...Business Ethics across cultures The first of the two articles that will be reviewed for this paper is by Tamar Lewin of the New York Times. In August of 2001 thirty Nigerian families sued the large drug company Pfizer in the Federal Court of the United States. The families alleged that Pfizer conducted an unethical trial on their children during the meningitis epidemic of 1996 The Pfizer Company sent a research team to the Infectious Disease Hospital in Kano, Nigerian in 1996 to test an experimental antibiotic, Trovan, on 100 children that had come down with meningitis. Pfizer want to ascertain whether this drug would be effective on the disease; until this point the drug had never been tested on children. For their control group Pfizer administered the very best treatment, ceftriaxone, too 100 other children. The suit states that Pfizer did not even administer the full dose of the ceftriaxone. The results from this trial left 11 children dead and many others brain damaged, paralyzed, or deaf. Pfizer’s only comment on the suit was that the fatality rate was less from the trial, than the overall fatality rate from the epidemic. Their spokeswoman also said that the trial had been a humanitarian mission and not a self-serving action. The suit against the company however, states that the company took opportunity from the chaos caused by the crises. They were able to quickly test a potentially dangerous drug without proper approval. The suit also claims that Pfizer also falsified...
Words: 1437 - Pages: 6
...Good morning ladies and gentleman. Today I am going to talk about some of the challenges facing labor unions today and how we can rise to meet them. Government policies may vary from province to province but we are fortunate enough to have some of the strongest labor legislation out there. The economic recession has been hard on everyone and unions are no exception, with the lay-offs or closures of plants and businesses, the union faces the challenge of ensuring we stay strong and effective. In the workplace there are many challenges relating to diversity, changing human resource management and organizing one of the largest sectors of workers in Canada, the service and retail industry. (Very good introduction!) Economic and political change, globalization and restructuring have made people question the effectiveness or need for unions. With the changes in the workplace and workforce, such as shrinking public sector and primary industries and the growth of the private sector coupled with the changes in work arrangements, unions are faced with challenges relating to their survival and vitality. (McQuarrie, 2003) Traditionally unions were structured to represent employees in industries with a fairly stable workforce and hierarchical relationship with management. Today unions face the necessity of “having to adapt to new realities of work and proving their relevance to a new generation of workers in a variety of workplaces.” (McQuarrie, 2003) Workforce demographics are changing,...
Words: 1631 - Pages: 7
...Patron Jones September 25, 2014 Human Diversity Immersion Paper I chose to interview a good friend of mines father named Hector. He is forty-two years old and is of Mexican decent. He came to America for better job opportunities. In the interview, we discussed his beliefs, traditions, and mainly his story of how he began a life for his family in America. In Meigs County, Ohio, the produce fields hired Mexican laborers on worker permits. Hector started out working in produce fields then he became the boss about five years ago and received his green card. He moved to America over 10 years ago. Now he is an American and can speak very good English Hector believes in the Christianity faith. He beliefs that all people should be treated the same regardless of race and ethnicity. Hector said he came to realize that America wasn’t a place of equal opportunity. In Mexico, people are more willing to help each other out in difficult situation. Hector went on to explain in Mexico men were paid pretty much the same pay, which was very low. Hector explains that Mexicans will live in packs because it was easier and much affordable, but America was much different people didn’t look out for one another like they do in Mexico. “Americans are very selfish”, said Hector. During the Interview, he explained to me that in Mexico there is no age requirement for males to start working, so there are young boys working at six to ten years old to help support their family He also stated that women...
Words: 1104 - Pages: 5
...History of the Labor Movement “It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country” (United States Department of Labor). This quotation is referring to one of our national holidays, Labor Day. Ultimately, the labor movement in the United States formed this holiday celebrated every September. Labor day is a day to celebrate how far American workers have come since before the 19th century. During the 1800s American workers could be found at their job for most of the day almost everyday. It was a hard time for families to make ends meet forcing even their children to work. On average, an individual would work twelve hours a day, seven days a week. Easy jobs, such as working in a factory or mill, children as young as five would be working to help their families pay bills and even eat a meal (History, 2010). Soon times got tougher for Americans by having wage cuts and needing them to work more hours. Several different strikes occurred starting in 1768 over these wage reductions. Workers fought for several years to be treated differently by getting paid more and working less hours; to fight for these rights strikes were happening more frequently. Soon reform efforts were popping up to fight against the social inequality occurring; Knights of Labor and National Union Labor were the most popular. However, their efforts were not changing the economic conditions the workers faced; therefore...
