Exemplar for internal assessment resource Technology 3.9A for Achievement Standard 91616 © Crown 2012 Exemplar for Internal Assessment Resource Technology Level 3 Resource title: Consumer Goods This exemplar supports assessment against: Achievement Standard 91616 Demonstrate understanding of how the fitness for purpose of technological outcomes may be broadly interpreted Student and grade boundary specific exemplar The material has been gathered from student material specific to an A or B assessment resource. Date version published by Ministry of Education December 2012 To support internal assessment from 2013 These exemplars represent partial evidence of expected student responses. Exemplar for internal assessment resource Technology 3.9A for Achievement Standard 91616 © Crown 2012 Grade Boundary: Low Excellence 1. Demonstrating comprehensive understanding of how the fitness for purpose of technological outcomes may be broadly interpreted involves discussing the judgement of a technological outcome’s fitness for purpose in the broadest sense and justifying this in relation to the era of development, and the geographical and social location. The student started by introducing two well-known consumer products that would be discussed in terms of judging their fitness for purpose in its broadest sense and justifying this in relation to the era of development and the geographic and social location (1). Snippets from one of these products are included in this exemplar. The discussion included such things as: the changing market (2) the original defining characteristics of jeans and denim (3) the choice of fabric, dye and style (4) the early broad perceptions of jeans(5) the socio-cultural post-war effects (6) changing importance from function to fashion (7) the contemporary situation where it can be shown that any tensions between functionality requirements and physical and social compatibility are increasingly having to be addressed and resolved in the evolving product development processes 8, 9, 10, 11, 12). To make this a more secure excellence, the student could have shown more justification in relation to the current social location. 1 The process of judgement of a modern consumer product as being ‘fit for purpose in its broadest sense’ is a complex one and can best be understood by the consideration of products which have successfully evolved over a significant period of time and number of eras . Two such products are the modern soccer ball and the ubiquitous pair of ‘denim jeans’. The value of making this judgement will be considered in terms of the weightings consumers place on the physical and functional attributes on both the product itself and the social and geographical positioning of specific points in the development process. Considerations can be given to the selection and use of materials, the design, development and manufacturing processes involved and the interaction of people with these aspects and the end product. When we look at the modern soccer ball and pair of jeans we see two products that are firmly embedded in 21 st century global culture. When people make a purchase they are invariably quite confident that the product will carry out its intended function. The basic performance attributes are easily identified but how have their weightings altered in the lead-up to present day judgement, and how are they influencing the future evolution of the products? 2 In considering the manufacturing process for the product, in both cases we are looking at a product which has moved from a regional to a global market over a significant period of time. The ‘blue jean’ culture originated in America. The clothing was designed in America, raw materials sourced there and the goods manufactured there. The evolution from a local to a global culture has been an ongoing process of dynamic integration of both physical and functional design elements. 3 In the USA denim material was recognised for its very hard wearing and surprisingly comfortable properties which made it ideally suitable for the manufacture of work clothing. America in the early 1800s was a rapidly developing country with a largely immigrant population moving ever westward. The national workforce was growing and with it the demand for robust durable work clothing. Jacob Davis, a Nevada tailor working to supply workwear to his local mining community developed a new process to make riveted overalls. He realised the potential in the new process but couldn’t afford to patent it so paired up with an immigrant wholesale dry goods merchant in San Francisco. They patented the method and set up a factory in San Francisco to manufacture the new work clothing. The ‘pants’ were originally made in two fabrics - denim and rubber duck. However the advantages of using denim quickly became apparent. 4 Denim is produced from raw cotton and it quickly became the chosen material because of its natural fading characteristics. The clothing was originally designed as workwear for labourers on the farms and in the mines of America’s western states. The denim material was comfortable to wear, softened with age and the blue indigo dye gave it a unique character. Indigo dye doesn’t penetrate the cotton yarn like other dyes but sits on the outside of each thread. The dye molecules chip off over time causing the fabric to fade and wear in a way that seemed to be unique to the wearer’s lifestyle. Because of its fading quality denim was sold in its unwashed and untreated ‘raw’ state - able to be shrunk to a more comfortable fit. Not only were the new ‘overalls’ more durable than other products on the market but when worn over a period of time they had a way of communicating to others the story of the wearer and his work. Initial demand for the denim overalls was driven through patent protection but this expired after 20 years and sales of the clothing continued to expand through improved functionality in the working environment and new ranges were introduced for women and children 5 Before World War II the wearing of the characteristic denim trousers was largely limited to American’s western states – in the eastern states they may have seen them as symbolic of the American West but the broad perception of the clothes was still rural and working class. Any social and environmental issues relating to material use and production processes had minimal impact on product development. 