Theories and Principles of Learning and Communication Assignment Essay Example for Free

Theories and Principles of Learning and Communication Assignment Essay Learning is something that takes place everyday for most people in some way, shape or form and varies depending on certain circumstances. The principles can be simple or radical depending on opinion, some you may agree with while others you might discount straight away. Whether it is in the classroom or sat at home, it is important to understand that learning takes place all the time and people can learn new things everyday regardless of age, culture or background. The education system is the best example to connect these theories as it is so varied in its delivery depending on factors such as again age, skill sets and ability in particular. Overall it is important to understand that by following some of these theories and principles it will help all tutors in performing better within the classroom and delivering better sessions which means that you will enhance the experience for the learner. Theories and Principles of Learning It is important to understand the significance of learning theories and principles as it is important for tutors to understand them, which will then help ensure that effective learning is taking place. It can support the tutor and the learner through the process which allows for success within the taught subject. I believe that certain theories such as Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Motivation and Personality, Third Edition, Harper and Row Publishers are not relevant in regards to all learning sectors today, in particular not in the lifelong learning sector. I agree with Geert Hofsteds’s (1984). The cultural relativity of the quality of life concept. Academy of Management Review that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs neglects to illustrate and expand upon the difference between the social and intellectual needs of those raised in different societies. I think that with our society as it is today, due to such a huge and diverse range of cultures now within the United Kingdom that i t is impossible for this to still completely apply. Within the lifelong learning sector I think that andragogy is perhaps the best principle to apply. Malcolm Knowles researched and penned the four crucial assumptions to his theory which are as follows: 1. Self-concept: As a person matures his self concept moves from one of being a dependent personality toward one of being a self-directed human being 2. Experience: As a person matures he accumulates a growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for learning. 3. Readiness to learn. As a person matures his readiness to learn becomes oriented increasingly to the developmental tasks of his social roles. 4. Orientation to learning. As a person matures his time perspective changes from one of postponed application of knowledge to immediacy of application, and accordingly his orientation toward learning shifts from one of subject-centeredness to one of problem centredness. He later added a fifth assumption in 1984:  5. Motivation to learn: As a person matures the motivation to learn is internal. Within the post 16 sector individuals are more geared up to follow in what they want to do and have the experience and hopefully the right mindset to try and achieve this. Therefore this theory is one that can support a tutor by simply understanding why the learners are there, which is normally through choice rather than in the school system were pedagogy seems to take precedent and is a legal requirement. Analysing such theories will always help towards my own personal development and will hopefully allow myself to develop and improve the experience for the learners. Communication â€Å"The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium: The Oxford Dictionary† Effective communication is essential within any teaching field and perhaps more so in the lifelong learning sector. Without this then even the simplest of tasks can become difficult or done wrongly simply by misinterpreting what the instructions are. The important thing to remember is that it is a two way process. It is all very well telling the learners what to do but if you do not allow them to ask questions to double check what you have said or even as the tutor you were may not have been clear enough to the learners in your delivery. I believe also that gaining a good rapport is essential with the age group that I deal with as some of the information being given is sometimes completely new to them. As it can be a lot to take in within such a short time period then openly discussing their opinions and what they are aware of is important to their and in some cases my understanding of the subject matter that we are delivering to them. Impact of Learning Theory on Practise Describing how a Foundation Learning course operates is not that simple, but in effect it ties in with the learner and should adapt and cater for the learners specific needs and can be tailored to incorporate different aspects of what we deliver and what they want to complete. Our end goal even though it is not within our YPLA contract is to gain them employment after they have improved on their qualifications, which we are contracted on for our funding. My role within this is the delivery of the third week of the induction completing an Employability Award, whilst also helping the learners select which direction and qualifications that they would like to complete with us. Within the classroom I am doing career progression and interview techniques and these are essential to the learner in helping them choose what career direction they would like to go in when they eventually leave us. My main delivery method is to openly discuss with the learners their knowledge and opinions on certain aspects about what is needed for their future employment. While also making sure that there is class participation by everyone and hopefully building on their confidence as individuals. By doing this it helps me gain knowledge and hopefully a good rapport with the individual, which is necessary as I complete their Individual Learning Plan with them. This then helps them decide what they are going to do and provides support to them so they can tailor what they want from the Foundation Learning Programme that we offer at CTS Training Ltd. There are two theories that I believe are best applied to the lifelong learning sector and that they specifically apply to my own role on a day to day bases. The first is the Humanistic approach which I have looked at is Carl Rogers and I believe that out of his all his hypotheses that the following one is the most important. â€Å"A person cannot teach another person directly; a person can only facilitate anothers learning. This is a result of his personality theory, which states that everyone exists in a constantly changing world of experience in which he or she is the center. Each person reacts and responds based on perception and experience. The belief is that what the student does is more important than what the teacher does. The focus is on the student. Therefore, the background and experiences of the learner are essential to how and what is learned. Each student will process what he or she learns differently depending on what he or she brings to the classroom.