â€Å"The Raven† is evident from the very beginning of the poem. The poem begins to paint its setting by describing the night as a â€Å"midnight dreary,† creating suspense, misery and dread even before the finish of the poem’s first line. The next image Poe presents is â€Å"a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore.† Poe’s diction heightens the mysterious and eerie setting by using the words â€Å"curious† and â€Å"forgotten† to describe the book that the narrator is reading as the poem begins. As the narrator peruses the pages of his â€Å"curious† book, he hears a noise outside his door, which he dismisses as an unwelcome visitor. The next stanza further enhances the poem’s Gothic setting as the narrator clearly recalls the â€Å"bleak December† night when he first encountered the raven. He tells us how he recalls the burning wood in his fireplace as each â€Å"separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the

Welfare To Work Programmes

Welfare To Work Programmes Welfare to work programmes have been used by governments since the 1980s to articulate a desire to replace passive support for unemployment and active measures to help encourage people to get into paid work. The Labour government reiterated this principle, but took a number of new approaches building up to an ambitious programme for welfare reform for people of working age. This essay will study the origins and rationale of New Labours welfare to work programme. It will also examine the impact it has had on people and unemployment since the programme has been introduced. While there is evidence that welfare to work programmes has been around before 1997 (when Labour came into power), their results were patchy and they had not been continuous. When the Conservatives were in power, their policies were criticised because it was more concerned with minimising fraud than maximising work, and it encouraged dependency and trapped people in unemployment. By 1995, Gordon Brown, the then Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, argued that government could not simply create jobs, but â€Å"its role was to promote macroeconomic stability and provide economic and employment opportunities for all† (Field White, 2007). He then proposed that the future government should launch New Deal for under 25s. Subsequently, 1996 the unemployed in Britain were redefined as â€Å"jobseekers† by the 1996 Jobseekers Act (HMSO, 1994). To qualify for the new jobseekers allowance (JSA) required that unemployed individuals to enter an agreement indicating the steps they intended to take to look for a work and the minimum wages they would accept. Jobseekers were given guidance in looking for jobs in a particular way, to take other steps to improve their employability or participate in training schemes. Under the JSA agreement, claimants have to commit to active job seeking behaviour, and they had to sign a declaration to which they understood that their benefit eligibility would be affected if they do not do enough to find work, are deemed unavailable for work or act in any way to reduce their chances of getting work. Failure to comply with the jobseekers agreement will ultimately result in benefit sanctions. It was believed that most unemployed looked for jobs but the JSA system was designe d to intensify activity and put pressure on those who were genuinely not looking for work. However, following the introduction of JSA there was increased job search activity with the newly unemployed but it was less effective with the long term unemployed. New Labours welfare to work programme is based on a typically American â€Å"workfare† approach. Workfare refers to the requirement that people who are judged able to work and available to work must seek and accept work in the regular labour market. The reforms have which have taken place have originated and been influenced by US-styled workfare. However, this move towards a US-styled welfare is not a new trend, the British policy makers have been influenced by US welfare systems in the past when the Conservatives were in power. Governments have always been cautious and resistant about being referred to as a US-styled workfare, opposed by both the right and left for different reasons: â€Å"the right disliked the expense involved setting up training schemes and the left sees any element of compulsion as anathema† (Daguerre, 2004). Nevertheless, just before Conservatives lost office, they moved more towards workfare through a proposed large-scale extension of â€Å"Proj ect Work† (A programme requiring the long-term unemployed to work part time in community projects). The start of the programme Restart, The Stricter Benefit Regime and Employment Training programmes was also a step closer to a US-styled workfare (Peck, 2001). New Labours flagship was New Deal, it placed more emphasis on training than any previous policies, and it also promoted compulsion for target groups. The new welfare system under New Labour appears to have strong echoes and similarities to the US-styled workfare and this can be clearly seen from the Labour Partys policies which indicate strong emphasis on making work pay and not the other way round, in which dependency on benefits would pay for people. Moreover, the redesign of New Deal in 2001, Labours second term, was working more towards moving as many people of working age into the labour-market. This is influenced by American ideas in a few ways. Firstly, the government was promoting a â€Å"work first approach† and getting people to work and not rely on benefits. Secondly, the formation of the â€Å"Jobcentre Plus†, which is a single point of service to all benefit claimants. This is partially based on American Administration. Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of t he Exchequer quoted that the Jobcentre Plus is there to provide everyone with the help they need to find work, quickly as possible, and it is a work first approach (Daguerre, 2004). Thirdly, the greater compulsion is based on the American approach. This involves the introduction to work-focused interviews for benefit claimants, particularly for lone parents. In 1997, the future Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke about New Labours approach to welfare reform would focus on services, not just cash benefits, and would be designed to help people meet change in an increasingly insecure world. New Labour would increase the employability through education and skills and an active employment service. Labour came in to power in 1997 and one month after winning power, the Prime Minister Tony Blair confirmed that the greatest challenge to his â€Å"welfare to work† government was to refashion the institutions to bring new workless class back in to society (Finn, 2003). Shortly following this speech, in 1997, New Deal for 18-25 years old was introduced. It became something of a political mantra for New Labour, in which there would be â€Å"no fifth option† of a life on benefit; and those refusing to comply with the rules would be docked 40 percent of their benefit (Peck, 2001). New Deal represents the first real attempt to implement activa tion policies for the unemployed in Britain. Labours first term in government highlighted the performance of the economy and an increase in employment. At a time when there was a much needed change in the welfare state, New Labour came in to power and did just that. The Prime Minister Tony Blair promised employment opportunities for all and committed the government towards full employment over the next decade. When the Conservatives were in power, their policies made people dependent on benefits and trapped them into unemployment. New Labours welfare to work programme would put a stop to this and make work pay, and not make benefits pay. Labours reasons for a reform on welfare state is to bring the workless class back in to society. Blair made a speech saying; â€Å"Now at the close of the 20th century, the decline of old industries and the shift to an economy based on knowledge and skills has given rise to a new class: a workless class. A large minority is playing no role in the formal economy, dependent on benefits and the black economy Today the greatest challenge for any democratic government is to refashion our institutions to bring this new workless class back into society and into useful work, and to bring back the will to win.† (Tony Blair, speech at the Aylesbury Estate, June 1997) The rationale of New Labours welfare to work programme is set to help those that are disadvantaged into employment and reduce the reliance of benefits; the end result would be an increase in employment and reductions on people living off benefits. Blair insisted that there would be â€Å"no no-go areas for New Labour† and at the heart of all the policy changes, welfare reform was on the top of the list. Welfare to work is defined by New Labour both as political and as an economic project; it is concerned with rejoining the poor in to paid work, and help people get into real jobs to tackle poverty. The task of the Labour government was seen one of radical and work reinforcing reform, and the task for wel fare recipients would be to cooperate and respond enthusiastically to the new opportunities (Labour Party, 1997). The New Deal programme was introduced after two decades in which child poverty had doubled; the number of people on incapacity benefit had risen by 1.5 million; and more than 80,000 young people had been on unemployment benefit for more than a year (DWP, 2008). New Labour had promised to get 250,000 under 25 years-olds off benefits and into work. The welfare to work budget was funded by the way of a  £5.2 billion through a â€Å"windfall tax† on the profits of privatised utilities (Peck, 2001). The first priority was to tackle long-term youth unemployment. The New Deal for Young People (NDYP) was introduced to begin with; then New Deals for the long-term unemployed (New Deal 25 Plus); New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP); New Deal for partners was introduced for the partners of the unemployed; New Deal 50 Plus; and New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) was introduced, which was largely provided by voluntary and private sector. The objectives of the New Deals were to increase long- term employability and help young and long-term unemployed people, lone parents and disabled people into real jobs. NDYP is a mandatory programme for 18-25 year-olds who have been claiming jobseekers for six months. However, it is at the six month stage, benefit becomes conditional and claimants enter another stage of New Deal. New Deal has three stages; a gateway, an options and a follow through. Each of these stages aims to enhance the chances of people landing a job. The gateway period comes after six months of unemployment and lasts up to four months. At this stage, individuals are assigned to a personal advisor, who helps claimants find work and provides guidance. If after the four month gateway period participants fail to find work, they then enter the option stage. During this period each individual is required to take up the following four options: employer placement, voluntary-sector work, education or training, or a membership of an environmental task force (Field White, 2007). These stages on the New Deal programme are in place to aid people to gain knowledge, experience, skills, and t herefore better their chances of finding real jobs. The purpose of the New Deal programme is to improve employability, because in the end employment goes to the employable and in this increasing global competition, individuals need to be able to adapt to learning new skills. New Deal has promoted work for lone parents and disabled people, for whom job search is a condition