A Study on Workplace Attire in Indian Corporate

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

A Study on Workplace Attire in Indian Corporate International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences www.ijetmas.com September 2014, Volume 2 Issue 4, ISSN 2349-4476 A Study on Workplace Attire in Indian Corporate Amit Singh (Asst Prof), Mrs Smita R Kenneth (Asst Prof) Department of Business Administration, SRGI Jhansi,UP ABSTRACT Clothing or attire conveys a message, which is unconsciously yet immediately picked up by people ones meet. A simple and inconspicuous outfit while generally accepted maybe considered too loud for certain places and occasions. Such is the magnitude of dressing sense that people tend to gauge persona and merit according to the outfit. Although it may have an excellent grasp of what to wear in social gatherings and general get-togethers, official or business attire can get employees confounded. Unlike the common misconception, business attire doesn’t always mean a formal one. It may include evening wear and also be the casual business attire for those official. The office casuals however, differ from regular casuals but are definitely not formals and party dressing is formal but not like the general formals. It goes without saying that appearance matters a lot and more so in the corporate arena. people attire is most often considered a reflection of their personality and consequently of their work style. It makes a statement about both how a person feel about himself/herself and what people can expect from a professional. The purpose of this study is to analyze the workplace dress code that should consider appropriate by employers and employees at workplace. Keywords:- Appearance, Business Attire, Dress code, Dressing sense, Employers & Employees. INTRODUCTION Society’s standards (or lack thereof) regarding clothing and grooming have certainly changed over the last 50 years. Taking a trip on an airplane used to mean “dressing up” and wearing the kind of clothes you would wear to church ― a suit and tie or a dress and heels. Now people fly in sweatpants and sneakers and regularly wear jeans to church. Some employees would happily wear nothing but sweatpants or jeans to work if their employers would let them. For some employees, personal appearance ― including hairstyle, jewelry, tattoos, piercings, and head coverings as well as clothing ― is a form of self-expression. Religious mandates can also affect an employee’s appearance. Employers are confronted not only with excessively casual appearance but also with other extremes: looks that are too suggestive, too political, too dangerous, too bizarre. What’s “slightly sexy” to one person can be “downright vulgar” to another. So what’s an employer to do? How far can you go in regulating your employees’ appearance? Generally, a company can enforce a dress code and standards related to employee appearance. However, employees must follow some legal restrictions and acknowledge some commonsense considerations when adopting, revising, or enforcing a dress code. 37 Amit Singh, Mrs Smiths R Kenneth International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences www.ijetmas.com September 2014, Volume 2 Issue 4, ISSN 2349-4476 Dress codes that require gender-stereotypical appearance for women and men do not affect all people to the same degree. Indeed, for most gender conforming men and women, the typical sex-based dress code policy is unobjectionable. For others, however, having to appear stereotypically feminine or stereotypically masculine is so discordant with their identities that it may result in a total inability to remain employed in a particular workplace. The power, therefore, of the anti-differentiation approach to equality for dress code challenges is that the discrimination in a dress code policy "inheres in the not in its impact on any group or class." LITERATURE REVIEW “The way you look directly affects the way you think, feel, and act . When you dress down, you sit down—the couch potato trend. Manners break down, you begin to feel down, and you’re not as effective” (Kaplan-Leiserson, 2000, p. 39). Stephen Goode (2000, p. 4) states the findings of research psychologist, Jeffery L. Magee, that “Continually relaxed dress leads to relaxed manners, relaxed morals and relaxed productivity” and “leads to a decrease in company loyalty and increase in tardiness.” Dolbow suggests that the accepted casual dress in the office workplace is causing “casual attitudes and a lack of office decorum” (2000, p. 10). There are benefits to wearing casual clothing in the workplace, such as good morale, open communication between managers and employees, and a lack of cost to the employer (Gutierrez & Freese, 1999, p. 35-36). However, Gutierrez and Freese also note that the “professional image may be weakened if clients feel employees are too casual to be entrusted with their business.” Whether or not employers are aware of an effect in job performance because of casual dress is unknown. This problem was categorized as developmental research