† Rogers, Carl (1951). Client-centered therapy: Its current practice, implications and theory. For the Foundation Learning programme to work it should be understood that the learner must bring themselves to the table as they are responsible for the choice and control of what they want to achieve. They must also be able to self evaluate their own performance in regards to how they feel they are doing and whether they will be successful, with or without support, in regards to what qualifications they are completing and what career choices that they have made. We can guide the learners but I would suggest we let them guide themselves so I try to apply what I should be doing in the following quote when delivering in the classroom: The tutor or lecturer tends to be more supportive than critical, more understanding than judgmental, more genuine than playing a role. The next theory that I apply is also tied into this and is one that I have discussed early in this assignment and that is the theory of andragogy. I believe that this also ties up well with the humanistic approach as well and by using the two together they complement each other and hopefully reinforce confidence within the learner that they will be able to succeed. Allowing them to be more in control and understanding that they make the decisions which is what the essence of Foundation Learning is, means that I am able to tailor my sessions depending on the groups I get. As I deliver to a different group on a weekly basis, this means I can focus on what is either more important or specific for that group rather than them just completing the same work each week and not addressing what they bring as a whole or on an individual basis. This can be challenging as it can change my aims and objectives on a daily basis which I believe is also good as it keeps the sessions fresh and up to date. By getting the learners to communicate with each other and myself I believe they can then take control of their learning. Giving their input to the direction that they want to choose and ultimately even without them knowing, breaking away from practises such as pedagogy which on the whole, has not worked for many of my learners which is why they have not made a success of the school system. Reflections on Insights Gained from Application of Learning Theory Overall on reflection I believe that this has helped immensely in regards to my approach to how I deliver within the classroom. My experiences of teaching are only within one aspect of the lifelong learning sector but I can see that my delivery has improved by realising and believing that the learner needs to be more active in the decision process of what subjects that they want to learn. A majority of my learners have been told in the past you’re doing this or that next and the decision have been taken away from them as individuals, whether this is directed from their school or even their parents. But I think regardless of where the influences of previous decisions have come from allowing the learner to take a more active role, in particular within the 16 19 category I work in, is essential as it will hopefully change the way that they learn forever and make their choices in the future.

How Should They Practice CSR Activities Efficiently Commerce Essay

How Should They Practice CSR Activities Efficiently Commerce Essay The current focus of corporate social responsibility for corporations is no longer on how they implement CSR activities, but on how should they practice CSR activities efficiently and effectively (Roberts, 2003). During the last three decades, more and more companies, especially the large multinational corporations, have implemented and set up series of voluntary codes of conduct, formulated sustainability strategies and also announced and implemented environmental annual reports to engage in corporate social responsibilities. Indeed many multinational corporations have made efforts to engage in their corporate social responsibility by dealing with environmental and social issues in global supply chains. However, there is still a gap between the desirability of supply chain sustainability in theory and the implementation of sustainability in practice (Bowen et al., 2001; Andersen Skjoett-Larsen, 2009). In discussing the different aspects of corporate social responsibility; one issue needs to be particularly pointed out that this study cannot cover every single aspect of corporate social responsibility practices in terms of definition, application as well as management aspects. After all, corporate social responsibility cannot be easily disentangled from the companys operations. Since CSR is a complex concept and issue, it is embedded within the organisation from top to bottom and also across the global span of operations. This study focus on the key issues related to CSR practices in the global supply chains. Research questions and purpose This study is going to identify a conceptual framework for understanding and analysing CSR practices in global supply chains. The purpose of this study is going to address following research questions: Understanding corporate social responsibility and supply chains in the global context. How is corporate social responsibility related to and applied in global supply chains? How are corporate social responsibility activities and practices implemented and managed in a specific chosen multinational corporation- Primark? Structure of this study Chapter two explains the broad literature review on corporate social responsibility and supply chain management. In chapter three, methodology and data collection will be explained. Chapter four contains a theoretical framework of globalisation, corporate social responsibility as a challenge of business in a global context, supply chain in the globalisation, corporate social responsibility in global supply chains as well as the motivations of implementing CSR practices within supply chains. And how these concepts are interrelated will be also discussed in this section. Chapter five will provide empirical findings from a case study-Primark. Chapter six includes analysis of this study. Chapter seven will consist with conclusions, discussions, and limitations of this study as well as the academic and practical recommendations. Chapter eight is mainly followed by a reference list and the appendixes. The overall structure of this study is showing in the Figure 1. Figure 1. The structure of this study Literature review The main purpose of this section is going to provide a theoretical framework. It basically identifies the literature achievements and some current social issues that organisations confront with. Firstly, this section is going to explain three different concepts respectively including globalisation, corporate social responsibility and supply chain management. Then this section will explain how the process of globalisation influences the corporate social responsibility and global supply chains. This section is going to summarise the main