Small Group Debate

For this small group debate you will team up in groups of two in order to argue for (affirmative) or against (negative) the following question:

Should businesses be able to fire workers based on their production?

You will be paired up against another team of two using the following debate structure to argue for your side. Debates will take between 10 - 15 minutes in total.

Stage One (1 minute) - The affirmative side (i.e. that side that agrees with the statement) introduces their argument and the stance they are taking.

Stage Two (1 minute) - The negative side (i.e. that side that disagrees with the statement) introduces their argument and the stance they are taking.

Stage Three (1-2 minutes) - The affirmative side explains / argues their first point.

Stage Four (1-2 minutes) - The negative side explains / argues their first point.

Stage Five (1-2 minutes) - The affirmative side explains / argues their second point.

Stage Six (1-2 minutes) - The negative side explains / argues their second point.

Stage Seven (1-2 minutes) - The affirmative side rebuts one of the points from the negative side.

Stage Eight (1-2 minutes) - The negative side rebuts one of the points from the affirmative side.

Stage Nine (1 minute) - The affirmative side concludes and summarizes their argument.

Stage Ten (1 minute) - The negative side concludes and summarizes their argument.

In your groups of two begin prepping your arguments and dividing your roles for the debate. One debater will have to speak three times and the other two times.

Use the following graphic organizer to develop your arguments and rebuttals for your debate.

Introduction: Introduce your group’s stance on the question and summarize your arguments.

Argument Point #1:Develop your first argument that supports your stance. Be sure to use evidence.

Argument Point #2:Develop your first argument that supports your stance. Be sure to use evidence.

Rebuttal Point:Think of some possible arguments the other team will use and develop a defence against them.

Conclusion: Conclude your debate by summarizing your points.

Evidence #1: Amazon has patented designs for a wristband that can precisely track where warehouse employees are placing their hands and use vibrations to nudge them in a different direction. The concept, which aims to streamline the fulfilment of orders, adds another layer of surveillance to an already challenging working environment.

The proposed wristbands would use ultrasonic tracking to identify the precise location of a worker’s hands as they retrieve items. One of the patents outlines a haptic feedback system that would vibrate against the wearer’s skin to point their hand in the right direction.

Source: The Guardian (2018)

Evidence #2: One recent study shows that the average employee steals approximately 4.5 hours per week from their employer, totaling nearly six full work weeks per year and costing businesses hundreds of billions of dollars a year worldwide. Another study by the American Payroll Association reported that more than 75 percent of companies lose money from buddy punching, a practice where one employee clocks in for another.

Source: Forbes (2018)

Evidence #3: In general, studies of surveillance suggest that it can increase workplace stress, promote worker alienation, lower job satisfaction, and convey the perception that the quantity of work one generates is more important than its quality. The constant surveillance of employees diminishes their capacity to operate as independent thinkers and actors.

Source: The Atlantic (2019)

Evidence #4: In the process of building this elaborate system, Amazon has completely redefined warehouse efficiency and customer convenience. Through its Prime membership, it has promised tens of millions of customers free two-day shipping on more than 100 million products, and, last year, it shipped 5 billion items to them.

Source: Quartz (2018)

Evidence #5: Inside several of Amazon’s cavernous warehouses, hundreds of employees spend hours a day playing video games. Some compete by racing virtual dragons or sports cars around a track, while others collaborate to build castles piece by piece.

But they aren’t whiling away the time by playing Fortnite and Minecraft. Rather, they’re racing to fill customer orders, their progress reflected in a video game format that is part of an experiment by the e-commerce giant to help reduce the tedium of its physically demanding jobs. If it helps improve the

efficiency of work like plucking items from or stowing products on shelves for 10 hours a day or more, all the better.

Source: The Washington Post (2019)

Evidence #6: Amazon says it shipped more than a billion items during the holiday season in the US via Prime.

Source: CNET (2018)