because it “focuses on the change and process of human development . .” by examining “aspects of behavior in particular sociocultural contexts” (Brown, Cozby, Kee, & Worden, 1999, p. 9). “There once was a time when a person could walk into the office of a manager, account executive, or salesperson and expect to see the individual behind the desk adorned in crisply pressed suits with starched white shirts. It was something that was not open to discussion but rather ingrained in American culture that certain dress was considered appropriate in those professions” (McPherson, 1997, p. 134). However, since the beginning of the 1990s, a change has been occurring called casual dress (Biecher, Keaton, & Pollman, 1999). There are a variety of reasons as to why this adoption of dress has happened. Some sources state only the factual evidences for the implementation. “Casual Fridays were introduced, experts say, to improve morale among cynical white-collar folks who saw their coworkers falling like flies during the layoffs of the 1980s and early 1990s. Generally, the casual look was never meant to replace traditional Monday-through-Thursday business attire” (McPherson, 1997, p. 134). Sweeney (1999, p. 38) used the words of Michael Zolnierczyk, director of sales and marketing at Model Apparel, Charleroi, Pennsylvania, who said “the casual dress movement began about five years ago in Los Angeles with such companies as Levi Strauss and Liz Claiborne.” Other resources say that “the birth of dress-down days is . credited, in part, to the high-tech companies in the Silicon Valley of California that, when they started 30 years ago, hired primarily people from blue- 38 Amit Singh, Mrs Smiths R Kenneth International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences www.ijetmas.com September 2014, Volume 2 Issue 4, ISSN 2349-4476 collar backgrounds” (Gutierrez & Freese, 1999, p. 32). More than one source believes that this is the case, because Kaplan-Leiserson (2000, p. 38) states, “we could thank (or blame) the Internet age . It’s generally agreed that casual days started on the U.S. West Coast, where computer companies allowed programmers to dress comfortably to encourage creativity. Like the Internet, the casual trend spread.” Despite this more objective approach to the whole issue of casual business dress, there are those who feel that the change has been for a variety of subjective reasons. “Casual dressing may be the result of two distinct trends: a return to elegance as a way of conveying professionalism, and a loosening up of formal dress codes, as demonstrated by casual Fridays and dress-down days” (Biecher, et al., 1999, p. 17). “The dress-down movement is as symbolic as it is the result of indulgent management. Its roots are traceable to the egalitarian movement that began permeating industry in the early 1980s, leading to the current ideas of ‘teamwork’ and ‘empowerment.’ The idea was to reduce or eliminate class distinction regardless of one’s rank, salary, or corporate position” (p. 18). Kaplan-Leiserson (2000, p. 39) quotes Judith Rasband, director of the Conselle Institute of Image Management, as having said, “The business casual trend isn’t about fashion. It’s about the whole casualization of America that began in the turbulent 1960s. It’s about the general decline in civility.” “The dress- down mood here may be connected to the volatility of the job market in the last few years. You cannot sustain a high dress code during a period of instability” (McPherson, 1997, p. 135). Overall, the outstanding consensus is that there has been a rise in casual dress in the recent past. “In the past 10 years, the trend toward dress-down Fridays and dress-down every days has spread through the corporate world” (Gutierrez & Freese, 1999, p. 32). METHODOLOGY . “Our employees are the ambassadors of the organization and their attire reflects the culture at their workplace,” said S Varadarajan, executive president, human resources, Tata Teleservices Limited. The employers expect at interviews or at workplace is a standard dress code. Some Companies, or parties or even clubs sometime have what is called a 'dress code' which is nothing but a style of dressing considered appropriate at that place.eg) Normal office dress codes suggest Formal trousers and shirts for men from monday through thursday, and smart casuals on fridays.Asking someone to follow the dress code appropriately would mean asking them to dress according to the manner suggested by the place.At place of work Casual and funky look only represents careless or carefree attitude, which makes employee undeserving for the job. It is expected from employees that they remain simple and most importantly dignified, which automatically conveys that they are calm, passionate and intelligent enough to handle the job. It is better to let the dress do the talk before they do, at the work place. The purpose of the study is to analyze general Formal business attire for employees (both males and females) defined in many Indian organizations and describe basic guideline for workplace attire.