Words: 375 - Pages: 2
...The Future for U.S. labor The United States is facing a challenge in finding work for workers who have been unemployed since the recent recession. After many years of leading the manufacturing industry, the recent economic crisis, as well as the growth of the competitive global market, has caused many U.S. factories to shut down, and in turn caused a rapid decline in employment of U.S. workers (Baily, Manyika, & Gupta, 2013). However, simply employing the U.S. workers will not solve the high unemployment problem the country is facing. In this global marketplace, the United States will not only need to make improvement in the economy to create jobs that are robust and sustainable, but will also need to build a workforce that is strong and trained with the right skills (Baily & Bosworth, 2014). This paper will first look at the significant events of the history of U.S. labor to understand the current situation of the U.S. economy and how it has affected the workers. In this paper, U.S. labor, workforce or labor force refers to a pool of people who are employed in the United States. Since manufacturing is a significant source of employment for U.S. workers, the government has made advanced manufacturing as the center of its economic agenda to help with recovering the U.S. economy. Advanced manufacturing, as described in the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report, is an effort to improve the U.S. industry in systems engineering using...
Words: 7330 - Pages: 30
...main founder of steel was Andrew Carnegie. He was the one who invented steel and led the way for all of the other railroad companies to start advancing their rails and stretching them across America. “Steel mills are perhaps the quintessential example of late nineteenth century industrialization because of their importance to the American economy and because of their dependence upon mechanization.” This Statement backs up everything that was previously stated. This one sentence shows how steel was the number one material in that time. It also shows how important steel was to the advancement of everything else. The second chapter speaks about labor unions and their effects on the industry. It speaks about the way that the unions started and what their ultimate goal for workers in America was. It also speaks about the many different unions and how their approaches were similar and...
Words: 1385 - Pages: 6
...vast new areas to commercial farming and creating truly national market for manufactured goods. The growing population formed an ever-expanding market for the mass production, mass distribution, and mass marketing of goods, essential elements of a modern industrial economy. The railroads created 5 transcontinental lines and 4 times zones throughout the nation. 3. Why did organized efforts of farmers, workers, and local reformers largely fail to achieve substantive change in the Gilded Age? In order to achieve substantive change in the Gilded Age, farmers, workers, and local reformers sought to bring up protests and strikes; however, the government would respond with force in attempt to prevent further labor difficulties and keep the focus on local corporations. Unions were crushed by big industrialists with force rather than to seek compromise, which effected the efforts of...
Words: 2336 - Pages: 10
...United States[edit] Main articles: Labor unions in the United States and Labor history of the United States Labor unions are legally recognized as representatives of workers in many industries in the United States. Their activity today centers on collective bargaining over wages, benefits, and working conditions for their membership, and on representing their members in disputes with management over violations of contract provisions. Larger unions also typically engage in lobbying activities and supporting endorsed candidates at the state and federal level. Most unions in America are aligned with one of two larger umbrella organizations: the AFL-CIO created in 1955, and the Change to Win Federation which split from the AFL-CIO in 2005. Both advocate policies and legislation on behalf of workers in the United States and Canada, and take an active role in politics. The AFL-CIO is especially concerned with global trade issues. Child laborers in an Indiana glass works. Trade unions have an objective interest in combating child labor. In 2010, the percentage of workers belonging to a union in the United States (or total labor union "density") was 11.4%, compared to 18.3% in Japan, 27.5% in Canada, and 70% in Finland.[20] Union membership in the private sector has fallen under 7%[21] – levels not seen since 1932. Unions allege that employer-incited opposition has contributed to this decline in membership. The most prominent unions are amongpublic sector employees such as teachers...
