IKEA Children Labor Reaction

After the publication of the documentals that showed and proved that IKEA used children labor for the production of it's company in India IKEA was forced to react, to try to stop the media crisis and to be concerned and active to stop children labor in non-developed countries like India. The first reaction when all the information appeared was to deny it, saying that IKEA never contract companies that use children labor to do their products, but they accepted the possibility that maybe the companies they were contracting, sub-contract at the same time other corporations that could have children working for them.The spokesperson for IKEA defended the company, saying the contract with its suplier in the Philippines and India has been suspender, when under-age children were found to be making wicker baskets. But that was only the first reaction but sure not last. From that point IKEA changed the way of acting, taking more seriously this aspect and having it as a principal part of the co mpany and of the foundation IKEA owns. From that IKEA addressed the event and it â€Å"sent a legal team to Geneva to seek input and advice from the International Labor organization on how to deal with the problem.Also the company â€Å"added a clause to all supply contracts, stating simply that if the supplier employed children under legal working age, the contract would be cancelled†. This clause, a two-pages code of conduct, is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). The third thing IKEA decided to do is to contract a Third-party that controls and take care of avoiding child labor practices at its suppliers in India and Pakistan. This action was very profitable for the company because it showed a different point of view and favored good publicity and made thing seem fairer from the public's view.In that way the bussines manager of the corporation did some research with well known organizations like Save the Children ( an organization that received on May 15 of 2012 a pledge of $10 million to end child labor in India cotton industry) or UNICEF to get advice. With all that information the manager could travel around the world, see the real situation and developed a label certifying that the carpets to which it was attached were made without the use of child labor.