Recommended publications
  • EDIT Dress Code 20-21 Updated 21 Jan 2021
    Online Stores: Dennis Uniforms (Uniform Store) BIS Houston Spirit Store (PE Uniforms and Spirit Wear) Bulldogs Online Store (Team Athletics Wear, Custom BISH Items, Custom Spirit Wear and cold weather PE.) BISH Dress Code Why do we have a dress code? At the British International School of Houston, we believe that our dress code helps us in creating a school identity, developing our school community, and promoting our school’s core values: Pride, Unity, and Respect. Pride: Wearing the Nord Anglia logo or the BISH Bulldog develops pride in being a member of our school community. When out of school on trips, it provides our students with an easily recognizable identity. Additionally, it invites students to take pride in their appearance. Unity: Provides a sense of community and unity among same-age peers. Respect: Reduces the possibility of social conflict associated with appearance and increases students’ respect for each other’s character and abilities. Learning: As learning is at the center of all we do at BISH, our dress code is similarly aligned. Anything that distracts oneself or others from learning is not permitted. Why do we have Spirit Day? Spirit Day takes place every Friday and is an extension of our regular dress code. On Spirit Days we celebrate different aspects of our community by wearing school Spirit wear. Spirit Day aims to bring together our students of all ages and unites the school through our “Bulldog Pride”. Where do I purchase my child’s school wear? Items with the British International School of Houston logo can be purchased from Dennis Uniform, located at: 2687 Wilcrest Drive #L07, Houston, TX 77042, phone (713) 789-0932 or online at: https://www.dennisuniform.com.
    [Show full text]
  • Men's Formalwear: Innovation
    Continuous Development GM Product Knowledge Men’s Formalwear: Innovation retail What is formal wear? Paul, an M&S technologist, explains why Innovation is so important A Customer asks you the in Men’s Formalwear… following… find Every man should own at least one suit, a shirt and a tie (or equivalent garment) in a suitable option accordance with his heritage. They should be pressed, clean, and ready to go at a in your formal moment’s notice. shirt range: A formal working wardrobe needs to work with the customers lifestyle. Ideally a suit and the ‘I need a shirt that I can put in accompanying garments should look and feel as good at the end of the day as they did at my overnight bag and pull out the beginning. This is why we are always reviewing our formalwear package to make it an and wear the next day’ easy to wear, hassle free and comfortable purchase. ‘My shirt has visible sweat stains Starting with Shirts at the end of the working day, Sharon, a Customer Assistant on men’s formalwear at what can you recommend?’ Milton Keynes, asks about Stain Release formal shirts, Paul explains…Using the example of a white shirt, it looks great, but will pick up a lot of grime in a normal working day. We apply a fabric Grab your finish on key areas like the collars and the cuffs, which resist spills SSPR, Which & releases stains. We then test to M&S standards by treating 12 different stains as per formal shirt is wash instructions.
    [Show full text]
  • Volume 2, Issue 3, Autumn 2018
    The Journal of Dress History Volume 2, Issue 3, Autumn 2018 Front Cover Image: Textile Detail of an Evening Dress, circa 1950s, Maker Unknown, Middlesex University Fashion Collection, London, England, F2021AB. The Middlesex University Fashion Collection comprises approximately 450 garments for women and men, textiles, accessories including hats, shoes, gloves, and more, plus hundreds of haberdashery items including buttons and trimmings, from the nineteenth century to the present day. Browse the Middlesex University Fashion Collection at https://tinyurl.com/middlesex-fashion. The Journal of Dress History Volume 2, Issue 3, Autumn 2018 Editor–in–Chief Jennifer Daley Editor Scott Hughes Myerly Proofreader Georgina Chappell Published by The Association of Dress Historians [email protected] www.dresshistorians.org The Journal of Dress History Volume 2, Issue 3, Autumn 2018 [email protected] www.dresshistorians.org Copyright © 2018 The Association of Dress Historians ISSN 2515–0995 Online Computer Library Centre (OCLC) accession #988749854 The Journal of Dress History is the academic publication of The Association of Dress Historians through which scholars can articulate original research in a constructive, interdisciplinary, and peer reviewed environment. The Association of Dress Historians supports and promotes the advancement of public knowledge and education in the history of dress and textiles. The Association of Dress Historians (ADH) is Registered Charity #1014876 of The Charity Commission for England and Wales. The Journal of Dress History is copyrighted by the publisher, The Association of Dress Historians, while each published author within the journal holds the copyright to their individual article. The Journal of Dress History is circulated solely for educational purposes, completely free of charge, and not for sale or profit.