Words: 352 - Pages: 2
...lSTU L201 | The American Labor Union | A Dying Institution | | Steve Scarlett | 11/28/2013 | | There is no question that the once strong and powerful American labor unions are now in a slow but steady decline and have been so consistently since the 1960’s (See chart below). Today union membership is at an all-time low. According to a National Review article dated January 28, 2013 “the unionization rate is now 11.2 percent of all workers. Private-sector unionization fell from 6.9 percent to 6.6 percent, and the government unionization rate dropped from 37 percent to 35.9 percent.” Sources: W. Craig Riddell, “Unionization in Canada and the United States: A Tale of Two Countries”; ICTWSS Database A major factor in the weakness of the current labor legislation can be seen in Section 8(b) of the National Labor Relations Act Contributing factors: According to a National Review article dated Jan 28, 2013: by John Fund entitled The Decline of Unions “the unionization rate is now 11.2 percent of all workers. Private-sector unionization fell from 6.9 percent to 6.6 percent, and the government unionization rate dropped from 37 percent to 35.9 percent.” “The last time union membership in the private sector was below the 7 percent it is today was before FDR’s New Deal entrenched mandatory collective bargaining into law through the Wagner Act.” “Unions are in an “inexorable decline,” Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer said on Fox News this...
Words: 506 - Pages: 3
...Good evening everyone, I came here tonight prepared to speak with you all about American Labor Union History going back to the Eighteenth Century. Due to time restraints, I am now being asked to give you the top three most important events in American Labor Union History. There have been so many significant events, picking the three most important is a very difficult task. However, I will rise to the occasion and give you lovely folks what I believe to be the three most important events in American Labor Union History. The three I will speak briefly about are; the formation of The Knights of Labor in 1885, The Wagner Act of 1935, and the merger between AFL and the CIO creating the AFL-CIO in 1955. The foundation of The Knights of Labor is especially significant because this was the first time in American Labor Union History that there was an attempt to form one large general union. The early years of The Knights of Labor were very successful. This union offered membership to skilled and non-skilled workers as well as women and African Americans. Between 1885 and 1886 nearly 600,000 members joined under leader Terence Powderly seeking eight hour work days, equal pay, and to do away with child labor. The Knights won a major strike against the Wabash Railroad which led to the quick increase in membership. However, by the late 1880’s the organization was practically extinct due to lack of leadership for such an overwhelming quick increase in membership . The Wagner Act...
Words: 426 - Pages: 2
...Impact Of Globalization On Bangladesh Globalization has become a buzzword in the new era of international relations. Basically it is a process of expanding trade and commerce all over the world by creating a frontier-less market. But now it has had a far-reaching effect on many aspects of life. With the development of hi-tech communication media and rapid transportation facilities, the hole world has squeezed and people have come closer to one another. Now we can learn in an instant what is happening in the farthest corner of the globe. In fact, globalization is currently understood mainly in terms of mutual relationship of nations and region of economic domain, in particular, trade, financial flows and traditional corporations. In other words globalization is seen as an economic parallel to internationalization in the form of the universal market, notwithstanding the fact that there has been an interlined process of political and cultural globalization exemplified by increasing democratization, spread of English, television schedule and movies and wide awareness of global environment problems. Impact Of Globalization On Bangladesh : Impact of globalization is obvious in the following spheres : • Impact On Communication : With the impact of high-tech communication media and ultramodern transportation facilities, the world has come closer. Now we can learn instantly what is happening in the farthest region. Countries of the world have become like families in a village...
