Where Would We Be Without Coffee?

 

1. Do you drink coffee? How much? Have you ever tried to abstain from drinking it; how long did you go without? What effects did you notice as a non-drinker; what effects did you notice when you drank your first cup? Did it have an effect on your concentration levels? Were you functional?

2. Could you talk about a cup of coffee for fifteen minutes?

3. Watch video here: Coffee Video

What is your reaction? What surprised you the most?

4. At approximately 1min 50s, Michael Pollan states that a lot of people are in a caffeinated state most of the time - a state of some form of addiction. Is this a good thing? If it isn't, should we look to return to a non-caffeinated state?

5. How do you feel about coffee's socio-cultural importance? Pollan mentions the arrival of tea/coffee in Europe as being the trigger for the Enlightenment in France, and the Age of Reason in England - he also mentions coffee's earlier arrival in Arabia as a driver for science and literature as well as maths and astronomy. Do you think this is plausible? Do you know of any other periods of time associated with the consumption of a substance (good or bad)?

6. If caffeine can bring about a 'golden age' for a civilisation, can it also do so for an individual? Did you have a golden age when you started to drink tea/coffee?

7. Do you think Pollan's characterisation of the pre-1600s as being a time of 'drunkenness' is fair? Having cider for breakfast and 'beer breaks' while working seems to suggest a society prone to debauchery. What do you think was the then justification for giving alcohol to children? Do you think we became healthier as a result of the switch to coffee? When did coffee drinking become widespread in your country? Were there any noticeable changes associated with its consumption?

8. Do you think that caffeine is the fuel for capitalism? Pollan cites the examples of 'escaping the sun's rhythm', allowing night work, and the coffee break, a period of time given to employees, so that they might consume this 'productivity drug'. Do we need a modern alternative to caffeine - something that increases our creativity/productivity without worrying about 'addiction'? 

9. When you are at work, when is your break timed for? Do you notice any peaks/dips in your performance in relation to your break times? If you could customise them, when and how long would you have them for? Would you share this information with your boss? 

10. As far as I know, there aren't any serious health concerns regarding moderate use of coffee, but if we wanted to be cautious in its use, could we look to do as Pollan mentioned, and have something like 'coffee only on Saturdays'? Could you do that? Would it be easy?

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Situation

It is 1651, you are a trader in sugar, spice, and tobacco. You have just accepted your first shipment of this new drink, coffee. Convince your trading partner, your teacher, who is the owner of several inns in London, of the benefits of this new elixir.

.........

Discuss quotes

“Coffee is a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to your older self.”

― Terry Pratchett

“Police work wouldn't be possible without coffee," Wallander said.

"No work would be possible without coffee."

They pondered the importance of coffee in silence.”

― Henning Mankell

“The powers of a man's mind are directly proportioned to the quantity of coffee he drinks.”

― Sir James Mackintosh

"Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break."

--- Earl Wilson

"Our culture runs on coffee and gasoline, the first often tasting like the second."

--- Edward Abbey

Student Handout PDF: Where Would We Coffee

Photo: Stas Knop

Fall From Grace

 

1. What do the following people/things have in common?

Richard Nixon

Napoleon Bonaparte

Blackberry

Boris Johnson

2. Match the following statements to the above personages:

a) "Did you know that his code provides the basis for current French law? There is that."

b) "Credit where it is due, he was well informed of his opponents' intentions."

c) "Like it or not, he did get Brexit done."

d) "They did make it very easy to check your emails."

3. Do you know of any famous people - who ostensibly worked for the social good - but who came 'unstuck' due to 'weaknesses of character'? Do you know of any companies that had a large part of market share, but came to grief because of shortsightedness? 

4. Read article here: Fall From Grace Reading

5. Were you already aware of Carlos Ghosn? Do you know how he escaped the clutches of the Japanese legal system (he was originally in custody in Tokyo)? What do you know of the Japanese legal system? Do you think it is fair and transparent?

6. What is your reaction to the article? Is Ghosn unethical or criminal in the things he has done? Or does he - as the article seems to suggest- have a 'blind spot' regarding how others see him? Do you think he is unlucky, in that he is neither French nor Japanese, and thus can fall into behaviour that neither French nor Japanese cultures can accept?