    [Show full text]
  • GRADUATE LEARNING PLAN for Pamela Vanderlinde
    DePaul University School for New Learning Graduate Programs MASTER OF ARTS PROGRAM IN APPLIED PROFESSIONAL STUDIES (MAAPS) 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604 [email protected] (312-362-8448) GRADUATE LEARNING PLAN for Pamela Vanderlinde •ADDRESS: •PHONE: •EMAIL: DOCUMENT DATE: January 18, 2011 FOCUS - Applying study of historical and contemporary AREA: bespoke fashion to my design practice, philosophy and teaching. Prof. - Ms. XXX XXXX Advisor: •PA Position/Title: _Instructor, Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago •PA Address: _____________________________________ •PA Phone: ______ •PA Email: Faculty - Michelle Navarre Cleary, PhD •Position/Title: Resident Faculty, School for New Learning, DePaul University Mentor: •Address: DePaul University, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604 •Phone: 312-362-7301______ •Email: [email protected] Cluster: - 86_______ - __1/21/11_____ (date approved by Student’s Academic Committee) Approval: - ___2/18/11________ (date approved by Graduate Student Program Review Committee) - 1 - PART I: Personal/Professional Background & Goals Directions: In Part I, the student provides a context for the Graduate Learning Plan and a rationale for both his/her career direction and choice of the MAAPS Program of study as a vehicle to assist movement in that direction. Specifically, Part I is to include three sections: A. a brief description of the student’s personal and professional history (including education, past/current positions, key interests, etc.); B. an explanation of the three or more years of experience (or equivalent) offered in support of the Graduate Focus Area; C. a brief description/explanation of the student’s personal and professional goals. A. Description of My Personal/Professional History: I have many passions in this world; fashion, teaching, travel, reading, yoga to name a few.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Clothing on First Impressions: Rapid and Positive Responses
    The influence of clothing on first impressions: Rapid and positive responses to minor changes in male attire Keywords: Clothing, first impressions, bespoke, influence, communication The influence of clothing on first impressions: Rapid and positive responses to minor changes in male attire. In a world that is becoming dominated by multimedia, the likelihood of people being judged on snapshots of their appearance is increasing. Social networking, dating websites and online profiles all feature people’s photographs, and subsequently convey a visual message to an audience. Whilst the salience of facial features is well documented, other factors, such as clothing, will also play a role in impression formation. Clothing can communicate an extensive and complex array of information about a person, without the observer having to meet or talk to the wearer. A person’s attire has been shown to convey qualities such as character, sociability, competence and intelligence (Damhorst, 1990), with first impressions being formed in a fraction of a second (Todorov, Pakrashi, and Oosterhof, 2009). This study empirically investigates how the manipulation of small details in clothing gives rise to different first impressions, even those formed very quickly. Damhorst (1990) states that ‘dress is a systematic means of transmission of information about the wearer’ (p. 1). A person’s choice of clothing can heavily influence the impression they transmit and is therefore a powerful communication tool. McCracken (1988) suggests that clothing carries cultural meaning and that this information is passed from the ‘culturally constructed world’ to clothing, through advertising and fashion. Clothes designers can, through branding and marketing, associate a new product or certain designs with an established cultural norm (McCracken, 1988).
    [Show full text]
  • Women's Clothing in the 18Th Century
    National Park Service Park News U.S. Department of the Interior Pickled Fish and Salted Provisions A Peek Inside Mrs. Derby’s Clothes Press: Women’s Clothing in the 18th Century In the parlor of the Derby House is a por- trait of Elizabeth Crowninshield Derby, wearing her finest apparel. But what exactly is she wearing? And what else would she wear? This edition of Pickled Fish focuses on women’s clothing in the years between 1760 and 1780, when the Derby Family were living in the “little brick house” on Derby Street. Like today, women in the 18th century dressed up or down depending on their social status or the work they were doing. Like today, women dressed up or down depending on the situation, and also like today, the shape of most garments was common to upper and lower classes, but differentiated by expense of fabric, quality of workmanship, and how well the garment fit. Number of garments was also determined by a woman’s class and income level; and as we shall see, recent scholarship has caused us to revise the number of garments owned by women of the upper classes in Essex County. Unfortunately, the portrait and two items of clothing are all that remain of Elizabeth’s wardrobe. Few family receipts have survived, and even the de- tailed inventory of Elias Hasket Derby’s estate in 1799 does not include any cloth- ing, male or female. However, because Pastel portrait of Elizabeth Crowninshield Derby, c. 1780, by Benjamin Blythe. She seems to be many other articles (continued on page 8) wearing a loose robe over her gown in imitation of fashionable portraits.