of receiving benefit. Work-focussed interviews have become mandatory and it is an approach to which all working age individuals who are living on benefits consider the possibility of entering the labour market (JRF, 2004). Until recently in the UK lone parents were not obliged to register for work until their youngest child was 16. However, this has now changed and as proposed by the Green Paper, from October 2008 lone parents with older children will no longer be entitled to Income Support solely on the grounds of being a lone parent (DWP, 2007). Instead those who are able to work can claim Jobseekers Allowance and they will be required to look for work. From October 2010, lone parents with the youngest child aged 7 or over will no longer be able to receive benefits on the grounds of being a lone parent. Labours welfare to work programme has introduced major tax and benefit reforms which, in combination with new rights at work, including the national minimum wage, are targeted at making work pay. The development of tax credits has expanded and transformed support for people with low incomes. The family credit was replaced by Child Tax Credit for parents with low income and the Working Tax Credit was introduced for those on low earnings. Together with the minimum wage, it has given people the incentive to work. Tax Credits have been linked to a wider objective of reducing child poverty, and it lifted relative child poverty by half a million (Finn, 2003). The government believes work is the best route out of poverty, and by introducing Tax Credits, the government is improving incomes for all children with parents that are not in paid work or in low-paid jobs. Tax Credits have improved unemployment and poverty traps, by ensuring individuals are entitled to more from working than from be nefits. However, this policy has been criticised for increasing dependency on employment, extending means testing up the salary scale and the potential impact on work incentive and employer wage-behaviour. The New Deals have been subject to an intense evaluation programme. The impact of New Labours welfare to work programme has been significant in reducing unemployment, and figures illustrate that â€Å"the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance is at its lowest for over 30 years. The number of long-term claimants unemployed has fallen from more than half a million to 125,000; while for young people it has fallen from 85,000 to fewer than 7,000† (DWP, 2008). By the end of 2001, it was suggested that half a million people had found jobs through the various New Deals and 53 percent of NDYP leavers were entering jobs (Finn, 2003). The most dramatic impact was with those who were unemployed for over a year, where the number fell from 90,700 to 5,100, a falloff almost 95 percent (JRF, 2004). Various independent researches confirm that New Deal has been successful in helping people find work. Research by the institute of Fiscal Studies found NDYP increased the probability of f inding a job by 20 percent (IFS, 2001). Also the introduction of personal advisors (NDPAs) has had a positive effect on participants, and evidence consistently has recognised the individualised help given by the NDPA as the key element of success. Even though findings done by independent researches imply that NDYP has reduced long-term youth unemployment, some people say the reduction of unemployment has merely reflected the strength of the economy, as since 1997 the economy has produced an additional 2.9 million jobs (JRF, 2004). The impact of New Deal has not been as significant as it was predicted and set out to be. Figures prove that youth unemployment is higher than when Labour was elected in 1997, and rising. Since 2001, figures on youth unemployment have been increasing, and those who are on NDYP and unemployed under six months has grown. This is because little seems to happen in the first six months of unemployment, and JSAs conditionality is increasingly ineffective as New Dealers and staff simply wait for the programme to start, which is six months into unemployment. Figures illustrate that by 2007 there was an increase of 82,000 young adults unemployed since 1998 (Field White, 2007). Similarly, the number of jobless young people, unemployed between six to twelve months is increasing and it stands well above the level at the start of the New Deal in 1998. What is more shocking is the level of unemployment for those who have been out of work for over 12 months; it has also increased dramatically since 1998, and the same applies for those who have been unemployed for more than two years. Overall, the number of young people unemployed, whether it is short-term, or long-term, it is on the increase. Claimants who have completed their New Deal, and still have not found work, are required to re-enter the New Deal, and then they are known as â€Å"retreads† (Field White, 2007). The number of retreads has continued to grow with some claimants entering New Deal not only for the second time, but a third, fourth or even fifth time. New Deal has been unsuccessful in finding work, and people are left jobless and dependent on benefits. This shows a structural weakness of the Governments New Deal programme, and data suggests that New Deal seems incapable of adapting to the needs people who find it difficult to find work, i.e. the very group which is most reliant on the New Deal for this purpose. Given that the government believes that the New Deal programme is to be the most effective way to ensure that there is no fifth option of remaining on benefits, why is there a growing number of people going on to New Deal for a second, third, fourth or fifth time? The government is contradi cting itself here. Long-term statistics suggest that men increased employment in the first six months after qualifying for NDYP. However, this disappeared over the