Nike Essays - Nike, Inc., Employment Compensation, Labour Relations

Nike The athletic apparel industry in which Nike is involved is a major money maker in the United States, but the fact that none of the factories are located in North America has brought some heat to the company. Nike controls more than 40 percent of the U.S. Market for sports related goods, but doesn't have a single sneaker factory in this country (Miller 1). Nike continues to make millions of dollars yet exploits workers overseas by paying them very little, while requiring long hours without overtime pay in factories that are not up to ?American? standard. Nike subcontractors employ nearly 500,000 workers in plants in Indonesia, China and Vietnam (Saporito 1). The exploitation of workers in Third World counties, where the majority of Nike's labor is done sparks a controversial issue. People question why is it that Nike continues these practices. According to ?Just do it, Nike,? Nike seems especially fond of doing business in undemocratic countries like China and Indonesia, where the military can be relied upon to ?crack heads? if workers get out of line (Miller 2). The military monitoring has been a large controversy due to the fact that these are often Chinese working against other Chinese workers, or Vietnamese against their own people also. For Nike there are two benefits: it it's a cheap way to monitor in an overseas factory and it creates a sheaper labor workforce. In turn making the labor cheaper for Nike. This makes it possible for Nike workers from the states to work on other things and only tour the factories when nessecary. While still assuming a stable workforce without good pay. The critics of Nikes labor practices have taken tours and witnessed the mistreatment firsthand. Time magazine reported saying,? The plants were found to be modern and clean, well lighted and ventilated and paying a decent wage by local st andards?although by no means are they trouble free. Make no mistake: these are factories not amusement parks, and even in developing Asia, where jobs are scarce and getting scarcer, this is not the job of choice.? (Saporito 1) The wages that the workers overseas are paid is nothing when compared to how much we pay for a pair of shoes or the profit that CEO Phil Knight is making off his sportswear giant he once operated out of the back of his car as a college student. ?A big issue that surrounds sweatshops is wage. The minimum wage often does not reflect the cost of living.? (Hepner Online) Is the wage fair? There are many people who feel the wage is fair and the cost of living is taken into account when the wage is looked at, but studies show otherwise in many factories. Just recently, CNN reported a raise to entry level workers in Indonesia, Nike officials said ?the increase will raise the minimum monthly compensation package?which includes bonuses, housing, healthcare, transportation and meal allowances to approximately $37.14 a month.?(Nike Establishes Labor? Online) To many people living in the U.S., that package may sound good however the compensation package doesn't do away with the long hours, the poor conditions or the low rate of pay. Many of these workers are young children working to help support their families. The benefits do not make up for the low pay rates that keep them in the work force. The pay is only enough to get by where these children want to be saving in order to leave the factories and return home. In ?Taking a Look inside Nike's Factories?, part of Bill Saporito's, ?Can Nike Get Unstuck this is what was found. ?Americans pay $100 for a pair of shoes that a worker gets less than $3 a day to make. They pay Michael Jordan $40 million to endorse them. Can't they find more money to pay the workers? The short answer is no, because corporations pay the going rate for labor whereever they are.? (Saporito 1) If this statement is true Nike pays the wage for the country the factory is in, then what is the controversy about? Much of it stems from the overtime that these workers are forced to work without over time compensation. Here in the United States there are regulations placed

