... to: | CEO of ABC Toy’s | from: | Brandon Pope (Division Manager) | subject: | Religious discrimination claim | date: | April 19, 2014 | | | Religious Discrimination Claim: The ABC Toy’s lawyer recently notified me in regards to a past employee who put forth an alleged claim against our toy company, utilizing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The former employee is also saying that constructive discharge has taken place, stating that he was forced to leave the company due to his religious beliefs. From this point forward I will provide adequate information from multiple sources in efforts to make educated recommendations to ABC Toy’s. A. Constructive discharge. As of January 1, ABC Toy’s implemented an updated work schedule to assist with the company growth in efforts to meet the consumer demands. ABC Toy’s required employees to work a rotating schedule that included 12 hours of work time daily, but only 48 hours a week. Those 48 hours may be scheduled any day of the week, Monday through Sunday. This policy was put in effect for the production staff, requiring all production staff members to work this rotating shift, and consequently some of those rotating days happened to be a day of religion for the disgruntled former employee. The former employee resigned, shortly, after the work schedule was put in place. As a result of this schedule change the former employee is alleging that constructive discharge took place at ABC Toy’s. Constructive discharge...
Words: 2649 - Pages: 11
...Toy’s “R” Us Goes To Japan Section I: Relevant Facts Toys “R” Us first told the public about their decision to enter the Japanese toy market in 1989. A lot of critics worried that Toys “R” Us would not be successful in this new and foreign market. They raised several issues that they believed proved the Japanese market was not ready for the marketing and retailing strategy that Toys “R” Us offered. They stated that the Japanese culture and beliefs were too different from that of the United States and Europe for Toys “R” Us to be successful. Toys “R” Us incorporates a “category killer” strategy (Johansson 181). In this marketing strategy they use mass advertising in order to make brand recognition, which in turn helps consumers remember and want to shop at their store. They also discount some of the popular items at certain times which give the consumer the impression that everything at their store is inexpensive or discounted. Some critics said that this strategy would clash with the Japanese consumers, since Toys “R” Us competes on price and the Japanese culture links quality with price. Another concern was that Toys “R” Us Japan would not be able to get ample permission and space to build their large toy stores. Toys “R” Us has a policy that none of their stores can be less than 3,000 square feet. This is a problem when entering the Japanese market because they have laws against big stores and land is so expensive. Also some Japanese toy manufacturers...
Words: 3523 - Pages: 15
...your request, I am writing a memorandum outlining a potential recent claim of constructive discharge. Recently, in lieu of Happy Toy’s growth and expansion, the production schedule has changed requiring production employees to work 12 hour rotating shifts four consecutive days in a seven day period (Monday-Sunday). Office hours will remain the same (Monday-Friday, 08:00-17:00). Production employee Tom Arnold has filed a constructive discharge claim due to the new hours requiring him to work on a religious holy day, and quit pending the schedule change. This claim must be taken seriously as constructive discharge can result in litigations and can be rightfully covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This memo will depict how constructive discharge is relevant to this scenario, a protected category under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 relevant to this scenario, recommend a company response with support, and recommend steps the company should take in order to avoid future litigations. As a legal concept, constructive discharge is fully relevant to this situation as it can be covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which specifically encompasses religious precedence. Constructive discharge can cover Mr. Arnold provided no reasonable accommodations were made in order to circumvent the situation. Happy Toy’s must fully understand the severity of these allegations, as well as the rights and preventative measures that will protect the...
Words: 1983 - Pages: 8
...to end at one point in time (Johansson 184). By finding local manufacturers/distributors then they will help the localization process and continue to stay own the retail market for leisure goods. As long as Toy’s “R” Us looks at the challenges they may be faced with for the future and they have a plan then we feel they will stay on top. Things Toy’s “R” Us needs to continue to be on the look out for are: competition, increasing cost, possible positioning problems, and the steady deterioration of the Japanese economy and consumer spending (Johansson 185). By being prepared and having a plan of action for all these setbacks they will be able to dominate the retail market in Japan. We feel that Toy’s “R” Us Japan had also made great decisions when entering the Japanese market. High barriers is something Toy’s “R” Us saw right away as a hurtle they had to get over. And to help them enter the country they decided on a joint-venture with McDonalds Japan with their 20%/80% relationship. In doing this joint-venture they were able to use McDonald’s successful international marketing research. This research is so important in order to enter foreign countries. The joint-venture gave them a great advantage and a strong foot in the door. Another positive aspect that Toy’s “R” Us Japan had on their side was the timing of their first opening. And as Dr. Tong always says “In order to be successful you have to come up with the right product, at the right place and the right...
