How to Choose a Good Book Essay

When adults select books for children, we want to pick out good ones. The problem is, we’re not always sure what a â€Å"good book† means and just tend to choose be beneficial and desirable for young readers. We forge ahead, sometimes unaware of how we use to determine what is â€Å"good.† Adults choose the books according to a standard- a criteria that we may not be aware exactly why we make our choices, considering the biases we respond to most: The lessons the books teach, those large colorful illustrations, the absence of harshness, scariness and swearing, the simple vocabulary used, the familiar content presented to the schema of the child and the political correctness it has to offer in which are sometimes narrow and misguided, a reason to be a problem within how they choose. For some people however, it is a necessary thing to consider on how readers respond to a certain book in order to recognize whether it is â€Å"good† or â€Å"not†. However this raises the different perspectives presented upon the books since all people think in different ways. How the readers are attracted to a book depends on the rationalizing ability of their minds regarding a topic. Therefore considering a fact that the â€Å"goodness† of a book depends on how the reader comments upon it. The quality of the book is reflected from how a critical analysis evaluates the book’s style and language, character, plot, setting, theme, tone, point of view, illustrations, mood, pacing, design and layout, and accuracy. All of which are important to consider. Critics focus mostly on how words are chosen and arranged, unique and believable techniques of characterizations, the total outcome of the story as the conflict takes place, and how the author strategizes upon the manipulation of the readers’ imagination to make the emotional reality true. The taste of how readers choose a genre of a story is also varied. For one thing, the multi-awarded Wind in Willows is judged to be quality literature  for children as it delineates the four main characters, contains satisfying action sequences and is told in a rich, varied language. However, some children tend to not find themselves engrossed in the story when they tried to read it. Goosebumps books on the other hand had won no literary awards and yet thousands of children sail through the series and report that each Goosebumps story is a good book, disregarding also the fact that some adults may think that children that read such formulaic, shallow stories should at least feel shame for doing so. In the end, the question of â€Å"good book† does not depend on awards it claimed, titles that have proven themselves overtime and the highest sale figures. The only list we can trust without reservation is our own.

Concept Development: Florence Nightingale -Its Con

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT: Florence Nightingale – Influence on Nursing Theory 1. AIM: This assignment gives an abridged account of Florence Nightingale’s life, her education, aspirations and career. It also discusses the development of nursing theory in general, and Florence Nightingale’s influence in later nursing theorists’ work. Florence Nightingale’s philosophy regarding the environment was fundamental to her concept of nursing and health, which was demonstrated through her work on sanitary reform and hospital construction. 2. BACKGROUND: Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 to well-educated, affluent British parents. Her youthful upbringing brought her into aristocratic society, where she made life-long distinguished friends and acquaintances. These would prove pivotal in her work as the founder of modern nursing. Schooled by her father in mathematics, languages, religion and philosophy (which were put to good use in forming her theories), the young Nightingale began her nursing training in Germany. After returning to England, she became Superintendent of the Hospital for Invalid Gentlewomen 1. During the 1840’s, sanitary reform in the community became a big political issue, which Florence Nightingale zealously embraced. She utilised plans for eliminating sanitation problems on the army wards during her time in the Crimean War. Although medical care in the army was higher than in the community, conditions were still appalling with blocked latrines, overflowing cesspools and contaminated drinking water. The latter playing an important part in epidemic outbreaks of cholera. 1,2. The soldiers named her as ‘The Lady of the Lamp’ when she carried her lantern through the corridors at night. In 1855, Florence Nightingale became very ill with ‘Crimean Fever ‘ and was not expected to survive. This disease is believed by some to be brucellosis melitensis. Her symptoms subsided and she returned to England, after which, she founded nursing schools at St. Thomas Hospital and at King’s College Hospital. Her achievements have included her many writings, such as ‘Notes on Hospitals’ and ‘Notes on the Sanitary State of the Army in India’. Florence Nightingale also compiled statistics and much evidence for the Royal Commission. Hospitals were set up world-wide financed by the Nightingale Fund. Although bed-ridden for much of her later years, she worked prolifically into her eighties, gathering data and expounding her nursing theories. In 1910, Florence Nightingale died at the age of 90 years. . Development of Nursing Theories and Practices Between 1858, when Florence Nightingale first wrote her ideas for the theory and practice of nursing, and the 1950’s, there was little change to the task orientated, authoritarian concept of nursing practice. The nursing theorists may have started to evolve in order to change this viewpoint. Notable protagonists include Henderson, Peplau, Abdellah and Orem. 4 In addition, reactions to the medical paradigm which was well established and developed, may have prompted the change of nursing, from one of traditional symptom orientation to a nursing paradigm in it’s own right. Figures 3. 1 & 3. 2 refer). [pic] Nursing theories have gone through several changes and ideas that were rejected in one stage of development have been accepted in another. There has been a shift from the early rejection of nursing theories, through the positivistic, quantitative research of the sixties to the recent revival of Florence Nightingale’s concept of nursing of health and environment. Nursing research has shifted towards the phenomenological viewpoint (the meaning of experience and perceived reality) illustrated in Figure 3. 3. [pic] Nursing theories prove that nursing is a profession, not simply an occupation. Meleis describes these as being â€Å"a systematic, coherent body of knowledge with boundaries†. There are three types of nursing theories, according to Alligood and Chong Choi. 1 The first is nursing philosophy, in which the meaning of nursing is realised through analysis, reasoning and logical argument. Exponents of this type of work were early theorists. Florence Nightingale’s work is a philosophical one. The second or ‘grand theorist’ type gives a conceptual framework in which one can view the world and take into account it’s aspects. (J. Fawcett 1989)1: 6 . Orem and Neuman are examples of this type. The third type are middle range theories, which are derivatives from other works such as grand theories, philosophy of nursing theories or perhaps from other, related theories. 1 4. Florence Nightingale’s Influence on Nursing Development and Practice Florence Nightingale was the first nursing theorist. She believed her life in nursing to be a calling from God, her chief mission being to improve the environment in which people lived and in which people were cared for. Although an innovator, she was also a product of her time as sanitary reform in the community became a big issue with the educated classes. Her other philosophies influenced nursing theory and practice. These were: * Nursing as a profession distinct from Medicine. Gathering of statistical data for applied research The establishment of recognised system of nurse training Definition of Health Dichotomy of nurse / patient role. The reparative process of disease 4. 1 Environment Florence Nightingale placed great emphasis on the physical aspects of the care setting. These are namely; clean air, pure water, efficient drainage, cleanliness and sunlight, 7 which are largely taken for granted in our modern hospitals. She believed these would eradicate the main source of illness, although, Miss Nightingale rejected the theory of bacterial infection on the grounds that she had no empirical evidence to support it. Florence Nightingale believed that building construction, in particular, hospital building, should pay particular attention to sanitation and ventilation. This together with the correct diet would eliminate much current sickness. Her writings on this subject revolutionised hospital construction. 10. In her Notes on Nursing, she admonished nurses who noisily tripped over fire-irons, thus breaching safety standards. Virginia Henderson wrote of Florence Nightingale’s influence on her own work regarding the environment, when she said, â€Å"Like Miss Nightingale, I have shared an interest in seeing the environment made safer for people. She put more emphasis on fresh air than I, of course, did. I had more opportunity to learn how to control infection than she did. † 8. Miss Hende rson further enlarged on Florence Nightingale’s theory to say that nurses should recommend the construction of buildings, purchase of equipment and maintenance in order to minimise chances of injury. 1 Kathryn Barnard, speaking in 1966, said that in order for the nurse to assist the patient in promoting and maintaining his / her independence, a change in the patient’s environment may be necessary. 1 Martha E. Rogers (1970) and Betty Neuman (1995) echoed Florence Nightingale’s belief that the provision of an environment which was conducive to healing, such as cleanliness, fresh air and calm, were prerequisites for recovery from illness. Nursing theorists widened the concept to include people’s responses to their immediate and broader environment. 9 Rogers holds that the description of person and environment ‘energy fields’ are inseparable. Dorothea Orem’s ‘Universal self-care requisites’ (1980) lists the maintenance of air, water, food, rest and solitude, as being required by all human beings and adding to these; social interaction, elimination, activity, social interaction, prevention of hazards and promotion of human functioning. 4. 2 The Profession of Nursing and Health. The idea that there would be a professional body of exclusively female nurses (Miss Nightingale believed women were natural nurturers) was revolutionary in the last century. The exception was in psychiatric nursing, where men’s’ physical strength was valued. This view is largely discounted today, of course. She was also passionate about the uniqueness of nursing, existing alongside but not incorporated into, other related disciplines, such as medicine. Adherence to signs, symptoms, surgery, medication and disease prevailed in this era of health care. 5 She was suspicious of ‘new’ scientific thinking, wh ich would turn nurses into ‘medical women’. 10 The training of young, more educated nurses in the new progressive schools like St. Thomas Hospital, included Florence Nightingale’s own concept of health: hygiene, environment and care. Her belief was that health was a state of wellness, desired by the patient and gained by using all power available, to the fullest extent. 1:10 Miss Nightingale combined both health education with sick nursing in her teachings, a practice which is very much in evidence today. Hildegard Peplau, followed Florence Nightingale, in 1952, and pioneered a knowledge-based nursing practice, which included education and research; distinguishing it from medicine-based health care. 1, 11 In 1987, Rosemarie Rizzo Parse echoed the need for nursing to move away from the medical model in order to evolve. 4. 3 Concept of Nursing and Statistical Data Gathering In 1970, Martha Rogers took Miss Nightingale’s concept of nursing and redefined it as a constant human interaction with the environment. 5 She lauded Miss Nightingale’s ability to place the person â€Å"within the framework of the natural world†, by her vision of health and by supporting this with statistical data. 1 Rosemarie Rizzo Parse was greatly influenced by Martha Rogers. She believed that, since Florence Nightingale’s time, nursing owed it’s existence to Man and Health. 1 4. 4 Nurse/ Patient Role and her Model of Nursing Florence Nightingale believed disease to go through a reparative process Her model of nursing reflected her belief that nature would cure the patient by the actions of the nurse’s control on the environment, 12 the patient’s role was a passive one, with little or no say in the way in which he or she was treated by the health care team. Few would argue that nursing theories has taken a more holistic approach than was the case in Florence Nightingale’s time. A legacy of the Nightingale School is the military terminology used by Miss Nightingale from her time spent in army nursing. Phrases such as; ‘on duty’, ‘off duty’ and ‘sick leave’ are still in use today. 10 5. Conclusion Florence Nightingale saw nurses as women who were not only professionals in their own right, (a revolutionary concept for Victorian England, when most women were subservient to male domination) but were to be instrumental in bringing about changes in order to improve the environment in it’s broadest sense. By this token, she was also the first health educator. Miss Nightingale presented her own empirical evidence i. e. based on her own experiences and observations, as established facts. She was a believer in research. Her gathering of statistical data was used to give credence to her hypotheses on her epidemiological studies. She laid the foundations for a recognised system of nurse training, not only in this country, but abroad. However, those nurse educators, who followed in Florence Nightingale’s footsteps in teaching young (and from an increasingly higher social class) women in the art of nursing, failed to differentiate between the goals and focus of nursing and of medicine. The medical model tended to neglect the patient as a human being. Furthermore, nursing creativity would be stifled (at least in the U. K. ) under a regimented, task-orientated regime until the early 1950’s until the emergence of new nursing theorists, such as Peplau (1952), Henderson (1955) and Orem (1958). Some of Florence Nightingale’s practices and beliefs have been largely discontinued or discounted today, such as the pathology of dirt and dampness, her disregard to the germ theory, and the fact that the patient was non-participative of his/her method of care. This lack of holism was perhaps in keeping with her time. 1. Her vision of nurses as innovators for social health reform, continues to inspire us today. – End of Assignment – REFERENCES: | | | |1. | Marrinner-Tomey, A. (1994). Nursing Theorists and their Work. St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby. | |2 |Dingwall, R. , Rafferty, A. M. , Webster, C. (1988). An Introduction to the Social History of Nursing. London: Routledge | |3 |Baly, M. E. (Nov. 13. 1996). Different history for Nightingale illness, Letters. Nursing Standard, 8 (11) 10. Harrow, Middx. , R. C. | | |N. Publishing Company. | |4 |Castledine, G. (1994). A definition of nursing based on nurturing, 3 (3): 134. British Journal of Nursing. | |5 |Meleis, A. I. (1985). Theoretical Nursing: Development and Progress. Pennsylvania: J. B. Lippincott Company. | |6 |Fawcett, J. (1989). Analysis and evaluation of conceptual models of nursing. In A. Marrinner-Tomey (Ed). Nursing Theorists and their| | |Work. St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby. | |7 |Nightingale, F. (1992). Notes on Nursing. London: Scutari Press. | |8 |Smith, J. P. (1989). Virginia Henderson: The First 90 years. London: Scutari Press. | |9 |Pearson, A. , Vaughan, B. , Fitzgerald, A. (1991). Nursing Models for Practice. London: Heiman | |10 |Baly, M. E. (1986). Florence Nightingale and the Nursing Legacy. New York: Croon Helm. | |11 |Fitzpatrick, J. and Whall. A. (1983) Conceptual Models of Nursing. Prentice Hall Publishing Co. | |12 |Kershaw, B. and Salvage, J. (1994) Models for Nursing. Great Britain. John Wiley & Sons Ltd. |

