Chapter 8: Supply Chain!

Link to article: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jan/25/apple-child-labour-supply

Child labour 
uncovered in Apple's supply chain

This article is about how Apple has discovered multiple cases of child labour in its supply chain, including one Chinese company that employed 74 children under the age of 16, in the latest controversy over the technology giant's manufacturing methods. It uncovered 106 cases of underage labour being used at Apple suppliers last year and 70 cases historically. One Chinese supplier, a circuit board component maker called Guangdong Real Faith Pingzhou Electronics, was axed by Apple after 74 children under the age of 16 were recruited to work on its production lines. According to Apple, the children had been knowingly supplied by one of the region's largest labour agencies, Shenzhen Quanshun Human Resources. Its investigators found that the agency conspired with families to forge identification documents. Apple did not disclose the ages of the children involved, but its code of conduct states it will not employ workers under the age of 15, or under the legal working age in any jurisdiction – which is 16 in China. Apple ordered its suppliers to reimburse excessive recruitment fees – anything higher than one month's wages – and said $6.4m (£4m) was handed back to contract workers in 2012. Investigators found 90 facilities that deducted wages to punish workers, prompting Apple to order the reimbursement of employees. Mandatory pregnancy testing was found at 34 places of work, while 25 tested for medical conditions such as hepatitis B. Apple said it took measures to protect whistleblowers, and that it made 8,000 calls last year to workers interviewed by auditors in order to find out if they had suffered intimidation.

Question: What are your thoughts on child labour?

Chapter 7: Marketing!

Link to article: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/10728/seven-online-marketing-activities-you-can-start-today

Seven Online Marketing Activities You 

Can Start Today

This article is about how there are plenty of things to learn if you're to get the best results from your efforts, I wouldn't advise anyone to sit around learning all there is to know about online marketing before jumping in. Here are seven online marketing activities you can start today.

1. Blog

Blogging is a powerful content marketing activity for any size business. It can help position you as an expert in your industry, bring more traffic to your website, grow a loyal fan base, and generate buzz and interest in what you have to offer.2. Join TwitterIf you're not on Twitter already, now's the time to get started. It's simple to set up a profile for your business, choose some interesting people to follow, and begin sending your helpful, engaging tweets out to the world.3. Answer questions on LinkedInThis is a simple activity you can do every morning, or twice a week, or whenever you choose, and it helps get your name and knowledge in front of peers and potential prospects. If you don't have a LinkedIn profile yet, you can create one for free. 4. Be a guest authorMost blogs are actively seeking guest authors, and in return for your contribution you general receive an author bio with links to your website/blog and social media profiles.5. Comment on blogs When commenting on blogs, always make sure you're adding something useful or thoughtful to the conversation. Don't pretend you read the article and copy someone else's comments. 6. Start an email newsletterYou can set up an account at one of many email marketing services and begin capturing emails on your website in a snap.7. Be an expert sourceYou can add your name and contact details to various directories, offer your expertise directly to someone of interest, or (my personal recommendation) sign up for a free account at HARO and reply to queries that interest you on a daily basis.

 Question: Do you agree or disagree with these seven marketing activities? 

Chapter 6: Non-Governmental Organizations!

Link to article: http://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/temperance-cornerstone-ethical-corporate-culture/

Temperance-The Cornerstone of an Ethical Corporate Culture

This article is about a mass-balance calculation on a chemical manufacturing unit in one of our Louisiana facilities suggested that we were exceeding our permitted emissions limit for hazardous air pollutants. Given the potentially serious implications of this discovery. In addition, the permit for the one plant that was licensed to operate only allowed to them emit a few pounds of a hazardous air pollutant (HAP) from the facility on an annual basis. The investigation revealed that, between the two plants, we were emitting over 400,000 pounds of this HAP per year.They had gotten away with violating the law for over a decade.

Steps to improve a business

1. Evaluate your own habits and consider the degree to which you may be failing to restrain yourself from “speeding” at work.2.Take an honest look around your firm and consider the degree to which your colleagues habitually step over the line in the interest of getting the job done. Consider responsive actions that might change the culture in the organization, or at least rein in the loose cannons.3. Consider whether your firm really has systems that are up to the basic task of knowing and disseminating information about applicable legal requirements. If not, propose cost-effective methodologies to remedy any shortcomings.4. Conduct workshops focused on the importance of temperance and integrate them into your routine business ethics training programs for employees and executives.Consequently, sustained action is required to create a culture in which your colleagues are both expected and encouraged to do the right thing, even when no one is looking.