Odgovori Vikend Essay

Odgovori Vikend Essay Odgovori Vikend Essay BUSINESS STRATEGY 1. Outside stakeholders often demend that inside stakeholders' be suportinated to the greater good of society (ousiders). They believe that such issues as pollution, the disposal of solid and liquid waste, and the conservation of natural resources should be principal consideration in strategic decision making. On the other hand, inside stakeholders tend to believe that the competing claims of outsiders should be balanced against one another in a way that protects the company mission. For example, they tend to believe that the need of consumers for a product should be balanced against the water pollution resulting from its production if the firmcannot eliminate that pollution entirely and still remain profitable. Some insiders also argue that the claims of society, as expressed in government regulation, provide tax money that can be used to eliminate water pollution and the like if the general public wants this to be done. There are four types of social commintment that managers must consider regarding social responsability: Economic responsabilities represent the duty of managers, as agents of the company owners, to maximize stockholder wealth. Legal responsabilities represent the company's obligations to comply with the laws that regulate business activities. Ethical responsibilities represent the strategic managers' notion of right and proper business behavior (example: distibution of cigarettes is legal, smoking is unethical). Discretionary responsabilities are responsabilities voluntarily assumed by a business organization (public relations, good citizenship, full corporate social responasibilities). 2. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has redefined the structure of corporate governance and responsibility. This has heightened the priority of boards of directors’ thinking relative to business ethics and social responsibility as they are now directly involved in corporate audits. There are no longer layers of management between internal auditors and top managers as the officers are not allowed to be the sole provider of financial data. Sarbanes-Oxley also includes new certifications and regulations for financial statements as well as new disclosure requirements and penalties to those who fail to comply. With greater accountability placed on board members, both business ethics and social responsibility have become key obligations for them to uphold. 3. Five principals of collaborative social initiatives are: Identify a Long-Term Durable Mission: Firms make the greatest social contribution when they indetify an important , long standing policy challenge and they participate in its solution over the long term. (Examples: Avon Poducts Inc., Home Depot). Contribute ''What We Do'': Firms maximize the benefits of their corporate contributions when they leverage core capabilities and contribute products and services that are based on expertise used in or generated by their normal operations. (Example: Starbucks Coffee Company, IBM) Contribute Specialized Services to a Large-Scale Undertaking: Companies have the greatest social impact when they make specialized contributions to large-scale cooperative efforts. Those that contribute to initiatives in which other private, public, or non-profit organizations are also active have an effect that goes beyond their limited contributions. (Example: AES company). Weigh Government's Influence: Government's support for corporate participation in CSIs can have an important positive influence.Tax incentives , liability protection, and other forms of direct and and indirect support for business all help to foster business participation and contribute to the success of CSIs. Assamble and Value the Total Package of Benefits: Companies gain the greatest benefits from their social contributiors when they put a price on the total benefit package. The valuation should include both the social contributions delivered and the reputation effects that solidify or engance the company's

Three sides of abortion debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Three sides of abortion debate - Essay Example The legal right of a woman to undergo an abortion has not resolved many ethical issues that surround the procedure of abortion (Fry, Veatch and Taylor, 2010). There are three stances people have on abortion include pro-abortion, middle ground that abortion can be accepted, and anti-abortion, and the arguments for these stands are discussed. There are individuals who support abortion on the basis that it is not wrong, and does not need the involvement of undesirable consequences. To look at this argument in another way, it tends to neglect the rights of the fetus or even acknowledge the fetus as a person. There are individuals who consider abortion as the right of a woman hence she is solely liable to the way she controls her body. Moralists who take part in judging actions argue that abortion is simply a deliberate failure to conceive a child, and with availability of contraceptives in mind, abortion should be too. By contrast, there are those who think that the fetus being a person, has limited rights that has no significant weight on the interests of the people already born who include the parents and children of that particular family. All the same, people supporting abortion do so on the fact that the overwhelming principle behind abortion is the woman and her rights to choose what to happen to her body.

Contract Law Problem Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contract Law Problem Question - Essay Example According to Beatson and Anson, contract law is defined as the branch of law that ensures legal binding of the promise between two parties and makes them fulfill it. Whereas French Civil Code defines contract law as convention and agreement in which one party or several parties bind themselves to serve a specific purpose or to restrain from some. So, all in all what contract law adhere is that there lie a duty on both parties in a contract to execute their obligations. The ultimate examination of both the definitions of English Law and French Law confirms some essential features of the contractual relationship and that is the performance of the contract. Contractual performance is sole principle of contract law which must be kept and fulfilled at any cost. This principle of contract law is the backbone of the whole contractual relationship2. Generally the contract law is defined as an agreement that creates obligation enforceable by law. This obligation is based upon the mutual accep tance, consideration, legality and capacity to perform. In this process of conformity, fulfilment and binding, there may arise number of problems if in case contract is not implemented properly or if one party rejects to perform according to the obligations. Thousands of contracts are agreed upon and signed in the world every day and most of them are not performed in their full essence according to the terms3. Whilst many of them are resolved by negotiations and discussions but there comes cases under which hostilities are not that easy to resolve breach of contract informally. In this regard law provides remedial measures to provide justice to distressed party. These remedies help aggrieved party to either recover performance based upon the contract or ensure provision of some compensation for the damage caused by the breach of contract. Some possible remedies renowned for breach of