Words: 383 - Pages: 2
...Case study Toys “R” Us JAPAN Case study Toys “R” Us JAPAN TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3. Japan Background and facts: 4. Background: 4 Facts: 5 Toys “R” Us Background 7. The Beginning: 7 Market Expansion 8 More ways to shop Toys “R” Us 8 Evolving business 9 Toys “R” Us in Japan 9 Case analysis: 10 Attractive factors of Japan toy market: 10 Barriers to Entry: 10 Success Factors for Toy's "R" Us-Japan 11 TRU Strategy 13 Our opinion: 14 Recommendations: 15 Conclusion: 16 References:: 16 Introduction: Toys R Us is the large distributor in the US and it is one of the more successful foreign retailers in Japan after overcome hard barriers. This successful is a result of right decision-making and strategy in overseas expansion by global retailer’s and gradual changes after entry into foreign markets. Also the strategy in respect of standardization adaption before and after entry has great effect in this successful. Coming lines, shows some factors that attract TRU to join venture in Japan. Then, we will discuss group of barriers that TRU had overcome, and how it’s overcome these barriers. In the end, we will evaluate Toys “R” Us in Japan market. Japan Background and facts: Background: Government: Parliamentary with constitutional monarchy Prime Minister: Shinzō Abe (elected Dec 2012) Capital: Tokyo Population: 127,368,088 Population Growth Rate: -0.077% (2012 est.), World Rank: 198th Birth Rate: 8.39 births/1,000 population...
Words: 3158 - Pages: 13
...sexual abuse. In order to help themselves and their families survive, women and children are sold either into labor or into the commercial sex industry in areas such as prostitution or pornography. The enslavement of African people in the Americas by the nations and peoples of Western Europe, created the economic engine that funded modern capitalism. Therefore it comes as no surprise that most of the major corporations that were founded by Western European and American merchants prior to roughly 100 years ago, benefited directly from slavery.Many countries are still continuing to complete these horrendous actions of slavery. Also, there are companies that require their workers to complete actions in the field. For example, the workers at Toy’s R Us, pick cotton in a cotton field in order to provide the cotton for the stuffed animals and toys. To begin with, In Nepal, many of their citizens are forced to work. For example, many of the women are forced to be prostitutes and have sex with others for money. Many of these girls, go into this type of work because of social inequality and/or they are compelled by economic deception. In Nepal, high-level decision makers, lawmakers and politicians at the local level are often accused of being the protector of the traffickers. Many commentators blame the lack of legal enforcement arguing that policies are sound in Nepal but not their implementation and that political commitment is required to implement public policies. Also, if a slave...
Words: 572 - Pages: 3
...“Catch Me” Toys for children have changed drastically from one generation to the next. Most toys have a very powerful influence on a child’s thinking and interaction with peers. When choosing a toy, you strive to find a toy that balances your child’s behavior and social development. So for this paper I have designed a toy called, “Catch Me”, for kids around the age of four to enjoy. My paper will discuss the toy’s age range, the toy’s characteristics, its developmental advantages and domains, how the toy actually looks and how the toy can stimulate a child’s development. I designed a toy and named it “Catch Me”; the toy itself is like a car. It is four inches wide and six inches in length with rugged all over wheels. The car is equipped with Bluetooth, sensors, bright lights, and a speaker for prerecorded commands. The toy would also include four wristbands for tracking the players. The car comes in a candy apple red color and can move pretty fast. The toy, “Catch Me,” is pretty much a version of hide and seek with some cool ways of play. The toy is intended for children four and older, and it is a very active toy. To play with “Catch Me,” the car has to be synced to the wristbands included with the car, and the car has to try and find you and put you out of the game. Anytime the player gets within six...
