Human Rights and Business Ethics

Human Rights and Business Ethics The interest of corporate organisations in human rights has increased over the years due to the criticism and concerns over the use of child labour, low wages, female discrimination and abuse factories. Incorporating values and ethics into any business has become very important to corporate organisations, government, and the public in general. As the world becomes ever smaller as a result of globalization, there has been an increase in the movement of labour, knowledge and technology from country to country. This has lead to companies setting up factories in countries with cheap labour and very poor human right laws so they can meet the demand for their product. Government of these poor countries have been forced to dance to the tune of large business. Business ethic emerged as a result of the abuse of human rights and because of the need for corporate organisation to be more ethical and humane in doing business. This has come to the fore front in recent time with the media keeping a constant look out for corporate organisations that abuse or refuse to up hold their social responsibilities in any way. As a result of this organisations now pay more attention to business ethic education and training in order to meet this ever growing ethical responsibility. The growth and development of businesses worldwide has brought about an increase in the standard of living but on the other hand it has resulted in the abuse of workers in many parts of the world. Corporate social responsibility has enter a new phase in which the responsibility of business have to be clearly defined. According to Andrew chapman and Scott Jerbi there are growing expectation that corporation should do everything their powers to promote universal human rights standards even in conflict situation where governance structure have broken down. War on Want has published research which shows that Bangladeshi workers making clothes for Primark, Tesco and Asda toil up to 80 hours a week and earn as little as half a living wage. http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view 4/04/2010 War on Want senior campaigns officer Simon McRae said: â€Å"British companies continue to commit serious human rights abuses across the world. Yet the governments only response is to come up with voluntary initiatives which companies are free to ignore. When will ministers take real action to hold these companies to account?† For any market place to be effective there has to be ethical behaviour on the part of buyers and sellers. According to Solomon (1996) ethical behaviour on the part of both buyers and sellers is tantamount to the effectiveness of the market place. Regardless of the degree of the competition, the successful functioning of the market place rest on the foundation of mutually agreed- upon rules of conduct and shared interest. For the relationship to remain beneficial to both parties it has to be of value to both of them. Unethical behaviour by either party disrupts the relationship and produces exchanges that are both unproductive and ineffective (Morgan and Hunt, 1994) Journal of business ethics: Sam fullerton, KatShleen B kerch,H Robert Dodge 805-814, 1996 II. Structure of the report The report is a focus on the retail cloth industry in relation to its business ethics. In recent times there has been lots of issue on the way clothing retailers deal with human right. People feel that they are not doing enough to deal with human right abuse globally. The report will draw attention to the challenges faced by labour as result of globalisation and the need for a lasting solution through effective corporate policies and strategies. Firstly, the report will identify and spell out companys responsibilities in the protection of human rights, freedom fromslavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and degrading treatment. Which if not up held by any company will damage its brand image and bring about a loss of confidence by customers. Other chapters will talk on recent discussions on business ethics and how consumers view human right standards as regards consumption of products making use of journals, internet, reports etc. The aim is to bring out the different theories and views by various authors for better understanding. In the second chapter which deals with the literature review it will focus on the various ideas and theories that talks about the need for upholding human right standards in the clothing industry. The different theoretical approaches will be analysed with recent happenings in mind for a much better understanding and also help formulate better business ethics practice in the clothing industry. Case studies, recent findings and current happenings will be dealt with in chapter three with relation to the various theories as regards the cloth industry. The back ground of discussion for the study will be taken from the various findings and the data collected. From the analyses of different publications consumers have different views on the labour law as it relates with goods, pricing, and human rights standards. Using the various theories and principles that underline the argument the impact of business ethics on globalisation will discussed in chapter four. The report will show that human right abuses in poor counties of the world are on the increase in the clothing industry. It will also emphasis the importance of upholding human rights for equitability and safety. The Final chapter will focus on the conclusion and recommendations drawn from analysis of data collected.