6 The movement of American forces overseas during and after the war saw the denim pants introduced to a wider international audience and the explosion of denim into casual wear began. However, in America adoption of the denim pants as casual wear across age groups did not happen overnight. It was started by a younger more rebellious group and was reflected and promoted in the growing cinema industry by rising young movie stars like Marlon Brando and James Dean. They were seen as represented of a subversive sub- culture just returned from war and not prepared to act like their parents. These films gained world wide release and promoted what then became ‘denim jeans’ to the teenage market both in USA and overseas. In Europe the Student 1: Low Excellence blue jeans were widely seen as representing an easier, happier American lifestyle - very different to the post- war austerity they were experiencing. 7 In 1960s America, the wearing of jeans spread to the middle class - not just for social expression , such as a token of solidarity with protesting college students, but simply because they were affordable, hard wearing and actually felt good. They didn’t have to be washed or ironed and had a body fit that matched far more expensive clothes. Jeans were seen as having a badge of individuality, even if they were store bought off-the rack, and became popular all over the world as a symbol of youth and casualness. The 1970s and 1980s saw the introduction of new and often complex techniques for ‘distressing’ the denim and producing a range of worn looks to the final garments. The ‘designer jean’ craze further increased the possibilities individualisation of garments and the creation of fashion trends to be followed if required by the international consumer… 8 World-wide sale of jeans exploded with consumption in USA alone well above 500 million pairs a year. However, it was not until the end of the century that people started to look critically at the levels of world-wide resource consumption and the production processes used across the industry. Increasing consumer awareness of the environmental and social issues forced many companies look to make corrections to individual aspects of their processes and when even minor changes were made were quick to used strategies such as eco-labelling to promote their environmental stewardship to consumers. 9 Cotton is the basic raw material for the production of denim with the vast quantities required to be grown covering over 2 percent of the world’s available farm land. Traditionally yield was maximised by the use of toxic pesticides to protect against wasteful insects damage and weed growth. Many companies have now moved into ‘organically grown’cotton – strictly regulated growing conditions avoiding traditional use of all kinds of synthetic products. However a focus on the whole product supply chain shows that this can lead to inefficient yield from the available land, a need for more irrigation water and a reduction in the quality of the cotton produced. 10 Other companies make claim to produce ‘natural denim’ which not only comes from organically grown cotton but is dyed blue using natural indigo. However closer examination of the process chain shows that the extraction of natural indigo from the plants requires the use of large amounts of harmful alkali leading to heavy metal absorption into the denim produced. 11 The dying process for denim is hugely demanding in its water use and a new electrochemical dying process although proven effective has yet to be widely adopted because of the cost of investment in new machinery required. Apart from the initial dyeing process additional stonewashing or distressing of the denim is achieved by repeated washing, rinsing and bleaching, and chemical blasting with toxic substances like silica – all harmful to workers and to local wildlife if simply discharged into the water system. World wide, untreated water from laundries and denim plants causes massive water supply issues to the local communities. 12 It seems that the trend towards eco-labelling can often be misleading in terms of determining fitness for purpose in its broadest sense, and that only a total process comparison will give a realistic evaluation of individual best available technology. The emerging acceptance of a ‘cradle-to- cradle’ approach to address widely accepted material sustainability and energy efficiency issues lends itself well to the denim production industry. The durability of denim has always been one of its strongest attributes and views on its re-use as a construction material are quickly gaining traction among consumers, with a growing range of new products now being successfully marketed under this banner … Exemplar for internal assessment resource Technology 3.9A for Achievement Standard 91616 © Crown 2012 Grade Boundary: High Merit 2. Demonstrating in-depth understanding of how the fitness for purpose of technological outcomes may be broadly interpreted involves discussing the value of using fitness for purpose in the broadest sense for evaluating existing technological outcomes and guiding the design, development and evaluation of new technological outcomes. The discussion included such things as: the changing nature of jeans and the widening of the market (1) the influence of different markets (2, 3) the influence of consideration to the environmental and social impact (4, 5). To move this to excellence, the student would need to show more discussion of the judgement of jeans fitness for purpose in its broadest sense and justifying this in relation to the era of development and the geographic and social location. 1 … By the start of the 1970’s manufacturers had started to make different styles of jeans to match the 1960s fashions, which included embroidered and painted jeans and even jeans classed as ‘psychedelic - all becoming a huge part of the fashion and culture of the time. The 1980s saw jeans move away from an established utilitarian position and moving into the area of high fashion clothing, with well established fashion designers now moving into the market and putting their own labels on them. This changed the nature of the product and widened the market. New types and styles of jeans were created with the super skinny jeans, acid washes and denim jackets taking the fashion industry by storm. 