Words: 685 - Pages: 3
...constructive discharge. The plaintiff is seeking injunctive relief under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Even though the employee is the one who has quit, it is ERTL Toys that can be legally liable for lost wages, pain and suffering, and punitive damages if the plaintiff prevailed. II. DISCUSSION: A. Constructive Discharge Constructive discharge, or constructive dismissal as it is sometimes referred to, makes a legal claim that the employer made a material breach of contract that is implied between the defendant ERTL Toys (“Employer”), and the plaintiff (“Employee"), by making unilateral changes to the implied contract that forces the Employee into a default situation. (Various, 2011)1 Specifically, Employee argues that ERTL Toy’s unilateral change of work schedules made Employee’s continued employment untenable because working on specific holy days is forbidden according to his religious doctrine. B. Title VII 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2 "Title VII of the Act, codified as Subchapter VI of Chapter 21 of 42 U.S.C. § 2000e [2] et seq., prohibits discrimination by covered employers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin." (Title VII 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2, 1964)2 The burden of proof will shift from the Employee to ERTL Toys if the Employee can provide evidence supporting a prima facie case. To support this argument, an employee proves a prima facie case of religious discrimination by showing that the employee: “(1) has a bona fide religious belief that...
Words: 841 - Pages: 4
...Costing systems are components of a broader accounting system used by a given company or organization. Their main function is to keep a focused eye on expenditures made by the company in question. Synthesis of Existing Cost Models to Meet System of System Needs, p.86. G.G. Toy's production process for dolls started with the basic raw materials needed for the bodies of the dolls, wool and things for the hair and clothing and all of these things were consist in production initially. Then, in its modern Chicago manufacturing facility, the company machine-molded the vinyl and resin into doll bodies and even had varies different styles and designs for the clothing. While using the same equipment and labor, they had to schedule when each of these modern jobs could be completed. I believe that explains why there was less units produced. Today’s new manufacturing environment requires new cost-accounting systems as well as new technology. It’s simple, updating the present system can achieve greater benefits in terms of producing and providing information for decision making in the future. (Updating Standard Cost Systems, Cheatham, C, Quonum Books, 1993). Therefore, I believe that G.G. Toys should change its existing cost accounting system from traditional costing to activity-based costing in the Chicago plant. Activity-based costing also known as ABC is a costing methodology that identifies activities in an organization and assigns the cost of each activity with resources...
Words: 297 - Pages: 2
...The giant wooden activity cube is a toy that has 4 parts by the side and one above. The side parts there are a board, a watch, squares to spin and a rainbow xylophone. While the upper part of a cube there is a spin, slide and the beads. This toy improves more than a part of the child’s development areas. Firstly, it focuses on the cognitive side, as it makes the child to think. He/she will think where to takes the beads to reach the other side. In addition, it also supports the physical development, as the child will start moving his hand and fingers by playing with the whole toy. Furthermore, according to the toy’s age range it is around the age 12 months to 36 months, which means from the age 1 to 3. In my point of view, I see that the toy...
Words: 278 - Pages: 2
...Name: Dinesh Jagwani Batch: BAFD2 1321A Module: Ethics in Business Studies Course: B.S.C. (Hons) in Accounting and Finance Lecturer: Mr. Daniel Chew UOB No: 12035285 Topic: Producing toys- Child’s Play? Producing Toy’s – Child’s Play? Deontological ethics are concerned with what people do and not with the consequences of their actions. It teaches some actions might be correct or wrong because of their nature, and it is the duty of the people to act accordingly, regardless of the consequences that might occur, for the good or bad. It basically means one has to adhere to the universal rules and guidelines irrespective of the consequences and act in accordance to them. Getting to the means is not important by the way or choice of getting to the mean is important. Immanuel Kant, the man who formulated this theory had a method to practice this theory and this was known as the maxims. Before testing the decisions of the product manager with the three maxims, let’s look at the decision from a business and not an ethical point of view. The product manager has chosen the Thai company and it benefits his company financially as his costs go down by 1/3 rd the price, thus making sense from a business point of view. There is another way of looking at this situation, it could be said that this decision of the product manager is providing those families with work and giving them a chance to make some money and earn a livelihood and provide for themselves. Also the decision makes...