motivations of implementing CSR practices in the global supply chains. An interrelated relationship between these concepts will also be identified. Globalisation Globalisation has become a common social phenomenon. Hines and Bruce (2007) provide a description of globalisation as the ways in which markets have converged throughout the world and the ways in which production poles have shifted geographically to satisfy global consumers. Levy (1995, p. 353) also presents the definition of globalisation from the economic point of view as the increasing internationalisation of the production, distribution and marketing of goods and services. Some academic researches argue that one motivation of globalisation could be the deliberate political decisions (Scherer Palazzo, 2009), supported by technological, social and economic development. The growing cross- area and cross- country transfer of resources in terms of assets, capital as well as knowledge, also foster the progress of globalisation (Scherer Palazzo, 2009). Along with globalisation, multilateral agreements and intergovernmental organisations are increasingly developed during the last three decades to regulate and maintain growth, stability and a minimum standard of living in the context of globalisation. The members of these intergovernmental organisations all agree to secure and maintain fair and human working conditions in home countries and countries where they have economic relationships with (Crane, Matten Spence, 2008). Although there are many agreements, regulations and intergovernmental organisations, in this section is going to discuss three of them which are most related to this study, including International Labour Organisation (ILO), General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and also International Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO). The following portion is going to give a brief introduction and description of these multilateral agreements and intergovernmental organisations, identifying their potential to regulate gl obal standards for all nation states as well as multinational corporations. International Labour Organisation (ILO) General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) developed at the end of WWII leads to the breakdown of trade barriers and encourages cross-border trade and investments (Scherer Palazzo, 2009). International Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) International Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) are non-official, non-profit, professional organisations with a distinctive legal character, focusing on engaging and maintaining public welfare (Crane, Matten Spence, 2008; Clarke, 1998). The main public issues NGOs focus on are human rights, gender discrimination, social welfare, working and living conditions, the environmental issues, agricultural development and so on (Clarke, 1998). NGOs play an important role in working with national governments, international organisations as well as multinational corporations by using the net work of members to collect information related to specific issues (Ottaway, 2001). Many multinational corporations increasing confront with pressures from NGOs, to govern their behaviours based on various international agreements and codes of conduct. However, empirical studies and reviews suggest a link between corporate social responsibility, NGOs, and organisational performance (Doh Guay, 2004). As long as the multinational corporations believe those codes that NGOs provide could become uniform standard in their industry, they are willing to obey and agree those codes to gain global first mover competitive advantages which could improve efficiency and performance as well as build positive image in the long term. Researches in the role of NGOs in development of global corporate responsibility focus on the increasing growth in NGO influence as well as the involvement of government and corporations (Doh Guay, 2004). Corporate social responsibility Definitions of corporate social responsibility Corporate social responsibility is a debated subject and study concept in contemporary business and academia. It is also regarded as an important topic for research and worth for study (Burton Goldsby, 2009). Since the beliefs and cognitions about the relationship between corporations and larger society vary with the relevant issues of the day, there is lack of strong consensus on a definition for CSR. The most commonly cited definition is described by Archie Carroll (1979) as the social responsibility of business encompasses the economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary expectations that society has of organisations at a given point in time. Whats more, Matten and Moon (2004) offer further description of CSR as a cluster concept which overlaps with such concepts as business ethics, corporate philanthropy, corporate citizenship, sustainability, and environmental responsibility. It is a dynamic and contestable concept that is embedded in each social, political, economic and institu tional context.'(Crane, Matten Spence, 2008) Maignan and Ferrell (2004) develop a brief overview of conceptualisation of corporate social responsibility by summarising four different perspectives on CSR. The first perspective stated by Maignan and Ferrell (2004) is to view CSR as social obligation. Bowen (1953) states that organisations should take social obligations to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, or to follow those lines of action which are desirable in terms of the objectives and values of society. Whats more, in the later literatures, Carroll (1979) distinguished social responsibility into a pyramid (Shown in the Figure 2.) with four different layers which are economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities. Companies should make profit with obeying the law, as well as act ethically in the business activities. Philanthropic responsibility is about corporate actions in response to societys expectations at the same time engaging in promoting goodwill or welfare (Gronvius Lemborg, 2009; Maas, 2010). Another perspective of corporate social responsibility is to view as stakeholder obligation (Maignan Ferrell, 2004). Stakeholder trust has a significant impact on the contribution to the long term success of the corporation. It is important for the organisation to take stakeholders interests into account. A stakeholder is defined by Freeman (1984:46) as any group or individual who can affect, or is affect by, the achievements of organisation objectives. Henriques and Sadorky (1999) identify four main stakeholders of organisations which are organisational stakeholders (including employees, customers, shareholders and suppliers), community stakeholders (including local residents and special interest groups), regulatory stakeholders (such as municipalities, regulatory systems and governments) as well as media stakeholders (Chung, 2005). Basically, the corporation has the responsibility and obligations to meet the rights and interests of all legitimate stakeholders, simultaneously, stak eholders place ethical expectations on business because they have a reciprocal