Role-playing and Economic growth

A good, fun lesson activity to demonstrate to students the importance of economic growth, but also particularly the COSTS associated with it…

If you’d like an alternative way to get your students considering the negative aspects associated with economic growth, then this could be perfect for you!

Basically, I took a genuine news story- Pfizer’s closure of its UK base in Sandwich, Kent, within the next two years (see this BBC article for more info) and, from this, spun an imaginary situation where a new firm was considering taking over the site and restarting pharmaceutical research & production. See below for the made-up newspaper article I wrote, which you may want to adjust to make it specific to your school (and yes I really do have a hole in my classroom wall!). Once we’d watched a BBC report on this story we then read through the article together before I assigned different roles to the students (see the list below). They then had to discuss the situation with each other and record the opinions of other members of the class, in their assigned roles of course. After this, our class discussion focused on analysing how this case study clearly demonstrates side-effects from economic growth relating to the environment, UK Balance of Payments, income distribution, and the government. These areas are all copied straight from the Edexcel Spec for unit 2 so are ideal for Edexcel teachers out there! All in all, this took an hour to work through, and judging by the ease with which the students came up with the ‘correct’ answers in the discussion it was clearly a success. If you’d like a word copy of the newspaper article & the student sheet as well as the relevant powerpoints, please email me at davidcarol4@btopenworld.com

Enjoy!

Newspaper article:

Up-and-coming drug company Chis & Sid Pharmaceuticals have announced their intention to expand from their current research site in a cupboard at the back of room 92 by taking over Pfizer’s site in Sandwich, Kent, when the US drugs giant pulls out in 2 years time. Pfizer recently hit the headlines when they announced plans to leave their giant UK HQ, which had been the company’s headquarters here for the last 50 years.
It marked the end of an era for the town and many feared for the local economy, but this news has given fresh hope to both local residents and the anxious Pfizer employees who are uncertain over their future. The new firm has pledged that, if its ambitious plans get the go-ahead, then it will seek to take on as many former Pfizer staff as possible.

However, a large question-mark hangs over the potential success of this scheme. Having been turned down by their bank for a loan to fund the multi-million pound move to Sandwich, Chis & Sid Pharmaceuticals are asking the UK government for £50 million to enable this plan to come about. The company say they will repay this many times over in terms of new jobs and exports for the UK economy, but at a time when budgets are tight across Whitehall and government departments are continually cutting back, it may be difficult to find the cash. It has been suggested that a small surplus left over fro the cancelled school building programme could be used to fund this scheme, but others had been arguing for this funding to go towards urgent maintenance at a number of schools across the country. Mr Carpenter, a teacher in Sidcup, Kent, expressed concern at the loss of funding urgently needed to repair the hole in his classroom wall.

On top of the funding issues, local environmentalists are also concerned about some of the company’s plans for the site should they move in. Production of a broad range of drugs would be restarted in Pfizer’s abandoned manufacturing plant, but the sewage works previously installed have not been used for many years. There is believed to be a significant risk that dangerous chemicals could end up being discharged directly into the Stour river if the dilapidated systems, last used in 1996, experience difficulties with the sudden rushes of large quantities of heavily polluted water flowing down the pipes. A spokesperson for Chis & Sid Pharmaceuticals, Mrs Everett, has assured protestors that the previous systems should, in theory, be more than capable of handling this new work. However, at a recent meeting with the Environment Agency, she was forced to admit that the firm does not currently have any plans to invest in upgrading the facilities and that the ‘emergency’ pipes from the factory do lead directly into the nearby river.

Despite the concerns over funding and the environment, the majority of local residents are eager for this scheme to go ahead. Mr Jones, head of the local residents’ association, spoke of how the town had previously relied on Pfizer to support many local events such as the annual Jazz Festival. He also mentioned how the loss of highly-skilled workers was of particular concern, as it could lead to a worsening income inequality between ‘the haves and the have-nots’.

Student roles:

Former Pfizer chemist seeking a new job

Leader of a local environmental charity, ‘Stourwatch’

UK Government Employment Minister

UK Government Education Secretary

Head of PR for Chis & Sid Pharmaceuticals

Head of ‘British Exporters Association’, who seek to promote UK exports to the rest of the world

Owner of The Bell Hotel & Restaurant, Sandwich

Owner of Sandwich River Tours, ‘seal-watching experts’

Local economist who specialises in analysing income distribution between citizens in an economy