Lesbianism in Buffy the Vampire Slayer :: TV Television Show Essays

Given that lesbian desire has often been associated with the monstrous in horror and vampire genres, and that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is seen as having reworked the conventions of these genres, it is worth considering how the narrative of lesbianism is dealt with in this series to contemplate if and how this desire has been resignified. This paper is concerned with critically analysing the overt representations of lesbian desire and identity as they are manifested through the Willow (played by Alyson Hannigan) and Tara (Amber Benson) characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the coming out narratives as they unfold in Season Four. It attempts to address several questions: How has Buffy the Vampire Slayer reworked the representation of lesbians in the vampire genre? How are the themes of lesbian desire and coming out as lesbian dealt with in the series? Finally, has the show challenged stereotypical representations of lesbianism, or merely perpetuated them? I start this paper with a sense of ambivalence about how the lesbian characters and lesbian desire are constructed in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, because on the one hand I gain pleasure from watching these representations, but on the other hand I suspect that the series perpetuates some homophobic concepts about lesbianism. I am mindful that representations in horror and fantasy television programs and films are creative images and manifestations of ideas, mythologies and narratives. They are not perfect reflections of society, although the writers may attempt to deal with some social issues and identity politics within generic frameworks. However, fictional representations are still important sites where viewers negotiate personal and cultural concepts of sexuality and subjectivity. This queer reading of Buffy the Vampire Slayer investigates the disguised homo-erotic tensions between the out lesbian characters in the series. It avoids an elaborate search for homoerotic and non-normative sexual couplings between other characters in the series. If I were to do such a queer reading, I would probably concentrate on the Willow and Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), or Faith (Eliza Dushku) and Buffy relationships as Farah Medlesohn has done in her essay, "Surpassing the Love of Vampires"(2002: 45-60). Alternatively, I might focus on the sadomasochistic relationship between Spike (James Marsters) and Buffy, or the bizarre love triangle between Andrew, Warren and Jonathan in Season Six. Instead, this paper is more concerned with analysing the blatant representations of lesbian desire and sexuality as they are constructed through characterisation, metaphors, narrative and stylistic devices in particular episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to consider how these themes have b een integrated into a youth-orientated, television program.

Technology in Education Essay -- Technological Classroom Computers Ess

Technology in Education In our lives today we expect technology to make a difference, and particularly in furthering our education. We see technologies effects as beneficial. We look for it to change, and improve, what has come before it. Technology is the set of means without which certain kinds of constructive activity would be almost impossible. It supports our efforts to appeal to different learning styles which give us a way to interact with each other and extend the learning experiences. It is a good way to extend the essential skills and knowledge of students. By integrating technology into our educational programs it provides students with additional tools to enhance their learning. Technology allows us to demonstrate teaching strategies and also provide teachers with skills to succeed in the classroom. It changes the structure and the manor in which we learn. Such technologies used in education from the past, present and beyond are the typewriter, computer games, internet, and communication. The relationship between technology and education can be characterized as a process of change and innovation. In the beginning societies depended on oral communication then the written language was developed. Making an alphabet made learning to read and write much easier then in the past. As technologies of written language became prevalent and more people became literate social structures formed. The next big step towards a better education was the industrial revolution. The technology that occurred during the revolution created a need for workers in the newly created factories shifting learning to prepare kids to work in such factories. Technologies such as the typewriter and printing press made it easier to make documents i... ...k/elearning/story/0,10577,1336801,00.html 6. Hinchliffe, Lisa ( 2002) Helping Early Childhood Teacher Education Learn about the Internet ( 2004) www.libraryinstuction.com/early childhood.html-19k 7. New Horizons for Learning (2002, September) http://www.newhorizons.org 8. Christopher Latham Sholes (2005, March) Typewriter http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/story097.htm Books 9. Kerr, Stephen T and Rehage, Kenneth(eds.) (1996) Technology and the future of schooling. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press 10. Isenberg, Joan P. (2003) Major trends and issues in early childhood education: Challenges, controversies, and insights. New York: Teachers College Press 11. Monroe, Barbra Jean (2004) Crossing the digital divide race, writing, and technology in the classroom. New York: Teachers College Press.

Cast Away Movie Critique

Cast Away was a very interesting survival experience. Put a man that runs his life by time and lives a controlled and planned life to the second and put him on a remote, lifeless island which causes him to live his life completely opposite from the way he would if he were home. It was man vs. nature as Chuck Noland (played by Tom Hanks) on an island alone for the majority of the movie. Chuck Noland is a Fed-Ex systems engineer. The night after proposing to his girlfriend Kelly (played by Helen Hunt), he gets on a plane that is carrying a cargo that he is escorting.How ironic is it that he told Kelly that he would be right back and then ends up taking an extreme nosedive in the ocean. Luckily, Noland washes up on the shore of a remote island. For the next four years of his life, he is on the island alone with his only friend being a bloody volleyball he names â€Å"Wilson†. Then one day, a wall of a portapotty washes up on shore, and he is able to use it to make some sort of ra ft to hopefully get him home or at least far enough to be noticed and venture the roaring sea once again.After much physical stress and the loss of his best friend Wilson, he is saved by a passing boat, and is returned home as somewhat of a hero and viewed as the pinnacle of strength and survival. Only thing is that the only thing that pushed him to survive for four years is now married with children putting both Kelly and Chuck in a very awkward position. Chuck Noland kept his sanity with his repeated conversations with â€Å"Wilson, the bloody volleyball†. Before then he seemed to be going insane without having someone to speak to and attempted to kill himself.There was one major flaw, in my opinion, in this film. The movie skips ahead four years at one point without any explanation of what happens during that long span of time. I understand four years is a lot of time to cover but a little explanation of key moments would’ve done the movie better. Maybe, they should ’ve showed the development of his survival skills and new-found instincts. Also Kelly in the beginning didn’t seem to be as important and have much of an impact on his life but I would just mark this as a case of â€Å"not knowing what you have until you don’t have it anymore†.Cast Away was an amazing film with a phenomenal actor who was entrusted with an entire movie (or at least most of it) on his shoulders. The transition to the island was depicted as a hard one as Chuck Noland celebrated the feat of making fire on the island, something we take for granted every day as we turn on our stoves without a thought of ever losing it. Noland represents the average man who is placed in an unfortunate situation but is able to make the best of it and eventually solve his major, life changing problem. I felt Hanks did a flawless job of depicting the life of a business man gone wrong.