relationship. However, how to balance the competing interests of these stakeholders is a crucial issue to organisations. The corporation has the responsibility for balancing delicately the multiple claims of conflicting stakeholders. However, the complex stakeholder terms make the decision-making process more complicated. It is also a major CSR challenge that companies could face during managing global supply chains. The third perspective mentioned by Maignan and Ferrell (2004) is CSR as ethics driven which implies that CSR practices are driven by the self-interests of a company. However, according to Jones (1995), when CSR is viewed as ethical driven, there is a lack of normative criteria to evaluate whether the business practices and activities should be considered as socially responsible. Thus CSR should be viewed as a self-developed regulatory mechanism based on its own interest independent of stakeholders obligations. The forth perspective stated by Maignan and Ferrell (2004) is that CSR is managerial processes. Under this perspective, Ackerman (1975) identified three main activities of corporate social responsiveness including monitoring and assessing environmental conditions, attending to stakeholder demands, designing plans and policies aimed at enhancing the firms positive impacts. Whats more Wartick and Cochran (1985) as well as Wood (1991) pointed out that issues management and environmental assessment could contribute to achieve a proactive social responsibility stance. Figure 2. Carrolls (1991) pyramid of corporate social responsibility By summarising the literatures of corporate social responsibility, there are two main characteristics of corporate social responsibility (Maas, 2010; Andersen Skjoett-Larsen, 2009; Crane, Matten Spence, 2008). The first one is the voluntary activities of companies in the realm of social and environmental issues that go beyond the law. Corporate social responsibility offers a more voluntary approach to address the role of corporations in society and manage externalities coherently, comprehensively and professionally. Another core characteristic is the relationship between business and larger society. Corporate social responsibility includes a wider consideration of interests and impacts of different stakeholders rather than just shareholders. The group of stakeholders and interest groups include customers, suppliers, employees, NGOS, the local community representatives, etc. The evaluation of capabilities and competences of companies is not just limited in a matter of making profits . Corporate social responsibility: a global challenge In a global context of corporate social responsibility, the literature on the study concept, both academic and practitioner, is wide and considerably large (Crane, Matten Spence, 2008). Various international institutions have set up guidelines and standards to make sure companies observe certain rules of conducts. Corporations pursue growth and market share through globalisation, they have confronted with several challenges that may limit the ability of gaining potential profits and organisational growth. These challenges may come from government regulations, environmental restrictions, tariffs and trade barriers. Crane, Matten and Spence (2008) conclude three main challenges for CSR in a global context. The first one is building new social capacities. In a global context of corporate social responsibility, the social meaning and definition differ in different regions of the globe. Thus, managing corporate social responsibility is not just enforced by the companies themselves and the legal framework issued by national government, it is also essential to consider and acknowledge the specific global standards and regional actual circumstances in which corporations practice and manage CSR. This current issue requires companies establish new roles or even found new operational department beyond their traditional expertise to develop partnerships with NGOs and local governments to address these issues. The second challenge mentioned by Crane, Matten and Spence (2008) is the involvement in rule-making. Under the nature of global governance, in a certain extent, corporations are involved in setting the rules of trade agreements, standardisation efforts as well as economic agreements. The participation in rule-making process makes corporations become the rule-maker as well as the rule-taker which could better implement and observe the regulations and standards they have agreed upon. The third challenge for CSR is broader accountability (Crane, Matten Spence, 2008). The accountabilities of CSR involve human rights, health care and education, global poverty and environmental issues such as global warming. At the global level, the accountabilities of CSR become more complex, broader and delicate. As mentioned above, it cannot merely focus on the local social and environmental issues, corporations also have responsibility and obligation on the countries they have economic relations with. However, more and more companies see corporate social responsibility as an opportunity rather than a threat in the global context, in order to increase market share, innovative power and employee motivation as well as cost advantages, Corporate social responsibility in a global context is no longer only on the agenda of large, multinational corporations, some small and medium enterprises which are involved in the network of international suppliers and customers also hold accountable for certain activities within the supply chains (Cramer, 2006). The way in which CSR is institutionalised, harmonised and practiced in the global context is fluctuating. Review of different motivations for CSR Supply chain management Handfield and Nichols (1999) present a definition and description of supply chain as the supply chain encompasses all activities associated with the flow and transformation of goods from the raw material stage through to the end-user, as well as the associated information flows. Material and information flow both up and down the supply chain. Supply chain management (SCM) is the integration of these activities through improved supply chain relationships to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage (Handfield Nichols, 1999, p.2; Cited in ). The supply chain management consists with various interdependent activities from sourcing and purchasing, production, distribution and transportation as well as sales that operate and manufacture in both the developing and developed countries around the globe (Chung, 2005) , as shown in the Figure 3. Figure 3. Key activities in the supply chain management cycle (Chung, 2005) QQà ¦Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¾20120820202923.png Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the practice journals in the apparel sector developed the term pipeline to explain the whole process of raw materials through manufacturing processes to the final customer (KSA, 1987; Hunter, 1990; Hunter et al., 1993; Hunter and Valentino, 1995; Hines, 2007). More recently, demand chains and value networks (Hines, 2007) are used to describe supply chains which emphases the role of customers