Apple Inc. Historical Analysis

Part A- Historical Analysis: A. Business In: Apple Inc. is engaged in designing, manufacturing and marketing mobile communication and media devices, personal computers and portable digital music players. It also sells a range of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications as well as services and support offerings. Specifically, the company operates in the Technology sector and serves computer hardware, computer software, consumer electronics and digital distribution through the Personal Computers industry.Technology: Apple sells its products worldwide through its retail stores, online stores, and direct sales force, as well as through third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers and resellers. The Company sells to consumers both mid and small- sized businesses, education, enterprise and government customers. Apple Inc. manages its business primarily on geographic basis. †¢ Reportable operational business segments include: Americas, Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific and Retail. o Americas Segment: include both North and South America. Europe Segment: includes European countries as well as Middle East and Africa. o Asia-Pacific Segment: includes Australia and Asian countries; other than Japan. o Retail Segment: operates Apple’s retail stores worldwide. †¢ As of September 24, 1011, Apple Inc. had 357 retail stores, including 245 stores in the United States and 112 stores Internationally. Apple Incorporated NAICS Codes:2 334111- Electronic Computer Manufacturing 334119- Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing 511210- Software Publishers Financials: See Appendix A: Historical Financial DataB. Goal Clarification & Strategies and Tactics Used to Fulfill Goals: Values and/ or Guiding Principles important to Apple’s innovation strategy: 1. Be Your Own Toughest Critic †¢ As the ‘Father of Management’, Peter Drucker once noted, â€Å"Your being the one who makes your products, process, or service obsolete is the only way to prevent your competitor from doing so. † With this strategy in mind, besides from just beating competitors, Apple Inc. ’s success comes mainly from its attempts to beat itself. 2. Lead Customers; Don’t Follow them Apple Inc. distinguishes itself, as a business that creates those alternatives implying that customers cant tell you what they want from a product. 3. Focus on the Few and Sell to the Many †¢ Apple Inc. is focused on selling a few products in each category rather than those companies who sell dozens of models at once. Instead of trying to satisfy every single consumers tastes, Apple Inc. narrows it down and appeals to a broader group of consumers. 4. Institutionalize your Creativities †¢ With the passing of Steve Jobs, Apple Inc. as seemed to hold and treat his values so that Apple Inc. could be far less dependent on him. †¢ Environmental Guiding Principles 1) à ¢â‚¬Å"Meet or exceed all applicable environmental, health, and safety requirements. We will evaluate our EHS performance by monitoring ongoing performance results and conducting periodic management reviews. † 2) â€Å"Communicate environmental, health, and safety policy and programs to Apple employees and stakeholders† 3) â€Å"Design, manage, and operate our facilities to maximize safety, promote energy efficiency and protect the environment† ) â€Å"Strive to create products that are safe in their intended use, conserve energy and materials, and prevent pollution throughout the product life cycle, including design manufacture, use, and end of life management. C. Environmental Analysis †¢ Integrated Brand Promotion is a way of life now. Social acceptance lays in people’s materialistic possessions. o Being the leader in trends, advertising and promoting correctly, and staying ahead of customer wants is key to successful businesses in the technology i ndustry. Patent Laws o Patent laws are good for technology companies because they protect intellectual property. Companies with sufficient funds to patent anything and everything come out ahead of the game. But recent concerns over the licensing on patents for technology has led to a review of the patent process. If patent laws change, Technology companies may only be able to protect their intellectual property for a shorter amount of time that leads to a change in the technology industry’s business processes. Global markets for the products and services are highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change. If companies are unable to compete effectively in these markets, their financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected. o To remain competitive and stimulate customer demand, companies must successfully manage frequent product introductions and transitions. †¢ Global Economic Conditions Could Materially Adversely Affect the Industry o The Personal Computer Industry’s operating and performance epends significantly on the economic conditions worldwide. Uncertainty in global economic conditions pose risks as consumers and businesses alike cut/postpone spending in response to tighter credit, unemployment, negative financial news, and/ or decline in asset values or real wealth. †¢ Wars, Trade-laws, Outsourcing and International Business o With many companies outsourcing both product manufacturing and logistical service jobs, wars, trade-laws and international business can adversely be affected if negative factors arise. Transportation costs could significantly increase as well as taxes on the outsourcing of jobs. o Outsourcing of jobs eliminates direct control over production and distribution. D. Competitive Analysis: The markets for the Apple Inc. ’s products and services are highly competitive and are confronted by aggressive competition in all areas of its business. Its markets are ch aracterized by frequent product introductions and rapid technological advancements. Apple Inc. s main competitive factors include price, product features, relative price/performance, product quality and reliability, design innovation, a strong third=[arty software and peripherals ecosystem, marketing and distribution capability, service and support, and corporate reputation. These markets are characterized by frequent product introductions and rapid technological advances that have substantially increased the capabilities and use of mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and other digital electronic devices.The Company’s future financial condition and operating results depend on the Company’s ability to continue to develop and offer new innovative products and services in each of the markets it competes in. Industry Competitors: Direct Competitors: †¢ Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ) HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, soft ware, solutions and services to individual consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including customers in the government, health and education sectors.HP offers personal computing and other access devices, multi-vendor customer services, infrastructure technology and business process outsourcing. They also provide technology support and maintenance, application development and support services as well as consulting and integration services. HP also offers imaging and printing-related products and services; and enterprise information technology infrastructure, including enterprise storage and server technology, networking products and solutions, IT management software, information management solutions and security intelligence/risk. Research in Motion Limited (RIMM) Research In Motion Limited designs, manufactures, and markets wireless solutions for the mobile communications market worldwide. It provides platforms and solutions for access to information, including email, voice, instant messaging, short message service, Internet and Intranet-based browsing, and multimedia content through developing integrated hardware, software, and services.It also offers development platform that allow third party commercial and enterprise software developers to build and deploy custom applications to run on BlackBerry smartphones, and various products and technologies to third party developers, wireless carriers, and enterprise customers to develop distribute and manage these applications, as well as a range of software development tools. In addition, the company provides the BlackBerry Messenger Social Apps Platform; and push, payments, advertising, location, analytics, and score loop services, as well as the BlackBerry App World to discover and download/purchase of applications.Further, it offers BlackBerry Enterprise Server tools and technologies that enable secure and managed provisioning of applications; BlackBerry Enterprise App World that a llows employees access to a catalogue of applications; and repair and maintenance services. The company sells its BlackBerry wireless solutions through global wireless communications carriers and third party distribution channels. Research In Motion Limited was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Waterloo, Canada. Motion Limited †¢ Google Inc. (GOOG) Google Inc. a technology company, maintains an index of Web sites and other online content for users, advertisers, and Google network members and other content providers. It offers AdWords, an auction-based advertising program; AdSense program, which enables Web sites that are part of the Google Network to deliver ads from its AdWords advertisers; Google Display, a display advertising network that comprises the videos, text, images, and other interactive ads; DoubleClick Ad Exchange, a real-time auction marketplace for the trading of display ad space; and YouTube that provides video, interactive, and other ad formats for advert isers.The company also provides Google Mobile that optimizes Google’s applications for mobile devices in browser and downloadable form, as well as enables advertisers to run search ad campaigns on mobile devices; and Google Local that provides local information on the Web.In addition, it offers Android, an open source mobile software platform; Google Chrome OS, an open source operating system; Google Chrome, a Web browser; Google+ to share different things online with different people; Google TV, a platform for the consumers to use the television and the Internet on a single screen; and Google Books platform to discover, search, and consume content from printed books online. Further, the company provides Google Apps, a cloud computing suite of message and collaboration tools, which primarily includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google translate, and Google Sites; Search Appliance, a search echnology for use within enterprises; Google Site Search, a custom search engi ne; Google Commerce Search for online retail enterprises; Google Maps Application Programming Interface for businesses; and Google Earth Enterprise, a firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization. Competitors: Computer Hardware: †¢ Dell Inc. (DELL) Dell is a global information technology company that offers its customers a broad range of solutions and services delivered directly by Dell and through other distribution channels.Dell Inc. is focused on providing technology solutions that are more efficient, more accessible, and easier to manage. Dell Inc. is a holding company that conducts its business worldwide through its subsidiaries. Dell built its reputation as a leading technology provider through listening to customers and developing solutions that meet customer needs. A few years ago, Dell Inc. initiated a broad transformation of the company to become an end-to-end technology solutions company.They are expanding their enterprise solutions, which include se rvers, networking, and storage offerings. †¢ International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) International Business Machines Corporation was incorporated on June 16, 1911, as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. , a consolidation of the Computing Scale Co. of America, the Tabulating Machine Co. and The International Time Recording Co. of New York. IBM has focused on the intersection of business insight and technological innovation, and its operations and aims have been international in nature.The company creates business value for clients and solves business problems through integrated solutions that leverage information technology and deep knowledge of business processes. IBM solutions typically create value by reducing a client's operational costs or by enabling new capabilities that generate revenue. †¢ Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) Cisco Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells Internet protocol (IP) based networking and other products related to the communicatio ns and information technology industries worldwide.It offers switching products, including fixed-configuration and modular switches, and storage products that provide connectivity to end users, workstations, IP phones, access points, and servers, as well as function as aggregators on local-area networks and wide-area networks; and routers that interconnects public and private IP networks for mobile, data, voice, and video applications. The company also provides set-top boxes; cable modem CPE products, such as data, EMTA, and gateways; cable modem termination systems products; videoscape software products; and headend equipment, which include encoders, decoders, and transcoders.In addition, it offers collaboration products comprising IP phones, call center and messaging products, unified communications infrastructure products, and Web-based collaborative offerings, as well as telepresence systems that integrates voice, video, data, and mobile applications on fixed and mobile networks ; and security products consisting of firewall, intrusion prevention, remote access, virtual private networks, unified clients, network admission control, Web gateways, and email gateways, which deliver identity, network, and content security solutions for mobile, collaborative, and cloud-enabled businesses.Further, the company provides wireless products, such as wireless access points, controllers, antennas, and integrated management solutions; data center products, which include blade and rack servers, fabric interconnects, and server access virtualization; and home networking and other networking products. Additionally, it offers technical support services; and responsive, preventive, and consultative support services for its technologies. †¢ Xerox Corp. (XRX)Xerox Corporation provides business process and information technology (IT) outsourcing, and document management services worldwide. Its business process outsourcing services include human resources services; finance an d accounting services; healthcare payers and pharma; customer management solutions; healthcare provider solutions; technology-based transactional services for retail, travel, and non-healthcare insurance companies; programs for federal, state, county, and town governments; transportation solutions; and government healthcare solutions.The company is involved in designing, developing, and delivering IT solutions, such as comprehensive systems support, systems administration, database administration, systems monitoring, batch processing, data backup, and capacity planning services; telecommunications management services; and desktop services.Its document outsourcing services comprise managed print services that optimize, rationalize, and manage the operation of Xerox and non-Xerox print devices; and communication and marketing services that deliver design, communication, marketing, logistic, and distribution services through SMS, Web, email, and mobile, as well as print media. The comp any also manufactures and sells products, including desktop monochrome, color and compact printers, multifunction printers, copiers, digital printing presses, and light production devices for small/mid-size businesses and large enterprises.In addition, it sells paper, wide-format systems, network integration solutions, and electronic presentation systems. The company sells its products and solutions through its sales force, as well as through a network of independent agents, dealers, value-added resellers, systems integrators, and the Web. F. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Organization Strengths: 1) Pioneer of innovation and high-tech quality products. 2) Globally recognized Brand Name/ Brand Image. ) Large segmentation of loyal customers. 4) Amazingly strong Research and Development team. 5) Eye-catching products and experience of Apple’s software both in hands and in Retail stores. 6) Strong presences in education segments. 7) Corporate culture passed down by former CEO an d Founder, Steve Jobs. Weakness 1) Technological products of Apple’s have extremely short lifecycles, this implies that the development and production of new products and services has to be constant. ) Low presence in advertising. Opportunities 1) Great relationship through joint venture with other big companies. 2) Consistent growth in innovation and technology. 3) More international expansion. 4) Increase demand of online retail as well as applications and services. 5) Growing market of â€Å"Green† and energy efficient products. Threats 1) Competition 2) Expensive quality products compared to competitors products. 3) The death of Steve Jobs. ) High product substitution effect in innovative and competitive technology markets. Historical Financial Data: As of June , 2012, Apple Inc. had total sales of $108,249,000 and a net income of $25,922,000. Summary information by Geographic Region for three years ended September 24, 2011(in millions): Net Sales by Geographic Reg ion Segmentation1 2011 2010 2009 America | $38,315 |$24,498 |$18,981 | | Europe |27,778 |18,692 |11,810 | | Japan |5,437 |3,981 |2,279 | | Asia-Pacific |22,592 |8,256 |3,179 | | Retail |14,127 |9,798 |6,656 | | Total: |$108,249 |$65,225 |$42,905 |Summary information by Product division for three years ended September 24, 2012 (in millions): Segment Operating Income by Geographic Region Segmentation1 2011 2010 2009 | America | $13,538 |$7,590 |$6,658 | | Europe |11,528 |7,524 |4,296 | | Japan |2,481 |1,846 |961 | | Asia-Pacific |9,587 |3,647 1,100 | | Retail |3,344 |2,364 |1,677 | | Segment |$40,478 |$22,971 |$14,692 | |Operating- Income: | | | | a) Does not include segment assets nor depreciation, amortization and accretion. A reconciliation of the Company’s segment operating income and expenses for the three years ended September 24, 2011 (in millions): Total Operating Income 2011 2010 2009 Segment Operating Income | $40,478 |$22,971 |$14,692 | | Other corporate expenses (a) |(5,520) |(3,707) |(2,242) | |Share-based compensation expense |(1,168) |(879) |(710) | | Total |$33,790 |$18,385 |$47,501 | |Operating- Income: | | | | a) Other corporate expenses include research and development, corporate marketing expenses, manufacturing costs and variances not included in standard cost, and other separately managed general and administrative expenses. [pic] [pic] Not Sure if Needed: Apple Inc. also manages its business on product divisions. †¢ Reportable operational product divisions include: o Desktops ? Including iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro and Xserve product lines. o Portables ? Includes MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook pro product lines. o iPod o Other music related products and services ? Includes sales from the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore in addition to sales of iPod services and Apple-branded and third-party iPod accessories. o iPhone and related products and services. Includes revenue recognized from iPhone sales, carrier agreements, servi ces, and Apple-branded and third-party iPhone accessories. o iPad and related products and services ? Includes revenue recognized from iPad sales, services and Apple-branded and third-party iPad accessories. o Peripherals and other hardware ? Includes sales of displays, wireless connectivity and networking solutions, and other hardware accessories. o Software, services and other sales. ? Includes sales from the Mac App Store in addition to sales of other Apple-branded and third-party Mac software and Mac and Internet service. Summary information by Product division for three years ended September 24, 2012 (in millions): 2011 2010 2009 Net Sales by Product1 Desktops |$6,439 |$6,201 |$4,324 | |Portables |15,344 |11,278 |9,535 | | Total Mac: |21,783 |17,479 |13,859 | |iPod |7,453 |8,274 |8,091 | |Other music related products and|6,314 |4,948 |4,036 | |services | | | | |iPhone and related products and |47,057 |25,179 |13,033 | |services | | | | |iPad and related products and |20,358 |4, 958 |0 | |services | | | | |Peripherals and other hardware |2,330 |1,814 |1,475 | |Software, Service and other |2,954 |2,573 |2,411 | |sales | | | | | Total:|$108,249 |$65,225 |$42,905 | | | | | | 2011 2010 2009 Net Income by Product1 |Desktops | | |$ | |Portables | | | | | Total Mac: | | | |iPod | | | | |Other music related products and| | | | |services | | | | |iPhone and related products and | | | | |services | | | | |iPad and related products and | | |- | |services | | | | |Peripherals and other hardware | | | | |Software, Service and other | | | | |sales | | | | | Total:| | |$ | [pic]

