...in a documentary about Indonesian Nike sweatshops; capitalism was referred to as “the survival of the fittest.” Capitalism is an economic system where the majority of the means of production are owned privately, production is guided, and income is distributed mostly through the operation of markets; in this case capitalists would be the “fittest.” However, there are two more types of people: laborers and consumers. Laborers are those who sell their labor to the capitalists, ideally for livable wages, and consumers are those who purchase the goods or services that are demanded. Ironically, capitalism would be non-existent if it was not for laborers and consumers but these are the people that are seen as “not fit enough.” There are different approaches to capitalism; one of them is called outsourcing. Companies outsource because “outsourcing can be such an approach and one of the strategies that can lead to greater competitiveness. (Ahmad)” Outsourcing can help firms because products that may cost one amount to create may have a significantly lower production cost in another country due to resources that are available in that geographic location. However, as the living necessities and wages rise in the United States, companies like Nike have decided to outsource their labor to take advantage of lower safety standards and a cheaper work force; “Nike employs approximately 23,000 people worldwide…it has been accused of unfair labor practices in Asia. (Goldman)” “One of the major issues...
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...Section‐B Case Study: A Bill with A Class Act The role of a well‐functioning financial market is to create conditions wherein the savings in the economy can be smoothly channelized into investments. To make this transmission smooth and attractive for all stakeholders, it’s important that everyone plays by the rules. So, the rules have to be well defined and the interests of all stakeholders adequately protected. Stock markets in India are regulated and monitored by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Its mandate is to work for the betterment of the market and protect investors’ interest. SEBI constantly works towards improving the rules and laws governing the stock markets and this year was no different. It made several changes in areas such as compliance by listed companies, improving the quality and presentation of information for investors at the time of public issues, and making the grievance redressal system more investor friendly. However, the most important change of the year was the passage of The Companies Act, 2013, which will bring in significant changes in the way companies function and is likely to better protect the interest of shareholders. Among other things, the new law provides details for the buyout of the minority shareholders and simplifies the rules for mergers. The most notable idea of the Act is the provision for class action suit. Shareholders and depositors in a company can now hold the management accountable in case of wrongdoing...
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...is the largest retailer in the world, the biggest private-sector employer in North America, and one of the most dominant and influential corporations in the America. It has become one of America's most successful retail chains by offering everyday goods at low prices for working families, and despite all of its financial successes, the company can’t open a store without enduring -- and overcoming -- a flood of protest groups. These groups might defend the environment or local store owners, or they might defend the store’s future employees, since Wal-Mart’s reputation for unfair labor practices involves sexual discrimination, denying unionization and offering wages so terrible that some employees have to rely on social services to get by. Although Wal-Mart portrays an image of servitude and charity to the community, this multi-million corporation is responsible for inhumane, unjust and shameful practices in the United States and abroad, and whether people Love it or hate it, Wal-Mart is, in many places and for many people, inescapable. Much like work and taxes and eventual death. There is no question that Wal-Mart's relentless drive to squeeze out costs has benefited consumers, but Some experts contend Wal-Mart's "everyday low prices" are causing a clash between the interests of Americans as workers and the desires of Americans as consumers. "If people were only consumers, buying things at lower prices would be just good. But people also are workers who need...
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...“As a company thrives in its home country it is only normal to think about either reaching to outside boundaries or outsourcing. It has become a norm in today’s business that once they have reached a certain success that they must try elsewhere. This does come with many different issues such as a financial risk, different culture issues, and taking jobs away from our country. Controversy will arise either way it is looked at so it makes it almost unfair” Nike, Inc. is highly recognized name and logo not only in the U.S, but also around the entire world. This is because Nike is an American multinational corporation that is highly engaged in the design, development, and manufacturing. They are also responsible for being the world's largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment because of the proper worldwide marketing and selling of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services. The company was founded on January 25, 1964, as Blue Ribbon Sports, by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight and officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1971. The company takes its name from Nike the Greek goddess of victory. Now that we have a brief history lesson of Nike let’s get into some of the culture issues they have faced and face since they have globalized. When a contract factory wishes to do business with Nike or one its many subsidiaries, it is critical that the owners and/or managers in the supply chain understand the cultural differences...