and adopts the trend of rapid changing customer demands. Figure 4 shows the supply chain process cycles. Figure 4. Supply chain process cycles (Hines, 2004; Cited in Hines Bruce, 2007) There are numbers of different perspectives on the development of the concept of supply chain management. Based on the analysis of Hines (2007), there are mainly four perspectives of managing supply chains. First one is to focus on improving productivity internally of supply chain management. The second perspective extends the first concern with productivity to improve operations. The third wave, which was developed in the transport and distribution literature and now is synthesised in the logistics literature, mainly concerned with moving goods efficiently. The forth and latest perspective emphases the important role played by customers within the demand chain. The development of supply chain increases the complexity and flexibility requiring organisations to deal with. During the last decades, active responsiveness to the supply chain has is becoming more and more important. Table 1 shows the main shift in analytic focus of supply chain over time (Hines Bruce, 2007). Table 1. Analytic focus From (pre-1990) To (post-1990 to present) Predominantly internal focus Operations (Internal efficiency) Exchange/transactional focus Functional processes (silo mentality?) Cost efficiency (inputs/outputs) Physical processes Product quality (only major concern) Simple (e.g. dynamic structures and relationships) Traditional linear supply chains Inventory management Predominantly external (dyadic, chain, network) Strategies (external market orientation) Relationship/structure focus Integration Value added (outputs/inputs) Financial, informational and virtual processes Service quality and total quality approaches Complex structures (e.g. networks) Digital supply chains (value nets) Information and customer service Source: Hines, 2004, Purchasing and supply chain literature from 1930s to present day (Cited in Hines Bruce, 2007). Until recently, most of the literatures and practice of supply chain management emphases on issues that relate to cost-efficiency of supply chains, relationships with supply chain partners, supply chain strategies, customer services as well as different types of supply chains. However, the increasing sourcing organisational activities and building partnership in developing countries as well as the increasing concern about environmental and social issues has led new social concepts which is normally recognised as sustainable supply chains, aiming at improving and protecting the companies and employees within the supply networks. The focus of sustainable supply is not only on the local optimisation of environmental factors, but also on the consideration of the entire supply chain processes. During the last decade, the study concept of supply chain sustainability has been received great interest in both academia and the practitioners (Hassini, Surti Searcy, 2012). Since companies are s uffering great pressures from various stakeholders, particularly from government regulators, non-government organisations (NGOs), as well as the global competition, a large number of companies have engaged in the commitment to corporate social responsibility practices. Hassini, Surti and Searcy (2012) provide a definition about sustainable supply chain management by summarising different academic and social concepts including business sustainability (Crane Matten, 2007) and the triple bottom line (Elkington, 1997), as the management of supply chain operations, resources, information, and funds in order to maximise the supply chain profitability while at the same time minimising the environmental impacts and maximising the social well-being. These definition emphases the importance of balancing and satisfying conflicting interests of multiple stakeholders. By analysing and summaries the literatures on the supply chain management and sustainable supply chains, there is a lack of appropriate and systematic performance measures and framework for supply chains which makes it difficult to evaluating the sustainability initiatives in supply chain management (Lehtinen Ahola, 2010; Hassini, Surti Searcy, 2012). The internationalisation of supply chains The process of globalisation creates competitive pressures for clothing and textile producers to search for ways to lower production costs, especially for the fast fashion, which is required quick respond to customer demands, high seasonal variation and creative design. Organisations improve and take efficiency measures from internal to a single organisation or network of organisations locked in a continuous supply chain. The second way that organisations to lower their production costs is to search lower cost sources of supply throughout the globe in order to find locations where conditions are more favourable than in the home market (Hines and Bruce, 2007). This process will create the global supply chains. Under conditions of globalisation, products are no longer manufactured and produced in just one country, but designed and produced in different production sites in various locations around the world which is a result of global investment (Homann, Koslowski Luetge, 2007). Globalisation has two facets which are globalisation of production and globalisation of markets, which means globalisation is present at the production stage as well as the retail stage. Primary products are increasingly manufactured in different production sites around the globe to benefit from lower labour costs, raw materials as well as the lower cost of transportation, which could increase the degree of division of labour. Homann, Koslowski and Luetge (2007) illustrate that division of labour could take place when manufacturers of primary products at different locations. Globalisation accelerates the process of international division of labour both in vertical integration and in the supply chain. Apparel manufacture is one of the areas that globalisation has offered significant cost reduction opportunities, due to high labour content and cost- effective to transport. As a result of globalisation, both multinational companies and local manufacturers in the apparel industry have benefited tremendously from cost reduction. Based on the statement of Cramer (2006), the globalisation of supply chains has led to heavy social criticism, especially when companies using child labour or working in countries that violate fundamental human rights, which damages companies reputation. During the last decade, one of the key business trends resulted by globalisation is the outsourcing key business and operation activities to suppliers and subcontractors. Based on the description of GEMI (2001), this trend has made certain suppliers more critical, extends liability throughout the lifecycle, and the result is a significant shift of corporate environmental, health and safety risks and opportunit ies off siteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ As a consequence, some of those business risks and opportunities may become Procurements responsibility (Cited in Roberts, 2003) Based on the statement of Dicken (1998, p. 