following twelve months (Wilkinson, 2003). Women, do not do as well as men, and they tend to go the whole way up to the follow up period, implying a lower level of increase in employment. In 2007 there were 1,043,000 young people not in education, employment or training (Neets), which is a rise of 131,000 since 1997. However, despite the rise in youth unemployment, the proportion of young people on the New Deal is falling. Lone parents have suffered a complex range of barriers to work, ranging from attitudes of employers, access to childcare, to difficulties with meeting housing costs and the complexity of the welfare system. Findings were complemented and confirmed by a study of non-working lone mothers, which found that the majority of them had a general desire to work but were constrained from doing so by slim financial gains or by lack of suitable or affordable childcare (JRF, 2004). Paying for childcare was a significant barrier to work for lone parents. With the new policies which are being introduced in October 2010 for lone parents, it is most likely to increase unemployment rates with this target group and create further barriers. The increasing rate of unemployment is questioning New Labours rational of New Deal and its attempt to reduce dependency on benefits. Currently, unemployment is rising and New Deal has been criticised and been labelled as a failure. New Deal relies heavily on assisted job search and as we can see it is far from recession proof. This is why Labour has a new development which is called, Flexible New Deal. This new programme came in to force in autumn 2009, and it replaces the New Deal 18-24 and 25+ and Employment Zones programmes (DWP, 2008). Flexible New Deal has set out to provide an opportunity for Prime Contractor organisations from the private, public and third sectors to work together in partnership to deliver this new programme across all Jobcentre Plus districts. There are five core principles of the Flexible New Deal: A stronger framework of rights and responsibilities to move benefit customers from being passive recipients to active jobseekers. A personalised and responsive approach to individual customer needs which will provide tailored employment and skills support to meet the needs of both customers and local employers. A partnership approach with public, private and third sector organisations working together to maximise innovation, leading to more and better outcomes. Devolving and empowering communities for future sustainable employment which will be at the heart of neighbourhood renewal. Not just jobs, but jobs that pay and offer opportunities for progression, with an emphasis on sustaining and progressing in work to ensure all customers who need help to develop their skills have access to the relevant pre-employment and in-work training. The goal of Flexible new Deal is to eradicate child poverty by 2020, but this is not going to be an easy task. We are yet to see how successful this new programme will be in ensuring we move towards full employment and opportunity for all. In conclusion, New Labours welfare to work programme has helped to overcome unemployment at a time when the labour market was expanding and on a boom. Employers are more likely to take on the unemployed, as they desperately need staff to fill the vacancies. New Deals have helped more than 1.8 million people get into work in the last ten years. However, figures demonstrate how the rate of unemployment, particularly with the 18-25 year olds, has risen and is continuing to do so. The very rationale of New Labours welfare to work is being contradicted, as the unemployed are not being given realistic employment opportunities, and people are still signing on for benefits, not for work. The New Deal programme is clearly not adapting to fit the needs of participants or the labour market, as people are entering New Deal not only for the second time, but a third, fourth or more occasions. New Deal should be implemented from day one of unemployment for young people, as the largest group are tho se who unemployed for up to six months, which is before the New Deal programme kicks in. More of the same will not work, and the government needs to change the way New Deal is programmed and fit it around the needs of individuals and help them back into the labour market. We will have to wait and see how the development of the Flexible New Deal helps to reduce unemployment, but if the current situation is anything to go by, the government has a lot to prove. Bibliography Books Daguerre, A. (2004) Importing Workfare: Policy Transfer of Social and Labour Market Policies from the USA to Britain under New Labour, Social Policy Administration. p41-50. DWP (2008) Transforming Britains Labour market: Ten years of the New Deal, Department for Work and Pensions, London. p2-10 Field, F. and White, P. (2007) Welfare isnt working The New Deal for Young People, Reform, UK. p7-23 Finn, D. (2003). Employment Policy. In N. Ellison C. Pierson (Eds.), Developments in British social policy 2 (pp. 111-128). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. p111-128 Peck, J. (2001). Another New Deal: Workfare, United Kingdom style. Chapter 7 In J. Peck (Ed.), Workfare states (pp. 261-340). New York: Guilford Press. p261-315 Kay, J. (1998) Evolutionary Politics. Prospect July: 31-35 Wilkinson, D. (2003) New Deal For Young People: Evaluation Of Unemployment Flows, Policy Studies Institute, London. Internet Sources JRF-Joseph Rowntree Foundation. (2004) Labours welfare reform: Progress to date http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/labour%E2%80%99s-welfare-reform-progress-date (Date Accessed: 11/04/10) IFS- Institute for Fiscal Studies. (2001) Evaluating the employment impact of a mandatory job search assistance program. http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/1734 (Date Accessed: 11/04/10)