Racial Discrimination Within the Gay Community Essay

My community is the most diverse of all. I am speaking of the gay community. Our community consists of people from every race, every religion, every gender, and every economic sector. We claim to be all-inclusive, embracing everyone despite our differences and celebrate our diversity with pride very openly. The issue of gay civil rights came to national attention on June 27, 1969. On that evening, police raided a small gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village called The Stonewall Inn, which sparked three days of rioting. The event is considered the single most important event that led to the modern movement for gay civil rights. The gay community’s perseverance has led to gay pride celebrations being held across the country. San Francisco is the considered the birthplace of pride celebrations, as a â€Å"gay-in† was held on June 27, 1970, to commemorate the one year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Current pride celebrations often include themes such as inclusion and diversity, demonstrating the gay community’s beliefs that everyone should be treated equally, regardless of any differences. However, as Buchanan (2005) stated, â€Å"We claim to be the most maligned group in society, but when it comes to discrimination, some say that gays can give as good as we get† (Gays at receiving end of bias claim). The issue of racial discrimination in the gay community came to light when the San Francisco Human Rights Commission (HRC) issued their report on April 26, 2005 after an investigation of alleged discrimination at a popular bar in the Castro. The investigation was initiated by a group of citizens that claim the bar, SFBadlands, was practicing discriminatory acts in employment and patronage. I frequent the bar in question regularly and am personally acquainted with an African American who works there as a bartender. The group making the accusations, And Castro For All, alleged in a letter sent to the HRC June 22, 2004, that the owner of the bar implemented policies to discourage African Americans and women from patronizing the bar. The group also alleged that the bar owner practiced discriminatory hiring practices. Out of the forty-five employees of the bar at the time, only seven were â€Å"people of color† and none were women. The group requested the HRC investigate the bar owner and his business practices to determine if there were any â€Å"civil rights violations†. The group also requested the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to revoke the owners’ liquor license. Further allegations against the bar and it’s owner included unwarranted removal of African-American and other minority patrons from the bar, inferior service to minority customers and denial of entry of minority customers due to dress while white patrons dressed similarly were admitted. The commission found the bar and its owner discriminated against African-American job applicants and customers, however there was insufficient evidence to conclude any other wrongdoing. During the ongoing investigation, And Castro For All staged protests in front of the bar that caught media attention and sparked national conversation regarding the persistence of racism in the gay community (VanDeCarr, 2005). During these protests, the bar was busy as usual. The demonstrations, one of which was held during the Castro Street Fair, a popular street fair held every October, did little to diminish patrons to enter the bar. As I stood in line that day waiting to enter the bar, listening to the chant â€Å"Think before you drink† there was not much for me to think about. I had talked to the African-American bartender that I know about the allegations, and he responded that the allegations were false. The protests and demonstrations by And Castro For All have been compared to the civil rights and women’s movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The fight for gay marriage has also been compared to the civil rights movement. These comparisons have people of color raising an eyebrow, and have bred hostility where it should have sown solidarity. In Massachusetts shortly after gay marriage was legalized, Governor Matt Romney told city clerks they could enact a 1913 law forbidding out-of-state couples from marrying if their home states would not recognize the marriage. The law was written with the intention of barring interracial marriages. The Massachusetts Supreme Court made another equation when gay marriage was legalized. They referenced the historic cases that legalized interracial marriages to the case that led to the legalization of gay marriage by citing the difference as a single trait: skin color in the interracial cases, sexual orientation now. This â€Å"formula of gay = black has upset some Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people of color† says Hernandez (2005 Gaily ever after 11). During the 1990’s when the gay movement went mainstream, LGBT people of all colors claim it became a mouthpiece for wealthy gay men. The reason the comparison of gay marriage to the civil rights movement has raised indignation say some LGBT people of color is because it does not account for the racial and economic privileges white gays have. In not being able to marry, some say this is the first time that white gays are feeling the effects of discrimination. Further accusations of racial discrimination in San Francisco’s Castro district disrupted a meeting of the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro (MUMC) on March 3, 2005. The subject of racial discrimination came to a head when the President of MUMC was accused of paying obligatory attention to the growing concerns of racism in the Castro. White males own most businesses in the Castro, a fact that many do not realize. In attendance at the meeting were about 25 members, five of which were either non-white or female. Thanks to a neighborhood economic development program organized by the LGBT Center of San Francisco, a yoga studio opened in October of 2004, which is the first black-owned business in the area in a few years. So, what does the future of the Castro look like? According to Bevin Duffy, an openly gay man on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is hopeful. Speaking after a mediation agreement was signed between the owner of SF Badlands and the group An Castro For All, Duffy is quoted: ‘This has been a painful process but it has created a great deal of awareness of the distance we need to go to be a truly inclusive community†¦. I hope for all of us it is an opportunity to heal now and to move forward, with each of us individually committed to be open, welcoming and accepting to people in our community who may be different. ’ (Bajko, 2006, p. 2). Not everyone shares Mr. Duffy’s optimism. Gomez (2006) states â€Å"Thirty years from now maybe queer will have evolved from a fashion statement†¦and retained its original connotations: progressive, independent, empathetic, activist. Colored queers will still be making the noise of protest†¦Maybe by then we’ll believe we’re stronger together than apart† (Race: the growing chasm, 10). I think Gomez is wrong, at least when it comes to my neighborhood. I have hope for my neighborhood. The Castro has long been seen as â€Å"gay mecca† to LGBT people the world over, and hopefully the racial scar isn’t too deep. At least the actions of a few people have paved the way to change. Until we can resolve the inequalities in our own backyard, will we then be able to achieve equality with our straight allies, such as equal marriage rights. Once we become the kind of people we say we are, then we can become a racially diverse role model for the world.

A Review of London Docklands Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Review of London Docklands - Essay Example LDCC developed a master plan and preferred to depend on the market led redevelopment. . Dockland was very close to the city of London which made it an attractive and preferable for establishment of the office as well as it is possible for residential development on the riverside to accommodate single high income households. The approach that applied to the development of London Dockland Area was clear and simple and it emphasized on attracting investment in that area. The LDCC was formed to develop this area. It is due to the initiative of the LDCC the filling of the old dock was stopped and it became most popular and preferable area for the people to invest. The approach that was followed by the LDCC during redesigning of the Dockland area was to improve the transportation. The development of transportation is considered as the key to the redevelopment of the London Dockland. The tenants of the new office desired more efficient transport facility that will link or connect the area w ith the city. In order to fulfil or satisfy the desire of its potential tenants it focussed more on the development of transportation facilities. The first phase towards the development of the dockland was developing the Dockland Railway links. The developers of Greenwich Peninsula also extended their help and support for redevelopment of the area. In spite of various economic and financial uncertainty and risk, these railway links or connections encourages or motivated the commercial tenants to Canary wharf.