The History of Toyota Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The History of Toyota Corporation - Essay Example   Accordingly, the reporters averred that â€Å"safety analysts found an estimated 2000 cases in which owners of Toyota cars including Camry, Prius, and Lexus, reported that their cars surged without warning up to speeds of 100 miles per hour† (Ross, et.al., 2009, par. 2). As a result, there have been congressional hearings scheduled to investigate the complaints and the cases focusing on the safety problems posed by Toyota cars in the US. In this regard, this essay aims to evaluate whether or not Toyota was treated fairly in those hearings. When evaluating the congressional hearings, there are diverse sides that must be considered, to wit: Toyota’s explanation, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), testimonies from safety research institutes and other automotive authorities, the victims of the runaway cars, and the public. Toyota’s defense through James Lentz, president, and COO of Toyota US revealed in his testimony that â€Å"no proble ms exist with the electric throttle control system in our vehicles. Rather, floor mats and sticky accelerators are to blame" (Farber, 2010, par. 7). Two testimonies, however, blamed the accidents on the electrical malfunction with testimonial reports and personal testing and analysis. The side of the NHTSA is being criticized due to previous agency investigators subsequently being employed by Toyota. Any investigation on the sudden acceleration accidents could have been influenced and biased due to connections with Toyota. However, the hearings found â€Å"no violation for these two employees† (Schone & Rhee, 2010, 3). The victims have filed legal cases against Toyota for having sustained injuries with deaths to family members. Also at risk are the public who could be victims of these kinds of car accidents.