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...Assignment 1: Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies NIKE INC The rivalry in the sportswear industry is as intense as it has ever been. According to Forbes, the global sports apparel market will grow at an estimated CAGR of 4% from 2012-2019. Some of the key players Nike, Adidas, Puma and Rebook are now competing with rapidly growing competitors Under Armour and Lululemon Athletica. In such a saturated domestic market, major players like Nike will have to set itself apart by focusing more on Image and Global strategies vs. product line. Company Overview Mission Statement: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.” - Bill Bowerman (co-founder of Nike) Nike Inc designs, develops, markets and sells high quality footwear, apparel, and equipment, accessories and services. Their product lines range between seven key categories: running, basketball, football, men’s training, women’s training, Nike Sportswear, and action sports. They are the leader in the industry, producing 25.3 billion in 2013 fiscal revenues. Nike is about recognizing sustainability as a route to future probability. Ethical and Social Responsibilities With the growing competition and product line equal, consumer perceptions of Nike will play a critical role in building the brand and competitive advantage. Improving image with respect too Ethical and...
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...Kendrick Meekins - 12/9/12 Assignment 7.2 A northern facility within our company experienced a union campaign in 2010. The employees were angry about the company relocating it distribution capabilities to another location. The move was to improve cost competitiveness but associates viewed the decision as a threat to their job security since approximately 40% of the workforce would lose their jobs. The union campaign challenged the interest of all parties. Some employees viewed the campaign as an opportunity to achieve job security while other employees felt that a union would not change the reality that their facility was not cost competitive for the company. The company’s leadership made a tough decision to improve our company’s delivery performance and long term outlook but felt their plans were challenged by a campaign. The customers saw the campaign as a threat to our company’s delivery commitments and a potentially disrupted supply chain through the duration of the campaign. Ultimately, the workforce did not vote for the union but the door was open for dialogue and change. The HR department had the responsibility to uphold one of our company’s core values. Our company’s value of “independence” influenced the creation of a union avoidance strategy that, at its core, fosters an environment where associates can freely represent themselves in any matter and expect the company to work directly with associates to resolve their issue. An HR Professional should ethically...
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...Taft–Hartley Act The Labor-Management Relation Act, also called the Taft–Hartley Act, as an amendment to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was created in 1947, with the purpose of solving labor disputes during collective bargaining or conflicts between employees and employers that would seriously damage the U.S industrial development. Totally, there are 5 titles and 29 sections in this law. In my opinion, the 5 most important sections of this law are Sec.1, Sec 201, Sec.203, Sec.301, and Sec.303. And the following reasons explain why I think these five sections are the most important comparing to other sections. * Section 1 described the short title of Labor Management Relation Act and declared the policy of this law. The policy is that industrial strife which interferes with the normal flow and the full production of commerce must be avoided and minimized by both sides’ recognition of one another’s legitimates rights in their labor relations with each other. Further, the overall purpose of this law was also stated in this section: “to promote the full flow of commerce, to prescribe the legitimate rights of both employees and employers in their relations affecting commerce, to provide orderly and peaceful procedures for preventing the interference by either with the legitimate rights of the other , to protect the rights of individual employees in their relations with labor organization, to define and proscribe practices on the part of labor and management which affect...
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...Business, Management Other Human Resources Management Hi, A good way to address a question like this one is to critically read the scenario, jotting this down and commenting throughout. Let’s do that now (comments are bracketed and highlighted in red): The employer owned and managed an apartment building and townhouse complex, where it employed a number of janitorial workers (“at-will” workers). On December 5, 1975, the union held an organizing meeting with these workers and obtained signed authorization cards from 6 of the employees in a proposed unit of 11 employees. One other employee in the unit was already a member of the union (7 out of 11 workers part of the union). On December 8, 1975, Orval Schimmel (union organizer brought in by employees), * a union organizer, advised Thomas Hall, the employer's property manager, that the union represented recognition and bargaining rights (Schimmel stated that union requested recognition on Dec 8, 1975). Hall responded that he had nothing to do with union matters and that the appropriate person with whom to speak was the vice president, Carl Alton. (Carl Anton to handle Union business). On December 8, 1975, after the union had first requested recognition, a maintenance supervisor, Larry Melton, telephoned an employee, George Thompson, at his home and asked if any union people had contacted him. Thompson replied that none had. The next morning Melton entered the maintenance office, where the janitorial employees reported...