2 Despite the growing denim jean range available, as the world moved towards the start of the new millennium the popularity of denim jeans with the youth market began to drop away. The youth culture changed and cargo pants, khakis and branded sportswear became the street wear of choice. Denim was still in vogue, but it had to be in different finishes, new cuts, shapes, styles, or in the form of aged, authentic, vintage jeans. People looked for them in street markets, and second-hand stores - not sold off the peg in conventional jeans stores. This trend may have been accelerated by growing negative publicity about the resource wastefulness in the industry, but whatever the reason factories were closing. 3 However, early in the 2000s the jean market picked up again with a growing number of clothing brands entering the market and challenging the traditional domination of the corporate giants like Levi Strauss. Although the latter half of the 2000s has seen a drastic economic downturn, sales of denim jeans have remained strong - characterised by a focus on fit. Women make up the bulk of the denim jean market and women's fit has grown into a science, with jeans styled and made to specifically target a certain body type with basic techniques such as whiskers being used by designers for slenderizing and elongating. It seems that in hard financial times if you can find a pair of jeans that fits you well, it makes you feel good about yourself. And both sexes in all social classes are prepared to pay what is required for that carefully constructed fit. 4 In today’s society jeans are considered appropriate for more occasions and are accepted in a lot more places than in the past with their universal appeal focused on two main qualities - versatility and practicality. However in today’s society it also seems that feeling good about yourself increasingly includes supporting companies showing best practice in social and environmental stewardship. Today’s consumers are becoming more aware of sustainability issues and when making purchases are increasingly looking to products that have been designed and produced with consideration to the environmental and social impact they may have. 5 This is being reflected in modern product design and development with manufacturers of commonly used consumer goods working to become more transparent in their business processes to enable potential consumers to find out more about every stage of their supply chain and judge the sustainability of the product themselves before buying. In this respect traceability tools are becoming increasingly popular - showing each stage of the supply chain and providing honest, factual information about the processes that occur at each of the stages. The initial response to this issue from the retail industry has been a burst of superficial attempts leading to a flood of insincere ‘green’ claims, which have only served to cause general confusion in the market place. For a company to do the job properly requires skilled assistance and willingness to provide the resources required to carry out a ‘cradle to cradle’ analysis properly. Research regarding a life cycle assessment of a pair of Levi’s ® 501 jeans surprisingly found that over half of the impact of climate happens after purchase in the consumer-use phase. However significant effort has since been made by the company to embark on what was a pioneering path to make sustainability an integral part of all its world wide operations. The company has launched its “Care Tag for Our Planet” campaign sharing the data from the lifecycle assessment research carried out and educating consumers about the benefits of cold washing, line drying and donating used clothing to keep it out of landfills. On its website the company states: “Responsibility for sustainability goes far beyond mere regulatory compliance or sound business practices. While we are proud that our environmental policies are some of the most comprehensive in the industry, we aspire to something larger. We have a vision of sustainability that ambitiously aims to restore environmental health to the planet” It is a stance that is impressing a growing market segment and one that, despite the economic implications, other companies across the global consumer product spectrum are starting to follow to protect and grow their market share. ( part of the discussion relating to changing consumer judgement of fitness for purpose in its broadest sense) Student 2: Low Merit Exemplar for internal assessment resource Technology 3.9A for Achievement Standard 91616 © Crown 2012 Grade Boundary: Low Merit 3. Discussions around the value of using fitness for purpose in the broadest sense for evaluating existing technological outcomes and guiding the design, development and evaluation of new technological outcomes included such things as: the populisation of the soccer ball and denim jeans (1) the influences on the evolution of the ball (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8). There was some discussion of the value of using fitness for purpose in the broadest sense to guide the design, development and evaluation of soccer balls. For example, manufacturing changes were bought about through political pressure. (6) However, more evidence of this type of discussion (for example, sustainability of resources, disposal) would make this a more secure merit. 1 Denim jeans and soccer balls are two consumer products that can be expected to be commonly found in homes in almost every country of the world. The ubiquitous pair of ‘blue jeans’ may have started off as sturdy work gear but is now preferred leisure wear across most cultures and age groups. Soccer as a sport may have had its roots in UK but is now the most popular world wide team sport. When looking to buy either of these two simple products the consumer has a bewildering wealth of choice and the criteria used in the decision making is very much up to the individual circumstances of the purchaser and the purpose of the purchase. 