7. Are multinational companies more likely to see this kind of behaviour, in that they operate across cultural borders? Do multinational companies need to employ 'larger than life' leaders?

8. Does not success for the greater number of people absolve any small wrongdoing? If a leader has fulfilled his mandate, shouldn't we be in a position to turn a blind eye to any personal excesses?

9. Do you accept that there is always a risk of misdemeanour when we appoint larger than life characters to fulfil a function? And that if we want extraordinary results, we should accept some of the downsides too?

10. In Greek tragedy, the hero falls as a result of 'hubris' (this word means excessive pride). After being set up for the fall, we expect a moment of 'anagnorisis' in which the hero makes an important discovery, often realising the error of their ways. Ghosn is currently in his native Lebanon where he cannot be extradited to Japan. Do you think people such as Ghosn, Nixon, and Johnson can ever change their ways?

11. Can we ever use other people's falls from grace as lessons in our own lives? Is it useful to do so? Have you ever experienced hubristic behaviour from management at work? Have you yourself ever indulged in hubristic behaviour at work?

..........

Situation

You are Carlos Ghosn's press secretary. You are meeting with Carlos (your teacher) in Tripoli to redact a press release which will hopefully assuage public opinion regarding the events at Nissan during Carlos's reign. Advise him on the content of the press release.

..........

Discuss quotes

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.”

- William Shakespeare

 “You can’t leave a footprint that lasts if you’re always walking on tiptoe.”

- Marion Blakey

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”

 - Pericles

“We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, but to leave behind something that will.”

- Chuck Palahniuk

“If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”

- Benjamin Franklin

“What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.”

- Bob Dylan

Student Handout PDF: Fall From Grace

Photo: Michel Ojeda

Porch Parcel Theft

 

1. Watch video here: Parcel Advert Video

2. What is going on? What has happened? Why is it funny?

3. Have you had any problems in receiving online deliveries? How do you get around them? Have any of your friends/neighbours had problems in this area? What options are open to you for receiving a parcel?  Tell me about home delivery, collection points, leaving parcels with neighbours. If a parcel doesn't arrive, what action can you take?

4. Read article here: Parcel Theft Reading

5. What is your reaction? Porches tend to be a feature of American homes (they are rare in the UK). What do you understand the function of a porch to be? Do you have them with your homes? Is parcel theft common in your country?

6. Do you have a video doorbell or security camera on the front of your property? Do you find them reassuring or do they create unease? The author of the article cites the example of constant text updates to her mobile phone as a source of worry - would this bother you?

7.  Do you know all your neighbours? Do you have a 'Norma' amongst them? The UK did have (It still exists in some areas) a scheme called 'Neighbourhood Watch', where neighbours would meet once a month to discuss local crime. Do you have something similar in your district? Would you like to have such a scheme?

8. There is no limit to what you can buy online - the most esoteric items can be purchased. What is the thief's motivation for stealing unknown packages? The article cites the author's example of having gardening soil stolen - in terms of risk and reward, why would you steal items that have very little worth?

9. Who is the prototype parcel thief? Are they career criminals? What do you imagine the interior of a parcel thief's house looks like?

10. Would you contact your local police force if you had a parcel stolen? How would they react, do you think? Are there alternatives to alerting the police?

11. Watch video until 2 mins 48 secs: Exploding Parcel Video

12. What is your reaction? Is Mark Rober's invention a serious solution? Could it be modified to make it even more useful? Should we look to modify our homes so that parcels can be received safely?

13. Are there any other 'contemporary' crimes that bother you? Do you think that crime will evolve with technology, or will it be more difficult to behave criminally?

..........

Situation

You are a home security advisor. You've been invited on to a radio show to give advice on protecting parcel deliveries. Tell the host/listeners about these areas: giving delivery instructions/time of day/package size/package visibility/home's distance from the road/cameras,gates/vehicle parked on drive suggesting someone is home.

..........

Discuss quotes

“As a business owner anywhere on earth, if you fail to do what's needed by putting the right structure and processes in place, you have used your own hands to open doors for thieves and rogues to come in.”