283), the textiles and clothing industries are the first manufacturing industries which are shifted by globalisation. The phenomenon of globalisation has shaped the structure, strategies and consequences in the textile and clothing industries. Global shifts in these industries also increase the trade tensions between developed and developing world (Hines Bruce, 2007). During the last three decades, many corporations restructure organisations and outsource many functional and traditional activities to the companies in the developing countries. Efficient and effective supply chains are essential to manage customer demand and brand operations, especially for the high-changeable fashion and apparel industry. The reasons that organisations pay attention on the supply chain management are due to the trend of globalisation, the reducing time of pushing into the market, as well as the rising standard of customer demands. Globalization has significa ntly changed the international market. Traditional supply chain is moving to the direction of the development of the globally integrated supply chain, becoming a cross-functional and cross-regional supply chain. Sustainable supply chain management plays an important role in maintaining brand integrity, ensuring business continuity and controlling operating costs. The main purpose to promote sustainable supply chain is to build long-term environmental, social and economic value. By continuing construction of the supply chain, companies could protect their long-term capabilities. The process of globalisation is one major reason of increasing reliance of corporations on suppliers and sub-suppliers (Welford, 2002). Thus the supply chain is more and more complex and international. This is what makes global supply chains within fashion markets and fashion marketing worth to study. The traditional supply chain management (SCM) is the process of the business operations in terms of supply chain planning, execution and control in order to maximise its efficiency. In general, the whole process of supply chain management could range from raw material acquisition, components, manufacture, logistics, quality services to pre-retail services including labelling and packaging (Hines Bruce, 2007). In order to reduce costs and improve efficiency, most of modern multinational corporations choose supply chain outsourcing services, namely, as the identity of the buyers chooses the most cost-effective suppliers (including foundries and logistics companies, etc.) to complete their production as well as enhance the marginal benefit. However, to maximise the efficiency as a prerequisite, the traditional supply chain management ignores the social and environmental factors, and therefore in the past decades, corporate social responsibility in supply chain management became a new m anagement philosophy in many organisations. Therefore how to better manage the supply chain performance and enhance their capacity is very worthy of study. Many well-known multinational enterprises, taking the cost of production into account, come to the Asian countries like China, India, etc., to corporate with local companies to manufacture their products. Since the majority of suppliers in developing countries are labour-intensive enterprises, and the relevant enforcement of laws and regulations needs to be improved, therefore working conditions are unsatisfactory. Frequent overtime, unpaid wages, under minimum wage standard happen consistently. Along with media exposure and NGOs fierce criticism of sweatshops in especially Europe and the United States as well as other countries, multinational enterprises are beginning to require suppliers to comply with the Code of Conduct (CoC) and the relevant laws and regulations in the location of the suppliers (environmental protection law, labour law, etc.) to conduct the labour and environmental requirements and policies. Subsequently a lot of industrial standards, such as the garment industr y, WRAP, EICC of electronic industry, the ICTI of the toy industry, and chemical industrys Responsible Care. In order to ensure the performance of suppliers in terms of labour and environment performance, internal staff or third-party would be sent to the supplier factories for review and evaluation. If the quality and feature of products are dissatisfaction, the suppliers will be asked to provide assistance to make improvements or even cancel the order. Corporate social responsibility in supply chain management For suppliers, the meaning and definition of CSR is relatively narrow, is merely about how to meet customers needs, achieve social and environmental compliance, such as timely payment of wages, make sure working hours, in order to maintain operational order and ensure efficiency and effectiveness. CSR for the majority of suppliers is only about law-abiding, however, they do not properly understand the benefits of the implementation of CSR, and thus they just implement the so-called CSR improvement involuntarily. Despite the long history of CSR, applications of CSR concepts to supply chain management have only emerged in the last few years. Sustainable supply chain management is about management of supply chains where all the three dimensions of sustainability, in terms of the economic, environmental and social sustainability, are taken into account. Supply chain relationships have a critical impact in a global world. In order to advantage from low labour wages, more and more companies frequently outsource part of or even whole business activities to companies in developing countries. When sustainable SCM principles are adopted, the companies are accountable for the social and environmental impacts along the supply chain, and are compelled to integrate ecological and social aspects into their decisions and actions along their supply chains. When supply chain relationships involve developing countries, companies also need to take responsibility for the well-being and performance of small upstr eam producers that work in those countries. The Figure 5 shows some CSR issues that companies may confront with in managing their global supply chains. Figure 5. Examples of CSR issues in supply chains (Neergaard and Pedersen, 2005, p. 103; Cited in Pedersen Andersen, 2006) Therefore, helping supplier social responsibility should focus on how to make suppliers understand the business value of CSR, how to reflect the return on invest

Essay --