Organizational behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Organizational behaviour - Essay Example Crawford (2006) explains that learning to let go is paramount to inspiring staff successfully as it illustrates that management trusts is employees. People respond positively to their superiors when they feel that they have been empowered; this means having sufficient autonomy to carry out their responsibilities. Delegation is a careful balancing act because it does not mean leaving everything to one’s employees; managers need to know when to step in order to give their followers support when carrying out their respective functions. Furthermore, entrusting them with these responsibilities and then removing it suddenly actually demotivates workers, as they require sufficient reasons for removal of the same. The author also believes that managers need to assist their employees in knowing where they fit in within the organisation as this causes them to realise that they are valuable. Having a sense of community in the firm comes about when the concerned employees already have a certain emotional commitment to the objectives of the company. This sense of loyalty pushes them into becoming more confident in themselves as they fell that they are positively contributing to something great in the firm. Employees also strive for recognition of their strengths, especially in terms of their talents as well as their capabilities; many of them feel can do so much to improve outcomes within the company if given a chance. Instating rigid protocols and policies concerning talent and job placements constraint workers who then feel frustrated by their company’s inability to exploit their potential. Some employees are highly capable and with the right management support can soar to great heights; this eventually translates into effective outcomes for the organisation. Workers also strive for work-life balance, so managers ought to go out of their way to promote this sort of atmosphere for their employees.

William Gilpin, On Picturesque Beauty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

William Gilpin, On Picturesque Beauty - Essay Example In his essay Gilpin demonstrates that the ;picturesque can both be the objective of the travels (though it may not be the only objective as per rational reasons) and it will be the sole source of amusement. Gilpin introduces the idea that the philosophy of creation and appreciation of beauty cannot be done in isolation from the sublime. The quality of greatness that is sublime, whether it occurs in a physical, metaphysical, spiritual or artistic form cannot be considered picturesque if exists without a certain degree of beauty. An apt example given is that of a vast ocean which is sublime in its power but without any other object or point of reference to increase the overall beauty of the scenery it depicts it will not be considered picturesque and thus, will not provide any great source of pleasure for the viewer. The objective of the picturesque travel is to seek out such a combination of form, composition, color and atmosphere which comes together as the perfect aesthetic blend of sublime and beauty. Andin the case of nature, the seeker is fortunate as there are innumerous examples and varieties of objects to be found which together create picturesque forms of scenery. â€Å"They are varied, a second time,  combination; and almost as much, a third time, by different  lights,  and shades, and other aerial effects. Sometimes we find among them the exhibition of a  whole; but oftener we find only beautiful  parts.† (Giplin) Animals, humans and the great ruins which form the landscape for the traveler can all be a part of the picturesque. But again it is their form and the overall scene the depict that is of concern in this kind of study- though with all these elements to consider those who have a love of the picturesque can a find great variety to amuse themselves with even in just the pure nature. According to the author, there is more beauty to be found in the usual occurrences than the unusual. He describes

Iconic shape of building relates with old city fabric Essay

Iconic shape of building relates with old city fabric - Essay Example Garz is one of the more important cities for the Slovene, in Austria, and considered as even more symbolical than Ljubljana in Slovenia. A student city for the huge daytime population of its six universities, Garz is a mix of old, historical architecture and new one, with Kunsthaus representing the new side. It is currently used as an arts and culture center focused on contemporary arts (Cook and Fournier, 11). It fits as another modern architecture for Garz as it did not follow conventional building methods but took from ship building as well as design of curves as popularized by the CAD program. The curved designs were cast and the materials were made of fiber glass using pressurized structure. As a portion of a city, the Kunsthaus Garz continues a tradition that made Garz what it is today – a popular destination for rich cultural exploration. Some of the more historical buildings include the clock tower, Karl-Franzens Universitat or the Charles-Francis University, the Unive rsity of Graz, and another contemporary urban project the Mur Island. Built environment is integral on the formation of cities or the urbanization process.

Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Film - Essay Example Because of this, her husband is disappointed but he believes that he will find a way to take care of his son. He joins an internship program where he does not receive any payment. His condition grows worse when his scanning machines are stolen. In addition, he his later evicted from the apartment. They live in the streets, while there he nurtures his son with love and tenderness. With this, the essay brings out what â€Å"The Pursuit of Happyness† says about the modern day fathers and the cultural and social changes reflected in the film. The movie clearly portrays the close relationship between father and son. Christopher provides psychological and emotional support to his child, although they live in the streets. They both struggle hard to achieve their goals knowing very well that success does not come easily, it needs commitment. Christopher Gardner as a single father tries his best to bring up his son in the right way possible (Nadine 4). Christopher Gardener the main cha racter in the film tries his best to balance his professional and personal life. He and his son endure many hardships for instance sleeping in bathrooms. In one of the scenes in this film Christopher is jailed for ten days for not paying the parking fees this shows how Christopher undergoes hardships with his son. This shows how the society values money than human life. As a result of his state in one of the scenes, Christopher pushes women in the bus so that he can get a chance to sleep in the homeless shelter (Nadine 4). This confirms that, when people are in desperate situations morals ceasing to exist they only focus on solving the problem. By this experience between Christopher and his son, the role of modern fathers is clearly brought out. Christopher Gardner balances his personal life and professional life in this film just as modern fathers do. He provides the support he should provide as a father and still works as an intern. In this essay, Christopher struggles to obtain t he American dream and the true happiness just as the modern fathers do especially in the United States of America. There are some social cultural changes addressed in this film. Individualism, which takes a big part in the American society, is portrayed in this film. Individualism is a common problem in the American History. In addition, it has taken root in modern America as portrayed in the film. This means that most American’s believe that they can achieve their dreams by their own self. In this film, Christopher Gardner struggles to raise his son as a single father. He focuses on achieving his dream as an individual. This shows that individualism is a social issue that still exists in America. The film shows how people are trying to achieve the American dream. Besides the main character, the movie revolves on the life of San Francisco. In the film, people struggle to fight time by moving hurriedly in the streets. The movement of the vehicle and the beeps of horns show how urgency surrounds the whole city. People show casing their talents along the roads show how most people in the city are jobless. The musicians who are seen at the start of the film show how most people in San Francisco use their free time to obtain quick cash. The main character in the film is a victim of the highly competitive society. This is shown by how he struggles in life. Christopher has not sold any bone

Research and informatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research and informatics - Essay Example The patient safety technology is transforming the way nurses deliver their care services. The devices are more accurate and less prone to errors that are inherent to human beings. The accuracy guarantees patient safety during medical procedures and treatment (Trossman, 2013). Technology can meet the safety standards set by the institute of medicine, by eliminating errors that are inherent to humans. The concept of â€Å"to err is human† is widely used in medical fields to justify human errors. The concept has multiple weaknesses. It allows health providers to act negligently without any legal implications. In extreme cases, human errors result in the deaths of patients and permanent disability. Use of technology eliminates these errors, increases efficiency and accuracy in medical procedures especially surgical procedures. Evidence shows that technology saves the lives of patients in ways that human efforts alone cannot do (Kleib, Shabe & Allen, 2012). For example, before adoption of extensive application of technology, health providers relied on their senses to detect changes and monitor status of a patient. Use of their senses such as smell, touch, hearing and sight was very subjective and prone to errors. Later on, accurate technology to detect a patient’s physical changes developed (Mitchell, 2011). Policies/guidelines/best practice for patient safety technology and nursing care advocate for building a safer health system by eliminating human errors. The concept of â€Å"to err is human† defines the challenges that hinder improvement of safety in the health care sector. However, technology eliminates these human limitations and develops a new best practice that builds a safe health system. The new system is more accurate, precise, efficient and secure because technology is less prone to errors than people (Thede & Linda, 2012). Another guideline aims at keeping patients safe by transforming the work environment for nurses. The guideline focuses

Starting and Developing a New Venture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Starting and Developing a New Venture - Essay Example Under these circumstances, entrepreneurship comes in handy. Investing in small businesses that do not require large amounts of capital is fits the entrepreneurs whose capital acquisition is limited. With more and more people getting engaged in the small business sector, their ability to meet the basic needs is strengthened as they wait for better opportunities to emerge. The small business sector is composed of many small independent firms that own a little market share. The small firms lack the capability of influencing prices within the market segment that they occupy. The firms in a small business sector lack formalities in their management structures. They are normally dominated by centralized management and individual decision making in the production process. Firms in a small business sector mainly operate on low capital and produce a limited number of products, targeting a narrow array of customers in the market (Nathaniel, 2008: 47). The small business sector is a derivative of entrepreneurship and innovation. Entrepreneurship is the process of undertaking the risk of obtaining goods and services at a particular cost and selling them at predicted prices. It is the process of combining many factors of production in the creation of new enterprises. Innovation is a change in product, service or the method of production and marketing, with the a im of improving competitiveness of a business in the market. The small business sector comes up to satisfy a particular demand existing in a particular locality. Innovative entrepreneurs identify the need for availing nonexistent products and services in the market. They may not be needed in large quantities, but they are essential in the market. A good example is where small scale dealers in spare parts complement the automobile industry in a particular area. Motor vehicle dealers may not

DOES REMITTANCE HELP IN REDUCING POVERTY Literature review

DOES REMITTANCE HELP IN REDUCING POVERTY - Literature review Example However, it is generally recognised that altruism is the most potent motivator for remittance-sending, fulfilling a sense of responsibility and motivated out of legitimate affection for family members (Maimbo and Ratha 2005). Remittances have been applauded for improving the lifestyles of family member recipients, improving development for local capital markets, contributing toward infrastructure development, and even serving as a catalyst for improving demand of regional goods and services produced within a community or nation. Remittances may also alleviate some dimensions of poverty within a country or community. This section explores the statistics on remittances, investigates various case studies of remittances on economic growth or individual lifestyle improvement, and focuses on whether remittances can, as supported by empirical data, serve as a predictor for poverty reduction. In 2012, global remittances totalled a whopping $529 billion USD (World Bank 2013). Remittances are theorised to have an instrumental role in the economies of developing countries, with remittances represented a marked contributor to a nation’s economic growth and improvement of the lifestyles of less-affluent citizens. In 2009, $316 billion USD was transferred to developing nations, representing transfer activity of 192 million migrant labourers (World Bank 2011a). Remittances are typically delivered through conventional channels such as Western Union, Xpress Money and MoneyGram, however a marginal percentage of remittances do occur through formal banking infrastructure. There is substantial evidence that higher inflows of remittances are linked with decreased poverty (Gupta et al. 2009; Acosta et al. 2008; Adams 2006; Fajnzylber and Lopez 2005). Remittances have been linked to improvement in a nation’s economic growth (Fayissa 2008; Loxley and Sackey 2008), which is a global predictor of poverty reduction. There

Google Monopoly Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Google Monopoly - Term Paper Example It delivers the world’s top search engine, the most popular mobile operating system and the best advertising platform in the world† (Reisinger 2010). As the company’s popularity continued to spread, Google was able to acquire other companies, which only served to continue its explosive growth. As it has been reported, Google acquired several small companies to develop products for itself. In 2007, YouTube, an online video site, was acquired†¦ Several other acquired companies include Keyhole Inc. (Earth Viewer, later developed into Google Earth), Adaptive Path (weblog statistics application), JotSpot (wiki developer technology for collaborative websites), DoubleClick, and Postini (enterprise message security and compliance). (Gudimallan, 2009). Google is very popular indeed. Any company who desires to overthrow the reign of Google will have a hard time succeeding. For this reason it is easy to assume at first glance that Google is a monopoly. It is likely that when most people think of searching for something online, they think of Google first. The company has become somewhat of a gateway to the rest of the internet. Businesses that want to be successful online work hard to improve their ranking in Google’s search results. However, in order to determine with accuracy rather or not Google is indeed a monopoly the company must be viewed from the perspective of the law. The Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) was enacted to protect trade from those who would dominate it. Having a monopoly can be a bad thing for society. Laws were established to make them illegal. There are instances in which having a monopoly can be legal, however, the focus of this paper is not to call for condemnation of Google Inc. The company has clearly done a lot of good for society. Yet, the company is a very powerful one and the possibility that it holds a monopoly, at least in some area, is

Classroom Observation Essay Example for Free

Classroom Observation Essay I.Setting a.Reading class b.2 staff/approximately 17 students c.Smaller class than usual and one of a few classrooms that have an additional staff (paraprofessional) d.4th grade (student functions on 2nd grade level for Reading) II.Type of Task a.Independent reading/worksheet Antecedent Student is presented with an independent reading task. Behavior Disruption Consequences Least to most hierarchy of student’s specific behavior plan. Antecedent in detail When presented with an independent reading assignment (following similar group work assignment) student will become frustrated because of the difficulty of the assignment causing the maladaptive behavior described Behavior in detail. For this student disruptive behavior is defined as any occurrence of calling out, teasing others, name calling, kicking his desk, and/or screaming/yelling that interferes with his and his peers’ instructional time. Consequences in detail . This student’s maladaptive behavior of disruption will result in consequences that range from the least to most hierarchy. This is specifically redirection to task, verbal reprimand of upcoming consequences, in class time out away from the majority of the students (at this time the student is still required to be working on the independent task), out of class time out (monitored by the paraprofessional), sent to the behavior specialist assigned to this student. This last step typically results in a  phone call to the parent/guardian explaining the student’s maladaptive behavior. It also may result in the requirement of a meeting of the pertinent parties involved (teacher, paraprofessional, and behavior specialist. Dwayne Williams03/29/2010 AntecedentsBehaviorConsequenceFunction Student is presented with an independent reading task. Disruption Least to most hierarchy of student’s specific behavior plan. For Attention Peers Staff