― Bamigboye Olurotimi

“My neighbour signed for my £300 package and claims she DOESN’T have it – I’m so angry."

--- Comment often seen on social media

"Love your neighbour as yourself; but don't take down the fence."

--- Carl Sandburg

"When one neighbour helps another, we strengthen our communities."

--- Jennifer Pahlka

"You can be a good neighbour only if you have good neighbours."

--- Howard E. Koch

Student Handout PDF: Parcel Theft

Photo: Mikhail Nilov

Personal Space

1. Which of these situations do you dislike the most? Rank them in order from 1 (most disliked) to 6

(least disliked).

a. being on a crowded bus

b. waiting in a queue at a post office or bank

c.  sitting in the middle seat on a plane

d. waiting to cross a busy road

e. being stuck in a traffic jam

f. waiting at home for a delivery to arrive

Read article here: Personal Space Reading

2. Have you ever experienced any of the situations mentioned in the article? Has it changed the way you behave now ? For example, do you no longer fly economy, or do you refuse to shop at a particular store?

3. Which of the below sectors have the worst customer service:

- air travel

- in-store clothes shopping

- public transport?

4. Have you personally witnessed any instances of incivility while using the above?

5. Are there any particular nationalities/cultures for whom personal space is more important?

6. Does the article focus too much on first-world problems? Are there countries where these features would not be considered problems?

7. Do people in your country need a lot of 'elbow room', or are they happy enough to co-exist in crowded conditions? How do you say 'elbow room' in your language?

8. How can the following help with sharing a small space: etiquette, empathy, being rich?

9. Is this really all the fault of capitalism? Do other types of social order not experience these types of problems?

10. Are cramped conditions the price we pay for having cheap air travel, cheap clothes etc?

11. If you wanted to complain about service, and you cannot get satisfaction from a company, what other means could you use to make your voice heard?

..........

Situation

You are an airline representative. A video showing a man repeatedly hitting the back of the seat of the woman in front of him has become a social media hit, and it took place on one of your flights. Explain your company's reaction to this incident - what your policy is, and give advice to future passengers. A local journalist (your teacher) will ask you questions.

..........

Discuss quotes

"My mother taught me that your employees come first. If you treat them well, then they treat the customers well, and that means your customers come back, and your shareholders are happy.”

— Herb Kelleher

"These days no one can make money on the goddamn airline business. The economics represent sheer hell."

— C.R. Smith, former CEO of American Airlines

"If the Wright brothers were alive today, Wilbur would have to fire Orville to reduce costs."

— Herb Kelleher

“The opposite of anger is not calmness.  It’s empathy.”

 – Mehmet Oz

“You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.”

– John Steinbeck

“It's a universal law-- intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.”

― Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

Student Handout PDF: Personal Space

Pandemic Travel

Pandemic Travel Reading 

1. Which would worry you the most during a pandemic?

a) riding the subway

b) flying

c) using the restroom at a petrol station

d) visiting a national park

e) holiday on a cruise ship

2. Which of the following are the most/least effective? Why?

a) temperature check

b) face coverings

c) negative COVID-19 test

d) 14-day quarantine

e) a tracking app

f) vaccinations

g) immunity passports

h) social distancing

i) intensive cleaning of public places

j) 72-hour vacancy between room bookings

3. Which company/supermarket/local authority has impressed/not impressed you recently with the measures they have taken?

4. Have your cleaning routines changed at home/work? What do you do differently?

5. When will you finally know that it is safe to travel? Choose from the following:

a) The government says so.

b) Friends have already travelled.

c) Travel agencies start advertising holidays again.

d) The WHO gives the green light to travel.

6. What are you most looking forward to doing once the current pandemic is over?

7. Has the crisis brought about a change in how you see life? Are you more risk averse now?  Will you be bringing certain events forward once travel bans have been lifted? Have you added any events or activities to your 'bucket list'?  Or have you removed anything from your list?

8. Will you revisit your previous holiday destinations?

..........

Situation

The pandemic is nearly over. Your friend (your teacher) is planning his/her next holiday - They have the choice between a road trip on Route 66, using Airbnb, or alternatively, a city-tour holiday, which involves flying to Singapore, Tokyo, and Adelaide. Give them your best advice regarding risk and safety precautions.

