Rountry, Sibom

Sibom Rountry was born in York. He was the second son of Joseph Rountry , a successful merchant, subsequently the famous producer of cocoa and chocolate, and Emma Antoinette Seeb ^[5] . Until the age of 10, Sibom Runtree was educated individually, then studied at Bootham Boarding School. After graduating, Rountry studied chemistry at Owen College in Manchester for five semesters, and then in 1889 joined the family business management, laying the foundations of the company's first chemical department. He became its director in 1897, when the company was reorganized into a limited liability company, and headed it from 1923 to 1941.

In 1897, he married Lydia Potter (1868 / 9-1944), the daughter of engineer Edwin Potter. They had four sons and one daughter. After his wife died, he lived in the wing of the old house of Benjamin Disraeli , in the Hugenden estate, where he died of a heart attack in 1954 ^[6] .

First York Study (1899)

Rountry began exploring poverty in York, inspired by the work of his father Joseph Rountry and the activities of Charles Booth , which the latter conducted in London . He conducted a comprehensive analysis of the living conditions of the poor in York, during which researchers visited every home populated by members of the working class. As part of this work, 11,560 families (46,754 people) were interviewed. The results were published in 1901 in the book Poverty. The study of urban life ” ^[7] .

As part of this work, Rountry also examined rich families in York and defined the poverty line in terms of the minimum weekly amount of money “necessary for families to ... ensure a healthy life”. The amount necessary to meet the minimum necessities of life included the cost of fuel, electricity, rent, food, clothing, household items and personal items adjusted according to family size. Rountry defined this trait using social-scientific methods that were not previously used in the study of poverty. For example, he consulted with leading nutritionists of that period to find out the required minimum calorie and nutrient intake, the observance of which would avoid diseases and starvation depletion. In addition, he specifically studied the situation in the food market in York, in order to find out the cheapest prices in the city for food included in this minimum diet.

According to these criteria, 27.84% of the total population of York lived below the poverty line. This result was in line with the findings of the London poverty study conducted by Charles Booth and emphasized the groundlessness of the popular opinion at that time that absolute poverty was a problem specific to London and not widespread in the rest of Britain.

He divided people below the poverty line into two groups, depending on the reason for their disadvantaged situation. The first he included those who lived in extreme poverty and did not have enough income to cover the costs necessary to meet their basic needs. Those who belonged to the second group had a high enough income to meet basic needs, but the money they earned went to cover other needs, so this did not allow them to live well.

Analyzing the results of the study, he found that people at certain stages of their lives, for example, in old age and early childhood, are more likely to find themselves in extreme poverty than at other stages of their life paths. Based on this, he formulated the idea of ​​the poverty cycle, according to which some people throughout life entered the group of absolute poverty and left it.

Rountry's argument that poverty is the result of low wages contradicted the traditional view that the poor themselves are responsible for their situation.

Second York Study (1935)

In 1936, Rountry published an additional study of the phenomenon of poverty in York, a report on which was called "Poverty and Progress." It was mainly based on the method used in the previous work, however, this time he found that absolute poverty among the working class in York had fallen by 50% since the first study. But, since he still slightly changed the methodology for determining the poverty line and, thus, the criteria for absolute poverty, this comparison can hardly be called direct. In his new work, he took into account expenses that were not strictly necessary for survival, including spending on newspapers, books, radio, beer, tobacco, holidays and gifts. Analysis showed that the causes of poverty have changed significantly over several decades. In the 1890s, the main reason for poverty among people in the first group was low wages (52%), while in the 1930s, the main factor was unemployment (44.53%), and not a small wage (10%).

Despite the inclusion of additional costs, he found that the proportion of the population below the poverty line dropped to 18% in 1936 and to 1.5% in 1950. Presumably, the Rountry study turned out to be quite valuable, since the poverty level began to decline just because of the creation of new jobs.

Third York Study (1951)

Rountry published a report on the third study of poverty in York in 1951, entitled “Poverty and the Welfare State,” which was prepared with the support of his research assistant, Captain J. R. Lavers. Unlike previous studies, this time the sampling method was used, not a comprehensive analysis.

By the 1950s, it seemed that absolute poverty was already an insignificant problem, although some social groups still remained in a zone of particular risk, as was the case, for example, in the case of older people. However, it was believed that an increase in social security benefits should soon resolve this issue.

Overcoming poverty was predetermined by the development of the economy, since the 1950s were the years of a “financially prosperous society”. In addition, the government implemented a program to create full employment and the formation of a welfare state. It is widely believed that it was thanks to this policy that the benefits were redistributed between the rich and the poor, and this significantly increased the standard of living of the working class.

David Lloyd George suggested Rowntree to study the living conditions of people in rural areas in Britain. The works “Earth” (1913) and “How does a worker live?” (1913) made it possible to look at the living conditions of farming families. Rountry argued that increasing land holdings would make agriculture more productive.

His work, Human Needs for Labor, argued for family benefits and minimum wages, and Rountry argued in the Human Factors in Business study that company owners should use more democratic management practices such as those used in his own factory, and not resort to overly autocratic leadership styles.

Liberal Reforms

Rountry was a supporter of the Liberal Party and hoped that his work would have an impact on liberal politicians. Rountry met David Lloyd George in 1907 during their meeting, at which time the latter was president of the Trade Council. The influence of Rowntree can be seen in the reforms carried out by the liberals. In June 1936, he was elected a member of the Council of the Liberal Party.

Labor Party

The work “Poverty and Progress” influenced the politics of the post-war Labor government, and the conclusions from “Poverty and the Welfare State” were used in the 1951 campaign program entitled “End of Poverty,” although this happened without the consent of Rountry himself.

Sibom and the Rountry family company helped identify new methods for building production relationships that lead to improved employee well-being and better management. Lindall Urvik, in his book The Golden Book of Management, describes Rowntree as "the greatest pioneer of the British management movement." Rountry's religious beliefs ( Quakerism ) also influenced his business practice - he believed that the existence of companies that pay low wages badly affects the "economy of the country and humanity." Together with his father, Joseph Rountry, he made a number of improvements to the working conditions of employees, including higher wages, an eight-hour work day, and retirement benefits . In 1904, the company hired a doctor who gave free consultations to all employees, and soon after that a corporate dental department was created.

In 1947, he became a co-founder of the British Institute of Management, and in 1952 the first Englishman to become an honorary member of this institute.

The Rowntree Chocolate Factory was a place of great scientific research and gained worldwide fame.

Sibom Rountry understood the importance of staffing decisions and therefore hired many well-known specialists in his factory. Among them were Oliver Sheldon, Lindall Urvik and Dr. Clarence Northcott. The factory was a corporate member of the Taylor Society and was exemplified by its president, Henry S. Dennison.

In 1922, Seabom initiated the creation of a department of occupational psychology and, for the first time in the history of British industry, used psychological tests to hire new employees. The company's psychologist, Victor Murris, developed a special test that made it possible to find out how well applicants can pack chocolate.

S.Rountry also took an active part in the work of the National Institute of Industrial Psychology and has been a member of its executive committee since the institution was founded in 1921. He was its chairman from 1940 to 1947 and left activity in it only in 1949.

• Joseph Rountry