    [Show full text]
  • NEW ORLEANS NOSTALGIA Remembering New Orleans History, Culture and Traditions
    NEW ORLEANS NOSTALGIA Remembering New Orleans History, Culture and Traditions By Ned Hémard Paris Fashions The New Orleans Daily Picayune had the latest word on “Paris Fashions” in 1864 when it printed “A Paris letter of Jan. 24th”, announcing: “A new blue and green have been contrived by the scientific dyers of silks, which keep their color so distinctly and vividly by candle-light as to throw all previous dyes into the shade. These, and a beautiful violet, which does not redden by candle-light, are the favorite new colors, replacing the oak shades so fashionable last winter under the names of ‘Russia leather,’ ‘Queen's hair’ and ‘Wood.’ Figured silks, plaid stripes, small and large Chine flower and brocades keep their place in public favor; but the plain shades are considered the newest and most fashionable for evening dresses.” The above report from France was the result of the latest scientific discoveries in the field of synthetic dyes and a fashion firestorm that took place in the City of Light in 1864. It involved the Empress Eugénie, wife of Emperor Napoléon III of the Second Empire of France, and an exquisite green silk gown (more on that later). Born on May 5, 1826, in Granada, Spain, the Empress Eugénie became the fashion icon of all Europe and across the ocean to New Orleans and the rest of the United States, as well. The Empress adored haute couture, a term first used to describe the work of fashion designer Charles Fredrick Worth (1826-1895), and set a standard in Paris that had not been seen since the days of Josephine.
    [Show full text]
  • Designing for the Plus-Size Men: Towards a Better Fitting: a Case of Harare, Zimbabwe
    Journal of Textile Engineering & Fashion Technology Research Article Open Access Designing for the plus-size men: towards a better fitting: a case of Harare, Zimbabwe Abstract Volume 6 Issue 3 - 2020 This study endeavours to foster an understanding and encourage manufacturers to Denford Fadzai Chisosa, Verity Muzenda incorporate the plus sizes in their production to combat the fitting challenges connected to Department, of Clothing and Textile Technology, Chinhoyi plus-sized men in Harare. The plus sized men were facing challenges in finding some fitting University of Technology, Zimbabwe and ready- to-wear clothes on the market because of size restriction in a market. The clothing manufacturing companies was mass producing these ready-to-wear clothes ostensibly for Correspondence: Fadzai Denford Chisosa, Department, all men, ironically leaving the plus-sized men disgruntled due to misfitting clothes and of Clothing and Textile Technology, Chinhoyi University of size restrictions. The study used critical postmodernism and the concurrent triangulation Technology, P. Bag 7724 Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, approaches to determine scope for either any convergence, differences or combination. Email Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, observations and documentary analysis from the twenty-four (24) purposively sampled participants. Recommendations Received: May 28, 2020 | Published: June 24, 2020 were made for the clothing companies to integrate the extreme and in-between sizes. This study offers insights on better sizing for different body types eliminating the emotional psychology disturbances. Keywords: plus-size, clothing, ready- made, read-to wear Background fashionable, and non-favored bodies. In today’s extremely competitive clothing manufacturing business, Anthrotech (2002) posits that competitiveness increases when local clothing companies are faced with the dilemma of mass- clothes are customized, where more accurate clothes are made producing fast-selling clothes where size and fit are not a priority.
    [Show full text]
  • BISH Dress Code 2018/2019
    BISH Dress Code 2018/2019 BISH Dress Code Why do we have a dress code? At the British International School of Houston, we believe that our dress code helps us in creating a school identity, developing our school community, and promoting our school’s core values: Pride, Unity, and Respect. Pride: Wearing the Nord Anglia logo or the BISH Bulldog develops pride in being a member of our school community. When out of school, on trips, it provides our students with an easily recognizable identity. Additionally, it invites students to take pride in their appearance. Unity: Provides a sense of community and unity among same-age peers. Respect: Reduces the possibility of social conflict associated with appearance and increases students’ respect for each other’s character and abilities. Why do we have Spirit Day? Spirit Day takes place every Friday and is an extension of our regular dress code. On Spirit Days we celebrate different aspects of our community by wearing school Spirit wear. Spirit Day aims to bring together our students of all ages and unites the school through our “Bulldog Pride”. Where do I purchase my child’s school wear? Items with the British International School of Houston logo can be purchased from Dennis Uniform, located at - 2687 Wilcrest Drive #L07, Houston, TX 77042, phone (713) 789-0932 or online at: https://www.dennisuniform.com. PE wear, school hats, and approved school outer wear (sweatshirts or quarter zips-ups), with the School’s logo on, can be purchased from the School’s Spirit Store. Early Years 0 to Early Years
    [Show full text]
  • The Shape of Women: Corsets, Crinolines & Bustles