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...2012 Human Resources Final Project Table of Contents I. Recruiting and Selection. II. Training and Development. III. Performance Management. IV. Employee Discipline. V. Compensation and Benefits. VI. Labor Relations. Recruiting and Selection A Bad Hire Is Worse Than You Think. According to the Harvard Business Review, 80 percent of turnover is caused by bad hiring decisions. These are costly mistakes. The U.S. Department of Labor calculates that it costs one-third of a new hire’s annual salary to replace him. These figures include money spent on recruitment, selection and training plus costs due to decreased productivity as other employees fill in to take up the slack. But these numbers don’t reflect the intangible damages an exiting employee can have such as lost customers and low employee morale across the rest of the organization. And, turnover costs climb even higher as you move up the organization: mid- and upper–level managers can cost over twice their annual salary to replace. (Meyer, n.d., p. 2) IT seems to have put themselves in a position to be heavily reliant on their employees to recruit for open positions. Therefore, many of the employees are related socially or through family. This is s practice that can potentially be dangerous. Possible cases for nepotism, broken friendships, divorces, etc. can cause employees to "choose sides" when it comes to work related issues. A "good ol' boys" network thrives in this environment. All...
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...HRM Application Case 15-1 Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining 1. Evaluate the various claims made by the union and counterclaims made by the company regarding the changes of unfair labor practices. Which of the arguments are most persuasive? From the union’s position, the arguments that are most persuasive are: b. threatening employees with deprivation of benefits if the union should be elected to represent them, and e. promising to pay and paying employees for certain medical benefits to discourage them from supporting the union. I also a agree with the union’s claim that the violations were so severe and pervasive that it would be impossible to have a fair rerun election in the climate created by the company’s action. From the company’s position, I do not believe any argument is very convincing but I guess there is a chance that the company management was unaware of the telephone calls and other questioning of employees conducted by its former supervisor Larry Melton. This is the only argument that I feel would be slightly valid. 2. Was the statement by Nord to Snow on the date of the representational election a threat or a legitimate prediction and personal opinion protected by the free speech provisions of the act? I think that the statement by Nord to Snow was in fact a threat. He expressed to her that if the union won the election, the employer would take the rent-free apartments away from the janitors’ helpers and charge the head janitors for the...
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...Labor Laws and Unions HRM/531 Labor Laws and Unions Unions employ labor laws to protect their members from organizations that operate in violation of the National Labor Relations Board. It is imperative that organizations such as Lewis & Lambert have a clear understanding of their union contract and the laws set forth by the NLRB. Lewis & Lambert Lewis & Lambert is Sheet Metal Contracting entity located in Fort Worth, Texas established in 1965 that prides itself in performance, quality, and value. The company is a unionized entity under contract with Sheet Metal Workers (SMW) Local 68. Lewis & Lambert's additionally owns a subsidiary, Sigma Building Services, providing HVAC, and plumbing services. Union Benefits. Lewis & Lambert employees gain the rewards of union benefits. "Union members earn better wages and benefits than workers who aren't union members" (AFL-CIO, 2011, para. 1). Additionally, Sheet Metal union members realize the advantages of health insurance benefits and stable workforce. Unionization Process. The organization employees entered the union upon its inception. The organization collected signatures of the employees calling for union representation and willing to pay union dues to Sheet Metal Workers (SMW) Local 68. According to HR Hero (2011), a minimum requirement of 30% of employees must propose induction prior to an election process (HR Hero, 2011, para. 2). Union Bargaining and Effects. Union representatives...