Using RStudio to Prepare and Clean Data

Using RStudio to Prepare and Clean Data There is now more data available than ever before, the depth and scope is increasing daily. The explosion of the internet and connected devices has increased this and big data is now big business. With the increase in data available to us, so has the need for analysis of this data. Many companies use this data to predict future trends. Also, what has changed is the tools we use to analysis and present this data in a meaningful way. In the past statistical software was very expensive and often with no graphical capabilities. Enter the R programming language a tool that supports both, first released in 1995 with the first stable build in 2000, now on version 3 which was released in 2013. R is a free open source project with over 7000 add on packages available. Many companies such as Google and Facebook are using R for their data analysis. In this lab book we will look at cleaning and preparing data so it can analysed. We will use R Studio which is an IDE (Integrated development environment) for the R programming language. R Studio is available as an open source or commercial version, it has two editions R Studio desktop and R Studio Server and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems. The dataset we have is from the UK government, and is based on MOT outlets in England, Scotland, and Wales, it contains data such as name, address, post codes, telephone numbers and categories of vehicles tested. On quick analysis of the dataset there are a lot of blank fields, extra white spaces, typos in the telephone column as well as second telephone numbers separated by the / symbol. Using R Studio we will attempt to tidy and clean the dataset. In this lab book we will explain the various commands and techniques used to prepare the data for analytical analysis. Make a copy of the data to work with: Method: Here we make a copy of the original dataset x2016motsitelist and call it MotList, this is good practice as you will not contaminate the original dataset. Test: Result: From the above screen shot you can see we have renamed our dataset to MotList, by using the name of the dataset in R studio it lists the dataset in a screen dump on the console. Get the Stucture of Our Data Frame Method: by using the str() command in the console we get the structure of our data. Test: Result: by using the structure command str() we can see that our dataset has 22,980 objects and 14 different variables. The next lines which contain $ indicate column headings and display some of the components included in these columns. This command just provides a list with components and names. View the data Method: Using the Head command to view the data. Test: Result: using this command the first 6 records are displayed in the console window. ID names of columns Method: We use the Names command to display column names. Test: Result: this displays the names of our columns in the console window. Summary of what is contained in the columns Method: we use the Summary command to get an overview of the data in our columns. Test: Result: the summary command gives us an overview for every vector in the data frame, tells us in our case that the length is 22980 rows, that all vectors are character classes. Missing values Method: we will use the is.na command, combination of is.na with the any command and lastly the sum command to check for missing values in the data. Test: Result: the result of the is.na command returns a Boolean true or false result on the data set to tell us if a missing value is present or not. Test: Result: with the use of the any command we find that there is indeed missing data in the dataset. Test: Result: with the use of the sum command we get the number of missing records, which is 149097 in this case. Rename columns in our data set. Method: we use the colnames command to change the columns in our data set that are numbered 1,2,3,4,5 and 7. Test: Result: with the use of the above commands we change the name of the columns using the name to identify which column to apply the name change to. We use the names(MotList) to verify the result. Test: Remove NA from the different categories of vehicle that are Mot tested Method: we create another copy of our dataset and call it MotListMod, on this dataset we will change the NA values in the columns that we renamed earlier so that the different categories of vehicles tested will have complete values and no missing data. We do this by giving the dataset name and then the $ column name, we then use the which command and is.na to change the value to the desired result. Test: Result: As can be seen from the screen shot above, we have changed the NA values in the six columns of our dataset, our dataset now tells us if a Mot test centre carries out tests on the different vehicle categories Y or N, were as before it only told us the if the centre did Y with a blank field for N. Again, we run the sum is.na command on both datasets we have, now the MotListMod dataset has far less Nas in the dataset. Remove and tidy up VTS Telephone column. Method: Firstly, using the GSUB command we removed instances of Tel. and TEL. from our column, secondly, we separate the column in two sections number 1 and 2 with the SEPARATE command as some of the test centres have two telephone numbers separated by / in the dataset, thirdly we tidy up the white space. Test: Using GSUB wrongly above didnt produce the desired outcome, but in the two screens below we get the desired outcome. The above screen shows were the VTS Telephone column is split into different sections. Trimming white space from the front of the telephone numbers. Removing the NAs from the VTS Telephone number2 Result: By using GSUB and identifying the column we wanted to target, we replaced the instances of Tel. and TEL. in our dataset with whitespace, we then proceeded to split the column into two different sections, when we did this it created a lot of NAs in the second column because not every test centre has two telephone numbers, so to counter act this we replace the NAs with the value 0. We then tidy up the white space at the start of the two columns. Write to CSV file in R studio Method:ÂÂ   We will write the MotListMod3 dataset to a CSV file with the WRITE.CSV command. Test: Result: The above command writes the dataset to a csv file and can be viewed or shared with others, see above screen shot of the file in excel. Outliers and plot function. Method: using the HIST command we produce a histogram of the cars column, the columns class had to be changed to a factor form to make the function work, also we used the Table command to count the number of Y and N in this column. Test: In the screen shot above you can see a histogram of the cars column. Result: No outliers are present as our columns only have a Y or N present in the different type of vehicles tested columns. Also, our data was of class character, this had to be converted to a factor form so as we could use the histogram function on the column cars. We used the table command on the column to display a numeric result for N = 1054 and Y=21926.

AA Meeting :: essays research papers

Open AA meeting Since this was my second AA meeting, I was still open but didn’t know what to expect. The last meeting was at a church is an African American neighborhood. To get a different experience I wanted to change the nationality. So even though I was a little nervous I decided to attend a meeting in Ridgewood, Queens. It was still at a church however the population consisted of Caucasian. When I came into the room, everyone looked at me, however this was expected because I was the only African American in the room. The meeting started with a prayer and then everyone introduced themselves to each other. The issue that most concerned me was that half of the people in the room was younger than 25 years of age. That let me know right there that this was a global issue and not a issue concerning one race. As one of the young men began to share his story, I almost began to cry. He grew up in a household in which his father was an alcoholic and also was very abusive towards his mother. He sh ared with us that after his father used to beat his mother, he and his dad use to drink together. Therefore he drank with his father 3 times out of a week. As sad as it may sound he looked forward to his father beating his mother because he liked to drink. So that is how he began with his father and that was at the age of 12. He was now 24 and a alcoholic and he began to see the traits of his father in him. Therefore he needed to get help and that was the reason why he came to AA. Another person that touched me was a young girl who was 18 who wanted to be in the crowd. She began to drink because all of her friends drank however she was not able to control her and her drinking. She stated to us that on numerous occasions from being drunk that she was raped. It was sad because a lot of people want to be in the crowd and that is how they get hooked.