2 By the start of the 20 th century the design features of the soccer ball were fixed. Soccer may have been the street sport of the masses in UK but the games of soccer and rugby evolved competitively in the private schools of the wealthy. The two games had many initial commonalities but by the end of the 1800s two national bodies had been formed and the essential differences clarified in the sets of rules for the game that evolved. In both games a ‘ball’ was the central feature. In soccer the ball was controlled by the head and feet of the players whereas in rugby the ball could be picked up and run with. So the differing needs of the players shaped the differing evolution of the ‘balls’ used. The soccer ball was required to passed and kicked accurately along the ground and through the air and also to be light enough to be headed safely by the players. A round ball shape was easier to control and by the start of the 1900s a rubber bladder inflated with air and encased in a leather cover was in standard use. 3 The laws of the game specified the weight and size limits of the balls to be manufactured and used. Although the nature of the game and its laws, including the specifications of the ball to be used have largely remained unchanged the balls in use today bear no resemblance to those used in the early 1900s – new materials have been developed, the construction techniques are vastly different and the surface embellishments have gained in significance. This evolution has occurred due to both advances in materials development and manufacturing techniques but also as a result of the changing social and technological environment in which the game has been played. These changes have not only improved the durability and lifespan of the balls used at all levels of the game but also had a positive influence on the ability of players to control the ball and the viewing enjoyment of spectators. However these changes have also resulted in less desirable social impacts notably in terms of sustainability of resources and working conditions of those involved in the manufacturing processes. 4 … In terms of the evolution of the design of the ball the current design has overcome many of the problems associated with previous designs. The spherical cover of the soccer ball was traditionally formed by hand stitching flat panels of leather together and inserting the bladder for inflation. This method resulted in balls which were not quite spherical and which could both absorb water in the leather and also allow water to seep in between the stitching. This made heading of the ball in wet conditions and often led to player injury. Good quality manufacturing limited this problem but could not eliminate it entirely. Variations in the quality of the leather used also affected the durability of the ball with some not being able to last through a whole game. Changing from the 18 panel hand stitched leather covers still in use for the FIFA World Cup finals in 1966 to a standard 32 piece hexagonal and heptagonal patterned cover increased the uniformity of the thickness of the casing and ensured that the shape of the ball was more spherical and waterproof coatings and hand stitching minimised the chances of unwanted water absorption. 5 In the second half of the 20 th century the invention of television and the increasing television coverage of soccer games had a growing impact on the design of the soccer ball. The coverage was initially only in black and white which caused some problems for viewers in following the ball on the screen. A pattern of black and white panels was introduced onto balls to overcome this issue. At this point the balls in use were clearly technically much superior to those used in earlier years. With global colour television coverage increasing and a regular schedule of international competition the game was becoming ever more popular in all corners of the world. This rapidly increased the numbers playing and watching the game and vastly increased the global market for soccer balls. 6 Manufacture of soccer balls had been a traditional mixture of machine production of the component parts followed by hand assembly of the final product. Factories made the latex rubber bladders, stamped out the hexagonal and heptagonal layered cover material and produced the thread to be used to tie the panels together. The materials requiring assembly to produce the finished ball were then packaged up and sent off to contract assemblers. In the mid 1990s international attention turned to where this process was being carried out. It was widely known that over 80 percent of soccer balls were manufactured in one country – Pakistan. Stitching of the panels is a laborious and time consuming process and what was not commonly known was that the stitching was routinely carried out not under modern working conditions but in remote villages where Student 3: Low Merit the work was usually done by children. The negative publicity put pressure on the larger manufacturers to make changes to guarantee that their balls were not manufactured in this way and this pressure was reinforced by many prominent soccer players who refused to endorse products unless this guarantee could be given. This practice has proved difficult to eliminate and some work went into developing manufacturing technology to eliminate hand stitching of balls. By the turn of the new century automatic stitching machines were available and the ability to produce low quality balls for the mass market was an option for the bigger commercial suppliers. 