Open Skies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Open Skies - Essay Example The modern aviation sector has grown considerably in the past few decades and its emerging commercial perspective has led most people to question whether there should be more intergovernmental efforts and co-operation to respond to the new business environment. Air transport services have experienced the most dynamic recent growth of all sectors in the vitally important transport industry. With regards to the Open Skies Policy it has to be noted that Air transport is crucial to international trade.Eversice the year 1944(under the auspices of the Chicago Conference of 1944) it has been under a complex regulatory system . Overall there are little if any international agreements in this regard and so far the position has been that there have been a lot of bilateral agreements between countries dominating the aviation industry ever since. The success of these open skies agreements depends to a large extent upon the political relationships between countries.Few countries would want to see a rival country save fuel and expenses and attract more tourists and consumers at the cost of its own AirSpace.Therefore even though over the past few decades the some relaxation has taken place in a few countries, Commercial flights are still subject to heavy regulations on their air routes and subject to almost three thousand forms of Bilateral Agreements.This is particularly true with regards to the Pacific regions that poses a great challenges in providing basic transport services in terms of routes and fares.The use of such agreements would indeed eradicate the varying levels of infrastructure development, the high costs and other related problems in this sector.This is because all commercial carriers are facing diseconomies of scale due to not being able to use their air planes to their full potential and are facing increasingl y difficult conditions with competition putting pressure on fares, especially in traditional tourism markets. The cost of fuel and maintenance, and professional staff means that Air services to destinations outside the Pacific and other favourite tourist destinations will be have a volume tourist traffic which will demands long-haul direct routes and larger planes.Economically therefore ,the lack of an open skies agreement could cause a world wide crisis in the arena of the commercial airlines and eventually lead to high costs even for the short-haul services to island neighbours and airlines can be reluctant to make intermediate stopovers. The matter therefore is not economical or legal.The issue is purely political.Consider the tug of war that took place between EU and USA authorities over the recent Open Skies Agreement.The Agreement aims to liberalise transatlantic airspace yet European transport Ministers were reluctant to agree to it at first as they felt it gave the US an unfair advantage over European interests and its major airline and cargo.This was expressed in a statement by the EU commission which remarked that many Member States felt "that EU airlines should have more opportunities to access the

Summary and criticism of book chapter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Summary and criticism of book chapter - Essay Example Defeat in the war led to the break-up of the Monarchy, and this was unforeseen even until the summer of 1918 (Sked, 1989 ). The Habsurg army persevered till the very end. Had they been victorious, their Monarchy would not only have survived, but would also have expanded. In The Dual Monarchy chapter of the Decline and Fall of the Habsburg Empire, analyzes the position of Hungary within the Empire, the nationalist and economic growth problems, the rise of fresh political and social forces, cultural pessimism, and the foreign policy issues prior to 1914. These analyses are conducted in the light of the commonly known weaknesses that afflicted the Dual Monarchy, and it is meant to deduce what condition the Habsburg Empire was in before its collapse. The Habsburg Monarchy stretched from the territories that were under the rule of the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg (1278–1780). This branch of rulers was succeeded by House of Habsburg-Lorraine (from 1780), between 1 526 and 1867/1918. Vienna was the official capital until it was temporarily replaced from 1583 to 1611, with Prague. The Habsburg ruled over the Austrian Empire from 1804 to 1867 the Habsburgs and the they moved onto ruling Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918 ruled the Austrian Empire and from 1867 to 1918 Austria-Hungary. ... The Hungarians were agitated significantly owing to the suppression they felt was being exerted on their call for a revolution. This suppression was backed by the Russians. However, the entire Hungarian agitation with Austria had been festering for many years, and the reasons for this were manifold. Towards the end of the 1850’s, a lot of Hungarian practiced a change of attitude, inclined to recognize the Habsburg dominion and scavenge the idea of a revolt. Their validation for this rest in the fact that while Hungary had right to full independence and self-government, the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 foreign affairs were the similar for Austria and Hungary, When the Austrians were beaten at Koniggratz, it became crucial for them to counterfeit reconciliatory ties with Hungary in order to accomplish their lost esteem and power. The new foreign minister wanted to substantiate the previously stalled round of discussions with the previously delayed round of consultations with the H ungarians. In order seek Hungary’s hold up for the Monarchy, Emperor Franz Joseph compiled a deal with Hungarian powers yielding them the popular coronation as King, a separate parliament at Budapest, and the powers to set up laws for the lands that were to be governed by the Hungarian Crown. Initiating from1867, the allocation of common spending was set at 70% for Austria and 30% for the Hungarians. It was decided that this allocation would be revisited every 10 years, and by the year 1907, the Hungarian allocation was raised to 36.4% common expenditure was allocated 70% to Austria and 30% to Hungary. This split had to be discussed every 10 years, and, by 1907, the Hungarian allocation had