Words: 999 - Pages: 4
...Running Head: Globalization Student’s Name: Course Code: Instructor’s Name: Date: Globalization: Outline I. Introduction A. An overview of globalization II. Discussion A. Discussion on the positive and negative effects of globalization III. Conclusion A. This part of the report will cover a summary of the findings Introduction Globalization is an increasing unity of various world economies brought about by the breaking or elimination of barriers to international trade. The barriers include tariffs, export fees and import quotas. Its aim is to raise goods, services and material wealth from a global division of labor (Robertson, 1992). Globalization is a process, driven by a combination of factors including financial, technical, sociocultural, political, and biological. The term may also refer to transitional circulation of ideas, languages, or popular culture (Waters, 2001). The history of globalization is debatable. Some people perceive it to be from the ancient times dating back to occasions like Ottoman Empire spice trade routes in 1453 spurring exploration of different lands. Others situate the origins to the modern era, citing examples like the ending of the First and Second World War in the mid-20th century which was necessitated by the need to break down borders and foster peace (Osterhammel & Petersson, 2005). Expansion of multinational companies and exchanging of scientific developments and information has led...
Words: 768 - Pages: 4
...• The emergence of global financial markets in centers such as New York, London, Frankfurt and Hong Kong, providing businesses around the world with easier access to financing. • Greater levels of immigration, changing the ethnic, cultural and religious composition of several countries and leading to the establishment of multicultural societies. • The erosion of trade barriers between groups of nations, leading to the emergence of powerful trading blocs, with names such as NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), the European Union and the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Globalization is not new. Historically, people have left their surroundings and traveled to distant lands for four main reasons: conquest (the desire to control other countries); prosperity (the search for a better life); exploration (the desire to discover new lands); and trade (the desire to sell goods profitably). The first steps toward globalizing as we know it today were taken in the 16th and 17th centuries when the Portuguese and Spanish empires spread into Africa, the Americas and Asia seeking gold, silver and spices. The Dutch, French and British empires...
Words: 866 - Pages: 4
...CASE STUDY Professor: Dr. Mary Flannery Teaching Assistant: Jia-Yuh Chen ECON 136 – Business Strategy February 27, 2006 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS The retail industry is dominated by few retail giants, with Wal-Mart competing in several retail categories. Wal-Mart competes against Kmart and Target in the general merchandise retailing; against Costco in the warehouse club segment; and against Kroger, Albertson’s and Safeway in the supermarket retailing. Competition among retailers centers on pricing, store location, variations in store format and merchandise mix, store size, shopping atmosphere, and image with shoppers. Further analysis provided by the following figure diagnoses the competitive environment of the retail industry. Five Forces Model of Competition Threat of Substitute Products Weak: Substitutes for big box retailers are smaller grocery stores; substitutes are higher priced relative to the performance they deliver. Supplier Bargaining Power Weak: Industry members account for a big fraction of suppliers’ total sales and continued high volume purchases are important to the wellbeing of suppliers. Rivalry among Competing Sellers Fierce: Competing sellers have triggered heated price competition and are active in making fresh moves to improve market standing and business performance. Buyer Bargaining Power Weak: There is a broad base of buyers so no single buyer can demand price concessions; buyers purchase merchandise in small quantities; buyer loyalty for...
Words: 1408 - Pages: 6
...Reprints This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the "Reprints" tool that appears next to any article. Visit www.nytreprints.com for samples and additional information. Order a reprint of this article now. September 26, 2010 Wage Laws Squeeze South Africa’s Poor By CELIA W. DUGGER NEWCASTLE, South Africa — The sheriff arrived at the factory here to shut it down, part of a national enforcement drive against clothing manufacturers who violate the minimum wage. But women working on the factory floor — the supposed beneficiaries of the crackdown — clambered atop cutting tables and ironing boards to raise anguished cries against it. “Why? Why?” shouted Nokuthula Masango, 25, after the authorities carted away bolts of gaily colored fabric. She made just $36 a week, $21 less than the minimum wage, but needed the meager pay to help support a large extended family that includes her five unemployed siblings and their children. The women’s spontaneous protest is just one sign of how acute South Africa’s long-running unemployment crisis has become. With their own industry in ruinous decline, the victim of low-wage competition from China, and too few unskilled jobs being created in South Africa, the women feared being out of work more than getting stuck in poorly paid jobs. In the 16 years since the end of apartheid, South Africa has followed the prescriptions...
Words: 1501 - Pages: 7