Supply Chain Human Rights in Clothing Retailers

Supply Chain Human Rights in Clothing Retailers EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The present report is about the Importance of upholding human standards of the workers both inside and outside their home countries in the large clothing retailers. Human rights still remain to be one of the most challenging issues all over the world because of international variations in politics, history, social and cultural differences. The implementation of human rights, however, does not go unexcused in any place of situation regardless of the circumstances. Upholding of human rights is very important and it is the fundamental right of every human being. This report specifically focused on the Clothing Retailers operating in the United Kingdom. These include: Nike, Gap, Levi Strauss and Marks and Spencer. The task of this report was to examine how these multinational firms uphold human rights in their operations all over the world. The report has found out that among other factors, globalisation also contributed to a great extent for international firms to violate human rights. In the 1980s, shaped by globalization, clothing retailers and brand manufacturers were forced to source their produce and manufactured goods from low-wage, economically less developed countries. These less developed countries were in most cases characterised by child labour, sexual harassment, and intolerable working conditions. Global awareness about inhuman conditions in working places drew together voices of numerous activists from all over the world to divert the trend. During the 1970s, various national and multinational organization, Non governmental organization and trade unions accused these clothing retailers companies for violating human rights. These multinational companies were specifically blamed for their failure to put into consideration the economic level of less developed countries in which they operated. This criticism led to establishment of voluntary labour codes by these companies in an effort to uphold their image. Most of these voluntary labour codes adopted principles in the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions. Among other things, this report examines the historical aspect of clothing retailers and the challenges involved in upholding human rights in their supply chain production. The report further examines the role played by these clothing retailers in upholding human rights in their operations all over the world. CHAPTER ONE: 1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1.1. Introduction Human rights or sometimes referred to as natural rights are free and fundamental liberties entitled to an individual without the interference from any government or group of people for whatever reasons. A persons civil liberties are protected by the constitutions that define them and the organizations that exist to promote them. Under any circumstances the implementation of human rights does not go unexcused in any place or situation. Every individual regardless of his/her social economic status deserves to be treated with dignity. But due to rapid economic development, multinational companies are becoming more susceptible to violating human rights because of increasing international competition, undistributed wealth, and weak national laws (Krage, 2007). The World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization (2004) in one of its reports indicated that the global economy is changing in many ways. These massive changes affect multinational investment, capital markets, technology and business, more specifically impacting companies, consumers, workers and governments. The report further concludes that globalization has led to interdependence in economic relations that has created more opportunities for the advancement in business, investment, finance, organization of global production, and also more social and political interaction between organizations and individual around the world (World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, 2004). It is unfortunate that not all countries are developing with the same pace and outcomes. Some countries specifically the developing countries, cannot utilize these rapidly growing expansion to their advantages (Misol, 2006). For example, there are plenty of evidences that increasing g lobal competition puts workers human rights in jeopardy because company protection standards are lowered and an employees civil liberties are often denied (Christerson and Applelbaum, 1995; Hathcote and Nam, 1999). In the 1970s, considerable criticism was raised against multinational companies regarding their operations in less developed countries. Nongovernmental organizations, national and international trade unions and many host countries raised concern that these multinational companies carried out their activities without giving any considerable and attention to host countries where they subcontracting or outsourcing their clothing factories to the economic and social development of those countries. This endless criticism by a number of activists from all over parts of the world led to the establishment of voluntary labour codes of conduct by these multinational companies (White and Taft, 2004). This report therefore is a result of the search of literature review regarding the upholding of human rights standards by large clothing retailers in their day to day operations, both within their countries of origin and overseas. 1.2 Aims and Objectives The general aim of this report is to examine the trend of large clothing retailers in upholding human rights in their operations with particular emphasis to those operating in the United Kingdom. These multinational large clothing retailers in question are: Nike, Gap, Marks Spencer and Levi Straus. To realize the desired aim, the report focused on the following objectives: Â · To explore the historical background with regard to textile sector and their compliance to human rights. Â · To examine the rise of the ethical business and the effects of Voluntary Labour Standards (Codes of Conduct) in the textile industry. Â · To examine the role played by these multinational large clothing retailers in upholding human rights as well as challenges facing them. CHAPTER TWO: 2. LITERATURE REVIEW, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1.1 Human Rights, Ethics and Business Ethics defined Human rights, ethics and business ethics defined in differently ways by different authors and all the definitions in the essence of the same thing. According to Rory Sullivan, he define Human rights as a moral right that apply to all employees in all nations regardless and acknowledge and protects those rights in the sense that human right are said to be unchangeable. On the other hand, Boddy (2005) argues that human rights means the idea that people have fundamental rights and liberties, and affected, those rights include consent, privacy, conscience, free speech, fair treatment and to life and safe. Similarly, the United National Universal Declaration for Human Rights (UDHR) defines human rights as a way of the incorporated economic, social cultural rights, such as right to work, right for educations, respect for their culture and a decent standard of living (Rude Mares). Crane (2007) refers as the ethics as the study of morality and the application of reason to explain special rul es and principles that determine right and wrong for a given situation at given time, those rules and doctrine are called ethical theories. However Fritz et al, (1999), and Hunt et al (1989) define ethical company as the conduct of conduct which are positively related to employees organizational commitment. Boddy (2005) define ethics as code of right principles and values that guide the actions of people and groups through set standard of the behaviour which is acceptable, especially when an action or decision can harm others. Taylor (1975) define business ethics as the business environment and basis of right decision, principles, and set of laws of the ways of carrying out the businesses activities between different parties within the organization, such as employees, customers, suppliers and the shareholders in the determination of the what is right or wrong to all parties. White and Taft (2004) indicate that ethics have been divided into two main categories, namely: teleological and deontological. With teleological ethics the emphasis is on the consequences or results of actions. This approach to ethics takes no accoun t of whether actions are rights or wrong but rather depends on whether harm or good results from the action. On the other hand, the teleological theories, includes utilitarianism, egoism, and care. The essence of the approach maintain that acts do not have intrinsic value but should be evaluated on the basis of the actions they produce and their effects others. The utilitarianism approach is based on the early ideas from Jeremy Benthams belief in empiricism and that of John Stuart Mill in the 18th century (Rosenstad, 1997; Velasquez, 1998). Utilitarianism takes a societal perspective on costs and benefits of ethical choice, indicating that any action should be evaluated in terms of its consequences. The idea is to determine how much good or harm it causes and the effects it impart on all parties. Utilitarianism is thus meant to promote the welfare of all persons by minimizing harm and maximizing benefits. This approach gives much attention to achieving desirable effects to many people taking into consideration human rights. The recent United States health care policy is seen as one of the utilitarian-driven public policy decision, in which the change is geared to a system that provides fundamental health and illness services to everyone. With deontological approach to ethics, White and Taft (2004) explain that an action or a decision in itself has intrinsically good or bad (or right or wrong) and thus it cant be judged by the mere results. Rights, justice, fairness, truth-telling, and virtue ethics form the deontological approach of reasoning. For example, a moral person would based on what is rights to her or him in making an ethical decision, putting into consideration the moral principles, rules or regulations, regardless of the circumstances of results. 2.1.2 Sourcing in the Textile Industry Christerson and Appelbaum, (1995) pointed that during the nineties there was a massive shift in the manufacturing of clothing to low wage countries throughout the world. International companies sourced products internationally in order to achieve a cost advantage. Traditionally, the framework of competition in the textile/clothing sector is described by dividing operators into two different strategic groups in terms of production management models. Firstly, there is a group identifiable as clothing operators (either manufactures or retailers). This group is primarily concerned with designing, modelling, forecasting and contributing to the development of fashion trends. Firms in this category are busy working on marketing strategies of product designed and proposed long before the actual time of consumption. The second group includes firms that compete with one another on the basis of their ability to adjust to the fashion trends imposed by others. By doing this they ensure speed and reliability to their already secured markets. These firms compensate for the lack of product planning by virtue of a production management model whose main characteristics are rapidity and flexibility. The two groups, therefore, have different factors that lie behind their success. In the first group, priority in their operations is to make sure that they have good command and influence fashion trends associated with a strong brand image. In the second group, the emphasis is on effective marketing strategies (Hathcote and Nam, 1999). Stiff competition, shaped by globalization, clothing retailers and brand manufacturers were forced to sourced their produce and manufactured goods to low-wage, economically less developed countries (Crewe, 2004; Klein, 2000). Consequently the late 1980s and early 1990s saw traditional European and U.S. based garment and footwear companies start off shoring and outsourcing much of their production from developing countries (Jones, 2005). This trend was particularly visible in low-skilled industries, such as the garment, footwear, and toy industries (Christerson and Appelbaum, 1995; Hathcote and Nam, 1999). Under conditions of competition, individuals cannot comply with moral norms. This leads to higher costs which in turn leave them worse off than their competitors. Situations like this systematically lead to an erosion of compliance with moral norms. Via evolution, individuals behaving morally will be signed out. Karl Marx and Max Weber saw this problem clearly. Both pointed out that competitive market makes it impossible for single individuals to follow the calls of morality and self-interest at the same time. The structures of society have changed in modern times, but ethical concepts and categories have at least to a large extent not changed. Most conceptions of ethics still require us to be moderate, to share, to redistribute, to sacrifice. They call for altruism, for the priority of common good and the like. The pursuit of self interest, of individual advantages, is often still ultimately seen as something like and evil drive that needs to be tamed (Christoph, 2005). Globalization has therefore been one of the factors for previous human rights violations in many multinational companies (Misol, 2006). Ambitious to mass super profits, these multinational companies embarked on child labour exploitation, suppression of labour rights in their supply chains. This led to persistence public outcry that helped to amplify global awareness about the injustices and human rights violations done by multinational companies in their chain supply production. 2.1.3 The Rise of Ethical Business and Corporate Social Responsibility There is a wide spread attention and interest in self-regulation, corporate social responsibility that continually press many companies to adhere to human rights in their operations. Ethical business, involving corporate codes of conduct for worker welfare and environmental protection, it is a subject that has attracted significant interest from academicians, the media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for many years now (Hughes, 2005). (Crane et al 2007) indicate how the importance of business ethics it is, in attracting different massive amount attention for various people example the shouter of the consumers and pressure groups that appearing to have an increasing of the challenging the firms in the asking of the more ethical and reasonably ways of doing business. Ethical business has emerged since the early 1990s as a specific example of corporate social responsibility, most commonly involving the establishment of minimum labour standards for producers in supply chains (Hathcote and Nam, 1999). Blowfield (1999), however, highlights that the issue of ethical business is broadened to incorporate a wider range of standards, including those concerned with the environment. Furthermore corporate social responsibility stand in the implementation for set core values that includes avoiding human rights abuses, upholding the right for the workers to join or form labour unions, elimination of compulsory and child labour and avoiding workplace discrimination (Cavusgil, Knight and Riesenberger 2008) However people like the later Rev. Leon Sullivan had been much concerned about code of conduct of human rights in workplace and in 1999, he developed a set of guidelines for corporate social responsibility, he argue that for the companies operations around the world should support and follow the Global Sullivan of corporate social responsibility. The aim and objectives was to maintain economic, social, and political justice by companies where they are doing business, to support human rights and to encourage equal opportunity at all levels of employment in developed and developing countries (www.thesullivanfoundation.org). Concerns in the early 1990s over child labour, physical and verbal abuse and violations of core labour rights in the production of toys, soccer balls, rugs, and garments marked the beginning of a wave of anti-sweatshop protests and media campaigns (Varley, 1998). Some of the earliest campaigns focused on production in China for companies like Levi Strauss and others, where the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 and U.S.