Music and the african-american people

Think about black music and you immediately come up with black gospel music, right? There are a large number of famous soul singers nowadays who began as gospel music artists. This impressive list includes, among others, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Lou Rawls, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, says Leonard Goines in the online article â€Å"Gospel Music and the Black Consciousness†.In terms of history, Goines noted that black gospel music grew out of the late 19th and early 20th century folk church and is essentially created in a context of individual and collective spontaneity. As a total manifestation, black gospel can be viewed as a synthesis of West African and Afro-American music, dance, poetry, oratory and drama. There are two basic sources from which the aesthetic ideals of gospel singing have been derived.These are the free-style collective improvisations utilized by congregations in the black church and the black gospel preacher's rhetorical solo style. Since the beginning of their history in the plantation praise houses, black preachers have utilized folk poetry and the vivid phrase to excite the emotions and involve the participation of their congregations. Possessing special oratorical skills marked by a call-and-response format and punctuated with groans and gestures, these master preachers have been able to create an aura of excitement and hope rarely equaled (Goines, 2004)I would have to agree with Goines when he pointed out gospel has distilled the aesthetic essence of the black arts into a unified whole. The uniqueness of black gospel music, in my opinion, is in the experience itself when you listen to it. As noted by Goines, few people can experience gospel in its true cultural setting and fail to hear black poetry in the black preacher's sermon. Nor can they fail to see drama in the emotion-packed performance of a black gospel choir interacting with its congregation; nor fail to see dance in the gospel shout.It is also in this aspect that I would say yes, there is such a thing as a Black Style. Anyone who listens to gospel music can easily identify if the singer is black or not. The soulfulness and the emotions revealed in black gospel music is definitely a manifestation of the proud cultural heritage of the African-American people. Source: Goines, Leonard 2004: Gospel Music and the Black Consciousness [online] Available at: http://www. afgen. com/gospel21. html [cited on May 24, 2006]

University of Newcastle

1)What segmentation base has Red Bull adopted to target consumers? How should Red Bull further segment the market in the future? When marketers begin instigate their strategy they will begin by selecting a marketing base at which they will aim their strategy. The Bases can be broken into four segments on the basis of two criteria: 1- Facts, which can be determined by a single objective or cognitions that are more abstract 2-Consumer rooted features relating to consumers physical, social and psychological needs versus consumption specific behaviour or preferences towards a product.Based on this criteria the four segments business use include: -Demographic, based on general features of human life -Geographic, based on the region the consumers live in -Behavioural, based on the consumers preferences towards products -Psychographic, based on the personality traits of consumers While many companies choose to aim their marketing strategy at a single consumer base, many successful companies choose to engage many segmentation bases with one marketing strategy. This process is called hybrid segmentation.This can be seen with Red Bulls â€Å"guerrilla marketing† strategy that established them as a successful company. It is clear that the marketing strategy segmented the market demographics and psychographic segments. For example the unique strategy that was developed to demographically target students/young adults and aimed to psychographically appeal due to their active and outgoing lifestyles. In order to continue their success in the market, Red Bulls targeted consumer base can be further segmented to increase profitability. ) How Does Red Bull arouse the motivations of consumers to purchase energy drinks? Motivation can be seen as the driving force that impels the consumer to act in fulfilling their needs, hopefully through the consumer purchasing their products. Red Bull achieves this through providing positive motivation for the consumer. 3) Describe the Bra nd Personality of Red Bull. Why do you think the concept of brand personality is so important to Red Bull?

In the news Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

In the news - Essay Example tensive research on the native tribes around the area at that time aside from everything else about the American Revolution to keep the story as realistic as possible (Frum). This focus on keeping the history accurate is what sets this game apart from other games. Aside from providing entertainment, they also aim to let people experience history in a way that exceeds that of a book or a lecture. The enhanced storytelling provided by interactivity enriches the experience and brings history to life. Knowledge about marketing tells us that setting your product apart from others is a good way to attract customers. By delving into the history and making it interesting, the game becomes more than just playable; it also becomes memorable and encourages the consumers to talk about the product to other people. By making it interesting, people will buy the product and will talk about it, encouraging other people to buy the product. It just goes to show that in marketing, even the smallest attention to details can be significant in selling a product. If they had not hired a historian, the game would have lost its uniqueness of being relatable to