Words: 1060 - Pages: 5
...Question 1: From the case, the characteristics of the toy industry: 1. Seasonal Demand Demand for toys is usually correlated with festive celebrations in a country. One close example is Christmas day which falls in December annually. Coincide with this celebration, significant portion of the toy’s annual sales usually happen towards the end of the year especially in those countries that are dominated by those that celebrate Christmas. The impacts of the seasonal pattern towards the industry are critical as most manufacturers have to consider several factors that lead to sales. The huge demand at certain period of time requires thoughtful planning and smooth execution as minor mistakes can lead to loss of millions of sales value. Just imagine within short period of time toy manufacturers have to produce millions of toys. This requires good management of supplies and synchronization between supplies and production as to minimize costs and ensuring efficiency. Not to forget issues of quality management and lastly the impacts or magnitude of logistic management to the toy manufacturers. 2. Stiff Competition Basically the toy industry consists of many players. As stated in the case, there are 880 companies operated in the industry in 2002. This is 10% lesser than 1997. There are few Key players in the industry such as Mattel, Hasbro, RC2, JAAKS Pacific, Marvel and Lego. In term of sales only two companies managed to register USD1 billion marks, the company are,...
Words: 552 - Pages: 3
...basketball-oriented toy, does allow children to develop their definition of play, before Piaget thought it was possible. Furthermore, the basketball hoop can serve as a golden ring in which giants used to wear, while enacting make believe play. In fact, the one definite positive of this toy is that it inspires play, and for children to act on their environment an see how gravity works and furthermore for parents to play alongside of children. Semantic development takes place across a lifetime, though it is active very early on in development. Children develop the meanings of words from before they are even able to pronounce them, in fact there is often a lag in ability to pronounce the words that the child understands. In fact with in the toy’s age range, a child begins to speak, and progressively becomes better at speaking and properly labeling items. Children begin to acquire language at a rapid pace, through a process of “Recall”, where actively retrieving information of labeling the object are needed to commit it to memory(Pg. 249). Essentially there is a burst of communication and understand that occurs before and after thirty-six months. The toy aims at developing multiple levels of language, through displaying numbers...
Words: 769 - Pages: 4
...Just in Time for the Holidays VIEW MORE FROM THE December 2005 Issue EXPLORE THE ARCHIVE RECOMMENDED Applichem (A) (Abridged) TECHNOLOGY & OPERATIONS CASE Janice H. Hammond, Gary P. Pisano 8.95 ADD TO CART SAVE SHARE Solagen: Process Improvement in the Manufacture of Gelatin at Kodak TECHNOLOGY & OPERATIONS CASE Dorothy Leonard-Barton, Brian J. Delacey 8.95 ADD TO CART SAVE SHARE Queuing Theory to the Rescue: Managing Security Screening Lines at Logan Airport TECHNOLOGY & OPERATIONS CASE Mark Fagan, Dante Perez 8.95 ADD TO CART SAVE SHARE A biting wind whips around the sprawling manufacturing campus at North Pole Workshops. The streets between the solid brick buildings are covered in fluffy white snow. Flurries swirl against the steely gray sky of a late November morning. But the soft glow of light from the windows and steady hum of machinery hint at the productivity inside. Buildings 1 and 2 house the company’s massive mail facility, where children’s letters to Santa are sorted and matched against a database that tracks the writers’ behavior over the course of the year. Inside Building 3, gleaming steel equipment moves board games and Erector sets toward pallets where they are shrink-wrapped and readied for distribution on Christmas Eve. Red garland is draped across the windows that line the outer walls, though none of the busy elves seems to notice the festive touch. A large man in a red suit walks among the workers. His smiles and...
Words: 973 - Pages: 4
...benches and hand-painted dolls. Safety regulations considers the controlling of the types of paint, metal, plastic, size of parts, and removability of parts determining the safety of a toy. Phoenix Toys is under pressure to produce a quality toy, for an affordable price, with top safety standards. If an employee is aware that a violation of the ethical agreement has occurred, the employee must notify a supervisor. Establishing a mandate for employees to enforce the ethical guidelines assures the company that those who are aware of the situation, and will be held accountable as a participant if there is a failure to report such instances. The safety of productions by Phoenix Toys is imperative to upholding consumer confidence in Phoenix Toy’s products. Eliminating the fear of reprisal for reporting an instance will ensure the company that employees will be more likely to report issues. According to Knapp...
Words: 2605 - Pages: 11