-China trade negotiations drew special attention to human rights abuses. Bonacich and Appelbaum (2000) mentioned other anti-sweatshop protests that brought remarkable attention regarding human rights violations were those that showed child labour in the production of soccer balls in Pakistan, rugs in India, and garments in Bangladesh and Honduras. One of the most dramatic early sweatshop scandals occurred in the U.S, in the Los Angeles, California suburb of EI Monte. It was there, in 1995, that government inspectors discovered Thai immigrants working as indentured serv ants in an apartment complex, sewing garments to be sold by major retailers, including Montgomery Ward, Target, and Sears (Su 1997). The next year, labour rights activists brought sweatshops further into the American media spotlight, by exposing child labour in a Honduran factory producing Kathie Lee Giffords line of clothing for Wal-Mart, as well as a New York City sweatshop also producing Kathie Lee Giffords brand (Bonacich and Appelbaum 2000). Further to this, the suppression of labour rights in Indonesia, El Salvador, and several shocking instances of physical abuse in other parts of the developing world raised concern. In the early 1990s activists first accused footwear companies like Nike, Wal-Mart, and the Gap of profiting from exploitation, child labour, and the suppression of labour rights in their supply chains. These companies, however, responded by denying the responsibility (Hughes, 2005). According to Cavusgil, Knight and Riesenberger (2008) activists also accused International business specifically in the case of the multinational companies for ignores human rights by exploited workers around the world mostly in labour standard; low wages factories in developing countries by create substandard working conditions, example for the sweatshops in Asia where they imported clothing and auto workers in Mexico. Jenkins et al (2002) argue that the rise of voluntary corporate code of conduct in the 1990s can be linked to some extent to the processes of globalization. They mention the specific drivers of voluntary ethical trading initiatives as being: a) the growth of global supply chains that extend beyond the reach of national governments; b) the rise in the power of corporate brands and reputation, which makes large companies vulnerable to negative publicity; c) an increase in public awareness of overseas production conditions via improvements in global communications; and d) the growing importance to the investment community of ethical performance on the part of public companies. Furthermore, there were various initiatives concerned with labour and environmental issues that were categorized as ethical business. These included: (1) Multistakeholder organizations such as the UK Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), the Dutch Fair Wear Foundation, and the Fair Labour Association and Worker Rights Consortium in the USA, which all set minimum labour standards for producers; (2) labelling initiatives such as the Kenya Flower Council, which cover industry-specific environmental and labour standards; (3) individual corporate initiatives for establishing minimum standards in supply chains (Blowfield, 1999). These early initiatives were among the significant steps in promoting ethical business. Blowfield (1999) and Jenkins et al, (2002) argue that these initiatives also developed within the context of the United Nations Global Compact such as international standards which aimed to promote corporate citizenship in the global economy. Despite the organizational differences between existing ethical trading initiatives, most companies used some kind of code of conduct as the key tool for establishing workplace standards. 2.1.4 Voluntary Labour Standards (Codes of Conduct) Pressures on multinational companies by anti-sweatshop groups, labour unions, shareholders, activists, and consumer groups played an important role for companies to adopt labour standards. Standards refer with corporate code standard mention International by ILO (International Labour Organization) to the extent to which is explicitly or implicitly can either be done through the inclusion of the basic provisions of international organizations in the corporate codes standards (Van Tulder Kolk, 2002). Similarly, there were also greater pressures from governmental campaigns all over the world. Where in European countries, some of the government such as France were be advocating for greater attention to human rights in the sphere of international business. Along with such efforts from various countries, the European Commission had been carried out a research in the international subcontracting companies about the social aspect of textile clothing and footwear firms. Aiming to the extent in which the researches discover that these multinational companies adhered to human rights in their operations (Kolk and van Tulder, 2002). In 1996, President Clinton Launched the White House Apparel Industry on Workplace Standard (AIP), he launched the AIP after seen the violation of human rights in the clothing industries by multinational companies, the aim was to established standards and to ensure apparel and footwear were not made under sweatshops working conditions (Meyer and De Wit (2004). Due to the human right violation in textiles sectors precisely in the sweatshops conditions, The Clinton Administration established campaign against sweatshops in the clothing Textiles worked under sweatshops conditions in USA, the campaign was called No-Sweat and was introduced for the purpose fighting against sweatshops in which resulted to establishment of the Trendsetter List of companies in the Textiles Clothing and Footwear Factories. The campaign was aiming for the Clothing Textiles Factories to respect human rights and labour legislation in the production and marketing activities of the clothing and footwear in general, to make sure that both the clothing companies and their subcontracting companies as are, they must significant put into consideration and respecting these rights. The lack of the about not respect the rights, a number of labour legislation and human rights had been identified by the Department of Labour in the Textiles Clothing and Footwear factories, in subcontracting in particular of apparel production, facing the multinational companies, that was exploitation with a number of cases involving in human rights particularly the immigrant workers in sweatshops established on the United States regional, took steps to clean up the sectors. However, United States boundary put up on the sweatshops issue, took up steps to clean the sector (Elliot and Freeman (2001). Specifically in the area of child labour and, for example, the United States Government took a number of steps to alleviate the problems. Between 1994 and 1996 because of the important of the issue, the Bureau of International Labour affairs managed to organize three public gatherings to have views on child labour. These public platforms brought together a number of activists and the public at large to discuss various issues related to child labour. Specifically, they focused on the worst conditions of child abuse in the less developed countries that they exported products to the United States. A number of resolutions were made but all geared to put to end the merciless violations of human rights and child labour (Elliot and Freeman (2001). The Association of the Clothing Manufacturers of the USA and the Amalgamated Clothing Textiles Workers Union in 1995 agreed to have a National Branch for Collective Agreement. The agreement among other things included: the need to establish minimum standards regarding number of working hours, wages, and working conditions. In addition, the agreement also focused on a number of issues ranging from non-intolerance forced work, child employee, liberty of association, to occupational safety and health (White and Taft, 2004; and Giwerth, 1982). This was a trend in many parts of the world. Several national and multinational organizations and trade unions endeavoured to draw attention to respect human rights. Pressures from activities increased the formation of human rights association and in 1998 established of the Fair Labour Associations (FLA) to the overseas compliance, the Workplace Code of Conduct. The goals of Fair Labour Association (FLA) were for the companies required to monitor t heir own factories and their subcontractors to make sure there is compliance of the Code of Conduct in the textile factories (Meyer and De Wit, 2004). Klein (1999) pointed out that many firms had invested heavily in branding and reputation capital and therefore any high profile scandals and political pressures could tarnish their reputation. In the face of such pressure, it was not surprising that firms adopted voluntary standards to try to deflect criticism, pre-empt regulation, and signal their social responsibility to consumers and investors. The important factor in adoption of voluntary labour codes was to uphold public image which the company wanted to project to its customers, employees, suppliers and shareholders. Thus the clothing retailers public image became important than anything else. These multinational companies worked hard to clear their images and had no option but to promote codes of conduct. The public image was particularly important because it determined the extent to which the companys products could be bought. Given the rapidly growing competition in the global markets and communication in technology, it was essential for a company to improve the working conditions in its operations and retain its good image to customers (Kolk and van 2002). The United Nation Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly in 1948 (Schulz, 2001). The declaration proclaims on the issue of the slavery or servitude subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment put them into detention or exile and arbitrary arrest subjected. Moreover the declaration goes on to proclaim that everyone needs to live in liberty and everyone have a right to security, everyone have equal protection against any discrimination, and everyone have a the rights for work, everyone have free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work, and to protection against unemployment as a result of discrimination has entitled. The international Labour organization (ILO) was created in 1919 as a tripartite organization of government, business, and union representatives from 174 nations. Since then, it has adopted 177 lengthy labour conventions or standards. Seven of these are considered fundamental human rights, addressing issues such as forced labour, equal pay for men and women, discrimination in the workplace, and the minimum age for employment (White and Taft, 2004). Organizations such as Amnesty International have specified clearly workers right such as freedom of association, the right of collective bargaining and working conditions and soon. The organization is for Human Rights and as Watch Report on human rights well being all around the world and strives to ensure the protection and progression of them as well. Amnesty International is an organization whose vision was derived from the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was adopted by the General Assembly Resolution in 1948. It is adopted for the reasons monitoring the protection and standard of human rights as were established in thirty articles that later set the primary foundation to the policies and standard that carried out by NGOs and other agencies with the purpose to protect and promote fundamental rights (www.amnesty.org). The Social Accountability International (SAI), established in 1977, is an organization that for promotes human rights for workers around the world. Its SA8000 standards are obtained from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention. The standards are designed to make workplace more humane and also to offer more benefits for the companies and its employees. Employees that work under SA8000 standards they have profit from the enhanced opportunity of collective bargaining and to organize trade unions. Also, employees become more educated about their rights which in turn, commits to have assurance for a better work environment. The companies as whole, benefits from the SA8000 guidelines because it strengthens and put company values into action and enhances the company reputation (Krage, 2007). The International Labour Organization Declaration (ILO) on the Fundamental Principles at work were adopted in 1998 and was an expression of commitment by governments, employers and workers organizations to uphold basic human rights (Kolk et al 2001).The Declaration covers four areas; liberty of the trade union and the right to collective bargaining, elimination of forced and compulsory work, Abolition of child employee and elimination of discrimination of human rights. The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights were developed by governments of the U.S. UK, Norway, Netherlands and NGOs, who all were have the common interest in human rights and corporate social responsibility (voluntaryprinciple.org). There were six principles that all participants agents agreed on in order to promote and protect human rights in multinational companies. The six Voluntary Principle as stated on their website are as follows: acknowledge that security is a fundamental need; Understanding that governments have the primary responsibility to promote and protect human rights; Particularly those set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human rights; Emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the integrity of company personnel and property; Taking note of the effect of those companies, activities and decisions affect the local community; Understanding that useful, credible information is a major component of security and human rights. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is multi-stakeholder governed institution that provides global standards for the promotion of sustainable development. Judy Henderson, immediate past-Chair, Board of Directors says The GRI is a unique, multi-stakeholder organization founded on the conviction consistent, regular and comparable reporting, provides transparency and can be a powerful catalyst to improve performance (globalreporting.org). There are nearly 1000 organization in over 60 countries that have established their involvement with the GRI reporting framework. This reporting framework guides corporations and organizations on the reporting their sustainability performance to promote company progression and improvement in all area of business. The reporting guidelines contain principles, guidance, and standard disclosures that formulate a structure that cooperating organizations can voluntarily adopt (www.globalreporting.org). The UNs Global Compact is a purely voluntary guide to promoting responsible corporate citizenship. Its two main objectives are: to mainstream its ten (10) principles in business activities around the world and initiate actions to support United Nations goals (www.unglobalcompact.org) 2.1.5 Adoption of Voluntary Labour Standards (Codes of Conduct) by Multinational Companies and their Impact The rapid diffusion of labour standards (codes of conduct) stems from the response to external pressures (actual or threatened) from media, activists, government, and consumers (Shaw, 1999). In a like manner, (H Supply Chain Human Rights in Clothing Retailers Supply Chain Human Rights in Clothing Retailers EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The present report is about the Importance of upholding human standards of the workers both inside and outside their home countries in the large clothing retailers. Human rights still remain to be one of the most challenging issues all over the world because of international variations in politics, history, social and cultural differences. The implementation of human rights, however, does not go unexcused in any place of situation regardless of the circumstances. Upholding of human rights is very important and it is the fundamental right of every human being. This report specifically focused on the Clothing Retailers operating in the United Kingdom. These include: Nike, Gap, Levi Strauss and Marks and Spencer. The task of this report was to examine how these multinational firms uphold human rights in their operations all over the world. The report has found out that among other factors, globalisation also contributed to a great extent for international firms to violate human rights. In the 1980s, shaped by globalization, clothing retailers and brand manufacturers were forced to source their produce and manufactured goods from low-wage, economically less developed countries. These less developed countries were in most cases characterised by child labour, sexual harassment, and intolerable working conditions. Global awareness about inhuman conditions in working places drew together voices of numerous activists from all over the world to divert the trend. During the 1970s, various national and multinational organization, Non governmental organization and trade unions accused these clothing retailers companies for violating human rights. These multinational companies were specifically blamed for their failure to put into consideration the economic level of less developed countries in which they operated. This criticism led to establishment of voluntary labour codes by these companies in an effort to uphold their image. Most of these voluntary labour codes adopted principles in the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions. Among other things, this report examines the historical aspect of clothing retailers and the challenges involved in upholding human rights in their supply chain production. The report further examines the role played by these clothing retailers in upholding human rights in their operations all over the world. CHAPTER ONE: 1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1.1. Introduction Human rights or sometimes referred to as natural rights are free and fundamental liberties entitled to an individual without the interference from any government or group of people for whatever reasons. A persons civil liberties are protected by the constitutions that define them and the organizations that exist to promote them. Under any circumstances the implementation of human rights does not go unexcused in any place or situation. Every individual regardless of his/her social economic status deserves to be treated with dignity. But due to rapid economic development, multinational companies are becoming more susceptible to violating human rights because of increasing international competition, undistributed wealth, and weak national laws (Krage, 2007). The World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization (2004) in one of its reports indicated that the global economy is changing in many ways. These massive changes affect multinational investment, capital markets, technology and business, more specifically impacting companies, consumers, workers and governments. The report further concludes that globalization has led to interdependence in economic relations that has created more opportunities for the advancement in business, investment, finance, organization of global production, and also more social and political interaction between organizations and individual around the world (World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, 2004). It is unfortunate that not all countries are developing with the same pace and outcomes. Some countries specifically the developing countries, cannot utilize these rapidly growing expansion to their advantages (Misol, 2006). For example, there are plenty of evidences that increasing g lobal competition puts workers human rights in jeopardy because company protection standards are lowered and an employees civil liberties are often denied (Christerson and Applelbaum, 1995; Hathcote and Nam, 1999). In the 1970s, considerable criticism was raised against multinational companies regarding their operations in less developed countries. Nongovernmental organizations, national and international trade unions and many host countries raised concern that these multinational companies carried out their activities without giving any considerable and attention to host countries where they subcontracting or outsourcing their clothing factories to the economic and social development of those countries. This endless criticism by a number of activists from all over parts of the world led to the establishment of voluntary labour codes of conduct by these multinational companies (White and Taft, 2004). This report therefore is a result of the search of literature review regarding the upholding of human rights standards by large clothing retailers in their day to day operations, both within their countries of origin and overseas. 1.2 Aims and Objectives The general aim of this report is to examine the trend of large clothing retailers in upholding human rights in their operations with particular emphasis to those operating in the United Kingdom. These multinational large clothing retailers in question are: Nike, Gap, Marks Spencer and Levi Straus. To realize the desired aim, the report focused on the following objectives: Â · To explore the historical background with regard to textile sector and their compliance to human rights. Â · To examine the rise of the ethical business and the effects of Voluntary Labour Standards (Codes of Conduct) in the textile industry. Â · To examine the role played by these multinational large clothing retailers in upholding human rights as well as challenges facing them. CHAPTER TWO: 2. LITERATURE REVIEW, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1.1 Human Rights, Ethics and Business Ethics defined Human rights, ethics and business ethics defined in differently ways by different authors and all the definitions in the essence of the same thing. According to Rory Sullivan, he define Human rights as a moral right that apply to all employees in all nations regardless and acknowledge and protects those rights in the sense that human right are said to be unchangeable. On the other hand, Boddy (2005) argues that human rights means the idea that people have fundamental rights and liberties, and affected, those rights include consent, privacy, conscience, free speech, fair treatment and to life and safe. Similarly, the United National Universal Declaration for Human Rights (UDHR) defines human rights as a way of the incorporated economic, social cultural rights, such as right to work, right for educations, respect for their culture and a decent standard of living (Rude Mares). Crane (2007) refers as the ethics as the study of morality and the application of reason to explain special rul es and principles that determine right and wrong for a given situation at given time, those rules and doctrine are called ethical theories. However Fritz et al, (1999), and Hunt et al (1989) define ethical company as the conduct of conduct which are positively related to employees organizational commitment. Boddy (2005) define ethics as code of right principles and values that guide the actions of people and groups through set standard of the behaviour which is acceptable, especially when an action or decision can harm others. Taylor (1975) define business ethics as the business environment and basis of right decision, principles, and set of laws of the ways of carrying out the businesses activities between different parties within the organization, such as employees, customers, suppliers and the shareholders in the determination of the what is right or wrong to all parties. White and Taft (2004) indicate that ethics have been divided into two main categories, namely: teleological and deontological. With teleological ethics the emphasis is on the consequences or results of actions. This approach to ethics takes no accoun t of whether actions are rights or wrong but rather depends on whether harm or good results from the action. On the other hand, the teleological theories, includes utilitarianism, egoism, and care. The essence of the approach maintain that acts do not have intrinsic value but should be evaluated on the basis of the actions they produce and their effects others. The utilitarianism approach is based on the early ideas from Jeremy Benthams belief in empiricism and that of John Stuart Mill in the 18th century (Rosenstad, 1997; Velasquez, 1998). Utilitarianism takes a societal perspective on costs and benefits of ethical choice, indicating that any action should be evaluated in terms of its consequences. The idea is to determine how much good or harm it causes and the effects it impart on all parties. Utilitarianism is thus meant to promote the welfare of all persons by minimizing harm and maximizing benefits. This approach gives much attention to achieving desirable effects to many people taking into consideration human rights. The recent United States health care policy is seen as one of the utilitarian-driven public policy decision, in which the change is geared to a system that provides fundamental health and illness services to everyone. With deontological approach to ethics, White and Taft (2004) explain that an action or a decision in itself has intrinsically good or bad (or right or wrong) and thus it cant be judged by the mere results. Rights, justice, fairness, truth-telling, and virtue ethics form the deontological approach of reasoning. For example, a moral person would based on what is rights to her or him in making an ethical decision, putting into consideration the moral principles, rules or regulations, regardless of the circumstances of results. 2.1.2 Sourcing in the Textile Industry Christerson and Appelbaum, (1995) pointed that during the nineties there was a massive shift in the manufacturing of clothing to low wage countries throughout the world. International companies sourced products internationally in order to achieve a cost advantage. Traditionally, the framework of competition in the textile/clothing sector is described by dividing operators into two different strategic groups in terms of production management models. Firstly, there is a group identifiable as clothing operators (either manufactures or retailers). This group is primarily concerned with designing, modelling, forecasting and contributing to the development of fashion trends. Firms in this category are busy working on marketing strategies of product designed and proposed long before the actual time of consumption. The second group includes firms that compete with one another on the basis of their ability to adjust to the fashion trends imposed by others. By doing this they ensure speed and reliability to their already secured markets. These firms compensate for the lack of product planning by virtue of a production management model whose main characteristics are rapidity and flexibility. The two groups, therefore, have different factors that lie behind their success. In the first group, priority in their operations is to make sure that they have good command and influence fashion trends associated with a strong brand image. In the second group, the emphasis is on effective marketing strategies (Hathcote and Nam, 1999). Stiff competition, shaped by globalization, clothing retailers and brand manufacturers were forced to sourced their produce and manufactured goods to low-wage, economically less developed countries (Crewe, 2004; Klein, 2000). Consequently the late 1980s and early 1990s saw traditional European and U.S. based garment and footwear companies start off shoring and outsourcing much of their production from developing countries (Jones, 2005). This trend was particularly visible in low-skilled industries, such as the garment, footwear, and toy industries (Christerson and Appelbaum, 1995; Hathcote and Nam, 1999). Under conditions of competition, individuals cannot comply with moral norms. This leads to higher costs which in turn leave them worse off than their competitors. Situations like this systematically lead to an erosion of compliance with moral norms. Via evolution, individuals behaving morally will be signed out. Karl Marx and Max Weber saw this problem clearly. Both pointed out that competitive market makes it impossible for single individuals to follow the calls of morality and self-interest at the same time. The structures of society have changed in modern times, but ethical concepts and categories have at least to a large extent not changed. Most conceptions of ethics still require us to be moderate, to share, to redistribute, to sacrifice. They call for altruism, for the priority of common good and the like. The pursuit of self interest, of individual advantages, is often still ultimately seen as something like and evil drive that needs to be tamed (Christoph, 2005). Globalization has therefore been one of the factors for previous human rights violations in many multinational companies (Misol, 2006). Ambitious to mass super profits, these multinational companies embarked on child labour exploitation, suppression of labour rights in their supply chains. This led to persistence public outcry that helped to amplify global awareness about the injustices and human rights violations done by multinational companies in their chain supply production. 2.1.3 The Rise of Ethical Business and Corporate Social Responsibility There is a wide spread attention and interest in self-regulation, corporate social responsibility that continually press many companies to adhere to human rights in their operations. Ethical business, involving corporate codes of conduct for worker welfare and environmental protection, it is a subject that has attracted significant interest from academicians, the media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for many years now (Hughes, 2005). (Crane et al 2007) indicate how the importance of business ethics it is, in attracting different massive amount attention for various people example the shouter of the consumers and pressure groups that appearing to have an increasing of the challenging the firms in the asking of the more ethical and reasonably ways of doing business. Ethical business has emerged since the early 1990s as a specific example of corporate social responsibility, most commonly involving the establishment of minimum labour standards for producers in supply chains (Hathcote and Nam, 1999). Blowfield (1999), however, highlights that the issue of ethical business is broadened to incorporate a wider range of standards, including those concerned with the environment. Furthermore corporate social responsibility stand in the implementation for set core values that includes avoiding human rights abuses, upholding the right for the workers to join or form labour unions, elimination of compulsory and child labour and avoiding workplace discrimination (Cavusgil, Knight and Riesenberger 2008) However people like the later Rev. Leon Sullivan had been much concerned about code of conduct of human rights in workplace and in 1999, he developed a set of guidelines for corporate social responsibility, he argue that for the companies operations around the world should support and follow the Global Sullivan of corporate social responsibility. The aim and objectives was to maintain economic, social, and political justice by companies where they are doing business, to support human rights and to encourage equal opportunity at all levels of employment in developed and developing countries (www.thesullivanfoundation.org). Concerns in the early 1990s over child labour, physical and verbal abuse and violations of core labour rights in the production of toys, soccer balls, rugs, and garments marked the beginning of a wave of anti-sweatshop protests and media campaigns (Varley, 1998). Some of the earliest campaigns focused on production in China for companies like Levi Strauss and others, where the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 and U.S.