    The Shape of Women: Corsets, Crinolines & Bustles – c. 1790-1900 1790-1809 – Neoclassicism In the late 18th century, the latest fashions were influenced by the Rococo and Neo-classical tastes of the French royal courts. Elaborate striped silk gowns gave way to plain white ones made from printed cotton, calico or muslin. The dresses were typically high-waisted (empire line) narrow tubular shifts, unboned and unfitted, but their minimalist style and tight silhouette would have made them extremely unforgiving! Underneath these dresses, the wearer would have worn a cotton shift, under-slip and half-stays (similar to a corset) stiffened with strips of whalebone to support the bust, but it would have been impossible for them to have worn the multiple layers of foundation garments that they had done previously. (Left) Fashion plate showing the neoclassical style of dresses popular in the late 18th century (Right) a similar style ball- gown in the museum’s collections, reputedly worn at the Duchess of Richmond’s ball (1815) There was public outcry about these “naked fashions,” but by modern standards, the quantity of underclothes worn was far from alarming. What was so shocking to the Regency sense of prudery was the novelty of a dress made of such transparent material as to allow a “liberal revelation of the human shape” compared to what had gone before, when the aim had been to conceal the figure. Women adopted split-leg drawers, which had previously been the preserve of men, and subsequently pantalettes (pantaloons), where the lower section of the leg was intended to be seen, which was deemed even more shocking! On a practical note, wearing a short sleeved thin muslin shift dress in the cold British climate would have been far from ideal, which gave way to a growing trend for wearing stoles, capes and pelisses to provide additional warmth.
    [Show full text]
  • Black Tie by Ar Gurney
    Black Tie.qxd 5/16/2011 2:36 PM Page i BLACK TIE BY A.R. GURNEY ★ ★ DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE INC. Black Tie.qxd 5/16/2011 2:36 PM Page 2 BLACK TIE Copyright © 2011, A.R. Gurney All Rights Reserved CAUTION: Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that performance of BLACK TIE is subject to payment of a royalty. It is fully protected under the copy- right laws of the United States of America, and of all countries covered by the International Copyright Union (including the Dominion of Canada and the rest of the British Commonwealth), and of all countries covered by the Pan-American Copyright Convention, the Universal Copyright Convention, the Berne Convention, and of all countries with which the United States has reciprocal copy- right relations. All rights, including without limitation professional/amateur stage rights, motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio broadcasting, tel- evision, video or sound recording, all other forms of mechanical, electronic and digital reproduction, transmission and distribution, such as CD, DVD, the Internet, private and file-sharing networks, information storage and retrieval sys- tems, photocopying, and the rights of translation into foreign languages are strict- ly reserved. Particular emphasis is placed upon the matter of readings, permission for which must be secured from the Author’s agent in writing. The English language stock and amateur stage performance rights in the United States, its territories, possessions and Canada for BLACK TIE are controlled exclusively by DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE, INC., 440 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016. No professional or nonprofessional performance of the Play may be given without obtaining in advance the written permission of DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE, INC., and paying the requisite fee.
    [Show full text]
  • Ilani Wilken
    CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 INTRODUCTION Members of a specific group or organisation have their own beliefs, behaviours and traditions which provide important information about the group‟s socialising functions (Kaiser 1998:351). The clothes that people wear and their modes of dress are important clues in acquiring specific knowledge about the wearers. Clothing symbols are not stagnant and take on different meanings, depending on when, where and how the clothes are worn (Marshall, Jackson, Stanley, Kefgen & Touchie-Specht 2000:5). Therefore, school uniforms are an excellent example of information that is conveyed about the learners and the schools they attend. A school uniform represents the school which the learner attends, and signals meanings about the values, beliefs, ethics, traditions and general image which the school maintains, as well as the discipline sustained (Kaiser 1997:226-227). The adoption of a school uniform enables people to observe and monitor the behaviour of the wearer of the uniform (Craik 2005:52, Kaiser 1997:589). Are uniforms then a good idea? A more detailed discussion of advantages and disadvantages of school uniforms follow in section 2.5, but a brief introduction on this aspect will be given here. The most logical response to this well known question is that nobody knows but at present supporters of school uniforms argue that uniforms serve as a social and economic equaliser, diminishing competition regarding clothing and reducing demands on parents to buy expensive, trendy clothes. It also advances learners safety as officials can recognise intruders who come into the school grounds.
    [Show full text]