MOTIVATION Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

MOTIVATION - Research Paper Example Thus Motivation or Motives act as a set of psychological catalysts that contribute in converting the needs, wants and desires of an individual into effective drives to help achieve end goals and incentives. Henceforth motivation also helps an individual in effectively reducing the tension gained from the growing set of desires and wants to achieve or accomplish ends and goals (Bowkowski, 2011, Ch.5). The inner drive of an individual to satisfy the emerging want or need can be reflected as follows. Figure 1 (Bowkowski, 2011, Ch.5) Difference between Traditional and Current Approaches to Motivation Different sets of Motivation Theories have gained emergence from the traditional to the modern managerial periods. These different theories related to the Traditional and Modern context owes some specific differences that can be highlighted as follows. The Traditional Theories related to motivation focus on rendering an effective analysis of the job environment or work atmosphere of an indiv idual and the different types of rewards needed to enhance the performance levels of the employees. Here rewards act as intrinsic motivators to help an individual generate the needed drive to achieve the end goal. On the contrary the Current Approaches to Motivation rely mainly on three types of theories like Content, Process and Reinforcement that contribute in shaping the motivational behavior of an individual to achieve the end goals. Identification and Description of Content Theories of Motivation based on Employee Needs The Content Theories of Motivation tend to operate based on a premise that certain factors are responsible in creating an inner drive in an individual to generate a desire to achieve end goals and thereby satiate the gamut of needs and wants emergent in one’s psychological level. Thus through the use of Content Theories the managers tend to gain an understanding of the factors that tend to drive or kindle the energy in an individual to achieve desired end s. Content Theories being related to the unsatisfied needs or wants of an individual is also referred to as Needs Theory (Bowkowski, 2011, Ch.5). Identification and Explanation of Process Theories of Motivation The Process theories of Motivation relate to the Cognitive elements used by an individual to decide on the behavioral process or attributes needed to specifically fulfill a desired set of objectives or accomplish the goals set. Herein the person needs to effectively evaluate whether the factor choices for motivation are resultant or effective to achieve end objectives. Thus herein motivation depends on factors like the attributes of the goals set to achieve, secondly in whether equitable access is existent in helping an individual gain the required opportunities in achieving desired ends and finally in whether one possesses the required level of potency in helping to raise the expectation for meeting end goals. Significant Process Theories relate to Expectancy, Equity, Satisf action-Performance, Goal-Setting and Reinforcement (Bowkowski, 2011, Ch.6). Description of Reinforcement Theory of Employee Motivation The Reinforcement Theory of Motivation works mainly along four parameters: Positive and Negative Reinforcements and Punishment and Extinction. Positive and Negative Reinforcement criteria generally focus on motivating an individual’s performance through the generation of rewards and also

What Steps Can Be Taken By the Nations of the Sub-Saharan Africa to Case Study

What Steps Can Be Taken By the Nations of the Sub-Saharan Africa to Address the Causes of Poverty - Case Study Example This paper illustrates that political interventions and corruptions in the economic structure are considered to be noteworthy challenges that in turn hinder the development in Sub-Saharan region in Africa. In other words, the economic structure of the region is highly affected by its totalitarianism ideology in lieu of its unequal distribution of wealth and power. It is in this context that proper measures should be taken by the economy to identify the root causes of poverty. With this concern, the economy can intend to reassess its political structure and legislative measures in order to identify the flaws in its regulatory and political measures which can be regarded as the root causes of poverty to persist and increase in the economy. The economy should also take certain initiatives in identifying the flaws relative to social health measures. From an overall point of view, it can be stated that the economy should reconsider its various segments in order to identify the root causes of poverty in the economy. The government of developed nations can certainly play a crucial role in assisting the Sub-Saharan Economy to revitalize its economic structure and thus attain progress. With this concern, the developed economies should come forward to assist the poorest region in the world, not only to guide the Sub-Saharan economy towards development but also to reduce global wealth disparity. The assistance of more capable governments in terms of monetary funding and political as well as social guidance shall certainly prove to be highly advantageous for the economy to develop with the ideology of collectivism.