A report on the survey carried out at W. H. Allens, Queens Works, Bedford

The original terms of reference under which the project was undertaken are included in this report and the requirements requested are satisfied. On initial contact at Aliens, I was introduced to Mr. Colson, who informed me that his company of Consulting Engineers had introduced a scheme of methods engineering work study and incentives payment and that the results on the grinding section were not fully satisfactory. The machine loading was based on synthetics which were working in other factories. There was methods and planning charts from which the Methods Engineering and Planning Sections worked when loading work onto the shops and it was required that the shortcomings of these charts should be corrected. I was then introduced to Mr. Sargent, Chief Methods Engineer. He assigned one of his staff to me. It was suggested that we went down to the shop floor and consider the Lumsden grinding machine, as this machine stalled when the feeds and speeds suggested from the methods sheets were applied, but the main problem which it was essential to tackle as soon as possible was the grinding of gudgeon pins. Details of the work carried out on each machine are included in separate sections

The State of Online Video

Presents survey findings on trends in viewing, downloading, or uploading videos on the Internet by age, gender, education, income, broadband access, and other factors. Explores types of videos watched and experiences in sharing videos online

Retirement Savings and Household Wealth: Trends from 2001 to 2004

[From Summary] Since about 1980, the proportion of workers who participate in employer sponsored retirement plans has remained stable at about half of the workforce. Over the past 25 years, however, there has been a shift by employers from defined benefit (DB) pensions which pay a retirement benefit in the form of a lifelong annuity to defined contribution (DC) plans, which are more like savings accounts maintained by employers on behalf of each participating employee. One of the key distinctions between a defined benefit plan and a defined contribution plan is that in a DB plan, it is the employer who bears the investment risk. The employer must ensure that the pension plan has sufficient assets to pay the benefits promised to workers and their surviving dependents. In a DC plan, the worker bears the risk of investment losses. The workers account balance depends on how much he or she contributes to the plan and how the plans underlying investments perform

Being Creative with Web 2.0 in Academic Liaison

Using Ning, Delicious and Netvibes, Sarah Oxford is finding new ways to support academics and students. Each of her websites has a clear purpose - and growing number of users

Search and Email Still Top the List of Most Popular Online Activities

Presents survey findings about Americans' use of the Internet. Analyzes the two most popular online activities by gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, and household income

Older Workers: Employment and Retirement Trends

As the members of the “baby boom” generation — people born between 1946 and 1964 — approach retirement, the demographic profile of the U.S. workforce will undergo a substantial shift: a large number of older workers will be joined by relatively few new entrants to the labor force. According to the Census Bureau, while the number of people between the ages of 55 and 64 will grow by about 11 million between 2005 and 2025, the number of people who are 25 to 54 years old will grow by only 5 million. This trend could affect economic growth because labor force participation begins to fall after age 55. In 2006, 91% of men and 76% of women aged 25 to 54 participated in the labor force. In contrast, just 70% of men and 58% of women aged 55 to 64 were either working or looking for work in 2006. The rate of employment among persons age 55 and older is influenced by general economic conditions, eligibility for Social Security benefits, the availability of health insurance, and the prevalence and design of employer-sponsored pensions. Labor force participation among people 55 and older may, for example, be affected both by the trend away from defined-benefit pension plans that offer a monthly annuity for life to defined contribution plans that typically pay a lump-sum benefit. The declining percentage of employers that offer retiree health insurance also may result in more people continuing to work until they are eligible for Medicare at 65. Recent Census Bureau data show that the percentage of men and women age 62 and older who work in paid employment has risen over the past 10 years. In March 2007, 49% of men aged 62 to 64 were employed, compared with 43% in 1995 and 42% in 1990. Of men aged 65 to 69, 33% were employed in March 2007, compared with 27% in 1995 and 26% in 1990. Among women 62 to 64 years old, 42% were working in March 2007, compared with 32% in 1995 and 28% in 1990, whereas among women 65 to 69 years old, 26% were working in March 2007, compared with 17% in 1995 and 1990. There also has been a trend toward more full-time employment among older Americans who work. In March 2007, 81% of employed men aged 62 to 64 were working full-time, compared with 77% in 1995 and 1990. Seventy-one percent of men aged 65 to 69 who were working in March 2007 were employed full-time, compared with 57% in 1995 and 56% in 1990. Among working women aged 62 to 64, 69% worked full-time in March 2007, compared with 60% in both 1995 and 1990, whereas among working women aged 65 to 69, 54% were employed full-time in March 2007, compared with 43% in 1995 and 44% in 1990. As more workers reach retirement age, employers may try to induce some of them to remain on the job, perhaps on a part-time basis. This is sometimes referred to as “phased retirement.” Several approaches to phased retirement — job sharing, reduced work schedules, and rehiring retired workers on a part-time or temporary basis — can be accommodated under current law. Under the recently enacted Pension Protection Act, a pension plan can begin to pay benefits to workers who have not yet separated from the employer at the earlier of age 62 or the pension plan’s normal retirement age, which in most plans is 65. Some employers would like to be able to pay partial pension distributions to workers who have reached the pension plan’s early retirement age. This would require a change in federal law

Retirement Savings and Household Wealth: A Summary of Recent Data

Pension analysts refer to Social Security, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and personal savings as the “three-legged stool ” of retirement income, but for some workers at least one of the legs is missing. Many workers fail to save adequately for retirement and many are not covered by an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Data from the Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) indicate that only 58 % of households with an employed head or spouse between the ages of 21 and 64 included at least one worker who participated in an employer-sponsored retirement plan in 2001. Most of them participated in savings and thrift plans, in which the worker must decide whether to contribute to the plan, and how to invest the funds. Only 25 % of households included at least one worker who was covered by a defined benefit pension plan that guarantees a fixed monthly payment for life. The Federal Reserve Board collects data on household assets and liabilities through its SCF. The most recent data from this survey were collected in 2001. According to the SCF, 47.8 million households with at least one worker between the ages of 21 and 64 — (63%) — owned one or more retirement accounts in 2001. A

Images for change: community development, community arts and photography

This article explores how community development objectives can be achieved through critical photographic practice. It summarizes the literature relating to community arts practice and its potential for social regeneration. Photography is then located within this context and explored as a critical practice, with particular attention being given to photo-elicitation, photo-novella and photovoice methods. The literature is discussed and analysed to explore how far critical photographic practice can meet the objectives of community development

Older Workers: Employment and Retirement Trends

As the members of the “baby boom” generation — people born between 1946 and 1964 — approach retirement, the demographic profile of the U.S. workforce will undergo a substantial shift: a large number of older workers will be joined by relatively few new entrants to the labor force. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, while the number of people between the ages of 55 and 64 will grow by about 11 million between 2005 and 2025, the number of people who are 25 to 54 years old will grow by only 5 million. This trend could affect economic growth because labor force participation begins to fall after age 55. In 2004, 91% of men ages 25 to 54 and 75% of women in this age group participated in the labor force. In contrast, just 69% of men ages 55 to 64 and 56% of women ages 55 to 64 were either working or looking for work in 2004