The company before 2000 is referred as ‘Old Monsanto†, and today the company is known as â€Å"New Monsanto† Monsanto’s GM seeds have not been accepted everywhere. For example European Union has banned Monsanto’s crops except for one variety of corn. Monsanto’s products have generated two main concerns regarding safety of GM food and environmental effects of genetic modification. Concerns about the Safety of GM food’ The consequences of genetically transforming our food and environment are unpredictable and irreversible, and will affect all future generations of species on this planet. For many of reasons, the corporate media has been all but silent about this transformation. Although most Americans are unconscious of it, more than 60% of the food we are eating is genetically modified. These days, genetically modified (GM) corn, soybeans, and canola are added to much of our processed foods, starting from breakfast cereals to corn chips to soft drinks. Even fresh vegetables are genetically altered. Genetically, the modified crops are created when scientists would take genes from one organism and insert them into another. Usually genes are transferred from plants, animals, insects, bacteria or viruses and then introduced into crops with the intention of developing a particular characteristic. For instance, scientists have taken a gene with anti-freeze trait from an arctic fish to a tomato. While the goal was to make the tomato more frost resistant, the gene transfer brought with it unpredicted side effects: the tomatoes changed its natural color easily and consumers not liked their ‘metallic’ taste. The recent introduction of GM crops is not the predictable outcome of scientific progress. Relatively, GM crops have been pushed into ... ... in its customers’ confidence on the company. Misrepresentation of essential information and lack of preventive measures result in penalties and disrupt the company's operations. Furthermore, distortion of information negatively affects the shareholders’ confidence, the profitability and credit rating of the company in the long run (Monsanto Company SWOT Analysis., 2013, p. 6). References Landsman J. (August 09, 2013) Monsanto and GMO lies revealed, Retrieved November 22, 2013 and available at: http://www.naturalnews.com/041559_Monsanto_GMOs_lies.html Monsanto Company SWOT Analysis. (2013). Monsanto Company SWOT Analysis, p.6 Unknown (June/ July 2001), Continuing the Green Revolution: The corporate assault on the security of the global food supply, Volume 13, Number 4, Retrieved November 22, 2013 and available at: http://www.mit.edu/~thistle/v13/4/food.html

So Long A Letter by Mariama Ba and Blood Wedding by Frederico Garcia Lo

"So Long A Letter" by Mariama Ba and "Blood Wedding" by Frederico Garcia Lorca Thesis: Characters that cause immense pain to another, especially to their consorts, succumb to death in the texts So Long A Letter and Blood Wedding by Mariama Bà ¢ and Federico Garcà ­a Lorca respectively. Death is one aspect of life that prevents a person from being invincible. It is one of the inevitable occurrences that a man has to yield to. In the texts So Long A Letter and Blood Wedding by Mariama Bà ¢ and Federico Garcà ­a Lorca respectively, death is a poignant theme that has prevailed throughout the course of the text. The question is whether the deaths of characters in these texts are deserved, and devised by the authors due to the immense pain dispensed by these characters to their consorts. Firstly, So Long A Letter by Mariama Bà ¢ which is a letter cum diary from Ramatoulaye to her best friend Aissatou depicts the series of events that have taken place in the past, mainly portraying the lamentation of three women (Ramatoulaye, Aissatou and Jacqueline) due to their husbands’ lack of commitment. Moreover, this text outlines the Senegalese way of living and how the Muslim society accepts polygamy readily. As we read the text, we are introduced to Modou Fall, the husband to Ramatoulaye, who died of an unknown cause. In my opinion, his death was destined due to the everlasting pain he dispensed to his wife. This is because of his â€Å"abrupt decision to take a second wife† and his abandonment of his family. This was a very appalling situation as Modou walked out on Ramatoulaye and his twelve children to go and improve relations with a girl the age of his daughter. Although he married her committing polygamy which was sanc... ...trated mood the Mother is in since she has lost all her family members now including her ultimate hope of survival: her son, the Bridegroom. Accordingly, I perceive that the Bridegroom deserved to die as he dispensed pain and grief not only to the Bride but also to his mother. All in all, we have seen that the statement ‘characters that cause immense pain to another, especially to their consorts, succumb to death’ is apt. Moreover, it can be learnt form this piece of work that the consequence of the action you perform will be commensurate to the intensity of that action. Therefore, Modou Fall, Leonardo and the Bridegroom all deserved to succumb to death. Last but not the least, it can be noted that all the characters that cause immense pain to others in both the texts are the male characters while the recipients of such pain are the female characters.

Eating Disorders and Pregnancy Essays -- Health Birth Nutrition Papers

Eating Disorders and Pregnancy Pregnancy has often been viewed as a period of great developmental change for women. This is also a period in which previously dormant psychological issues rise to the surface and when current issues have the potential to worsen. Because anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa occur primarily in young women, many of whom are of childbearing age, it is important to evaluate the potential medical and psychological consequences when an eating disordered woman becomes pregnant. During pregnancy, conflicts about body changes, alterations in roles, additions of responsibility, and concerns about a woman’s own mothering abilities are prevalent. Many of these concerns are also of great importance to the psychology of eating disorders. Thus, it is not surprising that anorexic and bulimic women have unique problems during their pregnancies (Franko and Walton 1993). The potential for pregnancy to exert a positive or negative influence on eating disorder symptoms is inconclusive. Some studies report a decline in symptoms, while other report heightened symptomatology. However, it has been found that when an eating disorder is present during a pregnancy, the risk of complications is increased (Conti 1998). Anorexia Nervosa and Pregnancy Pregnancy in patients with anorexia nervosa is rarely suspected. Amenorrhea (lack of menstruation) is invariably present and is often accompanied by sensations that resemble symptoms of pregnancy. These symptoms include a bloated abdomen, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. The detection of conception in anorectic patients is often delayed, and the consequences can be severe (Bonne, Rubinoff and Berry 1995). The course of pregna... ...: A Review and Clinical Implications.† International Journal of Eating Disorders. 1993 Jan; Vol. 13(1): 41-48. Lacey, J.H., and Smith, G. â€Å"Bulimia Nervosa: The Impact of Pregnancy on Mother and Baby.† British Journal of Psychiatry. 1987; Vol. 150: 777-781. Stein, A., H. Woolley, S.D. Cooper, and C.G. Fairburn. â€Å"An Observational Study of Mothers with Eating Disorders and Their Infants.† Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1994; Vol.35 (4): 733-748. Turton, Penelope, et al. â€Å"Incidence and Demographic Correlates of Eating Disorder Symptoms in a Pregnant Population.† International Journal of Eating Disorders.1999 Dec; Vol. 26(4): 448-452. Waugh, Elizabeth and Cynthia M. Bulik. â€Å"Offspring of Women with Eating Disorders.† International Journal of Eating Disorders. 1999 Mar; Vol. 25(2): 123-133.