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... 2. Leadership development | 35% | 3. HR effectiveness measurement | 27% | 4. Organizational effectiveness | 25% | 5. Compensation | 24% | 6. Staffing: Recruitment and availability of skilled local labor | 24% | 7. Succession planning | 20% | 8. Learning and development | 19% | 9. Staffing: Retention | 16% | 10. Benefits costs: Health & welfare | 13% | Major challenges of HRD/HR officials Human Resource Management faces the following challenges when they conduct major activities of HR. In Bangladesh their lies following challenges faced by Human Resource Department and HR as well. 1. Human Resource Department faces challenges in respect of hiring the wrong person for the job. They also face challenges when they requite person for a specific position. 2. It faces challenges regarding experience high turnover. 3. It faces problems when employees not doing their best. 4. It is highly concerned about wasting time with useless interviews. 5. It faces challenges regarding discriminatory actions of employees which led the company to court. 6. It faces problems when employees started to think that their salaries are unfair relative to others in the organization. 7. It faces problem when employees commit any unfair labor practices. 8. It faces problem as par motivating sub-ordinates non-financially. 9. It faces problem according to improving employees out-side Dhaka. 10. It faces challenges in case of recruiting fresher. ...
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...Social Media The National Labor Relations Board continues to be laser-focused on the issue of employers disciplining employees for comments made in social media. It filed numerous complaints against employers in the past year. Although the decisions are very fact-specific, they share key points for employers to remember. The recent decision against non-union retailer Bettie Page is instructive. In Design Technology Group, LLC et al., Case 20-CA-35511 (Apr. 27, 2012), the Administrative Law Judge found that Bettie Page engaged in unfair labor practices when it discharged three employees who engaged in protected concerted activity through discussions on Facebook. The decision ordered Bettie Page to reinstate the employees to their former jobs and pay back wages. Facts of the Case: Bettie Page opened a store in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco in July 2011. Shortly after opening, several employees felt that the store manager was not managing the store or its personnel very well. Among other things, the employees were concerned that the store was closing later than other stores in the neighborhood and that closing employees were harassed by local street people. The employees brought this concern to the store manager, the owner, and the company’s human resources consultant. When the store manager was out of town, two employees closed the store an hour early with permission from the store owner. When the store manager heard of the early closing, she angrily scolded...
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...responsibilities: management rights, just cause discipline and discharge, subcontracting, safety standards. (Budd, p. 11) According to ABC News, Brian Bennett from ESPN talked about Northwestern players get Union Vote. The NLRB ruled that Northwestern Football players qualify as an employee of the university and can unionize. This was accepted after three years member colleges and universities have worked to re-evaluate the current rules. This is beneficial for employees in this case the athlete and employer in this case university. The player is an employee since the player sign a contract for the university and as result obtain a scholarship. For now, the push is to unionize athletes at private schools, such as Northwestern, because the federal labor agency does not have jurisdiction over public universities. (ABC NEWS) Jack Murtha, a writer for Greater Media Newspaper website writes about Township of Marlboro, settles new contracts for incoming employees. The new terms of these contracts provide less paid time off and a reduction in benefits, according to municipal...
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...this discussion I will provide a synopsis of the article, Complying with U.S. Labor Relations Laws in Non-Union Settings written by Gene Thornton. The article discusses the significance of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) or Wagner Act regulated by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRA is a federal law that protects employee’s right to organize and engage in concerted activities and bargain with their employers. Furthermore, unions can have a sizeable effect on both unionized and non-unionized employees; in addition, to their pay and employment. The article continues to discuss more about how employees and their rights are protected while in the union. Under the NLRA, all private organizations are prohibited from interfering in unfair labor practices and detail and explain employee rights in section 7. Section 7 states that all employees have the right to join or refrain from joining labor organizations and collectively bargain in the United States (Thornton, 2011). Even if a business crosses state lines the employees are still protected or have the right to join or not join a union; this is covered according to article one, section 8 (commerce clause) of the U.S. Constitution. On the other hand, in non-union settings that include agricultural workers, supervisors, independent contractors, and domestic workers are not cover under the Wagner Act or the Taft-Hartley Act (Labor Management Relations Act - LMRA). The federal workers are not even cover under...
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