-China trade negotiations drew special attention to human rights abuses. Bonacich and Appelbaum (2000) mentioned other anti-sweatshop protests that brought remarkable attention regarding human rights violations were those that showed child labour in the production of soccer balls in Pakistan, rugs in India, and garments in Bangladesh and Honduras. One of the most dramatic early sweatshop scandals occurred in the U.S, in the Los Angeles, California suburb of EI Monte. It was there, in 1995, that government inspectors discovered Thai immigrants working as indentured serv ants in an apartment complex, sewing garments to be sold by major retailers, including Montgomery Ward, Target, and Sears (Su 1997). The next year, labour rights activists brought sweatshops further into the American media spotlight, by exposing child labour in a Honduran factory producing Kathie Lee Giffords line of clothing for Wal-Mart, as well as a New York City sweatshop also producing Kathie Lee Giffords brand (Bonacich and Appelbaum 2000). Further to this, the suppression of labour rights in Indonesia, El Salvador, and several shocking instances of physical abuse in other parts of the developing world raised concern. In the early 1990s activists first accused footwear companies like Nike, Wal-Mart, and the Gap of profiting from exploitation, child labour, and the suppression of labour rights in their supply chains. These companies, however, responded by denying the responsibility (Hughes, 2005). According to Cavusgil, Knight and Riesenberger (2008) activists also accused International business specifically in the case of the multinational companies for ignores human rights by exploited workers around the world mostly in labour standard; low wages factories in developing countries by create substandard working conditions, example for the sweatshops in Asia where they imported clothing and auto workers in Mexico. Jenkins et al (2002) argue that the rise of voluntary corporate code of conduct in the 1990s can be linked to some extent to the processes of globalization. They mention the specific drivers of voluntary ethical trading initiatives as being: a) the growth of global supply chains that extend beyond the reach of national governments; b) the rise in the power of corporate brands and reputation, which makes large companies vulnerable to negative publicity; c) an increase in public awareness of overseas production conditions via improvements in global communications; and d) the growing importance to the investment community of ethical performance on the part of public companies. Furthermore, there were various initiatives concerned with labour and environmental issues that were categorized as ethical business. These included: (1) Multistakeholder organizations such as the UK Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), the Dutch Fair Wear Foundation, and the Fair Labour Association and Worker Rights Consortium in the USA, which all set minimum labour standards for producers; (2) labelling initiatives such as the Kenya Flower Council, which cover industry-specific environmental and labour standards; (3) individual corporate initiatives for establishing minimum standards in supply chains (Blowfield, 1999). These early initiatives were among the significant steps in promoting ethical business. Blowfield (1999) and Jenkins et al, (2002) argue that these initiatives also developed within the context of the United Nations Global Compact such as international standards which aimed to promote corporate citizenship in the global economy. Despite the organizational differences between existing ethical trading initiatives, most companies used some kind of code of conduct as the key tool for establishing workplace standards. 2.1.4 Voluntary Labour Standards (Codes of Conduct) Pressures on multinational companies by anti-sweatshop groups, labour unions, shareholders, activists, and consumer groups played an important role for companies to adopt labour standards. Standards refer with corporate code standard mention International by ILO (International Labour Organization) to the extent to which is explicitly or implicitly can either be done through the inclusion of the basic provisions of international organizations in the corporate codes standards (Van Tulder Kolk, 2002). Similarly, there were also greater pressures from governmental campaigns all over the world. Where in European countries, some of the government such as France were be advocating for greater attention to human rights in the sphere of international business. Along with such efforts from various countries, the European Commission had been carried out a research in the international subcontracting companies about the social aspect of textile clothing and footwear firms. Aiming to the extent in which the researches discover that these multinational companies adhered to human rights in their operations (Kolk and van Tulder, 2002). In 1996, President Clinton Launched the White House Apparel Industry on Workplace Standard (AIP), he launched the AIP after seen the violation of human rights in the clothing industries by multinational companies, the aim was to established standards and to ensure apparel and footwear were not made under sweatshops working conditions (Meyer and De Wit (2004). Due to the human right violation in textiles sectors precisely in the sweatshops conditions, The Clinton Administration established campaign against sweatshops in the clothing Textiles worked under sweatshops conditions in USA, the campaign was called No-Sweat and was introduced for the purpose fighting against sweatshops in which resulted to establishment of the Trendsetter List of companies in the Textiles Clothing and Footwear Factories. The campaign was aiming for the Clothing Textiles Factories to respect human rights and labour legislation in the production and marketing activities of the clothing and footwear in general, to make sure that both the clothing companies and their subcontracting companies as are, they must significant put into consideration and respecting these rights. The lack of the about not respect the rights, a number of labour legislation and human rights had been identified by the Department of Labour in the Textiles Clothing and Footwear factories, in subcontracting in particular of apparel production, facing the multinational companies, that was exploitation with a number of cases involving in human rights particularly the immigrant workers in sweatshops established on the United States regional, took steps to clean up the sectors. However, United States boundary put up on the sweatshops issue, took up steps to clean the sector (Elliot and Freeman (2001). Specifically in the area of child labour and, for example, the United States Government took a number of steps to alleviate the problems. Between 1994 and 1996 because of the important of the issue, the Bureau of International Labour affairs managed to organize three public gatherings to have views on child labour. These public platforms brought together a number of activists and the public at large to discuss various issues related to child labour. Specifically, they focused on the worst conditions of child abuse in the less developed countries that they exported products to the United States. A number of resolutions were made but all geared to put to end the merciless violations of human rights and child labour (Elliot and Freeman (2001). The Association of the Clothing Manufacturers of the USA and the Amalgamated Clothing Textiles Workers Union in 1995 agreed to have a National Branch for Collective Agreement. The agreement among other things included: the need to establish minimum standards regarding number of working hours, wages, and working conditions. In addition, the agreement also focused on a number of issues ranging from non-intolerance forced work, child employee, liberty of association, to occupational safety and health (White and Taft, 2004; and Giwerth, 1982). This was a trend in many parts of the world. Several national and multinational organizations and trade unions endeavoured to draw attention to respect human rights. Pressures from activities increased the formation of human rights association and in 1998 established of the Fair Labour Associations (FLA) to the overseas compliance, the Workplace Code of Conduct. The goals of Fair Labour Association (FLA) were for the companies required to monitor t heir own factories and their subcontractors to make sure there is compliance of the Code of Conduct in the textile factories (Meyer and De Wit, 2004). Klein (1999) pointed out that many firms had invested heavily in branding and reputation capital and therefore any high profile scandals and political pressures could tarnish their reputation. In the face of such pressure, it was not surprising that firms adopted voluntary standards to try to deflect criticism, pre-empt regulation, and signal their social responsibility to consumers and investors. The important factor in adoption of voluntary labour codes was to uphold public image which the company wanted to project to its customers, employees, suppliers and shareholders. Thus the clothing retailers public image became important than anything else. These multinational companies worked hard to clear their images and had no option but to promote codes of conduct. The public image was particularly important because it determined the extent to which the companys products could be bought. Given the rapidly growing competition in the global markets and communication in technology, it was essential for a company to improve the working conditions in its operations and retain its good image to customers (Kolk and van 2002). The United Nation Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly in 1948 (Schulz, 2001). The declaration proclaims on the issue of the slavery or servitude subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment put them into detention or exile and arbitrary arrest subjected. Moreover the declaration goes on to proclaim that everyone needs to live in liberty and everyone have a right to security, everyone have equal protection against any discrimination, and everyone have a the rights for work, everyone have free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work, and to protection against unemployment as a result of discrimination has entitled. The international Labour organization (ILO) was created in 1919 as a tripartite organization of government, business, and union representatives from 174 nations. Since then, it has adopted 177 lengthy labour conventions or standards. Seven of these are considered fundamental human rights, addressing issues such as forced labour, equal pay for men and women, discrimination in the workplace, and the minimum age for employment (White and Taft, 2004). Organizations such as Amnesty International have specified clearly workers right such as freedom of association, the right of collective bargaining and working conditions and soon. The organization is for Human Rights and as Watch Report on human rights well being all around the world and strives to ensure the protection and progression of them as well. Amnesty International is an organization whose vision was derived from the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was adopted by the General Assembly Resolution in 1948. It is adopted for the reasons monitoring the protection and standard of human rights as were established in thirty articles that later set the primary foundation to the policies and standard that carried out by NGOs and other agencies with the purpose to protect and promote fundamental rights (www.amnesty.org). The Social Accountability International (SAI), established in 1977, is an organization that for promotes human rights for workers around the world. Its SA8000 standards are obtained from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention. The standards are designed to make workplace more humane and also to offer more benefits for the companies and its employees. Employees that work under SA8000 standards they have profit from the enhanced opportunity of collective bargaining and to organize trade unions. Also, employees become more educated about their rights which in turn, commits to have assurance for a better work environment. The companies as whole, benefits from the SA8000 guidelines because it strengthens and put company values into action and enhances the company reputation (Krage, 2007). The International Labour Organization Declaration (ILO) on the Fundamental Principles at work were adopted in 1998 and was an expression of commitment by governments, employers and workers organizations to uphold basic human rights (Kolk et al 2001).The Declaration covers four areas; liberty of the trade union and the right to collective bargaining, elimination of forced and compulsory work, Abolition of child employee and elimination of discrimination of human rights. The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights were developed by governments of the U.S. UK, Norway, Netherlands and NGOs, who all were have the common interest in human rights and corporate social responsibility (voluntaryprinciple.org). There were six principles that all participants agents agreed on in order to promote and protect human rights in multinational companies. The six Voluntary Principle as stated on their website are as follows: acknowledge that security is a fundamental need; Understanding that governments have the primary responsibility to promote and protect human rights; Particularly those set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human rights; Emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the integrity of company personnel and property; Taking note of the effect of those companies, activities and decisions affect the local community; Understanding that useful, credible information is a major component of security and human rights. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is multi-stakeholder governed institution that provides global standards for the promotion of sustainable development. Judy Henderson, immediate past-Chair, Board of Directors says The GRI is a unique, multi-stakeholder organization founded on the conviction consistent, regular and comparable reporting, provides transparency and can be a powerful catalyst to improve performance (globalreporting.org). There are nearly 1000 organization in over 60 countries that have established their involvement with the GRI reporting framework. This reporting framework guides corporations and organizations on the reporting their sustainability performance to promote company progression and improvement in all area of business. The reporting guidelines contain principles, guidance, and standard disclosures that formulate a structure that cooperating organizations can voluntarily adopt (www.globalreporting.org). The UNs Global Compact is a purely voluntary guide to promoting responsible corporate citizenship. Its two main objectives are: to mainstream its ten (10) principles in business activities around the world and initiate actions to support United Nations goals (www.unglobalcompact.org) 2.1.5 Adoption of Voluntary Labour Standards (Codes of Conduct) by Multinational Companies and their Impact The rapid diffusion of labour standards (codes of conduct) stems from the response to external pressures (actual or threatened) from media, activists, government, and consumers (Shaw, 1999). In a like manner, (H