..........

Discuss quotes

“You need to spend time crawling alone through shadows to truly appreciate what it is to stand in the sun.”

― Shaun Hick

“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”

― William Faulkner

"A world with a sudden limit on air travel would be tremendously different from the one we live in now."

- Charles C. Mann

“Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth.”

― Henry David Thoreau

"A smile abroad is often a scowl at home."

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

Student Handout PDF: Pandemic Travel

Photo: Anna Shvets

Dutch Retirement Home

1. How easy is it to find accommodation for young people in your region/country?

2. Is there an age gap between young and old in your country?

3. Is there a shortage of senior-care provision where you live?

4. What attitudes towards ageing do people in your country have? What attitudes do people in the UK have, do you think?

Read article here: Dutch Retirement Home Reading

5. Would students/senior citizens in your country be happy to go along with the ideas mentioned in the article?

6. Do you see any possible problems coming from this arrangement?

7. Is this a great idea or a symbol of western society's failure to look after its old?

8. Would you like/have liked to spend your university years living in a retirement home?

9. Would you like to live in a home like this when you retire?

10. Should universities and the senior-care sector come together to replicate this project in other areas?

..........

Situation 1

Your teacher is a first-year student at Moscow University looking for affordable accommodation. You work in the student welfare dept. Persuade him of the benefits for this type of accommodation.

Situation 2

You are the care-home manager. Inform your teacher of the rules and regulations that he needs to obey as a student/carer.

..........

Discuss quotes

"I'm kind of comfortable with getting older because it's better than the other option, which is being dead. So I'll take getting older."   

--- George Clooney                                                                                                                 

"The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm."

--- Aldous Huxley

"The age of a woman doesn't mean a thing. The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles."

--- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed."

--- Arthur Schopenhauer

Student Handout: Dutch Retirement

Stay Interviews

 1. Have you heard the expression 'The Great Resignation'? What does it mean? Why are we hearing it now?

2. As a period of employment ends, companies sometimes conduct 'exit interviews' - what is the goal of these interviews?  Have you ever had an exit interview? What were you asked? How did you reply?

3. How are 'stay interviews' supposed to address the turbulent jobs market at the moment?

Read article here: Stay Interviews Reading

4. In the article, Matthias Spitzmuller says, "We’re in a different society than we were at the beginning of the pandemic, and that will mean changes in employment preferences." Is this true in your country? Are people reassessing life/work? Are people more prepared to see if the grass is greener elsewhere?

5. Here are four questions taken from the article - how would you answer them if they were applied to your company/organisation?

a) Which types of employees should companies target with stay interviews?

b) Who should conduct the stay interview?

c) What should be discussed in a stay interview?

d) The pandemic has shifted how some employees want to work. Should those issues be brought up in stay interviews as well?

6. Here are five questions taken from a 'What should be discussed' section - are these questions useful? If not, what else could you ask?

e) What’s your frame of mind today?

f) Who do you feel connected to at work?

g) What barriers can I remove for you?

h) What new thing do you want to learn that will excite you and help you grow?

7. Does the concept of stay interviews only really apply to large organisations? Why? Does the concept come from the notion of wanting to quantify everything?

8. Does money solve most of the issues associated with people wanting to leave their jobs? In your previous employment, would you have stayed with a company/organisation if they had simply increased your salary?

9. Are there any downsides to using stay interviews? Tell me about inaction, overpromising, extra cost.

10. What alternative ways are there of getting feedback from staff?

..........

Situation

A long-term employee (your teacher) doesn't seem as motivated as usual, and you've heard rumours that he is looking at leaving your organisation. Arrange a stay interview for him, and try to keep him on board at your company.

..........

Discuss quotes

“Look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else.”

― Tom Stoppard

"There should be exit interviews for dating. Just a brief evaluation of the highlights and challenges of the relationship, and maybe a few questions like "So what exactly was it that motivated you to dump me?"

--- Devan Sipher

“Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.”

--- Marcus Aurelius

“And then there is the most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.”

--- Randy Kosimar

"You can always tell when a man's well informed. His views are pretty much like your own."

Student Handout PDF: Stay Interviews

Photo: Sora Shimazaki