Question: Do you agree with the steps below? Why or Why not? 

Chapter 5: Trade Organizations!

Link to Article: http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2013-05-20/a-stronger-world-trade-organization-is-good-for-america

A Stronger World Trade Organization Is Good for America

This article is about the transatlantic trade pact President Obama proposed in his State of the Union address, as well as the post of the World Trade Organization’s director general. The winning candidate, Brazil’s Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdoure. The lack of excitement about Azevêdo’s appointment reflects the extent to which the WTO has been marginalized in favor of trade regionalism. The two most important long-term trends in U.S. trade are the integration of American factories and retailers into global production networks and the declining U.S. share of global trade volume. Both factors suggest America needs a strong WTO much more than it needs a series of bilateral and regional deals.

Question: Do you agree with President Obama choice? 

Chapter 4: The Role of Government in International Business!

Link to Article: 
http://www.managementstudyguide.com/role-of-governments-in-international-businesses.htm

 

The Role of Governments in Encouraging or Discouraging International Businesses!

      This article tell us that Often times the governments of many countries do not have a choice but to welcome international businesses as they need the “hard cash” or the Dollars, as they are also known. For instance, the difference between exports and imports is known as the Current Account Deficit or CAD. Since many emerging markets (except China which has a positive CAD) have deficits that need to be financed with Dollars. Apart from this, the domestic industry might not have the capabilities to succeed in a particular sector nor the expertise to develop that sector. Therefore, FDI becomes necessary for the growth of that sector. Moreover, opening up of the economy is needed for admission into the WTO or the World Trade Organization, which means that in order to export to other countries, emerging and developing market economies have to open up. The key aspect here is that many governments of the emerging economies often welcome the international businesses with open arms because of the reasons listed above. However, midway through the process, some of them develop cold feet because of policy paralysis. It needs to be understood that allowing international businesses to enter into the emerging economies must be bipartisan. Finally, On the other hand, the examples of India and Russia are the other way around as these countries opened up their economies due to compulsions and then with open arms but failed to keep up the momentum. This means that the integration into the global economy would happen only when the reforms process is done wholeheartedly and without pauses or U-turns.

Question: Do you think that based on this article that the government encourages or discourages business?

      

Chapter 3: Business Meeting Etiquette!

Link to Article:
http://chineseculture.about.com/od/businesseconomy/a/Chinese-Business-Chinese-Business-Meeting-Etiquette.htm

Chinese Business - Chinese Business Meeting Etiquette

When doing business in china, there are a couple of tips you need to follow. You need to send as much information as possible to your peers, such as details about your topic for the business. You need to be on time or it is considered rude. When hosting a meeting to be respectful, stand outside and greet the people before they enter the room, the seniors should enter the room first to show the you have respect.The meeting arrangements the low ranking people sit on either ends of the table. Make small talk to get to know each other, a small intro about your topic and about you. Interrupting a meeting is considered rude, Chinese meetings are highly structured and interjecting.

      Question: Do you think these etiquette are hard to follow?

Chapter 2: Trade Barriers!

Link to Article:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/63a490c0-8401-11e3-b72e-00144feab7de.html#axzz3QgwYHLBP

China joins Davos drive to cut green trade barriers

This article is about China joining the US, EU and Japan to lower tariffs and other trade barriers for the global annual market in the green goods. Those range from solar panels and wind turbines to filters and other parts used in power and sewerage plants and catalytic converters for cars. Mr Froman said the new push “among like-minded WTO partners will also help to maintain momentum in Geneva for the kinds of fresh, credible approaches to trade negotiation and results that led to success at the WTO ministerial in Bali last year.” The US and EU are promoting the green industries and battling climate change and creating jobs at home. EU figures that the green goods is expected to double by 2020. About 3m people in the EU are employed by companies involved in producing environmental goods and services. President Barack Obama called for the US to lead a push towards a global free trade agreement for environmental goods and services in a speech at Georgetown University in June. “I believe Americans build things better than anybody else,” he said at the time. “I want America to win that race, but we can’t win it if we’re not in it. 

      Question: What do you think of this article, Do you think the Green Goods are helping climate change?