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Visitors performing special tasks in addition to the above, must present â€Å"height permission† and complete personal protective equipment. Badges must be worn all time of their visit. All visitors must be registered Into the violators management software system which Is operated by the front entrance receptionist. The software records each visitor's name and company affiliation, as well as the purpose and duration of their visit.It is not allowed to take photos the visitors to installations without prior authorization of plant protection guard; in case of getting permission from him/her, this person deeds to valid the nature for which they need to perform these actively. Visitors may not have access to confidential documents, nor the company electronic devices, nor can access to the company intranet or making use of it with their own cell phones, laptops, pads or any electronic device. They should require key visitor with a special surname to use this service during their S tay. Visitors must be accompanied whole time by the employee who they will visit.Employees should be informed to take good care of their badge and never to lend their badge to anyone. They must report a lost or stolen badge to security immediately. 10. – Physical Access Controls, Deliveries (Including mail). Proper vendor ID and/or photo Identification must be presented for documentation purposes upon arrival by all vendors. Arriving packages and mail should be periodically screened before being disseminated. All personnel of a company performing deliveries must be identified with a gaffe which must have a photo, name and company's name where they came from.Deliveries must be made during office hours, which Is before pm from Monday to signature of receipt. This ensures that the company received it, and is not responsible for any claim. Deliveries must be in the appropriate direction, the person to whom it is directed such delivery or otherwise the company should assign a repr esentative from each department for receiving packages, mails, etc. Allen Del Norte, AS De Coupled require a copy of the packet data or document, which must contain the company's name, date to which it is addressed and the dealer's name, in order to avoid actions of fraud.Delivery persons must present ID upon arrival. There must be written and verifiable procedures in place for the challenging and removal of unauthorized/unidentified persons. Employees in all positions and levels must be trained in these procedures. 1 1 . – Physical Access Controls, Challenging and Removing Unauthorized Persons. Procedures must be in place to identify, challenge and address unauthorized/ unidentified persons. The badges are programmed to grant access or not to people who are unauthorized to enter because not everybody can see the information handled there, even if they belong to the same company.A report should be written for each incident and corrective action must be addressed. Part of cont rolling the access concerns of keeping strangers from the building at midnight. But it also includes making sure that people entering during working hours have authorization and need to be in certain areas. Sometimes areas must still be monitored to protect from internal sabotage or theft. All areas in the company must be monitored by security cameras inside and outside. It may be desirable to monitor who goes into a critical area, as well as what the person is doing there.Even an apparently trusted employee may do mischief or even accidentally cause harm to the company. Some monitoring may be to record access, while other monitoring may be to keep track of what the person is doing in an area. At the entrance of the company, there is a security gate which regulates the entry and exit of employees, which must be authorized or in the absence of it, to have any authorization of the Plant Protection Department. All vehicles entering the premise should be logged. The security guard shoul d stop each vehicle to verify that there is a valid business repose.Application information, such as employment history and references must be verified prior to employment. Allen del Norte, S. A. De C. V. Must perform a Pre- Employment Verification in order to know information about the professional preparation of the individuals before hiring them and also an entailed list of where and when they worked, the Jobs they held and how much the employees earned. Employment history verification assures employers of having all the experience and qualifications listed on the candidates resume. School Records Workers' Compensation Records

The benefits of immigration

Diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, leprosy and others that haven't been present for a long time, but that doesn't mean that are extinct or completed eradicated. Page 5 United States is facing one of the biggest problems in history, and it is terrorism. After the incident of September 1 1, 2001 the nation is fearful in some way of immigrants, because as the article said, three of the four pilots were in the country illegally. I understand the magnitude of that event, but not every illegal resident is a terrorist.Another point is that in the last years many of the terrorist that have been rrested are legal residents and have been born in the United States. So, they have to understand that they have the thread inside the country and try to manage the situation and stopped accusing the illegal immigrants of been the cause of terrorisms. They also forget that many legal immigrants are part of the Armed Forces and they are willing to serve and protect the country, even it means losing th eir life in combat. What really happen is that most of the people thought that terrorism is equal to illegal residents, and that isn't true.The person who least you expect could e a terrorist and it doesn't mean he or she is an illegal immigrant. According with the article: â€Å"†¦ we simply cannot round up and ship some 12+ million illegal aliens back to their home countries. Even if we could, children of illegal aliens who are born in the United States are, by commonly held interpretation of current law, American citizens†. It also said: â€Å"it would not be Just to punish the children for the sins of the parents so even children who were not born in the United States but have lived in the US most of their lives are, by default, Americans, at least in name†.I am totally agree with the two statements and think that it is a way to show a little respect to those who are illegally in the country. It is true that illegal immigration does have its disadvantages: gre ater poverty, increase in crimes, lower unskilled wage; education costs, and a few others. However, the positive benefits Page 6 of immigration outweigh the disadvantages in many ways. So, let us welcome the benefits that immigration provides to the nation. Let be open mind and accept the fact that United States is a big melting pot and each one has something to give to the nation.