7 The 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals introduced a revolutionary new design of ball to the international soccer community. It was constructed with only 14 outer panels which were bonded together rather than hand sewn to ensure absolutely no water could get inside the casing so the performance of the ball would not change in the wet. The 14 panels were pre-curved before being bonded together – totally different from the previous balls with the 32 flat panels being stitched and stretched into a spherical shape. This led to the claim that it was the roundest soccer ball yet produced 8 The Jabulani ball manufactured for the 2010 World Cup finals was a modification to this ball consisting of only 8 thermally bonded, three-dimensional panels. Although the surface of the ball was textured with grooves to improve its aerodynamics with considerable research input, it received extensive criticism from players and coaches who claimed that the path of the ball through the air was unpredictable. Although ethical manufacturing procedures and material sustainability is a major consideration in choice of ball it seems that in the world of competitive soccer the search for the perfect soccer ball continues Exemplar for internal assessment resource Technology 3.9A for Achievement Standard 91616 © Crown 2012 Grade Boundary: High Achieved 4. To demonstrate understanding of how the fitness for purpose of technological outcomes can be broadly interpreted, the student explained why the judgement of a soccer balls (technological outcome) fitness for purpose may differ depending on the geographical and/or social setting, and may change over time. (2, 4) To achieve this standard, the student also explained the implications of fitness for purpose in the broadest sense for the design and development of technological outcomes. (1,3) To achieve at merit, the student would need to show more discussion of the value of using fitness for purpose in the broadest sense in evaluating existing technological outcomes and guiding the design and development of new technological outcomes. [...]... reasons and can be deemed ‘fit for purpose if they demonstrate the key physical and functional attributes expected of them over the life expectancy of the product This report explores the judgement of fitness for purpose of two very different types of product – soccer balls and denim jeans – in the broadest sense’ 2 Soccer is often referred to as the ‘beautiful game’, played in every corner of the world... panels, bonded together rather than sewn The replacement of the stitching with new watertight bonds admitted no water to the inside, so the performance of the ball did not change in the rain And because the panels were curved before being bonded together, as opposed to flat material stretched into the shape of a sphere, the designers claimed it to be the roundest soccer ball ever 11 The Adidas Jabulani... international swing with the advent of the personalising of jeans The functionality of the clothing became less of a consideration with individual attitude becoming evident in what became the ‘decorated denim’ craze which had its origins on the west coast of USA In the early 1980s the stone washing technique was introduced into the denim industry heralding another change in the fitness for purpose of blue jeans... were there fewer panels but they were processed to be pre-curved rather than flat as in previous balls and bonded together rather than sewn The replacement of the stitching with new watertight bonds admitted no water to the inside, so the performance of the ball did not change in the rain And because the panels were curved before being bonded together, as opposed to flat material stretched into the. .. very light so the nature of the game would have been very different to the game we play now The ‘stuffed leather ball’ was found to give a more satisfying experience for those playing and this opened up the development of the game and the design of the ball used However leather was an expensive material so the early use of leather balls was restricted the wealthier groups in society 5 The ‘vulcanization’... Goodyear in USA had a big influence on the development of soccer in the Americas with balls made of vulcanized rubber better able to withstand pressure and avoid deformity So these balls became commonly available from the middle of the 1800s About the same time the inflatable rubber bladder came onto the scene to be used in conjunction with the leather covering The leather balls were harder, more easily... should be broader © Crown 2012 Student 5: Low Achieved 1 Consumer goods are purchased for very definite reasons and can be deemed ‘fit for purpose if they demonstrate the key physical and functional attributes expected of them over the life expectancy of the product This report explores the judgement of fitness for purpose of two very different types of product – soccer balls and denim jeans – in the. .. shape of a sphere, the designers claimed it to be the roundest soccer ball ever… Exemplar for internal assessment resource Technology 3.9A for Achievement Standard 91616 Grade Boundary: Low Achieved 5 To demonstrate understanding of how two global consumer goods can be broadly interpreted, the student explained such things as: what is meant by fitness for purpose and fitness for purpose in the. .. development The need for a single body to oversee the game became apparent at the beginning of the 20th century with the increasing popularity of international fixtures and the international body, FIFA, was founded in 1904, and as the world moved into the 20th century the game of soccer was clearly established as the number one global sport 8 During the 1900s footballs were made out of inflatable rubber bladders... jeans into the international market began 23 The 1970s saw a dramatic international swing with the advent of the personalising of jeans The functionality of the clothing became less of a consideration with individual attitude becoming evident in what became the ‘decorated denim’ craze which had its origins on the west coast of USA In the early 1980s the stone washing technique was introduced into the denim . in-depth understanding of how the fitness for purpose of technological outcomes may be broadly interpreted involves discussing the value of using fitness for purpose in the broadest sense for evaluating. 91616 Demonstrate understanding of how the fitness for purpose of technological outcomes may be broadly interpreted Student and grade boundary specific exemplar The material has been gathered. Achieved 4. To demonstrate understanding of how the fitness for purpose of technological outcomes can be broadly interpreted, the student explained why the judgement of a soccer balls (technological